Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

The cave was dark and damp, filled with a mysterious and ancient atmosphere. They followed the winding passage and soon came to a spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform, on which sat an ancient flute. Xu Fu stood beside the platform, gazing at the flute with a dazed expression.

"Xu Fu!" Yang Ling shouted, rushing towards the stone platform to try and snatch back the flute. However, just as he was about to touch the flute, a powerful force suddenly erupted, knocking him back several steps.

"What's going on?" Ying Zheng exclaimed in surprise.

At this moment, Xu Fu suddenly turned around, his eyes now clear. "Brother Yang, be careful! There's something strange about this flute!" he said, quickly retreating to join his teammates. It turned out he had been feigning being controlled, trying to uncover the truth.

Yang Ling frowned as he looked at the flute on the stone platform. "This flute... seems to be absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy!" He sensed that powerful force was constantly increasing. "We must find a way to destroy it!"

“Let me try!” Ziya stepped forward and said, “I’ve studied some ancient spells before, which might come in handy!” As he spoke, he began chanting incantations, attempting to destroy the flute with magic. However, the power seemed to have a mysterious defensive mechanism, completely blocking Ziya’s spells.

"No! This power is too overwhelming! We must find another way!" Li Si said anxiously. At this moment, the atmosphere in the stone chamber became increasingly oppressive, as if that mysterious power was gradually devouring their life force. Everyone's faces turned pale; they knew they had to find a solution as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

Suddenly, Yang Ling had a flash of inspiration. "That's it! We can use the 'Heart of the Celestial Realm' to counteract this power!" As he spoke, he took out a gem that shimmered with a mysterious light from his pocket. "Everyone, quickly pour your power into the 'Heart of the Celestial Realm'!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around. Following Yang Ling's instructions, they placed their palms on the "Heart of Heaven" and began to slowly inject their inner energy into it.

The "Heart of the Celestial Realm" began to emit an even more dazzling light, as if the air inside the stone chamber was illuminated by this intense light. With the continuous infusion of everyone's inner energy, the radiance of the "Heart of the Celestial Realm" grew stronger, as if a powerful force was brewing within it.

"Alright! Everyone, let's all exert our strength and shoot this power at the flute!" Yang Ling shouted, and everyone responded. They worked together to shoot the power of the "Heart of Heaven" at the flute on the stone platform.

A dazzling light streaked across the stone chamber, striking the flute precisely. The flute instantly erupted with intense light, as if a tremendous force was struggling within it. Everyone watched nervously as the flute's light gradually dimmed, finally dissipating into a wisp of green smoke and vanishing into the air.

The crowd cheered and jumped for joy, embracing each other tightly as they celebrated their victory.

Yang Ling wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's finally resolved! The power of this flute is simply too great. If it weren't for the 'Heart of Heaven,' we probably wouldn't have been able to deal with it."

Xu Fu also exclaimed, "Yes, this time it was really thanks to Brother Yang's quick thinking and everyone's concerted efforts."

Ziya watched the dissipating smoke from the flute, wondering, "But what is the origin of this flute? How does it possess such great power?"

Li Si frowned in thought, “Only those ancient people who made this flute probably know the answer to this question. But now that we have destroyed it, we can say that we have eliminated a potential threat.”

Ying Zheng looked around and said, "Now that the crisis has passed, let's quickly find a way to leave this place."

After carefully searching the stone chamber, the group finally discovered a hidden stone door in an inconspicuous corner. They cautiously pushed the door open, and a bright and spacious room suddenly appeared before them.

"Look! It's the exit!" Xu Fu shouted excitedly, pointing ahead. Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a ray of sunlight streaming through the exit, as if guiding them home. "We can finally leave this damned place!" Xu Fu stretched, his face showing deep exhaustion, but his eyes gleaming with the joy of relief. He loosened his stiff shoulders, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

Yang Ling did not respond immediately. He looked around, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Xu Fu, don't be so optimistic. Since there is such a powerful magical artifact here, there may be other unknown mechanisms."

Li Si also came over, frowning as he looked at Xu Fu. "Brother Xu Fu, Yang Ling is right. We cannot act rashly; we need to investigate more carefully."

Ying Zheng drew his longsword, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. "We have come this far; we cannot afford to fail now. Yang Ling, what is your opinion?"

Yang Ling took a deep breath. "We must proceed cautiously. Wait for me a moment, I'll go scout ahead." He slowly walked towards the exit of the stone chamber, his eyes warily scanning his surroundings.

A moment later, he returned and said, "Nothing seems amiss outside, but we still need to be careful. Follow me out one by one, and remain vigilant."

Xu Fu nodded, somewhat unwilling, but he knew Yang Ling's judgment was always accurate. "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Led by Yang Ling, the group cautiously exited the stone chamber. Each step felt like dancing on a knife's edge, as if they were afraid of triggering a hidden mechanism.

When the last person stepped out of the stone chamber and stood once again in the sunlight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Fu shouted excitedly, "Ah, the sunlight is wonderful! I never want to go back to that dark and gloomy place again!"

Yang Ling smiled as well, "Indeed, it feels great to see the light of day again. However, we must still be careful, as we don't know what challenges await us ahead."

Li Si patted Xu Fu on the shoulder, "Brother Xu Fu, we were able to escape this dangerous situation thanks to you and Yang Ling. When we return to Xianyang, I will treat you to a drink."

"Haha, it's settled then!" Xu Fu laughed, and everyone else also showed relieved smiles.

However, this ease and joy did not last long. Suddenly, a thick, dark cloud appeared on the horizon, swallowing the warm sunlight completely. A deafening clap of thunder followed, like the roar of the heavens, instilling fear in everyone.

Xu Fu looked up in astonishment and blurted out, "What's going on? We've only just regained our freedom, and we've already encountered this kind of awful weather?"

Yang Ling frowned, his sharp gaze fixed on the sky, a hint of tension in his voice: "Something's wrong, these aren't ordinary dark clouds. Quick, everyone scatter immediately!"

Before he could finish speaking, a blinding bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, striking straight towards them. The crowd scattered in panic, while Ziya brandished his long whip, drawing an elegant arc in the air and skillfully redirecting the swift lightning towards a nearby, thick tree. The instant the lightning struck the tree, a burst of brilliant light erupted, and the tree split open, splintering wood everywhere.

Ziya exclaimed in astonishment, "Heavens! What terrifying power this is!"

A solemn light flashed in Yang Ling's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "This is not a naturally occurring celestial phenomenon. All of this was intentionally orchestrated." (End of Chapter)