Chapter 214: The Ancient Battlefield, Pursuit of the Demonic Ruins
Song Yan sat across from him, with Xiao Ju and Xiao He flanking her on either side, unwilling to concede in presence. “The Immortal Dynasty’s ancient battlefield?”
He pondered.
He had certainly heard of the Immortal Dynasties. In ancient times, not only the Great Tang but every border kingdom had established their own Immortal Dynasties.
Where there were Immortal Dynasties, there were emperors.
Where there were emperors, there were ambitions.
Friction and conflict between the various Immortal Dynasties were ceaseless. Changping had been the greatest of their battlefields.
However, though Changping was the largest Immortal Dynasty battlefield recorded in history, it could not be called an ancient battlefield.
After the Battle of Changping, the strength and resources of the various Immortal Dynasties plummeted precipitously, and they quickly fell into decline.
As for what final catalyst had caused the Immortal Dynasties to vanish entirely, Song Yan did not know.
Though the Battle of Changping had been fought under darkened skies, with countless cultivators’ treasures undoubtedly scattered across the field, the battle had been too vast and too well known.
Over the ages, no matter how many treasures had remained, they had long since been dug up and carried away.
That Sheng Nian had summoned him all this way with talk of a big deal—it was now quite clear what the young master meant by “ancient battlefield.”
“What? Don’t tell me you know of an unexplored ancient battlefield?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
Sheng Nian produced an ancient talisman from his Cosmos Bag. It was red and purple in color, inscribed with archaic runes, and placed it on the table.
“I originally came to Yi River to explore an ancient cultivator’s tomb and cave dwelling. I did not expect that this cultivator had once served as one of the subordinate officers of a regional general in the ancient Qin Immortal Dynasty.”
“This artifact was placed at the very heart of his cave dwelling, among many other treasures.”
Recalling the trials within the secret realm, Sheng Nian let out a soft sigh. “To extract this item, I went to extraordinary lengths. The seal upon it was exceedingly peculiar. Forcibly breaking the seal actually caused my cultivation to drop a stage.”
Sheng Nian shook his head. “When we first explored that tomb and cave dwelling, no one knew what this item was for, so no one was willing to be the first to attempt breaking the seal.”
“However, during our subsequent exploration, we discovered some autobiographical writings and military texts left by the man. Within them were multiple descriptions of a battle from that era.”
“It appeared to be a small-scale engagement between three armies belonging to different Immortal Dynasties, clashing at Yangling.”
Song Yan interrupted abruptly: “Yangling? Where is that now?”
“Right here, east of Yi River.”
Sheng Nian continued: “According to this man’s records, the battle was extraordinarily fierce, with the three Immortal Dynasties’ armies evenly matched.”
“For reasons unknown, the battle was halted before it could conclude, with orders from each sovereign to cease hostilities. The battlefield was sealed before it could be cleared.”
“This man had been dispatched to seek reinforcements by his general’s command and survived by fortune. But he remained haunted by that battle, believing it to be rife with suspicion, and he wished to return to the battlefield to investigate.”
“This talisman was something he had obtained through tremendous effort—one of the keys to entering that ancient battlefield.”
Sheng Nian’s tone shifted. “However, this matter was clearly not so simple. The sealing formation there was no ordinary array. With this object alone, one could not enter. Perhaps some crucial element was missing.”
“The man established a cave dwelling near the site of the battle under the pretense of guarding an old friend’s spirit, secretly searching for a way to break the formation.”
“Though he never cracked the formation, he did discover certain patterns. In summary, roughly every sixty years, the formation reached a point where its seal was at its weakest.”
“When that time came, portions of the formation’s seal would fail. By then, offering this talisman would very likely grant entry.”
Song Yan’s brow furrowed. “Every sixty years?”
Sheng Nian nodded. “Indeed. The cultivator of that era was already nearing the end of his lifespan and naturally did not live to see the result.”
“In his final moments, he made a desperate attempt that failed. He ultimately passed away in bitter regret.”
Sheng Nian’s conversation with Song Yan was listened to with rapt attention by both Chen Jiping and Xiao Ju, as well as Xiao He.
Only the corpse puppet Ah Yuan seemed absent-minded. The crow Xian Xian had alighted upon his shoulder and was studying him with curiosity.
The corpse puppet reached out to stroke the crow’s head and received a peck from Xian Xian, which left a small wound on his palm.
Fortunately, he was already dead and felt no pain.
He appeared entirely indifferent to this earth-shaking secret.
It was Sir Song’s little crow that truly delighted him.
“So you are saying the weakest point in time has already arrived?” Song Yan asked.
“Not yet.” Sheng Nian shook his head. “But it should be soon. Two years at the shortest, five at the longest.”
He produced a red voice-transmission talisman from his Cosmos Bag and tossed it to Song Yan.
“This talisman exists in two halves, usable only for communication between the two of us. As long as you remain within the borders of Chu, the message will reach you.”
