Volume 1, Chapter 20: Encountering an Old Acquaintance in the Gloomy Cavern

Once again, he reached the opposite shore.

Zhao Fusheng was far more composed than his previous visit. Since he intended to stay longer this time, he had entrusted the care of the herb garden outside his cottage to Yun Yao. Before he left, she had left a trace of purple essence on his dantian. Should any situation arise, they could communicate across the distant shores. If Senior Brother Wang were to visit and find the house dark, he would know Zhao was away for training and would return at a later date.

The death of a fellow disciple at the neighboring sentry post was a common occurrence among the mountain-watching disciples. After all, they were essentially dubbed "cannon fodder." Furthermore, if a mountain gate disciple lacked the basic alertness to flee when in danger, or failed to signal or summon a patrolling senior brother for help, the superiors would simply dismiss it as negligence and a lack of diligence in cultivation. Once the disciples assigned from the peak conducted a brief analysis to determine if the demon race had any major intentions of invasion, they would concern themselves with nothing more.

"The sect does not keep idlers."
"The mountain-watching disciples at the foot of the mountain are also there to filter out the useless ones for the sect."
"It is the same everywhere."

Zhao Fusheng felt a twinge of sentiment. His journey was necessary; if he could not suppress the "wild beasts" in the mountains, he would surely be devoured himself! At that point, he would be no different from that fallen comrade—drifting away like a feather, not worth mentioning.

Thump.

In the blink of an eye, he reached the shore. This time, he bypassed Qinghe Town, taking a separate ferry landing and sticking to wild mountain trails. Yet, judging by the map drawn in his grandfather’s notes, the Bone-Burial Gully was actually located in the northwest suburbs outside the town. Sixty years ago, it was known as the Great Hollow Gully, named for its low, basin-like terrain that accumulated rainwater year-round.

But then came the demon invasion, led by the Great Demon known as Lord Huang. While he and his forces were building their stronghold there, they slaughtered the entire town’s population. The blood of the townspeople flowed backward into the gully, forming a pool of gore. The corpses were gutted for their dantians and tossed into the deep, concave trench, piling up into a small hill—a monument of bones. Since then, that gully of buried bones and blood had been renamed: the Bone-Burial Gully.

Even today, the mountain paths remained permeated with a lingering, foul stench of rot and resentment. From afar, the eye sockets of the skeletons along the road seemed to flicker, recounting tales of misery. Up close, one could see dense clusters of venomous insects and termites, a truly nauseating sight. Due to the miasma and plague-ridden air, the land for ten miles around was barren, parched, and foul—not a single blade of grass could grow.

"White bones exposed in the wilderness, for a thousand miles, no rooster crows." Zhao Fusheng sighed as he looked upon the scene.

The fortress was situated on a high slope among the woods. A palisade had been erected several miles out, with blade-wielding demons standing guard on both sides. However, just as Zhao Fusheng had anticipated, greed was the greatest of all cravings, and no sentient being could easily escape it. The Chai brothers presented two gold bars they had prepared in advance. The guard did not search their pouches, nor did he sniff them out; he simply chuckled and waved them through.

"So generous? You couldn't have snuck down the mountain to find some top-tier dantians, could you?"
"If you have a lead, why not bring your brothers along next time?"

There was a rule in the stronghold: no unauthorized capturing of people to consume their dantians. To be caught meant heavy punishment. But for now, it was merely a jest.

"Ha! What kind of leads could we have? Just stumbled upon some good wild prey, pure luck. I figured since the Captain has been looking after us, I’d come to offer a tribute!" Chai San laughed.

The blade-wielding demon didn't think much of it. After a casual glance, he grunted and looked away. Only then did Chai Er and Chai San breathe a sigh of relief and offer a quick, "Thank you for your hard work!"

Once inside the stockade, Chai Er raised his hand to undo the green pouch. A wisp of smoke emerged, and it transformed back into Zhao Fusheng. As for the latter, he felt his body lighten for a moment before returning to its original weight.

"There are still patrols, fortress gate guards, and the main hall of the Demon Lord to deal with," Chai Er explained. "We must take it one step at a time."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "You two go find Captain Zuanfeng and report back. Everything else proceeds as planned!"

Though the brothers were uneasy, they had no choice but to follow Zhao Fusheng’s lead. After a whispered "Be careful," the three parted ways.

Zhao Fusheng took out the map his grandfather had marked and scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, he found a cave entrance on the west side. It was said that resentful ghosts and specters gathered there. Though the demon race loved to eat humans, most of them had only just gained intelligence and were, conversely, terrified of ghosts, gods, and all things sinister. That place would be a safe, hidden spot.

Inside, it was dark, damp, and cramped, with a bone-chilling cold that seemed to penetrate the marrow.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, wisps of strange,絮-like light flickered from his pocket. He immediately opened it to inspect it. It was the Tianyan Bead acting up.

