Chapter 27 : A Trap in the Cave Abode

Had he been greedy for the cave abode's opportunities and recklessly entered, it would have been like a dragon plunging into shallow waters; he would most likely have met his end within.

This near brush with being ensnared was not due to his carelessness, but rather his failure to anticipate the cunning depths of these individuals' schemes.

They sold maps, but each time only peddled incomplete fragments. This tactic, by its very nature, lent an air of credibility to their partial charts.

While seasoned cultivators with decades of experience traversing the cultivation world might see through their deception, young cultivators freshly emerged from their clans could easily stumble and fall prey to this very trick with a single misstep.

"Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the ninth stage of refining one's vital energy], and he even possesses a defensive magical tool!"

Seeing Eldrin Chen block his Law Sword [a sword imbued with Daoist principles], the leader of the assailants revealed a flicker of avarice in his eyes.

Most cultivators at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer did not possess defensive magical tools of First Rank High Grade [the highest quality within the first rank]; such treasures were exceedingly rare.

Over the years, he had murdered and plundered, ambushing more than a dozen greenhorns, yet never had he encountered such a prize. Thinking this, he urgently signaled to his two companions:

"Strike together! Hold nothing back!"

In the span of a single breath, several magical tools converged upon him in rapid succession. This content originates from audio–novel.com. Please respect copyright.

Eldrin Chen reacted with lightning speed, immediately summoning his magical treasures to counter the onslaught.

Among the trio, the leading man was at the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer [the eighth stage of Qi Refinement cultivation]. Besides his Law Sword [a sword imbued with Daoist principles], he also wielded a Ruler [a measuring ruler used as a magical weapon], both of which were First Rank High Grade [the highest quality within the first rank] magical tools. He posed the greatest threat of the three.

The Law Sword was a wood-attributed magical tool, its offensive power not particularly high. However, the three-inch crimson rays emitted by the Ruler were already capable of threatening the shield-light sustained by the Cyan Small Shield.

Eldrin Chen dared not let this weapon attack freely. Instead, he chose to maneuver while simultaneously deploying his Verdant Leaf Sword [a sword named for its leaf-like appearance and verdant energy], engaging the Ruler in a fierce clash.

The tall, lean man's cultivation was only at the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer [the seventh stage of Qi Refinement], yet he possessed a set of Mother-Child Flying Daggers [a set of ten linked flying daggers, one mother and nine children]. When unleashed, they transformed into ten streaks of blade-light that shot forth with terrifying speed, making them nearly impossible to defend against.

The final assailant appeared relatively young, likely a descendant of the leader, with a cultivation base merely at the Qi Refinement, Mid Stage [the middle stages of Qi Refinement]. He was, for the moment, of little concern.

As the battle unfolded, Eldrin Chen realized the most troublesome opponent among the three was actually the tall, lean man.

That set of Mother-Child Flying Daggers was swift as thunder. While the power of an individual blade-ray was not overwhelming, the Cyan Small Shield would struggle to withstand their relentless, consecutive assaults.

With no other choice, Eldrin Chen was forced to constantly evade, using his Golden Light Blade [a blade that emits golden light] to intercept and parry the Mother-Child Flying Daggers.

"This cannot continue," he thought, a sliver of urgency threading through his focus.

Once more, he sent the Mother-Child Flying Daggers flying back, and as they surged towards him again like a cascade of starlight, Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow slightly.

As the saying goes, a purely defensive stance is doomed to fail. Eldrin Chen was not one to endure attacks without retaliation. In an instant, he channeled his power, sending the Golden Light Blade slicing directly towards the tall, gaunt man.

The man's expression shifted dramatically. Abandoning his assault on Eldrin Chen, he urgently recalled the Mother-Child Flying Daggers to intercept and entangle the Golden Light Blade.

It was in that fleeting moment that Eldrin Chen's gaze turned icy, and he unleashed his trump card.

The Crimson Iron Blade Embryo transformed into a streak of blade-light, cleaving through the air. In the blink of an eye, it shattered the tall man's Mana Shield [a protective barrier formed from concentrated magical energy] and bisected him with a single, devastating strike.

"Second Uncle!"

"Second Brother!"

In that instant, the faces of the remaining two men paled with horror. Without a second thought, they split up and fled in opposite directions.

But at this juncture, how could Eldrin Chen possibly leave such a threat alive? He immediately gave chase to the leader of the trio.

To end the battle swiftly and prevent the other from escaping, Eldrin Chen disregarded the heavy drain on his True Qi [the refined energy cultivated by practitioners]. He once again activated the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo, its strike crippling the man's Law Sword and Ruler—two of his primary magical tools.

