What is the meaning of "the secret of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower "?
Ling Xueyao stood in front of the stone wall, her initial surprise at Lu Shaoyuan's identity replaced by wariness.
Chu Yunfei did not answer immediately.
He channeled more spiritual energy into the stone wall, and the lines of inscription that were about to disappear lit up again.
"You'll find out as you read on."
A pale white light spread to the right along the engraving.
The writings left by Lu Shaoyuan are fragmented, with many places containing only remnants of his handwriting, making them extremely difficult to decipher.
Chu Yunfei read for a long time before finally reading the next paragraph.
"In the 272nd year of the Qian Yuan New Calendar, I was ordered by my master to travel to the southern border of the Eastern Continent. On my return journey, I encountered a man with a purple face..."
"That man claimed to be the deputy master of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower and invited me into the tower?"
"He promises the position of Golden Face and a sixth-grade Mystery-Breaking Pill..."
Ling Xueyao interrupted him.
A sixth-grade Mystery-Breaking Pill?
"Um."
Chu Yunfei looked at the next line.
"It seems that Blood Baleful Intent Tower's selection of members is not limited to secretly training assassins."
" Lu Shaoyuan was stuck at the Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level back then."
" The Mystery-Breaking Pill that Blood Baleful Intent Tower provided can just increase his chances of breaking through to the Dao Mysterious Realm."
Ling Xueyao straightened up.
"Sixth-grade pills are no longer something that can be bought with spirit stones."
" The Pill Pavilion occasionally sells sixth-grade pills, but pills that can help one break through to the Dao Mysterious Realm are very rare."
" With Blood Baleful Intent Tower offering such terms, it's no wonder they dare to invite geniuses from top-tier sects."
Ling Xueyao's gaze lingered on the words "Deputy Building Master".
" Lu Shaoyuan was already at the Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level at that time, and was the most likely candidate to become the next sect leader of the Heavenly Edict Sect."
"The fact that the Blood Baleful Intent Tower dared to contact him shows that the deputy tower master is not afraid of the matter being leaked at all."
Chu Yunfei looked at the subsequent inscriptions.
"Because they never intended for those who refused to leave alive."
As the spiritual energy swept over, a line of even deeper characters appeared.
This section is carved very heavily, with some parts even penetrating half an inch into the rock face.
"Although I am stuck in a bottleneck, I do not wish to make a living by killing, therefore I refused."
The silver-masked man didn't press the matter, only leaving behind the words: "Enter the building and you may live; refuse and you will die."
Ling Xueyao lowered her lips as she read this.
"Such arrogance."
"He has the confidence to say such things."
Chu Yunfei pointed to the next line.
" Lu Shaoyuan was ambushed and killed by three men three days after he left."
Ling Xueyao's grip on the sword tightened slightly.
"What is your identity?"
Chu Yunfei brushed away the thin layer of dust on the stone wall.
Three extremely crude mask designs appeared next to the text.
Each mask has a gold mark on its forehead, but the color has turned dark yellow over the years.
"The man in the golden mask."
Ling Xueyao looked at the three patterns but didn't say anything more.
The image of the Cloud-Chasing Boat exploding flashed through her mind again.
The assassin who single-handedly stopped Shen Qianyue was wearing a golden mask.
Shen Qianyue possesses the Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level.
However, the masked assassin fought him for a long time and never lost ground.
If Shen Qianyue hadn't held them back, she and Chu Yunfei would probably have perished along with the Chasing Cloud-Chasing Boat.
Chu Yunfei turned his head to look, and their eyes met.
Ling Xueyao spoke first.
"There's one on the Cloud-Chasing Boat as well."
Shen Qianyue has not returned yet.
Chu Yunfei withdrew his hand, maintaining the spiritual light on the stone wall at its current level.
That person is at least at the Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level.
"The golden mask in the Blood Baleful Intent Tower represents those at the Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level or higher."
Ling Xueyao clearly knew more about the Blood Baleful Intent Tower than Chu Yunfei.
"The blue-faced assassin is at the Early Stage of the Divine Sea Realm, the red-faced assassin is at the Divine Sea Realm Middle Stage, the gold-faced assassin is the true top assassin in the building, and the purple-faced assassin is the symbol of the deputy building master. The purple-faced assassin rarely appears."
