Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System - Chapter 313: Iron Blood Banner

Chapter 313: Iron Blood Banner

After killing the Blood Zombie Demon General, Li Yun did not linger for even a moment. He immediately bent down beside the destroyed remains and removed the storage ring from the corpse.

Time was valuable, and he had no intention of wasting it in a place still filled with demonic residue and unstable formations.

He released a thread of spiritual sense into the ring and quickly opened the internal storage space. What greeted him was a collection of wealth that would make many cultivators lose their minds.

There were piles of spirit stones stacked in neat layers, enough to support the cultivation of an entire small sect for years. Rows of medicinal bottles were arranged carefully, each containing pills of different grades.

Blood-colored crystals emitted faint scarlet light from polished trays. There were demonic beast bones, rare ores, corrupted herbs, sinister ritual tools, and many strange items wrapped in evil aura.

The Blood Zombie Demon General had clearly plundered and accumulated resources for a very long time.

Li Yun only swept his gaze over those treasures briefly. Although the wealth was considerable, none of it was the thing he desired most.

He continued searching deeper through the storage space with focused attention.

Soon, his senses paused on an object folded carefully near the back. Li Yun reached in and pulled it out.

It was a blood-red banner.

“What is this used for?” Li Yun muttered while unfolding it slightly.

The banner looked extremely old, yet not a single thread had rotted with age. Its surface was dark crimson, like cloth that had been soaked in blood countless times and allowed to dry over the years. Strange black patterns crossed the fabric in twisting lines that resembled veins or coiling serpents.

When Li Yun examined the lower edge more carefully, he noticed several ancient characters embroidered there.

Iron Blood Banner.

“Iron Blood Banner?” Li Yun frowned, unable to immediately understand its purpose.

Then, without warning, a wave of heavy killing intent burst from the banner.

The force was savage, cold, and oppressive. It was not simple hostility, but the condensed remnant will of countless deaths. Even Li Yun, who had faced danger many times, felt a chill run down his spine.

His eyes widened instantly.

“How can a mere banner contain such terrifying killing intent?”

He held the banner steady and stared at it for several breaths. Then a possibility flashed through his mind like lightning.

“Wait… could this be a treasure meant to aid the comprehension of Killing Intent?”

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Excitement immediately appeared on his face. This was one of the major reasons he had come to Yin Cloud Mountain in the first place.

“Good. Very good.”

Li Yun laughed softly, clearly satisfied.

Even so, he did not use the banner right away. There was still another treasure he wanted far more than this one.

The Five Elemental Cultivation Art.

If such a technique truly existed in Yin Cloud Mountain, then the most likely place for it to be hidden was here, inside the secret base of the Blood Zombie Demon General.

With that thought, Li Yun began searching the underground settlement carefully.

Although the place was soaked in blood aura and demonic qi, it was clearly more than a temporary refuge. The cave network had been transformed into a true residence over many years. There were sleeping chambers, secluded cultivation rooms, sealed storage halls, weapon rooms, ritual chambers, and dried blood pools connected through carved channels.

Li Yun moved methodically from one room to another.

He searched stone shelves, cracked chests, hidden recesses in the walls, broken containers, and rune-covered surfaces. He inspected every suspicious corner with patience.

At first, he found nothing especially important beyond ordinary treasure.

After some time, he stepped into a larger chamber located deeper within the complex.

The moment he entered, his attention was drawn immediately to the center of the room.

There stood a stone bed.

Yet this was no ordinary bed carved for comfort. Its entire surface shimmered faintly with five flowing colors.

Gold. Green. Blue. Red. Yellow.

Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The five elemental energies moved through the bed in a perfect cycle, generating balance and harmony throughout the chamber. Compared to the bloody corruption filling the rest of the settlement, this room felt strangely stable and pure.

Li Yun’s eyes brightened at once.

“A Five Elemental Bed…”

He walked closer and examined it with care.

The structure was clearly designed for cultivation. A cultivator seated upon it could stabilize conflicting energies, temper the body, refine meridians, and improve understanding of elemental qi through constant exposure to balanced circulation.

“This must have been where the Blood Zombie Demon General cultivated,” Li Yun said quietly.

Then a broader smile appeared on his face.

If a Five Elemental Bed existed here, then the Five Elemental Cultivation Art was very likely hidden nearby. There was no reason to build such a chamber without possessing the corresponding technique.

Li Yun immediately activated the Nine Tribulations Divine Eye.

A faint purple radiance flickered through his left eye, and the room changed completely in his vision.

The plain stone walls now revealed hidden qi currents. Concealed formation lines glowed faintly beneath the floor. Traces of spiritual residue became visible in the air. Even subtle disturbances in the surrounding structure could be seen clearly.

He examined the walls first. Then the floor. Then the ceiling. Finally, he focused on the Five Elemental Bed itself.

Several moments later, his gaze stopped near the left side of the bed.

A tiny mechanism had been hidden beneath a thin layer of stone and disguised perfectly within the surrounding formation patterns.

Without the Divine Eye, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

“Found it.”

Li Yun reached forward and pressed the concealed trigger.

A dull clicking sound echoed through the chamber.

Then the ground beside the Five Elemental Bed trembled softly. A section of the wall slowly split apart, revealing a narrow stone passage leading downward into darkness.

Li Yun’s eyes flashed with anticipation.

He entered the hidden passage immediately.

The tunnel wound downward for some distance before ending before a sealed stone chamber covered in faded runes. As the mechanism continued activating, the runes dimmed and the entrance slowly opened.

A hidden treasure vault appeared before him.