: Traces Left in the Mysterious Cave, the Key Vanished

The stone gate slammed shut behind them.

At the end of the passage was a grotto carved into the mountain, complete with a stone table and shelves. A rusty bronze whisk hung on the wall, and the alchemy furnace in the corner had long since cooled. The air was filled with the scent of ink that had been sealed for thirteen years.

Xiao Yunsheng's twin sword pendants on his chest suddenly became inexplicably hot, so he had to take them off and hang them on the hilt of his sword.

Shen Lingxi's gaze fell on the stone tablet in the center of the cave, on which were engraved three powerful characters. She subconsciously read them aloud, her voice filled with disbelief and shock: "Xuanqi Cave... This is Zhang Qixian's former hermitage in Yanyu Mountain?"

Zhang Qixian, this name marks the beginning of the entire chaotic era.

Thirteen years ago, it was he who led two Qilin cursed beasts to help the Great Cheng Iron Cavalry pacify the Mugu clan, and was personally appointed as the Xuanqi National Preceptor by Emperor Wuyang!

Ten years ago, Emperor Wuyang suddenly passed away. The new emperor Chengtian executed him at the state banquet and also poisoned the two Qilin. However, he did not expect to miss a young Qilin, which was eventually obtained by Zhan Beijiang!

Seven years later, Zhan Beijiang overthrew the Great Cheng Dynasty, only to be burned to death by the Qilin.

Xiao Yunsheng was naturally unaware of these secrets, but Shen Lingxi was very clear about them.

Before the words were finished, the cave floor suddenly trembled violently, and dozens of golden stone blades shot out from the stone walls on both sides, tearing through the air as they hurtled towards the two of them!

The blue bricks on the ground sank down at the same time, revealing the grooves underneath engraved with star trails. The star patterns in the grooves lit up, and the intruder's aura was instantly locked in. The trajectory of the stone blade also changed accordingly, leaving very little room to dodge!

"Stay calm! These mechanisms seem to have bound our souls, moving at our whims!" Shen Lingxi warned sharply, instantly activating her innate sword seal. A golden light formed a barrier around her, temporarily blocking the incoming stone blades.

But the stone blades' attacks became increasingly intense, and fine cracks appeared on the barrier, causing her breathing to become erratic.

Xiao Yunsheng lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure darting out through the gap in the stone blades, and the Guixuan Sword was drawn from its sheath in response.

Instead of swinging his sword to cleave the stone blade, he aimed the tip of his sword directly at the core groove of the mechanism—the very heart of the entire mechanism!

This time, he used the most powerful of the three styles of Flowing Clouds: Flowing Clouds Breaking the Moon!

The sword's momentum lost all its sharpness, and the sword energy steadily flowed into the pulse point, causing the originally turbulent stone formation to suddenly stop!

With a soft click, all the stone blades fell to the ground, and the star pattern went completely dark.

The second stone door deep inside the cave slowly opened as the formation subsided, revealing the inner chamber.

The two exchanged a glance and slowly stepped into the inner room. The runes on the walls of the inner room instantly lit up, and golden-red flames rushed towards them, carrying a pressure that could burn everything!

The scorching heat rushed over, and Shen Lingxi's sword seal barrier was instantly sizzling as it burned!

Her face turned pale, and she staggered back half a step: "This is the Qilin's primordial heart fire!"

"Primordial Heartfire?" Xiao Yun Sheng was also circulating his energy to resist the heat, but the twin sword pendants on the hilt of his sword suddenly shook violently!

He grasped the twin sword pendants with his hand, only to find that the pendants were no longer hot; instead, a gentle warmth flowed from his palm into his body and mind.

On the wall of fire, a lifelike Qilin totem is clearly visible!

This unicorn stands tall with its head held high, its eyes bright and piercing, its four hooves treading on clouds, its body surrounded by flame-shaped ribbons and swirling clouds, exuding holiness and majesty!

On the neck of the Qilin, there was a pendant, but the pendant was now a groove!

Xiao Yunsheng looked closely and saw that the shape of the groove was exactly the same as the shape of his twin sword pendants!

Shen Lingxi, who was standing to the side, was gradually retreating, unable to withstand the heatwave.

Without much hesitation, Xiao Yunsheng took off his sword pendant and, in one swift motion, pressed it into the groove!

The flames on the fire wall gradually subsided, and the Qilin totem slowly lit up!

As the heatwave gradually subsided, the entire interior was revealed to the two of them.

Right in the center stands an ancient stone platform!

The two exchanged a glance, approached the stone platform, and saw a scroll of animal hide sealed with gold thread on the platform.

The four walls are covered with complete illustrations of the coexistence of national destiny and cursed beasts, recording Zhang Qixian's life.

But Xiao Yunsheng's gaze immediately fell on the corner of the mural.

The pigments used to depict the Qilin totem and the destiny of the nation showed two layers of paint – the bottom layer had long since oxidized and turned black, while the top layer, with its new paint, was clearly applied within the last three years.

