Free Web NovelChapter 83: Chapter 71: Unsealing the Qiankun, a Bizarre Black Seal Appears
"Open!"
Xu Lei unleashed several blasts of Magical Power, striking the surface of the wall.
Instantly, a brilliant light swirled across its surface.
RUMBLE.
Then, the stone wall slid open to either side.
A wave of Spiritual Qi, denser than the air outside, rushed out from within.
"I’m finally back!"
Xu Lei couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
This was Robert Keating’s Cave Abode!
He glanced around.
A quick glance revealed that there was no trace of their bodies at the spot where he and Miao Ying had fallen forty years ago.
’Qi Yang must have thrown them away.’
After all, Qi Yang used this place for his Cultivation.
He would never have allowed two corpses to simply rot nearby.
A minute later...
Xu Lei couldn’t proceed deeper into the Cave Abode to refine its core Restriction.
He had discovered another protective Restriction at the entrance!
This protective Restriction hadn’t been here forty years ago.
Xu Lei knew at once that Qi Yang must have set it up.
After all, when he went out, he would have been worried about other Cultivators breaking in.
So he had set up a Restriction, just in case.
This Restriction wasn’t mentioned in Robert Keating’s notes, so naturally, Xu Lei had no way to disarm it directly.
"Break!"
He could only draw a long blade and hack at it.
At the same time, Magical Power surged from his Dantian.
It manifested as a transparent, formless surge of Qi that enveloped the blade.
Since he didn’t know how to dismantle it with finesse, Xu Lei could only resort to brute force.
After all, Qi Yang hadn’t cracked the Cave Abode’s core Restriction.
’The power source for his Restriction is probably, at most, the bit of Spiritual Qi in the air of this Cave Abode.’
’Qi Yang wouldn’t have wasted so much of his own Magical Power just to set up a Restriction here.’
’Therefore, as long as I keep up the powerful attacks, this protective Restriction shouldn’t last very long.’
BANG!
Of course, Qi Yang’s Restriction was not weak. Xu Lei failed to break it with a single slash.
The blade was just an ordinary one, not a Magical Artifact.
He was just imbuing it with his Magical Power, leveraging its sharpness and momentum.
"Break!"
When it didn’t break, Xu Lei swung a second time!
A third!
A fourth!
He wasn’t sure if Qi Yang would sense the attacks on the Restriction!
If Qi Yang could sense it, he would definitely come rushing back!
Therefore, Xu Lei had to break it as quickly as possible.
He couldn’t afford to worry about conserving Magical Power.
’Once I get Robert Keating’s Spirit Gathering Array, it won’t take long to regain this power through Cultivation!’
Another minute passed.
Xu Lei had been attacking for a full minute!
He had struck over a hundred times!
Because he was using his full physical Power as well, he was even starting to break a sweat.
BANG!
Finally, the protective Restriction’s curtain of glowing Runes shattered.
"I did it!"
Xu Lei strode inside.
WHOOSH!
But just then, a fragment from a shattered Rune fell from mid-air and landed on Xu Lei’s left forearm.
TSSS!
Xu Lei hissed, feeling a momentary searing pain on his arm.
’What was that?’
’Did I just fall for one of Qi Yang’s tricks?’
’Was I going to drop dead just like last time, when I was bitten by that viper?!’
’But apparently not!’
’Refine the core of the Cave Abode!’
Xu Lei couldn’t be bothered with that now.
’Since nothing has happened to my body yet, I’ll grab the goods first and worry later.’
Besides, even if this trick of Qi Yang’s could kill him, it didn’t matter.
Xu Lei could just use one of his lives to resurrect.
He could still grab Robert Keating’s bequeathed Treasure and make a run for it.
Soon.
Xu Lei reached the very center of the Cave Abode.
He formed a Dharma Seal, Magical Power surging between his hands. He condensed the power into a series of differently shaped Runes, driving them into the ground where the core was located.
