I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Chapter 327 The Man Who Delivered the Key! Snow Ridge Mountains, Mingwang Jue! The Opportunity for the Brahma Saint True Demon Art!

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Zhou Yuan completely concealed his cultivator aura and habits.

Like an ordinary traveler, I settled down at the Yuelai Inn in the small town of Xuejiang.

He ate at the front of the restaurant three times a day, ordering ordinary dishes, but he always gave the waiter a few extra copper coins as a tip, showing great generosity.

Over time, both the clever waiter and the gaunt shopkeeper behind the counter, who was always fiddling with his abacus, remembered this generous and gentle young customer in a green robe.

During the day, Zhou Yuan would occasionally go out and wander around Xuejiang Town, seemingly touring the streets of this remote county.

In reality, with his immense divine sense, he had already seen the entire small town clearly.

During one of his "strolls," he seemingly unintentionally passed by an inconspicuous corner of the inn's backyard, paused slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips before he continued on his way as if nothing had happened.

After nightfall, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and practiced breathing exercises to completely integrate his own energy with the environment.

He was waiting, waiting for the person who would "deliver the keys".

Finally, late at night on the third day.

All was quiet, the bright moon hung high, and the entire small town of Xuejiang was immersed in slumber.

In the backyard of Yuelai Inn, there are only the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, his breathing long and even, as if he had fallen asleep.

But at a certain moment, his closed eyelids twitched slightly, and then slowly opened, his eyes clear and bright, without the slightest trace of drowsiness from just waking up.

His divine sense clearly detected the aura of a Core Formation stage cultivator, who was concealing his escape light and silently sweeping in from outside the city, landing precisely in the backyard of the Yuelai Inn.

The newcomer was clearly quite familiar with this place, or had already done his homework, avoiding the perception of the low-ranking waiters and ordinary guests in the inn, and landed lightly like a fallen leaf outside the door of the innkeeper's room in the backyard.

The newcomer was an elderly man dressed in a purple robe, with a clean face, deep-set eyes, and a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

The old man exuded a sinister aura, and his cultivation level was around the mid-stage of Core Formation. In a place like Guanning Prefecture, he could be considered a master.

After landing, he cautiously scanned his surroundings, and his divine sense spread out like ripples on water, carefully examining every room in the courtyard to confirm that all the "mortals" were fast asleep and there was nothing unusual.

Finally, his gaze settled on the innkeeper's room, a glint of greed and excitement flashing in his eyes.

"This should be it—the Feng family entrusted the location of their secret cave to this mortal shopkeeper. Hmph, the secret cave treasured by the Feng family for generations will ultimately fall into my hands, Lu!"

The old man in purple robes secretly gloated, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He was originally a rogue cultivator from the Guanning Prefecture area. Decades ago, in order to seek protection and resources, he joined the Feng family and became a guest elder.

However, this person is quite ambitious and cold-hearted by nature.

Several months ago, he encountered the eldest son of the Feng family on the grassland, who was on a mission and possessed the key to the secret cave.

Having already been secretly bribed by the Kong family, he immediately killed the eldest son of the Feng family, silencing him and performing a soul search on him. This allowed him to learn about the existence of the Feng family's secret cave, the key to the cave, and some methods to open it.

The reason he waited for months to come and retrieve the key was not out of loyalty or fear. On the contrary, he wanted to wait for the storm to pass so that he could come alone and take all the treasures in the secret cave for himself!

Then they could leave Guanning Prefecture and go far away. Whether they start their own sect or establish a business association, it would be much better than living under someone else's roof and being at the mercy of others!

"Having obtained the Feng family's treasure, I will immediately leave Guan Ning Prefecture. The world is vast and boundless; who can do anything to me then?"

The purple-robed elder grew increasingly excited, as if he could already see countless spirit stones, magical treasures, and cultivation techniques beckoning to him.

Without further hesitation, he reached out his hand, about to cast a spell to silently break open the innkeeper's door, ready to interrogate him about the location of the secret cave.

however.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the door, a figure appeared silently between him and the door, blocking his way.

The purple-robed elder's hair stood on end, and his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints! He hadn't even noticed how this person had appeared! It was as if the other person had always been standing there, only he hadn't "seen" him before!

