togophonebook Chapter 101 Ancient Ruins on the Boundless Sea
Chapter 101 Ancient Ruins on the Boundless Sea
The crimson light landed at the entrance of the Ancient Sword Sect. As the light faded, two figures, one large and one small, were revealed.
"You've had a hard time on this trip." The Fire Dragon Boy was in a good mood, having finally put his mind at ease.
Lin Jingchu respectfully replied, "This junior is unworthy of such praise. It is my honor to be able to do my part for you, senior."
"I need to return to my residence to settle this spirit tree, so I won't keep you any longer." After saying this, the Fire Dragon Child transformed into a streak of crimson light once more, disappearing into the depths of the sect in the blink of an eye.
Lin Jingchu had no intention of lingering at the Ancient Sword Sect. He turned around, boarded the Azure Wing Boat, and headed straight for the Falling Cloud Sect.
After returning to the sect, Lin Jingchu did not go back to his cave dwelling, but went to the weapon refining pavilion first and rented a fire chamber.
He was preparing to forge a suitable top-tier flying sword artifact.
Flames surged and raged in the fiery pool, the heat scorching. Lin Jingchu took out his embroidered spring knife, which had been with him for many years, and ran his fingertips along the cool blade, saying softly, "Farewell, old friend."
Having said that, the long sword drew an arc and disappeared into the crimson flames.
He took one last look at the outline of the longsword gradually being swallowed by the subterranean fire, then turned away without looking back. Though reluctant, the "golden essence" forged within the sword was a top-grade spiritual material and could not be wasted.
More than half a month later, when Lin Jingchu returned to the Earth Fire Chamber, the Embroidered Spring Blade in the pool had completely turned into a pool of bright golden metallic liquid.
Lin Jingchu raised his hand and touched the storage bag at his waist. The materials for the four-winged dragon eagle and several kinds of metal elemental ores appeared one by one on the stone table beside him.
The refining furnace hummed as it started, its flames roaring and surging. Lin Jingchu, looking relaxed, fed the various materials into the furnace one by one.
At dawn on the second day, a long sword silently floated above the pool of earth fire, its radiance subdued, with a faint, clear sword sound echoing in the room.
This sword is three feet and three inches long. Its blade has a restrained dark gold color. Upon closer inspection, there are subtle natural patterns like dragon scales. The edge gleams with a cold light, exuding an unparalleled sharpness.
When Lin Jingchu refined it, he abandoned many fancy functions and focused only on enhancing its "sharpness", "toughness" and "transparency".
He pointed his fingers and made a sweeping motion in the air, and the three ancient seal characters "Dragon Scale Sword" transformed into spiritual light and imprinted themselves into the sword's jaws. He nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand to put the newly formed top-tier flying sword into his storage bag.
After leaving the weapon-refining pavilion, Lin Jingchu returned to his cave to prepare for continued seclusion and cultivation.
However, just as he flew over the bamboo valley, the clouds that had been empty in front of him suddenly surged, and a ripple like water spread out. Then, the water light condensed, and a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a simple gray robe with a sallow complexion stood in the air.
It was none other than the sect's Supreme Elder, Lü Luo.
Lin Jingchu felt a slight chill and immediately pressed the button on the flying boat, bowing respectfully: "Disciple Lin Jingchu greets Grandmaster Lü."
This was the first time he had ever faced this Nascent Soul cultivator, who had been in charge of the sect's diplomacy for many years, so closely.
"No need for formalities." Lu Luo said gently, then got straight to the point: "Nephew Song led a team to explore an ancient site in the Boundless Sea. They have now opened the outer layer of restrictions, but the second layer inside is protected by an ancient formation and is difficult to open."
Lin Jingchu was slightly surprised upon hearing this, and a thought flashed through his mind: With Song Yu's mastery of formations within the sect, who was second only to the leader and above ten thousand others, even he could not break the formation.
Lu Luo seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "That little girl from the Song family recommended you. She said that if you are also helpless, then there is probably no one in the sect who can do this."
