Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 293 Unusual Movement
The campsite at the edge of the canyon was in a mess.

Amidst the mingling of dust and a faint stench of blood, each of the people stationed here harbored their own thoughts.

From deep within the canyon, faint sounds could be heard.

Although everyone was curious about what had happened in the canyon, they still had to obediently guard the place unless given a special order.

Deputy General Luo led his troops to quell the rebellion personally; they had no right to stand by and watch.

The ironclad rules of the military dictate that orders must be obeyed without question.

Those who violate this rule will be treated as deserters or spies.

These people, no matter how high they climb, are only at the Foundation Establishment stage; no one would want to test the effects of their "military discipline" against a Golden Core cultivator.

The memory of those three Foundation Establishment cultivators who died tragically is still vivid in my mind.

Even the strongest curiosity will melt away under this accumulated pressure.

Everyone felt that they couldn't take a single step out of this tiny place at the mouth of the valley.

At the edge of the camp, in the same corner, Song Yan sat cross-legged, resting and recuperating.

But most of his attention was focused on the ancient talisman in his hand, which was gold and red.

Since the ancient talisman was given to him by Sheng Nian, there had been no further activity. Song Yan only believed that it was the key to enter the ruins of this ancient battlefield of the Immortal Dynasty.

I imagine that others probably thought the same thing before I killed the rebels today.

The golden-red ancient talisman was now hot to the touch.

After absorbing thirty-seven streams of scarlet spiritual energy, upon closer inspection, the color of this ancient talisman seems to have changed somewhat.

Between the gold and red colors, the originally vibrant red seems to have dimmed considerably.

The color became even deeper, as if it had drunk its fill of blood.

The gold color is also brighter.

"Absorbing deathly energy, fighting spirit, or vitality and spiritual power?"

Song Yan pondered carefully. This ancient talisman could absorb crimson spiritual power after he killed enemy generals. Therefore, the more he killed, the more abundant the crimson spiritual power he would collect.

From this perspective, it seems somewhat like a record of one's achievements.

In the armies of secular dynasties, meritorious service in killing enemies was usually recorded by giving heads or specific tokens, such as cutting off an ear, as proof in exchange for military achievements, promotions, and rewards.

In these ruins of the Immortal Dynasty battlefield, could those scarlet spiritual energies be considered special tokens or military merit points?

The golden-red ancient talisman in his hand, which could directly absorb malevolent energy and blood energy, was the proof of his merits.

That makes sense.

but……

"Wang Shengguang said he couldn't see what I was holding..."

First and foremost, it should be noted that this talisman is not visible to everyone; perhaps it is only invisible to these soldiers within the ruins of this battlefield.

Only visiting monks can see it.

But if that's the case, then if you fight hard to kill the enemy general and gain merit, who will you ask for a reward from?

People can't see it either.

On another level, perhaps this ancient talisman can allow the holder to enter this place, or it can allow people to leave.

The worst-case scenario is that they collect enough of that crimson spiritual energy and then leave this place empty-handed.

Song Yan's thoughts began to wander.

If collecting crimson aura yields a reward or allows someone to leave...

So, wouldn't cultivators like Chen Li, Wu Yun, and Wei Zhi, who didn't have ancient talismans and were brought here by others, gain nothing no matter how many enemies they killed?

They might even be left here forever.

Song Yan couldn't discern any special abilities from the man named Chen Li, but he knew that he had been brought in by one of the three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who had died earlier.

"..."

Song Yan pondered for a moment.

Regardless, the value of this ancient talisman in people's minds is now constantly rising.

"Ok?"

He suddenly felt some disturbance around him, and after probing with his divine sense, he did not detect anything unusual.

……

On the other side of the temporary camp.

In the shadows of the tent, Chen Li frowned, peering through a sliver of light in the direction of Song Yan and Wu Caidie.

His brows were furrowed, and a sinister glint flashed beneath his lowered eyelids.

He originally came here to explore with another late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but unexpectedly, out of the three of them, he was the only one left.

The changes at the ruins were indeed puzzling, but what he was more concerned about was the golden-red ancient talisman that Song Yan and Wu Caidie had used during the battle, which had absorbed the scarlet evil energy.

That thing, isn't it the key to enter this secret place...?

How can it change? Could it be that we can use that thing to leave this godforsaken place?

Or perhaps, what benefits can be gained from this?
After much thought, he concluded that this ancient site of the Immortal Dynasty was no ordinary place. If he could obtain some opportunities from here, it would certainly be a great help to his cultivation.