He suddenly looked up at the person in front of him. It was a young man wearing a gray-blue robe, with a calm face and indifferent gaze, quietly watching him as if he were watching a small animal that had wandered into a trap.

"Who are you?!" The purple-robed elder suppressed his shock and shouted in a low voice, his voice stern but his heart pounding.

At the same time, his internal magical power surged rapidly, and his divine sense frantically probed outwards, trying to investigate the opponent's true strength.

However, the moment his divine sense touched the other person's body, it vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea!

There was no leakage of magical power from the other party, but the unfathomable and profound aura, as well as the calm eyes that seemed to see through his soul, made him feel a chill and fear from the bottom of his bones!

He had only ever experienced this feeling with those Nascent Soul stage monsters!

No, it was even more terrifying than those Nascent Soul stage monsters!

"Fellow Daoist, you've obtained the key to the Feng family's secret cave, haven't you?"

Zhou Yuan did not answer his question, but instead went straight to the point, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable air.

Hand it over.

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to resonate directly in the depths of the purple-robed old man's soul, causing him to tremble violently.

"Sen--senpai--"

The old man in the purple robe spoke in a hoarse voice, his lips trembled, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He knew he had bitten off more than he could chew!

The person before him was definitely far superior to him!

He's probably an old monster in the Nascent Soul stage!

His ambition to monopolize the treasure was instantly extinguished, leaving only endless fear.

"Forget it, I'll just get it myself." Seeing that he hadn't made a move, Zhou Yuan was too lazy to waste any more words with him.

He didn't even move a finger; with just a slight thought, an invisible yet vast and powerful spiritual pressure descended like a mountain, instantly enveloping the purple-robed elder!

The purple-robed elder felt his body sink, as if he were bound tightly by invisible shackles. His magical power instantly froze, and he couldn't even move a finger!

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and horror! What kind of technique was this?! He hadn't even seen the other party cast a spell!

Zhou Yuan slowly stepped forward, reached out his hand, and, under the horrified gaze of the purple-robed old man, easily found a key about three inches long, entirely silver-white, with an antique design and a blue gem the size of a mung bean inlaid at the top.

It is the key to unlocking the Feng family's secret cave.

Zhou Yuan put away the silver key, then he pointed his fingers like a sword, a faint light shining from the fingertips, and gently touched the purple-robed old man's brow.

Soul Search.

With his late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, using the Soul Searching Technique on a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Before the purple-robed elder could even muster a thought of resistance, his memories were quickly browsed and copied by Zhou Yuan, like pages turned in a book.

Zhou Yuan clearly obtained information about the method to open the Feng family's secret cave, its internal restrictions, and even the origins of the purple-robed elder and his collusion with the Kong family.

After obtaining the necessary information, Zhou Yuan withdrew his finger.

He looked at the purple-robed old man in front of him, whose eyes had become vacant and whose mouth was drooling due to the soul search, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He came to the Great Jin Dynasty to search for materials and improve his strength, and did not want to kill too much or cause unnecessary trouble. But keeping this purple-robed old man around was ultimately a hidden danger.

After a moment of contemplation, a glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes, and his powerful divine sense surged forth once more, transforming into countless fine, invisible threads that carefully probed into the depths of the purple-robed elder's sea of ​​consciousness, like the most skilled craftsman beginning to meticulously "modify" it.

He erased all memories of the key to the Feng family's secret cave, of his encounter with himself that night, and of his soul-searching.

After doing all this, Zhou Yuan withdrew his divine sense, rolled up the purple-robed old man, and silently sent him out of the inn, landing him in a remote wilderness outside the city.

When he wakes up tomorrow, he will not remember any information about Zhou Yuan.

After dealing with this "minor incident," Zhou Yuan returned to the backyard of the inn.

He didn't go back to his room, but went straight to an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard wall. The ground here was paved with blue bricks, and it looked no different from the rest of the place.

Zhou Yuan squatted down, stretched out his palm towards the ground, and invisible magical power seeped out.

The soil loosened, and a blue brick, as if lifted by an invisible hand, slowly flew up from the ground and hovered in mid-air.

Zhou Yuan took the blue brick.

It feels slightly heavy in the hand and has a warm, smooth texture, clearly indicating that it is no ordinary item.

