Longzang

Chapter 288 A Better Ending (Part 2)

At Wei Yuan's command, he immediately took out a flat cauldron and began digging himself.

There was no way around it; everyone present was his elder. Feng Tingyu, who appeared to be an innocent young girl, was actually a direct disciple of the Mingwang Palace Master. Strictly speaking, she was of the same generation as Fenhai Zhenren, and Wei Yuan would have to call her Grandmaster Uncle.

When there is trouble, the disciples should do the work. As the youngest, Wei Yuan had to do it himself, as he couldn't command any of the senior figures.

However, Wei Yuan possessed immense strength and was an expert at digging; with a single shovel stroke, he could raise thousands of pounds of earth. He first dug two graves, which became the starting point of the anomaly.

The grave was extremely simple, almost indistinguishable from a mass burial ground. Underneath the mound of earth was the coffin, which was very thin and riddled with holes from insect erosion.

Inside the large tomb's coffin were only two pieces of clothing: a simple blue cloth robe and a woman's floral-patterned jacket. Nothing else was there. Inside the smaller tomb, the coffin lid was broken open, revealing half a coffin filled with black liquid. This wasn't actually water, but rather an extremely concentrated, utterly yin energy—a highly yin and poisonous substance.

The Yin energy condensed into water, enough to kill an ordinary cultivator with just a touch. Yet Sun Yu took out a medicine cabinet, which expanded in the wind to collect all the black water, filling about a dozen medicine boxes before finally putting the cabinet away. This medicine cabinet was a gift from Wei Yuan, which Sun Yu had refined to be able to change size at will, and he carried it with him from then on.

Ji Liuli set up another formation to carefully examine the source of this Yin energy. This small coffin was definitely not the source of the Yin energy; there must be another source.

Wei Yuan came to the large coffin, reached out and picked up the blue robe to examine it.

The moment his fingers touched the green robe, he suddenly found himself in a vast, open space, where the swordsman in plain clothes stood with his hands behind his back, but this time he no longer held the greatsword.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan, he sighed and said, "I knew I wouldn't find peace even in death, yet you still dug up my grave."

Wei Yuan had no choice but to say, "I was almost killed, I have to know the truth."

Wei Yuan spoke vaguely, suggesting that the swordsman in plain clothes before him was likely a remnant of divine consciousness, and probably not very intelligent. Perhaps he could get some information out of him.

The swordsman in plain clothes looked dejected and said slowly, "Everyone always wants to know the truth, but knowing it is worse than not knowing it."

"Even if I'm going to die, I want to die knowing why, so it's better to know."

The swordsman in plain clothes said, "I knew you would say that. The truth lies underground here. They all thought it would perish along with the cave, but I knew you would come."

"Why did I come?" Wei Yuan asked.

“You are best at fishing with luck. Such a big fish, either it swims towards you, or you walk towards it. Your favorite saying in the past was: This thing is destined for me.”

Wei Yuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that the swordsman in plain clothes was bluffing him. After all, even immortals knew a thing or two about fishing for luck, it's just that some thieves never came away empty-handed, while others often returned empty-handed, simply because their skills differed.

Wei Yuan wanted to ask more, but the swordsman in plain clothes said, "The truth is down below, but I can't hold on much longer. While I still have some strength, I must pass on the general principles of the Eternal Sword to you. Didn't you notice that the half of the sword manual I gave you is incomplete?"

Why not give it to me all at once?

"You got the benefits, but you just turned around and left. You won't stay a moment longer, and you certainly won't consider avenging me."

Wei Yuan said, "You don't trust me that much?"

The swordsman in plain clothes revealed a sneer and said, "Trust? I would rather trust Xu Wangu than trust you. If I had no other choice, I wouldn't be walking with you."

Wei Yuan remained calm and continued to ask, "Why did it come to this?"

The swordsman in plain clothes said, "That's right! But under the Great Dao, there is no right or wrong. We naturally belong to the same camp and can only walk side by side. I don't want to say any more to you. This wisp of divine thought is about to dissipate. Take this sword!"

Suddenly, the swordsman in plain clothes had a giant sword in his hand and slashed down at Wei Yuan!
Wei Yuan was instantly paralyzed, only able to watch helplessly as the giant sword slashed down. Then everything went black, and he was expelled from that vast space.