"There's something wrong with this mural!" Xiao Yunsheng said in a deep voice, his fingertips tracing the new patterns on the mural.

Shen Lingxi picked up the manuscript on the stone table, her fingertips tracing the lines of vermilion annotations. "This manuscript has also been tampered with."

"Zhang Qixian died at a state banquet in the imperial city back then, so it was impossible for her to return to Yanyu Mountain to complete these murals!" she added.

Opening the manuscript, lines of ancient, simple characters slowly unfolded before my eyes:

"I am Zhang Qixian, the twenty-seventh generation descendant of the Xuanheng Guanmai clan."

The Xuanheng Guanmai clan is a clan that coexists with the fate of the nation, balancing the destiny of heaven and earth.

With the boundless power of the people, we give back to the destiny of our clan.

However, in times of chaos, the fate of nations is weak, and even the most powerful are not necessarily strong.

The day when the very foundation of my lineage will crumble is drawing near!

Drive the Qilin to save the world, strengthen the nation's destiny, and nourish our people!

I hope my actions will not affect the grand scheme of things!

The second page of the journal, completely unrelated to the first page, describes the process of the Xuanheng Guanmai clan raising cursed beasts. Their clan can be traced back to a dynasty a thousand years ago, and they have raised more than thirty kinds of cursed beasts!

There are cursed beasts representing the fate of a nation, cursed beasts representing the fate of a clan, and even cursed beasts representing a sect!

Turn to the second to last page, there are only a few words, just one sentence: Cursed beasts do not interfere in human affairs!

Are cursed beasts detached from human affairs?

That's why Zhang Qixian said, "I hope my actions will not affect the general trend of heaven and earth."

He forcibly brought the two Qilin into the world to help Da Cheng pacify the world. Although he brought about the unification of the world and the survival of his clan, he also completely destroyed the symbiotic balance between the national destiny and the cursed beasts, which brought about his own death and sowed the seeds of Da Cheng's destruction.

The last page of the journal, with its vermilion annotations, sent a shockwave through both of them!

Because this line of handwriting is different from the previous handwriting, it is clearly the work of a second person:

"As long as the flames of the Qilin have not been extinguished, the destiny of the Great Succession has not ended, and the lineage of Xuanheng will not be extinguished."

Firstly, everyone thought that Da Cheng had already perished, but Fen Yun Jin Lin was still alive, which shows that Da Cheng's fate was not yet over.

Secondly, the person who wrote this annotation claimed to be from the "Xuanheng lineage," meaning that there are still descendants of the Zhang family alive!

Xiao Yunsheng's fingertips traced the line of cinnabar characters, his brows furrowed.

Who is this person? Why did he complete the murals and leave behind notes and annotations?

What was his purpose in leaving behind these secrets?

Countless questions surged in their minds, but what surprised them even more was that below that sentence was written the complete method for opening the Qilin Altar.

"Using the twin pendants as the guide, the innate sword seal as the key, and the Qilin heart fire as the medium, when the three items are gathered on the night of the full moon, the Qilin Altar can be opened."

Both Xiao Yunsheng and Shen Lingxi saw solemnity in each other's eyes.

They have twin pendants, and Shen Lingxi has a natural sword mark, but what is the Qilin Heart Flame?

Xiao Yunsheng closed the animal-hide notebook and carefully put it away close to his body.

Just then, the stone wall at the deepest part of the cave suddenly slid open to both sides, revealing a passage leading to the other side of the mountain!

At the end of the passage, the outline of the main peak of Yanyu Mountain could be vaguely seen, and the air was filled with a magical aura several times stronger than that of the outside world.

Shen Lingxi's expression hardened slightly. "My grandfather once said that the core area of ​​Yanyu Mountain is where Qilin resides year-round. The magical power is chaotic, and the terrain is treacherous. Ordinary cultivators who step into it will almost certainly die."

Xiao Yun Sheng looked up at the end of the passage. He wanted to find out the truth behind his father's tragic death and uncover all the secrets behind this chaotic world! He wanted to ensure that neither the Tianque Sect nor the Qingyun Sect would have any more abandoned members!

He didn't say anything, and stepped into the passageway.

Shen Lingxi did not hesitate at all and followed his footsteps into the passage.

Half an hour later, they walked out of the cave passage. Here, ancient trees reached the sky, and the earth veins were covered with flowing spell patterns!

The scorching heat of the air was overwhelming, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, without even the chirping of insects or birds. The only sound was the whistling of the wind through the ancient trees, carrying a chilling and menacing tone.

Just as the two had regained their footing, a cold sneer suddenly came from not far away, and a young figure dressed in the Jade Toad Sect's martial attire slowly walked out, with the Jade Toad Sect's young sect leader's black jade token hanging at his waist and a poisoned bone blade in his hand.

The aura emanating from him was several times stronger than that of the Jade Toad Sect disciples he had encountered before, clearly indicating that he was one of the most elite members of the younger generation of the Jade Toad Sect.

"Xiao Yunsheng, Shen Lingxi, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The boy licked his lips, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty killing intent.