Upon hearing Qin Xuan's reprimand, Geng Zhi's stout face was full of innocence:
"Young Master Qin jests. Even with a thousand schemes, Geng merely seeks to survive."
Qin Xuan did not press further, glancing at Patriarch Geng's tomb: "Family Head Geng spoke of a fortuitous encounter—could it be your master's cave abode?"
Jinyanshu stood beside Qin Xuan: "I dare not believe it either."
Geng Zhi said nothing, pressing his hand to his chest. A black pattern faintly appeared beneath his clothes, coiling like a chain.
"Years ago, harmed by Huo Yu, all my magic power was sealed in my dantian; I cannot use a bit. Our school's magic power resembles the true essence of ordinary Daoists—moderate and peaceful. Today I invite you both here to open the stone door of the cave abode."
Geng Zhi went to the stone door and took out an object from his bosom. It was palm-sized, pitch-black all over, shaped like an ancient key, its carved patterns matching the stone door's runes exactly. He pressed the key against the door, hearing a light "click," and it fit perfectly into the stone socket on the door.
"This is one of the cave abodes left by my master. You two need only pour spiritual qi into this key; once the cave abode opens, any fortuitous encounters within that are fated for you, you may take freely."
Jinyanshu and Qin Xuan exchanged a glance.
Elder Wu said: "Qin Brother, he is telling the truth."
"Good!"
The two made their judgment, pouring spiritual qi into the stone socket together.
Instantly, the runes on the stone door moved like living things, flowing and buzzing.
The stone door slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a chaotic void beyond.
Qin Xuan was inwardly startled.
"A small realm!"
Behind the door was neither a stone chamber nor a passage, but a whole other world. That world was not large—one could see its limits at a glance—yet it was self-contained, exactly the wonder of "A Mustard Seed Contains Mount Sumeru."
Yuansong Temple's records had described such small realms, but seeing one with his own eyes was a first.
Geng Zhi knew the way, leading Old Huang and Old Wu inside in a leap.
Elder Wu did not linger either. Qin Xuan shielded Jinyanshu in front of him and stepped into this small world.
Above the dome, no sun or moon, only a layer of dim yellow glow.
Beneath their feet was a barren wilderness, sparse with withered grass.
In the distance, faint building complexes could be seen, with towers, pavilions, flying eaves, and brackets.
As Qin Xuan drew near, he realized the outer layer was an illusion; the inner buildings were mostly collapsed and ruined, vines entwining among broken walls, exuding an indescribable desolate and ancient air.
Geng Zhi stopped before the ancient buildings; Elder Wu was also cautious: "What's wrong?"
Geng Zhi spoke plainly:
"I have entered three of my master's cave abodes, but the layout here is very different."
Old Wu examined the compass while comparing it to the beast-skin map: "The central palace rises like an overturned cauldron—this is Golden Vault Locking Essence. The four symbols are not visible, seven of the eight gates are closed, leaving only the Gate of Death as the lock eye. Family Head, I am not mistaken: this is the Golden Lock Array diagram, often used to suppress evil things."
Geng Zhi understood: "It seems somewhat dangerous. Everyone, do not touch the restrictions carelessly."
Having spoken, he stepped into the ancient building.
Inside was indeed different; as soon as he entered, a yin-cold qi rushed toward him, penetrating to the bone.
Qin Xuan took out the purple-green gourd and drank deeply of tiger ginger spirit dew. Instantly, spiritual qi surged within him like a fierce fire, keeping the yin-cold qi entirely at bay. Thus, unlike Jinyanshu who needed to circulate magic power to protect himself, he could conserve spiritual qi against the unexpected.
Along both sides of the dilapidated ancient path lay many skeletons. The skeletons wore broken armor and rotted robes. Some had double horns on their heads, some bone spikes on their ribs—strange shapes, absolutely not human.
"These are... demons of the Netherworld?"
Jinyanshu muttered, getting an affirmative answer from Qin Xuan's expression.
The Netherworld lay beneath the land of the Nine Provinces—an underground world where, rumor had it, the River of Yellow Springs flowed straight to the Underworld's Yin City, and even to the Nine Nethers' Nether Realm. Inside, demons ran rampant and ghosts were countless, yet it also produced many resources sought by Qi Refining cultivators. For example, the Seventy-Two Earth Evils could mostly be found in the Netherworld.
The fish demon Elder Wu, sensitive to yin qi, squatted to examine a strange skeleton, resembling a withered wooden man. No one knew how many years it had been dead, yet its whole body glowed with ghostly blue light. It inhaled a breath of cold air and hurriedly moved away from the skeleton.
"What is this?" Jinyanshu did not recognize it.
Qin Xuan looked closely, recalling that yin soldiers passing were often accompanied by ghostly blue ghostfire, and guessed: "Perhaps a creature from the Nine Nethers."
