Chapter 280: Entering the Aqueous Manor Again in Search of Secret Treasures

Elder Yu laughed heartily and said, “Senior Brother Xuanji, please rest assured!” Afterward, Elder Yu gave Master Xuanji another deep look. Seeing his pale face, which made him look even older—as if he had aged more than a decade since their meeting in the Taichu Main Hall yesterday—he couldn’t help but remind him, “Senior Brother, you must also take care of your health.”

With that, Elder Yu formed a sword seal with his fingers. The flying sword on his back shot out in a rainbow of light, rapidly expanding. This time, it grew even larger than the last, with more than enough space for Elder Yu, Su Baihua, Master Bizhu, and Qin Haoxuan.

Under Master Xuanji’s watchful gaze, the flying sword soared into the sky, leaving a long trail of light as it quickly vanished over the horizon.

Though he did not come to see them off, Perfected Man Huanglong, who was watching from the summit of Emperor Peak, sighed softly and muttered to himself, “May the ancestors bless us. I hope Senior Brother Yu and the others can destroy the villains’ conspiracy in one fell swoop. I pray to the ancestors to protect the Taichu Sect’s ten-thousand-year foundation and grant peace to all living beings.”

Under Qin Haoxuan’s guidance, they arrived at the prefect’s residence where the formation diagram had been found. Because so little time had passed, the news of the prefect’s death had not yet spread. When Elder Yu and the others found the formation diagram in the secret room, they were stunned silent by its immense scale.

Elder Yu had heard Qin Haoxuan’s description of the diagram, and Qin Haoxuan had even memorized and sketched the shape of a few inscriptions. At the time, Elder Yu knew the situation was serious, but he had not expected it to be this dire.

The ten-meter-wide formation diagram was densely covered with hundreds of millions of inscriptions. They appeared chaotic and disorderly, but in reality, they formed an intricate formation capable of tearing open a spatio-temporal passage.

Seeing this formation, Elder Yu, who considered himself well-read and had a deep understanding of formations, had to admit that he had never seen such a complex diagram. The person who laid this out must have had extremely profound attainments in the “Formation” art, one of the Six Arts of immortal cultivation, perhaps rivaling the Elder of Formations in the Elder’s Council.

After being shaken by the massive formation diagram, Elder Yu’s gaze fell upon Qin Haoxuan once more.

This weak-seeded disciple, Qin Haoxuan, was truly remarkable. Without a deep and thorough study of the art of “Formation,” it would be impossible to discern the purpose of this seemingly chaotic diagram. Yet, Qin Haoxuan had stated its function in one go and had even roughly sketched its appearance, which was how he had earned the trust and attention of both him and the Sect Master. If it had been any other disciple of the Taichu Sect, how could they possibly have recognized the purpose of this formation at a glance? And even if they had, without being able to sketch it, he and the Sect Master would never have fully believed them.

“Qin Haoxuan, we need to deduce where the other formation diagrams are. It might be dangerous, so you should leave first,” Elder Yu said after a pause. “The Sect Master has granted you special permission to stay in the sect for a month. If you don’t wish to continue entering the mortal world, you should return to the sect for now.”

“Yes.” Qin Haoxuan bowed slightly and, without another word, walked out of the secret room. He knew he couldn’t be of any help with what was to come. If Elder Yu and the others attracted the attention of the mastermind behind the formation while they were making their deductions, it would likely be a battle between Spirit Tree Realm experts. Not only would he be useless, but he would also be a burden.

Qin Haoxuan had no interest in witnessing another battle between Spirit Tree Realm experts, especially one that might involve a powerhouse like Elder Yu who possessed a flying sword. If he were accidentally grazed by the sword qi, his soul could be scattered.

He walked out of the prefect’s residence and immediately activated a Thousand-Mile Talisman, rushing back towards the Taichu Sect.

He possessed two Aqueous Manor Tokens, but after leaving the manor, he had immediately entered the mortal world. He had been away from the Taichu Sect for several months, wasting several opportunities to enter the Aqueous Manor.

