Chapter 297

Chapter 297: Weapon Emperor Realm

Lou Yun had been inside the Thousand Layer Cave for nearly five days. Apart from Chang Xiang, he hadn’t witnessed a single living creature throughout those five days. And besides the sounds of mechanisms activating, he hadn’t heard any other noise.

Yet, inside this vast, pitch-black stone chamber, next to the corpses of two demon beasts who had died who-knows-how-long-ago, the sound of human speech suddenly arose. This was no small shock to Lou Yun!

It was completely unexpected. Forget Lou Yun; even Chang Xiang wouldn’t have imagined that someone could be alive in such a place!

Of course, this wasn’t their fault. They had roamed the Thousand Layer Cave for so long. At the beginning, they had kept their spiritual senses active. But since Lou Yun had concluded this place was a maze formation, neither of them was willing to use their spiritual sense anymore. Otherwise, even if Lou Yun’s spiritual sense wasn’t up to it, given Chang Xiang’s mastery level, they would absolutely have detected this other person’s presence!

Lou Yun felt like his heart almost leaped out of his mouth, but his reaction was incredibly fast. The Dream Emperor Sword was still in his hand, and his whole body shot straight backward. His eyes fixed tightly on the direction of the voice, instantly prepared for battle.

As for Chang Xiang, he hurriedly retreated back into Lou Yun’s body, inwardly relieved that he hadn’t spoken a word since entering this stone chamber. If his existence had been exposed, it would be troublesome for both Lou Yun and himself!

Faintly, Lou Yun could just make out a dark human silhouette standing in the corner of the stone chamber. After uttering the earlier words, the silhouette made no other movement and remained still in the corner.

Taking a couple of quiet, deep breaths, Lou Yun’s pounding heart gradually slowed. Only then did he shout, "Who are you?!"

The silhouette showed no reaction whatsoever. However, Chang Xiang’s astonished voice suddenly echoed within Lou Yun’s body: "This… this person’s cultivation… I… I actually can’t see through it!"

Chang Xiang stammered, but Lou Yun heard him clearly enough and replied dismissively, "There are plenty of people whose cultivation you can’t see through. The people from the Nine Clans, Wen Hou… weren’t you unable to see through their cultivation too?"

"No!" Chang Xiang said urgently. "They only concealed their cultivation because of restrictive seals within their bodies, capable of blocking spiritual sense probes. But there is absolutely no such restrictive seal within this person’s body, yet I still can’t see through him. That means his cultivation has reached the realm you call the Weapon Emperor Realm!"

"Weapon Emperor Realm?"

Lou Yun froze. Though there were said to be ten cultivation realms on the Spirit Weapon Star — Primary Soul, Intermediate Soul, Advanced Soul, Mystic Soul, Human Spirit, Earth Spirit, Heaven Spirit, King Spirit, Emperor Spirit, and Sovereign Spirit — only nine were commonly recognized in practice. The pinnacle tenth realm, revered as the "Weapon Emperor" state, existed purely in legend. For countless years, it hadn’t been witnessed on the Spirit Weapon Star.

"Weapon Emperor" –- this title represented an existence that utterly transcended everything for everyone on the entire Spirit Weapon Star!

Therefore, Lou Yun was utterly shocked when Chang Xiang declared the other party’s cultivation had reached such a terrifying level!

Just then, the silhouette opposite let out a light chuckle. The sound carried an eerie quality that sent an involuntary chill creeping down Lou Yun’s spine.

The chuckle hadn’t even faded when the silhouette slowly stepped out from the corner. As he moved, he spoke, "Little fellow, since you managed to come this far and open the hidden door, I take it you have studied formations somewhat, haven’t you?"

Because the stone chamber was enormous and the silhouette had stood in the corner, Lou Yun was at least a hundred meters away. Though the silhouette walked incredibly slowly, by the time he finished speaking, he was suddenly standing right in front of Lou Yun, not a meter away.

As the other approached, Lou Yun could distinctly feel a deeply icy presence creeping closer to his body. He desperately tried to retreat, but for some reason, his body refused to move. It was as if he had been hit by a binding spell. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his cheeks. He could only watch helplessly as the man stood before him.

"Is this the pressure generated by the Weapon Emperor Realm?" Lou Yun questioned himself silently.

However, now Lou Yun could clearly see the man’s appearance.

The man was very thin –– painfully thin, even. Below his cheekbones, there seemed to be only skin stretched over bone, with barely any flesh at all. This made the cheekbones appear particularly prominent and sharp. In the pitch-black surroundings, his whole face resembled a skull adorned with patches of hair.

The most horrifying aspect was his eyes. They held no whites at all, being entirely occupied by pupil, unnaturally pitch-black and terrifying.

This horrifying visage alone would frighten any ordinary person half to death. Lou Yun possessed nerves of steel, yet even he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Strangely, the man’s appearance and formidable cultivation sparked recognition in Lou Yun. Though his body remained frozen, his jaw clenched. He strained and managed to force out five words: "Are you Gui You Quan?"

