Chapter 815: Anomaly
The camp at the edge of the canyon was a mess.
Dust mixed with a faint smell of blood, and the hearts of those stationed there were filled with various thoughts.
From deep within the canyon, faint sounds could be heard.
Although everyone was curious about what was happening in the canyon, they still needed to faithfully guard this place unless they received special orders.
Deputy General Luo was personally leading his troops to quell the rebellion; they had no right to merely observe.
The military’s ironclad rule was to obey all orders.
Violators would be treated as deserters or spies.
These people were, at most, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and no one wanted to test the effectiveness of military law in front of a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.
The tragic deaths of those three Foundation Establishment Cultivators were still vivid in their memories.
Even the strongest curiosity would dissipate under such immense authority.
Everyone felt as if they couldn’t take a single step beyond this small area at the mouth of the valley.
At the edge of the camp, in the same corner, Song Yan sat cross-legged, recuperating.
But most of his attention was focused on the golden-red ancient talisman in his hand.
Ever since Sheng Nian gave him this ancient talisman, it had remained motionless, and Song Yan only believed it to be the key to entering this Immortal Dynasty ancient battlefield ruin.
He imagined that before he slew the rebels today, others probably thought the same.
Now, this golden-red ancient talisman felt warm in his hand.
After absorbing thirty-seven streaks of crimson Spiritual Qi, upon closer inspection, the color of the ancient talisman seemed to have changed.
Among the golden and red colors, the originally vibrant red seemed to have dimmed considerably.
The color had become deeper, as if it had drunk its fill of fresh blood.
The gold also shone brighter.
"Absorbing deathly Evil Qi, Battle Intent, or vitality, Spiritual Qi?"
Song Yan pondered. If this ancient talisman could absorb crimson Spiritual Qi after he slew enemy generals, then the more he killed, the richer the crimson Spiritual Qi it collected would be.
From this perspective, it seemed a bit like an item for recording his merits.
In the armies of the secular Dynasty, recording merits for killing enemies usually relied on heads or specific tokens, such as cutting off ears as proof, in exchange for military achievements, promotions, and rewards.
In this Immortal Dynasty battlefield ruin, could those crimson Spiritual Qi be considered special tokens or merit points?
And this golden-red ancient talisman in his hand, capable of directly absorbing Evil Qi and blood Qi, would then be an automatic record of his merits.
This made sense.
But... "Wang Shengguang said he couldn’t see what was in my hand..."
Firstly, this naturally indicated that this talisman was not visible to everyone; perhaps the soldiers in this battlefield ruin couldn’t see it.
Only outside Cultivators could perceive it.
But if that were truly the case, then if he fought hard to kill enemy generals and earned merits, who would he claim rewards from?
They couldn’t see it either.
Changing his line of thought, perhaps this ancient talisman could allow its holder to enter this place, and also allow them to leave.
At worst, it would collect enough of that crimson Spiritual Qi, and then he would leave this place with no gains.
Song Yan’s thoughts spread out.
If collecting crimson Spiritual Qi could earn rewards or allow people to leave... then wouldn’t Cultivators like Chen Li, Wu Yun, and Wei Zhi, who didn’t have ancient talismans and were brought here by others, gain nothing no matter how many enemies they slew?
They might even be trapped here forever.
Song Yan couldn’t discern Chen Li’s methods for now, only roughly knowing that he was brought in by one of the three Foundation Establishment Realm Late Stage Cultivators who died earlier.
"..."
Song Yan pondered for a moment.
Regardless, the preciousness of this ancient talisman in everyone’s minds was now steadily increasing.
"Hmm?"
He suddenly felt some disturbance around him. He scanned with his Divine Sense but didn’t detect anything unusual... On the other side of the temporary camp.
Under the shadow of a tent, Chen Li frowned, staring in the direction of Song Yan and Wu Caidie through a narrow slit.
His brow was tightly furrowed, and a hint of gloom flickered beneath his lowered eyelids.
He had originally come here to explore a Secret Realm with another Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, but unexpectedly, out of the three of them, only he remained.
The changes in this ruin were indeed perplexing, but what he was more concerned about was the golden-red ancient talisman in Song Yan’s and Wu Caidie’s hands that had absorbed the crimson Evil Qi during the recent battle.
Wasn’t that thing the key to entering this Secret Realm... How could it change? Could it be used to leave this cursed place?
Or, could it be used to gain some benefit?
He thought long and hard. This Immortal Dynasty ruin was definitely not simple. If he could obtain some Opportunity from this place, it would certainly be a great help to his Cultivation.