As each Dharma Seal formed from the condensed Magical Power Runes was absorbed...
VMMM!
The ground erupted in a brilliant light.
Two minutes later.
In all four directions of the Cave Abode, the Array Bases lit up one by one.
"Spirit Gathering Array, collect!"
Xu Lei barked.
The Dharma Seal in his hand changed, his fingers snapping into a claw as he made a grasping motion!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Then, from the Array Bases, small spikes flew up one by one, each wrapped in red cloth embroidered with ancient Runes.
They looked like small Command Banners.
They flew in and converged.
They came from all directions!
In addition to the four sides, Rune-inscribed Command Banners also appeared from above and below!
KLAK KLAK KLAK! The Command Banners clicked and locked together.
It was as if they were drawn to each other by an invisible force.
They combined to form the shape of a small bowl.
This was the Spirit Gathering Array!
A High-Level Array that Robert Keating had discovered in an ancient tome belonging to an Ancient Cultivator from the Eastern Country.
One that he had then spent the better part of his life painstakingly crafting.
Xu Lei had just finished stowing away the Spirit Gathering Array.
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
Ahead of him, a section of the floor slid apart, revealing a recessed compartment.
FWOOP!
An object that looked like a Money Bag sprang up.
VMMM!
And from the bag, the image of a frail, blond-haired, blue-eyed man of about fifty was projected.
A voice emanated from it, speaking in English:
"My kinsman, at last you have come!
These are the resources related to the ’Extraordinary’ that I have gathered in this mysterious East..."
It was Robert Keating, leaving his last words for his successor.
The message was in English.
This way, someone of his own race would understand it.
But a native Cultivator from the Eastern Country would not.
"What a sly old bastard!"
Xu Lei couldn’t help but rant, "As if setting up so many Restrictions in the Cave Abode wasn’t enough!
You even put a final Restriction on this Qiankun Cloth Bag!
If someone not of your own people came!
If a Cultivator from the Eastern Country came!
You’d rather destroy it!
Than leave it to a native of the Eastern Country!
You really are shameless!
These things clearly belonged to us people of the Eastern Country in the first place!
But now that you’ve run into me, your little plan has gone up in smoke!"
As he spoke, Xu Lei stepped forward and cast another Dharma Seal, undoing the final Restriction on the Qiankun Cloth Bag.
With a flick of his will,
the bag flew over and landed in Xu Lei’s hand!
"The Qiankun Cloth Bag!"
Looking at the bag, Xu Lei couldn’t help but get a little excited. "So things like this really exist!"
In this current era of declining cultivation, not just anyone could own a Spatial Magical Artifact like this.
For example, in his past life, even though Xu Lei had practiced Cultivation in the Buddhist Sect for many years and become a True Monk,
he still never had a Spatial Magical Artifact to call his own.
But now, he had gotten one here!
The Qiankun Cloth Bag looked just like an ancient Money Bag.
However, the space inside had the capacity of a suitcase from Earth.
Robert Keating had stored everything he considered valuable inside it.
Moreover, the recording he’d just left behind had given a rough overview.
So Xu Lei didn’t need to check what treasures were inside one by one.
After stowing the Qiankun Cloth Bag,
he turned and left immediately.
「A few minutes later.」
Xu Lei emerged from the same cave entrance he had entered.
A gust of wind blew across his face.
Treasure in hand, a pleasant breeze on his face.
A smile couldn’t help but spread across Xu Lei’s face.
SSSSSS!
But just then, a searing heat suddenly pulsed from Xu Lei’s left forearm!
He peered through a hole in his sleeve.
He saw it was from when he broke Qi Yang’s Restriction to enter the Cave Abode.
Something had apparently been imprinted onto his arm.
It now showed as a black mark resembling a compass dial!
The needle on it was trembling nonstop.
’Don’t tell me I really did fall for one of Qi Yang’s tricks?!’
Xu Lei’s expression changed. ’And he can actually... use this to track my location?!’
