So what if I have a few billion concubines while I'm cultivating immortality?

Qin Xiao used his divine sense to search carefully.

Finally, my gaze fell upon an inconspicuous vine on the cliff face.

Behind the vines, a hole about half a person's height can be vaguely seen, hidden by rocks.

It is extremely difficult to find unless you are looking for it intentionally.

Qin Xiao led Yu Qingyi to the entrance of the cave.

With a wave of his hand, spiritual energy swept across.

The vines and rocks were moved aside, revealing the complete cave entrance.

The cave entrance was deep and dark, with a cool breeze blowing out from inside.

"Come on, stay close to me."

Qin Xiao landed with Yu Qingyi, his feet touching the ground, and he took the lead in walking into the cave.

Yu Qingyi followed closely behind, her Cold Water Sword already half an inch out of its sheath, guarding it protectively in front of her.

The passageway is narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

After walking about a hundred paces, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The stone chamber came into view.

The environment was simple, with a stone platform in the center, on which sat a skeleton.

The clothes on the skeleton had long since weathered away, leaving only a few scraps of cloth.

Scattered around him were several empty jade bottles, a rusty broken sword, and a dusty jade slip.

There is nothing else besides that.

"Is this the ancient cultivator?"

Yu Qingyi's gaze fell on the withered bones, and a sense of emotion arose in her heart.

He was probably a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage or even higher during his lifetime.

Now only withered bones remain, desolate and lonely.

Qin Xiao walked to the stone platform, picked up the jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense.

The jade slip contained a last message:

"My sobriquet is 'Xuanzhen Sanren,' and my cultivation level is in the late stage of Core Formation."

"My lifespan is coming to an end, and I am unwilling to pass away peacefully. Therefore, I leave behind this legacy for those who are destined to receive it."

"However, the spiritual energy of this realm is depleted, and the path to immortality is severed. Those who come after and obtain this scroll should know that the road ahead is bleak. Be cautious, be very cautious..."

A complete "Mysterious Truth Manual" was also attached at the end.

And several basic spells.

It is much more complete than the few incomplete volumes of manuals held by Daoist Qingyang.

"Late stage of Core Formation..."

Qin Xiao withdrew his divine sense, lost in thought.

The Qingyang Taoist only saw a few books.

Little did they know that this dusty jade slip was the real treasure.

That makes sense, when Daoist Qingyang first arrived, he had not yet embarked on the path of cultivating immortality.

Therefore, no divine sense was available to recognize the contents of the jade slip.

"Your Majesty, have you made any progress?"

Yu Qingyi asked.

Qin Xiao made a copy of the jade slip and handed it to Yu Qingyi: "Take a look."

Yu Qingyi took it, probed it with her divine sense, and quickly read the last words and the cultivation method.

"The Mysterious True Technique..."

A look of joy appeared in her eyes.

The "Water Element Technique" only goes up to the point of perfecting Qi cultivation.

The "Mysterious True Technique" leads directly to the Foundation Establishment stage.

In addition, there are many other spells.

It was of great value to her.

"This technique does not conflict with the 'Hehuan Immortal Scripture,' so you can practice both."

Qin Xiao said, "Among them, you can choose suitable spells to cultivate."

"yes!"

Yu Qingyi carefully put the jade slip away.

Qin Xiao then examined the empty jade bottles; the medicinal effects had long since dissipated, rendering them worthless.

The broken sword has lost all its spirit and is no different from ordinary iron.

This stone platform?

Qin Xiao scanned it with his divine sense.

They sensed extremely faint fluctuations of spiritual energy inside the stone platform.

"What's wrong?"

Yu Qingyi asked.

"There's something strange about this stone platform."

Qin Xiao narrowed his eyes. "You've kept it well hidden."

After speaking, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and the crimson-gold spiritual energy transformed into fine threads that seeped into the stone platform.

"Click..."

A crack appeared on the surface of the stone platform, revealing a jade box about the size of a palm.

The jade box is pure white, with a faint, shimmering light.

"This is……"

Yu Qingyi slightly opened her beautiful eyes.

Qin Xiao picked up the jade box and tried to open it, but the jade box did not budge.

The lid and body of the box are integrated seamlessly.

"There are restrictions."

Qin Xiao scanned the box with his divine sense and realized that forcibly breaking it would likely destroy the contents.

"It seems that this Mysterious Hermit has a backup plan."

A thoughtful look flashed in Qin Xiao's eyes.

The contents of the jade box were clearly more important than the jade slips on the outside.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been hidden so well and had restrictions placed on it.

"Your Majesty, is it possible to open it?"

Yu Qingyi asked.

"Give it a try."

Qin Xiao placed the jade box in his palm.

The spiritual power of the mid-stage Core Formation cultivator slowly surged out and seeped into the runes of the jade box.

