You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"This is not the end."

Chen Yang finally spoke, pointing to the rock wall in front of him.

"There are restrictions on this wall, and they are quite sophisticated in terms of concealment and protection, almost as one with the mountain rock. If it weren't for the fact that its energy was almost depleted and that the spiritual energy had slightly replenished it during the revival, revealing a very subtle flaw, even I would have had difficulty noticing it."

Upon hearing this, Master Huang, Liu Yu, and True Lord Chiyang immediately gathered around, each using their own methods to investigate. Master Huang used hand seals to sense the rock, Liu Yu released her divine sense to scan it carefully, and True Lord Chiyang even pressed his palm close to the rock wall, urging a wisp of fire spiritual power to probe.

After a while, Huang Zhenren and Liu Yu almost simultaneously showed expressions of realization and admiration.

"Indeed! If the sect leader hadn't pointed it out, I would have almost overlooked it!"

"There are indeed extremely subtle array fluctuations, perfectly integrated with the rock texture, which is extremely ingenious!"

True Lord Chiyang scratched his head.

"I didn't feel anything... I just felt that the stone was quite cold."

Chen Yang said no more. Now that he had found the key, he would break through it.

He gestured for the three to step back, while he himself stood about three steps in front of the rock wall. The golden light in his eyes shone brightly once more, and he activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth to the fullest extent, revealing the energy veins of the rock wall in front of him in minute detail.

"The core of this formation lies in 'concealment' and 'integration.' A forceful attack will only trigger its remaining defenses or even cause it to self-destruct. It must be broken cleverly by finding the weakest 'node' in its energy cycle, while mimicking its energy frequency, quietly cutting in, and rendering it temporarily ineffective."

Chen Yang understood, and his hands began to form complex and ancient hand seals. The subtle magical power within his body mixed with a trace of the "breaking the restriction" power of the Yin Law, transforming into beams of pale golden light, as thin as gossamer threads, which precisely shot towards several special points on the rock wall that were impossible to discern with the naked eye.

The pale golden threads of light touched the rock wall but did not elicit any reaction. Instead, they silently seeped into the rock, like water droplets seeping into a sponge. The subtle energy patterns on the rock wall glowed slightly.

Then, as if a circuit had been briefly cut off, the light quickly dimmed, and the faint sense of "unity" and "isolation" emanating from the entire rock wall suddenly disappeared!
Immediately afterwards, in the center of the rock wall, the outline of a "door" about two zhang high and one zhang wide, with its edges emitting a faint white light, silently appeared!

"opened!"

"I am delighted," said True Lord Chiyang.

Chen Yang finished his practice, his face slightly pale. Breaking such a profound ancient restriction, which was almost at the level of "following the natural way," still consumed a great deal of his mental and magical energy, even if only one-tenth of its energy remained.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

"The restriction has been temporarily lifted, and this gate should be passable. Elder Liu, you follow me first, while True Man Huang and Elder Chiyang bring up the rear and remain vigilant."

"Yes!"

Liu Yu immediately responded and stood beside Chen Yang. Huang Zhenren and Chiyang Zhenjun also perked up, each circulating their cultivation techniques, and protective spiritual light faintly appeared around them.

Chen Yang reached out and gently pushed towards the white light door. What he touched was not hard rock, but a flexible resistance.

With a little effort, it was as if a thick curtain of water was pushed open, and white light rippled slightly. A dry air, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood and old books, came rushing in, completely different from the outside world.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside. Liu Yu followed closely behind.

The white light receded behind them, and the scene before them changed once again.

This seems to be a... secret room? Or perhaps a secluded side room in a grand hall? The space is much more regular than the cave outside, rectangular in shape, about half the size of a basketball court.

The four walls are made of polished, bluish-gray stone bricks, carved with simple cloud patterns and auspicious animal designs. Although they are simple and rustic, they are not in the natural style of the exterior, but rather closer to the interior of a man-made building.

The contents piled up in the secret room made Huang Zhenren and Chiyang Zhenjun, who entered later, widen their eyes!

Near the entrance, dozens of boxes of varying sizes and materials were scattered haphazardly! Some were made of bronze, some of iron, some of wood, and some were even made of jade!

Most of the boxes were open, filled with gleaming gold ingots, sparkling silver ingots, pearls, agates, and jade of various colors! The dazzling array of jewels was almost blinding!

These gold and silver jewels were remarkably well-preserved, gleaming softly in the light of the few luminous pearls embedded in the walls of the secret chamber.

My God... so much gold and silver treasure!

True Lord Chiyang couldn't help but swallow.

