Chapter 616: Chapter 616: The Forbidden Land of Spirit Mountain_1

The second floor of the Elixir Tower was significantly more complex than the first, with numerous rooms and shelves that likely once housed abundant information.

However, it was now deserted, its contents visible at a glance.

Upon ascending to the upper level, Zhang Xian headed straight into a room, his gaze landing on a wooden table.

The contents of the room had been thoroughly cleared, leaving the shelves against the wall empty. The only thing that stood out was a creamy-white crystal about the size of a baby’s fist resting on the table.

The spiritual energy fluctuations he had sensed earlier came from this crystal on the table. They were incredibly faint, almost imperceptible.

"What’s that?" Mo Shaoyun asked curiously.

Zhang Xian picked up the white crystal and answered, "This crystal is somewhat like a spirit stone, but not quite. It’s more likely used for storing information."

"Storing information?" Mo Shaoyun asked, looking at Zhang Xian.

Zhang Xian nodded and said, "Yes, it’s somewhat similar to the modern concept of leaving a message on a phone. It was a commonplace communication tool in ancient times."

Mo Shaoyun hesitated before prompting, "Check what it says."

Zhang Xian nodded and cautiously extended his spiritual consciousness into the crystal.

Typically, such crystals contained defensive formations. Those left behind by powerful individuals possessed extremely formidable defenses. If one attempted to probe their contents without knowledge of the decryption method, they risked backlash from the formation—a milder consequence led to damage to the spirit and a reduction in cultivation, while the most serious outcome could result in a mental breakdown and insanity.

"Huh?"

Zhang Xian was afraid of any backlash, so he dared not be too rash.

However, upon extending his spiritual consciousness towards the crystal, he encountered no resistance and smoothly entered its interior.

In an instant, a vast amount of information flooded his brain through his spiritual consciousness.

"This is... Alchemy Comprehension. This is truly surprising and also thrilling," Zhang Xian remarked after digesting the information.

Presently, he could be considered a half-baked alchemist, equipped with various alchemy methods. But the information in his possession was limited, and without anyone to impart wisdom, progress had to be found through self-exploration.

At this moment, he had fortuitously obtained a portion of Alchemy Comprehension, which would undoubtedly prevent him from taking many detours on his future path of alchemy.

"Wow, this Alchemy Comprehension really is extraordinary," Zhang Xian half-comprehended the Alchemy Comprehension and marveled at its brilliance.

The alchemist who used to be at Spirit Mountain was undoubtedly a grandmaster. Although the comprehension he left behind was succinct, every sentence hit the nail on the head, pinpointing problems expertly.

After a thorough examination of the Alchemy Comprehension, he felt enlightened, as though listening to someone’s advice was more fruitful than reading for ten years. Places he had struggled to understand now appeared clear, and he had a much deeper understanding.

"What’s inside?" Mo Shaoyun nudged Zhang Xian.

Emerging from his absorption in the Alchemy Comprehension, Zhang Xian smiled and said, "It’s the Alchemy Comprehension left by a predecessor."

"Alchemy Comprehension? Is it useful?" Mo Shaoyun asked curiously.

Zhang Xian looked at Mo Shaoyun and responded, "Isn’t that an obvious question? Alchemy Comprehension is like having someone give me a lifetime worth of alchemy experience. Don’t you think that’s useful?"

"Is it that good?"

"Did they forget it or did they intentionally leave it behind?" Mo Shaoyun asked, puzzled.

"They left it on purpose."

Zhang Xian explained, "She made it clear in there, saying she wanted to leave something in this world, so she left the Alchemy Comprehension, hoping that those destined for it would inherit it."

"So, you are the one destined for this?" Mo Shaoyun looked at Zhang Xian and asked, "Is it some beautiful lady?"

Zhang Xian was taken aback and asked, "How did you know?"

"Actually... it is a beauty?" Mo Shaoyun asked, eyes wide.

She had asked the question randomly and didn’t expect the person who left the Alchemy Comprehension to be a beauty.

"Um..."

Zhang Xian gave a wry grin and said, "I don’t know if she’s a beauty, but she definitely is a woman. She has a nice voice and sounds young."

"And... she has a nice voice and probably young?" Mo Shaoyun angrily grabbed Zhang Xian’s waist and demanded, "Tell me the truth, are you interested in her?"

"I... I am interested in her?"

Zhang Xian facepalmed and said to Mo Shaoyun with a bitter smile, "My dear, aren’t you a bit too jealous? She’s a grandmaster alchemist from ancient times! If she were still alive today, can you even imagine how high her level would be? She could obliterate me with just a glance!"

"Is... is that so?" Mo Shaoyun looked somewhat embarrassed.

Indeed, her question was absurd. The person was from ancient times. How could they possibly be connected?

"You..."

Zhang Xian looked at Mo Shaoyun, exasperated, "I really have nothing to say. How could you even think of that?"

"Is it my fault?" Mo Shaoyun countered.

Zhang Xian wiped his nose and said, "Alright, alright, it’s my fault."

Mo Shaoyun huffed, "At least you know that. If it weren’t for you being such a flirt, would I be this upset?"

"Yes, yes, it’s all my fault." Zhang Xian held Mo Shaoyun’s hands and chuckled, "Since I’m being so honest, how about a kiss?"

