Chapter Fifty-Two: A World Beyond the Cave

After everyone had waited anxiously for about half an hour, the commotion gradually subsided. Sensing this, a wave of relief swept through the group, and all eyes turned to Li Xingyu, for it was clear from earlier events that his perception was far keener than anyone else's. Li Xingyu had already noticed the changes on the other side. When everyone looked to him, he slowly stood up, activated his Eagle Eye technique, and observed the situation. He saw the wolf-like beast fleeing into the distance, faint traces of blood visible on its body. The other beast, after glancing in the direction its rival had escaped, let out a furious roar and dashed off in another direction, bearing even more wounds than before.

Li Xingyu surmised that the first beast must have been injured during their battle; realizing that its attacks were having little effect while every blow from its opponent left it nearly incapacitated, it had seized the chance to escape using its superior speed. Once his Eagle Eye could no longer find any trace of the two beasts, Li Xingyu withdrew his spell and addressed the group, “The two fiends have ceased fighting and have gone their separate ways. It’s safe for us to proceed now.” Only then did everyone truly breathe a sigh of relief. They quickly gathered their things and continued on their journey, now even more cautious and vigilant after the close call. Li Xingyu, having tucked the Rain of Fire back into his backpack, joined the group, this time positioning himself behind Mu Chenhua. If Mu Chenhua weren’t needed to lead the way, it was likely the group would have tacitly agreed to let Li Xingyu take the lead.

From then on, apart from an increasingly oppressive sense of invisible pressure, their journey was uneventful. At last, as dusk fell, they arrived safely at their destination. Mu Chenhua was the first to stop. Once everyone had caught up, he turned to Li Xingyu and the other three newcomers and said, “Gentlemen, since you four have never been here before, there are some matters I must explain. Starting ten paces ahead of where we stand lies the defensive perimeter of the cultivator’s abode. According to our explorations last time, the outer defensive ring stretches about twenty paces deep. That means the entrance to the abode is approximately thirty paces ahead of us. The outer defenses are not strong; as long as you proceed with care, you should have no trouble crossing. The real challenge lies in the formidable barrier at the entrance itself. We’ll examine it up close together before we discuss how to break through.”

As Mu Chenhua spoke, the four newcomers carefully observed their surroundings. Li Xingyu noticed that, at a glance, the thirty paces ahead seemed utterly ordinary—just some small plants and scattered rocks on the ground, with a sheer cliff wall thirty paces beyond, overgrown with moss and vines. But since Mu Chenhua had said this was the site of the hidden abode, they understood that everything they saw was likely an illusion—either cleverly disguised or veiled by legendary concealing or illusionary formations.

Li Xingyu first circulated his energy to enhance his senses. He soon detected subtle energy fluctuations across the open ground—not powerful now, but it was clear that tens of thousands of years ago, these would have been formidable. Whether these residual energies were aggressive or had other effects—like binding or bewilderment—remained unclear. Perhaps, after so many ages, some of the energy nodes had failed, explaining the gaps where no fluctuations could be sensed. These likely marked the safe paths through. Even where energy remained, it was so faint that, with their innate mastery, none of them would have much trouble breaking through. As for the cliff wall, its aura matched its appearance, except for one spot: a dense concentration of energy, about two meters wide and starting two meters above ground level. Mu Chenhua and the others had deduced that this was the sealed entrance to a cavern behind the wall—the very gateway left by the ancient cultivator. Had they come here tens of thousands or even just a few thousand years ago, when the defensive arrays were at full strength, their current abilities would not have sufficed to sense the energies present.

Using his divine sense, Li Xingyu detected some unusual arrangements beneath the ground and could faintly perceive a space hidden behind the cliff, but nothing more. His divine sense was not yet strong enough, nor did he understand formations and seals well enough to glean more; in time, as his power and knowledge grew, he would be able to discern far more—perhaps even the very patterns of the energy flows.

When Li Xingyu finished his examination, the others also concluded their investigations—some lost in thought, others quietly discussing with those who had been here before. At this moment, Master Ouyang spoke up, “Everyone, based on my investigation, the situation here is much the same as it was three years ago. There’s been no change, nor any sign of forced entry. This means that, during our absence, neither other people nor powerful creatures have come here.” Li Xingyu already knew that the Ouyang family specialized in all manner of mechanisms and martial formations, so Master Ouyang’s assessment was likely accurate. The others, upon hearing this, also relaxed, hope and excitement lighting their eyes as they gazed at the cliff.

“Now, let’s all move up to the cliff. We should each experience the defensive barrier up close before we discuss how to break through.” Although the four veterans could have simply relayed their findings to the newcomers, Master Ouyang insisted that, with a dangerous matter such as this, personal experience was irreplaceable—especially when it came to the subtle details that could mean the difference between success and disaster.

Seeing that everyone agreed, he led the way toward the cliff, carefully avoiding all areas with active energy fluctuations. Mu Chenhua followed, then Li Xingyu and the other new arrivals, with the masters of the Qin family and Linglong Sect bringing up the rear. This order showed the group’s trust in Master Ouyang’s expertise with formations; whenever such matters arose, he took the lead, for it was well-known that Ouyang’s family even dabbled in the study of cultivator formations and seals.

Once they reached the cliff, the four veterans pressed their palms against the spot where the energy was most concentrated, probing the barrier. Li Xingyu and his companions followed suit. Li Xingyu felt the previously calm energy layer beneath his palm begin to churn and push against him, as if trying to repel him. The harder he pushed his own true energy into his hand, the stronger the backlash became. He tested it only briefly before letting go. Then he tried probing with his divine sense, but barely had he entered before an invisible force barred his way; all he could sense was the presence of a space beyond the wall, though the energy fluctuations were a little clearer than before.

After everyone finished their examinations, Master Ouyang led them away from the cliff, past the open ground, and back to their original spot. There, they began to exchange observations and ideas for breaking through, with even Li Xingyu and the master of Linglong Sect joining the discussion.

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