Super Invincible Immortal Doctor
Chapter 1612 - 1613: Qingqiu Stele Forest

Chapter 1612: Chapter 1613: Qingqiu Stele Forest

In the highland of green mountains, after the three had passed through the flattest stretch of terrain, they stopped before an inconspicuous entrance.

Yu Yanshu stared at the bottomless entrance, then turned to Bai Huang with a questioning look.

"The Qingqiu Mausoleum lies underground?"

Bai Huang nodded heavily: "Although it doesn’t quite resemble how I remember it, the scent is unmistakable."

"Scent?"

The peculiar choice of words prompted Yu Yanshu to cast a puzzled glance at Bai Huang. Scratching his head, he hesitated, then awkwardly explained.

"It’s not just a smell, but something similar to an aura, though only our clan members can detect it."

"Understood."

Yu Yanshu spoke calmly, which left Bai Huang slightly taken aback. He blinked in surprise and asked.

"Senior Sister, you understood?"

"I merely understand what you mean. I cannot, however, distinguish this entrance from any other caves. But..."

Yu Yanshu paused at the doorway, her brow furrowing slightly as she observed the traces nearby that had been deliberately concealed.

The seldom-speaking Wan Qiu slowly broke the silence: "Your judgment is correct. This place is frequently visited, and traps have likely been set inside."

"Thank you, Senior."

Wan Qiu shot Yu Yanshu a sideways glance, unable to comprehend her polite demeanor.

By rights, the three had journeyed together and grown reasonably familiar with one another, and now they had even confirmed their destination.

After their initial exchange of words upon entering the Blessed Realm, Bai Huang himself had visibly warmed to Wan Qiu, but this young girl remained steadfastly distant from him.

This unfamiliarity and estrangement left Wan Qiu uneasy.

He who was often the one to distance himself from others now fully understood what that felt like when the roles were reversed.

The cycle of life—a karmic retribution.

"Senior, if there’s danger ahead, could you lead Senior Sister away first?"

The thoughts reverberated in Wan Qiu’s mind. Glancing sideways at Bai Huang, who had spoken telepathically, Wan Qiu chuckled faintly before nodding in reply.

Obtaining Wan Qiu Daoist’s affirmative response, Bai Huang inhaled deeply and walked ahead, becoming the first to step through the entrance.

The modest opening didn’t allow the three to walk side by side; instead, they ventured forward in single file, with the distance between them widening as they delved deeper.

When Wan Qiu began worrying and considered blasting a path open by force, the narrow entrance suddenly expanded.

The once-constricted passageway slowly unfolded into grandeur, revealing the vast Blessed Realm hidden within the cave.

Countless steles stood densely packed, their formations resembling a forest. Even if Bai Huang’s earlier remarks about the scent remained incomprehensible to them—

Wan Qiu and Yu Yanshu perceived the extraordinary nature of this place.

Each stele bore an aura unique to the Qiuqiu Fox Clan.

This aura wasn’t God’s Soul, yet it shared a similar singularity attached to the steles, denoting the identities of their owners in life.

"Is this a graveyard?"

Yu Yanshu turned her gaze to Bai Huang and asked.

"Yes, the Qingqiu Mausoleum—it serves as the final resting place of the Qiuqiu Fox Clan. Whether they die naturally or tragically, their final wisp of God’s Soul instinctively returns here, where their unresolved obsessions dissipate completely, transforming into this aura."

"A one-of-a-kind method of inheritance—the foundation of the Qiuqiu Fox Clan’s existence lies within these steles, doesn’t it?"

Wan Qiu gazed upon the endless Stele Forest with a voice rich in admiration.

Though he couldn’t discern the identities of the stele owners in their lifetimes, nor their strength, he was acutely aware of the magnitude of energy accumulated over millennia.

Bai Huang shook his head: "I wouldn’t know. When I left Qingqiu, I was still young and didn’t understand what the mausoleum truly meant to Qingqiu. Grandfather, while alive, had once told me that if I ever returned to Qingqiu, this was a place I must visit."

"Are any of these aura traces your grandfather’s?"

Yu Yanshu asked in surprise. During the journey to Dongying with Su Chengyu, she had heard stories about Bai Huang’s grandfather. She knew, of course, that he had perished on Mount Fuji.

Even though the Qiuqiu Fox Clan had the ability to return their souls to their homeland, such a long distance seemed remarkably implausible.

"Yes—there must be!"

Bai Huang replied with firm conviction. Despite his youth, he understood how vital it was for the Qiuqiu Fox Clan to have their souls return home and refused to believe his grandfather couldn’t achieve it.

"Can you recognize it?"

Wan Qiu asked.

At the sight of the Stele Forest, he finally grasped Bai Huang’s earlier remark about the "scent." Yet to his eyes, the aura on the steles appeared indistinguishable.

"I can!"

Bai Huang said resolutely, then stepped cautiously into the Stele Forest, scouring solemnly over each stele one by one.

Yu Yanshu, meanwhile, stood aside. After bowing in respect to the vast expanse of steles, she chose quiet contemplation while she waited.

Curious about Yu Yanshu’s gesture, Wan Qiu asked: "Why bow? You’re not of the Qiuqiu Fox Clan."

"Master carries the bloodline of the Qiuqiu Fox Clan. His demonic power has already started to manifest within him."

"Oh, really? That surprises me—I hadn’t detected any demonic power from him."

"Senior, you should know; if I choose to speak, I wouldn’t deceive you."

Wan Qiu couldn’t help but grin: "That’s why I find your straightforward nature refreshing, much easier to deal with than your master, who’s always scheming."

"This is the reason you weren’t kind to Master during your first meeting."

"Not entirely. I didn’t know his nature back then; it’s simply that he belongs to the Su Clan."

Though Quanzhen and the Su Clan had ceased hostilities long ago, lingering resentments over the Supreme Daoist Scripture still made interactions uneasy.

Over the years, the Su Clan hadn’t hesitated to make minor provocations toward Quanzhen behind the scenes, and thus Wan Qiu couldn’t muster much fondness for its members.

"Master and the Su Clan severed ties long ago—or rather, his grandfather’s generation had already cut their connection."

"Su Linyuan..."

Wan Qiu sighed at the name. It was a legendary figure widely admired a century ago. Though Wan Qiu had never met him, Su Linyuan’s fame continued even in his absence after vanishing from the Mortal World post-glory.

"Actually, Senior, if you’re considering passing down your swordsmanship, I believe Master—"

"Him? Unworthy! At best, he could mimic the form, but he’d never grasp the essence, just like that fellow at Mount Longhu."

Yu Yanshu fell silent. Although she was displeased at Wan Qiu Daoist’s criticism of Su Chengyu, she found it hard to counter this point.

"Moreover, his swordsmanship isn’t half-bad. Though it still lacks refinement, it does justice to the names he’s given those techniques."

Hearing this, Yu Yanshu suddenly realized something. She looked up and asked: "Master’s already reached the Luo Clan’s Blessed Realm?"