Wei Yuan was still squatting beside the coffin, but the blue robe he was holding had turned to ashes and vanished in pieces. Wei Yuan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. That sword strike could have been a transmission of power, but it could also instantly transform into a killing move, enough to annihilate a late-stage cultivator's Dharma Aspect.

At this moment, a giant sword appeared in Wei Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness, diagonally planted in the barren land. This was the general outline of the Eternal Sword.

This is the true form of the Eternal Sword, merely a general outline. If transformed into sword energy, it would be enough to slay a Dharma Body. Such immense power is only sufficient to contain the general outline of the sword manual; not even a single additional sword technique is allowed.

Wei Yuan probed the giant sword with his divine sense, and instantly saw endless sword light and a sea of ​​sword energy. In the sea of ​​sword energy, a swordsman in plain clothes stood on the waves, holding the hilt in one hand and supporting the blade in the other, holding the giant sword horizontally in front of him, observing the sword.

This single sword-observation technique contained countless profound principles of swordsmanship, and even a trace of the divine essence of the workings of the universe. For a time, Wei Yuan could only barely remember one or two out of ten thousand, and was still a long way from grasping even the basics.

Wei Yuan withdrew his divine sense; there would be plenty of time to gradually comprehend it later. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to. According to the swordsman in plain clothes, there were several more sword techniques waiting for Wei Yuan underground.

Wei Yuan held the commoner swordsman in utter contempt. What kind of person did he think he was? Wei Yuan dared not say that everything he did was for the sake of the world, but at least he had contributed to the sect and the human race along the way.

He wanted to excavate this place to find out the truth, to investigate the little girl's ordeal, to destroy the Yin Land, and to find out the mastermind behind it all. All three things were perfectly legitimate and not for any sword techniques.

...I just don't know how many more moves there are, or if they're as detailed as the general outline. Originally, the Shadow in the Moon also gave half of the Eternal Sword Technique, seemingly condensed from the primordial spirit of a commoner swordsman. However, it was a manual, requiring Wei Yuan to comprehend the sword intent on his own.

The general outline given by the swordsman in plain clothes also included the profound principles of swordsmanship that he had comprehended, which Wei Yuan could directly comprehend, somewhat similar to the jade tablet in the Water Moon Palace that recorded the insights of the immortal lord. The one given by the Shadow in the Moon was equivalent to a secret manual on a jade scroll, containing no true meaning.

The Sword Observation Technique is the cultivation method of the Eternal Sword, allowing one to directly ascend to immortality. Its general principles form the foundation, and all subsequent sword techniques are applicable. After only a slight comprehension, Wei Yuan discovered that half of the sword manual was enough to achieve immortality, and even go further than most other paths. With just this half-finished manual, he could even establish his own palace within the Primordial Palace.

Now that he knew the place of absolute Yin was underground, Wei Yuan didn't delay any longer and summoned all the people searching the palace. With so many people around, digging would be much easier.

Ji Liuli had already determined the location of the Yin-destroying land, while Yu Zhizhuo used his divine sense to explore the underground structure and reset the excavation route.

Hundreds of Dao Foundation cultivators were divided into groups, some digging and some transporting soil, while Yu Zhizhuo's two junior brothers were responsible for reinforcing the passage.

Wei Yuan followed Yu Zhizhuo to this place and, according to the angle Yu Zhizhuo specified, cast the Golden Light Water Blade Technique to begin digging a passage.

Yu Zhizhuo truly lived up to his reputation as a mining genius; under his command, the excavation progressed at an astonishing speed. Before long, all three inclined shafts were completed, with their exits located in different underground rivers. Wei Yuan dug the main tunnel, while the other two were auxiliary tunnels, used for maintenance, reinforcement, and emergency escape.

According to Yu Zhizhuo's exploration results, the Absolute Yin Land should be a fairly large underground space, and these underground rivers all lead to it. Directly opening a passage in the Absolute Yin Land might cause some unforeseen events; it would be more prudent to explore along natural passages such as the underground rivers.

Wei Yuan entered the passage first, then entered the underground river, and followed the river forward. After walking a short distance, the path suddenly opened up, but was blocked by a rock wall.

The underground river continued forward, flowing beneath the rock face.

