Even if one had truly received a boon and felt grateful toward the master of the cave dwelling, a deep bow would have been more than enough, or at most three kowtows.
After all, the master of the cave dwelling had long since passed away. The so-called expression of gratitude was merely for one's own peace of mind. Why waste time at this juncture performing the most elaborate ritual of kowtowing?
Yu Kong maintained a solemn expression, meticulously completing every bow. Qin Sang and the others muttered complaints inwardly, yet none dared object, forced to wait patiently.
Once the final rite was completed, Yu Kong did not rise. Instead, he raised his head and gazed at the clay sculpture.
His gaze settled upon the sculpture's left hand, an irrepressible spark of excitement and anticipation surfacing in his eyes.
The clay sculpture's left hand formed no hand seal. It simply rested flat upon its knee, palm facing the sky, thumb tucked inward, and the remaining four fingers extended straight forward, pointing toward the outside of the grand hall.
The instant Yu Kong finished his bowing, a wisp of iridescent light suddenly burst from the clay sculpture's fingertips.
The abrupt development caught everyone off guard. None had imagined that a seemingly unremarkable clay sculpture would conceal such a secret.
An uproar immediately broke out across the grand hall. A wave of agitation rippled through the group, their eyes filled with shock as their gazes darted between the clay sculpture and Yu Kong, disbelief painted across their faces.
After all, ever since Qiuhong Market had been discovered, countless cultivators had visited this place. The heritage hall had been turned upside down, and the clay sculpture had surely been inspected from top to bottom; it was completely ordinary.
Among those visitors were many Core Formation stage cultivators.
Yet before Yu Kong, not a single soul had discovered the clay sculpture's secret!
The iridescent light flared outward, finally coalescing into a rainbow bridge spanning half the hall.
The bridge was arched, yet only half of it existed—one end landed before Yu Kong, while the other connected above the clay sculpture's palm, vanishing into the void.
Qin Sang's heart gave a violent thump.
Could this rainbow bridge be the 'secret passage' leading to the herb garden?
If he had not witnessed it with his own eyes, who would have thought that the so-called secret passage was hidden in such an obvious spot, opened through such a peculiar method?
The grand hall was bathed in multicolor brilliance. Yu Kong seemed to have anticipated this; the moment the rainbow light flared, he waved his hand and released a burst of spiritual power, sealing the main doors to prevent the light from leaking out and drawing prying eyes from outside.
"Haha..."
Yu Kong laughed toward the sky. "That friend of mine truly did not deceive me! In this present world, morality has collapsed; cultivators only know how to hunt for treasure without knowing gratitude. Otherwise, why would it take until now for the clay sculpture's secret to be discovered by me, Yu Kong?"
Hearing Yu Kong laugh, everyone snapped back to their senses. Exchanging glances, Crescent Fairy asked in a delicate voice, "Senior Yu, how is it that we've never heard of this clay sculpture possessing such a marvel? Could it be that Senior was the first to discover it? What this rainbow bridge connects to... couldn't be the cave dwelling master's treasure vault, could it?"
Yu Kong reined in his laughter and looked over with a faint smile. "Regardless of where it leads, don't you fellow Daoists wish to go in and take a look?"
As soon as these words were spoken, a surge of burning fervor rose in everyone's eyes. Wu Chen spoke cautiously, "With a secret laid before us, we naturally wish to enter and see. However, this rainbow bridge was first uncovered by Brother Yu, so we must have your consent. Whatever requirements you have, Brother Yu, pray instruct us; we shall follow your lead in all things."
The others nodded one after another.
None knew where this hidden rainbow bridge led, but it was bound to be something extraordinary, and most likely untouched by anyone before. There might well be treasures far more precious than those in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
Even getting just a sip of the broth was deeply tempting.
As long as Yu Kong did not intend to hoard it all for himself, any condition was acceptable.
Yu Kong chuckled aloud. "Since I invited you all here, I will not cast you aside to keep it for myself. As for what lies across the rainbow bridge and whether there are treasures, this old man knows nothing either. Perhaps restrictions more perilous than those in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion await... None of you wish to back out, do you?"
At a time like this, who could resist such temptation?
Furthermore, having already witnessed the secret, what fate would await anyone who backed out now?
No one stepped back. Yu Kong nodded in satisfaction, glanced toward the outside of the hall, and urged, "Delay may invite trouble, and we cannot linger here. Everyone, hurry inside."
With Yan Wu in the lead, everyone lined up to step onto the rainbow bridge, while Yu Kong brought up the rear.
Qin Sang silently walked up.
He was in no rush to crush the Concentric Pendant. Though he was practically certain the rainbow bridge was the secret passage, before thoroughly grasping the situation on the other side, it was best not to rashly send word, lest he outsmart himself and ruin things.
One could tell from the scenes within the jade pendant that harvesting the spiritual herbs would likely not be easy. There was no need to rush.
Moreover, Qin Sang could not see through Yu Kong's intentions.
If he genuinely wished to join forces to hunt for treasure, remaining at peace would naturally be best.
In the event it was truly as Sheng Yuanzi had sneered—that Yu Kong was merely looking for scapegoats—Yunyouzi and Ge Yuan would be an indispensable fallback. After all, having already killed Shao Chunhui, would Yu Kong care about slaying a few more?
Mulling over these thoughts, Qin Sang watched the people ahead of him vanish one by one into the end of the rainbow bridge until it was his turn.
Qin Sang took a deep breath, remaining quietly on guard. He stepped out at the severed end of the rainbow bridge. The next moment, darkness veiled his eyes, and his foot landed not on empty air, but on solid ground.
Everyone found themselves inside a cavern. Outside the mouth of the cave, the light was dim and shrouded in hazy mist. There was no danger inside the cave, nor were there any restrictions. Their expressions relaxed slightly, and they turned to look at Yu Kong, who was the last to step inside.
Yu Kong wiped a hand across the stone wall, and the rainbow bridge vanished.
"The treasures lie ahead. What are you all waiting for?"
Yu Kong spoke and took the lead out of the cavern.
Emerging from the cave, Qin Sang saw with his own eyes the scenery displayed within the jade pendant, finally confirming that this was indeed where the herb garden lay!
However, this place was far more vast than Qin Sang had imagined!
Outside the cave stretched an enormous wilderness, dotted sparsely with a few low hills devoid of any peculiar traits. Only that tall mountain standing upon the plains was most conspicuous—the very mountain revealed in the jade pendant.
Mist shrouded the distant mountain, while the scent of spiritual herbs pierced through the fog, arresting everyone's gaze.
"Could those... could those be the spiritual herbs planted by the master of the cave dwelling?"
Wu Chen cried out in astonishment, his eyes burning with intense fervor. As for the others, their reactions were much the same.
However, there were still those who maintained their calm. Old Man Muteng said coldly, "Everyone, don't celebrate prematurely. In this old man's view, the vapor swirling around that mountain is likely no ordinary mist, but an exceptionally formidable restriction. Whether we can harvest those spiritual herbs remains up in the air."
Old Man Muteng's words poured a bucket of cold water over the crowd, snapping them awake from their frenzy.
Yu Kong nodded slightly and looked at Old Man Muteng, an enigmatic tone in his voice. "Brother Muteng is indeed an old fox. No wonder Sheng Yuanzi felt at ease sending you over to lurk at my side."
Hearing this, everyone was startled and hurriedly put distance between themselves and Old Man Muteng.
Old Man Muteng's expression changed drastically. Forcing himself to stay calm, he argued, "Since the day this old man stepped onto the immortal path, I have always walked alone! I don't know any Sheng Yuanzi. Brother Yu, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
Chapter 286