Cang Dongqing took the opportunity to pull Le Changxi and Qu Chen toward the cave entrance.
Zhou Zichun tried to stop them but was knocked back by a sudden surge of spiritual pressure—the final counter-shock of the cave dwelling's restriction.
Li Nanzhu supported the staggering Zhou Zichun. "Don't rush."
Duan Xianxing finally poked his head out. He and Liu Qingyang had been watching from the sidelines. After all, this was a matter between the Sword Heart Sect and the Shenmu Sect, and they hadn't been keen to get involved.
"We don't know if there are any traps inside yet," Liu Qingyang said, looking at the entrance with a heavy gaze. "Entering now would only be scouting the way for others. Don't worry, even if the Sword Heart Sect people have gone in, they won't find the good stuff immediately."
Li Nanzhu nodded slightly. She knew very well that in the original novel, even with Cang Dongqing's fortune, she had faced many dangers before obtaining the alchemy dao inheritance.
It was precisely from this point that Cang Dongqing began to make a name for herself in the cultivation world. After all, being a dual cultivator who was also a precious pill cultivator was highly valued. Even without a fire spiritual root, she could use other methods to refine countless high-grade pills.
"So," Duan Xianxing scratched his head, "how are we handling this... traitor? Are we just going to leave him tied up here?"
Everyone's eyes fell on Lin Qingyu again. By now, he was no longer frantic, but he simply kept his head lowered without saying a word.
Shen Qingqiu walked over silently, followed by the rest of the Shenmu Sect disciples.
"Fellow Daoists," Zhou Zichun said softly, "we won't be going in with you."
Tao Ying also nodded. "We can't leave him here alone. Besides, we know our own limits; going in would only make us a burden, and we might even die in there."
"We... cannot die here. If we do, the sacrifices of our junior brothers and sisters will be meaningless. We just want to live and leave the Forest of Demonic Beasts safely," Senior Brother Zhao said with a bitter smile. "With such a large commotion, people from our sect should arrive soon. So, don't worry about us."
"We will remember the great kindness you four have shown us. If there is ever a day you need help, we will not hesitate to give our lives."
As he spoke, the group bowed solemnly to the four.
"However, we have one last request," Zhou Zichun said, clasping his hands. "We must trouble Fellow Daoist Zhu to unseal Lin Qingyu's major acupoints. If we truly encounter danger, he won't be able to escape without his spiritual energy."
"Aren't you afraid he might..." Liu Qingyang started to warn them, not wanting them to get hurt.
"We were disciples of the same sect, after all," Shen Qingqiu said, smoothing her hair. "There are many years of friendship... more importantly, we need him alive. Whether it's for atonement or to uncover the truth, he must stay alive."
Seeing this, Liu Qingyang said no more. Li Nanzhu's brow twitched suddenly, but since Liu Qingyang had already given his warning, she couldn't say much more. Zhu Yinxi decisively struck out with a wave of spiritual energy, undoing the seal.
"Then we're heading in." Duan Xianxing waved his hand and pulled Suisui out from the bushes where it had been hiding the entire time. Now that no outsiders were around, he wasn't afraid of it being seen and causing a misunderstanding.
Lin Xiaowan suddenly ran over and hugged Li Nanzhu. After a brief hesitation, Li Nanzhu hugged her back.
Lin Xiaowan suddenly pressed a green jade buckle into Li Nanzhu's palm. "This is a protective talisman from my mother..." her voice choked up. "I'm giving it to you now, Fairy Sister." The jade buckle was engraved with the Shenmu Sect's tranquilizing pattern, clearly having been rubbed countless times.
"Fairy Sister, you must stay safe. I believe you will definitely find an opportunity and won't let that bad woman have her way, right?"
Li Nanzhu looked at Lin Xiaowan, opened her mouth, and nodded. Just before leaving, she whispered a small warning into the girl's ear. She liked this girl; she could see the vitality of life in her.
"Watch out for Lin Qingyu."
Without waiting for a reaction, she stepped through the stone gates with the three men and the rat.
Just as they entered the cave dwelling, they felt a violent vibration. Everyone felt the world spinning, and when they opened their eyes again, they were standing in a spacious front hall.
A long-sealed, decaying scent mixed with the smell of blood hit them. Zhu Yinxi immediately stepped in front to protect the group.
In the wide hall, though the ornate carvings remained, they had long since faded and peeled.
The jade vessels on the tables had lost their spiritual glow, and the calligraphy and paintings on the walls had turned to ash. In the bronze tripod at the center, only a handful of dried incense ash remained.
However, a dozen corpses lay scattered across the floor—none other than the rogue cultivators they had seen outside the cave.
Li Nanzhu's pupils shrank, and she instinctively summoned the Wanxiang Brush, gripping it tightly.
"Don't move," Zhu Yinxi said, manifesting a spiritual energy shield to protect the three of them. "I'll go take a look."
"Third Senior Brother, be careful."
Zhu Yinxi nodded and wrapped his body in spiritual energy before checking the corpses.
"It's a toxic mist." Zhu Yinxi knelt down, a white spiritual light flickering at his fingertips as he scanned the bodies. "Their faces are bruised blue, and they've bled from their Seven Orifices. They died instantly. All were at the Foundation Establishment stage."
