After crossing the fourth peak, Elder Qin led the nine individuals to slow down and become cautious. After passing through several valleys, they arrived at a cave entrance.
Jiang Yun looked at the seemingly ordinary cave in front of him, which was quite different from his imagination of a Martial Venerable's abode. Elder Qin stood before the cave entrance and raised his hand, signaling everyone to temporarily stop.
As the cave door opened, there was a pile of beast bones resembling a small mountain in front of it. Elder Qin carefully approached, his aura emanating, and under the oppressive Qi field of a True Martial Realm cultivator, both Lin Feier and Ye Qin, who had relatively weaker strength, were sweating profusely.
Speaking of strength, Jiang Yun should be weaker than Ye Qin and Lin Feier. However, with the circulation of internal energy from the "Yi Jin Jing," Jiang Yun didn't feel much pressure from Elder Qin's aura.
Elder Qin cautiously moved step by step closer to the cave entrance, and just as his right foot was about to step in...
"Whoosh!"
An invisible gas shot out. If it weren't for Elder Qin retracting his right foot in time, this gas would have likely pierced through his leg.
Surprised, Jiang Yun was deeply shocked by this sudden gas attack.
It was an extremely sharp sword energy, seemingly invisible, but the sword intent contained within it was definitely no weaker than the Peerless Sword from the Yanjing Martial Arts Tournament.
According to Lin Shenhe's description, the Green Sun Martial Venerable had been deceased for over forty years, yet the sword energy left at his abode's entrance was still so intense. Jiang Yun couldn't imagine how terrifying it would have been if the Green Sun Martial Venerable himself had unleashed his sword forty years ago.
All along, Jiang Yun had a sense of superiority on the Lingwu Continent, believing that the martial arts he brought from Earth far surpassed this world. However, after witnessing this sword energy, Jiang Yun began to doubt if he had been confined to a narrow view.
With lingering fear, Elder Qin stared at the cave entrance, gradually retreating ten steps away from it. He then picked up a pebble from the ground and forcefully threw it towards the cave entrance.
"Whoosh!"
Another sword energy suddenly appeared, shattering the pebble upon impact.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Elder Qin threw three more pebbles, and each time, a sword energy emerged, reducing the pebbles to dust.
"This is an extremely powerful restriction. I believe there must be some mechanism controlling it, but for now, we haven't figured out where it is. Everyone, search carefully and focus on observing any concave or convex areas," Elder Qin instructed.
Elder Qin made a conclusive statement and continued, "Pay attention, do not approach within ten steps of the cave entrance. Based on my judgment, ten steps is the triggering distance for the restriction."
Jiang Yun also noticed the pile of beast bones near the cave entrance, which seemed to be accumulated at a distance of about ten steps. This confirmed Elder Qin's judgment.
The ten individuals split into five groups and began searching on their own. Lin Feier, who was timid, joined Jiang Yun's group, and the two of them examined the stone wall on the left side of the cave.
"Look, there's a small hole here."
Wang Qiyuan discovered a recessed area on the stone wall and couldn't help but speak up, drawing everyone's attention to it.
When Lin Feier curiously looked over, Wang Qiyuan, being his usual self, casually brushed his hair off his forehead, only to receive a disdainful glance from Lin Feier.
Elder Qin moved swiftly, and everyone felt a blur before seeing Elder Qin appear beside Wang Qiyuan. After careful observation, Elder Qin shook his head and said, "This shouldn't be the mechanism. Keep searching."
Disappointed, the group dispersed and continued their search.
"Hey, why is this part concave?"
As soon as Ye Qin's voice sounded, Elder Qin was by his side. Having witnessed Wang Qiyuan's experience earlier, Ye Qin wasn't startled.
Elder Qin looked at the concave area mentioned by Ye Qin, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper without uttering a word. Elder Qin's silence drew the attention of everyone, who gathered around.
Jiang Yun noticed that the concave area pointed out by Ye Qin had the shape of a mirror. This led him to think that it might be the switch for the restriction. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a peculiar mirror-shaped indentation on the stone wall.
Xiao Wanshan also noticed the mirror-shaped indentation and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He quickly exchanged a glance with Jiang He, their actions discreet and unnoticed by others.
"Based on the shape, it seems to be a concave area in the shape of a mirror. But there should be a key to open it," Elder Qin said after relaxing his brow.
"Could it be this mirror?" Xiao Wanshan took out an ancient bronze mirror from his pocket and handed it to Elder Qin.
When Jiang Yun saw this mirror, he felt an impulse to kill. It was because Jiang Yun was too familiar with this mirror, even remembering the patterns on it clearly. This mirror was once used during Jiang Yun's first birthday celebration.
Jiang Yun vividly remembered that his father took the mirror from him that night, and then the tragedy of his father's accidental death occurred. Seeing the mirror again, Jiang Yun couldn't help but feel anger surging within him. If it weren't for his strong self-control, he would have drawn his sword at this moment.
Stay calm, buddy. You must stay calm.
While repeating this mantra in his mind, Jiang Yun gradually calmed his anger. It wasn't the time to settle the score with Xiao Wanshan just yet.
Elder Qin took the mirror, gestured towards the concave area on the stone wall, and slowly inserted the mirror.
"Click!"
The mirror seamlessly fitted into the recess, and Elder Qin held the wooden handle of the mirror, turning it to the right. They heard the sound of a mechanism.
Returning to the cave entrance, Elder Qin threw a small stone inside. After about a minute of silence, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that the mirror was indeed the key to control the cave.
Elder Qin emitted a powerful aura and took the lead to step into the cave. This time, the invisible sword qi did not appear. The rest of the group followed Elder Qin's footsteps and entered one by one.
After entering the cave, Elder Qin led the group, including Jiang Yun, through the pitch-black corridor. Jiang Yun glanced curiously at the ancient sword on his back.
This movement happened to be caught by Lin Feier, who asked, "What's wrong?"
"Did you hear the faint humming sound coming from behind me?" Jiang Yun whispered.
"No," Lin Feier shook her head.
"It goes like 'dudu, dudu.' Can't you hear it?"
"That's you making the sound, not your sword."
"I know, I'm making the sound so you can hear it."
"..."
After Jiang Yun and the others entered the cave, a flash of sword light passed by the entrance. A young man with a long sword on his back appeared, displaying a graceful posture. He scanned the surroundings, took a step into the cave, but was forced to retreat by the invisible sword qi.
After pondering for a while, the young man with the long sword carefully inspected the area around the cave entrance. Soon, he found the location of the mirror, twisted it, and the restriction disappeared. The young man entered the cave.