The ancient talisman being able to take people out of this cursed place was one aspect, but what if it also contained some Opportunity... The fire of greed ignited in his heart. He lowered his head slightly and began to form several hand seals.
The shadows around him suddenly surged towards him.
Something was slowly condensing within the sleeves of his wide Daoist robe.
Chen Li suddenly whispered, "How is it?"
In the darkness, a Devilish Qi phantom gradually solidified.
"It failed, mo."
The dark Devilish shadow slowly shook its head: "That person’s Divine Sense is very strong, and his eyes are also a bit special. He might have Cultivated some kind of eye technique."
"I almost got discovered by him just now, mo."
"..."
Chen Li frowned upon hearing this: "Is this kid that strange?"
"Hmm..." The dark Devilish shadow nodded: "His perception is too keen. If we get closer again, it might alert him, mo."
Chen Li’s expression was somewhat grim.
"Useless thing..." He cursed a couple of times casually.
The False Form Heavenly Demon was a bit displeased: "Don’t curse, mo..."
It grumbled, sinking into the shadows, merging into Chen Li’s shadow, and disappearing.
This Devilish shadow was a secret technique he had Cultivated for many years. With just a wisp of Divine Soul, he could Cultivate a False Form Heavenly Demon.
It was almost formless and ethereal, extremely skilled at concealment.
It had been unfailingly successful in spying and stealing.
This was also his greatest reliance in infiltrating the Righteous Path of the Chu Kingdom’s Cultivation World.
He hadn’t expected to be thwarted by such an unknown person.
He immediately began to suspect this person’s identity.
Although this person wore a mask, anyone with discerning eyes could tell he was extremely young.
At such a young age, to possess Foundation Establishment cultivation, in a small place like Chu Kingdom, he couldn’t possibly be an unknown person.
"Song Yesheng..."
He had been involved in the Righteous Path for many years and had never heard of such a person.
"Surname Song?"
Hanging Sword Mountain had a Song Shuiming.
Cave Abyss Sect had a Song Zhenzong and a Song Yan.
He hadn’t heard of any others from the major sects.
"Wu Caidie... No."
Things that are sought but not obtained are the most captivating.
Chen Li carefully calculated, determined to get an ancient talisman.
The Cultivator who brought him here earlier also had one, but after Luo Zheng casually killed him, all the items they carried were confiscated by the army.
As a mere minor general and an outsider, he had no way of accessing them.
He didn’t even know where the three Storage Bags were.
But even so, the people on this battlefield who possessed this item were not simple.
Wu Caidie’s group consisted of three Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were inseparable. Wu Caidie and Wu Yun were even biological siblings, making it difficult to act against them.
The other Loose Cultivator also had fellow Foundation Establishment Cultivators accompanying him, so the difficulty was equally high.
After much thought, only the solitary Song Yesheng seemed the easiest to deal with.
However, he needed to wait for a suitable Opportunity and reason. Acting without cause, he feared that Deputy General Luo would be angered if he found out and would casually kill him.
Moreover, although this kid only had Foundation Establishment Realm Early Stage cultivation, his swordsmanship was quite formidable.
If he acted rashly, he wasn’t entirely confident.
Chen Li naturally wanted to leave this place, but he also didn’t want to leave this battlefield too early.
In places like this, with heavy Evil Qi, it was very suitable for some Mo Xu Cultivators to Cultivate Cultivation Techniques and secret arts.
Especially this Immortal Dynasty ancient battlefield, opportunities were everywhere.
He just needed to be more cautious... "General Chen, everyone, you are needed to temporarily guard this place."
Outside the temporary camp, figures flickered.
More than forty surrendered rebels were chained together.
Wang Qin, the attendant, faced Chen Li and the others, cupping his fist: "These surrendered soldiers are of great importance and need to be escorted back into the canyon to be dealt with by Deputy General Luo."
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Be sure to guard this pass tightly and never let another rebel escape!"
"If there’s any anomaly, use the whistling arrow as a signal, and our brothers nearby will immediately come to reinforce."
Wang Shengguang was actually just a personal attendant and minor general. Theoretically, he was on the same level as Chen Li.
Furthermore, he was generally easy to talk to and had a gentle demeanor, so his tone held no commanding authority.
"Understood."
This group of foreign Cultivators, led by Chen Li, was organized into a squad by Luo Zheng, so Chen Li naturally managed them temporarily.
Wang Shengguang then turned around, leading a team of temporarily reinforced troops, and escorted these ashen-faced captives towards the canyon.
They soon disappeared into the distance.
The commotion at the temporary outpost quickly subsided, leaving only Song Yan and the others.
All the Qi Refining Cultivators who came with them had already perished, and now only seven Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators remained here.