"Dream on," Mo Shaoyun shoved him away and ran downstairs.

Zhang Xian paused, then quickly chased after her, "Hey, honey, wait, what’s the hurry? We haven’t done anything substantial yet..."

Mo Shaoyun ignored Zhang Xian and slipped away downstairs.

"Ahem..."

Zhang Xian rushed to the ground floor to find that Mo Shaoyun and Blood Soul were already by the door.

He cleared his throat as he approached them, asking, "Where’s Xiao Huo?"

"Roar..."

Blood Soul pointed towards the outside.

"Went out?" Mo Shaoyun frowned, "What on earth is that creature up to?"

Blood Soul shrugged and shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.

"That idiot."

At the corner of Zhang Xian’s mouth, a twitch formed unnaturally. "Let’s go find him. We’ve pretty much searched here. Time to break the formation."

Mo Shaoyun and Blood Soul exchanged a look before following him.

"Roar..."

At this moment, a figure rushed over—it was Xiao Huo, who had run out earlier.

Upon reaching Zhang Xian, Xiao Huo bit onto the hem of his trousers, pulling him energetically in one direction, showing extreme excitement.

"What did you find?" Zhang Xian asked.

Xiao Huo nodded and lifted his front paw, pointing in one direction.

"Good boy." Zhang Xi’an chuckled, bearing no resentment towards Xiao Huo, and quickly charged in the directed path.

He knew that Xiao Huo was rather picky and that it typically displayed indifference towards ordinary items. If Xiao Huo was showing excitement, it surely meant that something worthwhile was present.

The two humans and the beast sprinted together, gradually reaching more remote locations.

Before long, a cave appeared in the distance. Next to the cave stood a stone tablet, inscribed with the words ’Forbidden Area’.

"Uh..."

Zhang Xian had been excited at the thought of finding something valuable, only to discover it was actually a forbidden zone.

"Roar..." Xiao Huo tugged at Zhang Xian’s trouser leg, indicating that he should enter the cave.

Zhang Xian hesitated, then walked inside.

Mo Shaoyun and Blood Soul followed him, looking cautious. Such forbidden places generally had defences. Even though the place seemed devoid of any human presence, there could still be formations set up.

"Don’t worry, there’s nothing here. Just go straight in." After a careful glance around, Zhang Xian concluded that there were no formations set up here.

Upon hearing this, both Blood Soul and Mo Shaoyun significantly relaxed.

Soon, under Xiao Huo’s guidance, Zhang Xian entered a stone cave. Inside, images were etched onto the stone walls surrounding them.

"This is..."

After inspecting the stone wall, Zhang Xian expressed his surprise, "Is this a sword technique? Why hasn’t it been destroyed?"

"What sword technique?" Mo Shaoyun asked curiously.

She couldn’t comprehend the images on the wall. The more she tried to discern them, the blurrier they became.

"This is a set of sword techniques." Zhang Xian explained, "But I’m quite surprised; all records concerning Spirit Mountain were destroyed in the temple we visited earlier, yet these have been perfectly preserved."

Mo Shaoyun suggested, "Perhaps they didn’t want to destroy it! Didn’t you gain some alchemy comprehension left behind by others in the Pill Tower?"

"Well, there could be other reasons." Zhang Xian nodded, then turned his attention back to the images on the wall.

Mo Shaoyun also continued examining the pictures; the blurrier they appeared, the more she wanted to see them clearly.

Before she knew it, she found herself in a surreal world. She was in the midst of a brutal war, with corpses sprawled everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.

In front of her, a giant demon, holding a big ax, stood several meters tall, roaring angrily.

Just as she looked at the demon, it swung its ax and charged towards her. She felt as if her soul was being sucked out.

"Don’t look..."

Zhang Xian suddenly pushed Mo Shaoyun away.

"Ah..."

Mo Shaoyun abruptly came to her senses, drenched in sweat and a look of fear on her face, "What... What just happened? I... I felt as if my spiritual energy was being sucked away."

"This sword technique isn’t simple; you don’t have enough spiritual energy to comprehend it."

Zhang Xian instructed, "You and Blood Soul should leave and stay outside. If you forcefully try to comprehend the sword technique, your spiritual energy will be lost in the illusion and you’ll become a living dead."

"Is... Is it that terrifying?"

Mo Shaoyun questioned, "It’s only a few pictures, how can it have an illusory world? Could it be a formation?"

"It’s not a formation, but the essence of the sword technique."

Zhang Xian explained, "The creator of this sword technique imbued his comprehension within it. If you can grasp that comprehension, you can master this powerful sword technique."

Mo Shaoyun asked, "So what you’re saying is, I can’t learn it?"

"Yes, you can’t learn it."

Zhang Xian glanced at the images again and instructed, "You two go outside for now, I’ll give this a try. If I manage to learn it, I can teach it to you safely. Though teaching it to you may not allow you to comprehend the essence of the sword technique—which would reduce its power—it still seems like a potent technique. Even if you can only muster thirty percent of its power, it’s not to be underestimated."

"Okay, then we’ll head out. Be careful," Mo Shaoyun nodded, then turned and walked outside.

Zhang Xian drew a deep breath and walked before the first image, his gaze focused on the words ’Heavenly Sword’ at the beginning. ’Heavenly Sword’—what a majestic name for a sword technique!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read