After stepping across the main hall's front threshold, Chen Chuan did not rush toward the lacquered casket resting on the altar table. Instead, he took a moment to look around in all directions.
The moment he stepped inside, he sensed an encroaching contamination wash over him. His second self immediately showed signs of discorporation. Faint though the encroachment was, it definitely existed.
The signs of contamination that had manifested on Xu Mutang earlier were very likely caused by entering this place.
At present, however, certain arrangements originally set up here appeared weakened, perhaps because Xu Mutang had destroyed something earlier.
Apart from this, the positioning of the surrounding fragmentary murals and everlasting lamps was deliberate and meticulous, faintly forming what seemed to be a ritual.
He possessed only a rudimentary understanding of esoteric rituals, but he could tell this one was not offensive in nature, leaning instead toward preservation. The furnishings and decor here were completely different from the exterior, gleaming as if brand new. Beyond the quality of the materials themselves, this was presumably maintained by the ritual.
After surveying his surroundings, his gaze finally settled on the lacquered casket. Going by what Xu Mutang had said earlier, the entity that had escaped from Yuwen Yuanqi's body might very well be Emperor Ying's spirit.
In the past, he had likely cultivated the Visage of the Divine, which was how he could possess Yuwen Yuanqi's body in battle. Yet after a thousand years, not much of his power could remain; otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his most formidable vessel to flee.
As for hiding in here at the end—did something inside offer him sanctuary?
He walked closer and fixed his gaze on the casket. Drawing the Xuejun Saber, he flicked the blade upward, flipping the lid off.
The instant the lid flew free, an unexpected sight met his eyes. A luminous, gossamer mist shot up like an arrow, surging straight toward the ceiling of the hall. It seemed desperate to flee, yet despite several frantic attempts, it failed to break free, because it was being held back by a brilliant golden elixir pellet from behind, which appeared to be nibbling away at it bit by bit.
Chen Chuan looked up, his brow twitching slightly. Instantly, he saw a face faintly emerge within the luminous mist.
This was typical of fighters cultivating the Visage of the Divine. They possessed no concrete physical outline of their own, but their face represented their most fundamental sense of self.
Without it, they could not maintain their True Form and would completely lose their selfhood. Above this face hovered a looming imperial crown, more than enough to confirm his identity.
After struggling for a long while to no avail, Emperor Ying suddenly looked toward Chen Chuan and transmitted a psychic intent, demanding that Chen Chuan let go of and dissolve his own selfhood to allow Emperor Ying to inhabit him.
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. Was this thing blinded by arrogance, or had it simply forgotten the thrashing it had just suffered? To make such a demand right to the face of the man who had brutally beaten it, and to do so as if it were only natural and right.
Then another thought crossed his mind: could this be due to the golden seal he was carrying?
Reaching into his pocket, he drew out the golden seal, crushed it to pieces right in front of the entity, tossed the scraps casually to the ground, and calmly met its gaze.
Seeing this, the Divine Visage seemed consumed by furious rage and immediately plunged down at him.
Chen Chuan gripped the low-hanging Xuejun Saber with both hands. Spurred by his intent, a dazzling radiance instantly flashed across the blade, accompanied by billowing platinum flames. As the charging Divine Visage reached him, Chen Chuan twisted at the waist and swung his arms, drawing the blade upward in an ascending slash that carved a blazing arc through the hall!
With that stroke, the outline of the face contorted violently, cycling through a tangle of shock, rage, despair, resentment, and bitter unwillingness. Then the entire mass of mist split apart along a clean, smooth cut.
Chen Chuan watched with narrowed eyes. Even the Visage of the Divine could not withstand the Flame of Spirituality and a direct slash. Since the entity had chosen to charge rather than flee, Chen Chuan had gladly obliged.
Just then, trails of iridescent light began to radiate outward from the elixir pellet inside the casket. A blinding glare filled the entire hall in an instant, prompting him to raise a hand to shield his eyes. He saw the mist dissolve under the illumination, drawn strand by strand into the pellet.
Then he heard a sigh of admiration. A hand reached out from the radiance and took hold of the elixir pellet. Its owner seemed to examine it for a moment before a gentle, mellow voice sounded in his ear: "My elixir is complete. Destined one, having received your aid, I leave you a gift. This item, you may keep."
With those words, as if swept away by a horsetail whisk, the radiant light swiftly receded. When Chen Chuan looked again, the elixir pellet remained resting undisturbed on the long table, seemingly untouched. Could what he had just seen have been merely an illusion?
No.
He sensed it was not an illusion at all, but likely a method of wielding psychic power, manifested in a way he could not yet comprehend.
What had been taken was perhaps something contained within the pellet, including the remnants of Emperor Ying's visage that had vanished just now.
