The more Han Yishui got entangled with him, the more miserably he would die in the future. A Calamitous Star Fate Pattern was no empty reputation.
And Han Yishui's disciples and relatives were welcome to come consult him about cultivation as well. The more, the merrier.
"This way, please."
Han Yishui led the way, deliberately taking Jiang Ming around to admire the scenery and foundations of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
In the end, the group stopped before a cluster of pavilions shrouded in mist. Sturdy green bamboo and lush vegetation surrounded them, while pavilions and towers dotted the landscape naturally. With a rustling sound, clear spring water flowed over the rocks.
Whether grass, trees, or emerald bamboo, everything glimmered with a crystalline sheen, as though meticulously carved from jade. Nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and Yue, clouds and rosy mists swirled through the air.
A thousand-meter waterfall cascaded down, its clear waters resembling a silver dragon guarding this Cave-Heaven Paradise.
Spirit cranes soared freely through the sky, their intelligent, luminous eyes curiously studying Jiang Ming.
What followed was drinking wine, tasting tea, chatting about all manner of things, and probing each other.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Han Yishui, he brought out his treasured spirit tea for Jiang Ming and his younger brother, Han Bugua, to taste. The three appeared to be conversing casually, but in truth, they were already discussing the Dao.
Jiang Ming naturally steered the topic toward Dao Patterns. This world's Formation Dao was based on such things. He had just studied Elder Han's animal-hide book, so this was the perfect opportunity to explore it further.
After several hours of discussing the Dao, everyone had gained something.
Even Han Bugua had to admit that Jiang Ming truly had some skill.
Finally, Han Yishui brought out a jar of spirit wine. After the three shared a few cups, their initial probing came to an end.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, Yue rose above the willow branches.
Just like that.
Jiang Ming had ended his life of dining on mist and drinking dew, facing savage beasts, strange birds, ruins, and wilderness every day. He could now stay at Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven for a few days.
He could also take the opportunity to explore the secrets beneath Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
In the original plot, Ye Fan had mentioned that something beneath the bluestone stairway at the mountain gate could resonate with the ancient character he had obtained from the Bronze Coffin.
Jiang Ming considered it. Perhaps he should investigate.
The secret here should have been taken by Weiwei in the original plot.
Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven had produced an extraordinary prodigy. Recalling the plot, Jiang Ming believed she possessed Immortal Spirit Eyes. Once her cultivation continued to improve, she would likely discover the secret beneath the bluestone steps and ultimately obtain what was inside.
There was no rush for these matters.
Jiang Ming settled into a guest cave abode. After casting several Cleansing Spells and using minor techniques to tidy the place up, he immediately sat down to cultivate Qi.
Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven was said to rank last among the six Cave-Heaven Paradises. This time, Jiang Ming experienced firsthand that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within it was not as rich as that of Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven.
No wonder some elders of Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven had grudges against the elders of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven. They often disdainfully called this place a little blessed land, unworthy of being called a grotto-heaven.
What was a Cave-Heaven Paradise? When cultivation grounds were established in these regions, ancient ruins had been discovered. Some of those ancient ruins contained secret realm spaces, granting these cultivation grounds traits similar to grotto-heavens.
It could be said that the entire Primordial Ruins, including the six Cave-Heaven Paradises surrounding it, had originally been Demon Race territory. A Demon Saint had opened several secret realm minor worlds for the benefit of later generations.
Unfortunately, Azure Emperor was suspected to have fallen. This region then suffered a terrifying catastrophe. At that time, there were still Sage-level experts in the world, who had arrived with powerful artifacts to wage war, turning this primordial treasure land into ruins.
After the passage of time, it became the Primordial Ruins of today.
Many of the cave-heaven minor worlds had mostly collapsed. Still, a small portion remained, later occupied by others and developed into cultivation grounds, becoming Human Race lineages.
Jiang Ming roughly understood. Perhaps the thing beneath the bluestone stairway was connected to the core Secret Realm Cave-Heaven of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven, causing the Secret Realm Cave-Heaven's spiritual energy to be consumed too quickly and lowering the overall spiritual energy of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
Inside the cave abode where he rested, Jiang Ming inspected the area. There were no Recording Stones or anything similar nearby. It was merely an ordinary cave abode with some Formation Patterns designed to gather spiritual energy.