The rock wall ahead was clearly a protective formation, but its power had been reduced to only one-tenth or one-twelfth of its original strength. Under Ji Liuli's guidance, the cultivators worked together and broke the formation in a short while. As the rock wall collapsed and disappeared, a gust of cold wind blew out from behind it, causing everyone to stagger.

Wei Yuan's mind was in turmoil when the scenery before him changed, revealing a quiet and elegant courtyard. The courtyard featured artificial hills and a pond, decorated in a way that even a commoner like Wei Yuan could recognize as extraordinary.

A young man in a blue robe sat in the courtyard, smiling as he watched the women and little girls playing there. The young man's face bore a striking resemblance to the swordsman in plain clothes; it was clearly his younger self.

The young man suddenly turned his head and looked at Wei Yuan. The smile on his face instantly turned bitter, and two bloody tears fell from his eyes. He said, "...It would be better to go back."

The illusion shattered, and Wei Yuan finally saw the real scene before him.

Before them lay a vast underground space, shaped like a blooming lotus flower. The central plaza rose in tiers, topped by a colossal pillar hundreds of feet tall. The pillar was covered with lotus petals, though their colors were somewhat faded.

Atop the colossal pillar perched a creature that resembled neither a human nor a demon, exuding an indescribable ferocity and malevolence, seemingly poised to pounce and devour anyone in its path. Though it was merely a statue, it still instilled a sense of dread.

A terrifying demon, over ten feet long, was coiled around the giant pillar, seemingly about to pounce on the statue at the top of the pillar. However, it was bound by heavy chains, which were covered with burn marks, and the demon itself was already lifeless.

Palaces were built on the surrounding mountain walls, layer upon layer, like the petals of a blooming lotus. The entire underground space was thousands of feet in diameter, and the palace complex was extremely magnificent, truly a grand undertaking, requiring an immeasurable amount of manpower and resources to build.

This arrangement was unexpected by everyone. After weighing the options, Zhang Sheng said, "Let's start with the near and then move to the far, slowly getting closer to the center."

This was a sound plan, so everyone followed it, first exploring the palaces around them. These palaces were all part of the outer lotus petals; there were probably hundreds or even thousands of them in the entire underground space, and they were the most ordinary of all.

Upon arriving at the palace, Wei Yuan was the first to burst through the door. Among the group, Wei Yuan was unique in both spirit and physical body, possessing the greatest resilience. Had it not been for the little girl in disguise constantly attacking Wei Yuan for no apparent reason, the group might have suffered even greater losses.

Upon entering the palace, Wei Yuan's consciousness was once again in a daze, and a grand hall appeared before him.

A young couple was walking towards the main hall. The woman was uneasy, but the young man comforted her, saying, "It's alright. We love each other, and Father is overjoyed. My sixteen older brothers and twenty-one older sisters have no children, so we're counting on you to carry on the Xu family line."

The woman nodded almost imperceptibly, both nervous and shy.

In the blink of an eye, the scene shifts, and a young man and woman are kneeling in the center of the main hall. A person sits on a high platform above, appearing majestic and awe-inspiring, but his face is not clearly visible.

After the young man finished his report tremblingly, a thunderous voice boomed from above, filled with fury: "You scoundrel! How dare you decide such a major life event as marriage? Your wife has been chosen, it is her, and the wedding will take place tonight! As for this woman, give her a sum of money and send her back to her hometown."

A woman walked gracefully out from behind the high platform above. She was bald with blue eyes, yet possessed an eerie holiness.

Upon seeing the woman, the young man was stunned: "Sister-in-law?!"

The scene before Wei Yuan's eyes shattered, and he returned to the hall. Only then did he take a look at the layout of the hall.

The hall was divided into two levels, containing wooden boxes shaped like shrines. Inside each box stood a person, male or female, all completely naked. They all appeared to be young, around fourteen or fifteen years old, and were remarkably similar in both genders. Their height, features, and even their inner demeanor were alike!
This is just one hall. If the other halls are laid out similarly, wouldn't there be tens of thousands of young men and women in the entire underground?

Wei Yuan suddenly noticed that there was a faint resemblance between the swordsmen in plain clothes and the eyes of these young men and women!
A girl in the shrine slowly opened her eyes, revealing blue pupils, and said softly, "...Why not go back?"

(End of this chapter)