He then unleashed the Golden Ray Heart-Locking Needle [a magical needle that seals the target's spiritual core], piercing through the opponent's Spell Shield [a protective barrier of condensed mana] and driving it deep into the man's dantian [the lower elixir field, a cultivator's core energy center].

"Aaaargh—!"

With his dantian shattered, the man let out a wretched scream. He turned his head to look at Eldrin Chen, his face contorted with terror, and hastily begged for mercy.

"My dantian is ruined... I am but a cripple from this day forth. I beg you, spare my life!"

"He who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword!"

Eldrin Chen's gaze was frigid. The Verdant Leaf Sword transformed into a streak of sword-light that flashed past, and the man's head tumbled to the ground. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel.com (official site).

Of the three rogue cultivators, two had been slain. The third failed to escape his fate as well; he had not fled far before Eldrin Chen caught up and severed his head.

Once the battle concluded, Eldrin Chen collected the trio's Storage Bag [a spatial pouch for holding items]. With a single Fireball Art [a basic fire-element spell], he incinerated the three corpses, leaving no trace behind. Only then did he allow himself to relax with a sigh.

"Hah..."

Though the fight had seemed straightforward, Eldrin Chen knew well that his victory was owed largely to the superiority of his magical treasures.

Among the three opponents, two were veteran cultivators with decades of experience. Had it not been for the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo, even if he could have won, it would never have been this effortless.

Such is the stark reality of this world: a superior magical treasure or profound technique can elevate a cultivator's combat prowess by leaps and bounds.

Of course, this was also because Eldrin Chen had tempered his body for years with Primordial Essence [the purest form of foundational spiritual energy], granting his meridians a strength and resilience far surpassing the ordinary and allowing him to channel a vastly greater volume of True Qi [the refined energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] in an instant compared to his peers.

An average cultivator at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer would find simultaneously controlling three First Rank High Grade magical tools to be their absolute limit, leaving no residual energy whatsoever to activate the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo.

Recall how Chen Malachi had to expend his Lifebound Essence Blood [a cultivator's vital core blood, tied to their life force] just to activate the Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade. Though this blade embryo's power is slightly diminished now, it remains an extraordinary weapon.

By Eldrin Chen's estimation, a typical Qi Refinement Ninth Layer cultivator wishing to activate this blade embryo would likely need to commit their entire reservoir of True Qi, leaving no capacity to wield other tools or cast spells.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Eldrin Chen swallowed several pills. After half a day spent in recovery, restoring himself to seventy or eighty percent of his peak condition, he finally approached to investigate the cave abode.

It seemed that with the trio vanquished, the formation lacked an active controller and thus posed no offensive threat. Eldrin Chen tested it several times with a magical tool, receiving no retaliation, before cautiously stepping inside.

"It's actually a Second Rank Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy, categorized by its potency]," he murmured in surprise.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Eldrin Chen sensed the spiritual energy within this cave abode was exceptionally dense, its concentration far surpassing that of Spirit Isle Lake.

As he ventured deeper into the spirit vein, a growing sense of dread washed over him. It was clear this had once been the abode of a senior cultivator. Not only was the spirit vein's grade as high as Second Rank Low Grade [a classification for spiritual resources], but a complete Second Rank High Grade Separated Flame Soul-Burning Formation [a powerful defensive array that unleashes soul-scorching flames] had been laid down.

This formation array was comprised of a set of seven Formation Flags [enchanted banners used to anchor and power a formation]. When activated, it could unleash the second-rank Heaven-Scorching Separated Flame [a devastating, otherworldly fire]. Any Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation] caught within would be reduced to ashes, let alone a mere Qi Refinement Cultivators [cultivators in the initial stage of refining their vital energy] like himself.

"If my guess is correct," he mused, "those three likely stumbled upon this cave-dwelling by chance and turned it into a trap, luring others to their doom."

"Over the years, who knows how many have met a bitter and unjust end within this formation's grasp."

Eldrin Chen gazed at the formation within the cave and could not help but sigh.

Subsequent discoveries confirmed his suspicions. Within the dwelling, he found numerous Identity Plaque [personal tokens denoting clan or sect affiliation] belonging to low-level cultivators, most from the younger generations of various immortal cultivation families.

During his search, clues left among the ruins allowed him to piece together the identity of the cave's former master.

The master of this abode a century past was a rogue cultivator named Yang Alistair, who had reached the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment realm]. In his day, this man had been a figure of considerable renown throughout Yu County. Immerse yourself in the complete world at @udio-novel.com.