Chapter 49: The Cave

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  Bang!

  A dark mass fell like a giant boulder, heavily slamming onto the gravel-covered black rocks, emitting a dull and deafening roar.

  It wasn't until a severe pain stimulated him that Chen Tai woke up, the unparalleled agony of being pierced by countless swords and bitten by countless ants made him regain a bit of sanity. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a thick, impenetrable fog that obscured everything around him.

  Chen Xiao could only confirm that he was not dead, and this place was clearly the Abyssal Land of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range.

  "Are you awake?"

  Along with the sound, the eerie crimson mist around him suddenly dispersed in all directions, revealing Qiu Yu's pale face.

  Chen Yao stretched his body, apart from the scorching pain, he didn't feel any other discomfort, gritted his teeth and got up, by the time he stood up, he was already in cold sweat.

  "Going through this, it's also a good thing for you." Ji Yu's expression was extremely solemn, and he said in a low voice: "You must always remember, unless it's a matter of life and death, otherwise giving your back to others is blasphemy against your own life!"

  Chen Xiao nodded silently, if he had been a little more vigilant at the time, he wouldn't have fallen into Chai Letian's ambush.

  "Let's go."

  Ji Yu seemed to understand that this matter was a great blow to Chen Tang, and seeing that Chen Tang agreed with his point of view, he didn't say much more. With a flick of his body, his toes barely touching the ground, he drifted away like a small boat, into the depths of the thick fog.

  Chen Xiao looked around and said in a daze: "Where are we going?"

  "A hundred miles ahead, at the bottom of this abyss, lies the foundation of this grand array. If you want to leave, destroy its foundation." Ji Yu's voice drifted over from within the fog.

  ……

  Dark fog fills the sky, and a group of beasts howl in unison.

  Chen Xiao followed Ji Yu, looking at the thick, crimson fog and the groups of fierce beasts rushing about in it, his nerves stretched to the limit.

  He had even seen a ferocious beast, as big as a small mountain, slowly emerging from the fog, its body radiating an aura of malevolence and terror that left him breathless.

  However, what surprised Chen Tang was that as long as he followed behind Ji Yu, not only would the thick fog automatically avoid him, but even the ferocious beasts didn't dare to approach. Along the way, they didn't encounter a single attack!

  After burning one stick of incense.

  In front of a pitch-black deep abyss rock wall, Ji Yu stopped his footsteps.

  Chen Xiao raised her eyes and saw that on the pitch-black rock wall, intricate patterns of various colors were carved, with rough lines as if naturally formed. Some places had already become blurred, carrying a desolate and ancient atmosphere.

  "It seems my speculation was correct, this mountain range is indeed a giant mountain gathering evil spirit array."

  Ji Yu glanced at the pattern on the rock wall for a moment, then stepped forward, his sleeve fluttering as he swept out a mass of misty green clouds that struck the rock wall with a series of loud cracks.

  Rumble!

  A pitch-black rock wall with countless patterns split open, revealing a pitch-black cave. At the same time, an extremely cold breath whizzed out, and wherever it passed, a thick layer of black ice instantly condensed on the ground!

  So cold!

  As the cold air blew, Chen Tai couldn't help but shiver violently, his teeth chattering, and hurriedly circulated his true yuan to dispel the invading cold air from his body.

  Following Ji Yu into the cave, Chen Tai finally saw the environment inside clearly.

  This appears to be an extremely ancient cave, with dark greenish stone walls that are rugged and rough. The natural texture of the stone is dry and coarse, without any sign of artificial carving.

  In the middle, there is a pool in the shape of an octagon, with eight long swords inserted at each corner, their cold light pressing down. The water inside is like liquid blackness, flowing slowly and emitting ripples, as a bone-chilling cold air spreads out.

  Most striking is the black lotus flower in full bloom at the center of the pool, with thirty-six petals, each like a piece of black jade, exuding a quiet and serene power.

  "There are swords with evil spirits, lotus flowers with evil spirits, and eight trigrams bottles with evil spirits. The person who set up the array was well-prepared, but unfortunately, the quality of all these things is too poor, and they also lack a guiding spirit pearl. No one has taken charge of this array method, so it can only be abandoned until now." Ji Yu walked back and forth by the pool, shaking his head and sighing.

  Chen Xiao was bewildered and thought to himself, "The treasure used by the Great Master of the Fu Zhen sect to set up the formation, how did it end up in Seasonal Yu's mouth and become something with poor quality?"

  "But for you, these things can still be used."

  Ji Yu hesitated for a moment, then swung his sleeve and eight long swords by the pool suddenly rose into the air, transforming into eight dazzling streams of light that fell into his palm.

  "These eight swords were originally heavenly-grade artifacts, but unfortunately they have been sealed away for a long time and have suffered from countless years of erosion by the mysterious and dark energy, so now at most they only have the power of top-grade yellow artifacts."

  Ji Yu commented on a sentence, then threw the eight swords to Chen Tai. He swung his sleeve again, and the black lotus in the center of the pool was pulled out by the roots and fell into his palm.

  "This lotus is quite good, it's a heavenly and earthly born ice heart lotus. When cultivating, placing it near the body has the wonderful effect of dispelling heart demons and cleansing the mind."

