Chapter 83: The Strange Object

No matter what, he had finally passed the trial smoothly, and all his previous efforts had not been in vain. Now, only the final step remained. He needed to find the Seven-Star Soul-Guiding Lantern; once illuminated by its light, he could dispel the evil spell within his body and return to a life of normal cultivation. How could he not feel excited at such a prospect?

Liang Yan turned and looked around, finding himself at the entrance of a cave. Beyond the entrance lay a narrow, winding passage stretching deep inside.

“The Seven-Star Soul-Guiding Lantern should be within the cave, right? According to Senior Brother Zhuo, once the trial is passed, there will be no further obstacles. I must hurry and find the treasure as quickly as possible.” With these thoughts, Liang Yan strode into the cave, following the meandering passage deeper within.

The tunnel was exceedingly long; after walking for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Liang Yan still saw no end in sight and began to feel restless. What was even stranger was that as he delved deeper, a subtle sense of greed and desire welled up within him, as if something were urging him onward.

Nevertheless, his mind remained clear. He shook his head slightly and murmured, “Could it be that my longing for survival is too intense, making me impatient now that my goal is within reach?”

He employed the Heart Unmoved Meditation to forcibly suppress his agitation and yearning. After walking further for another half an incense’s time, a faint blue light flickered ahead, as if beckoning him from the distance.

“I’m here!”

Delight surged in Liang Yan’s heart. He quickened his pace and dashed forward. In no time, he had covered several dozen yards and saw that the passage ended just ahead. The blue glow streamed in from outside the cave.

Liang Yan hurried to the exit and peeked outside, only to gasp in shock.

Before him stretched a vast white jade plaza, at the center of which stood a towering white jade statue.

The statue, at least five fathoms tall, sat cross-legged on the ground, dressed in the robes of a scholar—cultured and refined, yet exuding an immortal’s grace. In his right hand, he held an inverted wine gourd, from which clear water flowed in a slender stream through the air, falling onto a patch of blue radiance below.

Within that blue glow, something seemed to be flickering, though from this distance, Liang Yan could not make out what it was. Yet the stream of water pouring from the gourd was brimming with spiritual energy; even separated by many yards, Liang Yan could clearly sense it.

“The spiritual energy in this water is so abundant, it far surpasses the spiritual spring Sun, Qian, and Li discovered in their cave—by several times, if not a dozen! No wonder the sect’s trial is so strict; who would expect such a blessed land to exist here?” Liang Yan mused secretly.

“But the scholar depicted in the statue looks strangely familiar, as though I’ve seen him before, yet I just can’t recall where.”

He shook his head, dismissing his doubts, leaped from the cave mouth, and walked onto the white jade plaza.

After walking several hundred steps, he could finally see what lay within the blue light: three treasures suspended in midair.

One was an oil lamp, ancient and imposing, hovering above a white jade tray. Its wick burned with a pale blue flame, above which seven tiny sparks floated, echoing the number of the Northern Dipper stars.

Just a glance at the lamp made Liang Yan’s soul tremble, his spiritual essence condensing noticeably. He could not help but exclaim in delight, “The Seven-Star Soul-Guiding Lantern truly is extraordinary!”

His gaze shifted to the next object—a writing brush. Its shaft was grayish brown, its tip sharp and full. Though no hand gripped it, the brush moved by itself in the air, writing and painting. Wherever its tip passed, a faint blue glow was left behind, forming the characters “Taihu.”

“The Seven-Star Soul-Guiding Lantern alone is a rare treasure, yet there is more here. What could be concealed in the upper reaches above?”

Looking up, Liang Yan saw a layer of mist swirling above the lantern and brush, shrouding another treasure and revealing only a vague black silhouette.

Curiosity piqued, he walked further ahead, finally arriving at the base of the scholar’s statue. Gazing up into the mist, he was suddenly stunned.

Within the drifting vapor, something massive flickered—it was an enormous book! Though no one was nearby, its pages turned slowly by themselves, much like someone reading.

This alone would not be so remarkable; after all, treasures often possessed spirits, like the brush that could write on its own. But this book’s cover and pages were wrought entirely of refined iron, yet they curled and turned as easily as paper, indistinguishable from any ordinary tome.

With each page that turned, a sharp aura burst from the book, shooting up toward the heavens.

“Sword qi!”

Even though Liang Yan had never trained in swordsmanship nor fought a sword cultivator, he knew at once that this fierce energy could only be sword qi!

Razor-sharp and peerless, the sword qi surged upward as if to cut the sky itself. Yet the scholar statue’s inverted gourd was aimed just above the book; every time the sword qi ascended three yards, the gourd’s stream of water would disperse it instantly, erasing it without a trace.

As Liang Yan stared at the bizarre iron book, the suppressed desire in his heart swelled again—a yearning that whispered to him to seize the book.

He drew a deep breath. Blue light glowed from his left hand, golden from his right; bringing his palms together, he activated both the Flowing Chaos Art and Heart Unmoved Meditation at once. Twin streams of spiritual power circulated through his body, and his mind gradually cleared.

“How strange—what is this thing that provokes such evil cravings in my heart? Isn’t this supposed to be the place where disciples practice soul arts, to enhance their spiritual powers? Why, aside from the Seven-Star Soul-Guiding Lantern, are there such treasures here?”

A sudden intuition told Liang Yan something was amiss. He looked up again at the massive jade statue, and realization dawned—he blurted out, “This is the founder of Yixing Pavilion—Master Yixing himself!”

No sooner had he spoken than alertness flooded his heart; he felt a blade-sharp presence rushing toward him from behind.

The attack came blindingly fast. There was no time to dodge. In a panic, Liang Yan could only roll aside, and a streak of rainbow light flashed past.

With a sickening sound, a chunk of flesh was sliced cleanly from his shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he looked back.

“It’s you!”

Liang Yan cried out in shock.