Wei Yuan gave the command and immediately brought out a flattened cauldron, setting to work digging with his own hands.
He had no choice; every single one of the others present was his elder. Feng Tingyu, who looked like an innocent young maiden, was actually a direct disciple of the Hall Master of the Hall of the Bright King. Strictly speaking, she was of the same generation as Perfected Fenhai, meaning Wei Yuan had to address her as martial grand-aunt.
When there was work to be done, the junior bore the burden. As the lowest in generational seniority, Wei Yuan could only do the manual labor himself; he couldn't boss around a single one of these exalted elders.
Still, Wei Yuan possessed immense strength and was adept at digging. With each scoop of the cauldron, he hoisted over a thousand jin of earth. He began by digging up the two graves, which were the genesis of the anomaly.
The graves were exceptionally crude, practically no different from an unmarked pauper's field. Beneath the shoveled mound lay the coffins—extremely thin and already riddled with worm-eaten holes.
In the coffin of the larger grave lay only two articles of clothing: one was a simple cyan robe of coarse cloth, and the other was a woman's quilted jacket with small floral patterns. Aside from these, there was nothing else. The coffin lid in the smaller grave was cracked open, holding only half a coffin of black water. It was not actually water, but qi of absolute yin concentrated to the utmost—a substance of consummate yin and consummate toxicity.
Qi of absolute yin condensed into liquid would kill ordinary cultivators upon the slightest contact. Sun Yu, however, took out a medicine cabinet that expanded with the wind. He collected all the black water, filling over ten medicine drawers before putting the cabinet away. This medicine cabinet had originally been redeemed and gifted to him by Wei Yuan; Sun Yu had refined it so it could shrink or expand at will, keeping it on his person ever since.
Ji Liuli laid down another formation to carefully investigate the origin of this qi of absolute yin. This tiny coffin was definitely not the source; there was bound to be an origin elsewhere.
Wei Yuan approached the large coffin, reaching in to pick up the cyan robe for a closer look.
The moment his fingers touched the cyan robe, he suddenly found himself once more within a boundless, featureless void. The cloth-robed swordsman stood with his hands clasped behind his back, though he held no greatsword this time.
Upon seeing Wei Yuan, he sighed and said, "I knew I wouldn't have peace even in death. You went and dug up my grave after all."
Wei Yuan had no choice but to reply, "I was nearly killed. I have to know the truth."
Wei Yuan kept his answer vague. The cloth-robed swordsman before him was likely formed from a remnant strand of divine intent and probably lacked much wit, meaning Wei Yuan might be able to coax some information out of him.
The cloth-robed swordsman grew despondent, speaking slowly: "Everyone always wants to know the truth, but once you know it, you're better off not having known."
"Even if I must die, I want to die with clear eyes. So knowing is still better."
The cloth-robed swordsman said, "I knew you would say that. The truth lies underground here. They all thought it would perish alongside the grotto-heaven, but I knew you would come."
"Why would I come?" Wei Yuan asked.
"You are best at karmic destiny angling. With a fish this large, either it swims toward you, or you walk toward it. In the past, your favorite saying was always: *This item is fated to be mine.*"
Wei Yuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, though he did not rule out the possibility that the cloth-robed swordsman was bluffing. After all, karmic destiny angling was something any immortal knew a trick or two about. It was just that some thieves never returned empty-handed while others often came back with nothing—all a matter of differing skill.
Wei Yuan wanted to probe further, but the cloth-robed swordsman said, "The truth is below, but I cannot hold out much longer. While I still have some strength left, I must transmit the general outline of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns to you. Have you not realized that the half portion of the sword canon given to you was incomplete?"
"Why didn't you give it to me all at once?"
"Once you obtained the benefits, wouldn't you simply turn and leave? You wouldn't linger a moment longer, much less consider avenging me."
Wei Yuan said, "Do you distrust me that much?"
The cloth-robed swordsman sneered. "Trust? I would rather trust Xu Wangu than trust you. If not for having no choice, I would never have walked alongside you."
Wei Yuan remained impassive and pressed on, "How did it come to that?"
The cloth-robed swordsman said, "It is simply so! Yet beneath the Great Dao, there is no right or wrong. By nature, we belong to the same camp, so we can only walk side by side. I don't want to talk to you further. This strand of divine intent is about to disperse. Receive the sword!"
A greatsword suddenly appeared in the cloth-robed swordsman's hand, cleaving straight down toward Wei Yuan's head!