Hearing Lou Yun name him, a flicker of surprise passed across this skull-like face. He offered a smile far uglier than tears: "Unbelievable, truly unexpected. Under my Dark Binding Art, you can still speak. And even more surprising… you actually know my name. Interesting––quite interesting! Yes, I am Gui You Quan!"

Although Lou Yun had guessed the identity, hearing it confirmed felt entirely different. He reflexively closed his eyes for a moment, thinking, “How could I encounter him here?”

But immediately afterward, another wave of doubt surged within Lou Yun: If Gui You Quan is right here, then what about my brothers?

Could all my earlier assumptions be completely wrong?

I had assumed they must have discovered that Gui You Quan was breaking free, or already had, and rushed here to stop him. Then, based on a strand of hair I believed belonged to my elder brother Leng Cangqiong, I deduced they had entered the Thousand Layer Cave –– that’s why I jumped in after them.

Yet now, Gui You Quan stands before me, clearly still within the Thousand Layer Cave. He hasn’t escaped at all. Doesn’t that mean… does it mean my brothers never actually entered the Thousand Layer Cave?

Then where did they go? Did the famed Five Great Masters, reunited after many years, simply go off to catch up somewhere else?

Lou Yun inwardly cursed his impulsiveness. Jumping into the Thousand Layer Cave based on completely baseless speculation! And his luck had proven unbelievably rotten –– encountering Gui You Quan, a figure straight out of a thirty-year-old nightmare!

Survival now seemed highly doubtful!

Even knowing his opponent was Gui You Quan and fully aware he couldn’t match him, Lou Yun’s nature wasn’t one to give up easily. His mind raced feverishly, desperately seeking any possible way to escape this ferocious being.

Gui You Quan’s pitch-black eyes bored into Lou Yun. He pressed, "You had a companion just now. Where is he?"

Lou Yun realized that when he’d first entered the chamber and seen the two demon beast corpses, he’d called out "Brother Chang!" That must have been overheard by Gui You Quan. But he absolutely couldn’t admit to it. Shaking his head, Lou Yun answered, "I’m alone. I have no companion. That earlier sound was just me… talking to myself."

Given Gui You Quan had reached the Weapon Emperor Realm, his spiritual sense and overall perceptions must be vastly superior to others. Indeed, he had known the moment Lou Yun entered and had detected no one else. Though slightly puzzled, he accepted Lou Yun’s explanation.

"You didn’t answer my question earlier," Gui You Quan pointed out. "I’ll ask again: Do you understand formations?"

Lou Yun hesitated briefly before nodding. "I can only say I know a little. I wouldn’t presume to claim mastery." He understood Gui You Quan’s reason for asking. Though unwilling, to buy time and preserve his life, he had to play along with Gui You Quan’s line of questioning.

Sure enough, Gui You Quan gave a dark, chilling smile. "Good," he stated. "That earns you a little more time to live. Now tell me: Why did you come here? How much do you know about this formation?"

It seemed Gui You Quan matched the legends –– cruel and bloodthirsty. If Lou Yun hadn’t possessed some knowledge of formations, the man would likely have killed him on the spot.

This realization sent a fresh wave of cold dread through Lou Yun. He felt a surge of gratitude toward Chang Xiang for forcing him to study formations intensively over the past few days!

Though, the bitter thought also struck him: If he hadn’t studied formations, he probably wouldn’t have encountered Gui You Quan at all!

Faced with Gui You Quan’s question, Lou Yun naturally couldn’t say he’d come searching for people. He quickly fabricated a reason: "I just know a little about formations. I’d heard rumors that someone set up a formation here ages ago and hid something valuable inside. That’s why I came… to give it a try, see if I could find those treasures. I’ve only been inside five days. I only grasped the basic workings of the formation. Figuring out how to get out would still take me quite some time."

Gui You Quan’s face betrayed no expression besides that hideous, tearless grin. Lou Yun had no idea if the man believed him. Summoning his courage, he met the terrifying gaze head-on.

After a few moments, Gui You Quan abruptly stepped past Lou Yun. The moment the man moved away, the oppressive, icy force pinning Lou Yun’s body vanished instantly. Lou Yun regained control and whirled around to see Gui You Quan had turned his back on him.

"Years ago, I stumbled here by accident," Gui You Quan began, seemingly narrating his own past. Lou Yun didn’t dare interrupt. "Killed that demon beast," –– likely meaning the one near the entrance –– "then somehow triggered a mechanism, opening this door." He gestured vaguely. "I thought it was an exit. Instead, I found… another demon beast. After I killed it too… I dared not wander further. I stayed here."

Lou Yun remained silent, listening intently.

"For twenty long years here, I studied arduously," Gui You Quan continued, his voice low but resonating in the chamber. "Finally, I understood a kernel of this formation’s core. It’s based on the Eight Trigrams. So, I began methodically testing paths according to their combinations… a task that consumed a full decade of my life." A bitter note crept into his tone. "Yet… I still found no way to escape entirely." His voice took on a mocking, sinister edge. "But now… fortunately for me… you’ve come to keep me company! Ah, wait… not just you." A dark smile seemed implied. "Six of you. Hmph. You imprisoned me for thirty years… Now you get to savor the taste of imprisonment!"