Well, the person "above" Song Yu is none other than Lin Jingchu himself. Through years of dedicated study, he has become virtually unmatched in the sect when it comes to array formations.
Lu Luo continued, "If you have nothing else to do right now, come with me."
[Task Discovered]
【Mission Name: Ancient Ruins】
[Posted by: Lü Luo (Favorability Rating: Approved)]
[Mission Description: Proceed to the ancient ruins of the Boundless Sea and break its ancient restrictions.]
[Task Reward: Half-hour trial card for Lu Luo's Divine Power "Thousand Waves Chasing the Current" (no usage conditions or costs)]
"Disciple obeys." Lin Jingchu immediately agreed, and then said, "Please wait a moment, Grandmaster, while I return to my cave to pack up."
Lu Luo nodded slightly.
Lin Jingchu swiftly piloted his boat into the cave, and a moment later flew out again, bowing to the imposing figure in the air and saying, "Grandmaster, this disciple is ready."
With a gentle flick of his sleeve, Lü Luo enveloped Lin Jingchu with a soft yet irresistible force. The two instantly transformed into a streak of azure light, breaking through the clouds and hurtling towards the horizon.
The Boundless Sea has a much thinner spiritual energy than the mortal realms of the southern lands, and the vast sea area has few islands to settle on, so ordinary cultivators rarely set foot here.
The murky seawater churned up muddy waves, repeatedly crashing against the reefs. Above what appeared to be an ordinary, deserted island, several graceful figures stood silently in mid-air, waiting.
A pale blue streak of light came from afar, landing gracefully. As the light faded, the figures of Lü Luo and Lin Jingchu were revealed.
"Senior Uncle Lü." Peak Master Song stepped forward first, curtsying respectfully. The female disciples behind him, including Song Yu, also bowed in unison: "Greetings, Grandmaster Lü."
Lu Luo nodded in response, then took the lead and walked towards the rock wall on one side of the deserted island. The others followed closely behind, entering a hidden cave entrance and descending the ancient stone steps that stretched downwards.
As Song Fengzhu walked, he explained to Lin Jingchu:
According to research, this area was an ancient battlefield tens of thousands of years ago, where countless cultivators perished.
"Later, about seven thousand years ago, a sect called the 'Luoquan Sect' established a magic array here to condense the yin energy buried underground. Back then, my Song family ancestor needed to use the yin energy to break through his bottleneck, so he risked coming here to explore..."
Before long, the group arrived at a huge underground cave.
This place is about a hundred feet in circumference. On the ground, dozens of ancient stone pagodas of varying heights stand haphazardly, their distribution seemingly without any pattern.
Song Yu approached Lin Jingchu and whispered, "This formation is quite strange, as it subtly conforms to the principles of numerology. These stone towers are divided into inner and outer rings. The seven towers in the inner ring are in fixed positions, conforming to the ancient number 'one in diameter and three in circumference,' and should undoubtedly be the foundation of the formation. However, I have repeatedly deduced the number and location of these stone towers in the outer ring, but I still cannot grasp their precise order and activation pattern."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jingchu slowly walked to the center of the seven inner towers, then looked around at the seemingly chaotic stone towers on the outer perimeter, lost in thought. This formation seemed to be related to pi.
He pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Senior Sister Song, when you say 'the diameter is one and the circumference is three,' do you mean the statement in the *Zhoubi Suanjing* that a circle with a diameter of one is three circumferences?"
Song Yu nodded: "That is indeed the case."
Lin Jingchu's gaze swept over the stone pagodas, his mind racing. Suddenly, he said, "Senior Sister, what if we don't use 'three circumferences equal to one diameter,' but instead try 'two circumferences equal to seven diameters'? The seven pagodas in the inner circle would be the 'diameter,' and the number of pagodas in the outer circle might correspond to the number of 'circumferences.' Their arrangement might also subtly correspond to the points where the circumference is divided according to this ratio."
