Qin Xuan could read these twelve characters, yet he did not grasp the profound meaning behind them.
The bird-shaped characters formed a peculiar seal script, constantly imprinting upon the lake of his mind as new text surfaced.
"I cannot return to my homeland. Does anyone of the Chen clan of Qiuping still walk this earth?"
Youzhou was also one of the Nine Provinces, situated to the north of the Eastern Ascendant Continent. As for where Qiuping was, Qin Xuan had no idea.
'The inscription carved on this stele seems to have been left by a senior on the brink of death.'
As he pondered, another passage appeared:
"Gentlemen of future generations, if you see my dying words and travel to Youzhou, I beg you to visit Qiuping on my behalf. Should the Chen clan still endure, inform their family head: Chen Yin perished in the Nine Nethers; seek my traces no more.
"In return for your kindness, I impart to you an incantation, which may decipher the text upon the divine stele."
When he read to this point, an incantation lingered unceasingly in his ears.
Looking at the carvings on the stele once more, the core formation diagram atop it instantly transformed into bird-script seal characters, winding and meandering as they poured completely into his mind. Chaotic and intricate at first, moments later they fell into an orderly design of their own accord.
Chanting them silently, he felt that every character was a gem, every sentence deeply profound.
At last, they coalesced into a page of scripture, branded indelibly into his mind and spirit, titled: *Taiyin Soul Transformation Art*.
'Is this what was recorded in the stele inscription?'
'It's actually a cultivation art.'
Just as the Taiyin Soul Transformation Art surfaced within his mind, Qin Xuan saw an eye-catching line of text:
"Supreme mental method of the Nine Nethers: Taiyin Soul Transformation. This is an art of supreme yin; those of the mortal world cannot cultivate it. As yin and yang walk different paths, one must stay far away from it."
He sucked in a sharp breath as an icy chill welled up throughout his body, piercing straight through to his soul.
His head spun dizzily, and he nearly toppled over.
Qin Xuan pressed a hand to his forehead, an expression of discomfort on his face.
"Young Master Qin, what's wrong?"
Old Huang was sharp-eyed and noticed his abnormality.
Qin Xuan rubbed his forehead, unable for the moment to digest the information he had received in that brief instant.
Composing himself, he made up an excuse on the spot: "Seeing this tortoise stirred some feelings in me."
Geng Zhi asked, "What thoughts did it bring?"
"Beneath the ancient moss upon this tortoise shell, two rings of silver and gold intertwine into the celestial character for 'ancient,' showing just how long it has lived."
The three saw that after Qin Xuan finished speaking, he looked at the old tortoise and gave a slow sigh:
"Though the divine tortoise lives long, its days still have an end. No matter how vast one's lifespan, none can outlast the erosion of time, ending up in such a state after all."
Geng Zhi said, "It is indeed worthy of a sigh, but my master's last words warned that this tortoise is ominous."
Not far away, Elder Wu heard their words and cried out in anguish, "Failing to get this demon scripture is the true omen of disaster! What could be ominous about this tortoise!"
No sooner had those words left his mouth than a sudden change occurred.
Geng Zhi, who had been copying the formation diagram, froze on the spot.
The old tortoise, which had lain prone on the ground for untold ages, gave a violent jolt, moss raining down from its shell.
The tortoise's head slowly rose. Its eyes were tightly shut, yet two streams of turbid tears rolled down its cheeks.
"Wuuu-wuuu-wuuu—!"
Then, an unimaginably ancient wail burst forth, like an old ape crying in an empty valley, so mournful and despondent that it sent shivers through whoever heard it.
The old tortoise wept loudly: "Though the divine tortoise lives long, its days still have an end..."
"Yet... yet now I still remain in this world! Who... who still remembers me?!"
In the midst of its wails, the tortoise's eyes snapped open, two beams of brilliant light like lightning sweeping straight onto Qin Xuan. It demanded, "Junior, has time ever eroded me?!"
A ferocious aura crashed over him!
Qin Xuan felt as if he were a solitary leaf of duckweed amidst the raging waves of a vast sea. Forcing himself to calm down, he said, "Senior, I still remember you."
"You??!"
Qin Xuan slowly recited the words from the stele: "Fengdu collapsed, the Fifth Nether City, homeland of Youzhou..."
Since this stele was borne upon the tortoise's back, there had to be some connection.
Hearing those twelve characters, the old tortoise was visibly moved. It threw back its neck and roared toward the sky, like giant hammers pounding a drum, beating blow after blow against the hearts of everyone present.
*Boom—!*
An incomparably vast power erupted from the old tortoise like a passing hurricane. The treasure light within the four stone pillars shook violently, and the grand formation across the entire central hall shattered inch by inch.
