Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Cave No. 13, Bingzi.

Li Mufeng opened the scroll in front of him.

This was the book Bai Lingxi had promised to find for him from the Bai family's library—"The Lost Tales of Jinquan Bay".

The edges of the roll were already yellowed, and you could even see some traces of water stains, indicating that it had been there for many years.

The person who signed the document was a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator from the Bai family.

Li Mufeng remembered that Bai Lingxi had said that this person died shortly after writing this dossier during a demon hunt. Therefore, this "Record of Lost Events" became the Bai family's most complete record of that tragic event.

He took a deep breath and slowly focused his gaze on the dossier.

-

The seventh day of the sixth month in the year of Guiyou.

I was ordered by the head of the family to investigate the strange phenomena at Jinquan Bay, three hundred miles southwest of the Black Stone Mountains.

At first, some rogue cultivators found a few broken magical artifacts in the cracks at the bottom of the lake. None of them were precious items, and no one paid much attention to them when they heard about them.

However, a few days later, several ancient artifacts suddenly appeared in the market. Their style was simple and different from modern methods. Some people even obtained fragments of jade slips that recorded lost magic techniques.

We then realized that beneath Jinquan Bay, there might be a cave dwelling of an ancient person.

……

Seven days later, more than a thousand people had gone to Jinquan Bay.

Every day, cultivators return from the outskirts of the ruins having found opportunities, such as magical artifacts, spiritual materials, or even breaking through to a higher realm on the spot with just a fragment of a pill.

At that time, the Foundation Establishment Royal Family obtained an ancient talisman diagram from an unknown source.

That night, Lu Tianhe, a guest elder of the Wang family, brought out the map and, together with Wang Xuanyue, the head of the Wang family, and several Wang family cultivators, took the lead in venturing into the ruins.

From a distance, I could see that Lu Tianhe looked hurried, with a mixture of surprise and doubt, as well as determination, in his brows.

At the time, they did not know that their departure would become a final echo.

……

June 11.

Suddenly, a precious light shot into the sky from the depths of Jinquan Bay, illuminating the night sky for hundreds of miles.

Foundation Establishment cultivators from various sects arrived upon hearing the news, their escape lights raining down, while independent cultivators swarmed in.

Because of my shallow cultivation, I only dared to stay on the outer perimeter.

Even so, the rumbling that could still be heard coming from the depths of the ruins could still be heard.

Rocks crumbled, lake water surged back, and spiritual energy surged like a tide.

......

As Li Mufeng looked at the words on the scroll, his breathing unconsciously slowed down.

In the flickering dim light, the lines of ink seemed to come alive.

Before his eyes appeared a valley illuminated by the light of the talisman, as bright as day.

--------

"Lu Tianhe! Hand over the [Heavenly Origin Spirit Diagram]! I might spare your life!"

The one who spoke was Wang Xuanyue, the head of the Wang family.

However, before the words were finished, a dazzling beam of light shot out and headed straight for the green-robed cultivator, clearly not intending to give him any choice whatsoever.

Immediately afterwards, countless rays of light shot into the sky.

Crimson Flame Talisman, Lightning Talisman, Golden Sword Talisman... all sorts of talismans intertwined on the sky, dazzling like an inverted Milky Way.

A cultivator in a green robe stood in mid-air.

His robes were already soaked in blood, his hair was disheveled, and blood kept spilling from the corners of his mouth, but his back remained ramrod straight.

Behind him was a grand hall sealed by a giant bronze gate, while in front of him were several Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounding him.

One of them was none other than Wang Xuanyue, the head of the Wang family.

At this moment, Wang Xuanyue had disheveled hair, torn robes, and disordered breathing, clearly having suffered a great loss in the previous battle.

He stared intently at the green-robed cultivator, his eyes filled with both fear and undisguised greed.

"You are indeed no ordinary rogue cultivator! Hand over the Heavenly Origin Spirit Diagram, and I will forgive and forget what happened before."

The green-robed cultivator glanced down at the ancient scroll in his hand, then slowly raised his head.

