Chapter 577

Chapter 577: The Exit Like Ink

The three gathered and shared their findings.

Their observations aligned: the wall felt slightly soft yet rough, with vein-like patterns resembling blood vessels where liquid seemed to flow beneath.

Ye Yun, Murong Wuqing, and Ding Qian exchanged uneasy glances, struggling to accept this discovery.

If these walls were the skin of a monstrous creature, did that mean they stood inside its very body? The thought chilled them.

“Recall—the Saint’s Secret Vault was described as a colossal beast. My earlier doubts now make sense,” Murong Wuqing said coldly, his face ashen at the realization.

“To think this vault belongs to a beast… Unthinkable.” Ding Qian paled; despite her high cultivation level, primal fear gripped her.

Ye Yun remained silent, brows furrowed. He trailed his hand along the wall, searching for irregularities.

He neither agreed nor objected. The Ancestor of the Sword Path had insisted this place held no demon energy—it couldn’t be a Demon Race vault but a human saint’s. Moreover, the Ancestor’s fragmented soul had delayed locating treasures here.

Yet the evidence contradicted those words. The yellowish walls mimicked beast hide, with pulsing veins and flowing blood. Focusing deeper, Ye Yun sensed rhythmic vibrations.

*Why this contradiction?*

“Uncertain,” the Ancestor’s voice murmured in Ye Yun’s soul. “A Demon Race vault would reek of demon energy. This beast-flesh hall, cleansed of all taint, must belong to a saint—likely one at the late or peak Earth Immortal realm.”

“How can you be certain?” Ye Yun questioned.

“Erasing demon traces requires immense power. This hall, crafted from beast flesh yet lifelike after millennia without array restrictions? Only a supreme saint could achieve this.” Rare admiration tinged the Ancestor’s tone.

Ye Yun blinked. The Ancestor had never shown such reverence.

“Brother Jian, what realm did you occupy at your peak?”

“Unknown.” The Ancestor paused. “But even Nascent Soul stage is trivial. With resources and guidance, any pig could reach it. Yet fools hail Nascent Souls as ‘Ancestors’! Against a saint, they’d crumble like dust.”

Ye Yun stifled a smirk, grateful Murong Wuqing and Ding Qian faced away.

“If you were a saint, why serve as Heavenly Sword Sect’s Supreme Elder?”

“Perhaps Immortal Sword Sect,” the Ancestor corrected. “We once dominated the Great Qin Empire until the Moon Goddess Palace sent two peak Earth Immortals. After our defeat, they forbade the ‘Immortal’ title, forcing our sect’s rename.”

Ye Yun nodded. If the Ancestor hailed from that era, his Earth Immortal-level prowess made sense—though his arrogance about easily cultivating Nascent Souls seemed exaggerated.

“You doubt me?” The Ancestor’s voice sharpened. “With intact spirit, I’d show how simple Nascent Soul cultivation is—given willpower and physical strength.”

Ye Yun stiffened. “You read my thoughts?”

“I needn’t. Your skeptical silences speak plainly enough.”

Relief washed over Ye Yun. The Heart of Immortals and Demons’ secret remained safe—for now.

“Brother Jian, how do we exit? Sense your artifact’s location.”

The Ancestor hummed. A thread of mental intent slipped from Ye Yun’s body, probing the hall.

“Who’s there?!”

Murong Wuqing’s roar shattered the silence. Killing intent radiated from him as he scanned the shadows.

“Brother Wuqing?” Ye Yun stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”

Murong Wuqing flicked his hand, light and shadow flashing as his sword appeared, vibrating continuously with echoing metallic hums.

"I sense an immense mental intent carrying overwhelming pressure," Murong Wuqing stated coldly.

Ye Yun froze, his lips twitching. "Impossible. Why don’t I sense anything? Ding Qian, what about you?"

Ding Qian shook her head, bewilderment written across her delicate features. "Nothing at all."

Murong Wuqing’s brow arched. "This pressure far exceeds our capabilities. Even Hua Changchun and Yu Qingzhi never emitted such force. This isn’t from a Nascent Soul ancestor – it belongs to an Earth Immortal realm saint."

Ye Yun pretended to scan their surroundings, finding nothing. He knew Murong Wuqing’s sensed pressure came from the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s mental intent. Though the old man’s soul had been split into three fragments since being wounded by demon Huo Lie eight centuries ago, his residual aura still carried the weight of a true Earth Immortal.

