Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 327 - 320 Pretense Part 1

Chapter 327: Chapter 320 Pretense Part 1

The team members slowly entered the cave, where a ramp stretched downwards as if it were a smooth road made for the passage of wheeled vehicles.

On it were carved the remnants of Buddhist patterns, Celestial Maidens, Buddhas, lotus flowers, and finally, the Heaven Dragon, but all were covered in dust and sand.

The group walked slowly along the incline.

Gu Lince flicked his hand, and instantly, a spark of red fire ignited and shot forward, flying towards the depths of the cave.

Under the glow of the red light, the cave’s twisting interior suddenly became visible to everyone.

The spark quickly flew into the depths, and as the red light grew distant, darkness reclaimed the space.

"Meizi," Gu Lince looked back at his team member.

"Got it."

Fssht!

A point of white light appeared, turning into a small white lantern that hovered above their heads. The light from the lantern illuminated all the areas within several meters around them, while its residual glow also covered the slightly further areas of the tunnel walls.

"Let’s go, everyone pay attention to your footing. This is an artificial cave that appeared in the Outer Regions, and it’s hard to say whether there are man-made traps inside," Gu Lince cautioned carefully.

"Don’t worry, Captain Gu; we will be careful," Jian An said with a smile that carried a strange expression.

Chen Fan noticed this and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Let’s go. Let’s take a look inside. This cave’s sudden appearance in the Outer Regions, and no special monsters around, seems to suggest it’s because of this place."

Taking the lead, Gu Lince continued walking down the tunnel.

The rest followed behind, and under the glow of the white lantern, they delved deeper inside.

Lin Xin gently touched the wall, its surface uneven as if it once bore elaborate carvings.

Now, there was only a warm, greasy sensation to the touch.

He glanced over at the red-robed squad.

Jian An was leading the way, followed by a mysterious figure fully wrapped in cloths.

Behind them were Shen Jing and the woman with a chilly demeanor. Bringing up the rear was a woman carrying a Meteor Hammer on her back. Regardless of when one looked at this group, they always seemed odd.

A faint fishy stench wafted through the tunnel, its source unknown.

Lin Xin quickly caught up, walking behind Meizi. He merely wanted to blend into the group to see if he could figure out where these children of the ghostly court obtained the Demon Talisman Seed. At the same time, he also wanted to better understand how other children of the ghostly court survived.

As for investigating the cave’s secrets, he actually didn’t care much about that.

After walking for over an hour, both groups were cautious and on high alert, yet no problems had emerged.

Everyone began to relax a bit.

Gu Lince let out a laugh as if to lighten the mood.

"Perhaps this cave is just an abandoned..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

A shadow suddenly burst out of the darkness, lunging straight at his forehead.

Ha!

With a growl like that of a dog, the shadow, shrouded in black, leaped at Gu Lince.

Clang!

In a moment of urgency, Gu Lince reflexively drew his sword to meet the attack. A protective green glow appeared around him.

Two more shadows burst forth, heading towards Meizi and Chen Fan.

Lin Xin could only see sparks of green light splattering wildly as the three people in front were assaulted.

Two of them quickly shouted to warn the others. They then drew their weapons to confront the shadows in the tunnel.

A mass of dense shadows surged like a fountain from ahead in the dark tunnel. The three at the front were defending, practically dispatching one with every three or four strikes.

When these shadows fell to the ground, they turned into black, nearly rotten kasayas.

"Spectral Entities! Everyone, be careful!" Gu Lince roared from the front, the green light around him intensifying as it rapidly coalesced.

As if it were a spring, the green light suddenly compressed and then forcefully sprayed forward into the tunnel.

Hisss!!!

More than a dozen green chains burst forth wildly into the passageway, resembling ferocious green pythons.

The advancing Spectral Entities were all pierced one by one by the green chains.

Lin Xin watched with a cold gaze, not intervening, as it was soon handled by Gu Lince and the others. Indeed, as children of the ghostly court, their combat strength was formidable.

The green light gradually dimmed and receded, and the chains retracted back into Gu Lince’s hands.

He finished his technique and exhaled deeply.

"No Demon King among the Spectral Entities? Never mind, let’s move on. They were all thousand-year-old Spectral Entities; not a big problem."

Jian An glanced at the still-smoking shredded kasayas on the ground.

"The Xiangshan Path really lives up to its reputation," he remarked.

"You flatter me," Gu Lince responded with a smile.

The other red-robes didn’t react, only Jian An interacted with them.

"These people are a bit odd; everyone be careful, don’t let your guard down," Chen Fan transmitted in a low voice to Lin Xin and Meizi.

Both nodded slightly without making a sound.

The atmosphere between the two groups turned somewhat silent for a moment.

Continuing forward, they passed through the tunnel and entered a small circular chamber with eight stone pillars, in which stood life-sized Arhat statues.

All the statues looked the same, pitch-black, with pythons coiled in their hands, and shawls draped over them. Their muscles were robust, upper bodies bare, eyes glaring with vitality.

Upon entering this chamber, the red-robed woman with the Meteor Hammer began to flicker with anticipation, a hint of delight scarcely visible in her eyes, as though she had found some clue.

