Fairy, don't go! I have a mod.

Chapter Fifty-Three Murals

The pot didn't even shake, as if it had just swallowed half a spiritual field, but half a pot of cold water.

Yuantong scratched his bald head, looked at his bulging storage bag, then at Mu Tianmiao's bottomless copper pot, and sighed.

“Benefactor, the three of us combined probably don’t even have as much as you alone.”

The Third Prince snorted, and although he didn't speak, his heroic eyes were filled with resentment.

She, the dignified Third Prince of the Imperial Court, actually lost to a broken copper pot when it came to acquiring a spiritual plant.

Only Yun Qingyao showed no reaction; she had seen Mu Tianmiao use this pot to suck up the corpse of the dragon.

It can even contain the corpse of a dragon like a mountain, so what is a mere half a spiritual field?

"Let's not talk about that now."

Yuantong hoisted the wooden stick onto his shoulder, becoming unusually serious.

"We've acquired quite a few resources, but no matter how much we take, we need to be alive to spend it. The exit from this secret realm is still sealed, and those vines outside haven't stopped growing. How are we going to get out?"

Yun Qingyao and the Third Prince both looked at Mu Tianmiao.

Mu Tianmiao hung the Demon Refining Pot back on his waist, patted the pot, and looked past the path leading to the deeper part of the spirit field.

"I must continue forward. This spiritual field is just the outer edge; the real answer lies deeper within."

"Alright, you can either continue following me or go back to the exit first! Once we're out, I'll give each of you a share of the spiritual plants and fruits from the pot, so you won't have made this trip for nothing."

The three men's eyes lit up at the same time, and Yuantong was the first to make the decision.

“Amitabha, of course this humble monk will follow you, benefactor. We will share wealth and hardship together; this is true destiny.”

The Third Prince played with the bracelet, a delighted smile curving his lips.

"The interesting things aren't over yet, so of course Your Highness will continue."

Yun Qingyao didn't speak, but took a step forward and stood beside Mu Tianmiao.

Mu Tianmiao nodded and turned to walk towards the dark path.

The three of them followed together.

The four continued deeper into the area. Giant stone doors began to appear on both sides, some of which had already been violently blasted open.

The door still bears traces of sword and knife strikes and lingering spiritual energy fluctuations.

Some remained tightly shut, their heavy doors covered with dust accumulated over countless years.

They tried to push open several doors that were not yet opened.

Behind some of the doors was a spirit plant garden exactly the same as before, with spirit fruits and herbs still flourishing, clearly never having been set foot in.

Behind some doors lay ruins, with broken stone pillars and fragments of long-extinguished array patterns scattered among the broken walls.

The air was filled with a musty, stale smell.

The deeper you go, the more doors you'll find opened.

Some of the array patterns on the doors were clearly just broken, with fresh spiritual energy still lingering in the cracks.

It seems that the four of them weren't the only ones who got here; other cultivators were doing the same thing: looting, moving forward, looting again, and moving forward again.

It's just unknown how much spiritual power those people had left after opening so many doors, or how many of them were still alive.

At the end of the road, a stone gate, larger than any other gate, stood before the four.

This gate is over ten feet tall, and its surface is covered with intricate and dazzling array patterns, unlike the broken arrays on the stone pillars outside that have been eroded by time.

The array patterns on the door were intact, each pattern emitting a faint dark green light, like half-open evil eyes in the darkness.

The door had been pushed open a crack, just enough for one person to squeeze through sideways, through which flickering firelight and noisy voices could be seen.

The four exchanged a glance and filed in.

Before me stood an extremely magnificent circular hall, its dome reaching tens of feet high, and its floor paved with solid black stone, smooth as a mirror, reflecting everything within the hall.

Twelve stone pillars with coiled dragons stand around the main hall, each pillar entwined with a stone carving. The dragons face inward, their mouths wide open, holding a ball of eerie green flame.

The entire hall was bathed in light, making it appear like a ghostly realm. In the center of the hall, a dozen or so cultivators were scattered in twos and threes.

Some were leaning against the wall to meditate, some were bandaging each other's wounds, and some were squatting on the ground studying something. Hearing footsteps, everyone turned around at once.

The four entered the main hall, and several cultivators who were meditating against the wall nodded to them, their tone tired but still friendly.

"Oh, another person has arrived. Let's take a look at the murals around us first, and then we'll talk."

The person who spoke pointed to the walls around the main hall, his expression not very good. After speaking, he continued to lower his head and bandage the wound on his arm.

He clearly didn't have the energy to explain a second time.

Following his directions, the four looked at the surrounding stone walls and discovered that the curved walls of the main hall were covered with dense murals and inscriptions.

The lines of the mural are rough and archaic, and the paint used has long since oxidized and darkened, but the content can still be vaguely discerned.

The Third Prince walked to the nearest mural, reached out and wiped away the accumulated dust, and the images gradually became clear.

The first mural depicts countless cultivators working in an underground spiritual field, where spiritual plants flourish and branches are laden with spiritual fruits, and everyone wears a smile on their face.

Several lines of ancient text are engraved above. Countless years ago, this place was the underground spiritual field of our sect, rich in spiritual energy and blessed with lasting fortune.

The second mural depicts monks digging something up from deep underground while mining spiritual fields.

The image shows a crack extending upwards from the ground, from which a large amount of dark red liquid gushed out.

When Yun Qingyao saw this, she frowned slightly. The color of the liquid was very similar to the sap of the red vines she had seen before.

