Unsheathed - Chapter 540 (5): More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter 540 (5): More Than Meets the Eye

Daoist Master Sun’s skin was beginning to crawl at the mere sight of the menacing deity murals, but he forced himself to remain composed as he carefully pulled a miniature compass out of his sleeve.

The compass may have been very small, but it was extremely complex, consisting of thirty-six total layers. If a mortal had come into possession of this compass, they would’ve most likely struggled to even count all of its layers.

This compass had cost Daoist Master Sun virtually his entire wealth to purchase, and as he held it in his hand, he began to walk around the eight trigrams formation, as if he were taking a stroll at the feet of the four deities.

“I suggest you make haste, Daoist Master Sun,” Di Yuanfeng urged in a quiet voice. “If that feudal lord’s son enters this place after us, then we’ll be completely cornered. According to the vagrant cultivator who managed to leave this place alive, the ground should be safe, and we can do whatever we please as long as we don’t touch the four deity murals.

“He wouldn’t dare to lie about this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to leave the Northern Pavilion Nation alive.”

Droplets of sweat had begun to bead up on Daoist Master Sun’s forehead, and he said in a solemn voice, “This process can’t be hurried. It’s best for us to proceed with caution.”

Huang Shi cast his gaze toward the tip of the sword-wielding deity mural’s sword, then turned his gaze to the strings of the lute.

As for Di Yuanfeng, he was crouched down on the ground, carefully examining the pair of engraved dragons that had already lost their jewel.

All of a sudden, Huang Shi’s gaze settled on the spot where the tip of the sword-wielding deity mural’s sword was pointing. He strode over to the foot of another deity mural, then examined the spot carefully to discover a passage of extremely tiny text that would’ve been very difficult to discover even for a cultivator.

However, much of it had been erased, and the contents of what little remained were largely quite trivial. Judging from the size of the passage of text, it should’ve already consisted of around two hundred to three hundred characters.

Not only had the beginning and end been erased, the most important parts of the text had also completely wiped away, and there was a very good chance that whoever had come through here before Chen Ping’an’s group had intentionally left this text behind to taunt those that came after them.

The remaining text on the wall detailed a story of an avid traveler who enjoyed visiting mountains in straw shoes while holding a bamboo hiking pole. However, the story trailed off midway and revealed no worthwhile information.

Huang Shi was furious.

Whoever had come here before them had to have intentionally erased this precious lead.

At the same time, Huang Shi took a glance at Di Yuanfeng, who was also wearing straw sandals and holding a bamboo hiking pole, just like the protagonist of the story on the wall.

Could it be that he had some type of fated affinity with this place?

Chen Ping’an made his way over to Huang Shi’s side before crouching down, and they were soon joined by Di Yuanfeng, but just like Huang Shi, neither of them knew what to make of this clearly tampered-with passage of text.

However, compared with everyone else in the group, Chen Ping’an cared the least about solving the mystery.

If they were truly able to unravel the second restriction in the immortal abode, then he would have to get tense and anxious again, so it simply wasn’t worth it for him.

However, he then quickly heaved an internal sigh and reprimanded himself against having such thoughts.

“Will using an earth movement talisman really trigger the traps in this place?” Huang Shi suddenly asked.

“It’s been confirmed!” Di Yuanfeng immediately replied in a solemn voice. “Previously, a vagrant cultivator attempted to use an earth movement talisman, and they were killed on the spot. Perhaps you’ll have a chance using a legendary mountain opening talisman, which is said to not have even the slightest impact on the roots of a mountain, but even so, you’ll most likely have to use up many of those talismans.

“Such talismans are extremely precious, and even if you could find a way to purchase them, it most likely wouldn’t be worth it to use so many of them here.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know of any mountain opening talismans, but he had adopted a different mindset and began truly examining the text on the wall in earnest.

His brows furrowed slightly in concentration as he spread open a hand and gently traced it over the incomplete passage of text on the wall as he speculated, “Is it possible that the same person inscribed this passage of text here and also erased these parts themselves? Could it also be that the key to opening the entrance of the immortal abode lies in the remaining text here?”

Huang Shi snorted out loud at the idea, making no effort to conceal his ridicule, while Daoist Master Sun continued to wander aimlessly around the eight trigrams formation like a headless chicken.

Huang Shi’s patience was beginning to wear thin, and he decided that if worse came to worst, he would just have to take a more forceful approach.

As for whether taking such an approach would lead to the demise of his three companions, that would be down to their luck.

In contrast, Di Yuanfeng was rather intrigued by Chen Ping’an’s proposition, and he also began to carefully examine the incomplete passage of text on the wall.

He rose to his feet and leaned back to look up at one of the deity murals, then slowly turned to examine the other murals one by one.

After that, he strode over to the center of the chamber, then bent his knees slightly and extended a hand forward before slowly moving the hand downward until he was crouched down with the back of his hand pressed against the claw of one of the dragon’s engraved onto the ground.

