Xiuxian: I use magnetic fields to prove my truth

Chapter 80 Cliff of the Living Dead, Mu Zhuosha
The entrance to the retreat cave was about fifty feet away from the top of the cliff. As they were talking, they had already descended to the platform outside the cave entrance.

A chill wafted out from the cave, making Zhou Qing's skin shudder.

This chill was different from the chill he had felt in Nie Yunxi's yard before.

It was purely the coldness of the temperature, and the chill that wafted out of the retreat cave made people's spirits tremble.

Fang Yuhe shrank back and continued, "Although we clean it up every time, we can never completely eliminate the aura of the deceased elder."

"What we can't completely eliminate is the resentment and despair of those elders who are nearing the end of their lives and have no hope of breaking through."

"All this resentment and despair is deposited in this cave, causing every disciple who enters to feel deep fear."

"So no one has ever been willing to take on the Cliff of the Dead mission. I didn't expect you to take the initiative."

Fang Yuhe said.

Zhou Qing said: "You too."

Fang Yuhe smiled bitterly and said nothing.

The two of them then stepped into the cave together.

The cold and gloomy atmosphere in the cave became even stronger, and there seemed to be an invisible ominous aura floating in the air, which made people unable to stop the fear rising from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhou Qing's Dao heart was firm, and as soon as those fearful thoughts arose, they were detected and suppressed by his Dao heart, so he was not affected.

Fang Yuhe was unlucky. He was under heavy mental pressure and walked inside with gritted teeth.

The place for retreat is very simple, with only a long corridor and many stone caves on both sides of the corridor, which is the place for retreat.

Zhou Qing was very curious about the gloomy atmosphere lingering in the cave, and couldn't help but release magnetic field sensing. He immediately noticed the chaotic magnetic field signals permeating the surroundings.

He immediately understood what was going on here.

The minds of the elders in seclusion are extremely powerful, and the electromagnetic reactions in their bodies are far stronger than those of ordinary people. They have been in seclusion in the cave for many years. The electromagnetic reactions they emit cause the walls of the cave to be magnetized to a certain extent, thus emitting a special magnetic field all the time, which creates mental pressure on people who come here.

Zhou Qing's magnetic field ability instantly affected the balance of the magnetic field environment here, and he felt the chaotic magnetic field energy approaching him.

Zhou Qing had no choice but to turn off the magnetic field to avoid causing more unpredictable changes.

The two walked all the way inside, passing by stone chambers, most of which were occupied by people in seclusion.

The long-term isolation from the world, the despair of approaching lifespan, and the special environment here have made their spirits almost insane. Each of them is howling, suffering, or laughing wildly in their own stone chamber.

The cries and howls filled with despair made Zhou Qing and Fang Yuhe feel deeply oppressed.

After walking about twenty feet, there is an empty stone chamber on the right side of the corridor.

Fang Yuhe stepped in first.

Zhou Qing then knew that this was the stone chamber waiting to be cleaned.

When he followed Fang Yuhe into the stone chamber, he saw complex runes outside near the door, so he asked, "What is this formation for?"

Fang Yuhe said, "It's used to seal the stone chamber. Once the elders in seclusion enter the stone chamber, the door will be sealed by the formation. Unless they break through the Jindan stage, they will absolutely not be able to break the restriction and get out."

"So this is a desperate gamble for those elders, risking their lives to achieve a golden elixir or die here. Unless they possess immense courage, they would never make such a choice."

Fang Yuhe's tone was filled with deep reverence.

These predecessors with the most steadfast faith in Taoism in Qingyun Sect are the role models of cultivators in his mind.

As he spoke, Fang Yuhe had already activated the talisman paper in his hand.

The talisman paper burned into a ball of flame, floating in his palm.

Fang Yuhe used the flame to burn every corner of the cave.

Zhou Qing also took out his own talisman paper.

I don't know what material the talisman paper is made of. It is dark yellow in color and has complex runes on it.

Zhou Qing had known for a long time that the so-called talisman paper was actually an array formation, so the Qingyun Sect did not have a separate talisman academy, but instead affiliated it with the array formation academy.

The only difference between talismans and formations is that formations generally do not consider size, so you can arrange them as much as possible to achieve the greatest purpose.

However, talismans must consider the balance between portability and power.

It can be said that talismans are a shortened version of formations.

Zhou Qing also activated the talisman paper, burning the cave wall with flames.

A piece of talisman paper can burn for a quarter of an hour.

When the talisman paper finished burning, Zhou Qing was about to activate another one when he suddenly discovered that Fang Yuhe had stopped and was staring blankly at a corner of the cave wall.