Wei Yuan was momentarily paralyzed, able only to watch helplessly as the greatsword slashed down. Then his vision went dark, and he was expelled from that boundless void.
Wei Yuan was still squatting beside the coffin, but the cyan robe in his hands had already disintegrated into ash, scattering piece by piece. A cold sweat broke out across his skin. That sword strike just now could serve as a sword transmission, but it could also have turned into a killing blow in an instant, sufficient to obliterate the dharma idol of a late-stage cultivator.
At this moment, an additional greatsword rested within Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness, plunged diagonally into the desolate earth. This was the general outline of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns.
This was the true face of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns: merely a general outline, yet turned into sword qi, it was enough to slay a dharma idol. Power this immense was only enough to bear the foundational outline of the sword canon—it could not accommodate even a single additional stance.
Wei Yuan's divine sense reached into the greatsword. In an instant, boundless sword light filled his vision. Amid an ocean of sword qi, the cloth-robed swordsman stood atop the waves, one hand grasping the hilt and the other supporting the blade, holding the greatsword horizontally before him as he contemplated the sword.
In this single stance of observing the sword, there were countless supreme principles of the sword path, and even a hint of the divine charm of Heaven and Earth's Great Dao in motion. For the moment, Wei Yuan could barely memorize one or two parts in ten thousand, still a hundred and eight thousand li away from scratching the surface.
Wei Yuan withdrew his divine sense. He would have plenty of time to ponder it later; right now, serious business remained. According to what the cloth-robed swordsman had said, several sword stances were waiting for Wei Yuan underground.
Deep down, Wei Yuan felt great disdain for the cloth-robed swordsman. What kind of person did he take him for? Wei Yuan would not claim everything he did was for the utmost righteousness of the realm, but on his journey so far, he had at least rendered meritorious service to his sect and to the human race.
Digging up this place to seek the truth was to discover what had happened to the little girl, to destroy the land of absolute yin, and to uncover the mastermind behind the scenes. All three matters were entirely upright and open; they were certainly not for some sword stances.
...He just wondered how many stances remained, and whether they were as detailed as the general outline.
Originally, the shadow in the moon had also given him half of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, seemingly condensed from the cloth-robed swordsman's primordial spirit. However, what it provided was a manual, requiring Wei Yuan to comprehend the sword intent on his own.
The general outline given by the cloth-robed swordsman, however, included the supreme sword principles he had comprehended himself, allowing Wei Yuan to experience them directly—somewhat like the jade wall in the Water Moon Hall that recorded the Immortal Monarch's insights. What the shadow in the moon had given was merely the equivalent of a hand-copied jade paper manual, devoid of true intent.
The sword-observing method was the cultivation technique of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, through which one could ascend straight to the immortal gate. With the general outline as the foundation, all subsequent sword stances applied to it. After just a brief contemplation, Wei Yuan realized that this half portion of the sword canon could already lead to immortal ascension, and it went further than most Dao paths. Relying on this half portion of the canon would be enough to establish an independent hall in the Palace of Grand Beginning.
Now knowing that the land of absolute yin lay beneath the ground, Wei Yuan delayed no longer and summoned all those searching the palace. With abundant manpower, digging was naturally easy.
Ji Liuli had already determined the orientation of the land of absolute yin, while Yu Zhizhuo used his divine sense to survey the subterranean structure and set a new excavation route.
Over a hundred Dao Foundation cultivators split into several groups; some dug earth while others hauled dirt, and Yu Zhizhuo's two junior brothers were responsible for reinforcing the tunnels.
Wei Yuan followed Yu Zhizhuo to this location and began excavating the tunnel by casting the Golden Light Water Blade Art at the specified angles.
Yu Zhizhuo was truly a mining genius. Under his direction, the digging progressed at an astonishing pace. Before long, all three inclined shafts were completed, their exits leading into different subterranean rivers. Wei Yuan dug the main tunnel, while the other two were auxiliary passages used for maintenance, reinforcement, and emergency escape.
According to Yu Zhizhuo's survey findings, the land of absolute yin was likely a sizable subterranean space, and these underground rivers all flowed toward it. Breaching directly into the land of absolute yin might trigger unforeseen disasters, so exploring forward along natural channels like the underground rivers was far more prudent.
Wei Yuan took the lead into the tunnel and entered the underground river. Advancing along the riverbed, the space ahead suddenly opened up after a short distance, but a rock wall blocked the way forward.