The faces of everyone drained of color!
At the same time, above Yunxiu Mountain, the daylight was swallowed by black clouds, electric serpents coursing through them as day and night inverted in an instant.
Outside the Cold Pool, Liu Xi, Yu Han, the two Zhus, and the rest were thrown into panic and disarray.
Now that the grand formation was broken, the endless skeletal creatures outside the hall surged in like a tidal wave, their roars deafening.
Hearing the rumble of thunder atop Yunxiu Mountain, the old tortoise seemed frightened and suddenly began to tremble. Spreading its four limbs, it made the entire cave abode shake, then abruptly pulled in its head and neck before struggling with all its might!
*Crack, crack, crack—*
The dome of this pocket realm was smashed through by the tortoise, tearing open a massive hole through which the waters of the Cold Pool above poured in with a roaring torrent.
Carried by the rushing water, the old tortoise plummeted downward, smashing straight into the depths of the earth.
A colossal pit appeared before Qin Xuan's eyes, leading to unknown depths.
"Over here, quickly! Leave this place at once!"
Geng Zhi shouted a warning. The pocket realm's final formation diagram lit up, and he stepped inside with Old Wu and Old Huang. That was the escape route left behind by Patriarch Geng; Qin Xuan followed closely on their heels, and Jinyanshu and Elder Wu dashed in as well.
Just as they were about to leave the pocket realm,
the treasure pillars inside the hall shattered, and several streaks of light fell into the deep pit smashed open by the old tortoise.
Seeing this, Elder Wu went nearly mad: "The Holy Spirit Demon Scripture is mine!"
Leaping forward, he was swept down alongside the rushing water and the skeletal beasts, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Jinyanshu had initially felt afraid, but seeing Elder Wu act with such madness, his eyes flushed bloodshot. Thinking how he might never attain the Dao in this lifetime, how could he ever return to Guanjiang Mountain?
Could he, Jin, be inferior even to a fish demon?
"To die in pursuit of the Dao is a worthy end after all!"
Burning his bridges, Jinyanshu flicked his wrist and threw something toward Qin Xuan, then leapt into the deep pit:
"Fellow Daoist Qin, I found this thing in this place. It isn't my fortuitous encounter, so I leave it to you as a keepsake. I vow to claim the Red Sandalwood Box Scripture!"
Qin Xuan caught it—it was a copper coin.
"Brother Jin, Brother Wu, good luck to you both."
His voice was swallowed by the roaring din around them as the four of them rode a streak of flowing light back to the surface.
The array Patriarch Geng had left behind closely resembled a Qiankun Shifting Formation diagram.
In the span of a breath, they arrived atop a nearby hilltop, from which they could look directly down upon the Cold Pool below.
With the old tortoise having fled, the layered clouds above dispersed, and the lightning serpents retreated.
No sooner had Qin Xuan found his footing than the earth shuddered violently, and an irresistible surge of dragon qi welled up from the depths of the earth.
Old Wu gripped a boulder atop the hill, the compass in his hand spinning wildly: "It's the dragon vein! The subterranean dragon vein has been stirred!"
*Rumble—!*
The earth trembled and the mountains shook, a spectacle of the terrain overturning unfolding before their very eyes.
The dragon vein roared, carrying the entire Cold Pool along with the broken remnants of the cave abode beneath it into the depths of the earth veins, like a swimming dragon plunging into the abyss, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
Where it had been, a colossal pit was left behind, pitch-black and bottomless, flanked by gaping fissures from which subterranean qi steamed vigorously.
"Young Master Qin, you seem rather interested in the diagram upon the tortoise's back."
This man harbored many secrets, and Qin Xuan did not know if he was probing for information: "For me to be interested, you would at least have to tell me what it is."
Geng Zhi chuckled and replied, "Yuansong Temple is truly worthy of its Dao Sect lineage. At first, I never imagined there would be a talent such as Young Master Qin among them."
As if realizing such pleasantries were useless, Geng Zhi added:
"The diagram on the tortoise's back is no simple matter, and I do not know its full origins either. However, compared to what Young Master Qin saw, the diagram I copied should be far more complete. Moreover, my master left behind more than one cave abode, and other diagrams are also in my possession."
He watched Qin Xuan closely, observing his reaction.
It was not merely that Qin Xuan was keeping his composure; rather, the mental method of the Nine Nethers stated clearly that those of the mortal world could not cultivate it. Even if he were interested, it would all come to nothing.
"If Young Master Qin is interested, you may come find me at my residence within half a month."
Taking the opening, Qin Xuan asked, "Is Family Head Geng planning to travel far from home?"
Geng Zhi stroked his beard. "Young Master Qin will know once you come..."
...
Chapter 12