Lin Xin noted this detail, memorized it, and continued to scrutinize the rest of the objects in the hall.

Stone pillars, Arhats, wall carvings, stone basins resembling torches.

The ground, walls, and ceiling, all were pitches of black stalwart stone.

The air was faintly tinged with a thick dust smell, seemingly mixed with a hint of sulfur.

"Everyone, be careful and spread out to inspect this place," Gu Lince whispered.

"Yes."

Meizi and Chen Fan each checked around the hall separately to see if there were any passages leading to other places.

Lin Xin dispersed as well, joining the red-robed team to inspect a corner.

No sooner had they spread out when there was a muffled boom.

This was followed by the crackling sound of a mechanism being triggered.

He hurriedly looked towards the direction of the noise.

Under the glow of the white light lanterns, a Python Arhat slowly started to move, its body emitting a faint black gleam, like an eclipse’s halo.

A large black symbol appeared and disappeared on its forehead.

"It’s a Dragon-subduing Arhat guardian. I’ll handle it," Chen Fan whispered.

He quickly drew his weapon, a black and purple fan, and with a flick, two purple-red talisman papers shot out like arrows toward the moving Python Arhat.

The talisman papers burst into flames mid-air and exploded as they reached the Arhat, turning into two purple fireballs that enveloped its entire upper body.

"My Purple Jiu Flame Heart Level Precious Weapon can also burn and break through, so this Arhat stone statue, which must be a guardian of this stone chamber, shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with. We can definitely resolve it."

Chen Fan said with narrowed eyes confidently.

However, Lin Xin noticed that several people from the red-robed team showed a slight disdain.

His expression unchanged, he walked a few steps to the left, approaching a rigid Dragon-subduing Arhat statue, and gently touched its surface, which was solid and exceptionally cold, with a fine gritty texture. Infusing a wisp of Spiritual Energy into it, his face revealed a realization.

"Black Double Stone, with a hardness that is medium among forging stones, especially resistant, almost comparable to an Intent Level Magic Artifact, I’m afraid it won’t be so easily resolved."

He had a measure in his heart.

At that moment, all the Arhats in the hall began to move.

And the one enveloped in purple fire that had been pushed back a few steps shook its body, the fire scattering instantly, revealing its almost intact figure.

Chen Fan’s expression changed slightly, positioning the folding fan horizontally in front of him.

"We have trouble now," Gu Lince looked around at all the Arhat statues. "Chen Fan, stop dallying."

"Understood, everyone, watch your head."

Chen Fan’s fan snapped open as he jumped lightly into the air.

"Great Sun Heart Sutra—Seven Leaves!"

With a fierce shout.

His fan suddenly shone with true golden light, and four golden characters burst forth from the fan’s face.

Boom!!!

The intense golden light covered down, shining upon these Arhats.

"Banish the evil spirits!"

Chen Fan yelled again.

Bang bang bang!!

A series of explosions immediately followed.

All the Arhats in the hall busted apart, turning into rubble that scattered down.

Chen Fan gently landed, his face showing a hint of fatigue.

"Hard work," Gu Lince said, not surprised but still vigilant of his surroundings.

Chen Fan nodded. "I just need a moment to recover my breath."

"Let’s go if I’m not mistaken, this place should represent the first hall of the guardian of the Evil God Temple, Dragon-subduing." Jian An stepped forward, speaking softly.

"After Dragon-subduing is Buddha’s Light," said the woman with the Meteor Hammer as she chuckled coldly. "Interesting, we didn’t find the main event but stumbled upon this."

"Luo Xin’er speaks the truth," Jian An said, flashing his signature grinning smile that showed his stark white teeth.

"After Buddha’s Light is Heart Sword, where the legendary Green Lotus Spiritual Heart Sword resides."

"The Green Lotus Spiritual Heart Sword?!" Gu Lince and others’ faces trembled with shock.

Meizi’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Are you referring to that special Natural Treasure that can compare with a Third Grade Magic Artifact, the Green Lotus Spiritual Heart Sword?"

"Precisely. According to standards, due to its special nature, it could be exchanged for fifty Demon Talisman Seeds on the Demon List, giving us an unexpected delight," Jian An said calmly.

"Fifty Demon Talisman Seeds..." Even Gu Lince and Lin Xin subconsciously swallowed.

Especially Lin Xin, who knew exactly what fifty Demon Talisman Seeds meant—not just more time spent heading to the secluded mansion for others, but a significant opportunity for him to greatly improve himself.

"Let’s go. If the sword truly exists, then the lotus seeds..."

"They are all yours; we don’t need them. Honestly, I personally issued this mission. It’s just to help a friend of mine find a suitable new home for their people," Jian An revealed a compassionate expression. "Our Buddha is merciful. Regardless of demons or humans, all beings are equal. But the Exotic Cult deviates from justice, bewitching sentient beings into a hell of never-ending torment without life or death.

So, if we could clean the Evil God Temple thoroughly later, nothing else matters. After all, we aren’t children of the secluded mansion. Please be assured," he continued.

Hearing this, Gu Lince and Meizi relaxed slightly.

"I see. Your compassion is admirable, Master," they said.