Leaping into the cave dwelling, they entered a vast hall.
Perhaps due to the recent collapse of the formations, the hall appeared somewhat dilapidated, with numerous cracks crawling across the walls and plenty of rubble scattered inside.
The moment he entered, Gu Qingfeng deployed his divine sense to conduct a full-range sweep. This cave dwelling was far larger and more complex than he had imagined. Although the central formation eye had dried up and all formations had collapsed, the dangers within were not limited to formations alone; there were also various hidden mechanisms.
Soon after, True Being Qingning, Mu Zibai, Li Qiandong, Huang Yao, and the others also jumped down one after another.
“Who is he?”
Mu Zibai looked at Gu Qingfeng and asked.
“He is…” True Being Qingning also did not know Gu Qingfeng’s identity. She recounted in detail what had happened outside earlier.
Upon hearing that Gu Qingfeng’s warning had saved everyone, Mu Zibai let out a soft sound of surprise and asked, “I am Mu Zibai of the Yunxia Sect. May I inquire, sir…”
“Just passing by!”
Gu Qingfeng stood quietly, continuing to probe the layout of this cave dwelling with his divine sense.
Passing by?
“Senior Brother! This fellow doesn’t know what’s good for him. Why don’t we just drive him out!” Huang Yao suggested.
True Being Qingning glared angrily and reprimanded, “Huang Yao, how can you say such a thing? If not for him, we might all be dead just now.”
“I…” Huang Yao wanted to say more, but Mu Zibai waved his hand, indicating the cave dwelling was the priority.
True Being Qingning spoke up, “Same old rule as always. We move together, so we can look out for each other. If there are any cultivation resources inside, we split them equally.”
This was indeed the usual practice and the safest approach. After all, no one knew what dangers they might encounter within the cave dwelling. While acting alone meant you could claim any resources you found for yourself, it also meant you would ‘enjoy’ any dangers alone. Since one’s life was at stake, it was wiser to be cautious and move together.
“Any objections?” True Being Qingning asked.
Huo Yong and the others from the Fenghuo Sect had no objections, and naturally, Mu Zibai and his group from Yunxia Sect had none either.
However, to their surprise, Gu Qingfeng had an objection.
“You all stick together. I’ll just wander around by myself.”
Wander around?
Was a cave dwelling a place for casual wandering?
True Being Qingning wondered if she had misheard. “Fellow Daoist, you won’t join us?”
“No.”
Gu Qingfeng replied and quickly walked away.
“Hey, Fellow Daoist… Fellow Daoist!”
True Being Qingning called out a few times, but Gu Qingfeng had already vanished without a trace.
“Hah, a newcomer who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth… Why do we encounter such people everywhere?” Mu Zibai gave a faint smile. Although he possessed a Colorful Foundation and was somewhat proud by nature, he was by no means arrogant and was well aware of the dangers inherent in such ancient cave dwellings.
“Exactly! True Being Qingning, if he’s seeking death, let him die! Hmph! We offered to let him follow us, and he refused, wanting to hog the treasures for himself? Truly doesn’t know what’s good for him!” Huang Yao sneered. “Wander around? What grand talk! He looks like a complete rookie who’s never seen the world!”
Didn’t know what was good for him? Didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth? A newcomer?
Gazing in the direction where Gu Qingfeng had disappeared, True Being Qingning’s willow-leaf eyebrows were deeply furrowed. Although she couldn’t sense any trace of spiritual energy from Gu Qingfeng, and couldn’t fathom why he chose to act alone, calling him a rookie newcomer who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth… it just didn’t fit. Moreover, outside, this fellow had detected a formation eye even she couldn’t sense. How could he possibly be a rookie?
“Qingning, no need to worry about his life or death. Our time is precious. Although I concealed the entrance with a formation, just in case, we should act quickly.” Mu Zibai’s voice came through.
True Being Qingning nodded, putting the matter aside, and led the group inward.
...
The cave dwelling was vast, like a maze.
Gu Qingfeng walked briskly, his eyes holding a trace of puzzlement.
To tell the truth, he could be considered an expert at digging up caves and plundering treasures. Back when he cultivated in this world, he hadn’t engaged in such activities infrequently. After ascending to the Heavenly Realm, he had even dug up immortal abodes and demonic lairs. He could be said to have a deep understanding of cave dwellings.
Usually, once you probed and understood the layout of a cave dwelling, you could discern its age.
From the structure of the cave dwelling, you could deduce the supernatural techniques used to create it.
From certain clues and traces within, you could even speculate about the cave’s owner.
However, both the layout and structure of this cave dwelling puzzled Gu Qingfeng. He had excavated many cave dwellings but had never encountered such complex layout and structure. To be precise, it was exquisite and profoundly mysterious, not something an ordinary cultivator could have created.
Forget ordinary cultivators; even a great immortal from the Heavenly Realm would likely be incapable of forging such an enigmatic cave dwelling.
As he walked, Gu Qingfeng carefully examined various clues.
Although most of the formations inside the cave dwelling had collapsed, there were still quite a few remnants of formations. Gu Qingfeng inspected them and found that these formations had been laid at different times. The most recent was about a thousand years old, then two thousand, three thousand… He even discovered one formation dating back five thousand years.
Moreover, these formations were not the work of a single individual but many different hands. The formations were also diverse: defensive arrays, offensive arrays, traps… These were clearly battle formations.
He wondered what exactly had transpired within this cave dwelling in the past.
Opening a stone door, he entered another hall.
Inside were many skeletal remains, and scattered on the ground were Flying Swords and Magical Treasures. Due to the extreme age, these Flying Swords and Magical Treasures were mostly defunct. Without a second glance, Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, collecting all the Flying Swords and Magical Treasures into his storage. He figured he’d study them later; usable ones could be refined anew, useless ones could be treated as scrap metal.
After wandering a bit more in the cave dwelling, he opened another stone door and entered yet another hall.
This hall contained no skeletal remains, nor any Flying Swords or Magical Treasures. Instead, there were several people.
They were the group he had encountered outside: the two Chiefs from Yunxia Sect, one named Li Qiandong, one named Huang Yao, and that Huo Yong with his crew from Fenghuo Sect.
They seemed surprised by Gu Qingfeng’s sudden appearance.
“How did you get here?” Li Qiandong asked in a serious tone.
“Walked here, of course.”
Gu Qingfeng chuckled, noticing that True Being Qingning and that fellow Mu Zibai were not present. “Where are those two?”
“My Senior Brother and True Being Qingning went ahead to scout the path.”
So that was it.
Gu Qingfeng scanned the hall and immediately spotted a hidden mechanism within.
“Did you find any treasures?” Huang Yao asked.
Gu Qingfeng shook his head.
“I’m asking you a question! What does shaking your head mean!” the young man named Huang Yao shouted harshly. “Let me tell you, don’t be ungrateful!”
Gu Qingfeng ignored him, studying the concealed mechanism on the wall.
“Daring to ignore this young master! Looks like you’ve lived long enough!”