Zhang Shisan, Master Ku, and Bi Zhen were busily working outside to uncover the stone tablet, while at the same time, Xiao Miele and Liu Liu were also under great pressure.
Xiao Miele and Liu Liu were now in a strange place.
This place was a huge stone cave. Looking around, it seemed almost boundless. Despite its vastness, the cave was not dark. The entire stone ceiling emitted a soft, gentle glow, illuminating the cave in a clear light.
A massive stream of water poured down from the cave’s ceiling like an inverted silver dragon, splashing droplets and raising mist that filled the surrounding air. Beneath the waterfall stood a giant black stone. Though countless years of rushing water had battered it, the stone remained unscathed, without a single dent. Facing the entrance were three large characters carved into its surface—Qian Jin Ye (Thousand Gold Smelter).
These three characters resembled a mix of seal and clerical script. Each character was nearly a zhang (about ten feet) in size. It was unclear who had written them or how they had been engraved.
The torrent of water cascaded down and divided into two streams, flowing along the rock walls to either side. The river surged with thick mist rising from its surface, disappearing into the unknown.
In the center of this immense cave stood several stone houses built from the same black rock. Though made only of stone, they were tall and magnificent, with courtyards, halls, and chambers arranged in order.
At this moment, Xiao Miele, Liu Liu, and the motionless Mei Qing were standing within this courtyard.
“Protector, do you think they… won’t follow us in here?”
Liu Liu was sweating heavily, still frightened by Xiao Miele’s earlier behavior. He looked around nervously as he asked.
“You can rest assured. This is a secret location of our sect, left behind by our ancestors. Even… hehe, no need to ask too many questions. Go first to the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall and check whether the Eternal Cold Iron has been mined yet. Our recent actions have had some issues, so we can’t act for a while. If that cold iron also runs into problems, I’m afraid you and I won’t be able to explain ourselves.” At this point, Xiao Miele seemed to recall something, and his usually cheerful voice grew solemn.
Liu Liu could only nod in agreement. Xiao Miele glanced around, then looked at the silent Mei Qing beside them, grunted, and walked into one of the stone houses on the right. He had cast several spells earlier, which had drained his energy. Now that they were here, he wanted to return to his meditation room to recover.
After Xiao Miele left, Liu Liu finally exhaled deeply. Glancing at the still figure of Mei Qing on the ground, he angrily kicked him. However, the kick only left his toe throbbing with pain. Hugging his foot, he groaned in pain for a while before angrily shouting toward the courtyard entrance, “Come out! Take this kid and lock him in the stone prison at the back first!”
At his call, two thin figures, as frail as sticks, stiffly stepped forward. They grabbed Mei Qing by the arms and dragged him toward the rear.
Spitting on the ground, Liu Liu turned and walked down a small path. As he walked, his mind involuntarily drifted back to the past, and he felt a mix of fear and regret.
Back then, he and his brother had merely used the name of the Incense Sect to swindle villagers and gullible women in the countryside for money and minor gains, without any grand ambitions. But everything changed the day several mysterious and strange individuals sought them out.
His elder brother became the Grand Patriarch, and Liu Liu the Second Patriarch. However, the sect now had four new Guardians, as well as several newly appointed Altar Masters and Commanders. At the very top was an unseen Supreme Patriarch, whose name and appearance were unknown to all.
Though he and his brother bore the titles of Patriarchs, anyone who understood the sect knew that the real authority lay with the Left and Right Guardians, who themselves obeyed only the unseen Supreme Patriarch. The two brothers were merely puppets, used only for show whenever their presence was needed.
Thinking back to the first time he saw those strange individuals display their skills, Liu Liu couldn’t help but shudder. Those were the real cultivators, weren’t they? Take this strange place, Qian Jin Ye, for example. Though he had entered it several times, he still couldn’t figure out how to enter or exit.
And thinking of the lifeless, mechanical zombies working in the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall sent a chill up his spine.
The first time he was ordered by a Guardian to find various human sacrifices to bring here, he had felt some reluctance. Especially when he saw the village fool from the east village, whom he had tricked, transformed into such a state, he had vomited until his stomach was empty.
But when the white-haired, cold-faced Left Guardian sneered and said either he could find people to bring here or he and his brother would be turned into such creatures themselves, Liu Liu quickly realized there was only one path before him.
Thinking back to the years since, he had either tricked, bought, or abducted hundreds—perhaps close to a thousand—people into the sect.