Zhou Qing felt something was wrong, so he went to check and found many words carved on the cave wall. The handwriting was sloppy and rough, obviously erased with fingers.

Zhou Qing read the words and quickly realized that they were probably names:

Erhu, Dayou, Xiangqing... Yuqing, Yuhe...

Zhou Qing read along the way and was suddenly startled when he saw a familiar name.

He quickly reacted and said in surprise: "Could it be that the elder who is in seclusion here..."

Fang Yuhe nodded and said, "Yes, he is my great-grandfather."

Zhou Qing suddenly understood.

No wonder Fang Yuhe took the initiative to undertake this task, it turns out there was a cause and effect.

Zhou Qing suddenly felt something was absurd.

He had long heard that Fang Yuhe had an elder who was in seclusion. When he had a conflict with Fang Yuhe, he even imagined this elder as a possible potential enemy.

If this elder really breaks through and achieves the golden elixir, with his support, Fang Yuhe's momentum will not be something he can contend with.

He could never have imagined that in less than half a year, he would receive the news that the elder had passed away.

He suddenly felt as if the big boss he had set up had suddenly died.

This made him dazed for a moment, and it took him a while to come to his senses and realize that life was indeed illogical. He was not the protagonist of a monster-killing and level-up game where there would be pre-set enemies rushing towards him for him to defeat.

Everyone has his own life, not just the villain in his life.

In their own lives, they will be lost, which is death.

Zhou Qing looked at the distraught Fang Yuhe and suddenly felt a little pity for him.

In the past two or three days, this guy first lost his lover and then the sect's backer. He was so bad and pitiful.

Fang Yuhe seemed to be immersed in some emotion. He said, "I grew up listening to my great-grandfather's stories. He was the first immortal cultivator in our area. He was extremely talented and broke through realms with almost no obstacles. He became a foundation-building cultivator in less than a hundred years."

"My father told me that my great-grandfather returned to his hometown that year and killed the evil dragon that was causing trouble with one sword, attracting thousands of people to the streets."

"The image of my great-grandfather, standing proudly and independently with his sword in hand, is still etched in that city."

"In my mind, my great-grandfather has always been an image of someone who was devoted to the pursuit of truth. I never imagined that in his final moments, the names of us family members would flow from his hands."

"Did he miss us over and over again, and did he regret walking into this dark cave?"

Zhou Qing shook his head and said, "I'm afraid no one will know this."

Fang Yuhe turned around dejectedly and said, "Only now do I realize how ridiculous I was before. I was complacent about my status as an immortal cultivator, and I had an uncontrollable arrogance in my heart."

"But now, young Hongyu is dead, the legendary great-grandfather is dead."

"The immortal path is like a monster, devouring everyone who walks on it, regardless of age or good or evil. It turns out that those who practice immortality are just a bunch of pitiful people."

"Only those with a morbidly determined mind are suitable for this path. Anyone with even a hint of vanity or arrogance in their heart is nothing but a fool who doesn't understand the true nature of the immortal way." Zhou Qing listened to him silently.

He talked a lot, but strangely this time it didn't annoy Zhou Qing.

Fang Yuhe suddenly laughed at himself and said, "Strangely enough, when I had these experiences in my heart, the first person I wanted to confide in was you, whom I thought was my enemy."

"I think it's because I know you realized these things earlier than I did, right?"

Zhou Qing shook his head and said, "I don't have as much experience as you do. I just want to live forever. As for dangers, illnesses, and monsters, I don't have the heart to indulge in such fantasies."

Fang Yuhe was stunned at first, then smiled bitterly and said, "This is what I call a morbid obsession. Your non-mysterious thoughts are much more brilliant than mine."

"No wonder Uncle Chen Qingxuan thinks so highly of you and believes you have a natural heart for the Tao. I'm indeed not as good as you in this respect."

Zhou Qing smiled and said, "If you had been like this from the beginning, our relationship would have been much friendlier."

Fang Yuhe said, "It's not too late now. Let's not fight anymore. Arguing over trivial matters is just boring."

"Even my great-grandfather, who was so devoted to Taoism, passed away in this small stone chamber. I am far inferior to him, yet I still argue about trivial matters. How far can I go on the path to immortality?"

After saying that, Fang Yuhe once again used a talisman paper to clear the aura in the cave.

Zhou Qing stopped talking.

In less than half a day, the two men had burned every corner of the cave with talisman fire.

After finishing the work, Fang Yuhe planned to leave.

