Chapter 332: Chapter 49: Arriving Early, Starting to Scheme
They did not know how long they had walked when the three of them finally emerged from the cave entrance.
Before them lay a huge, deep, and bottomless rift.
Jiang Liyan and Wen Yang were on high alert, knowing that in such completely dark, vast spaces, if they were to encounter an attack from a flying demonic beast with night vision capabilities, there would hardly be any effective ways to cope.
Wei Dongliu, however, appeared as calm as a breeze… Even though his divine sense was scanning the surroundings, he still had to maintain the facade of a mysterious, powerful character.
The three followed a narrow winding path downward until Wen Yang, walking at the front, suddenly tilted his head slightly to glance at Jiang Liyan.
Something was very wrong.
The nonchalant air with which Wei Dongliu carried himself was far too incongruous—it was as if he was strolling in his own backyard.
Unless he was very familiar with this place… but if he had explored this secret area before, why would he invite us to accompany him?
Could he really be some ancient being?
Jiang Liyan understood his thought and then quietly turned her head away, pretending not to understand.
The feeling of pretending to be more powerful than you are is so thrilling!
She thought gleefully to herself.
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It seemed that the young witch had been completely bewitched by Wei the Demon Lord, thinking alike… Wen Yang thought coldly, dropping his eyelids and lashes while only using his divine sense to continue scanning the surroundings.
Hmm? What’s that sound?
Wen Yang suddenly heard a strange bell sound and immediately felt waves of dizziness.
Just as he was about to sound the alarm, through his divine sense he “saw” that Wei Dongliu, walking ahead, and Jiang Liyan behind him, showed no sign of anything amiss.
Could it be that these two were plotting against me?
With this thought flashing through his mind, Wen Yang was startled, but then quickly realized something else.
No, the sound was not coming from these two; it emanated from the bottom of the rift.
He hurriedly circulated his mental method to first withstand the illusion technique attack in the sound and then, almost instinctively, extended his divine sense toward the bottom of the rift. Perhaps because they had descended far enough, this time his sense found the dome of the White Bone Divine Palace.
Wen Yang: !!!
While Wen Yang was overwhelmed with emotions, Jiang the Witch also heard the bizarre bell sound.
“This bell sound is quite pleasant…” she thought subconsciously, then suddenly came to her senses, “No, that’s wrong! It’s an illusion!”
After a moment of stupor, Jiang Liyan quickly moved past Wen Yang and ran to Wei Dongliu’s side, pretending to be stricken by an illusion attack, and said in a delicate voice,
“Brother Wei, there seems to be something wrong with this sound!”
“This is the White Bone Hollow Bell.” Wei Dongliu replied indifferently, “Cast from bone, it rings without wind.”
“Its sound can shake the soul and bewilder the consciousness. Cultivators of lower mana realms can hardly withstand three breaths within its ringing before they succumb to dizziness, weakness in their limbs, and find themselves unable to move.”
Jiang Liyan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, thinking Wei Dongliu was disparaging her cultivation level, and quickly said,
“Ahem, I’m not incapable of resisting this kind of illusion technique, I was just reminding you all.”
“Brother Wei truly has extensive knowledge.” Wen Yang suddenly spoke from behind, “To be able to discern that it is the White Bone Hollow Bell just by hearing it.”
“I have read about this artifact in ancient texts as well,” he added. “It was said to be a magical treasure specifically used by the Disciplinary Hall in ancient times. All new disciples had to walk in front of the White Bone Hollow Bell to understand the strict rules of the Nether Ghost Path.”
“Moreover, in case of an enemy invasion, the full activation of the White Bone Hollow Bell could directly attack the enemy’s soul, its effectiveness comparable to the Protective Sect Array.”
“So that’s how it is.” Jiang Liyan said with a smile, “Does that mean we are now entering the White Bone Divine Palace?”
“If one were to speculate where the long-lost White Bone Hollow Bell might be located, it could only be at the White Bone Divine Palace,” Wen Yang sighed, “Throughout history, our Nether Ghost Path has experienced four sect catastrophes, each time nearly resulting in the severance of our lineage.”
“Nowadays, even the whereabouts of the White Bone Divine Palace are untraceable… yet to think it would be here.”
