Planning

Chen Zhou could feel that although Chan Yi's aura was withered and his vitality was severely depleted, his life was not in immediate danger.

The green foul gas that had backlashed against him had all been sucked away by Jing Hui.

Chan Yi crawled up from the ground, his face full of lingering fear.

He looked at Jing Hui with very complicated emotions.

In the legends, the True Lord of Purity and Filth killed without blinking, yet he had actually saved his life. It was so absurd that if it had been in the past, he wouldn't have believed such a day would come even if he were beaten to death.

The Lord said that Lord Purity and Filth is one of our own.

If that is true, then regarding the warning his grandfather left behind that the Mingchan Clan must never be found, could the old man have also calculated something back then?

Did the ancestors of the Mingchan Clan deep underground also have some unknown connection with these Eternal Scars or the secrets hidden deep within Tianchi Province?

Chan Yi struggled to calm his emotions and then spoke to Chen Zhou.

"Lord, the Eternal Scars is definitely no ordinary place."

"This humble one used the resonance of the entire clan to attempt to communicate with the ley lines of Tianchi Province to capture the location of the Eternal Scars."

"It started very smoothly. I could even feel that the place was deep underground, but just as I wanted to lock onto the specific location..."

Chan Yi's body trembled slightly.

"The ley lines suddenly rioted."

"This humble one felt as if I had crashed into a wall."

"Then, I felt a terrifying backlash force gush out from the ground, surging directly into my body."

As he spoke, he looked up at Chen Zhou.

"Lord, I have lived for eight hundred years and seen many eerie things."

"But I have never had that kind of feeling before."

"It was as if that place does not welcome anyone to approach. Anyone who attempts to pry into it will be swallowed by it."

Chen Zhou frowned. "A restriction? I understand. I do not blame you."

Chan Yi nodded, then added with some uncertainty, "However, I still calculated a few things. The Eternal Scars should be at a certain location underground."

"There should be a giant stone pressing down on it. Beneath that giant stone, the Eternal Scars are buried."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. "A giant stone? What kind of giant stone?"

Chan Yi thought back hard, his brow furrowing into a knot.

"This humble one could not see clearly. That giant stone is massive, truly massive. I could not sense its full appearance, only a single corner of it."

"The material of the giant stone is very strange. It seems to be multi-colored."

A multi-colored stone?

Chen Zhou pondered, immediately thinking of the Sky-Mending Stone, the five-colored divine stones that were said to have been scattered across the mortal world when Nuwa mended the heavens.

The system had rewarded him with a few pieces before. They were an eighth-stage heavenly treasure that could ignore one requirement for materials below the eighth-stage when constructing buildings, regardless of rank or quantity, making them extremely useful.

If it really was a Sky-Mending Stone pressing down on the Eternal Scars, what kind of person would have the grand style to use such a massive eighth-stage heavenly treasure?

Seeing Chen Zhou remain silent, Chan Yi added in a low voice, "Lord, this humble one's strength is limited, so I could only see this much."

"To know more, one might need greater strength or some special medium."

Chen Zhou nodded and did not press further.

He looked at Wu Gou.

Wu Gou was squatting on the ground, studying those human-shaped markings.

Sensing Chen Zhou's gaze, he looked up and grinned. "Great Demon, do you think these things look like your skeleton ghost servants?"

Chen Zhou was taken aback, walked over, and squatted down to look.

The human-shaped markings on the ground were very shallow, only a thin layer with edges curled up as if something had just crawled out from inside.

But looking closely, those markings were not just a simple layer of stains.

They were alive, their edges squirming slightly as if they were breathing.

Chen Zhou reached out, his fingertip touching a marking.

A cold sensation came through, carrying heavy death qi and resentment.

He closed his eyes, letting his perception probe downward along the marking.

Chen Zhou discovered that these markings were not just a layer on the surface.

They extended downward, penetrating the soil and the rock, connecting all the way to the ley lines deep underground.

It was like countless tentacles wrapping around the ley lines of the entire Tianchi Province.

Chen Zhou withdrew his hand and looked at Wu Gou. "What are your thoughts?"

Wu Gou scratched his head. "This poor monk was just thinking, could these things also be some kind of evil spirit creation?"

Chen Zhou nodded.

He felt the same way.

The hundred corpse patchwork could not be killed or hacked apart, and even if burned, they would leave markings that allowed more to crawl out.

These characteristics were too similar to man-made war machines.

Then the question arose.

What did Wan Xiu want to do by breeding so many monsters?

Did he simply like them?

Impossible.

That fellow was so cautious; everything he did had a purpose.

Chen Zhou looked at Chan Yi. "You said earlier that the Eternal Scars are underground?"

Chan Yi nodded.

Chen Zhou looked back at the markings.

The markings were also connected to the ley lines deep underground.

Could there be some connection between the two?

After listening from the side, Wu Gou pondered for a moment and then gave a carefree smile. "A marking is a clue after all. We can't do anything about the Eternal Scars for now, so why don't we try starting with the hundred corpse patchwork?"

Chen Zhou thought about it and looked at Diting, who was currently hopping around.

The little fellow's recovery ability was amazing. After seven days of rest, it was now in high spirits.

So Chen Zhou said, "Very well. Then you and Diting return to the City of the Wrongfully Dead."

Wu Gou was stunned. "Lord, what are we going back for?"

Chen Zhou said, "Bring Nie Chaoxi over."

Wu Gou blinked. "That little white snake?"

Chen Zhou nodded. "She has fused with the purification power of the Golden Buddha. Let her try; it might have a miraculous effect."

"If they can be purified, we can make this area of Shilin safer, and we can also see what exactly is connected beneath these markings."

Wu Gou's eyes lit up. "It has to be you."

But then he remembered something and hesitated slightly. "But Nie Chaoxi hasn't reached the seventh-stage yet, has she? When crossing realms, her cultivation will drop significantly."

"And she is a mutated spirit beast. In a hellish place like Tianchi Province with such a harsh environment, can she handle it?"

Chen Zhou waved his hand. "Then bring Su Xue along. With a Heavenly Doctor traveling with her to provide treatment, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"While you're at it, ask about the battle situation in Cangzhou. If there are no issues and no need for support, bring Lian along as well."

"Regarding the matters in Cangzhou, the current focus is on stability. Unless there is a major change, there is no need for Lian to stay on guard there indefinitely."

Wu Gou nodded, and Chen Zhou turned to ask Chan Yi again.

"You said earlier that to know more, you need some kind of special medium?"

Chan Yi hesitated for a moment and then stated, "Yes. If there are some catalysts with strong spirituality to assist, preferably items with a deep connection to this world or those that can carry the force of laws, it would make divination much easier."

"Then do you know tortoise shell divination?" Chen Zhou suddenly asked.