He then turned to Daoist Master Sun as he requested, “Come take a look at this spot, Daoist Master Sun!”

Daoist Master Sun made his way over to Di Yuanfeng, still sweating profusely as he held his compass in one hand. He quickly concealed his spare hand up his sleeve before making a rapid string of hand seals, and he stared intently at the spot that Di Yuanfeng was referring to as he murmured to himself, “This is where the gate of death is situated… It doesn’t make sense!”

The back of Di Yuanfeng’s hand remained pressed against the ground as he reminded with a dark expression, “When have Daoists ever been afraid of death? It’s nothing but a ruse, Daoist Master Sun!”

Moments later, a look of elation appeared on Daoist Master Sun’s face as he exclaimed, “There is tremendous fortune to be found here!”

Only then did Di Yuanfeng lift up his hand before clenching it into a loose fist, with which he struck the ground a few times, but nothing happened.

His brows furrowed slightly in befuddlement, while Huang Shi strode over to him before crouching down and laying his ear against the ground.

A short while later, he concluded, “It sounds like there’s dripping water down there, but the sound is a little unusual. This is most likely the spot that we’re looking for.”

Di Yuanfeng took a deep breath, then threw a forceful punch into the ground, and the entire chamber instantly erupted into complete pandemonium.

The eight trigrams formation on the ground began to twist and transform so rapidly that it was impossible for the eyes to follow, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely unrecognizable from the eight trigrams formation. Chen Ping’an and Daoist Master Sun had to jump up and down like cats on a hot tin roof, but even so, their positions still shifted considerably each time they landed, much to their panic and dismay.

However, it was still better than being tipped off balance and falling onto the ground. At the moment, the shifting contours of the ground weren’t that much less dangerous than sharp blades.

In contrast, Di Yuanfeng and Huang Shi had taken the opposite approach and planted their feet firmly into the ground, only jumping up slightly whenever an obstruction appeared over the ground, following which they would land on the exact same spot as before, and they were looking much more elegant and composed than their two hopping companions.

With the seal undone, the two inanimate azure flood dragons had abruptly sprung to life, and it was as if they were seeking to travel through the river into the sea.

At the same time, a giant stone gate had already come crashing down at the entrance of the chamber, and it had happened so abruptly that even Huang Shi didn’t even have a chance to react.

Di Yuanfeng scoured his gaze over the surrounding area, and his attention was quickly drawn to the indentation in the ground that had previously held the missing jewel. That was the only spot on the ground that remained completely still and unmoving.

“Give me some wine!” Di Yuanfeng called out to Huang Shi in an urgent manner.

Huang Shi did as he was told, tossing Di Yuanfeng a flagon of wine, and the latter undid the clay seal before pouring the wine into the indentation.

The shifting in the earth instantly slowed down slightly.

Knowing that he had found the right direction to proceed, Di Yuanfeng turned to Chen Ping’an and yelled, “Use one of your water talismans! There’s no need to do anything fancy, just conjure up some water in here!”

Chen Ping’an plucked out a water talisman before tossing it forward, and it transformed into a pillar of water that was imbued with water-attribute spiritual energy in mid-air. Di Yuanfeng reached out and grabbed an orb of water from the pillar, then gently set it down into the indentation.

In the blink of an eye, a burst of radiant light emerged within the chamber. Huang Shi was the final one to close his eyes, and the fact that Chen Ping’an was the first to close his eyes served as further confirmation to the former that Chen Ping’an really was as useless as he appeared and wasn’t just putting on an act.

All of a sudden, the four of them were jolted violently, and they felt as if they had been thrown into a different world. Daoist Master Sun stumbled to the ground, and he felt so nauseous that he immediately began dry-retching uncontrollably.

Chen Ping’an was faring even worse than him, looking as if he were about to vomit his guts out.

Di Yuanfeng stood up straight as he examined his surroundings, and an ecstatic look appeared on his face as he chortled, “We’ve found the entrance!”

The spiritual energy in this immortal abode was far more abundant than in the mortal empires of the Northern Pavilion Nation.

Not far away in the distance was a lush and majestic mountain, at the foot of which was a flowing green river. The small world was teeming with water energy, but it wasn’t suffocating or oppressively humid in the slightest. Instead, just breathing in the air of this place struck one with a sense of reinvigoration.

The mountain was riddled with elegant pergolas and pavilions, and at the very top of its summit was an ancient Daoist temple with green glazed roof tiles and flocks of immortal cranes circling around it.

It was truly an immortal paradise.

Huang Shi also slowly stood up straight. At this point, Di Yuanfeng had most likely already figured out that he wasn’t just some mediocre fifth tier martial artist, but at this point, what did that matter to him?

