Chapter 27 : A Trap in the Immortal's Cave

Had he been greedy for the cave abode's [a secluded dwelling place for cultivation] opportunities and recklessly entered, it would have been like a dragon plunging into shallow waters—he would most likely have been trapped 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 offered incomplete, fragmented versions. This tactic, by its very nature, lent an air of credibility to their deceit.

While seasoned veterans who had wandered the Immortal Realm for decades might see through such a ploy, young cultivators fresh from their clans could easily stumble and fall prey to this very trick.

"Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier, and he even possesses a defensive magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]!"

Seeing Eldrin Chen block his Spell Sword, the leader of the assailants revealed a flicker of avarice in his eyes.

Most cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier level did not possess a first-grade, upper-tier defensive magical treasure. This was an exceedingly rare prize.

Over the years, he had ambushed and robbed more than a dozen greenhorns, yet never encountered such a treasure. The thought spurred him to urgently signal his two companions.

"Attack together! Hold nothing back!"

In the span of a single breath, several magical treasures shot towards him in rapid succession. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel`com.

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

Among the trio, the leader was a man at the Vital Essence Refinement 8th Tier. Besides a Spell Sword, he also wielded a Monastic Ruler [a ruler-shaped magical treasure often used by cultivators], both being high-grade first-rank magical treasures. He posed the greatest threat among the three.

The Spell Sword was a wood-attributed magical treasure, its offensive power not particularly high. However, the three-inch crimson rays emitted by the Monastic Ruler were already capable of threatening the shield-light barrier projected by the Verdant Small Shield.

Eldrin Chen dared not let this artifact attack freely. Instead, he chose to maneuver while simultaneously deploying his Verdant Leaf Sword to clash and entangle with the Monastic Ruler.

The tall, lean man's cultivation was only at the Vital Essence Refinement 7th Tier, yet he possessed a set of Mother-Child Flying Daggers [a set of flying daggers consisting of one mother blade and nine child blades]. Upon activation, the daggers transformed into ten streaks of blade-light that shot forth with terrifying speed, making them nearly impossible to defend against.

The last man appeared relatively young, likely a descendant of the leader, with a cultivation base merely at the Vital Essence Refinement Mid Stage. He posed little threat.

Once the battle commenced, 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 each individual blade-light was not immense, the Verdant Small Shield would struggle to withstand their relentless, consecutive bombardment.

With no other choice, Eldrin Chen was forced to constantly evade while using his Golden Light Blade to intercept and clash with the Mother-Child Flying Daggers.

"This cannot continue," he thought, a sense of urgency tightening his focus.

Once again, he sent the Mother-Child Flying Daggers flying back. Watching them surge forth like a tide of starlight once more, Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a young cultivator] furrowed his brow slightly.

As the saying goes, a purely defensive stance will inevitably lead to a breach. Eldrin Chen was not one to endure attacks without retaliation. In an instant, he channeled his power into the Golden Light Blade, sending it slashing directly toward the tall, gaunt man.

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

Seizing that fleeting moment, a cold glint flashed in Eldrin Chen's eyes as he unleashed his trump card.

The Crimson Iron Saber Embryo transformed into a streak of saber-light that shot forth. In the blink of an eye, it cleaved through the tall man's protective energy shield and bisected him with a single, devastating strike.

"Second Uncle!"

"Second Brother!"

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

But having come this far, how could Eldrin Chen allow future trouble to escape? He immediately gave chase to the leader of the trio.

To end the battle swiftly and prevent the other from getting away, Eldrin Chen ignored the drain on his Vital Energy [the foundational life-force energy used in cultivation]. He once again activated the Crimson Iron Saber Embryo, its strike heavily damaging both the man's Spell Sword [a sword-type magical weapon] and his Monastic Ruler [a ruler-type magical treasure].

He then unleashed the Golden Ray Heart-Locking Needle once more, shattering the man's protective spell shield and piercing deep into his Elixir Field [the core energy center within a cultivator's body].

"Aaaargh—"

With his Elixir Field shattered, the man let out a piercing shriek. He turned his head to look at Eldrin Chen, his face contorted with terror, and hastily begged for mercy.

