"There's movement!"
Lin Yue's eyes suddenly burst forth with a fiery light, and his heart was even more excited.
He saw the Stone Gate slowly crack open from the middle, like a bending crevice, resembling a black and white Tai Chi Diagram. It moved to both sides with a visible speed, gradually opening up the interior of the Cave Mansion to him.
"It really opened."
Lin Yue took a deep breath, restraining the excitement and joy in his heart as he carefully looked toward the interior of the Cave Mansion behind the door.
A simple, unadorned stone chamber appeared before his eyes.
The ceiling of the stone chamber was embedded with pearls that emitted a soft glow the moment the Stone Gate opened, instantly brightening the once gloomy chamber.
The stone chamber was not large, spanning only a few zhang in diameter, and inside there was only a table, a chair, a bed, and a statue, all made of stone and seeming quite ordinary.
Besides that—
In front of the stone sculpture, there was an old and faded blue meditation cushion.
On the stone table, there was a wooden box slightly larger than the palm of a hand and a blood-red lotus-shaped lamp, burning a wisp of dark red flame.
"Is this the Cave Mansion of a Five Rings Level secret..."
Lin Yue observed the entrance of the Cave Mansion for a moment, not daring to rashly walk inside. First, he took a branch and probed inside, then threw the branch in.
There was no sound at all.
Lin Yue's eyebrows slightly raised.
Not only was there no reaction, but he couldn't even hear the sound of the branch hitting the ground. Could it be that the sounds from inside the stone chamber couldn't escape?
It seemed that the stone chamber could be enduring a kind of Array Barrier.
After making sure there was nothing unusual, Lin Yue then walked in.
As he stepped inside the chamber, the blood-red lotus-shaped lamp on the stone table suddenly underwent a slight change, and the gloomy dark red flame flickered once.
The stone chamber felt like another world— not only was the air temperature just right, it also wasn't as humid as the cave.
"Is this all there is?"
Lin Yue looked around but didn't find anything else noteworthy.
The statue was of a ravishing woman dressed in royal attire, sculpted so lifelike that her face bore a compassionate, mournful expression.
Yet, the entirety of the statue was clearly made of stone, but the lips were an odd crimson, as if they had been smeared with fresh blood.
Lin Yue didn't dare to touch it, and instead turned his attention to the two items on the stone table.
The blood-red lotus-shaped lamp looked very extraordinary, and it was hard to tell what treasure it was.
He looked carefully and noticed that at the center of the blood-red lotus, the wisp of dark red flame was actually the lampwick. However, this lampwick itself was semi-transparent, with a dark glow circulating inside, making it look like a flickering flame at first glance.
Around the lampwick, there was a very thin layer of scarlet lamp oil which looked almost like blood.
Lin Yue didn't directly touch the lamp either. Such an unknown treasure, even if presented to him, would not necessarily be of use to him, a mortal.
After hesitating, he picked up the wooden box on the stone table.
The wooden box was larger than a palm, but very light.
Upon opening it with care, a few items could be seen inside.
A letter.
A flawless white Jade Pendant.
A glass box about the length of an index finger and two fingers thick, nearly colorless and transparent, half-filled with a gold-speckled crimson Essence Blood.
Looking at the items in the wooden box, Lin Yue felt a wave of nervous excitement.
Perhaps...
Among these treasures, there might be the hope that could save him.
He first picked up the white Jade Pendant and observed it closely.
The Jade Pendant was carved with what seemed to be an ocean scene. If he hadn't seen an aerial view of the sea, it would be difficult to make out from the carved waves and the central whirlpool.
As for the glass box containing the blood, a single push was enough to open a slit.
However, barely having opened the Glass Box, Lin Yue immediately smelled a faint fragrance wafting to his nose, somewhat like musk and also a bit like the scent of plane trees, unsure of whose blood it could be.
He didn't dare to smell further and quickly closed the Glass Box again.
After placing the Jade Pendant and the Glass Box back on the stone table, he then picked up the letter that was placed at the bottom of the wooden box.
The letter read, "To my disciple Lin Yue."
Lin Yue immediately understood that this was a letter written to a disciple.
He hesitated momentarily but nevertheless opened the letter and carefully read through it.
"Upon seeing these words, it's as if we've met, and unwrapping this letter brings a smile to my face.
