Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 501 - 495 Demonic Flame 12

Chapter 501: Chapter 495 Demonic Flame 12

Lin Xin shook his head and exhaled.

"I’m more appreciative than anything else; how could I possibly blame you?"

"For a Sect Master with such a broad mind to be called a madman by those ignorant people outside, it is truly a moral degeneration!"

"Unfortunately, after so long, we’ve only managed to decipher so little."

"Just a few more relic characters might yield further discoveries... just a bit more, a bit more..."

"We need to complete two language types. If there’s progress, we could solve many related mysteries. Especially, how did the Mythological Era really end?"

"What exactly is the connection between the Mythological Era and the Ancient Era?"

One researcher after another began babbling, losing coherence in their speech, their thoughts jumbled. Some even lost focus in mid-conversation, plunging deep into their own thoughts.

Lin Xin couldn’t help but laugh and wave his hand, carefully examining the butterfly shadow in the box, urging everyone else to continue with their tasks.

He only kept Hall Master Wen with him for a casual chat.

"So, how can this butterfly shadow help with what I want to know?" Lin Xin was not one to stray off-topic, and he brought the conversation back to its original purpose.

Hall Master Wen stroked his beard and replied.

"We have indeed acquired a lot of research materials lately. Concerning the Underworld, our conclusion is that its existence can be traced back to the Ancient Era, or even earlier."

"What exactly is the difference between the Mythological Era and the Ancient Era?" Lin Xin asked, frowning.

Hall Master Wen pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts before he slowly began.

"In the Ancient Era, according to records from relics and various facts preserved, there likely existed a group of incredibly formidable beings known as terror beings. Based on the approximate methods of Spiritual Essence sedimentation and Desire Trace Projection, we deduce that many Evil Gods, Divine Beasts, and Heavenly Venerables were the rulers of that era."

"So they were the owners of these relics we’re excavating?"

"Yes."

Lin Xin digested the information.

"Continue."

"It is hypothesized that in the Primordial Ancient Era, a catastrophic event of unimaginable scale occurred, leading to the gods falling into silence. Then, new rulers emerged, known as the Sky Dragon and the Earth Tiger. They were probably two immensely large tribes."

"Tribes?"

"Yes, not two enormous beings but two vast tribes, commanded by the Sky Dragon King and the Black Tiger King. They engaged in prolonged brutal contention. Their slaughter resonated with countless remnants of evil qi and other mysterious forces left from the Ancient Era, forming a massive subterranean conglomerate. The Underworld likely originated from there, existing for at least a million years, as our methods can’t ascertain its age."

"Even the experimental children of the Underworld don’t work?" Lin Xin furrowed his brows.

"No," Hall Master Wen answered resignedly. "The Underworld is probably related to this butterfly shadow and can be traced back a million years.

"If the Sect Master is interested, perhaps he could personally visit the Shape-shifting Cave. According to Elder Du, they have an outpost in the Outer Regions, within the largest relic of the Sagura Evil God Temple, which has been designated as a forbidden area by them."

"Our biggest breakthrough in research came from clues found on Sagura Evil God. This being, known as the moon and clear evil Buddha, was apparently the most prominent spiritual leader in our region at that time, with not a few complete records we could find."

Lin Xin narrowed his eyes.

"Shape-shifting Cave Forbidden Land...."

****************************

The gray-white sky held a tremendously vast menacing vortex.

Like a nebula, the silver-gray vortex swirled.

Below were undulating yellow sand dunes.

Atop one of the sand dunes, a beam of light shot straight into the sky from its summit, passing by the edge of the vortex, piercing into the unseen depths of the vast sky.

The beam of light was pristine white, slowly rotating, with occasional glimpses of half-bodied white spirits.

Their upper bodies were humanoid, while their lower halves trailed long white vapors, continuously circling the beam of light and slowly ascending together into the unseen depths of the sky.

On the sand dune, groups of naked men and women were digging the flat sandy ground with picks.

All were unclothed, but their bodies, covered in dirt, sweat, and ash, appeared as though they were wearing a layer of clothing that obscured everything.

In this situation, men and women alike were slowly raising their picks, striking them down on the sandy ground.

Ding! Ding! Ding!...

A regular and meticulous tapping sound merged into a large, ceaseless pattern.

Strangely, when their heavy picks struck down, the seemingly soft sandy ground didn’t even leave a dent.

One strong man repeatedly struck the same spot dozens of times, barely managing to break some sandy gravel, which he then quickly, joyfully gathered into a nearby basket.

Not far off, several wolf-headed humanoid monsters were carrying black whips, vigilantly roaming about, ready to lash at anyone they caught slacking.

In the inner circle, several figures dressed in Human Race cultivator clothes were supervising these wolf-headed beings.

Countless Human Race cultivators were patrolling the area.

The center they surrounded, if viewed from high above, would reveal a total of five circular serpent coiled stone columns, each towering several tens of meters.

A giant stone column seated a cultivation expert cross-legged in front of each one, exuding a powerful aura.