Although he was already a cultivator, he still felt an instinctive shock at the enormous wealth that ordinary people saw. Master Huang and Liu Yu were also slightly moved, but they were more concerned about cultivation resources and had little interest in these gold and silver items.

Chen Yang's gaze swept over the treasures, his eyes calm and unwavering.

His attention was focused more on the deeper parts of the secret room.

There were several heavy sandalwood tables, on which scrolls, books, and a few open, empty boxes were piled haphazardly. Behind the tables, on the wall, were five or six dark, seemingly bottomless passageways leading to unknown destinations!

"It seems that this is the front hall of the real 'warehouse' or 'treasure room'."

Chen Yang walked to the long table, picked up an empty box and looked at it. He then flipped through the scrolls and books, which were mostly ordinary account books, land deeds or unimportant records of miscellaneous items. There were no cultivation techniques or important information.

"These gold and silver pieces are probably just a smokescreen, or they may be the worldly wealth of a certain owner of this place at some point in time. The real value may lie behind these passageways."

He turned to look at the five or six doors. Each door was exactly the same, about seven feet high and three feet wide. The doors were pitch black and silent, like giant mouths ready to devour people.

"Sect Master, which way should we go? Should we go in together, or split up to investigate?"

Liu Yu asked.

Looking at those deep passages, True Lord Chiyang felt a little uneasy and made a suggestion.

"How about... we go together? It's pitch black in here. If we split up and something happens, we won't even have time to call for help."

Chen Yang thought for a moment and shook his head.

"There are too many passages. Exploring together is too inefficient and could easily lead to us all getting into unknown traps. Let's split up, but agree on a time to return. The situation here is unclear; we shouldn't linger, much less venture too far. We have a two-hour limit. Regardless of whether we find anything or not, we must return here to regroup. How does that sound?"

Master Huang stroked his beard and nodded.

"The sect leader's considerations are thorough. Splitting the investigations will indeed improve efficiency, and setting a deadline will help control risks. I have no objections."

Liu Yu also readily agreed.

"Your subordinate obeys." Seeing that the three of them had agreed, True Lord Chiyang had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree as well.

"Well... alright then. Two hours it is. Sect Master, what if... I mean, what if we encounter something we can't handle? How do we call for help?"

"In case of emergency, you can try to create a large commotion using sect secret techniques or powerful methods. If we are nearby or have already returned, we should be able to detect it. But remember, survival comes first, and do not be reckless."

Chen Yang gave instructions and then added.

"After choosing a passage, you can leave a simple spiritual energy mark at the entrance for identification."

"Yes!"

The three agreed.

"Alright, each of you choose your own passage. Remember, we'll meet here in two hours."

After Chen Yang finished speaking, he took the lead and walked towards the second passage on the left.

Liu Yu chose the middle one, Huang Zhenren chose the first one on the right, and Chiyang Zhenjun looked at the remaining ones and chose the one furthest to the right. He even used his fire elemental power to burn an inconspicuous little dot at the entrance as a mark, as instructed.

The four of them wished each other a safe journey and then disappeared into the dark passage.

The passage Chen Yang chose was narrower than the one he had entered through before, allowing only one person to pass at a time. It was winding and had varying inclines and declines. The air circulation was poor, and a musty, dusty smell filled the air. The rock walls underfoot and on both sides were covered with marks of human excavation, rough and uneven.

He did not rush forward, but remained vigilant. His sharp eyes could see clearly in the darkness, and he also extended his spiritual sense to carefully investigate the movements in front of him and around him.

He hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard a very faint "click" sound from the ground beneath his feet. Chen Yang reacted extremely quickly, instantly shifting his body three feet to the left.

"Shhhhhh!"

Several streaks of dark light shot out from a hidden hole in the right wall, grazing his clothes and embedding themselves deeply into the opposite rock wall. They were clearly several rusty short crossbow bolts with arrowheads that gleamed with a ghostly blue light, obviously coated with deadly poison.

"A trap."

Chen Yang's expression remained unchanged. Such mundane mechanisms posed limited threats to cultivators, but carelessness could lead to unexpected setbacks.

He continued forward, observing the ground and walls more carefully.

Sure enough, several more traps were triggered in succession.

The ground suddenly collapsed, the nails fell from above, and the walls closed on both sides.

These mechanisms were ingeniously designed, but due to their age, most of them had malfunctioned or greatly diminished in power, posing no real threat to Chen Yang. Instead, they gave him a deeper understanding of the meticulousness of the person who set up this place.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the faint sound of water and a more open sense of space came from ahead. Chen Yang quickened his pace, turned the last bend, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

He arrived at the edge of a huge, semi-natural, semi-artificial cave. Below the cave was a bottomless, dark abyss, with only a narrow "bridge" less than two feet wide, made of rusted iron chains and broken wooden planks.

