Along the way, there had also been traces of mechanisms being dismantled, presumably left by Liu Yuexuan and Qi Gu.
Wu Fei examined the stone wall with the others. Although he knew where the mechanism was, he could not say so outright.
But... in the book, the protagonist had discovered this mechanism. Even without his reminder, Jing Fanyu should be able to find it.
About a quarter of an hour later, Jing Fanyu fixed his gaze on a concealed spot on the stone wall. He turned his hand over, a Spirit Stone appearing in his palm, then abruptly flicked it toward that slightly darker patch of wall.
Clang!
As the crisp collision rang out, several dazzling beams of light suddenly lit up beneath their feet, looking very similar to the teleportation array they had used to reach the inheritance grounds.
In a mere instant, before anyone could react, their figures abruptly vanished from the cave abode.
When the teleportation array lit up, Jing Fanyu tried to grab Wu Fei, but was still a step too late. His expression turned cold as he looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
This was a quiet, secluded grove. Its most striking feature was a Purple-Leaf Bodhi Tree that blotted out the sky. Beneath the enormous tree lay a clear pool, with a stone stele standing beside it, inscribed with the words "Cleansing Pool."
Jing Fanyu froze for a moment. Was this... the Buddha Spirit Sect?
Wu Fei, meanwhile, was the calmest of them all. Steadying himself, he raised his eyes to the familiar three stone walls before him and could not help arching his brows.
Had he not known what was strange about this place, he really would have thought the teleportation array had not transported him away.
As mentioned before, the master of the cave abode had been highly accomplished in arrays. That teleportation array was not merely a teleportation array, but a linked array.
Upon entering the teleportation array, one would immediately fall into an illusion array. Only by breaking through it could one reach the true inheritance grounds.
Wu Fei took a bodhi seed from his storage ring and, just as Jing Fanyu had done, flicked it toward the mechanism. The next moment, with a crack, the illusion array before him broke.
After the illusion array broke, a dim passage appeared before Wu Fei. Above it was the image of an alchemy cauldron. The writing above the entrance to the cave abode had been illegible, but the image here was perfectly clear.
Upon seeing that image, Wu Fei knew he had come to the right place. What he wanted was among the alchemy inheritance left behind by the master of the cave abode.
Wu Fei raised his hands in a salute toward the air. "Thank you, Senior." Only then did he enter the passage.
The passage was long, its end out of sight. Fist-sized luminous pearls hung at intervals along both sides, giving off a gentle glow.
After walking fewer than a hundred more steps, Wu Fei saw the first stone door. There was a restriction on it, but it was not strong; he could easily destroy it.
He had no interest in alchemy, and what he wanted was not behind these first few stone doors, so he chose to ignore them and continued onward.
Only when he reached the final stone door did Wu Fei wave his hand and destroy its restriction.
When he saw the plain, antique wooden box in the center of the stone chamber, his gaze shifted slightly, and he swiftly put it into his storage ring. The instant the box vanished, the familiar teleportation array lit up, and Wu Fei vanished along with it.
When he appeared again, Wu Fei stared at the scene before him, momentarily stunned.
The enormous Purple-Leaf Bodhi Tree, the clear, gently flowing Cleansing Pool...
Was this... the Buddha Spirit Sect?
Author's note:
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!
Chapter 7: Desire in the heart
Another illusion...
"Why didn't you take the inheritance?"
A voice filled with puzzlement came from above the illusory realm.
Hearing this voice, Wu Fei understood why he had appeared here and replied evenly, "I don't like alchemy."
The master of the cave abode had left an inheritance and set up all manner of mechanisms and arrays. After more than ten thousand years, the illusion array had actually developed a trace of sentience. Many more years later, it had finally become an Illusory Realm Spirit.
The voice fell silent for a long while before saying, "I sensed desire within you..."
A thin mist suddenly veiled the nearby Cleansing Pool. Through the layers of haze, Wu Fei saw a figure appear in the pool, its back turned to him. Long, ink-black hair spilled like raven feathers over a smooth, luminous white back. As the figure moved, the dark hair shifted slightly, revealing a mole as red as dripping blood.
"Desire..." Wu Fei naturally recognized whose back that was. A moment later, he suddenly chuckled. "Can you still sense it now?"
The voice paused, then said in wonder, "It actually disappeared. How did you do that?"
Just as I thought, Wu Fei mused. The one who felt desire was Lu Wufei himself, but the Exquisite Heart could conceal that desire. Still, the Illusory Realm Spirit had been right about one thing...
He gazed at the figure in the Cleansing Pool, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Whether it was his looks or his personality... everything about Jing Fanyu fit his tastes perfectly.
"Find someone else for the inheritance. I'm not interested in alchemy," Wu Fei said.
"That sword cultivator already took the array inheritance. When I wanted to give him the alchemy inheritance..." The Illusory Realm Spirit finished, then continued, "I saw his desire too..."
Although all the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were sword cultivators, Wu Fei knew that the sword cultivator the Illusory Realm Spirit meant was Jing Fanyu.
"What did you see?"
"You."
The instant those words fell, the Illusory Realm Spirit sensed another fluctuation in Wu Fei's emotions. Yet it all dissipated in a mere moment, and the Buddhist cultivator before the spirit still looked utterly free of desire.
The corners of Wu Fei's mouth lifted slightly, and an unusual glint flickered through his eyes. He looked up into the air. "What will happen to you once all the inheritances have been taken?"
There was a hint of anticipation in the Illusory Realm Spirit's voice. "Naturally, I'll go follow my master."
"May your wish come true."
"Thank you."
Just then, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook. Wu Fei swayed with it, nearly losing his footing.
"What's happening? Master's cave abode is actually going to collapse?" The Illusory Realm Spirit was greatly shocked. By all rights, even if the inheritances had been taken, the cave abode should have remained intact, especially since there were still people inside.
Wu Fei, however, remained composed. "What about the people who came in with me?"