This blue brick itself is an exquisitely crafted storage artifact, but its appearance is disguised as extremely ordinary.

If the method is not correct and brute force is used to destroy it, the items stored inside will instantly turn to ashes.

Fortunately, Zhou Yuan had just searched the soul and obtained the complete incantation to activate this item.

He held the blue brick in one hand, while the fingers of his other hand moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, quickly tapping the surface of the brick several times. His fingertips glowed faintly, outlining mysterious runes.

"Buzz—!"

As the last rune fell, the surface of the blue brick trembled slightly, and a faint spiritual light flowed across it. Then, in the very center of the blue brick, a circular hole, about the thickness of a thumb, slowly appeared. The hole was dark inside, as if it connected to another space.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan supported the bottom of the brick with his left hand and gently patted the bottom of the brick with his right hand.

"puff!"

With a soft sound, light shimmered from the holes in the blue bricks, and two objects flew out on their own, hovering in front of Zhou Yuan.

One was a jade slip, several inches in size and entirely emerald green. The other stack consisted of yellowed documents, neatly bound with fine rope, that looked like account books or letters.

Zhou Yuanxian picked up the emerald green jade slip and immersed his consciousness into it.

A moment later, he withdrew his divine sense, a look of understanding on his face.

The jade slip contained a detailed map and instructions, marking the exact location of the Feng Family Secret Cave—located deep within a highly concealed mountain crevice in the Xueling Mountains—as well as methods for bypassing the surrounding natural maze and some of the restrictions.

"The Snow Ridge Mountains are in the same area as the tomb of King Xuan Ye, no wonder there are often rumors of cultivators going missing."

Zhou Yuan thought to himself, but didn't care.

With his current strength, even the ten-thousand-year-old Corpse King would have to go around him.

He put the jade slip and the stack of documents into his storage bracelet.

He then put the blue brick back in its original position and used his magic to smooth out the marks on the ground, as if nothing had happened.

Having done all this, Zhou Yuan did not linger.

He glanced at the Yuelai Inn, which was still immersed in its dreams, then his figure flickered and transformed into a faint, almost imperceptible stream of light, silently leaving Xuejiang Town and speeding towards the Xueling Mountains.

Several hours later, as dawn was breaking, Zhou Yuan had already ventured deep into the Snow Ridge Mountains.

-

This mountain range stretches endlessly, with ancient trees reaching for the sky. It is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, and its complex terrain, coupled with the possibility of natural mazes and powerful demonic beasts, makes it too dangerous for ordinary cultivators to venture deep into.

Following the map on the jade slip, Zhou Yuan stopped in front of a steep cliff covered with dense vines and moss.

Without a map to guide him, even with his divine sense, it would have been difficult to discover the hidden cracks in the cliff face.

He parted the vines and indeed saw a narrow crevice, barely wide enough for one person to pass sideways, its depth unfathomable, with a faint, cool breeze blowing out from it.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan shifted his body to the side and slid into the crevice like a fish. After meandering through the darkness for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a natural cave formed by the hollowing out of the mountainside.

At the end of the cave, a thunderous roar of water could be heard as a white waterfall cascaded down from above, its spray filling the air.

Zhou Yuan passed through the water curtain and came to a dry platform hidden by the waterfall. Behind the platform, there was a stone gate, about ten feet high, made of some kind of dark blue metal, and engraved with ancient cloud patterns.

In the center of the stone gate was a small keyhole, the shape of which perfectly matched the silver key he had obtained.

Zhou Yuan took out the silver key, inserted it into the hole, and turned it gently.

"Snap—!"

A crisp click of a mechanism rang out. A heavy creaking sound came from inside the stone door, as if countless gears were turning.

Then, the heavy stone door slowly opened inward, revealing a stone chamber.

Inside is a teleportation array.

This teleportation array has eight slots.

However, Zhou Yuan was the one who had personally set up several large teleportation arrays, and he immediately saw the problem with this teleportation array.

If the eight spirit stones were inlaid, they would probably be shattered by space during teleportation.

Zhou Yuan only inlaid five pieces.

The teleportation array is activated.

After a flash of white light, Zhou Yuan arrived at a large hall that was about twenty feet square.

The walls of the hall are inlaid with several fist-sized luminous pearls, which emit a soft light and illuminate the entire space.