Only then was he at ease.
The next moment, Jiang Ming transformed into a small Zhu Yan, opened his Fiery Golden Eyes, and looked underground.
He was rather curious. What secret was hidden here?
With Zhu Yan's innate divine ability, Fiery Golden Eyes, Jiang Ming could only unleash sixty percent of its power, but that was already enough. Two beams of golden light shot from his eyes and entered the depths of the earth veins beneath his feet.
He could see the flow of spiritual energy through the earth veins, like the roots of a tree. Their source flowed out from the secret realm space at the deepest part of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
A minor cultivation force like Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven was not even qualified to occupy a Source Stone Vein. If it possessed one, everyone in the entire Cave-Heaven Paradise would be nourished by the natural heaven-and-earth essence emitted by the Source Stone Vein.
Of course, there could not possibly be Dragon Veins underground here either.
There might once have been some, but they had been taken away by someone using immense divine abilities and extraordinary methods.
Jiang Ming knew very well that a terrifying battle had once erupted across this land. The Central Province Dynasty, Desolate Ancient Families, and sacred sect forces had all participated.
Once the battle ended and they failed to find what they sought, they naturally ransacked the place afterward.
When Azure Emperor was still around, the Demon Race in this region had flourished and grown immensely wealthy.
In the end, the major powers scraped the land clean, even digging up the underground Dragon Veins and Source Stone Veins.
Jiang Ming shifted his gaze, looking diagonally toward the direction of the bluestone stairway outside the mountain gate.
"Formation Patterns."
This place was sealed off by a powerful layer of Formation Patterns. If he had not used Fiery Golden Eyes, an ancient-era innate treasure technique possessed by all four great divine apes, he would never have spotted these Dao Patterns.
The being who had arranged these Dao Patterns was unimaginably powerful. The Formation Patterns had merged directly with the earth itself.
The bluestone stairway itself was ordinary. It had been laid down by later generations when Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven was established.
The true mystery lay deep within the earth.
No wonder that girl Weiwei had not touched this place.
With Weiwei's talent, she was likely already a Divine Bridge cultivator by now.
With her Immortal Spirit Eyes, she had certainly discovered the secret beneath the bluestone stairway.
But she lacked the ability to take it away. Those Formation Patterns were too powerful, far beyond anything she could touch at her current level.
Transform!
With a thought, Jiang Ming transformed into a juvenile Gu.
That was right. Though he was small, only palm-sized, he was still larger than a Skyhorned Ant. This was one of the Ten Feral Beasts' bloodlines.
The Ten Feral Beasts' innate treasure techniques involved time and space.
Moreover, the Gu Race possessed an innate talent for traveling underground, making it perfectly suited for this operation.
A gray, shell-covered Gu appeared. Its wings were six-colored, containing the radiant flow of years and Yue and the boundless vastness of the Void.
The Gu Race was naturally born to live within the earth, much like the Skyhorned Ant bloodline.
Jiang Ming's figure vanished from the spot and tunneled into the ground, rushing toward the mysterious location he had seen.
Once he reached that location, his figure vanished again. This was the Gu Race's innate treasure technique, Spatial Shift.
At the same time, his wings fluttered, empowered by a time-based treasure technique, radiant flow.
His body seemed to become a streak of the radiance of years and Yue, vanishing without notice.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ming passed through that layer of Formation Patterns—or rather, a layer of space—and entered a peculiar space.
The scene before him changed abruptly. He had gone from the earth into a dim world, as though he had suddenly entered another heaven and earth.
The place was empty, or rather, deathly silent. Only a scroll of scripture floated in the Void, becoming the sole center of the space as it emitted a faint, precious glow.
As expected, another treasure like a scripture?
Then, if it could resonate with the mysterious Emperor character deep within Ye Fan's Sea of Consciousness, it should at least be an Emperor Scripture-level secret technique, right?
Jiang Ming felt anticipation. This time, he directly transformed into a Spirit Stone Ape, one of the most intelligent races in heaven and earth. Working with Fiery Golden Eyes, he first observed the location of the scroll to see whether there was anything else strange there.