Song Yu's eyes lit up: "Twenty-two? You mean, although the outer ring of stone towers seems chaotic, the order in which they are activated or moved must follow twenty-two hidden specific points?"
Lin Jingchu nodded and took out a compass covered with intricate runes. He cast a hand seal, and the compass emitted a burst of spiritual light, projecting a huge, complex array phantom made of lines of spiritual light into the air, marking the locations of all the stone towers on the ground.
Although the onlookers didn't quite understand what he was saying, they could tell from his demeanor that he was no ordinary person.
As time went by, the outer stone towers, guided by Lin Jingchu's spiritual power, began to slowly move along a specific trajectory, exchanging positions with each other.
He would stop from time to time, stare at the array of spiritual light in mid-air, and use his hand gestures to perform calculations and then readjust the position of the stone tower.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the outermost stone tower returned to its place with a soft "click".
All the stone towers trembled simultaneously, and the ancient, mottled patterns on their surfaces lit up with a soft white light. Immediately afterward, a deep rumble came from beneath their feet.
The ground in the center of the inner circle of seven towers slowly cracked open to both sides, revealing a deep, mysterious stone staircase leading to an unknown destination. An air carrying a heavy, decaying scent of time surged out from the passage.
[Mission Completed: Ancient Ruins]
[Task Reward: Half-hour trial card for Lu Luo's Divine Power "Thousand Waves Chasing the Current" (no usage conditions or costs)]
Lin Jingchu did not relax. He observed the spiritual light fluctuations around him that had not yet completely subsided and reminded, "This formation contains a hidden mechanism for cyclical reset. The passage will close automatically in about fifteen minutes."
Lu Luo's divine sense had already swept into the depths of the passage, and he said, "There is nothing unusual below for now." After saying that, he took the lead and stepped into the passage.
Peak Master Song arranged for two disciples to stay behind, and then followed closely behind Lü Luo along with Song Yu, Lin Jingchu, and others.
The passage wasn't long; after descending several dozen feet, one reached a more spacious stone hall. In the center of the hall stood six thick stone pillars, surrounding a massive magic array.
More than thirty skeletons were scattered in the stone hall. One of the skeletons, dressed in a tattered blue dress, sat quietly with its back against a stone pillar.
It was the remains of the first peak master of Baifeng Peak that they were looking for on this trip.
Lu Luo stood before the remains, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed softly: "Nephew Song, come and collect the remains of your ancestor."
Song Fengzhu and Song Yu's expressions turned solemn. They stepped forward, knelt respectfully before the remains, and performed the three-bowing ceremony.
After the ceremony, Peak Master Song took out a jade coffin that had been prepared beforehand and carefully placed the remains of her ancestor inside. Only after doing this did she examine the storage bag tied to her ancestor.
Peak Master Song took out a jade slip from it, probed it with his divine sense, and then sighed, "It is recorded in the ancestral handbook that she was trapped here by the magic array that we just opened and died. In the end, she could only die by disintegration."
She took out another jade slip and turned to hand it to Song Yu: "This is the complete 'Phoenix Cry Manual' left by our ancestors. The follow-up part of the 'Phoenix Cry Azure Feather' secret technique that you have been practicing is also in it."
Song Yu accepted the jade slip with both hands, nodded solemnly, and carefully put it into his storage bag.
After Song Fengzhu finished dealing with the matter of his ancestors, Lu Luo said, "Of these remains, six are the oldest and should belong to the cultivators of this Luoquan Sect. The rest seem to be explorers who entered this place at different times in later generations."
His gaze finally settled on the magic array in the center, inscribed with ancient and obscure runes. "Nephew Song, is there any record of this array in the notes of our Song family ancestors?"
Peak Master Song: "The ancestral notes mention that this formation is called the Netherworld Ruins Formation. This formation gathers and condenses profound Yin energy to control it..."
Before she could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!
Suddenly, a shadow spread across the ancient magic array that had been silent for countless years.
Amidst the distorted light and shadow, a blurry female figure slowly emerged. Judging from her outline, she was a slender and extremely beautiful female cultivator.