Chapter 294

Chapter 294: Countless Caves

The reason Lou Yun chose to enter this so-called forbidden Cave of No Return, from which none ever emerged, was actually very simple and direct. He knew the whereabouts of his two elder brothers, and they were still in a state of uncertain life or death. So, even if they truly were in the netherworld, he, as their brother, had to find them. If he couldn’t save them, then they would all die together, fulfilling the vow they made at their oath of brotherhood.

Having given up resisting the pulling force, Lou Yun felt that although the suction emanating from within the cave wasn’t particularly strong, it was still ample to draw his body inside.

The instant he entered the cave, Lou Yun swiftly threw himself to the side. His hands curved like hooks, and with a "thud," they sank into the cave wall. Through this grip, he forcibly resisted the suction, clinging to the wall like a gecko.

This wasn’t because Lou Yun had suddenly changed his mind about entering the cave. Rather, he wanted to see if there were any other clues inside.

Sure enough, extending inward from the cave entrance for less than two meters were several chaotic footprints. Each footprint was deeply embedded in the ground. Beyond this area, the ground was smooth, flat, and clean, devoid of anything.

From this, Lou Yun could discern that the information Wen Zhi Lao Ren had given him was correct. The ground within two meters of the cave mouth looked solid but was actually brittle. It could crack open and couldn’t bear much weight.

Clearly, the owners of these footprints had likely stood at the cave entrance and felt the suction. They must have urgently mobilized their energy to resist it, causing their feet to sink deeply into the earth. However, following the direction of the footprints, it was evident they ultimately failed to break free from the pull and were sucked into the cave, inevitably falling downward.

Lou Yun frowned, puzzled. He knew the strength of his eldest brother and others—imperial-level magical weapons masters. Apart from possibly stronger individuals within the Nine Clans, they were definitely the top experts on Spirit Weapon Star. Yet, even they couldn’t resist this pulling force? But the suction he felt wasn’t very strong at all?

He could only attribute this problem to the suction emanating from the Thousand Layer Cave entrance fluctuating between strong and weak states. What he was experiencing was weak. How strong it truly was probably wasn’t as simple as he imagined.

Having grasped this situation, Lou Yun became even more certain that his two elder brothers had fallen into the Thousand Layer Cave. So, he released his fingers from the cave wall and deliberately stepped out, placing his foot squarely on that flat ground.

Sure enough, almost instantly, the ground silently cracked open. Lou Yun plunged downward, falling deep into the cave.

Because he was well-prepared, Lou Yun wasn’t thrown into panic by the high-altitude fall. Instead, he employed the martial art known as the "Wind Play Decision," letting his body drift lightly down with the wind currents generated by his descent.

This fall extended over several hundred meters. When his feet landed firmly on solid ground, Lou Yun lifted his head. Straining his vision, he could see that the top of the cave wall was now nearly invisible.

At a thought, Lou Yun threw out the Dream Emperor Sword, stepped onto it, and propelled it straight upwards to the very top of the cavern. As expected, there wasn’t the slightest crack; the entire ceiling looked completely seamless, natural rock. He reached out and tapped it, producing a dull "clunk" sound.

Had he not first heard Wen Zhi Lao Ren describe this place’s peculiarity, and had he not fallen deliberately, seeing this would likely have convinced him he hadn’t fallen from above after all.

Lou Yun then carefully felt along the sides of the cave ceiling, searching to see if he could find the mechanism that Wen Zhi Lao Ren had once discovered, hoping to reopen the crack.

However, after practically exploring the entire ceiling, Lou Yun found no mechanism at all. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile. His luck truly was terrible.

It seemed completely impossible for him to return the way he had come!

Descending back to the ground, perhaps because he knew his eldest brother and second brother were both here somewhere, Lou Yun didn’t feel much significant worry or panic right now.

Only then did he begin to carefully assess his surroundings. Although it was pitch black, it didn’t impair his vision.

He was clearly at the bottom of a cave. It was roughly circular, about four meters in diameter. Most of the circumference consisted of dark, black stone walls. Directly opposite Lou Yun, just as Wen Zhi Lao Ren had described, were eight separate forks—more accurately, eight cave entrances. The openings weren’t large, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Even two very slender individuals would find it difficult to walk side-by-side within.

Additionally, Lou Yun extended his spiritual awareness to its utmost limit but detected no energy fluctuations. This could mean either no one was here, or there were people he simply couldn’t sense. Given everything he’d experienced, Lou Yun knew spiritual awareness couldn’t always be trusted!