Zhou Qing was trying to find an excuse to stay when he heard a faint children's song coming from deep in the cave:

Red lanterns illuminate the western wall
The copper lock is covered with green moss and frost

At three o'clock in the morning, walk under the embroidered shoes corridor

Squeaky sound

Moonlight leaks through the green tile eaves
The crow carries the scent of rouge

Lotus noodles floated up from the bottom of the well

Gulp Gulp

White satin two meters long
The maid woke up crying on the rosewood bed

The lady was drawing her eyebrows last night

Snapping sound

Stone lion with cracked eye sockets
Eighteen Boxes of Blood-Soaked Wedding Dresses
The new soil in the back garden is slightly moving

Rustling and long

Sophora japonica flowers covered the corridor
Whose sedan chair is parked at the door?

Paper money circling around embroidered shoes

Jingle Bells
As the nursery rhymes sounded, the sounds of crying, laughing, and howling in the cave stopped abruptly, like a tiger roaring in the mountains, frightening all the beasts.

The nursery rhyme was sung by a very cold female voice, echoing in the quiet cave. Even the ominous aura in the cave seemed to be avoiding the sound of the nursery rhyme.

Zhou Qing and Fang Yuhe felt terrified.

Fang Yuhe's expression changed drastically, and he said, "It's her!"

Zhou Qing immediately knew who he was talking about without having to communicate with Fang Yuhe.

Mu Zhuosha!
In the deepest part of the dark cave, the cold and quiet female voice could only be hers.

As soon as Mu Zhuosha opened her mouth, all the elders who were in seclusion fell silent.

Zhou Qing exclaimed: "I didn't expect her to be so strong."

Fang Yuhe said, "Master Mu Zhuosha is the most brilliant genius in the history of Qingyun Sect. He reached the peak of foundation building in less than a hundred years and is only half a step away from the golden elixir stage."

"The elders in the sect are all convinced that as long as the evil thoughts in her heart subside, she will immediately reach the Golden Core stage. However, this step is the difference between heaven and earth."

"Let's leave quickly. We shouldn't stay here for long."

Zhou Qing smiled and said, "You go first, I'll be right here."

Fang Yuhe asked in surprise, "You want to stay in the cave?"

"This is not a fun place."

Zhou Qing said: "I have always heard about the charm of Senior Sister Mu Zhuosha. I will go and see what kind of person she is."

Fang Yuhe found Zhou Qing's thoughts difficult to understand, so he left the cave on his own.

Zhou Qing continued walking along the corridor.

There is no sunlight in the cave, only some glowing gems inlaid on the walls on both sides of the corridor can provide some light.

Zhou Qing walked nearly fifty feet inside and finally reached the end of the corridor.

There was a deep incision about ten feet outside the cave at the end of the corridor.

Zhou Qing stopped at the side of the incision and looked into the cave.

The retreat cave had no door, and only restrictions prevented the elders from leaving.

So Zhou Qing could see the situation inside the cave clearly at a glance.

The situation inside the stone chamber surprised Zhou Qing.

In his imagination, Mu Zhuosha was a very heroic woman, with a tall and agile figure.

This is the portrait hanging in Uncle Chen’s study.

But what he saw in the stone chamber at this moment was a thin and short girl who looked like a child in her early ten years old.

The girl sat slumped in the middle of the stone chamber, her head lowered and her hair hanging down in front of her face, making it impossible to see her features.

On each of the girl's slender wrists was an iron chain engraved with runes, securing her to the floor of the stone chamber.

This discovery gave Zhou Qing a chill in his heart.

The restrictions in the cave can only be broken by the Golden Elixir, but this girl still needs to be locked up by rune chains, which shows how much the sect regards her as a formidable enemy.

Hearing Zhou Qing's approaching footsteps, the girl raised her head, revealing an extremely beautiful and innocent face.

Mu Zhuosha stared at Zhou Qing curiously for a while and said, "I heard your conversation with that other person. You are Chen Qingxuan's disciple, right?"

Zhou Qingjin followed Chen Qingxuan's instructions and didn't dare to speak.

Mu Zhuosha asked angrily, "Why don't you speak?"

"Is Qingxuan okay? I haven't seen them for a long time. I'm sure the brothers and sisters have become great cultivators."

After saying this, she sighed softly and said, "They said I was possessed by a demon and wouldn't let me explain. They locked me up here. It's been ten years now. I haven't seen the outside world in ten years, and I don't know what happened to my old friends."

"I really want to go out."

As she spoke, she raised the chains on her wrists and said, "Can you please help me remove these chains? I'll go out and tell the headmaster that I'm completely healed and will never do the things I did before."

Her voice was mournful, and her innocent face looked even more pitiful. However, Zhou Qing didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a chill running through his bones, as if a great disaster was approaching.

(End of this chapter)