Chapter Thirty-Eight: Feigning Compliance

All the jade used for the Jade Gate was of an exceptionally rare variety; who could have imagined it would be used merely for a door? The wealth of ancient cultivators was truly astonishing. Yet Zhang Xiao felt something was amiss, though he could not immediately pinpoint what it was. He summoned his Bronze Armored Corpse and stepped aside. After all, this was the dwelling of an ancient cultivator—should there be any formations or prohibitions inside, Zhang Xiao could not guarantee his own safety. It was far more prudent to let the Bronze Armored Corpse act as a pathfinder.

As the Bronze Armored Corpse placed its hands upon the Jade Gate, deep within a dark, damp water prison beyond the door, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly snapped open. "How many years has it been? At last, someone has arrived," a hoarse voice echoed, barely able to conceal its excitement.

On the other side, Zhang Xiao had the Bronze Armored Corpse push open the Jade Gate, discovering there were no restrictions within. Instead, a grand palace appeared before him. He had the Bronze Armored Corpse lead the way and unfurled the Five-Colored Cloud Banner to shield himself, cautiously inspecting his surroundings step by step. He had to admit, though the architecture from the ancient era was not beautiful, it was immensely imposing. Grim stone carvings lined either side of the path. To be safe, Zhang Xiao summoned the Heavenly Sound Bell and smashed these statues to pieces; he was no archaeologist, and these carvings meant nothing to him. Only after destroying them did he feel at ease and pressed forward.

Suddenly, a booming shout rang out: "Ha ha ha ha! I've finally caught you! Prepare to die!" Zhang Xiao turned to see the foreign monk, who had already appeared not far behind him. At that moment, a monk's staff, suffused with powerful Buddhist light, smashed toward Zhang Xiao. The Five-Colored Cloud Banner unfurled to block the blow, but the strike consumed a substantial amount of Zhang Xiao’s spiritual energy. Yet within this ancient cave, there was not a trace of spiritual energy to replenish himself; relying solely on pills, he had barely recovered a tenth of his reserves, and this attack depleted them further, making him furious.

His body trembled, and scales covered him from head to toe. Zhang Xiao stepped forth with Divine Foot Techniques, instantly arriving beside the foreign monk, his three-inch-long fingernails slashing viciously toward the monk’s head. Since merging with the Crimson Blood Black Tortoise Armor, Zhang Xiao's defenses were equal to a ninth-tier artifact, and his fingernails were as sharp as any flying sword. Seeing this, Lazan had no time to withdraw his staff; his monk’s robe suddenly spread wide, blocking Zhang Xiao's claws. This robe was an ancient treasure, not quite a supreme artifact but offering defense surpassing even ninth-tier treasures. Zhang Xiao's attack could only shower sparks across the robe, unable to break through.

Suddenly, the robe expanded, enveloping Zhang Xiao in an instant. Lazan smiled, preparing to summon his staff and seize the opportunity to finish Zhang Xiao. Yet as he extended his hand, before the staff reached him, a set of sharp fangs bit fiercely into his wrist. Pain shot through Lazan as he turned to see the Bronze Armored Corpse, clutching his staff tightly. Caught off guard, Lazan had pulled the corpse in front of him, and his wrist was bitten; fortunately, his body had been transformed since entering the Monk Realm, its strength surpassing even the Nascent Soul stage. The Bronze Armored Corpse's bite, while unexpected, did not truly injure him. With a shake, Lazan freed his hand from the corpse's jaws and slapped its forehead. The Bronze Armored Corpse, though not very intelligent, instinctively raised the staff above its head, but Lazan switched from a palm to a grasp, seized the staff, and flung the corpse aside.

“Hmph! A mere bronze corpse dares to seize my treasure? Today I’ll see to it you never reincarnate!” With a sweep of his staff, Lazan conjured a golden lotus and hurled it toward the Bronze Armored Corpse. But just then, Lazan’s expression changed; he barely had time to mobilize his Buddhist power and shift his body a yard aside. In that moment, a golden light sliced through the robe, cleaving a deep fissure dozens of meters long where he had just stood. Lazan’s face turned pale—had he not been vigilant about the robe’s interior, that strike would have ended him. The golden light transformed into a golden sword, slashing the robe and splitting it in two. Lazan dared not move rashly; though the robe was immeasurably precious, the power of the golden sword made him wary.