The third mural depicts dark red, foul blood gushing from the ground, spreading into the spirit field. Wherever it passes, the spirit plants are corrupted and transformed into distorted and bizarre forms.

The once docile spiritual flowers grew fangs, the spiritual herbs became entangled with barbs, and the spiritual fruit vines began to actively attack cultivators.

The written record states: "The foul blood gushed out, polluting everything."

The spiritual plants mutated, and fellow disciples turned against each other.

Everyone else went to defend, leaving me alone. I blocked the door.

The fourth mural: A huge door is sealed off, and the door is engraved with the same array patterns as the huge door outside.

Next to it was a line of hastily written, desperate words!

If any descendants enter this place, they may take the spiritual fields and plants as they see fit!

Do not open this door! Inside lies...

Behind it was a scene of devastation, with the writing scraped away with a sharp tool, leaving only a few deep engravings on the stone wall.

After the four of them finished looking at the mural, none of them spoke.

What was sealed inside that sealed door? The answer has been destroyed.

However, considering the content of the murals mentioned earlier—the gushing of foul blood, the mutation of spiritual plants, and the infighting among fellow disciples—what was sealed behind the door could not possibly be benevolent.

But Mu Tianmiao was thinking about something else entirely.

Since the "Soul-Stealing Demon Fragrance Flower" mentioned in the system task is not in the spirit field, it can only be in one place.

Behind the door.

Chapter Fifty-Four Dispute

The cultivator who had just reminded Mu Tianmiao to look at the mural stood up, dusted off his hands, and swept his gaze over everyone present, his tone resolute.

"This trip to the secret realm ends here! Although I didn't get the Thousand-Year Cicada, I don't know if any of you did!"

"But everyone has packed a lot of things from the spirit field, so this trip wasn't a waste."

As soon as he finished speaking, several voices of agreement rang out from the crowd.

Some people had already started packing their bags, while others tightened their newly bandaged wounds, preparing to get up and head back.

It appears that this group has already explored a considerable area nearby and reached a consensus on the sealed door.

Don't touch it, don't provoke it, take the benefits and leave.

As for the Millennium Cicada, I haven't seen a single hair of it since entering the secret realm, so it's probably just fake news.

Mu Tianmiao and the other three exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat grave.

These people are unaware of the situation outside.

They rushed in to loot the spiritual plants, probably without realizing that their escape route had been blocked.

Yuantong stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and unusually put away his playful expression.

"Amitabha, please wait, benefactors. There is bad news: the restrictions at the entrance of the cave have been completely sealed off. It cannot be opened from the inside, and no one from the outside can get in."

“Those red vines are still spreading towards the entrance, and it won’t be long before they swallow up the entire area around the entrance.”

"We're stuck here and can't get out for the time being."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

The cultivator who had just stood up froze on the spot, almost dropping the storage bag in his hand, and the others also changed their expressions.

The hall was quiet for a few breaths, then a bearded old rogue cultivator suddenly looked up and chuckled a few times.

He laughed so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were bulging, and his voice echoed in the empty hall, sounding even worse than crying.

He pointed a short, stubby finger at Yuantong, his tone full of sarcasm and distrust.

"You're lying, aren't you, little monk! Haha! Are you trying to say that since the exit is sealed anyway, we might as well open that damned door together, kill all the monsters inside, and then we can find a way out..."

"Is this the same story you're using? You have your own agenda, don't think I can't see through it!"

"Trying to drag us down with you? Dream on! Whether you can get out or not, I'll find out myself when I get back!"

Upon hearing this, the previously panicked cultivators hesitated again.

Some people leaned back against the wall, some looked at Mu Tianmiao and his group with suspicion, and a few whispered among themselves, their gazes becoming less friendly.

The old man's words gave them a way out...

Rather than believing that the exits were truly blocked, it's better to believe that these later arrivals had ulterior motives.

Human nature tends to favor the easier answer.

Yuantong frowned, opening his mouth as if to say something.

His seven spiritual energy seas were not just for show; he had examined the restrictions at the entrance using Buddhist secret methods more than once, so there was no doubt about it.

But Mu Tianmiao reached out and pressed his shoulder, shaking her head at him.

Mu Tianmiao was all too familiar with the look in these people's eyes. When he called on everyone to go to the deepest part of the secret realm at the entrance, the rogue cultivators had the same evasive expression.

Arguing now is pointless and a waste of time and breath.

Those who are willing to believe need no explanation.

If someone doesn't want to believe it, no amount of explaining will change that.

The old man wants to go back and see for himself, so let him go.

Just as everyone was about to leave, the cultivator who had previously reminded Mu Tianmiao to look at the murals suddenly spoke again. He stood still, arms crossed, his cold gaze sweeping over Mu Tianmiao and the other three. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Gentlemen, don't rush off." He pointed at Mu Tianmiao and the other three. "These guys probably want to open that door."

The dozen or so cultivators stopped in their tracks in unison.

The old rogue cultivator with a full beard turned around first, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Mu Tianmiao and the four others and the giant door twice, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.

"The little monk's words were sealed shut, and they just happened to walk right in front of this door!"

"What a coincidence! These guys aren't trying to test this door, are they?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

The previous fatigue and anxiety were replaced by a more primal emotion.

Fear, and the ruthlessness of suppressing any potential threat in order to protect oneself.

Several cultivators who had been resting against the wall were now reaching for the magical artifacts at their waists.

Even those who were bandaging their wounds stopped what they were doing, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.