The Spirit Liquid produced in the Aqueous Manor was a treasure coveted even by the great figures of the sect, and the other items produced there were no ordinary goods either. Wasting so many chances for the sake of entering the mortal world was a true shame!

By dusk, Qin Haoxuan had arrived near Great Islet Mountain. However, considering that returning to the sect now would be too shocking and cause a stir, he found a secluded, uninhabited spot and cultivated peacefully for two days before finally returning to the Taichu Sect.

Upon his return, his first priority was to find his master, Xuanji.

Master Xuanji was in his room, meditating. Ever since he had used the forbidden art, fallen from the Twenty-Ninth-Leaf to the Twenty-Eighth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm, and suffered a great loss of vitality, the immortal seedling in his dantian’s sea of qi had become even more listless.

After Qin Haoxuan had left, Master Xuanji had been in secluded cultivation, trying his best to recover some vitality and slow the withering of his immortal seedling. Otherwise, he might die before he could retrieve the ancestor’s Dao legacy for Qin Haoxuan.

Hearing that it was Qin Haoxuan, Master Xuanji finally opened his eyes, breaking his meditation.

“You’re back.” Master Xuanji’s eyes were filled with kindness as he looked at Qin Haoxuan. “Entering the mortal world is beneficial for your cultivation. And I’ve heard your combat strength is quite formidable. Killing rogue cultivators is a way to earn spirit stones.”

There was a faint hint of reproach in Master Xuanji’s voice.

Qin Haoxuan looked at his master’s increasingly aged face and the deepening wrinkles, and said, “This disciple will stay in the sect for a month. I hope I can be of help in extending Master’s life.”

“Hehe, the path of the immortal is without sentiment. Defying the heavens to seize life is no easy task. Apart from breaking through to a new realm to gain lifespan, the only other ways are to use the souls of spirit beasts or Lifespan Pills. But whether it’s a precious spirit beast or a Lifespan Pill, their value is incalculable.” Master Xuanji gazed at this disciple who had created one miracle after another and said, “Your sentiment is enough. But you should go back to entering the mortal world for now.”

Qin Haoxuan saw the despair in his master’s eyes regarding extending his life. The thought that this kind old man had already lost hope for his own life caused a sharp pang in his heart.

“Master, are you aware of the Spirit Liquid produced in the Aqueous Manor?”

Master Xuanji looked at Qin Haoxuan in surprise and said, “Of course.”

“When this disciple entered the Aqueous Manor during the Trial of the Immortal Path, I obtained two Aqueous Manor Tokens. These tokens allow me to enter the manor once a month, each time for only three to four days. But perhaps this disciple can find Spirit Liquid in the manor and find a way to refine it into a medicinal powder. Although it certainly won’t be as potent as a Lifespan Pill, it could still extend your life.”

Qin Haoxuan spoke with utmost sincerity. Moved by his genuine gaze, a storm of emotions surged in Master Xuanji’s heart. He pondered for a moment. Normally, even if Qin Haoxuan brought him Spirit Liquid, he would never accept it. But right now, he was burning his own lifespan to use a forbidden art to unlock the ancestor’s Dao legacy. After using the art once, he had felt his immortal seedling dim, a sign that death was approaching and the seedling was withering.

His greatest worry these past few days was that his lifespan would run out before he could open all three layers of the ancestor’s restriction.

Therefore, when Qin Haoxuan said he was going to the Aqueous Manor to search for Spirit Liquid, Master Xuanji only said with concern, “I heard that the last time the Aqueous Manor was opened, there were many spatial rifts to the Netherworld Demon Abyss inside. Many Netherworld Demons escaped, and many disciples were killed or injured. You must be extremely careful when you enter this time.”

After speaking, still feeling uneasy, he nagged him with a series of additional warnings.

Qin Haoxuan listened to his master’s instructions silently, without a trace of impatience, because he could feel the deep warmth and affection within them.