Di Yuanfeng was nothing more than a fifth tier martial artist who had mastered some half-assed mystical abilities and had a shoddy saber at his disposal. What could he possibly do?

If it weren’t for the fact that Huang Shi wanted to keep these three around as meat shields in case of future mishaps, he could’ve killed them just as easily as killing three chickens.

“Daoist Master Sun, Brother Chen, Brother Huang, what a fruitful collaboration this has proven to be!” Di Yuanfeng said with a wide smile. “The fated opportunities in this immortal abode are ours for the taking!”

At this point, Daoist Master Sun had already composed himself and reprised his elegant and refined demeanor as an unfathomable Daoist master.

However, he still didn’t want to speak as the nausea hadn’t completely subsided yet.

Chen Ping’an was inspecting his surroundings in a thoughtful manner.

If he had been alone in that chamber, he would’ve most likely also been able to figure out its inner workings, given enough time. However, the process had been sped up considerably thanks to the collaborative effort made by everyone in the group.

For his part, Chen Ping’an had supplied the water talisman, and he made no secret of the fact that he had already prepared the talisman up his sleeve even before he was urged to do so by Di Yuanfeng.

Chen Ping’an was certain that Di Yuanfeng had noticed this detail. Even if the latter hadn’t thought anything of it in the heat of the moment, he would’ve definitely figured something out by now on reflection.

Chen Ping’an had done this to show Di Yuanfeng that even though his cultivation base was rather lackluster, he had some smarts to make up for it. Hence, even if they planned to eventually kill him once he outlived his usefulness, this should hopefully discourage them from pulling the trigger too soon.

Over in the chamber from before, a young man and a young woman were standing together with a pair of elderly men at the feet of the deity murals. One of the old men smiled as he plucked a talisman out of thin air, and it disintegrated into ashes with just a light flick.

They had witnessed the entire procedure that Chen Ping’an’s group had taken to unravel the restriction, and if Chen Ping’an had been present, then he would’ve been able to identify three of the group of four.

They were the old man who had purchased those twenty-seven talismans from him in Cloudtop City, as well as the pair of young cultivators responsible for taking payments from all of the stall owners in the market.

They were Spiritual Master Huan Yun and Shen Zhenze’s two direct disciples.

The young woman had a look of astonishment and elation on her face as she asked, “Could it be that you instructed us to vacate the chamber earlier and left this talisman behind because you predicted that those vagrant cultivators would demonstrate to us how to break the restriction here?”

Huan Yun was very amused by her question, and he didn’t try to take credit for this happy accident, shaking his head as he replied, “I was already alerted to their arrival by the talismans that I planted on the way here, and I simply wanted to avoid a direct confrontation. If we were to butt heads here, neither side would be willing to back down, and an altercation could easily arise.

“On top of that, even though Zhan Qing’s group still hasn’t left that pergola, it’s clear that they also have a keen interest in this place. If we cause a commotion here, then they’ll surely be drawn to the scene, and in a chaotic battle involving all three parties, there would be even more casualties. Your master sent you here to further your cultivation, not to put you in an early grave.”

Huan Yun strode over to the eight trigrams formation, which had returned to its original state, and he continued, “In the pursuit of the Great Dao, you sometimes have to take a step back in order to take several steps forward.”

An intrigued look then appeared on his face as he chuckled, “As expected of those two seventh tier martial artists, they’ve managed to destroy two of the talismans that I planted by the side of the path with just their bare fists.

“There must be a powerful cultivator among them because the average seventh tier martial artist wouldn’t have been able to detect those talismans. Could it be that little lass is actually a Golden Core Tier earth immortal?”

After his voice trailed off, Huan Yun fell completely still and silent, and after a short while, the young woman asked in a concerned manner, “Why aren’t you triggering the mechanisms here, Spiritual Master Huan? Aren’t Zhan Qing and the others going to get here soon?”

“Consider what would happen if those four vagrant cultivators from earlier are waiting in ambush on the other side,” the Dragon Gate Tier guest elder of Cloudtop City said. “If you two forge ahead without discretion and fall into their trap, it could be the last thing you ever do.”

The young duo exchanged a fearful glance with each other, clearly having completely failed to consider this possibility.

The old guest elder hesitated momentarily, then asked, “Spiritual Master Huan, should we collapse this cave to obstruct Zhan Qing’s group?”

“Doing that may be able to stop Zhan Qing’s group from getting to us, but we’ll also be trapped in here, and all the spoils in the world from the immortal abode won’t do us any good. If you’re willing to accept those consequences, then go ahead,” Huan Yun replied with a smile.

The old guest elder fell into an awkward silence.

Huan Yun took a glance at the young duo out of his peripheral vision, and he could help but heave a forlorn sigh at their contrasting temperaments.

The woman was prone to agitation, while the man was very calm and steadfast.

At this rate, it was difficult to say whether the two of them would even be able to become Dao partners.