Chapter 248

The two walked and talked as they ascended from the underground. Once outside, the scene before them came into view. Long Yiran pointed toward the dark clouds in the sky, her tone slightly excited.

“See that?”

Wang Yu: “???”

Long Yiran quickly returned to her calm demeanor.

“To study geomantic and feng shui arts, one must possess a vivid imagination. Look at those clouds—don’t they resemble the horizontal stroke of an inverted mountain character?”

Wang Yu was taken aback.

“This is—”

If one regarded Yin Ghost Mountain and the dark clouds as a single entity, the tallest mountain peak stood right in the center, flanked on both sides by two slightly shorter peaks.

When pieced together, it indeed resembled an upside-down “mountain (山)” character.

However, the clouds and peaks were not connected—there was a gap between them.

When Wang Yu pointed out this flaw, Long Yiran explained,

“After so many years, the power of the Nether Tiger Prison-Sealing Formation must have weakened. The visual differences are the result of that loss of strength, which has also made this formation more obscure.”

She stirred the power of the formation as she spoke, leaving no doubt in her words.

Wang Yu finally understood the essence of geomantic feng shui arts. It required an abstract imagination—without it, one could not link the landscape with the features of a spiritual formation.

“How do we enter… just fly straight into the clouds?”

“We must take the gate. The Heavenly Soul Sect was a proper sect;

there must be a road laid out for disciples. We just follow this ancient path. Please wait, Brother Wang.”

Regaining her confidence, Long Yiran took out a small formation disk and began to probe for directions. After a short while, she led him to what she called the “main gate.”

“Let’s go.”

This time, it was not as complicated as the Serpent Mansion. Entering Yin Ghost Mountain from the east path, Wang Yu was surprised to find that the Soul-Drifting Yin Wind… was gone.

Or rather, it no longer blew upon them. The legacy of a geomantic master was indeed profound.

As they proceeded through the mountain, Long Yiran took several winding turns, as though walking along an invisible path, before suddenly plunging into the air and vanishing.

Wang Yu followed closely behind, and in one step, the world around him changed entirely. The spatial fluctuation was far stronger than that of a minor teleportation formation.

“A secret realm! The Ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins are actually inside a secret realm—but how is that possible?”

Given the nature of a sect, it was impossible for it to be built inside a secret realm. The constant flow of disciples and visitors would make it difficult to connect the realm to external spiritual veins.

Even if spiritual veins were forcibly drawn in, transferring them into a secret realm was almost impossible.

It would hinder future growth, and since secret realms had limited space, too many residents would negate their advantages—such as denser spiritual energy, better conditions for spirit beasts, and the ideal environment for cultivating precious spiritual roots that required long growth periods.

Yet before their eyes truly lay a secret realm.

Looking around, the two stood before a field of ruins. A faint red mist drifted through the air, the residue of countless vaporized blood droplets.

Lifting their gaze, they saw a massive jade archway overhead. Upon it were engraved three ancient characters—“Heavenly Soul Sect.” They had found the right place.

Long Yiran activated her Golden Vision of Qi Observation, watching the flow of energy. Her voice grew grave.

“Brother Wang, I suspect that during the Great Blood Demon Calamity of ancient times, the entire space of the Heavenly Soul Sect collapsed. To prevent it from being consumed by chaotic spatial currents, the sect’s formation masters transferred the suppressive power of the Nether Tiger Prison Formation to stabilize this space.

“As a result, the evil ghosts that had been captured as sacrificial materials broke free, forming what is now Yin Ghost Mountain. This greatly damaged the formation’s power. Otherwise, even I would not be able to stir the Nether Tiger’s strength.”

Wang Yu looked around. In the blood mist, occasional spatial cracks appeared. The mist tried to seep through, but black airflow pushed it back, it indeed resembled some form of sealing mechanism.

“The Heavenly Soul Sect was annihilated by the Blood Demon. It is said everyone within was drained of blood and died miserably. There may still be traces of the Blood Demon’s power here. Let’s head for the Scripture Hall first.”

“Agreed.”

After deciding, Wang Yu became extremely cautious of the surrounding blood mist. He summoned the Glazed Soul Lamp, an artifact paired with the Ancient Soul Art, and part of the Heavenly Soul Sect’s orthodox legacy.

Though he lacked a disciple’s identity token, possessing this artifact was enough. Its soul flame was weaker than ordinary fire, yet under its protection, it burned away the blood mist encroaching on them.

Long Yiran also employed a defensive item—a waist guard engraved with dense formation patterns. It emitted a soft white glow that shielded her within.

After stepping through the gate, they found themselves amid the ruins of ancient buildings. Judging from the remnants, it must once have been a reception hall complex.

The location of the Scripture Hall remained unknown, so they surveyed the surroundings.

Wang Yu stroked his chin and said,

“Formation Master Long, I think a Scripture Hall shouldn’t be too hidden, nor too conspicuous. It should be somewhere around—”

“I found it!”

Her excited voice cut him off. Wang Yu stopped speaking and stepped closer to see.

The golden rings in Long Yiran’s eyes gleamed brilliantly, making him envious. After all, he had only practiced the Earth Mother Scripture for a few months, mastering just a few geomantic techniques.

He was still far from awakening the Golden Vision of Qi Observation, so he could only wait eagerly for her explanation.

“This is a Super Spiritual Vein!”

“What?”

Spiritual veins corresponded in grade to cultivator realms. A vein that could be called “super” was a fifth-rank spiritual vein—capable of sustaining several Spirit Transformation cultivators at once. Such veins were exceedingly rare.