Zhang Xiao stepped out from within the robe, a Buddhist wheel glowing behind his head, adorned with shadows of divine figures. The golden sword flashed back to the center of the wheel. Lazan, seeing the Buddhist wheel behind Zhang Xiao, was filled with both surprise and envy. He could tell that the wheel was different from before, likely a Buddhist treasure of the highest order, perhaps even a supreme artifact. Such treasures were objects of desire for Lazan; now, seeing a mere Golden Core cultivator wielding Daoist techniques yet possessing so many fine objects—including top-tier Buddhist treasures—he could not help but feel jealous.

Lazan’s eyes flickered, and he adopted a benevolent, dignified smile, appearing as a truly enlightened monk. He pressed his palms together and said, “Amitabha! So, you are also fated with the Buddha, good, good!” Zhang Xiao’s gaze turned playful as he stared at Lazan: “Master, what do you mean by that? Just now, weren’t you shouting to kill me?” Lazan’s expression did not change; he remained unbothered by Zhang Xiao’s mocking look and continued to smile. “A mistake, a mistake—a mere misunderstanding.” “A misunderstanding! Ha ha ha, yes, just a misunderstanding,” Zhang Xiao laughed.

In an instant, the two went from mortal enemies to seemingly long-lost friends, laughing together. Yet both their eyes harbored deep wariness. Truthfully, Zhang Xiao was not afraid of this foreign monk, but his spiritual energy was running low, and with no way to replenish it here, even if he slew the monk, his own situation would scarcely improve. Moreover, Zhang Xiao suddenly sensed something very strange: his journey here had been oddly smooth. For ordinary Golden Core cultivators, reaching this place would be nearly impossible, but for experts like himself and the monk, the corpse monsters were hardly obstacles. Staring at the palace before him, Zhang Xiao felt a surge of danger—this was why he was willing to feign cordiality with the monk.

Lazan’s thoughts were much the same, though his caution arose after Zhang Xiao revealed the Buddha’s Golden Wheel. Though Lazan did not recognize it, it was clear it was a supreme-tier treasure; even if Zhang Xiao could not wield its full power, a direct confrontation would leave Lazan defeated more often than not.

Thus, both were content to make peace, and together they approached the palace. Zhang Xiao could no longer rely on the Bronze Armored Corpse to lead the way, as it had been battered nearly to pieces by Lazan, its head barely intact. Were it not for its formidable vitality, it would have perished long ago. Helpless, Zhang Xiao recalled the corpse, silently vowing to upgrade it to a Silver Armored Corpse when he returned.

Upon entering the palace, both their faces changed. The vast hall was empty, but scattered traces of True Spirit Qi drifted about. True Spirit Qi is an exceedingly rare energy capable of repairing damaged souls; pills made from it are nearly miraculous, much like the Reincarnation Pill Zhang Xiao had once taken, which restored him from near ruin.

“No wonder!” Lazan exclaimed, as if struck by a realization. Zhang Xiao turned and smiled, “Has the master discovered something? Care to share?” Lazan had nothing to hide. “I believe you’ve already noticed, haven’t you? These shimmering motes are the legendary True Spirit Qi. I needn’t explain its effects—but its rarity owes to the fact that it is not born of heaven and earth, but artificially created.”

Artificially created! Zhang Xiao was shocked; he had never known this. Though both the Taiyin Xuanhua Manual and his master Kong Ling Daoist’s alchemical notes mentioned True Spirit Qi, they never described it in detail. Hearing Lazan’s words, Zhang Xiao was inwardly startled, though his face revealed nothing, leaving Lazan uncertain of how much he knew.

Lazan continued, “True Spirit Qi requires the souls of living people as raw material. You must know that those who previously entered here suffered soul damage after failing, likely because a portion of their soul was extracted. Their souls must have been converted into this True Spirit Qi. Who would have thought ancient cultivators could be so cruel?” Zhang Xiao’s face darkened upon hearing this, and he nodded, continuing with Lazan deeper into the hall. The further they walked, the denser the True Spirit Qi became—far more than a few dozen people could account for.

Considering the location of this cave, Zhang Xiao’s expression changed. Over tens of millions of years, though the land has shifted, it is possible this ancient cave has always been hidden here—on the frontier, where countless battles have been fought over millennia. The souls of those who perished near this cave were likely transformed into True Spirit Qi, which explains the abundance before them.

Fellow Daoists, thank you for your support. Guoshui bows in gratitude, especially to Crazy Daoist, Nie Xu, and Xuanbird Daoist for their many suggestions. Guoshui thanks you all, and hopes other readers will leave their mark in the book reviews—a simple gesture, but the greatest support for Guoshui! Thank you. Today, two minimum updates. Whether there will be a third tonight depends on circumstances, but Guoshui will do his best for three.