That ancient talisman can lead people away from this hellish place, one thing is certain, but what if there's some other opportunity hidden within...?

A fire of greed ignited in his heart, and he lowered his head slightly, forming several hand seals.

Suddenly, shadows surged toward him from all around.

Something was slowly gathering within the sleeves of the wide robe.

Chen Li suddenly said softly, "How is it?"

In the darkness, a phantom of demonic energy gradually materialized.

"It failed."

The dark, demonic figure slowly shook its head: "That person has a very strong spiritual sense, and their eyes are also somewhat special. They may have cultivated some kind of pupil technique."

"He almost found out about Mo just now."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Li frowned: "Is this kid so strange?"

“Hmm…” The dark shadow nodded: “His senses are too sharp. If we get any closer, we might alert him.”

Chen Li's expression was somewhat gloomy.

"Useless thing..." he muttered casually.
The Illusory Demon was somewhat displeased: "Don't swear..."

It muttered something, then disappeared into the shadows, merging into Chen Li's shadow and vanishing.

This demonic shadow was a secret technique he had cultivated for many years; with just a wisp of his divine soul, he could cultivate a phantom celestial demon.

It is almost invisible and intangible, and is extremely adept at concealment.

Spying on secrets and stealing things—it never fails.

This was also his greatest advantage in being able to infiltrate the righteous path of the cultivation world in the Chu Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, I suffered a setback at the hands of such an unknown person.

He immediately began to doubt the man's identity.

Although this person wore a veil, anyone with discerning eyes could tell at a glance that he was extremely young.

At such a young age, to have the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment, one could never be an unknown figure in a small place like Chu.

“Song Yesheng…”

He had been involved in the righteous path for many years and had never heard of this person before.

"Surname Song?"

There was a man named Song Shuiming at Xuanjian Mountain.

The Dongyuan Sect had two emperors, Song Zhenzong and Song Yan.

I've never heard of the other major sects. "Wu Caidie... no way."

What we desire but cannot obtain is what we are most obsessed with.

Chen Li carefully considered his options and made up his mind to obtain an ancient talisman.

The cultivator who had brought him here earlier also had one, but after Luo Zheng casually killed him, everything they were carrying was confiscated by the army.

As a lowly subordinate and an outsider, he had no way of having any contact with them.

They didn't even know where the three people's storage bags were.

But as they may think, those who possess this item on this battlefield are no ordinary people.

On Wu Caidie's side, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators were inseparable, and Wu Caidie and Wu Yun were even siblings, making it difficult for them to make a move.

The other rogue cultivator also had a Foundation Establishment cultivator accompanying him, making the situation equally challenging.

After much thought, Song Yesheng, who was traveling alone, was still the easiest target.

He just had to wait for the right opportunity and reason. If he acted without cause, he was afraid that Deputy General Luo would find out and get angry, and might kill him on a whim.

Moreover, although this kid only has the cultivation of the early stage of Foundation Establishment, his swordsmanship is quite good.

He wasn't entirely confident in taking action rashly.

Chen Li naturally wanted to leave this place, but he didn't want to leave the battlefield too soon.

Places like this, filled with malevolent energy, are very suitable for some demonic cultivators to practice their techniques and secret arts.

Especially in this ancient battlefield of the Immortal Dynasty, opportunities abound.

We just need to be more cautious.

……

"General Chen, gentlemen, you will need to hold this position for now."

Outside the temporary camp, there were many figures.

More than forty surrendered rebels were chained together.

Wang Qinsui faced Chen Li and the rest of the group, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said: "These surrendered soldiers are of great importance and need to be escorted back to the gorge to be handled by Deputy General Luo."

"Thank you all for your hard work. You must hold this pass firmly and not let a single rebel escape!"

"If anything goes wrong, use the whistling arrow as a signal, and the brothers nearby will come to our aid immediately."

Wang Shengguang was actually just a close follower and subordinate general, theoretically on par with Chen Li.

In addition, he is easy to talk to and has a gentle personality, so he doesn't have a commanding tone.

"As ordered."

This group of outside cultivators was organized into a squad by Luo Zheng, with Chen Li as the leader, so naturally Chen Li was temporarily in charge of them.

Wang Shengguang immediately turned around and led a team of temporary reinforcements to escort these ashen-faced prisoners toward the canyon.

They quickly walked away.

The noise from the temporary encampment quickly subsided, leaving only Song Yan and the others behind.