Even in the Blood Reversal Sect’s mountain gate, there were only a few fourth-rank supreme-grade veins. To reach fifth rank would require nurturing for several thousand more years, and even then, success was uncertain.

The Blood Reversal Sect was a powerful sect founded upon the ruins of the ancient world ten thousand years ago—its heritage was not to be underestimated.

But the Heavenly Soul Sect’s reputation as an ancient overlord was clearly well deserved.

“With such abundant spiritual energy, even a Core Formation cultivator would progress several times faster here than outside.

“Unfortunately… I have already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. My cultivation can no longer advance.”

After the excitement faded, Long Yiran became slightly dejected.

Then she became excited again, her expressions changing rapidly like a face-changing performer. She could not help but grab Wang Yu’s hand, but when he was about to strike, she quickly pulled back.

She said,

“Wang Yu, super spiritual veins are known to exist only in three places: the Heavenly Void Sword Sect, the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect, and the Sea Dragon Abyss. Do you know what these three places have in common?”

He naturally knew. All of them had Spirit Transformation cultivators guarding them.

But clearly, that was not the simple answer. Before he could think further, she impatiently blurted it out.

“Dragon Veins!”

“All three of these places possess Dragon Veins. Their inheritors receive the Dragon Vein’s blessing, greatly enhancing their potential. Their foundations surpass their peers by more than tenfold, and their chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage exceed eighty percent.”

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart-mind, Wang Yu was truly surprised. The Dragon Veins and heavenly punishment they had been discussing earlier now appeared right before them.

“You’re saying this place has a Dragon Vein?”

“There’s a high chance it does, most likely a young one, probably not exceeding fifth-rank.”

The blessing of a Dragon Vein and treasures born from it were both extremely rare opportunities. However, they were not unique spiritual phenomena, nor did receiving a blessing guarantee an easy breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

He did not believe it was that simple. Ultimately, success depended more on one’s background, resources, effort, and talent. The Dragon Vein was merely one form of assistance.

Still, when fortune arrived at one’s doorstep, he could not possibly refuse. Completing his inheritance could wait until after the Dragon Vein was secured. Wang Yu spoke in a low voice. “How do we find it?”

Long Yiran froze for a moment, then hesitantly replied.

“With the Dragon-Seeking and Vein-Locking Method, it’s the fastest way. We could locate it within a few days, but the consequences are unpredictable.”

“We could also use the Golden Vision of Qi Observation, but the viewing range is short. We’d have to search inch by inch, which would take a lot of time.”

“No rush. This place is hidden enough. We have plenty of time.”

Long Yiran sighed in relief, patting her chest.

“Leave it to me.”

After that, Wang Yu handled the vigilance, while Long Yiran focused on searching. Their cooperation was efficient and not too exhausting.

After half a month, they had circled around the outskirts of the Heavenly Soul Sect’s secret realm but found nothing, so they moved toward the inner region.

During the search, Wang Yu memorized the terrain. The entire area was a vast plain with almost no elevation difference. Due to the blood mist, visibility was poor, and divine sense was heavily suppressed.

He could only use ten to twenty percent of its power. His enhanced vision from the Taiyin Nether Eyes was more effective for observation. Searching for the Dragon Vein was also a process of finding the Scripture Hall.

Every half day, they would stop to recover their states. After restoring to peak condition, they would continue.

As time passed, thirty-eight days later, a strange change quietly occurred.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

On the shattered street, Wang Yu stopped Long Yiran, his expression grave. “There’s a corpse ahead.”

“A corpse? Impossible. Even with dense spiritual energy and an enclosed environment, it shouldn’t have been preserved for so long.”

“Let’s go take a look.”

A hundred meters ahead, beneath a collapsed pillar, lay a dried corpse. Its skin had turned black and shriveled, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs.

Its hands had melted into indistinct shapes, leaving behind bony spikes. It looked less like a human corpse and more like a monster’s remains.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know.”

This was something beyond Wang Yu’s knowledge. He had never seen it before, nor was it mentioned in the archives of the Scripture Hall. It must have been a remnant from the Blood Demon Calamity.

Wang Yu activated the lunar sight of his Taiyin Nether Eyes.

In that instant, his expression changed drastically.

“Step back. It’s still alive.”

The next moment, traces of red mist entered the creature’s gaping mouth. The corpse suddenly sat up, its scarlet eyes locking onto them.

It let out an ear-piercing shriek that shook the skies.

This sound triggered a chain reaction, and similar screams echoed from every corner of the Heavenly Soul Sect ruins.

Both of them were instantly alarmed.

Wang Yu formed his fingers into a sword and released a slash of icy sword energy, cutting the monster in half. Surprisingly, it was very weak. But when the body fell, a single drop of blood oozed out.

The blood instantly merged into the surrounding mist and vanished.

“This is bad.”

“It seems to be the remnant power of the Blood Demons. That blood must have preserved these corpses till now and mutated them into monsters.”

“Formation Master Long, do you have a way to avoid detection by these blood corpses?”

Long Yiran thought for a moment and said,

“This is the Heavenly Soul Sect’s ruin. There should be remnants of formations left behind. If we find one with a suitable effect and repair it, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wang Yu frowned.

“You don’t have one ready?”

“Well... I do, but I’m just a rogue cultivator. My resources have always been limited, so the effect may not be that good.”

Long Yiran looked a bit embarrassed.

It was indeed a realistic problem.

“I understand. We’ll decide based on the situation.”

“Alright.”