This was evidently a rather unique voice-transmission talisman. Song Yan toyed with it briefly before putting it away.
“You do not intend to simply wait here in vain?” he asked, somewhat puzzled.
Sheng Nian waved his hand. “I would not call it waiting in vain. I need to recuperate from my injuries, and I also intend to begin preparations for Foundation Establishment.”
He looked at Song Yan. “You too have reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining. If the opportunity arises, you should establish your Foundation as soon as possible.”
“I suspect this ancient talisman is not the only one of its kind. When the time comes, other cultivators will likely enter that ancient battlefield as well.”
“If we both enter at the Foundation Establishment stage, our chances of recovering the treasures within will be considerably greater.”
Establish Foundation as soon as possible…
Easier said than done.
But Song Yan nodded nonetheless.
“Aren’t there still many cultivators out there hunting you down? Resting and recuperating here—” he shifted the topic. “Are you not afraid of being driven to a dead end again, requiring me to fish you out?”
“Heh.” At this, Sheng Nian could not help but laugh.
“I fled before because I did not expect them to move so quickly. I was alone, and lamented my lack of strength…”
“But things are quite different now.”
“With Sword Immortal Sir Song at my side, why should we run? Why not turn the tables and wipe them all out, hm? What do you say, Sword Immortal Song?”
“Not to mention…” He gazed at Song Yan with a smile.
“Among their ranks, quite a few are cultivators from the Demonic Ruins, acting upon the orders of Liu Ciming of the Yellow Spring Path, who wish to kill you.”
“If we eliminate these men one by one, it will not only vent my anger but also make your journey far more pleasant. A perfect two-for-one bargain, wouldn’t you agree?”
Song Yan’s brow furrowed. “The Demonic Ruins?”
“The stronghold of demonic cultivators.”
Sheng Nian was succinct. “My future dominion.”
“Strictly speaking, it does not exist within this realm, but rather in the narrow interstice between the human world and the underworld’s gate.”
“The four great demonic sects—the Asura Sect, the Yellow Spring Path, the Seed Demon Sect, and the Joy Union Sect—all have their foundations there.”
Sheng Nian spoke with perfect ease, showing not the slightest concern for his sworn brother. “You disrupted one of Liu Ciming’s schemes in Changping. Naturally, he wants you dead.”
“But rest easy. You are merely a Qi Refining cultivator. As long as you do not deliver yourself to their doorstep, Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators will not bother risking everything to hunt you across the world.”
“And those Qi Refining fighters are no match for you.”
Song Yan understood. It seemed the so-called big deal was merely a convenient addendum.
Otherwise, summoning him from a thousand miles away to discuss something years in the future would be rather pointless.
The true purpose was to join forces and slay the cultivators pursuing him.
He chuckled. “It seems Young Master Sheng has not fared so well among the demonic path.” “Those Demonic Ruins brothers have some reason to hunt me, but what reason could they possibly have to kill you?”
Sheng Nian adopted an air of mystery and sighed. “Ah, it’s a long story. Best left untold.”
It did not matter. Song Yan was not particularly eager to know.
“Tell me, where are those Demonic Ruins cultivators now?”
Sheng Nian shook his head. “No rush.”
He gestured casually, and Song Yan followed his gaze to the demonic cultivator the corpse puppet Ah Yuan had dumped in the corner.
The man was drenched in blood, his breath faint as a thread. He had clearly lost all capacity to resist.
“If you wish to know, you can find out at any time.”
“For now, let us divide the spoils.”
Sheng Nian raised his hand, and the corpse puppet Ah Yuan understood the signal, laying all the Cosmos Bags before them.
Song Yan raised his eyes slightly and noticed that in the brief time that had passed, this awakened corpse puppet had already befriended the crow Xian Xian.
Why did this corpse make him feel so familiar?
“…”
While he was lost in thought, Sheng Nian had already broken the seals on all the Cosmos Bags.
“Sir Song saved my life this time. By rights, all of these should belong to you.”
Sheng Nian grinned and rubbed his hands together with excitement. “However, among the treasures these men obtained from that cave dwelling, there is one item of particular significance to me. I humbly ask Sir Song to part with it.”
“What is it?” Song Yan asked casually.
Sheng Nian produced an oval piece of spirit jade from one of the Cosmos Bags. It was dark gold throughout, warm and lustrous as fine fat.
It was small enough to fit in one palm, and under the light, faint golden spiritual radiance seemed to flow within the jade.
“Ancient Jade of Solitary Awakening.”
Sheng Nian held it with both hands, lifting the ancient jade before him, and slowly exhaled a turbid breath.
Song Yan, seeing the care with which he treated the object, felt a flicker of curiosity. “What is its function?”
“On the path of cultivation, whether you kill people, demons, or monsters, baleful energy accumulates upon you.”
“This substance is invisible and intangible, hidden within you. Normally it causes no particular harm. But when the time comes to break through a bottleneck, it can cost you your life.”