In front of one of the columns sat Zheng Qing in his Cloud-patterned Silver Armor, with his small black braids draped loose and a silver ring on his nose, shimmering under the light.

"The Heavenly Destiny Extension Technique has calculated he will come. It’s a good opportunity to ambush with full force and eliminate a major threat."

Hearing this, another person enveloped in a yellow mist suddenly let out a jeering laugh.

"Just a barbarian from the Southern Prefecture, even if he has stepped into the Yuan Jing stage, how strong can he be? The results from the Heavenly Destiny Extension Technique do not definitively point to him being the one, there must be someone else. What if you make a mistake? How will you bear the responsibility?

So many experts have been unnecessarily drawn here, leaving other regions undefended. What if someone takes advantage of that emptiness, hehe...."

"Indeed, it’s not certain it’s him, but such a terrifying rate of progression, can you find a second one in the whole Southern Central Prefecture?" Zheng Qing explained calmly, not angered.

"It’s just a mere possession of Yuan Jing." The person in the yellow mist scoffed disdainfully.

"Never underestimate anyone who could be your adversary." Zheng Qing spoke solemnly.

"I need you to teach me?" The yellow mist person sneered coldly. "Two True Monarchs, a fifth-grade formation, such pomp and circumstance! Because of the order, the old one even destroyed a furnace of Divine Essence Pills! All this just to deal with a greenhorn brat. Ridiculous."

"His physical body is strong, almost akin to an Undying body. Hence, he’s tough to deal with, and that’s why the Soul Capturing Great Formation is specifically needed for restraint. Together, we two can match the last five on the Heavenly List, just restrain his Undying feature, and resolve him at once, then everything will be concluded."

Zheng Qing spoke gravely.

"But I am afraid of accidents happening."

"Accidents? Hehe." The yellow mist person scoffed disdainfully, "Even the Life and Death Demon Sword can be restrained by the Soul Capturing Great Formation, just a mere Yuan Jing from the Southern Prefecture, you really think highly of him!"

"Maybe. We have made as many preparations as possible. If that’s still not enough, then we can only....." Zheng Qing’s voice faded into a whisper, becoming inaudible as he spoke enigmatic words.

**********************

Half a month later...

On a Void Ship heading from the Central Prefecture to the Eastern Prefecture.

The sky was clear, pristine without a hint of impurity.

Lin Xin, dressed in a long grey cloth robe, stood quietly by the ship’s side, gazing downward.

Through the enormous protective barrier, one could see the stretching mountains, rivers, forests, and wetlands below.

Yellow and green regions were split by a network of water streams, a sight quite peculiar.

In his mind, he also recalled directly using the Escape Technique to return to the Central Prefecture and taking a detour through a Void Ship to the Eastern Prefecture.

’The Eastern Prefecture has always had close relations with the Central Prefecture, historically frequented by wealthy merchants, officials, and nobility, with a large volume of commoners as well. The massive flow of people aids in concealment.

The Forbidden Land cannot be directly accessed due to an unknown location. One must first travel via Void Ship from the Shape-shifting Cave area of the Central Prefecture to the Eastern Prefecture.

Based on intelligence, this route inevitably passes through that Forbidden Land, discreetly transporting Trialists in annually. These Trialists conceal their identities, dispersing and often abruptly leaving mid-route to enter the Forbidden Lands.’

With a clear train of thought, Lin Xin believed that by following these covertly entering Trial cultivators, he should be able to find the method to enter.

Any significant Forbidden Land cannot be simply found by its address.

Especially one like the Myriad Thousand Demon Cave, which stands as one of the strongest forces, cloaked with densely layered hidden spatial formations.

Lacking a better method for now, he preferred to use this unobtrusive method to investigate secretly.

Turning around, Lin Xin surveyed the circle of passengers standing on the deck.

His disguised identity was a scholar traveling to the Eastern Prefecture seeking livelihood, often told by younger ones like Xue’er that his temperament most resembled that of a schoolteacher, so he deliberately dressed the part.

Now, paired with his somewhat shabby grey cloth robe, he even more resembled a scholar who spent all his savings for a chance to make a living in the Eastern Prefecture.

Such Central Prefecture scholars, disillusioned by the imperial examinations, were not few in number, and the connection between the Eastern and Central Prefectures was much more profound than between other regions, complicating personnel movements and significantly reducing travel costs. It had nearly formed a complete and smooth commercial transportation chain.

Lin Xin stood alone by the ship’s side, and opposite him, a group of fat merchants gathered, discussing business.

To his left, several young masters and mistresses quietly exchanged laughs and poems with their servants.

To his right, like him, scattered individuals without companionship stood in small groups, enjoying the breeze.

Others continued to return to their rooms, and some had just come up from the lower decks. The complexity of the people was far more troublesome than when he originally returned to the Southern Prefecture.

Under Lin Xin’s perception, there were quite a few people with Spiritual Energy, with almost all of them exhibiting some fluctuations in their Spiritual Energy, albeit to varying degrees.

However, he planned that once they reached their destination, someone would definitely make a move. Then, he would follow them down. As for recognizing and identifying them in advance, it was completely irrelevant.

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