The waters of the subterranean river continued forward, flowing in beneath the rock wall.
The rock wall ahead was clearly a protective formation, though only one or two tenths of its original power remained. Guided by Ji Liuli, the cultivators joined forces and unraveled the formation in moments. As the rock wall crumbled and vanished, a gust of yin wind blew out from behind it, causing everyone to stumble.
Wei Yuan's mind wavered, and the scenery before his eyes transformed, revealing a serene, elegant courtyard. Inside stood rockeries and a pond, adorned so tastefully that even an uncultured person like Wei Yuan could discern its extraordinary quality.
In the courtyard sat a young man in a cyan robe, watching with a smile as a woman and a little girl played. His features bore a resemblance to the cloth-robed swordsman—it was unmistakably how he had looked in his youth.
The young man suddenly turned his head to look at Wei Yuan. The smile on his face instantly turned bitter and sorrowful, and two trails of bloody tears fell from his eyes. He said, "...Better to return."
The illusion shattered, and only then did Wei Yuan clearly see the actual scene ahead.
Before them lay a colossal subterranean space shaped like a blooming lotus. The central plaza rose tier upon tier, upon which stood a hundred-zhang pillar. The pillar was covered in lotus petals, though their colors were somewhat mottled.
Coiled atop the pillar was a creature that was part human, part demon—indescribably ferocious and sinister, appearing ready to pounce and devour someone at any moment. Even though it was merely a statue, it still sent chills through the heart.
Around the pillar also coiled a terrifying demon over ten zhang long, looking as if it were lunging toward the statue atop the pillar. However, it was bound by layers of chains marked with scorch burns, and the demon itself was completely devoid of vitality.
Upon the surrounding cavern walls stood rows of palaces, stacked layer upon layer like the petals of a blooming lotus. The entire subterranean cavern spanned a full thousand zhang across. The palace complex was exceptionally grand—a truly magnificent undertaking that must have cost untold manpower and resources when built.
Such an arrangement was entirely beyond everyone's expectations. After weighing the options, Zhang Sheng said, "From near to far; we will slowly approach the center."
This was a prudent approach, and everyone followed it accordingly, first exploring the few palaces nearest to them. These palaces formed part of the outer lotus petals; there were likely hundreds or thousands throughout the subterranean space, making them the most ordinary.
Reaching the front of a palace, Wei Yuan took the lead and broke through the door. Among the group, whether in primordial spirit or physical body, Wei Yuan was second to none and best suited to take a beating. Had the monster formed from the little girl not inexplicably targeted Wei Yuan every time, they might have suffered even heavier losses.
The moment he stepped through the palace doors, Wei Yuan's divine sense blurred once more, and a grand hall appeared before him.
A young man and woman were walking toward the hall. The woman was nervous and uneasy, but the young man comforted her, saying, "It's all right. We love each other; Father will be delighted. My sixteen older brothers and twenty-one older sisters have all failed to produce offspring, so carrying on the Xu family bloodline depends entirely on you."
Both nervous and bashful, the woman gave an almost imperceptible nod.
In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted. The young man and woman knelt in the center of the hall. Upon the raised dais at the head sat a figure that felt lofty and majestic, though their features could not be seen clearly.
After the young man finished his trembling report, a thunderous voice boomed from above, filled with fury: "Insolence! A matter as grave as marriage is not for you to decide! Your wife has already been chosen—it is her. You will marry tonight! As for this woman, give her a sum of immortal silver and send her back to her ancestral home."
From behind the raised platform above, a woman walked out with graceful steps. She had a bald head and cyan pupils, yet radiated a bizarrely eerie sanctity.
The instant he saw the woman, the young man was dumbfounded: "Sister-in-law?!"
The vision before Wei Yuan shattered, returning him to the palace hall. Only then did he examine the hall's layout.
The hall was split into upper and lower tiers, lined with wooden boxes shaped like shrines. Standing inside each wooden box was a person, male or female, completely unclothed. They all looked very young, around fourteen or fifteen years old, and whether male or female, they were strikingly alike. Similar in height, similar in facial features, and even their inner disposition was remarkably alike!
This was merely one hall. If the other halls shared a similar layout, wouldn't there be tens of thousands of youths throughout the underground?
Wei Yuan suddenly noticed that in the facial features of these youths, there was a faint trace of the cloth-robed swordsman!
One of the young girls inside a shrine slowly opened her eyes, revealing cyan pupils, and whispered:
"...Better to return."
Chapter 287