Lou Yun approached these eight cave openings but naturally didn’t immediately rush into choosing one. He stood there, focusing intently as he looked towards each entrance. He believed anyone entering these caves would have left a mark near the opening.

The facts proved Lou Yun right. On the stone walls beside each of the eight cave openings were a multitude of different marks. However, the sheer quantity of these marks was overwhelming; at first glance, it was a dizzying array!

One could only imagine how many people had fallen into this Thousand Layer Cave over time!

Most of the marks’ styles differed. Some were irregular symbols, some were numbers, some were Chinese characters. Essentially, when people left their mark, they tried to make it distinct from others.

Lou Yun meticulously studied the marks one cave entrance after another. When he reached the fourth entrance, he abruptly spotted a wildly cursive character: "杀" (kill).

Compared to the other marks, this "杀" character was particularly striking. The entire form exuded an intense, domineering aura!

Seeing this character stirred something in Lou Yun’s heart. This should have been a mark left by his eldest brother! Firstly, his eldest brother’s nickname was the "White-haired God of Death." Secondly, such an unrestrained calligraphic style perfectly matched his eldest brother’s character. Although Lou Yun had never seen Leng Cangqiong’s handwriting, he could readily imagine it.

Lou Yun didn’t decide immediately, though. He finished examining the marks near the remaining four cave entrances before finally returning to the fourth entrance and sinking into thought.

In fact, near each cave entrance, there was one or several distinctive marks: patterns, symbols, or Chinese characters. Lou Yun now tried to deduce how many people had fallen here with his eldest brother at the time. Did each person choose a different cave individually, or did everyone choose a single cave together?

Lou Yun thought carefully about the Five Great Masters. Since he hadn’t interacted with the other four, he didn’t know what kind of mark they might habitually leave. However, he could guess that if it were his second brother, the mark left might resemble the flame pattern carved on the ice crystal jade weapon, or perhaps simply the character "兵" (weapon/soldier). Since he hadn’t found such a mark, it suggested that, at the very least, his second brother had followed his eldest brother into the fourth cave.

Still, all these deductions were based on assumptions: assuming his eldest and second brothers fell together, assuming the "杀" character was truly left by his eldest brother as a marker…

These uncertain assumptions began to tangle Lou Yun’s thoughts. He forcefully shook his head and slapped his temples with his hands. He couldn’t keep thinking like this; it would only make him more confused.

Anyway, Wen Zhi Lao Ren had said that the caves within the Thousand Layer Cave shifted and changed positions over time. So, even knowing which cave his eldest brothers entered, following the same route offered no guarantee of encountering them.

Therefore, Lou Yun simply stopped thinking about it. He directly chose the fourth cave entrance. First, he left a "云" (cloud) character as his own mark, then walked inside!

Now hundreds of meters deep underground, surrounded by absolute darkness and profound silence, the only sound Lou Yun could hear was his own heartbeat. He deliberately softened his footsteps, almost as if afraid to startle someone within the darkness.

The tunnel wasn’t long, only about thirty or forty meters. Lou Yun soon reached its end and emerged into another cave. Sure enough before him were eight small cave openings once more. There were no other openings beside the one he had exited from.

In other words, if each of the original eight caves led to eight new openings, that meant sixty-four caverns. And if each of those sixty-four caves again branched into eight openings, that would amount to nearly five hundred caves.

Lou Yun couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. No wonder this place was called the Thousand Layer Cave; the name was indeed vividly apt!

Lou Yun systematically examined the marks by each of these eight openings. Each entrance still bore numerous marks. This time, however, he saw no sign of the "杀" (kill) character mark, nor any other mark that felt recognizable. This meant the eight cave openings he now faced were not the same ones his eldest brothers encountered back then.

As for how the caves could move, Lou Yun had absolutely no idea. He couldn’t even imagine it. After all, caves were inert; they couldn’t be manipulated by human effort. People could fill caves or destroy them—but how could they move?

After pondering for a moment, Lou Yun simply chose the fourth cave entrance again. He left a mark and strode directly forward. The situation beyond the entrance proved just as he suspected: another set of eight openings.

Once more, he found no familiar marks among this new set. By now, Lou Yun was almost reluctant to contemplate just how many caves this place truly held. He stubbornly stuck to his choice, entering once again through the fourth cave entrance.