It has always been believed that the number of Golden Masks in the Blood Baleful Intent Tower does not exceed three.
Chu Yunfei glanced at the three masks on the stone wall.
"Thirty years ago, three were dispatched at once."
Ling Xueyao continued examining the incomplete text.
" Lu Shaoyuan is at the Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level."
"Even if three ordinary Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level cultivators joined forces, they couldn't possibly force him to this point."
"The three golden-masked men who surrounded and killed him were at least at the Divine Sea Realm Eighth Level, and one of them might even be at the Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level."
Chu Yunfei asked, "What was the strength of the Heavenly Edict Sect back then?"
"One of the seven major sects, its foundation is similar to that of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Ling Xueyao did not look away.
"When Lu Shaoyuan disappeared, the Heavenly Edict Sect had two Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level, plus the sect leader, making three in total. As for the number of Supreme Elders, that's unknown."
"Thirty years ago, the Blood Baleful Intent Tower was able to send out three cultivators at the Divine Sea Realm Eighth Level at the same time, which was already comparable to any first-rate sect."
Only the sound of their conversation remained inside the cave.
Little Purple seemed to dislike the rotten smell around the bones, and crawled back onto Chu Yunfei's wrist, hiding its head in his sleeve.
Ling Xueyao slowly exhaled the stale air from her chest.
" The Blood Baleful Intent Tower only began operating fifty years ago."
"Initially, we only accepted missions from secular Lineage and second-rate sects, and the targets were rarely above the Heavenly Origin Realm."
"Twenty years ago, when they first killed Divine Sea Realm expert, the various factions in the Eastern Continent truly took notice of them."
"But who could have imagined that in just a few years after their emergence, they would have been capable of besieging and killing Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level?"
Chu Yunfei tapped the stone wall with his fingertip.
"They didn't just show up."
"What's the meaning?"
"A force capable of mobilizing three Late Divine Sea Realm could not have been built out of thin air in just twenty years."
Chu Yunfei looked at the date engraved on the tablet.
" The Blood Baleful Intent Tower's fifty years of public activity does not mean they have only existed for fifty years."
"They may have been hiding for a long time before they officially revealed themselves."
The coldness in Ling Xueyao's eyes intensified.
Even the royal family didn't notice.
" The Great Qian and the seven major sects have been locked in a century-long struggle, with both sides keeping their eyes fixed on each other."
Chu Yunfei continued, "An organization that only accepts assassination missions and never openly occupies territory is more likely to develop by hiding in the cracks."
"By the time others noticed it, its roots had already taken deep hold."
Ling Xueyao remained silent for a moment.
"If the golden mask on the Cloud-Chasing Boat is only a part of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower's true strength, Elder Shen is afraid..."
She didn't finish her sentence.
When Shen Qianyue stayed behind to cover their retreat, he faced a masked assassin.
They haven't arrived yet to search for it.
The chances of survival are slim.
Chu Yunfei could tell what she was thinking.
" Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level isn't so easy to kill."
"As Divine Sea Realm expert, Shen Qianyue wouldn't only have the trump cards he's revealed."
Ling Xueyao looked up at him.
Are you trying to comfort me?
"Just telling the truth."
Chu Yunfei refocused his attention on the stone wall.
"Instead of guessing whether he's dead or alive, we should focus on restoring our cultivation and finding an exit."
"We'll have news once we return to the capital."
Ling Xueyao did not mention Shen Qianyue again.
She understood better than anyone that worrying wouldn't solve anything.
The aura emanating from the stone wall began to fade.
Chu Yunfei then infused a small amount of spiritual energy to awaken the inscription on the back.
"This section is missing too much."
How much can you tell?
"After being surrounded and attacked, Lu Shaoyuan fought with three masked men for half a day."
Chu Yunfei deciphered each character one by one.
"His sword was broken by one of them, and his sternum was also injured at that time."
"Later, he burned a portion of his divine soul and forcibly broke through the encirclement."
Ling Xueyao looked at the broken sword in the skeleton's hand.
" Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level cultivator burning his divine soul, no wonder he managed to escape from those three."
