Chapter 138: The Return to the Source of All Methods

Li Yanchu had never imagined that his own master was actually so well-known. But judging from Daoist Master Yuanyi’s reaction, there seemed to be a faint hint of hostility in that instant.

Daoist Master Yuanyi gave Li Yanchu a slight smile and said, “Don’t overthink it. Your master and I have no grudges. On the contrary, we’re old acquaintances.”

Seeing that Li Yanchu’s brow remained furrowed, Yuanyi continued, “It’s just that... back in our younger days, he once slapped me across the face.”

“...” Li Yanchu.

And you’re saying there’s no grudge?

At this time, Daoist Master Yuanyi swung his ancient-looking longsword and sliced off a piece of his robe before handing it to Li Yanchu. The others followed suit, each tearing off a strip of cloth from their garments and giving it to Li Yanchu as well. Then, they resumed their search through the tomb for the missing Master Huizhen and Wang Yunting.

Though the tomb was lit with lamps, it still exuded a bone-chilling, unsettling atmosphere. The rows of cold, solemn terracotta warriors were especially eerie; they were so lifelike that it felt as if they might come to life at any moment.

“Hey!” Granny Chang suddenly exclaimed, “This terracotta warrior is strange.”

Immediately, everyone hurried over. Looking in the direction she pointed, they immediately saw the difference: this warrior stood out from all the others.

The rest were clad in heavy armor and wielded weapons, exuding an oppressive killing intent. But this one appeared to be holding something with both hands, as if cradling an object. Even stranger, it wore a smile.

A smile on the face of an otherwise lifeless terracotta warrior... gave it an eerie, unsettling feel.

“What do you think this warrior was originally holding?” Bai Hongtu asked curiously.

“It doesn’t look like it was anything large,” Li Yanchu said, studying the posture. “Judging from the way its hands are positioned, it could’ve been something round, like a mirror, maybe.”

He then walked over for a closer look. The reason he thought of a mirror wasn’t just because of the warrior’s odd hand placement; he happened to be carrying the Eight Trigrams Mirror he’d taken from Daoist Jinfeng, which made the idea of a mirror spring to mind.

After hearing his suggestion, the others quickly agreed that it sounded plausible.

“Now that you mention it, it really could’ve been a mirror or a compass.”

Bai Hongtu reached out and gently pressed his hand against the terracotta warrior, only to watch in astonishment as the figure instantly disintegrated into dust and vanished in a

puff

of gray ash.

“What!?” Bai Hongtu’s eyes widened.

In the midst of all these solemn, menacing warriors, this smiling, weaponless one was strange enough as it was. The object it had once held was now nowhere to be found. And now, just from a single light touch, it had turned to ash?

Frustrated, Bai Hongtu rubbed his temple. “I didn’t even use any force. It turned to ash on its own,” he explained.

Hearing this, Li Yanchu frowned slightly and stepped closer to another terracotta warrior before gently tapping it with his finger. He immediately felt a distinct, solid hardness; clearly, this one was made of a tough, durable material. He touched three different warriors in a row but found none that crumbled to ash like the strange one from earlier.

“Strange... What exactly is going on here?” Li Yanchu was filled with confusion.

He turned his head, and to his shock, Master Shenshan, who had just been beside the terracotta warrior, had vanished!

“Where’s Master Shenshan?” Li Yanchu asked Daoist Master Yuanyi beside him.

After he heard Li Yanchu’s question, Yuanyi furrowed his brow slightly as he turned to look. Just moments ago, Master Shenshan had been standing right next to the warrior, but now, he was nowhere to be seen.

The two had been standing side by side, and Yuanyi had only been distracted for a moment by the warrior that had turned to ash. And in that brief instant, Master Shenshan had disappeared.

At this time, the chamber fell completely silent. In fact, it was deathly silent.

Just then, Yuanyi’s neck stiffened involuntarily as he slowly turned to look among the terracotta warriors. After all, Master Shenshan’s cultivation was on par with his own. For someone or something in this tomb chamber to make such a powerful cultivator vanish within arm’s reach, it had to be a formidable and terrifying existence.

At this time, Bai Hongtu’s face darkened as well; he clearly realized the same thing. Everyone’s mood plunged into despair once again, as if they’d fallen into an icy pit. This deep, silent tomb chamber now appeared more eerie and menacing than ever. It had already swallowed three people alive.

But Li Yanchu’s gaze radiated righteous determination. With a clear and upright heart, he showed no trace of fear. He immediately activated the Art of Pursuit, attempting to locate Master Shenshan using the scrap of clothing he had left behind.

Just then, a faint stream of golden aura emerged from the fragment of cloth before gently swirling in Li Yanchu’s hand as if it had a life of its own.

With that, Li Yanchu closed his eyes and focused deeply. The aura was extremely faint, as though a powerful force was deliberately blocking his senses. However, the Art of Pursuit was a specialized Daoist technique designed to locate lost people or objects. With his spirit power enhancing it, the golden current finally gave him a clue.

Moments later, Li Yanchu opened his eyes and said in a low, firm voice, “Master Shenshan is still in this tomb chamber!”

The moment the words left his mouth, he stepped forward decisively, striding in the direction the aura indicated. At the same time, Bai Hongtu and the others quickly followed.

This tomb chamber was filled with strange and ominous energy, and was able to swallow three living, highly cultivated people whole. The pressure it exerted on them was suffocating.

At this point, Li Yanchu had become the key figure in the search for the three missing individuals. Whether or not they could uncover even the faintest clue depended entirely on whether his Art of Pursuit would work.

Roughly when they reached the southeast corner of the deep, shadowy tomb, Li Yanchu suddenly stopped in his tracks and furrowed his brows. That faint, indistinct sense he’d been following had abruptly disappeared!

Without hesitation, he took out a Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman and pressed it to his forehead. This was not a Deity Summoning Art, but rather a way to use the pure yang Divine Dao aura imbued in this Daoist talisman to dispel and resist the interference of dark, sinister forces.

Sure enough, even though he hadn’t actually invoked the divine power of the great Spirit Officer of the Heavens, this pure yang aura was still vast, sacred, and immensely powerful.

Just then, a refined and potent force flooded into Li Yanchu’s mind. His thoughts instantly cleared, and his eyes gleamed with a renewed spiritual light. In an instant, the fatigue and weariness weighing on his body vanished in an instant, and his Art of Pursuit was strengthened as well.

All of a sudden, The connection that had just been severed reestablished itself. And not only had it returned, it now seemed to have pierced a crack through the mysterious force that had been obscuring the trail, And that crack was slowly expanding by the second.

At this time, Li Yanchu’s eyes grew even brighter.

“Master Shenshan should be right here!” he said as his gaze locked onto the face of a lifelike terracotta warrior.

Its facial features were stern and dignified, exuding intense killing intent. Even after a thousand years, it still gave off an uncanny sense of realism, especially its eyes, which were so vivid and piercing it felt as if it were staring directly at him. And most disturbing of all, no matter where he stood, those eyes always seemed to follow him.

Just then, a flicker of caution rose in Li Yanchu’s heart, and he held himself back from touching the warrior directly. Instead, he took out a talisman, using his qi to control it and slowly guide it down onto the terracotta warrior’s body.