"You insects dare to covet the Heavenly Origin Great Dao?"

next moment.

Lu Tianhe suddenly raised his hand.

Oh no! It's a second-tier talisman! Run!

The blinding white light engulfed everything.

Valleys, lakes, Foundation Establishment cultivators...

Everything vanished in that dazzling light.

......

Li Mufeng gritted his teeth and continued reading the text on the dossier.

When we arrived at the core of the ruins.

The great battle is over.

Lu Tianhe was nowhere to be found. All that remained of the place was devastation, with rocks shattered and spirits in disarray. Not a single trace of his remains could be found.

The bronze palace remained tightly closed.

The Foundation Establishment Clan Leaders, unwilling to let their opportunity slip away, joined forces to launch an attack.

In an instant, flying swords crisscrossed the waters, magical artifacts resonated, and the light of divine powers illuminated Golden Spring Bay.

However, half a day passed, and the main hall remained unmoved, with not even a trace of cracks appearing on its protective barrier.

Only then did the clan leaders realize that the opportunities here could not be obtained by force.

Later, some speculated that the key to opening the main hall should lie in the item that Lu Tianhe stole—the Heavenly Origin Spirit Map.

They searched the ruins thoroughly, but found neither the spirit map nor any trace of Lu Tianhe.

The person and their belongings vanished as if into thin air.

After much discussion, the various factions decided to temporarily seal off the area, jointly setting up a restriction and designating Jinquan Bay as a forbidden zone.

Once we find the way to unlock it in the future, we will then seek the opportunity within.

After I returned to my clan, whenever I recalled this event, I still felt as if it were a dream.

One person's efforts caused all the Foundation Establishment cultivators to return empty-handed.

Although Lu Tianhe has perished in his ruins, his name will likely be passed down to future generations decades from now.

This matter is recorded in "Records of Events at Jinquan Bay" for future generations to read.

—Recorded by Bai Chongshan, a descendant of the Bai family.

After reading the scroll, Li Mufeng was deeply moved. It turned out that beneath Jinquan Bay lay the ruins of an ancient sect!

Moreover, according to the records in "The Records of Jinquan Bay", this site has existed for decades. The outer area has been explored by various Foundation Establishment families, but the true core area has never been opened by anyone.

This is precisely why it has become a secret kept by all the major families in Blackstone City.

Thinking of this, Li Mufeng's expression gradually became serious.

Why would Bai Lingxi entrust such a family secret scroll to me?

If it's just as payment for teaching her how to make talismans, that would be far too far-fetched.

Li Mufeng felt increasingly uneasy. He was Lu Tianhe's disciple, and the Foundation Establishment families knew that this ruin might be related to the Heavenly Origin Qi Technique.

It just so happens that a few years ago, I learned the Heavenly Origin Qi Talisman Making Method from Zhou Zhengyang. What does this have to do with the [Heavenly Origin Spirit Diagram]? Now, Bai Lingxi is so openly handing this family secret scroll to me. It's hard to believe that the Bai family head is behind all this, wanting to use me to unlock this ancient ruin.

Thinking of this, Li Mufeng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

I, who was originally an insignificant piece, have somehow been pushed to the center of the chessboard.

Thinking of this, Li Mufeng couldn't sit still any longer. He dug out the package left by his master from the hidden compartment under the bed.

The package remained untouched, showing no signs of being tampered with.

This time, Li Mufeng once again focused his attention on those seemingly ordinary travelogues.

The Primordial Qi, the Primordial Spirit Diagram.

The two names kept echoing in his mind.

A glint flashed in Li Mufeng's eyes as he slowly raised the talisman brush in his hand.

Spiritual energy surged at his fingertips, and a wisp of pure and vast primordial energy was drawn from heaven and earth, flowing out along the talisman brush.

The travelogue, which was originally just an ordinary book, has now transformed. The yellowed pages suddenly glow with a faint golden light, and countless fine runes emerge from the depths of the pages, intertwining with each other.

Ultimately, it transformed into a giant 3D map that floated in mid-air.