Chapter 45 – A Mountain Cave

The echoing roars of the demonic beasts filled the air. Li Guanqi quickly gestured for the group to stop.

They had arrived at the edge of the forest. Lush green plains and a towering mountain stretched out before them.

An almost transparent light membrane appeared in front of Li Guanqi.

Disciples from the Myriad Immortal Sword Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect were scattered around the massive mountain, running in all directions.

Among them, he spotted Zhao Xuanzhu holding an extraordinary spirit herb. It resembled a water chestnut with black roots and glowed with a soft pink glow. The other Purple Cloud Sect disciples also carried various rare herbs.

“Flower Rain Ghost Root! Violet Mushroom!”

Li Guanqi was surprised to see these tier-two herbs, which were so valuable that they were considered treasures of nature.

What concerned him most were the two gigantic demonic beasts nearby.

One was a Darkness Bat with a wingspan of six zhang, the other a zhang-tall Red-Eyed Demonic Ape. From their size alone, they were clearly at the Foundation Building Realm. Li Guanqi had no intention of engaging them head-on.

However, he was curious about what that place was.

The two beasts rampaged after the two teams of disciples, their movements shaking the earth beneath them.

Ye Feng nudged Li Guanqi and whispered, “What do we do now?”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment. He was about to speak when Sword Spirit’s voice echoed in his mind.

“

There’s something good in a mountain cave one hundred zhang away.

”

Li Guanqi swallowed his words, then asked internally, “

What is it?

”

“Taiyi Silver!”

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened. “

Really?

”

“

It’s up to you to believe me.

”

His gaze shifted to the gaping cave entrance in the distance. He hesitated. Was it worth the risk of bringing his whole squad?

After a brief pause, he made his decision. “I want to check out that cave. Are you all in?”

Zhong Lin rubbed his palms excitedly. “Of course! Those other disciples retrieved some spirit herbs. We’ve got to get some good stuff for ourselves too!”

Seeing the group’s enthusiasm, Li Guanqi nodded. “Good. Since the demonic beasts are still occupied, we’ll take this chance to slip inside. The moment things go south, we retreat immediately.”

Just then, Li Guanqi turned and spotted Ke Qin standing at the rear with a blank expression. Her eyes were red and swollen.

“I want to go too,” she said.

Her voice was devoid of emotion, as if she were a different person altogether.

Li Guanqi looked at her and said gently, “Since you have decided to change, you must take responsibility for that choice. Stop making that face. No one will force you to change if you don’t want to.”

Ke Qin rubbed her cheeks, her stiff expression softening slightly.

Seeing that she seemed calmer, Li Guanqi said, “Ke Qin, guard the cave entrance. If the two demonic beasts return, inform us immediately. The rest of you, follow me inside.”

The group prepared to leave the cover of the forest and go to the plains.

Ye Feng turned back to Ke Qin and said, “Don’t take it the wrong way. This is for your own good. We’re trusting you with our lives—don’t let us down.”

Li Guanqi commanded, “Now!”

Whoosh!

The five of them shot forward in a rhombus-shaped formation, crossing a hundred zhang in mere breaths.

The two demonic beasts remained fixated on the other disciples, now hundreds of zhang away, and failed to notice them.

Ke Qin took out a brown guqin[1], then hid behind a boulder protruding from the mouth of the cave.

The rest of them rushed into the cave, which stretched three zhang wide and three zhang high. Damp air clung to their skin, and the ground was very muddy. A rotting stench permeated the space, like the lingering stench of dead fish.

Li Guanqi furrowed his brow and extended his divine consciousness, scanning the cave. Everything ahead was laid bare to him.

As they ventured about one hundred zhang in, his heartbeat quickened, beating faster the further they went. The greater the distance from the entrance, the harder it would be to escape.

Slowly, the temperature fell.

At last, a faint glow emerged in the darkness. The passage widened, revealing a space about ten zhang wide. Two massive nests made of dried grass sat within.

The squad quickly ran around, searching for treasures.

Zhong Lin cried out excitedly, “Damn! There’s a large patch of Blue Valley Grass! This is amazing for refining Foundation Building Realm pills! This is at least a hundred years old!”

Without hesitation, he began harvesting as much as he could.

“Where’s the good stuff you were talking about?”

Li Guanqi asked Sword Spirit.

He knew her well. With her arrogance, there was no way she’d get excited over those insignificant spirit herbs.

Her voice was calm. “

Do you see that patch of water in the corner? It’s beneath it.

”

Li Guanqi quickly ran to the corner and found a cave pool three chi wide. It was only the entrance, and the space beneath was much larger.

Li Guanqi shouted, “Call me immediately if anything happens!”

To their shock, he dove into the pool.

The weight of the sword coffin strapped to his back pulled him down swiftly. His heart’s eye was blind in this murky darkness. He extended his divine consciousness but felt his energy draining fast. He had, at most, fifteen minutes.

With guidance from Sword Spirit, he quickly came to a wall in the pool’s depths. He saw a faint silver light on a patch of the stone wall.

“

What’s that?

”

Sword Spirit said, “

Taiyi Silver! It’s a basic material used by Golden Core Realm cultivators to forge magical items. Sometimes, spirit items still also use a little Taiyi Silver.

”

Without hesitation, Li Guanqi drew his sword and struck at the silver deposit.

But after striking at it for a long time, it still would not budge.

He was running out of breath, so he took a striking stance. Vital qi surged through him as he brought his sword down with full force.

Thud!

The whole deposit of Taiyi Silver broke free. He snatched it up just as his divine consciousness began to dim.

He was about to leave when Sword Spirit cried out with surprise, “

Huh? Wait! There’s some Black Spirit Clay at the bottom!

”

Just as Li Guanqi turned back, he heard shouts from above. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly cut the wall behind him, making his sword crack from the impact.

A golden chunk of rock fell from the wall.

He quickly grabbed the chunk and swam upward.

Then, he heard Ke Qin’s panicked voice through his jade slip. “

Leave! Hurry! The two demonic beasts are on their way back! They’re a hundred zhang away!

”

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Li Guanqi’s stomach dropped. It had only been a short while, yet the beasts were already so close.

Given their strength, they would all die unless he broke through to the Foundation Building Realm right now.

But if he did break through, he would be instantly ejected from the secret realm, leaving the squad behind to die.

With their speed, they would have to face the two beasts even if they ran out immediately.

What should I do... What should I do?!

Cold sweat sprouted from Li Guanqi’s forehead.

1. A traditional Chinese string instrument. It is a plucked seven-string musical instrument played by scholars. ☜