The bridge, trembling precariously, connected Chen Yang's location to another dark opening on the opposite bank. Its structure was broken in several places, the planks rotten, and it swayed slightly in the eerie wind blowing from who-knows-where, emitting a creaking sound that made one's teeth ache.

The abyss beneath the bridge wasn't completely dark; a faint reflection of water could be seen at the bottom, accompanied by hissing sounds and slippery wriggling noises that sent chills down one's spine. Chen Yang strained his eyes to look down and saw puddles and slippery rocks at the bottom of the abyss.

Dozens of enormous, menacing-looking salamanders were lying densely packed together!

Each of these salamanders is the size of an adult water buffalo, with dark brown skin covered in warts. Their pairs of eerie green eyes gleam greedily in the darkness, and their thick limbs and large mouths full of sharp teeth all indicate that they are apex predators.

They seemed to sense Chen Yang's presence above them, and began to stir, raising their heads and letting out low growls.

Chen Yang frowned slightly.

These giant salamanders possessed considerable power; a single one might only be equivalent to a mid-to-late stage Qi Refining demon beast. However, their sheer number and advantageous terrain meant that once entangled with them, even with his strength, he would face considerable trouble and might even be injured.

"We can't force our way in."

Chen Yang made a decision instantly.

He looked at the dilapidated bridge, then estimated the width of the abyss and the location of the opening on the opposite bank.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yang activated his Qingwei magic power to its fullest extent, and his body suddenly became as light as a feather.

He lightly touched the edge of the cave entrance with his toes, and his whole body floated up like a willow leaf. He did not fly directly across, but rather "glided" forward at an extremely fast speed, skimming along the top of the broken bridge. At the same time, he flicked his hands, and several solid beams of magical energy shot towards the rock wall above the cave entrance on the opposite bank, as a second point of leverage.

"Whoosh!"

His figure moved with lightning speed. Almost before the giant salamanders could react and leap up to pounce, he had already narrowly crossed the abyss and landed steadily on the platform at the cave entrance on the opposite bank. Behind him came the angry roars of the giant salamanders after missing their target and the sound of heavy objects hitting the water.

Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief, glanced back at the abyss and the restless salamanders, then turned and walked into the new cave entrance without lingering.

The passage behind the cave entrance was short; after walking a dozen or so steps, one entered a new, more spacious stone chamber.

This stone chamber was clearly carved and repaired by hand. It is square and about the size of a typical family's hall. In the center of the chamber, three bronze tripods, each about half a person's height, are neatly arranged. The tripods are covered with ancient taotie patterns, and the insides of the tripods are empty.

However, the cauldron and its legs bear the marks of long-term exposure to fire, clearly indicating that it was used for alchemy or medicine refining. Next to the cauldron, there are two slightly smaller, exquisitely crafted bronze alchemy furnaces, their lids tightly closed, leaving it unknown whether any medicine remains inside.

Along the walls surrounding the stone chamber were rows of stone shelves. Most of the shelves were empty, but a few shelves still had jade boxes, wooden boxes, and pottery jars scattered haphazardly.

Some of the boxes, once opened, revealed dried-out, lifeless herbal roots or mineral fragments, clearly ruined due to their age and lack of proper preservation.

However, some jade boxes were well preserved and had excellent sealing. Chen Yang opened a few and found several high-quality fire-attribute spirit stones, a small piece of "Concentration Wood" that still emitted a faint fragrance, and several fist-sized pieces of "Earth Vein Stone Marrow" containing pure earth-attribute spiritual power!
"At least the trip wasn't in vain!"

Chen Yang was overjoyed.

While these items may not be considered earth-shattering treasures, they are all genuine cultivation resources, especially the earth vein marrow, which is highly beneficial for stabilizing one's foundation and assisting in the cultivation of earth-attribute techniques.

Without any hesitation, he waved his hand and took everything still usable in the stone chamber—three bronze cauldrons, two purple copper alchemy furnaces, the spirit stones, spirit wood, and stone marrow that still had some value, as well as several empty jade boxes that looked relatively intact.

He put all the jade bottles into his storage bag. There were also some scattered, unidentified ores and withered herbs on the stone shelf. He glanced at them and, confirming that they were of little value or had expired, left them untouched.

Just as he finished putting away the last jade box, a figure flashed at the entrance of the stone chamber, and Liu Yu walked in. (End of this chapter)