"My child, if you are willing to return, by the time you see this letter, you should know that your master has already died. Are you pleased?
"It just so happens you no longer need to agonize over the trivial matters of what weighs more, gratitude or revenge.
"Your master has left behind a treasure for you, which could be of some use.
"This jade pendant is the 'Blood Jade of Myriad Spirits.' With just a drop of blood for recognition, you shall then understand the information it holds. Inside the glass box are the essence blood and soul of the Fire Phoenix. Once you have unraveled the mystery of the Blood Jade of Myriad Spirits, you'll naturally understand its purpose.
"In the past, it was I who wronged you, severing your path to the Dao. If you still aspire to pursue the Dao, after seizing a new body or reincarnating, this treasure will pave a smoother path for you.
"If you do not wish it, you may pass it on to a favored junior.
"No matter how I met my end, you needn't concern yourself. I have lived a life of solitude, often accompanied only by a meditation cushion and the Blood Lotus Lamp. If they interest you, then take them with you.
"Despite the Blood Lotus Lamp being a relic from the Demon Path which you may not favor, it nevertheless is an Array Barrier treasure personally crafted by your master. It merely requires fresh blood as fuel, saving mana. If you prefer not to use it, then leave it here.
"Wishing you safety."
The conclusion of the letter was signed, "With no Dao left to teach."
"No Dao?"
It was then that Lin Yue realized this was a final letter.
The closing phrase, "wishing you safety," was usually reserved for younger female relatives—evidently, a female disciple.
"An Array Barrier treasure?"
Lin Yue glanced at the Blood Lotus Lamp on the stone table.
He then began to understand why, when he had thrown branches into the stone chamber, they made no sound—it was because of the Array Barrier made by the Blood Lotus Lamp?
However, Lin Yue felt somewhat disappointed within.
This Blood Lotus Lamp, as well as the Fire Phoenix Blood contained within the glass box, might be treasures rare to find in the world, yet to his current plight, they seemed of no practical use.
"All that remains is this 'Blood Jade of Myriad Spirits'..."
Lin Yue took a deep breath, laid the letter aside, and picked up the flawless jade pendant, 'Blood Jade of Myriad Spirits,' from the table.
He then once again sliced open his already scarred fingertip, smearing a drop of fresh blood onto the jade pendant.
The drop of blood was rapidly absorbed by the jade, and the carved vortex within the depiction of the sea on the pendant gradually turned crimson.
At the same moment—
"Whoooosh..."
Lin Yue suddenly heard the sound of surging waves, as though the ocean was roaring in his ears, faintly accompanied by the booming of breakers upon the shore.
Then, a deep voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Lucky junior, I wonder if you are one of my Demon Path or from the Three Religions. Or perhaps a despised member of the Xiahong family?
"However, none of that matters now, for even I must become one of them... Heh, it truly is both pitiful and laughable.
"These two pendants were refined from my own body just before my demise, perfectly suited for those in need of reincarnation or possession. Any who have not broken through the Heavenly Barrier can take advantage of these pendants to cultivate the essence blood of the myriad spirits of the world, turning their bloodlines along with their souls into their own.
"Of course, activating these pendants requires a simple Blood Sacrifice. Either nine Cultivators who have broken the Five Elements Heavenly Barrier offer half their essence blood, or one Cultivator who has broken the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier offers half their essence blood. This should not prove difficult.
"Once the pendant thoroughly transforms to the color of fresh blood, the Blood Sacrifice is complete and can be activated, granting the ability to refine.
"However, this method goes against the natural order, granting only one opportunity that must be seized well. The essence blood of Divine Beasts is most excellent in this world, and for those whose Spirit Vein is fully cleared, success is the easiest."
Refine the myriad spirits of the world?
Assimilate their bloodlines and souls as one's own?
Lin Yue couldn't help but be taken aback.
Then, the same deep voice suddenly chuckled:
"Of course, the best choice in this world is the bloodline of the Divine Emperor himself, especially that of the Princes with the purest blood.
"Alas, he is the source of the Xiahong bloodline, and even I dare not covet a Prince's life; otherwise, I would surely invoke calamity from the Divine Emperor. This is all I will impart..."
With that, the deep voice gradually faded away into silence.