All the Qi Refining cultivators who came with them have died, leaving only the seven Foundation Establishment cultivators here.

The tense atmosphere did not ease after Wang Shengguang and the others disappeared; instead, it became shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

After a short silence.

Finally, someone spoke first: "Ahem, fellow Daoists."

Chen Li cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and forced a worried, honest smile onto his face.

"The king's attendants left with their men, leaving the seven of us here waiting in vain..."

"What was that terrifying aura that filled the sky and the dead turning into light just now? What was that all about?"

His questions came one after another: "These soldiers are dead and their bodies are nowhere to be found, and what exactly is that thing?"

He deliberately avoided mentioning the Golden Red Ancient Talisman, but in fact, every sentence he uttered steered the conversation in that direction.

Another rogue cultivator was named Li Yan.

He was also the third cultivator present, besides Song Yan and the Wu family, to possess ancient runes.

Upon hearing Chen Li's words, Li Yan frowned slightly, glancing at Chen Li out of the corner of his eye with a wary expression.

Among these people, his cultivation level is neither high nor low, so it's best to be cautious.

He thought for a moment and immediately replied, "Yes, this godforsaken place is no place for humans to live."

"How should we leave? If we stay any longer, there might be another rebellion. Even if we quell the rebellion here, will we have to go to war again? We can't stay here forever, can we?"

"Don't worry, we won't be here for that long." Wu Yun was the youngest and also the most short-tempered.

He sneered, "Maybe Luo Zheng will take a dislike to us tomorrow and wipe us out on some random excuse..."

Chen Li continued, "Yes, in my opinion, with the changes in these ruins, there are no treasures left. Why don't the seven of us work together to find a way out first?"

As soon as the words were spoken, almost everyone's gaze was drawn to Wu Caidie and her two companions.

No one was stupid. These three people were not from Chu. They had traveled thousands of miles to Chu to explore the ruins of the Immortal Dynasty battlefield, so they obviously knew something about this place.

At this moment, Wu Caidie sat still, her expression hidden behind her veil, but her bright, clear eyes flickered slightly.

Seeing this, Chen Li immediately stepped closer and pressed his advantage: "Fellow Daoist Wu, at this point, you shouldn't be so secretive with us."

"I just want to get out of this godforsaken place as soon as possible. I don't want any rare treasures or precious herbs."

Chen Li's tone was somewhat urgent, as if he wanted to leave right now.

“Those crimson spiritual energies must be the key, especially… cough cough, especially the objects in your hands that can absorb spiritual energy.”

"This object seems to have changed after absorbing spiritual energy. Could it be the key to our escape? Or could it trigger some mystery here?"

"It seems that since this ancient talisman can bring multiple people into this place, it can also bring multiple people away."

"Then if everyone works together, we can leave this place sooner, don't you think?"

Wu Caidie's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked up to meet Chen Li's gaze.

Her voice remained gentle, yet carried a sense of detachment.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you flatter me. The records in my family are too old and brief. When they mention this place, they only say a few words, saying that this place is a secret place of the Immortal Dynasty and may contain treasures."

"The scene before us is one of a large army of living people, with established military discipline, and even generals at the Golden Core stage..."

She shook her head slightly, the faint sense of confusion in her tone just right, not feigned: "I am also at a loss."

"As for this ancient talisman for absorbing spiritual energy, the secret realm my elders entered back then was vastly different from it, and it can only be used as a key."

"This absorption of malevolent energy has brought about changes, but I have no way of knowing what its purpose will be, whether it will bring misfortune or fortune."

Song Yan glanced at her a few times. This person spoke so shrewdly, but after going around in circles, she still hadn't revealed any useful information.

He leaned against the side, which was quite sociable, but he didn't say a word. He just listened quietly to the discussion, occasionally glancing at each person's face and observing their subtle changes in expression.

Chen Li did not want to reveal his interest in Song Yan, so he deliberately avoided engaging him in conversation.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

boom--

A deep, muffled roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the canyon.

In an instant, more than a dozen beams of violent, mixed-color spiritual light rose from the ground and shot into the clouds.

The ground trembled slightly.

These spiritual lights, centered deep within the canyon, flowed slowly, intertwining and drawing each other together.

"Array?"

What a terrifying formation.

Even Song Yan was taken aback.

Even the array on Dragon Pool Mountain, judging from the fluctuations of spiritual energy, was not as shocking as what was before us.

Before anyone could wonder what was happening, a violent pressure surged from the distant sky.

(End of this chapter)