Sin? That was just something to fool others, just like his title of Patriarch. Although in recent years, he had learned a few spells here at Qian Jin Ye, he knew in his heart that his skills were merely for show, meant to fool the ignorant masses. Take, for example, the scholar Yang Jin who had been sent here a couple of years ago. In just a short time, the techniques he secretly witnessed were beyond anything Liu Liu could imagine.
But recently, something seemed to have happened within the sect. Batch after batch of people were sent out on unknown missions and never returned.
Now, the number of people remaining at Qian Jin Ye also seemed to be dwindling. Otherwise, the Right Guardian wouldn’t have assigned him, the so-called Second Patriarch, to run errands and check on the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall.
It wasn’t out of respect for his position, but because the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall was a crucial location for the sect. Normally, even as the Patriarch, he wasn’t allowed to enter freely.
Combining all these recent events, Liu Liu couldn’t help but feel that the Incense Sect was facing some kind of trouble.
Thinking back to when they first arrived, the two Guardians had suddenly returned to their rooms and after a short while came out, hurrying his older brother away with a group of people to do something unknown.
Thinking of his older brother, who was no better than a useless fool, Liu Liu felt a chill in his heart. Today’s operation had been initiated by himself, following the instructions of the Immortal, urging the two Guardians into action. Yet something about it felt off.
Sighing, Liu Liu muttered to himself, “One step at a time.” As he sighed, he slowly walked along the winding path.
The Ten Thousand Ghost Hall was not its real name. Within the sect, it was actually known as the Wind Altar. The sect had four internal altars—Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning—merely symbolic names, like the four characters Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, without deeper meaning. It was called the Wind Altar because it was responsible for mining the iron ore within the cave, and thus remained the least known.
Besides the human sacrifices brought in from outside through deception or purchase, those within the sect who had committed offenses were also transformed through spells into soulless, undead creatures and sent here. Over time, rumors inevitably spread, and thus it came to be known as the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall.
Later, when the sect’s Guardians heard of this name, for reasons unknown, they did not stop it. Instead, they even adopted the name themselves.
Though called a hall, the Wind Altar was actually managed by only two individuals—more precisely, only two living individuals. It was located deep within the cave. Following the winding mountain path upward, one would soon reach the mid-level cliff where the entrance to the Ten Thousand Ghost Hall lay.
The Wind Altar was directly under the supervision of the Right Guardian. Ordinary people couldn’t even approach the entrance, let alone enter. Liu Liu was allowed to come here only because he frequently delivered human sacrifices, and had been granted a jade pendant by the Right Guardian. It was precisely this jade pendant at his waist that allowed him to walk freely along this path without being destroyed by the hidden magical formations.
Strictly speaking, this might be the only privilege he had as a Patriarch, beyond that of ordinary members.
But such a privilege brought Liu Liu no sense of superiority whatsoever. In the end, these people treated him no better than a servant or a dog, throwing him a bone only when they needed him.
But they would never guess, not even in their wildest dreams, that even a dog like him had his own secrets and leverage.
Thinking of this, a faint smile finally appeared on Liu Liu’s otherwise gloomy face.
But soon, he suppressed that hint of a smile, resumed a solemn expression, and hurried forward along the winding path.
Dealing with those people required absolute caution—any small mistake could be fatal. Liu Liu felt proud of his own prudence and sharpness.
As Liu Liu was lost in his own calculations, Xiao Miele, in his room, completed his cultivation and let out a long breath.
There was no helping it. For some unknown reason, this cursed place made practicing and casting spells unusually difficult. Even the use of magic required far more energy than usual.
He had no idea how that person had discovered this place.
Thinking of that person, Xiao Miele’s eyes turned toward a strange painting hanging on the wall. The painting was simple, just a few strokes outlining a head and facial features, very crude.
Yet Xiao Miele dared not show even a hint of disrespect. Though it was only a painting, he only dared to glance at it twice before quickly averting his gaze.
Sighing, the Right Guardian thought bitterly to himself about the bronze tripod—the tripod. Why had he, in a moment of impulse, listened to that kid Liu Liu and taken it outside?
Now, they hadn’t gained any benefit, and if the tripod couldn’t be recovered—his eyes stole another glance at the painting, and the ever-present smile on his face turned slightly bitter.
“I wonder how yesterday’s arrangements have been handled?” As Xiao Miele was lost in thought, the painting on the wall suddenly came to life. Its eyes and eyebrows suddenly became vivid and lifelike, and it even spoke.
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