He walked over and picked up the pellet. Initially, he had thought it might be an elixir Emperor Ying had refined in pursuit of immortality, but once it rested in his hand, he realized that wasn't the case. To the eye it looked solid, yet it had no weight whatsoever, as though he were holding a wisp of light smoke. Under pressure, however, it proved extraordinarily resilient. More remarkably, when he extended his mind into it, he felt only a vast, empty void, as if sinking into a bottomless abyss.
This sensation brought to mind something mentioned during a conversation with Mr. Zhuan.
According to legend, people of the Xuan Sect in the old era, seeking to explore the secrets of immortality beyond the heavens, gathered hundred essences from beyond the realm and fused them into a vessel that could endure indefinitely in the outer firmament. That vessel was said to resemble a pellet. Could this be it?
This would be an incredible treasure for fighters walking the path of the Visage of the Divine.
No wonder Emperor Ying had thrown himself in here.
Yet Chen Chuan did not cultivate the Visage of the Divine, so he seemingly had no use for it. But just as this thought occurred to him, another idea struck. After pondering for a moment, he opened his hand. The object floated upward slowly, finally sinking into his Spiritual Visage.
Like his mantle and saber, it existed between the tangible and intangible, allowing the Spiritual Visage to accommodate it.
He cast another glance around the main hall. As the highest hall in terms of elevation and the place where Emperor Ying himself had resided, the true treasures of the secret hoard had to be kept here.
Sweeping his gaze around, his eyes finally settled on where Yuwen Yuanqi had originally sat. He could clearly perceive a hollow space beneath it.
Yet he did not open it immediately. Instead, he walked out of the hall and came before Xu Mutang. The chief inspector was propped up in a half-sitting position, unconscious.
Earlier, to create an opening for Chen Chuan, Xu Mutang had squeezed out the last dregs of Flame of Spirituality he could channel externally. Lacking any protective barrier, he had been unable to withstand the shockwave.
Even so, the mutated tissue in his body continued to resist the contamination spontaneously, preventing the filth from spreading further.
Chen Chuan extended his hand, casting bright, dazzling light from his palm. Under this radiance, the tiny perforations across Xu Mutang's skin and the writhing worms burrowing in and out dissolved into wisps of black smoke that drifted away.
The power of the Grand Radiant Light Forms was adept at purifying such corruption. However, this only cleared the outermost layer. Total eradication would require the recipient to surrender all psychological defenses and open themselves completely—something neither necessary nor likely to be accepted by any martial artist. Besides, Xu Mutang could handle what remained on his own.
Xu Mutang's chest rose and fell, and he abruptly jolted awake. The moment his eyes snapped open, a look of intense vigilance took hold, as his memory was still frozen at the instant Yuwen Yuanqi had let out that agonized shriek.
Seeing Chen Chuan standing not far before him, realization seemed to dawn, and he immediately turned to look at the battlefield.
Craters and gouges scarred the ground everywhere. Most conspicuous of all was the suit of armor and the long hammer resting in a heap. His eyes paused on them, and he stood up slowly, asking with hesitation, "Section Chief Chen, you... Yuwen Yuanqi...?"
Chen Chuan replied naturally, "It's taken care of."
Even though Xu Mutang had anticipated the answer, he could not resist another look at Chen Chuan, his heart churning.
He had experienced Yuwen Yuanqi's formidable might firsthand. Even stripped of his original full power, he remained an extraordinarily tough opponent. Yet Chen Chuan bore no visible signs of injury and seemed utterly at ease, as though disposing of Yuwen Yuanqi had barely exerted him. This forced Xu Mutang to reassess Chen Chuan's capabilities once again.
What a pity he hadn't witnessed the rest of the battle.
He exhaled slowly. His condition had clearly improved, undoubtedly due to Chen Chuan's intervention.
Looking at Chen Chuan, he said with deep sincerity, "It was Section Chief Chen who helped alleviate my condition, wasn't it? Thank you, Section Chief Chen. You've saved my life once again."
Chen Chuan said, "Chief Inspector Xu, there's no need to be polite. Had you not stepped in to help me just now, you wouldn't have ended up in this state."
Xu Mutang replied, "Your words make me ashamed. My actions were merely out of self-preservation; without relying on you, Section Chief Chen, the outcome today would have been dire." After a brief pause, he asked, "Section Chief Chen came in through the main path this time, right?"
Chen Chuan said, "Yes."
Xu Mutang was silent for a moment before speaking. "To be frank, Section Chief Chen, we in Longyou Dao have had our eyes on this secret hoard for a long time. Once I received word of fluctuations in the ritual, I rushed here immediately.
"I originally hoped to beat you here and secure the hoard first—or at least claim a portion—so too much of it wouldn't slip away outside. It turns out I overestimated myself. Without you this time, Section Chief Chen, I would have died right here. In my view, only you are qualified to claim what lies within."
Chapter 965