"My Elixir Field is ruined. From this day forward, I am but a cripple. I beg you, spare my life."

"He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword!"

Eldrin Chen's gaze was as cold as ice. The Verdant Leaf Sword transformed into a streak of sword light that flashed past, and the man's head tumbled to the ground. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel dot com.

Of the three rogue cultivators, two had been slain. The third failed to escape his fate, his head severed by Eldrin Chen not long after he fled.

Once the battle concluded, Eldrin Chen collected the three men's Storage Bag [a spatial pouch for storing items]. With a single Fireball Technique, he incinerated the corpses, leaving no trace behind. Only then did he allow himself to relax.

"Hah..."

Though the fight had seemed effortless, Eldrin Chen knew his victory was owed entirely to the superiority of his magical treasures.

Among the three opponents, two were veteran cultivators with decades of cultivation. If not for the Crimson Iron Saber Embryo, even if he could have won, it would not have been so effortless.

Such is the harsh reality of this world. A superior magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] or mystical 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 the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme, primordial energy of creation], granting his meridians [the channels through which spiritual energy flows] a strength and resilience far surpassing the ordinary. The amount of Vital Energy [the foundational life-force energy cultivated by practitioners] he could channel in an instant was also vastly greater than that of his peers.

An average cultivator at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier would find controlling three first-rank superior-grade magical artifacts to be their absolute limit, leaving no spare capacity whatsoever to activate the Crimson Iron Saber Embryo.

Recall how Silent Han had to rely on his Vital Essence Blood [a life-force consuming technique] to power the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber. Although this blade's might is now slightly diminished, it remains profoundly Extraordinary.

By Eldrin Chen's estimation, a typical Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier cultivator attempting to wield this saber embryo would likely need to commit their entire reservoir of Vital Energy, leaving them utterly incapable of simultaneously controlling other artifacts or casting spells.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Eldrin Chen swallowed several elixirs [spiritual pills used for healing and recovery]. After half a day spent in recovery, he had restored himself to seventy or eighty percent of his peak condition. Only then did he approach to investigate the cave abode.

It seemed that with the trio's demise, the formation array [a structured arrangement of energy for defense or attack] had lost its controllers and no longer possessed the ability to launch autonomous attacks. Eldrin Chen tested it several times with his magical artifacts, encountering no retaliation, before finally stepping inside.

"It's actually a Second Rank Spiritual Vein [a concentrated underground flow of spiritual energy that nourishes the land]!"

The moment he crossed the threshold, Eldrin Chen discovered the spiritual energy [the vital energy that permeates the world and fuels cultivation] within this cave abode was exceptionally dense, its concentration far surpassing that of Spirit Isle Lake.

As he ventured deeper into the Spiritual Vein [a concentrated vein of earth energy that nourishes cultivation], a growing sense of dread settled upon him. It was increasingly clear this had once been the abode of a senior cultivator. Not only was the Spiritual Vein of a Second Rank Low-Grade [a mid-tier quality for a spiritual energy source], but a complete Second Rank High-Grade [a high-tier quality for a formation] Solar Fire Soul-Burning Formation [a defensive array that unleashes sunfire to incinerate intruders] had been laid down.

This formation was comprised of a set of seven Formation Flag [enchanted banners used to anchor and power an array]. When activated, it could unleash Second Rank Heaven-Scorching Solar Fire [a devastating flame technique of immense power]. Any Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation] caught within would be reduced to ashes, let alone a mere Vital Essence Refinement [the initial stage of cultivation, focusing on refining one's life force] cultivator like himself.

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

"Over the years, who knows how many have met their unjust and ignoble end within this formation."

Eldrin Chen gazed at the dormant formation within the cave, a sigh escaping his lips.

Subsequent discoveries confirmed his suspicions. Scattered throughout the dwelling were numerous identity tokens belonging to low-level cultivators, most from the younger generation of various cultivation clans.

As he explored, clues amidst the ruins revealed the identity of the cave's former master.

The master of this dwelling a century past was a rogue cultivator named Celebrating Origin Yang, who had reached the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment realm]. In his time, this man had been a figure of considerable renown within Yu County. For the best reading experience, visit www . audio-novel.com.