Elder Wu nodded, not surprised that Qin Xuan had such discernment, turning to Geng Zhi: "Your lineage really goes too far, daring to touch even taboos. Did your master dig into the Nine Nethers? How else are there so many yin things in the cave abode?"
Geng Zhi's face sank: "My master is no tomb robber, Elder Wu. Do not speak carelessly here, lest you invite ill fortune."
Elder Wu was also frightened in his heart, but his mouth was not yielding:
"They're all just rotten bones; what is there to fear?"
No sooner had he spoken than, following the ancient path, everyone had the illusion of passing through a water curtain.
The next moment, a sudden change! The skeletons, silent for who knows how many years, trembled slightly. First their fingers twitched, then their bones clattered. One, two, three... more and more skeletons stood unsteadily, ghostly blue ghostfire burning in their eye sockets, holding rusted weapons, surrounding the crowd.
"Not good!"
Jinyanshu silently cursed himself as a jinx, urgently making hand signs to splash a patch of gold liquid. Old Huang drew his blade and cooperated, smashing a skeleton that rushed up. Elder Wu snorted, spitting out water arrows from his mouth; cold air spread, freezing five skeletons into ice sculptures.
But those ice sculptures stiffened only a moment, then shattered the ice and continued forward.
"These skeletons are inherently dead things, fearing neither blade nor water nor fire; only by shattering them completely," Qin Xuan said. Having spoken, he saw the dense skeletons around them. With just the few of them, even if their magic power was exhausted, they could not eliminate them all.
"Family Head Geng, if there is no countermeasure, we should withdraw."
Geng Zhi looked at the still-calm Qin Xuan and nodded inwardly: "This is the Golden Lock Array triggered. This array seems to trap those inside to death, but actually leaves a way out. We only need to rush into the main hall ahead, like a key driven deep into the lock core."
Old Huang and Old Wu protected Geng Zhi on both sides, striving forward.
Qin Xuan, seeing his words and deeds consistent, took out an ice-blue talisman and poured spiritual qi into it. The freezing talisman's frost qi spread outward, a row of skeletons froze at the sound; its power exceeded the fish demon's water arrows. The work of Elder Shi of the Scripture Pavilion was extraordinary.
Qin Xuan secretly felt the pinch. For the possible fortuitous encounters in the water abode, he had already brought out some of his savings.
Just then, a colossal thing rose from the ground in the distance, tossing aside skeletons within seven or eight zhang around, standing thirty zhang tall, holding a huge mountain-splitting axe.
"Hurry!"
Everyone was startled; Qin Xuan took out another "breeze talisman" glowing with treasure light, greatly increasing his own speed and also raising the speed of those around him. He could not refine these talismans himself; they were obtained when doing errands for Elder Shi back then. Using one meant one less.
"The monster is coming, Qin Brother, don't stop the wind talisman!" Elder Wu shrieked.
Qin Xuan wanted to curse him, but took out another wind talisman; for a moment, wild winds stirred, sweeping everyone forward as they ran.
"Boom~!!"
With a tremendous crash, the huge monster's axe fell from the sky, striking the light curtain outside the main hall, deafening.
As Geng Zhi had said, entering the main hall meant safety. Behind them, the light curtain rippled in layers like waves. Jinyanshu looked back, wiping cold sweat from his brow. Looking again at Qin Xuan, they found him crouching in a rather deserted corner of the main hall, digging the ground with an herb spade. Drawing near, they saw it was a vermilion blood lingzhi, red as coral; judging by its age, at least two or three hundred years.
Qin Xuan ran fastest, entering the main hall first. As soon as he arrived and saw this spirit herb, he wasted no words and directly performed emergency excavation. The others were envious but said nothing. Earlier, Qin Xuan had expended talismans; everyone was indebted to him.
Having arrived here, Geng Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the palace behind the main hall, and smiled: "This counts as safe. Everyone, seek your own fortuitous encounters."
Geng Zhi took Old Huang and Old Wu deeper inside; Elder Wu narrowed his eyes and followed.
Jinyanshu hesitated, then said to Qin Xuan, who was digging spirit herbs: "Family Head Geng surely knows where the treasures are. Why not follow them?"
"Fellow Daoist Jin, go if you want."
Qin Xuan remained unmoved, continuing to dig the vermilion blood lingzhi. Jinyanshu thought it over, flicked his sleeve, and went after the four ahead.
"Not bad. At least the bottom line is secured."
After some effort, he held the bright red large coral in his hands, played with it for a while, then put it into his hundred-treasure pouch.
This was Patriarch Geng's cave abode; judging by Geng Zhi's appearance, he was not at all afraid of others snatching it. Rather than coveting the inheritance between master and disciple, it was better to find something solid. He needed to accumulate resources, break into the Upper Court as soon as possible, then settle accounts with that great black catfish demon…
…
Chapter 10