Chapter 360: Archeological Breakthroughs

In Jade Lake’s prison, the old man’s sole leg’s chain spread out as he brought the gruel mixt with dirt to his mouth.

“That Faceless should be dead by now. A hegemonic bow as Heavenly Wolf Bow will only accept those that look down on a ruler’s ambitions. And I already lost mine. I can only stand close to a lord with such ambition to have the right to use the Heavenly Wolf Bow.”

“But this Faceless is too adept at scheming, and even more so deranged, yet doesn’t lack resolve.”

“I wonder how he’ll die.”

“Who knows? Six died and not once did I find out!”

Chen Ming stood three feet away from the gate. The arrowhead even touched the gate when the bow was fully drawn. The arrow finally landed on the gate. It started to shine, its many inscriptions lighting up in succession then focused on the totem of a male archer shooting the sun.

The gate slowly opened, spilling out a thick red glow.

In Chen Ming’s mind, This is it! He wasn’t at all interested in graverobbing like the rest folks.

He waved to suppress the red glow but found it stopping a hundred li into the cave. It’s perfectly normal. The owner must have left a test behind to pass on his legacy. He wants to test the successor himself and not have a bunch of geniuses fight among each other.

Right, didn’t the old geezer said six Faceless died here?

Unable to gain approval they had to have tried wiping away its will. But this act, against a Martyr weapon, lead to the death of even Supreme Gold Immortal, if not gravely wounding them.

Did those six leave anything behind?

Chen Ming released his awareness, taking all in, but was met with disappointment. There was nothing there!

If the Faceless died, then they had to have left their masks behind.

That black-clothed woman must have taken them. I was a step behind!

Whatever, let’s not think about such heart-wrenching matter and see what the Heavenly Wolf Bow’s owner left behind.

Chen Ming walked through the gate and was met with a broad medicine field, with a stone stage in front of it. It wrote:

‘Traveling through the mortal world and the immortal path several times, yet coming back empty each time, I return without an answer after asking the lord. I await carving, with warm wine ready and gazing to Northwest. Thank you, Heavenly Wolf!

Successor, for you to enter my gate you must have led a domineering life without a lord. You need not greet, nor kowtow. On the stone stage lays the key to Heavenly Wolf’s immortal abode. If you can bind the key, you can take it with you.’

Ha-ha! I, Chen Ming, am not that kind of man. I am a peace-loving three principles abiding youngster.(1)

Chen Ming walked on the stone stage and saw the key. This place had to have a small paradise, a sacred place for an immortal clan, just like Jade Void Temple’s secret domain. But the difference was that this was a genuine world, though small. For the current Yan Mountain, if it moved in, it would be more than spacious.

I can also leave it on Expansion Star and let the disciples go in to cultivate.

I should refine it first and see what advantages it will bring.

Chen Ming held the key. It wasn’t much of hassle to bind it, the same way as one did with spirits. Easy to recognize, hard to keep.

The time wasn’t right to show one’s wealth, it is better to safeguard the abode.

It was important to bind the key so he would gain information on the abode and soon knew how to open it.

Chen Ming spent two hours on it and found the abode divided into Training Grounds, Pill Pavilion, Cultivation Field, Enlightening Temple, Medicine Garden, Beast Pen, and Heavenly Wolf Palace.

The last controlled the position of this abode. The Cultivation Field had dozens of Heaven Spirit Veins interwoven so that wherever you were, you would bump into one.

The entire world was on the small side when compared to Scarlet Tide Continent, but this didn’t thwart Chen Ming’s development plan.

Training Grounds had a Tower of Trials, similar to the one he got from Flying Sword Sect. This one could enact a larger battlefield and stronger targets. But the strongest that could enter was limited to Gold Immortal.

Once one was a Supreme Gold Immortal, in the words of Heavenly Wolf Abode’s owner, this tower had no more uses for him.

Chen Ming surmised this Tower of Trials was one big illusion array. Disciples trained inside with no fear of injuries, or the need for pills to recover.

It far surpassed his old one, but to Chen Ming this was normal. In the wake of increased realms, the hardship of cultivation amplifies. If one failed in overcoming them, he would have to face the bitterness of death.

In the cultivation world, where was it that said an immortal could cultivate for his entire life? It was meaningless because the only real cultivation was done in one’s youth, advancing in realms and gaining more power. As one grew older, his body would begin to wane, their auras dimming.

Of course, all those geezers of Jade Lake, enjoying food and the like, had a Youth Surpassing Gossip Geezer Aura, compensating for the age difference.

It was the same for that one-legged old-timer, who was once from Jade Lake. This guy had a Jade Lake’s representative aura, Old but Ambitious Aura.

Its effect would more or less stop the decay of auras as one got on in years.

Though it was of no use against a Supreme Gold Immortal, but that was beside the point. Yan Mountain only had poor old Chen Ming as immortal!

His thought on Supreme Gold Immortal and the like, Uh, ask me again after I train a bit, like three hundred years or so.

Pill Pavilion was also good, with many immortal tools cauldrons and furnaces. It doesn’t look like I’ll need Bu Liuhen’s. Wait, I do need them. Yan Mountain’s main commerce is pills and only these few items aren’t nearly enough for the near future.

The Medicine Garden had wood Spirit Veins enriching the soil, and even Heaven grade at that, fit for growing immortal herbs.

King ranked pills needed King herbs, with spiritual herbs as secondary ingredients. All Sovereign used them.

Immortal pills needed immortal herbs.

Those immortal pills were the most precious pills even in the entire immortal world. They were fought over at every chance.

So precious that there were little to no cultivators using them for cultivation. Most immortal pills were recovery pills, saving one’s life in desperate times. Cultivating was too wasteful of a use.

In general, only those who broke through would be willing to buy a cultivation pill.

But they’d have to fork blood and sweat to pay for it, but even then they were willing.

(1) refers to how a model citizen behaved in ancient China. The three principles are morality, wisdom, form. A model citizen had to have filial respect, be hardworking, ethical, responsible, qualified and strong