With perception, we crack the code.

After an incense stick burns...

"Click!"

A soft sound.

The lid of the jade box rises automatically.

Inside the box, three items lay quietly.

A token that is entirely black.

A crystal-clear purple gemstone.

And a roll of golden silk as thin as a cicada's wing.

Qin Xiao picked up the token first.

The token has an ancient-style character "玄" engraved on the front and a star pattern on the back.

"This token..."

Qin Xiao probed with his divine sense, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, with no reaction whatsoever.

He put down the token and picked up the purple crystal.

The crystal is about the size of a fist, and its interior seems to contain swirling nebulae, making it exquisitely beautiful.

Upon sensing the energy, a surge of powerful spiritual energy rushed in!

"Is this a spirit stone?"

A look of surprise flashed in Qin Xiao's eyes. "Spirit crystals?"

The book "Introduction to Weapon Refining" mentions that spirit crystals are formed from the core of spirit stone veins.

A single mineral vein may only produce one piece every few centuries.

It contains more than a hundred times the spiritual energy of a top-grade spirit stone!

Furthermore, the spiritual energy within the spirit crystal is easier to absorb, which greatly benefits the breakthrough of bottlenecks.

"nice one!"

Qin Xiao was overjoyed.

With this spirit crystal, the chances of reaching the Nascent Soul stage will be much higher.

He carefully put away the spirit crystal, and finally picked up the roll of golden silk.

The silk was extremely thin, cool and soft to the touch; I wondered what it was made of.

Unfolding it reveals three large characters written in ancient seal script: "Breaking Boundaries Record"!

"The Record of Breaking Boundaries?"

Qin Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he quickly scanned the page.

The text on the silk was not much, but every word was precious.

"I have traveled extensively for hundreds of years, exploring ancient sites and visiting secret places, and finally discovered a secret."

"This realm was originally called 'Yunlan Realm,' a lower-level cultivation realm. Three thousand years ago, it was sealed by the 'Spirit Devouring Array,' and its spiritual energy gradually dried up, leading to the extinction of the immortal path..."

"The Soul-Devouring Array?"

Qin Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he continued reading.

"This formation was set up by the 'Tianluo Sect' of the Upper Realm, with the aim of drawing upon the primordial spiritual energy of the Yunlan Realm to nourish the Upper Realm."

"The core of the formation is located at 'Tianzhu Mountain' in Zhongzhou, and is guarded by disciples of the Tianluo Sect..."

"I once risked my life to sneak into Tianzhu Mountain and glimpsed a corner of the array diagram, but my strength was too weak to break the array, and I died with regret."

"This record is specially kept for future generations. If they have the opportunity, they may find a way to break the formation and give the Yunlan Realm a glimmer of hope..."

Finally, there is a line of smaller print:

"The black token is a token of the outer disciples of the Tianluo Sect, which was obtained by chance on an ancient battlefield."

"The purple crystal is a spirit crystal, which has remarkable effects on refining weapons and setting up formations. These two items may be helpful in breaking formations."

After reading it, Qin Xiao remained silent for a long time.

Yu Qingyi noticed Qin Xiao's unusual expression and asked softly, "Your Majesty, what is recorded on this silk?"

Qin Xiao handed her the silk: "Take a look for yourself."

Yu Qingyi took it and read it quickly.

The more she looked, the paler her face became.

"Soul-Devouring Array, Upper Realm Tianluo Sect..."

Yu Qingyi's voice trembled, "Is...is this real?"

"It's probably true."

Qin Xiao said in a deep voice, "No wonder the spiritual energy in this realm is so thin, and the cultivation tradition is almost extinct. It turns out it was artificially sealed, and the spiritual energy was drained!"

"His Majesty……"

Yu Qingyi looked at him, her eyes filled with worry, "If what the silk ribbon said is true, then won't the Cloud Realm never be able to recover?"

"not necessarily."

Qin Xiao looked at the last line of text on the silk scroll, "Since Xuanzhen Sanren left clues, there might be a way to break the formation."

"But……"

Yu Qingyi hesitated and said, "Since the Tianluo Sect is a sect from the Upper Realm, its strength must be unfathomable. We..."

"It's too early to think about these things now."

Qin Xiao interrupted: "The most urgent task is to improve our strength. Without sufficient cultivation, everything is just empty talk."

He put away all the silk, tokens, and spirit crystals.

What I have seen today must not be divulged.

Qin Xiao then solemnly said, "This matter is far too serious. If it gets out, it could bring about my death."

"Your Majesty, I understand!"

Yu Qingyi nodded solemnly.

"Let's go."

Qin Xiao took one last look at the withered bones of Xuanzhen Sanren and bowed slightly.

"I have remembered your aspirations, senior. If one day I can break this formation, I will surely restore justice to the Yunlan Realm!"