“Brother Wen, will you report this to the sect afterwards?” Jiang Liyan suddenly asked.
“Of course not,” Wen Yang carefully observed Wei Dongliu’s expression, then said solemnly, “If it were the location of an ordinary secret realm, offering it to the sect might bring great reward.”
“But the matter of the White Bone Divine Palace is of great significance. The sect may likely seal the information, allowing only a few high-ranking members to be privy to it.”
Having said that, he tactfully fell silent.
As for the unspoken implication, it was self-evident—since only a few high-ranking members could know, those not among this “few” would naturally need to be eliminated.
Wei Dongliu said nothing, and only led the two of them down to the bottom of the valley.
The towering White Bone Divine Palace revealed its magnificent presence within the divine sense of the three.
“This is indeed the White Bone Divine Palace,” Wen Yang said with a trace of emotion, “Ever since the Nether Ghost Path lost track of this place, we three might be the first cultivators to arrive here.”
Wei Dongliu spoke up,
“Brother Wen, I shall ask you once more, do you know of the Flying Asura?”
“Hmm,” Wen Yang pondered for a moment before speaking, “Brother Wei should know that our Nether Ghost Path once had two factions: Corpse Refining and Controlling Nether Ghosts.”
“Within the Corpse Refining faction, the corpses are classified as Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold level, which are often those who have died unjustly and are manipulated by cultivators as weapons, possessing immense might.”
“Above them are the ‘Earth Roaming Rakshasa,’ ‘Flying Asura,’ and the legendary ‘Drought Fiend’.”
“At this level, the refined corpses begin to possess spiritual wisdom, talents, and divine skills, making them difficult to control by cultivators. Hence, it is necessary to incorporate a Magic Artifact during the refining stage, interweaving the lives of both, making it hard to separate.”
“In this way, one can use such a Magic Artifact to forcefully manipulate the corpse—of course, if the spiritually sentient corpse manages to seize the Magic Artifact, it can integrate it into the depths of its body, eliminating the danger of being restrained.”
“In the era of the White Bone Divine Palace, it might have been possible for Nether Ghost Path cultivators to refine corpses to the level of Flying Asura. But nowadays, no one in our sect does this anymore.”
“Everyone does the opposite: it’s not about refining others into high-rank corpses and going through great lengths to enslave them, but rather pursuing the path of Corpse Cultivation oneself… If one can become a Drought Fiend, their lifespan could be as long as heaven and earth, hardly inferior to that of an Earth Immortal.”
“For instance, our sect now has two Flying Asura elders…”
Wen Yang spoke eloquently about the knowledge of the Corpse Refining faction, captivating both Wei Dongliu and Jiang Liyan.
The two were not completely ignorant of this knowledge, having come across it in various readings, but certainly did not know as much detail as Wen Yang.
Corpse Refining, Corpse Refining, it used to be refining others, now it’s refining oneself. Indeed, in the Great Thousand Worlds, nothing is too bizarre.
At the end of the conversation, Wen Yang asked cautiously,
“Brother Wei, is there a Flying Asura within this White Bone Divine Palace?”
“Indeed,” Wei Dongliu answered frankly, “And the Magic Artifact that is entwined with its life is also within this White Bone Divine Palace.”
“Do you know how to use such a Magic Artifact?”
“That’s quite simple,” Wen Yang responded without hesitation. “Just drip Essence Blood onto it to acknowledge it as the master.”
“After subduing the Magic Artifact, once you have established a mental connection, it’s as if the Flying Asura’s life is at the whims of your thoughts.”
“You want it to walk, it walks; to run and jump, it does so; even if you order it to kill itself, it has no choice but to obey.”
“Of course, since it has the power to enslave a Flying Asura, no one would be willing to let it end itself. However, one still needs to guard against its schemes, as it has awakened spiritual wisdom and is by no means inferior to human cultivators.”
“If you let your guard down due to its flattering compliance, allowing that crucial Magic Artifact to be snatched by it, then you will face the most vicious and cruel vengeance from the Flying Asura. Our sect’s ancient archives have recorded several extremely terrifying cases…”
As they chatted casually with each other, they headed towards the main entrance of the White Bone Divine Palace.