In the hall, several dark iron and wooden shelves and several boxes of the same material were neatly arranged.

On the shelf were some bottles and jars, mostly pills or spiritual materials, of low quality.

Inside the box were piles of low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones, a small number of high-grade spirit stones, and some ordinary-looking magic treasures and artifacts.

These things are no longer considered precious treasures to Zhou Yuan now.

With a sweep of his divine sense, he took in the entire situation in the hall.

His gaze was quickly drawn to an object on an inconspicuous iron and wood shelf in the corner of the hall.

It was a rectangular wooden box, about half a foot long, entirely crimson, and seemingly carved from some kind of special spirit wood.

On the surface of the wooden box was a pale yellow talisman with some simple runes drawn on it. It looked like an ordinary restrictive talisman to prevent spiritual energy from leaking out.

The edges of the wooden box are carved with exquisite Buddhist patterns and scriptures, such as lotus flowers and vajras.

Zhou Yuan stepped forward and picked up the wooden box. He glanced at the talisman, and after confirming it was harmless, he casually peeled it off and opened the box.

"Buzz—!"

The moment the box lid was opened, a gentle yet exceptionally pure and vast seven-colored spiritual light gushed out of the wooden box like a fountain, illuminating the entire hall with dazzling brilliance!

A serene and peaceful Buddhist atmosphere, yet imbued with immense power, instantly permeated the air!

The source of these strange phenomena and auras was a bead, no bigger than a thumb, lying quietly in the wooden box. It was perfectly round, with a warm, milky white color, as if it were carved from the purest mutton fat jade!

On the surface of the bead, there is a faint flow of seven-colored Buddhist light, as if it contains some profound Buddhist principles.

"A relic!" Zhou Yuan's heart stirred, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

Relics are treasures that can only be formed by highly virtuous Buddhist monks when their Buddhist practice and personal spiritual power reach extremely high levels.

It embodies the Buddhist insights, pure Buddhist power, and part of the divine soul imprint of a high monk's life, making it a priceless treasure for those who practice Buddhist techniques!

Not only can it greatly increase cultivation speed, but it can also assist in comprehending Buddhist supernatural powers, and there is even a certain chance of obtaining inheritance from it!

Along with the relics, two Buddhist ritual implements were also placed in the wooden box.

One of them is a palm-sized dharma wheel, entirely gilded, with sharp edges, and engraved with Sanskrit mantras.

The other string is a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet with 108 light gold beads, faintly exuding sandalwood fragrance and a shimmering aura.

Both of these magical artifacts emanated strong spiritual energy fluctuations, clearly indicating that they were rare ancient treasures.

But Zhou Yuan's mind was no longer on the relic or the two magical artifacts.

His gaze, like a magnet, was fixed on the yellow jade slip placed in the wooden box alongside the relics and ritual implements!

He reached out and carefully picked up the seemingly inconspicuous yellow jade slip.

His consciousness slowly sank into the jade slip.

The next moment, a massive amount of information flooded into his mind like a tidal wave!

Sure enough, the jade slip contained records of several Buddhist cultivation techniques!

The most basic of these is a body-refining introductory technique called "Tiger-Taming Skill." When mastered, one can subdue a tiger with strength and develop an incredibly resilient physical body.

Another school is called the "Turning Wheel Sutra," which is a Buddhist mantra and incantation practice. When mastered, it can bless oneself or ritual implements, and exorcise evil spirits and demons.

And the cultivation technique that Zhou Yuan cared about most was among them!

The Decision of the King of Ming!

A lengthy text of several thousand words, accompanied by dozens of complex diagrams illustrating the cultivation of human meridians and acupoints, as well as numerous cultivation insights and precautions, clearly appeared in Zhou Yuan's consciousness!

This practice emphasizes using unparalleled perseverance and faith to temper one's muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, ultimately cultivating the "True Body of the Vidyaraja," a guardian deity in Buddhism!

"well!!"

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded.

This trip to the Great Jin Dynasty went relatively smoothly. With the Mingwang Jue, I might be able to fuse it into the Brahma Saint True Demon Art in the future.

If he can successfully cultivate it, his physical shortcomings will be completely overcome.

Our overall strength will reach a new level!