The tense atmosphere, instead of easing after Wang Shengguang and the others disappeared, became shrouded in an eerie silence.
After a brief silence.
Finally, someone spoke first: "Cough, Fellow Daoists."
Chen Li cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and forced a simple, worried smile onto his face.
"Wang Qin, the attendant, left with his men, leaving us seven here to wait..."
"What was that all about earlier, with the Evil Qi soaring to the sky and people turning into light?"
His questions came one after another: "These soldiers died without leaving bodies. What exactly was that thing?"
He deliberately avoided mentioning the golden-red ancient talisman, but in fact, every sentence he spoke steered the conversation in that direction.
Another Loose Cultivator, named Li Yan.
He was the third Cultivator present, besides Song Yan and the Wu family group, to possess an ancient talisman.
Hearing Chen Li’s words, Li Yan frowned slightly, glancing at Chen Li with a wary expression.
Among these people, his cultivation was neither high nor low, so it was better to be cautious.
He pondered for a moment, then immediately interjected: "Indeed, this cursed place is no place for people to stay."
"How are we supposed to leave? If we stay any longer, perhaps there will be more rebels. After quelling this rebellion, are we expected to go to war again? We can’t stay here forever, can we?"
"Don’t worry, you won’t stay that long."
Wu Yun was the youngest and the most irritable. He sneered: "Maybe tomorrow Luo Zheng will find us displeasing and just kill us for some random reason..."
Chen Li continued: "Indeed, in my opinion, with the changes in this ruin, there are no treasures to be found. It’s better for us seven to work together and find a way out first."
As soon as his voice fell, almost everyone’s gaze subtly focused on Wu Caidie and her two companions.
They weren’t fools; these three weren’t from Chu Kingdom. Traveling thousands of miles to Chu Kingdom to explore the ruins of this Immortal Dynasty battlefield clearly indicated they knew something about this place.
At this moment, Wu Caidie sat still, her expression under the veil unclear, but her beautiful eyes flickered slightly.
Seeing this, Chen Li immediately stepped closer, striking while the iron was hot: "Fellow Daoist Wu, at a time like this, please don’t be so secretive with us."
"I just want to leave this wretched place quickly. Any Heaven And Earth Treasure, I don’t want it anymore."
Chen Li’s tone was somewhat urgent, as if he wanted to leave right away.
"Those crimson Spiritual Qi, I imagine, must be key. Especially... ahem, especially the items in your hands that can absorb Spiritual Qi."
"After absorbing Spiritual Qi, this item seems to have changed. Could this be the key to our escape? Or could it trigger some profound mystery here?"
"I imagine this ancient talisman can bring multiple people into this place, and it can also take multiple people out."
"Then if we all work together, we can leave this place sooner, don’t you think?"
Wu Caidie’s long eyelashes trembled slightly as she met Chen Li’s gaze.
Her voice was still gentle, but it carried a sense of detachment.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you overstate it. The records stored in my family are too ancient and brief, mentioning this place only in fragments, saying it is an Immortal Dynasty Secret Realm, perhaps containing treasures."
"Such a scene as before us, a living army, with established military laws, and even Golden Core Realm generals in command..."
She shook her head slightly, the faint sense of confusion in her tone perfectly natural, not feigned: "I am also at a loss."
"As for this ancient talisman that absorbs Spiritual Qi, the Secret Realm my family elders entered back then was vastly different from this one, and it only served as a key."
"Although there have been changes with this absorption of Evil Qi, what exactly it’s for, whether it’s a blessing or a curse, I have no way of knowing."
Song Yan looked up at her a few times. This person spoke flawlessly, but after going in circles, she still hadn’t revealed any useful information.
He leaned against the side, already being cooperative enough, but he had remained silent, quietly listening to everyone’s discussion, his gaze occasionally sweeping across each person’s face, observing their subtle changes in expression.
And Chen Li also did not want to show his attention to Song Yan, deliberately not engaging him in conversation.
Just at this moment, an unexpected change occurred.
Boom—
A dull, colossal sound suddenly erupted from deep within the canyon.
In an instant, more than ten streaks of mixed-colored violent spiritual light shot up from the ground, soaring towards the clouds.
The ground also trembled slightly.
These spiritual lights, with the canyon depths as their core, slowly flowed, connecting and pulling at each other.
"Formation?"
What a terrifying Formation.
Even Song Yan was startled.
Even the Formation on Dragon Pool Mountain, from the perspective of Spiritual Qi fluctuations, was not as shocking as the one before them.
Before anyone could wonder, a violent pressure surged from the distant sky.