Chapter 177: Chapter 127: The Conspiracy from 700 Years Ago
"Or you can continue to immerse yourself in intense cultivation for thirty years, and perhaps achieve the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation, with a chance to glimpse Foundation Establishment."
That being said, Pan Yang was destined to die the moment he acted against me.
"I’ll keep it for you, junior brother," Liou Yuan smiled widely.
Shortly after the battle between him and Pan Yang ended.
The dark silver light sphere that had devoured Liou Yuan’s Profound Brilliance Sword dissipated into nothingness in the void due to the exhaustion of the magic talisman’s power.
The Profound Brilliance Sword fell onto the White Jade Platform with a clang, and Liou Yuan picked it up, finding the sword’s body undamaged.
Recalling the might of the Profound Magnetic Spiritual Light and the momentum of Pan Yang’s blade, Liou Yuan sighed in relief: "Were it not for the Blood Imperial Spell gifted by the Jin Dynasty, the outcome today is hard to say."
Pan Yang’s strength indeed brought Liou Yuan a sense of crisis.
At the same time, the power of the Blood Absorption Chapter pleasantly surprised Liou Yuan.
Having just mastered the Blood Absorption Skill, today marked his first time using it in battle—it was truly powerful and exceptionally domineering.
"And this is merely the Blood Absorption Chapter. The Blood Imperial Spell contains two more spells. If I master them both, could I not dominate in the Qi Cultivation Realm?"
In a good mood, Liou Yuan muttered to himself, glancing at the remains of Han Zhenzi seated in the center of the White Jade Platform.
Besides the Foundation Establishment Array Disc in his arms, two Jade Scrolls were placed before him.
With Pan Yang dead, these two Jade Scrolls now belonged to Liou Yuan.
Liou Yuan swaggered forward, and to prevent any accidents, he first condensed a glove shape out of blood energy to wrap his fingers.
Only then did he reach out to grab the two Jade Scrolls.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected occurred during this process.
With the low growls of three living corpses beyond the array barrier echoing in his ears, Liou Yuan did not immediately inspect those two Jade Scrolls.
He turned his gaze instead to the Foundation Establishment Array Disc held in Han Zhenzi’s arms.
The value of a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact is unquestionable, and Liou Yuan’s eyes grew hot with interest.
Yet Han Zhenzi’s remains were clearly in an abnormal state—their green fur inspired dread in Liou Yuan, deterring him from touching them.
"Let me see what’s so strange about these remains," Liou Yuan muttered, his eyes glowed with a purple hue as he employed his Evil Eyes to scrutinize the remains.
The Evil Eyes can detect changes in spiritual power and spiritual qi, and even glimpse the truth to some extent.
Although not as effective as the Fixed Star Compass, they are still useful at certain times.
Under his gaze, the remains of Han Zhenzi began to emit a green eerie light.
That light was terrifyingly creepy, flowing like liquid within the body of the remains.
With just a glance, Liou Yuan felt an inexplicable chill arise in his heart, raising goosebumps all over.
"This aura has to be at least Foundation Establishment level!" Liou Yuan thought to himself, alarmed.
Han Zhenzi has been deceased for centuries, how could there still be this power within his body?
Moreover, as Liou Yuan continued to observe.
He discovered that the green eerie light circulating on Han Zhenzi’s remains followed a fixed trajectory.
If all the paths of this trajectory were mapped out, it formed the pattern of a grotesque ghost face.
The pupils of the ghost face stared at Liou Yuan with a ferocious gaze, locking eyes with Liou Yuan’s pair of Evil Eyes.
Simultaneously, a whispering murmur in a language Liou Yuan couldn’t understand sounded in the air.
Startled, Liou Yuan jumped back several steps.
The ghost face appeared poised to leap from Han Zhenzi’s body and lunge at Liou Yuan.
"Something’s wrong!" Liou Yuan’s heart raced, his hand clenched on the Profound Brilliance Sword, ready to strike.
At the critical moment.
Hum! The Foundation Establishment Array Disc held by Han Zhenzi suddenly burst forth with pure white light.
The ghost face forming within Han Zhenzi was suppressed by the radiant light, unable to break free from Han Zhenzi’s body.
"Phew!" The crisis was thus resolved.
Liou Yuan’s forehead was drenched, and he gasped uncontrollably.
Without doubt, if the ghost face within Han Zhenzi’s remains had emerged, he wouldn’t have had even the chance to resist and would have died then and there.
