Chapter 924
In front of me
Chapter 924 In front of me
Pan Yun followed Xuan Miao into a cave. She pressed her hand to her chest to suppress her fear: "Luckily I was prepared, otherwise I would have been smashed into a pulp."
"If you can't even get into the cave, it's better to die outside than inside. At least we can collect your body."
Pan Jun touched his nose and looked around curiously, discovering that it was a large cave, dark inside, with no end in sight.
She felt a chill rising from her feet, quickly creeping up her spine, making her feel like she was being pricked by needles.
Pan Yun dared not joke anymore, swallowed hard, and clung tightly to her senior sister.
Xuanmiao also tensed her back, but this wasn't her first time here, so she was more experienced than Pan Jun.
She walked straight inside, stopped after nine steps, and Pan Yun seemed to be thinking. She reached out and touched the air, and sure enough, a barrier appeared in front of her. Because of her touch, waves rippled outwards.
Pan Yun could sense that this was a very powerful formation; she couldn't break it, and even planting the explosives she had was difficult.
Therefore, the contents inside cannot be broken.
Xuanmiao pressed the token onto the screen, made hand seals, and chanted a spell. A golden light emanated from the token, touched the barrier, and the water rippled, creating an opening. Xuanmiao grabbed Pan Yun and slipped inside. The formation quickly closed behind them, and the token passed through the formation and landed in Xuanmiao's hand.
Xuanmiao held the token in one hand and pulled Pan Jun along with the other, walking towards the depths of the black hole.
"It was locked inside?"
"Do not."
Xuanmiao led her for a long time, and Pan Yun thought they were going around in circles until she stepped on a tiny pebble. She lifted her foot, and the pebble rolled forward gently.
Pan Jun seemed to be deep in thought, and began to carefully observe her surroundings. She then realized that they seemed to be walking downhill all the time, but the slope was very gentle, and the darkness gave her the illusion that she was walking straight forward.
Here, they cannot use their elemental power, and spiritual energy is cut off, but she can sense the oppressive aura, as well as the humidity and smell in the air...
Through these experiences, a picture slowly formed in her mind. After walking for another fifteen minutes, Pan Yun felt that it was almost time.
The air here is very humid, yet there's a sense of restlessness, a contradiction. Most importantly, every step she took was incredibly difficult, as if she were carrying a thousand pounds on her shoulders.
Xuanmiao's face was pale, but she walked more steadily and lightly than Xuanmiao.
Pan Jun couldn't help but turn to look at her.
Without her saying a word, Xuanmiao knew what she was thinking. She said, "I was imprisoned in the outer cave for nine days. When I was first thrown in, it was difficult to even move a finger. They all thought I would be crushed, my flesh and blood seeping into the mountain wall, and I would die here. Even cleaning up my body would be very simple. Just throw me into the cave and it will eat me clean, leaving no trace."
Pan Yun's mouth gaped slightly; she hadn't expected the Zhang family to go to such lengths.
Xuanmiao remained indifferent, showing no sadness over the past: "I lay in the outer cave for three days before I finally touched a steamed bun and was able to chew. By the time they came to pick me up on the ninth day, I was already able to walk to the edge of the cave by myself, climb onto the basket, and be pulled out."
“Although my cultivation is not as high as yours, I have been to this cave five times, and this is the sixth time. I am more familiar with the pressure than you are.” Pan Yun said thoughtfully, “So, Senior Sister is so strong and resilient. The pressure training in this cave has also played a great role in her success.”
Her eyes lit up: "Then, if I want to come here often, like my senior sister?"
Xuanmiao looked at her quietly, and after a moment said, "You can give it a try."
Another barrier appeared before them. Xuanmiao pressed the token against it and made a hand seal to open the barrier.
The two entered one after the other, their imposing presence almost causing Pan Yun and Xuan Miao to kneel on the ground.
Pan Jun strained to look ahead and saw a huge creature lying there. Its body was pierced by chains, and it was curled up on the mountain wall, its eyes closed, fast asleep.
Those who cultivate the Tao can see at night unless they have a physical ailment, so even though it was dark inside the cave, Pan Jun could still make out the general shape of the large creature.
Pan Yun murmured, "What is this? It looks a bit like a wolf, but the body doesn't seem like one..."
"It has the patterns of a Taotie on its body," Xuanmiao said. "It was captured in the eighth year of Hongwu by the Zhang family, who gathered the strength of the entire martial arts world and set a trap on the grassland. In this battle alone, the Zhang family lost twelve disciples, and all the martial arts sects, including the Buddhist sect, lost a total of forty-two people. The one with the lowest cultivation level was the First Marquis, and the one with the highest cultivation level was the Third Marquis."
Pan Jun's mouth dropped open.
"After that battle, the veterans who participated all suffered hidden injuries and passed away one after another over the next twenty years. Among them were the eminent monk Master Yuanhui of Huguo Temple and the first generation of the Zhang family."
Xuanmiao said in a deep voice: "In the past twenty years, the Celestial Master's Mansion has led cultivators to seal thirteen demons and save hundreds of thousands of people. Therefore, after Hongwu, the number of cultivators in the world has dwindled. Almost all the seniors with cultivation at the third rank have been lost. Those who are still alive have gone into seclusion to recuperate and rarely appear in the world."
“I brought you here to let you know how difficult it is to seal them. Our Zhang family has been responsible for generations to guard them and prevent them from reappearing in the world and harming humanity,” Xuanmiao said. “Now that you have become the Imperial Preceptor and are going to take over the Dragon Map, you must shoulder this responsibility. If one day it has the possibility of breaking through the cage, you must seal it here even if it costs you your life.”
"In this internal strife within the Zhang family, why do you think Zhang Liuzhen was able to suppress Zhang Zhengchang and his grandson so easily? You should know that Zhang Zhengchang not only holds power in Xitang, but also, because Zhang Liuzhen's dantian was shattered, nearly a third of the people in Dongbi are biased towards Zhang Liuyuan. Of the remaining people, half are observing, and only a few, such as Zhang Ziwang, are firmly supporting Zhang Liuzhen."
“Even if the Crown Prince is legitimate, he is crippled in both legs, has little time left, and has no children. Every minister would hesitate to support his succession,” Xuanmiao said. “But in the final battle, we were able to turn the tables because Zhang Liuyuan took advantage of the fact that the academy was focused on reinforcing the formation to launch a sneak attack on the academy.”
Pan Jun pondered: "This is equivalent to the imperial army being fully engaged in resisting the invasion of the Xiongnu, but a certain prince, in order to seize the throne, actually launched a sneak attack on the imperial army from behind, almost causing the Xiongnu to break through the border and invade the south, resulting in the destruction of the country."
Xuanmiao: "Therefore, when Zhang Zhengchang and Zhang Liuyuan led their men to besiege the main courtyard, I was able to force those who had followed them to stand aside and not interfere in this struggle, and I was also able to gain more manpower to counterattack Zhang Zhengchang."
Xuanmiao said meaningfully, "Junior sister, if you want to stay in the position of Imperial Advisor for a long time and be stable, there are some bottom lines you can't cross."
Pan Yun immediately replied, "What are you thinking, Senior Sister? Of course, I prioritize the well-being of the world."
Xuanmiao nodded: "I hope you remember what I said today."
The beast exhaled from its nostrils, rolled over, slightly raised its eyelids, and spoke in human language: "You humans really look down on me more and more. Using me to educate your juniors in front of me, that's too much of an insult to me."
(End of this chapter)