"The cost was not small either."
Chu Yunfei pointed to the blurred patterns on the broken sword's hilt.
"His soul was damaged, all the bones in his chest were broken, and his natal artifact was also destroyed."
Even if they escape, they won't have the strength to fight again in the short term.
Does the following section describe how he arrived at this place?
"Have."
The text has become even more scattered at this point.
When Lu Shaoyuan wrote his last words, his injuries were clearly worsening.
The first few lines were still neat, but later the handwriting became crooked and many sentences were not finished.
Chu Yunfei pressed a wisp of spiritual energy deeper into the depths.
I fled into the Black Wind Mountain Range, where the three pursued me relentlessly.
"Having traveled deep into the fierce winds, they accidentally stumbled upon a remnant of an ancient formation..."
He paused for a moment.
Ling Xueyao read the following text aloud, "The space was distorted, and when I woke up again, I was already here."
"It really is a teleportation array."
Chu Yunfei looked down at the grayish-white stone chips next to the withered bones.
This also explains why he was able to bypass the demonic spirits above.
"He was teleported directly to the vicinity of the Spirit Spring by the remnant formation, without passing through the Abyss."
Ling Xueyao turned to look outside the cave.
"In other words, there is a high possibility that a remnant teleportation array remains here."
"It should be. Let's look for it later, and check the last words first."
Chu Yunfei nodded and continued reading.
"After Yu Xing woke up, his injuries became increasingly difficult to control, and he was then attacked by a ferocious beast."
"That ferocious beast was only at the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm at the time."
Ling Xueyao looked out of the cave.
"It really is the Scarlet-Pupiled Iron-Armored Beast."
"To grow from the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm to the Seventh Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm in thirty years is not a slow pace."
"Guarding a Earth Vein Spirit Spring, reaching the Seventh Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm in thirty years is already considered slow."
Xiaoxiao Dragon said lazily.
"This iron turtle's bloodline is too poor. If it can absorb 100% of the Spiritual Qi, it's considered good if it can refine even 10% of it."
Chu Yunfei didn't say those words aloud.
He looked at the remains of the array stones.
"Even though Lu Shaoyuan was seriously injured, he still had the ability to force back a ferocious beast at the Spirit Martial Realm."
"But he couldn't kill it, so he could only hide in a cave and rearrange the isolation formation."
Ling Xueyao then proceeded to deduce.
"The formation sealed off the aura and isolated the ferocious beast."
He tried to heal his injuries using the Earth Vein Spirit Spring, but ultimately failed.
Chu Yunfei shook his head.
"The spring is right outside, yet he died inside the cave, which means that the ferocious beast was always guarding the entrance."
He couldn't go out to fetch water from the spring.
Where is the storage ring?
"Most of them were destroyed during the encirclement and attack, or lost during spatial teleportation."
Chu Yunfei pointed to the bottom of the stone wall.
"If he still had pills and spirit stones, he wouldn't have died from his injuries."
Ling Xueyao looked at the skeleton, her expression much more somber than before.
A genius who was poised to enter the Dao Mysterious Realm did not die in the sect war, nor in the desperate struggle for opportunities.
He escaped the attack of three masked assassins, but was trapped in a cave less than a hundred feet from the Earth Vein Spirit Spring, where he could only watch his injuries worsen day by day.
There are more words below.
Ling Xueyao raised her hand and pointed to the bottom of the stone wall.
The markings there were even more chaotic than before.
Chu Yunfei needed to adjust his spiritual power multiple times before he could barely piece together a complete sentence.
"When I fought the three, I tore one of their robes, thus glimpsing the origin of his martial arts technique..."
The next few words were cut off by a crack.
Chu Yunfei examined each crack along both sides, his expression gradually darkening.
"A discovery?"
Ling Xueyao took half a step closer to his side.
Their shoulders were almost touching.
She didn't bother to create some distance and looked in the direction Chu Yunfei was pointing.
The fragmented characters, when pieced together, formed a sect name that she found very familiar.
Ling Xueyao immediately turned to look at Chu Yunfei.
" The Heavenly Evil Devil Sect... one of the seven major sects, the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, is actually connected with the Blood Baleful Intent Tower?"