Coupling this with the presence of three living corpses beyond the array, and the ghost face within Han Zhenzi, Liou Yuan reached a conclusion.
"Han Zhenzi’s death must have been peculiar."
Han Zhenzi, skilled in arrays, guarded by living corpses, was inherently a bizarre circumstance.
Furthermore, Han Zhenzi’s remains showed signs of becoming an evil corpse, making things even more enigmatic.
Based on Han Zhenzi’s posture of holding the Foundation Establishment Array Disc before death, Liou Yuan deduced that he must have sensed something alarming before dying, compelling him to clutch his own Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact to suppress the ominous presence within.
With all these clues combined, Liou Yuan’s mind conceived a bold hypothesis.
"This place is essentially a Corpse Nurturing Land." Glancing around the valley, Liou Yuan’s confusion gradually turned to shock.
"Han Zhenzi was murdered."
"This abode’s existence was deliberately leaked."
Liou Yuan had previously wondered why the presence of a Foundation Establishment abode was recorded so straightforwardly in a book like the Jiuli Travelogue.
Who released the map?
It couldn’t possibly be Han Zhenzi himself.
Who wishes for their resting place to be disturbed? Unless that person was insane.
Thus, there’s only one possibility; it was the presence which murdered Han Zhenzi that deliberately released it to lure external cultivators into here.
"This is a complete conspiracy." In an instant, Liou Yuan figured it all out.
As for why they needed to lure other cultivators into here.
Liou Yuan still couldn’t guess the reason for now.
Calculating the time, Han Zhenzi has been dead for seven hundred years; even if the one who killed Han Zhenzi was in Foundation Establishment, they should now be at the end of their lifespan.
Even if there was any scheme, there shouldn’t be an opportunity to implement it now.
"How lucky." Thinking this, Liou Yuan revealed a thankful expression.
He was fortunate, and wisely didn’t move the Foundation Establishment Array Disc.
If he had taken the Foundation Establishment Array Disc, who knows if he’d still be alive?
"Alas, I missed out on a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact." Understanding the intricacies, Liou Yuan finally abandoned the idea of taking the Foundation Establishment Array Disc.
Foundation Establishment Magical Artifacts are good, but they are insignificant compared to his own life.
"I will leave it here, and come retrieve it after achieving Foundation Establishment."
Liou Yuan reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact.
Fortunately, not everyone can access this place; since it’s been undiscovered for seven hundred years, it should still remain after he establishes Foundation.
So Liou Yuan calculated his loot, which just amounted to two Jade Scrolls.
"Could be worse, just depends on how much I profit." Liou Yuan muttered, already contemplating leaving.
The three living corpses outside the array are formidable, but with the Stepping Wave Body Skill and his intent to leave, Liou Yuan could definitely escape.
Before departing, Liou Yuan glanced at the remains of Han Zhenzi, narrowing his eyes.
After some hesitation, he took out the Fixed Star Compass.
He had always felt that the ghost face within Han Zhenzi was not simple, and needed to investigate further for peace of mind.
"Perhaps it’s a Calamity-level Star Evil."
Since the Fixed Star Compass was already charged, it would be wasteful not to use it; even if it wasn’t a Calamity-level Star Evil, it wouldn’t be ordinary either.
Liou Yuan’s heart surged with excitement; if it truly was a Star Evil, he already planned to immediately return to Five Extremes Mountain to report its presence.
Then, utilizing the sect’s power, he’d eradicate this Calamity-level Star Evil and reap another reward for free?
Thinking up to this point, Liou Yuan recited incantations, activating the Fixed Star Compass.
Hum! The Compass’s energy surged.
Encompassing an area within a kilometer’s radius centered around the White Jade Platform.
A miniature map of the valley appeared above the Compass’s pointer.
The only two spiritual objects, the Jade Scrolls, had already been pocketed by Liou Yuan, hence they didn’t appear on the map.
No other places showed light points of spiritual objects either.
The only marking on the map was the presence of the Foundation Establishment Compass held by Han Zhenzi.
The map displayed a snow-white point of light.
Liou Yuan’s eyes focused below the snowy white point, observing that the light hues depicted on the map suppressed a bunch of green luminescence underneath.
It was precisely what he had glimpsed with his Evil Eyes—the ghost face within Han Zhenzi’s body.
[Detected 1st-level Alien Evil Corpse aura.]
[Danger level: Class Alpha.]
[Slay the Alien Evil Corpse to receive reward: Netherworld Baptism]
