Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

Although Yan Cheng's words sounded as if he intended to protect Wang Qing and take her place in the calamity.

But in reality, he didn't have that intention. Wang Qing was an indispensable treasure to him, capable of leading him to the dead treasure hidden here.

How could he bear to use her as a substitute for the robber?

Fortunately, I and the three from the middle stage chose the same exploration route, so I'll just have to make things difficult for them when necessary.

Although he had no intention of harming Wang Qing, he knew that the Immortal Sect had a great reputation, and this guy would never truly believe him.

Without offering any explanation, he simply followed Wang Qing quietly, constantly using his [Cave Illumination] to observe the surrounding movements.

The Heavenly Corpse Path was, after all, a renowned ancient lineage, but it was suppressed by various forces ever since the collapse of the Immortal Dynasty and the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It survived a difficult journey until the fall of the Great Zhou Dynasty before being destroyed by the Taiyin Immortal Sect, which coveted the inheritance of the Netherworld Dao. This lineage must have had its own foundation.

Furthermore, judging from the prison where the cultivators were imprisoned earlier, the moral standards of the Heavenly Corpse Path cultivators, even if not lower than those of the Immortal Sect, are still quite limited.

Yan Cheng believed that the Corpse-Raising Institute must have been filled with countless traps and mechanisms, waiting to ruthlessly harm a group of people who coveted the inheritance of the Daoist lineage!

Wang Qing, who was suspected to be a remnant of the Heavenly Corpse Path in her previous life, was now walking with ease and speed, which made Yan Cheng worry for her.

He cautiously treaded only on the path Wang Qing had once walked, only to see her suddenly stop in front of a raised paving stone, her delicate brows furrowed deeply.

On the surface of the floor tiles, there is a rune that is as deep as if it were carved with a knife, and it is shaped like a strange, long snake that meanders. It appears to have a dark, eerie light when it is reflected in the silver mirror.

Yan Cheng knew what was going on, but asked aloud:

What did you notice?

Wang Qing turned her head, a fleeting glint of bright gold in her eyes, seemingly the afterglow of some kind of pupil technique:

"It's a setup used by the Heavenly Corpse Path to screen those who enter."

"The Heavenly Corpse Path left this Corpse-Raising Institute for future generations, allowing only Qi Refining cultivators who practice the Corpse Fiend Path to pass through."

"To continue, a wisp of Yin Corpse Qi must be infused into the runes; otherwise, the restrictions within the Dao will be triggered, resulting in a gruesome death!"

Yan Cheng thought to himself that he already knew all this, but he feigned surprise and said:

"I see. If it weren't for your extensive knowledge, I fear I would have perished here."

"Fortunately, in this life, you have cultivated the path of Corpse Fiend, which allows you to break through the restrictions."

"Then please hurry up and get started, fellow Daoist, so as not to waste the time we have to explore and retrieve treasures from the ruins."

Wang Qing raised her eyebrows and stared fiercely at him:

"Based on my understanding of the practices of the Heavenly Corpse Path cultivators, there must be more than one similar restriction on this level."

"If there were ten similar restrictions, I would have to expend ten strands of Yin Corpse Qi, and my cultivation, which I had finally reached the initial perfection stage, would drop again."

"Although you cultivate cold qi, you must have a surplus of Yin Corpse Fiends!"

Yan Cheng smiled slightly:

"If even breaking a minor restriction requires me to expend the resources I've painstakingly acquired, what use am I to you, fellow Daoist?"

"Fellow Daoist, you should get used to it. Right now, you are a lower-level cultivator, and I am a higher-level cultivator."

"What kind of logic is there in this world where those who cultivate higher levels should sacrifice those who cultivate lower levels?"

"Furthermore, since you originally intended to change your path, the more corpse energy you consume, the closer you get to the righteous path in your heart, right?"

Wang Qing's eyebrows furrowed in shock; this time, her anger seemed genuine.

"So, I should thank you?"

Yan Cheng smiled and said:

"That's not necessary."

Seeing his left hand, adorned with the black gold corpse-controlling ring, poised to strike, Wang Qing trembled with rage, looking as if she were about to pounce and tear his throat apart at any moment.

In the end, however, she obediently chose to compromise, standing silently atop the stone runes and sending the Yin Corpse Fiend she had painstakingly cultivated into the earth.

The gloom ahead seemed to have lessened a bit.

Yan Cheng still politely asked Wang Qing to start first, and then followed behind her.

At this moment, Wang Qing was a whole minor realm below him, so theoretically she shouldn't pose a threat to him.

But he was used to being cautious in everything he did, and now that he knew he was in a dangerous place, he was no exception.

What if this guy secretly possesses some kind of spell that can kill beyond his level, so that he doesn't even have time to lift the ring?

Therefore, he would not let go of any opportunity to weaken Wang Qing's condition, striving to minimize the chance of her turning the tide against him!

Looking around, most of the rooms ahead were empty. A few rooms had spiritual energy flowing through them, but they were all filled with a gloomy and turbid aura of corpses, which was not what Yan Cheng wanted.

He knew that Tiantong wouldn't give him enough time to clean every empty room.

The precious time we have must be spent entirely on worthwhile treasures!

Wang Qing clearly shared the same thoughts as him. She ignored all the tightly closed doors around her, which were engraved with runes and clearly had once contained valuable items, and continued on her way.

Then Yan Cheng grabbed her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.

Within Yan Cheng's divine sense, the mirror clearly reflected three auras emanating from corpse-like black light, which, without a doubt, belonged to Deng Jian and the other two.

The three people stopped in front of a door, seemingly hesitant to go inside because they were worried about something.

Yan Cheng channeled his inner energy and listened intently.

Then I heard Deng Jian's aloof and cold voice ring out in my ears:

"This door, like the ones we've seen before, is engraved with restrictive runes that require the expenditure of corpse energy to unlock."

"The doors we see in the future will probably be the same."

"If Fellow Daoist Pei continues to be stingy with those mere few wisps of malevolent energy, I fear you will waste your days in vain and accomplish nothing!"

"To waste the opportunity to explore the ruins for a few days' worth of corpse energy that can be repaired in a few days is utterly foolish and will make a laughing stock of future generations."

Yan Cheng frowned inwardly as he listened:

"These guys, they do know the ropes."

"Was it Li Bai, who studies talismans, who figured it out?"

"Or perhaps someone in the palace secretly gave them some pointers, but didn't tell me!"

Only Pei Yi's clear, nightingale-like voice responded:

"Fellow Daoist speaks so casually, yet why don't you open the barrier yourself?"

Deng Jian snorted coldly:

"Of the three of us, I am the most skilled in actual combat, so I should naturally conserve my energy and strength."

"How do we know if, if we go any further, a few Yin puppets will suddenly jump out and attack us?"

"When the time comes to repel the enemy, will we rely on my longsword, or on your lightness skill that only knows how to escape?"

Pei Yi's voice was soft and melancholic:

"While my skill in talisman arts may not be as great as Fellow Daoist Li's, I am not a fool who can be easily deceived."

"The restrictive runes on this door are extremely complex; it's not something that can be resolved with just a few wisps of malevolent energy."

"Furthermore, one must concentrate fully on circulating their energy during the removal of the talisman and cannot move. How can we be sure someone won't take advantage of the situation to attack from behind?"

Deng Jian said coldly:

"If I wanted to make a move against you, I wouldn't have waited until now."

Pei Yi chuckled:

"That's hard to say. Maybe someone still harbors resentment towards me for abandoning them and went off to cultivate with Senior Brother Chen?"