When he left home to travel far, his parents had also nagged him with many instructions. And now, as he was about to enter the Aqueous Manor alone, his master was also repeatedly reminding him.

“Master, please rest assured.” Qin Haoxuan bowed deeply. Looking at his master’s wrinkled face and concerned eyes, he thought to himself, ‘Even if I find nothing in the Aqueous Manor, I must retrieve some of the Spirit Liquid I buried in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley to extend Master’s life.’

Master Xuanji’s heart was a mixture of gratitude and guilt, but he tried his best to remain calm and said in a heartfelt tone, “The path of immortal cultivation is long. One must fight against others and contend with the heavens. Very, very few cultivators are able to obtain an immortal opportunity. An opportunity is both a blessing and a danger. The Aqueous Manor is your immortal opportunity. Although I am worried, I cannot stop you from seeking it. You must be extremely careful!”

Qin Haoxuan bowed slightly. “Master, please rest assured.” With that, he turned and left.

Watching Qin Haoxuan’s departing figure, a sour feeling rose in Master Xuanji’s heart, and a layer of mist clouded his turbid eyes.

‘My disciple Haoxuan, your master is useless, making you take this risk. Rest assured, I will retrieve the ancestor’s Dao legacy, no matter what!’ Master Xuanji vowed in his heart.

It took Qin Haoxuan half a day to reach Sun Moon Lake. The lake was located in the central part of Great Islet Mountain. It was vast and misty, stretching as far as the eye could see. Its water was as clear as a mirror, faithfully reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

It was not the season for the Aqueous Manor to open, so there was no one by the lakeside. After arriving, Qin Haoxuan took out the two inscribed Aqueous Manor Tokens and injected spiritual energy into each of them.

As the spiritual energy entered the tokens, the two golden tokens began to flicker with a faint light. A golden radiance enveloped Qin Haoxuan’s body. He vanished from his spot in an instant, and in the next moment, he had arrived inside the Aqueous Manor.

Qin Haoxuan knew he had entered alone this time, unlike the last time when there were numerous senior and junior brothers, as well as Senior Brother Ye Yiming to look after him. Although his current combat strength was comparable to a cultivator of the twentieth-something-leaf Spirit Sprout Realm, no one knew what terrifying demons or unknown dangers lurked within the Aqueous Manor.

As soon as he appeared in the Aqueous Manor, Qin Haoxuan scanned his surroundings.

This time, he had arrived at the entrance of a great hall. The hall was a hundred zhang tall and of unknown width. The plaza in front of it alone was more than five times larger than the one before the Taichu Main Hall.

Upon closer inspection, Qin Haoxuan discovered that this great hall was built with white jade for bricks, giant beast bones for beams, and python scales for tiles. A heaven-shaking, primordial aura emanated from the ancient hall, far surpassing that of the Taichu Main Hall.

Qin Haoxuan wanted to enter the ancient hall to explore, but as soon as he reached the entrance, he was forced back by the immense aura emanating from within. He felt that if he tried to force his way in, he would be crushed into dust by the pressure.

So, Qin Haoxuan wisely stopped and walked towards the plaza in front of the hall.

Above the plaza, there were several small spatial rifts, from which a frigid yin qi seeped out. These were the rifts that led to the Netherworld Demon Abyss.

A few Netherworld Demons leaped out from within. These demons were dressed like elegant young masters, and their eyes gleamed as they spotted Qin Haoxuan.

Compared to humans, the appearance of these demons was, on the whole, much more handsome. Some of them were clearly male, yet they were as handsome and alluring as women, which thoroughly disgusted Qin Haoxuan. The few demons before him were all of this type.

“A cultivator! Catch this cultivator, and we’ll eat him together!” one of the demons shouted, its eyes shining as thick, transparent saliva dripped down its fair chin.

“Surround him, don’t let him escape! A delicious cultivator!”

“You ate the most out of the last batch of cultivators a few months ago. I want the bigger half of this one!”

The other demons chimed in, and they had already begun to argue about how to divide him.

(End of Chapter)