"Why did your mental intent contact Murong Wuqing?" Ye Yun mentally inquired.

"Testing his cultivation," the Ancestor’s voice rumbled in his mind. "The boy’s talent surprises me – actually detecting my Soul Power. He’d make adequate disciple material."

Ye Yun snorted internally. "You don’t even know your current strength. By the time you recover, Murong might surpass you."

"Foolishness!" The Ancestor’s mental voice sharpened. "My treasures are kept in this Secret Vault by Earth Immortal saints themselves! Do you think any stray dog reaches Earth Immortal realm? Murong barely qualifies as my disciple!"

Ye Yun barely suppressed laughter. The old man’s bragging never ceased.

"Have you located your precious artifact yet?"

Ignoring him, the Ancestor sent tendrils of mental intent probing through the chamber. After half an incense time, he suddenly shouted, "Left wall!"

Ye Yun spun toward the faintly glowing surface Ding Qian had examined earlier. Pressing his palm against the leathery wall, he felt pulsing veins beneath its rough texture.

His true qi condensed into a slender needle, stabbing toward the hidden mechanism. Yet even this couldn’t pierce the beast-hide construction.

"Absurd! There must be an exit!" Ye Yun glared at the wall.

Murong Wuqing nodded. "This beast-flesh hall requires passage. We arrived through spatial distortion – perhaps departure needs similar means?"

Ding Qian shook her head. "There’s no spatial array here. No array restrictions at all."

Murong Wuqing’s face tightened as he confirmed the absence of spatial laws. No master could create spatial passage here.

"Look up," Ye Yun gestured. "All spatial laws concentrate in that darkness above us."

Ding Qian paled when her mental probe touched the void. "It devours mental energy!"

"Because yours is fragile," Ye Yun said bluntly. "Mine confirmed sparse spatial laws there – our first test. Can’t escape this hall? Don’t speak of claiming treasures in the Secret Vault’s depths."

Ding Qian stared. "How are you unharmed?"

Ye Yun’s gaze sharpened. "Your mental intent shattered instantly. Mine endured long enough to retreat."

Ding Qian stood awkwardly in place.

Murong Wuqing nodded. "Indeed, spatial laws exist here. The exit must be in this space."

Ye Yun gazed upward. "All Golden Core disciples were probably teleported to similar halls. There’s no exit except this pitch-black void above us. Our way out lies there."

Murong Wuqing agreed. "The master of the vault showed us the exit. We just need to see if we can get through this darkness. The Secret Vault’s second layer must lie beyond."

Ding Qian bit her lip. "But the Palace Master warned me before entering. Nascent Soul stage cultivators can only enter after we break the first layer’s array eye. Otherwise, Divine Thunder will strike them down, causing death and disappearance of the spirit."

"True enough." Ye Yun rubbed his chin. "But nobody knows where the array eye is. If it exists here at all, it must be within this black void."

Murong Wuqing stared at the swirling darkness above. When he’d sent his mental intent into it earlier, the connection had snapped within two breaths. What horrors might await anyone entering physically? That soul-rending force could destroy them completely.

Their eyes met – Ye Yun had turned at the same moment. Both young men recognized the same calculations reflected in each other’s gaze.

"Ancestor," Ye Yun whispered, "why does this space destroy mental intent?"

The Ancestor of the Sword Path snorted. "Destroying weak mental energy means nothing! In my prime, I…"

"You what?"

"None of your business! My memory’s… fragmented. Weak souls get shredded – strengthen your Soul Power and it won’t happen!"

"Is that really what you forgot?"

"No! There exists a primal force that devours souls to nourish heaven and earth. I just… can’t recall details."

Ye Yun pressed. "So strong souls can survive this void?"

"Obviously! Strong bodies withstand blows, strong souls resist pressure. Basic cultivation logic!"

Ding Qian’s pained expression flashed in Ye Yun’s memory – her mental intent destroyed in three breaths, her soul’s origin damaged.

Murong Wuqing watched Ye Yun’s prolonged silence. The spatial laws expert stood frozen, eyes locked on the void.

"Ye Yun-"

"Let’s jump in."

Murong Wuqing blinked. Ding Qian’s breath caught.

The darkness above churned. Three breaths to shred a soul. Three breaths to end cultivation progress forever.

Yet Ye Yun stood waiting, eyes burning with challenge.