"Could it be that it’s too dark, and it’s volunteering to light the way for me?" Zhao Fusheng muttered to himself. But he soon realized that was not the case. Directly ahead in the light, a dark, ghostly figure suddenly appeared. When the light shone closer, he could see it was a man, seemingly just past the age of twenty. His form was as thin as paper, ethereal and wispy like smoke. His face was deathly pale, devoid of any color. And judging by his blood-soaked white robes...

"Senior Brother?"

The phantom’s dull gaze suddenly tightened. He looked up at Zhao Fusheng, his eyes filled with immense shock.

"You... a disciple of the Spirit Pavilion?" His voice was faint, like a guttering candle flame that would extinguish at the slightest breeze.

"Zhao Fusheng, a student of the Baopu Hall and a mountain-watching disciple of the Gouzi Forest beneath Qingyun Peak. Greetings, Senior Brother!" Zhao Fusheng bowed to the newcomer.

The phantom was stunned, his eyes scanning the visitor. He let out a laugh. "A student of Baopu Hall? Are you from Tangkou Village?"

Zhao Fusheng offered a bitter smile. "Senior Brother has a keen eye."

The phantom waved a hand, scoffing. "Low-grade spiritual roots, yellow-tier, inferior quality, a mortal frame. If not for Junior Sister Song’s private recommendation, you’d never have made it into this Immortal Sect. Being assigned as a mountain-watching disciple, your background is easy to guess. There’s nothing to boast about."

"However, there are two things I do not understand, and I hope you can enlighten me, Junior Brother."

Zhao Fusheng cupped his hands. "Please, Senior Brother."

"First, what are you doing here? Second, how did that evil object [Tianyan], which feeds on the essence of its opponents, end up in your hands?" As the phantom spoke, his eyes carried the majesty and cold severity of a powerhouse.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. "An evil object?"

He muttered, taking the bead from his pocket and gripping it slightly. Through his spiritual connection with it, he could feel it flickering intensely—not out of caution against external danger, nor to protect its wielder. It was excitement... the kind of excitement one feels when encountering a gluttonous feast!

This Senior Brother had indeed been a powerhouse while alive! In an instant, Zhao Fusheng understood. This bead loved to feed on essence, and its previous wielder had often used it to absorb the essence of surrounding cultivators. Because Zhao Fusheng had fully bonded with it, the essence the bead had absorbed over a long period rushed into Zhao’s dantian like a breached levee! That was why he hadn't adapted to it at first, and why his dantian had ached from the violent impact. Yet, it had unexpectedly satisfied the conditions his grandfather had mentioned for breaking through a minor tribulation.

"Requires a hundred times the accumulation of past cultivation, as well as a special opportunity..."

The amount of essence in the bead was unfathomable, satisfying the first condition. And having stumbled into a life-or-death tribulation, he had survived through sheer perseverance, satisfying the second! Only then could he break through to the sixth level of Body Refining.

"Junior Brother?"

At the phantom's reminder, Zhao Fusheng snapped back to reality. It was time to answer his Senior Brother’s questions. He recounted his plan for coming here and briefly touched upon the Tianyan Bead, attributing it to the kindness of Senior Brother Wang.

But the phantom only gave a cold scoff. "Wang Baochang? That brat never lifts a finger without profit; how could he be so kind? Still, objects have no good or evil; it is the person who is good or evil. If that thing can be used to cultivate rather than for wicked deeds, it is harmless! Besides, I am but a lonely wandering ghost, no longer a direct disciple of the Scripture Pavilion. It is none of my concern."

His gaze then dimmed, and he let out a long sigh. "As for you wanting to overturn this Bone-Burial Gully? Save your energy and leave as quickly as you can. I was once just as full of hot-blooded resolve as you, but look at what has become of me."

Zhao Fusheng did not retreat; instead, he raised his eyes. "Senior Brother Qin! Then do you still remember why you had that hot-blooded resolve in the first place?"

The phantom’s figure wavered and trembled!

Zhao Fusheng looked up, recalling the stories he had overheard while his grandfather was staying on the immortal mountain. "I once heard that there was a Senior Sister in the sect named Xu Lingxuan. She was a disciple assigned to gather herbs for the Alchemy Hall, but she was targeted by a great demon bandit and abducted to the stronghold to be violated. Senior Sister was of strong character and refused, which infuriated the bandit, who then cut open her heart. At the time, she had only just reached womanhood."

"But the demon race was flourishing, and the sect’s disciples with superior talent and spiritual roots were dwindling year by year. Thus, the superiors only issued a warning to the demons! They never sought retribution!"

"Yet, one disciple with Profound-grade superior spiritual roots, disregarding the rampant demonic threat, went alone, stepping directly into the demon’s gate..."

"Angry enough to burst his cap, all for the sake of his beloved!"

The phantom suddenly solidified, his pale face turning into a furious, blooming red! His eyes flashed with anger, his heroic and fierce aura returning as it had been in life!

"Though my master warned me not to go!"

"But... Lingxuan had already sworn an oath with me."

"'To hold your hand and protect you, through life and death, never to fail you!' How could I break my vow?"