Song Yan’s brow furrowed. This concept bore some resemblance to inner demons.
Sheng Nian glanced at him. “For righteous cultivators like you, whether you act in self-defense or slay demons and monsters, the baleful energy from the few cultivators or demons you have killed is negligible. You need not even resort to treasures—cultivate in seclusion for a few years, and it will dissipate on its own.”
“But I am different. Every bit of my cultivation was carved out blade by blade. The baleful energy upon me is absolutely suffocating.”
Song Yan pondered. “Can this object dispel inner demons?”
Sheng Nian considered for a moment, his expression peculiar. “It cannot.”
“Inner demons cannot be dispelled by any external means. Talismans, formations, pills—they can only assist and suppress. To resolve inner demons, one must rely solely on cultivation of the mind. No outsider can help.”
Sheng Nian stowed the Ancient Jade of Solitary Awakening. “I want only this. Everything else is yours.”
Song Yan pushed back the Cosmos Bags of Jiang Chen and the two cultivators the corpse puppet Ah Yuan had killed.
“Your companion here also put in considerable effort. I am not one to accept rewards without merit.”
“Very well, very well. Heh heh.”
Sheng Nian took out some treasures from his own Cosmos Bag for Song Yan to choose from.
“These too I obtained from that cave dwelling. Take your pick.”
His haul from that tomb and cave dwelling consisted primarily of three things.
The ancient talisman was the first. All the spirit herbs and spirit grasses from the herb garden were the second.
The third was a supreme spiritual object of gold and earth elements, known as “Sunken Sand Mystic Gold.”
The rest were mere trifles, unworthy of Song Yan’s attention.
He was not inclined to be polite with Sheng Nian. Having saved the man’s worthless life, taking a few things from his pocket was only fair.
He first scanned over the spirit herbs and spirit grasses.
Truth be told, setting aside the ancient talisman, these were the most valuable items among the haul.
Many of the spirit herbs and spirit grasses were several hundred years old.
However, what disappointed Song Yan was that upon careful inspection, he found no trace of the Luo Zhen Vine.
Without hesitation, he claimed the Sunken Sand Mystic Gold.
Sheng Nian pretended not to mind, though his heart ached. But remembering that Song Yan had gifted him a fine blade, his spirits lifted once more.
The Sunken Sand Mystic Gold had originally been intended for forging a blade in his plans.
Now that Old Song had simply given him a ready-made weapon, it spared him the trouble of commissioning one.
Song Yan had previously ceased actively pursuing supreme spiritual objects, for even if he refined one now, without a completed Dao Foundation, his cultivation speed would not increase.
But now, facing Foundation Establishment head-on, his thinking had changed.
In the cultivation world, when cultivators established their Foundation, no strict hierarchy was officially declared.
Yet the technique a cultivator practiced, the arts they had honed over the years, even their habitual artifacts, talismans, formations, and pills—all of these would influence the Dao Foundation they built.
Without question, the Dao Foundations established by every cultivator under heaven could not possibly be identical.
Thus, in the unseen order of things, there would always be distinctions of quality.
It now seemed to him that his path of severing the spiritual and planting the sword—beneath the Suppression of the Dao Sword Mansion, the seed of the Sword Dao that had already sprouted—was his foundation.
Then if he could refine as many supreme spiritual objects as possible before Foundation Establishment, might he, in the unseen order of things, elevate the quality of his Dao Foundation?
After all, this was perhaps the simplest and most direct thing he could accomplish.
Song Yan gathered the remaining Cosmos Bags.
“When do we strike? Let me settle this quickly. I still need to make a trip to Dragon Spring Prefecture.”
Sheng Nian nodded and gestured for the corpse puppet Ah Yuan to drag the Demonic Ruins cultivator to the center of the stone chamber.
The cultivator’s cultivation had been crippled. He no longer feigned unconsciousness, but his body hung limp as mud, his mouth stuffed with rag, producing only muffled, unintelligible sounds.
Despair consumed him. Sheng Nian had discussed all these secrets with Song Yan without the slightest regard for his presence.
Without question, in the young master’s eyes, he had been a dead man from the very start.
Ah Yuan seized the crown of his head with one hand, holding him like a chick awaiting slaughter, and faced Sheng Nian with respect. “Young master, please.”
“Much obliged.” Sheng Nian leaned lazily against the stone stool. A wisp of black-purple demonic qi suddenly flickered from his fingertip, coiling like a nimble serpent into the Demonic Ruins cultivator’s brow.
He turned to Song Yan with a grin. “A crude demonic technique. Do not think less of me.”
With that said, he spoke no further. The demonic light at his fingertip flared.
The wisp of demonic qi plunged into the Demonic Ruins cultivator’s brow. The man convulsed violently, his eyeballs bulging, veins pulsing wildly beneath his pallid skin.
Xiao Ju watched with her heart in her throat.