Chapter 27 Ancient Cultivator's Abode

If he were to covet the opportunities within the cave abode and recklessly enter, it would truly be like a dragon plunging into shallow waters—he would most likely meet his downfall there.

This near brush with being schemed against was not due to his carelessness, but rather his failure to anticipate the sheer cunning of these individuals.

They sold maps, yet each time only offered incomplete charts, which inadvertently lent credibility to the fragments.

If it were experienced old cultivators who had roamed the cultivation world for decades, they might have seen through their schemes. But for young cultivators who had just left their clans, a single misstep could lead to a fatal stumble.

"Ninth level of Qi Refinement, and he actually possesses a defensive artifact."

Seeing Eldrin block his own magic sword, the leading cultivator revealed a trace of greed in his eyes.

Most ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators did not possess a top-grade defensive magical instrument—this was an exceedingly rare treasure.

Over the years, he had ambushed and slain countless fools, seizing their treasures after a dozen or so encounters, yet never had he stumbled upon such a priceless artifact. The thought ignited his urgency as he swiftly gestured to his 2 companions.

"Strike together, hold nothing back."

In the blink of an eye, several magical artifacts struck in rapid succession.

Eldrin reacted swiftly, immediately summoning his magic treasure to counter the opponent's assault.

Among the 3, the leader was a man at Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm). In addition to the ritual sword in his hand, he also wielded a discipline ruler, both of which were high-grade, first-tier magical instruments. He posed the greatest threat among the trio.

The wooden-attribute spell sword was not particularly lethal, yet the 3-inch crimson radiance emitted by the ruler already posed a threat to the shield’s glow sustained by the small cyan shield.

Eldrin dared not let this magic treasure strike him unimpeded. Instead, he fluidly evaded while summoning the Green Leaf Sword, entangling it in a fierce clash with the ruler.

The tall, lean man possessed a cultivation base of only the seventh level of Qi Refinement. However, he wielded a set of Mother-Child Flying Daggers—1 mother blade and 9 child blades. Once activated, they transformed into 10 streaks of blade radiance that shot forth with blinding speed, leaving opponents utterly defenseless.

The last individual appeared rather youthful, likely a descendant of the leading man. With a cultivation base merely at Qi Refinement, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm), he posed negligible threat.

Once the battle commenced, Eldrin found that the most troublesome of the 3 was actually the tall, lean man.

The set of mother-child flying blades shot forth swift as lightning. While the edge of a single blade did not possess overwhelming power, the cyan shield could hardly withstand their relentless, successive strikes.

Left with no alternative, Eldrin could only continuously evade while employing his Golden Light Blades to shred the Twin-linked Flying Daggers.

"This cannot go on."

Once again deflecting the paired flying daggers, Eldrin frowned slightly as he watched them swirl back like a tempest of starlight.

As the saying goes, constant defense will inevitably lead to a breach. Eldrin was not 1 to endure attacks without retaliation. In an instant, he channeled his energy and sent the Golden Light Blade slashing directly toward the tall, lean man.

The man’s expression shifted abruptly. Abandoning his assault on Eldrin, he swiftly summoned the Linked Flying Blades back, sending them coiling like serpents to entangle the golden radiant blade.

In that fleeting moment, Eldrin's gaze turned icy as he unleashed his ultimate weapon.

The Crimson Iron Blade Embryo transformed into a blade radiance that shot straight forth, cleaving through the lanky man’s protective mana shield in the blink of an eye, slicing him in 2 with a single strike.

Second Uncle!

"Second Brother!"

In the blink of an eye, the other 2’s faces twisted in terror, and they instantly fled in opposite directions.

But at this sight, how could Eldrin possibly leave behind any future troubles? He immediately pursued the leading man.

To end the battle swiftly and prevent the other man from escaping, Eldrin no longer cared about his qi consumption. He once again channeled energy into the Crimson Iron Sword Embryo, striking with such force that it severely damaged both the man's enchanted sword and ruler talismans.

He then summoned the Golden Radiance Heart-Locking Needle, piercing through the target’s spell shield and driving it deep into their dantian.

"Ah—"

His dantian shattered, the man let out a wretched scream. Turning to stare at Eldrin, his face contorted with terror as he hastily begged for mercy.

"My dantian is shattered, from now on I am nothing but a cripple. I beg you to spare my life."

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

Eldrin's gaze was icy cold as the Verdant Leaf Sword transformed into a flash of blade light, severing the man's head in an instant.

3 rogue cultivators were slain, with 2 beheaded on the spot. The third failed to escape his doomed fate—Eldrin severed his head shortly after his flight.

After the great battle concluded, Eldrin collected the 3 individuals' storage pouches, then incinerated their remains with a fireball spell before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Hah

This battle appeared effortless, yet Eldrin knew he had prevailed thanks to the advantage of his magical treasure.

Among the 3 opponents, 2 were veteran cultivators who had trained for several decades. Without the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo, even if he could have won, it would never have been this effortless.

This world is just that pragmatic—a superior magic treasure or divine ability can elevate 1's combat prowess by a tremendous margin.

Of course, this was also because Eldrin had tempered his physical body with the Primordial Purple Qi for many years. The strength and resilience of his meridians far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, allowing him to channel a much greater amount of spiritual energy instantaneously compared to others at the same cultivation stage.

An ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator would have already reached their limit controlling 3 top-grade first-tier magical tools simultaneously, with no remaining energy to spare for activating the Crimson Iron Sword Embryo.

Have you not seen how Han Mo, when wielding the Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade (Magic Treasure), once had to expend his lifeblood essence to activate it? Though the blade’s power has diminished slightly since then, it remains extraordinary all the same.

According to Eldrin (Person Name), an ordinary Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivator would likely need to channel all of their spiritual energy to activate this blade embryo, leaving no capacity to wield other magical treasures or cast spells.

Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Eldrin (Person Name) swallowed a few medicinal pills and spent half a day restoring most of his energy. Only then did he step forward to investigate the cave abode.

It seemed that with the 3 assailants eliminated, the formation had lost its controllers and could no longer initiate attacks. After testing it several times with a magical tool and encountering no retaliation, Eldrin finally stepped inside.

"It's actually a second-order spirit vein."

As soon as he stepped inside, Eldrin discovered that the spiritual energy within this cave abode was exceptionally dense, far surpassing the concentration found at Spirit Isle Lake.

As he ventured deeper into the spirit vein, a growing sense of dread washed over him. It became increasingly clear that this had once been the abode of a senior cultivator. Not only was the spirit vein’s grade as high as lower second-rank, but it was also protected by a second-rank upper-grade Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss formation.

This formation consisted of a set of 7 array flags, capable of unleashing Second-Level Heaven-Scorching Eldritch Fire. Once trapped within, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be reduced to ashes, let alone a mere Qi Refining cultivator like him.

"Unless I'm mistaken, it seems these 3 stumbled upon this cave dwelling by chance and have since taken up the trade of luring cultivators to their doom."

"Over the years, no 1 knows how many have met their unjust ends, trapped and vanquished beneath this very formation."

Eldrin gazed at the formation within the cavern abode and could not help but release a soft sigh.

The subsequent discovery confirmed his suspicions. Within the cave abode, he found numerous identity tokens belonging to low-level cultivators—most of whom were younger generation members from prominent cultivation families.

In the process, he uncovered the identity of the former master of this abode through some relics left within the cavern.

In bygone days, this cave abode belonged to a rogue cultivator named Yang Yuanqing (Person Name), who had reached Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm). A century ago, this man had carved out a formidable reputation throughout Yu County.