"Anyone below the Golden Core stage dies upon contact." Liu Qingyang's face was grim; he clearly knew something about this poison.
"Then how do we get across?" Duan Xianxing frowned in thought. "I wonder how the Sword Heart Sect people got through."
Then, he was shocked to see Li Nanzhu step directly out of the shield and walk toward Zhu Yinxi.
"Little Junior Sister!"
Li Nanzhu sighed. "Just come over. The toxic mist is already gone. Didn't you see Third Senior Brother already dropped his protection and walked ahead?"
Liu Qingyang and Duan Xianxing looked at each other. They usually didn't think they were stupid, so why did they feel like they had lost their brains here? Was it because the presence of Zhu Yinxi and Li Nanzhu made them stop thinking?
It had to be that!
Both of them considered themselves geniuses and naturally wouldn't admit to being slow. They gave a light cough and followed.
However, the group walked for a full fifteen minutes without finding any more people or corpses.
Zhu Yinxi suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Duan Xianxing almost bumped into his back.
"Something is wrong here," Zhu Yinxi frowned. "We've been walking for fifteen minutes." He pointed to a nearby stone wall.
"Fifteen minutes ago, I made a mark here."
The three looked up and saw a small stone deeply embedded in the wall.
"A ghost wall loop?" Duan Xianxing suddenly shivered. This was the one thing he feared most!
Liu Qingyang began to examine their surroundings, but he couldn't immediately tell what was causing it. On the side, Li Nanzhu was suddenly tugged by Suisui.
"Suisui? What is it?"
Suisui kept pulling her, showing no intention of letting go. After a moment of thought, Li Nanzhu followed the rat to the wall.
Suisui suddenly slammed its skull against the wall. The dust that fell condensed in the air into a miniature mirage.
The shimmering particles formed four tiny figures—the very image of them walking in circles.
Li Nanzhu was startled. After a moment's thought, she reached out and lightly wiped the wall with her fingertip.
By the faint glow of spiritual fire, the group saw that what was on her finger wasn't dust, but a fine powder with a pearly luster.
"What is this?" Li Nanzhu frowned slightly. Although she had read many books in the Library Pavilion, much of it was limited to descriptions. She didn't know the exact physical forms of many things and couldn't immediately identify it.
The other three leaned in. It was Liu Qingyang who, after a careful look, confirmed the identity.
"Mirage sand." He rubbed the powder. "It's a secretion from the East Sea demonic mirage, used to construct illusions."
Duan Xianxing immediately struck a nearby stone pillar with his scabbard—the expected dull thud came with an eerie echo.
Zhu Yinxi suddenly pressed his hand against the wall. "The temperature is wrong. Real rock should be cooler. The rock here is... too warm."
The four of them closed their eyes and focused simultaneously.
Once their vision was blocked, their other senses immediately caught the anomalies: a faint fishy smell in the air, a slight, unnatural vibration in the ground beneath their feet, and even the smell of blood carried a subtle, cloying sweetness.
"Hold your breath!" Zhu Yinxi barked. His blade slashed through the air between them, and silver-white sword qi rippled outward.
However, the scene before them only trembled slightly without much change. The four exchanged a look and simultaneously performed the most basic illusion-breaking hand seal used in the cultivation world—pressing the thumb against the middle finger and focusing spiritual energy at the brow.
This was the most basic Cleansing Heart Sutra, yet it was also the most effective way to break illusions, especially those caused by mirage sand.
With a sound like shattering glass, the front hall scenery peeled away in pieces.
They were still standing just three steps from the entrance; they had never truly moved inside.
The lavish furnishings vanished, revealing a damp, natural cavern. The moist rock walls were covered in glowing moss, and the floor was scattered with real bones—cultivators who had died here who knows how long ago.
The rogue cultivator corpses they had seen earlier did exist, but there were many more bodies with eyes wide open and smiles on their faces, having clearly died while immersed in a beautiful dream.
Duan Xianxing wiped away cold sweat. "We haven't even entered the door yet?"
"What a powerful chain of illusions," Liu Qingyang sucked in a breath. "First using the smell of blood to trigger alertness, then using a false sense of security to paralyze us..."
"This ancient cultivator's cave dwelling is not as simple as we thought." Zhu Yinxi created another shield. "Just at the entrance, nearly forty rogue cultivators have already perished."
Everyone's expressions were heavy. But since they had already come this far, there was no turning back.
Liu Qingyang stared at the fresh footprints on the ground. "But the Sword Heart Sect people already went in. Did they not fall for the illusion?"
"They likely have something on them that can bypass illusions," Li Nanzhu said solemnly. "Should we continue?"
"We're already here!" Duan Xianxing grinned. "Anyway, the Sword Heart Sect is ahead to scout the path for us."
Zhu Yinxi nodded and took the first step further inside.
Li Nanzhu ignited a cluster of spiritual fire at her fingertip, its dim yellow light reflecting off the damp walls of the passage.
The four people and one rat moved forward cautiously, no one making a sound.
"There's the scent of blood." Zhu Yinxi stopped abruptly.
Everyone followed his gaze—at the corner ahead, a body lay face down, a pool of dark red spreading beneath it.
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