Daoist Competition

Chapter 1302: Chapter 38: Nascent Soul Stage 2

Zhang Yan and Song Chuyuan stepped into the cave, finding themselves in a corridor built with bricks and stones. On either side of the stone walls were long-burning lamps shedding a dim light, occasionally revealing the ghostly faces of men and women, who cried and laughed at them. These were Yin Souls held captive here, tasked with guarding the Cave Mansion. freewebnøvel.com

Song Chuyuan, a disciple of the Corpse Pride Sect, barely spared them a glance. Zhang Yan looked undisturbed as well; if it weren’t for the prohibition protecting this place, the spiritual gang emanating from the two would be able to shatter such souls from miles away.

The deeper they went into the corridor, the heavier the yin energy became. About a quarter of an hour later, they found themselves before a cavern spanning several acres. The cave ceiling was polished slippery smooth, capable of reflection, while below were three pits. Two of the pits were filled with the bones of pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses. The central pit, however, was full of human bones, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Song Chuyuan glanced at Zhang Yan’s expression and cautiously explained, "True Master, this used to be a Lord’s Tomb. These remains were not left by our predecessors but were sacrificial humans buried with the Duke. Our Sect, though practicing sacrificial refinement of corpse artifacts, has strict rules that forbid senseless killing of common folk. Since I began cultivation, I dared not breach them in the slightest."

Zhang Yan remained non-committal, having heard that disciples of the Corpse Pride Sect often hid in desolate tombs for refining corpses. This was likely such a place, a practice difficult to accept regardless of strict sect rules.

They circled around the pits, coming across seven coffins at the far end, each covered with a talisman. One of them was already open, its lid tilted aside.

Song Chuyuan approached to take a closer look at the empty coffin and said, "This must be where the Great Strength Corpse Demon’s spirit coffin from outside the Cave Mansion was kept. It must have fled when the prohibition talisman weakened."

He circled the remaining six coffins, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and softly exhaled, causing a gust of yin wind to blow away all the talisman paper on the coffins.

A moment later, there was movement within the six coffins. They heard a series of thumping sounds as the lids were all pushed aside.

Song Chuyuan quickly performed a spell, pointing forward. Although this spell could suppress the Great Strength Corpse Demon, it was somewhat unresponsive now. As he watched the refined corpses seem poised to crawl out, he remained unflustered and summoned the Lifeless Treasure Coffin given to him by Zhang Yan, releasing a gray mist that instantly enveloped the area, and commanded, "Collect!"

The mist vanished instantly, returning to the Lifeless Treasure Coffin, leaving the six coffins empty.

His expression was one of great joy as he turned to Zhang Yan and said, "True Master, these Corpse Demons must have been left by my master’s grandmaster. With these refined corpses in hand, when the Dragon Pillar arises in sixteen years, I will have confidence in contending against a Nascent Soul Second Realm Cultivator."

Zhang Yan nodded. His words were indeed not boastful; the Corpse Pride Sect was the last of the three major evil sects to be eradicated for a reason. Their strength lay in that the refined corpses left by the masters could be used by disciples. He had seen that Great Strength Corpse Demon before, and even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would find it difficult to deal with.

After collecting the refined corpses, the two ventured deeper and soon reached the heart of the tomb—a vast hall that resembled a Prince Mansion. There, jade railings were erected, and the ground was paved with gold stone. Above hung a Copper Bird Chasing Sun Lamp, illuminating the space like daylight. Each side adorned with intricate red tapestries, and every ten steps hung a veil. Along both sides, hundreds of gold and silver vessels were displayed, all filled with Jade Beads, clearly burial artifacts indicating the Duke’s high status.

At the cave’s end was a single stone wall topped with purple copper eaves, with large cyan bricks below. Between the bricks were inch-wide gaps filled with mercury, flowing gently within, and on either side of the wall were five doors, leading into unknown depths cloaked in darkness.

Zhang Yan saw Song Chuyuan hesitate upon reaching this place and asked, "Fellow Daoist Song, do you not know which way to proceed?"

Song Chuyuan promptly replied, "True Master, forgive my intrusion, but among these ten doors, only one is true. Entering recklessly might destroy the hidden treasures within the cave..." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

At this point, it was as if he remembered something, slapped his forehead, and said, "I forgot that our sect has a Spirit here; let me summon it for guidance."

He stepped back a few paces and performed a spell, soon seeing a graceful silhouette drop from the wall.

Turning his head, Zhang Yan noticed the figure wore a towering bun adorned with hairpins, a short blouse and long skirt, with a Jade Ring belt around the waist, appearing graceful. Yet upon closer inspection, the facial features were merely drawn with a brush, rigid in the extreme—just a paper figure.