  As he spoke, Ji Yu stretched out his hand and lightly swept across the black lotus flower. Threads of evil energy escaped from the flower and dissipated in an instant, transforming into a snow-white lotus flower emitting a refreshing aura. "I've helped you dispel the evil energy stored within this object; take it back!"

  Chen Xiao looked at the eight small flying swords lined up on his right palm, and then looked at the newly acquired Ice Heart Lotus, his heart was already filled with excitement.

  In the cultivation world, weapons are divided into two categories: ordinary objects and magical artifacts based on their quality.

  Postnatal cultivators and prenatal cultivators can only use mortal instruments. For example, the Qingchong Sword used by Chen Yao before is a top-grade mortal instrument.

  Only by opening up the Purple Mansion and laying down the foundation of the Tao can one command the use of magical treasures.

  The Fa Bao is also divided into four levels: Tian, Di, Xuan and Huang. Each level is further divided into four grades: Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade and Extreme Product.

  And above the Fa Bao is the Xian Qi!

  But for Chen Tai, the immortal artifact was still too far away, almost a rare existence that could be encountered but not sought after. At this moment, having eight yellow-grade top-quality flying swords in his possession made him overjoyed.

  And Bing Po Xin Lian is also extraordinary, possessing it can not only drive away heart demons and prevent walking fire into madness, but also greatly benefit the speed of cultivation.

  "These eight swords have withstood the invasion of the mysterious and dark aura for thousands of years, but in the end they fell into my hands. It's also a kind of fate, so let's just call them the Mysterious Dark Swords."

  Chen Xiao couldn't wait to name his own magic treasure, but his brow furrowed immediately as he thought to himself: "I'm only at the Pre-Heavenly Round Completion realm for now, and I probably can't wield the Xuanming Sword yet."

  "Chen Tai, the aura of this pool has condensed to the point of liquefaction, making it even more suitable for your physical training." Ji Yu's voice came from beside the pool.

  Chen Xiao hastily put away Xuan Ming Sword and Bing Po Heart Lotus into the storage ring, walked forward and asked: "What should I do?"

  "Jump in, and just circulate the 'Zhou Tian Xing Lie Quan Ti Zhuan Shu' technique. However, be careful, these Sha Qi may not be as powerful as the Star Sha, but they are also notorious for being extremely cold and dark. If you feel like you can't hold on, get out early."

  Chen Xiao immediately shed her clothes without hesitation and walked towards the water pool.

  As soon as the skin came into contact with that layer of pure black water in the pool, a bone-piercing chill like an awl stabbed fiercely into the skin, and then surged throughout the body. Chen Yao's face turned purple instantly, and his body also shook violently out of control.

  Wow!

  Chen Xiao didn't dare to hesitate any longer, and with a splash, he sat down in the water pool. At that moment, his mind was focused, and he discarded all distractions, quickly circulating the "Zhou Tian Xing Lie Body Tempering Technique".

  In the pool, the dark and gloomy aura barely buried Chen Tang's neck, only revealing his head. His eyes were tightly closed, and a thick layer of black ice instantly condensed on his cheeks, looking like a stone statue sealed in wax from afar.

  "This kid is so obedient, he doesn't even ask me why I want him to do this..."

  Ji Yu took out a wine gourd and gulped down a few mouthfuls, then shook his head and sighed: "It seems that I have been too considerate of him, and his dependence is too strong, he will never be able to become a true strongman."

  "However, once he advances to the Violet Palace realm and passes the first trial of Tianfeng, I'm afraid I won't be able to come out again. Hmm, taking care of him is just like how my previous master took care of me..."

  The voice grew fainter and fainter, gradually disappearing. Ji Yu seemed to recall some unbearable past events, and a thick, indelible sadness welled up in those eyes that had experienced countless hardships.

  Cold!

  Piercingly cold!

  Chen Xiao only felt that a river of ice was flowing between his flesh, blood and bones, and the coldness from inside out made him gradually lose all his senses.

  However, his divine soul remained extremely clear and calm, operating the Heart Method in an orderly manner, gradually absorbing that terrifying Xuanming Sha Qi to temper and refine his skin, muscles, blood, and bones.

  Compared to the pain that Xingxie's power brought to his body, the chill caused by these mysterious and dark evil energies was much more bearable for Chen Tai.

  At present, Chen Yao's physical cultivation has already broken through to the Xiantian realm. At this moment, with the help of Xuanming Sha Qi, he is cultivating without any distractions, and his cultivation is increasing at a visible speed.

  Three days later.

  In the quiet and secluded mountain cave, a burst of crisp crackling sounds suddenly rang out.

  In the pool, Chen Tai stood up, and the thick layer of black ice on his skin shattered into pieces like powder, falling off with a rustling sound. A strong and majestic physique emerged, as if carved by the hands of the gods, filled with an enchanting glow.

  Splash!

  Chen Xiao exercised his muscles and bones, only to feel that the energy and blood in his body were boiling like a cauldron, and his vital energy was like a rainbow. It seemed as if he could lift up a mountain with just one hand.

  And on its back, there are faint black patterns that appear and disappear, looking extremely mysterious.

  "The pattern of the witch's veins seems to have reached the realm of perfection in the innate stage of body refinement." Ji Yu lay on the rattan chair, his eyes scanning Chen Tai's back and saying lightly.

  Refine the body, innate perfection!

  Chen Xiao was stunned, shocked and speechless. In just three days, he had already refined his body to the realm of Pre-Heavenly Perfection?