Chapter 727

Chapter 727: Remnants of Years Past

Just as the two sides clashed fiercely above ground, Lolan Hill gradually descended deep into the earth, reaching the largest of the cave entrances.

Due to Immortal Crane Feather’s orders, many disciples had already gone above ground, leaving only a few behind to guard the lower areas. Lolan Hill could easily defeat several of them without drawing the attention of others.

Clang—

Another disciple of the Zhaoye Palace fell to the ground, his long sword shattered, his consciousness swirling with dizziness, pain, and confusion. As a practitioner of the Nether Realm, he naturally understood that this was due to the impact on his soul.

Logically speaking, as a practitioner of the Nether Realm, his soul should be much stronger than those of other sequences, not easily affected. But how did this person manage to do so? Clearly at the Fourth Rank, yet so terrifying.

He struggled to lift his head, looking at the silver-haired girl who walked towards him, her steps light and graceful, appearing quite young.

At this moment, as he was about to struggle, several other purple-robed disciples stepped out from behind the young lady.

“Stop, Brother Lu Ke. This is for your own good,” several familiar faces appeared before him.

“Who are you?” He looked surprised at these fellow disciples. Weren’t these the same seniors who had been guarding the underground area with him?

One of the older purple-robed disciples came forward and helped him up.

“I know you have questions, but now is not the time to explain. You just need to know that we have made mistakes, and we are following this senior sister to make amends and rectify our past sins,” he said sincerely, not seeming to be lying.

“But…” The disciple still had doubts, but the other seniors explained one by one.

“We were deceived by Crane Feather, lost our senses, and harmed our fellow disciples, making grave errors that led to countless casualties. Now, monsters are rising and causing havoc everywhere. If we don’t stop them, these creatures will spread to other regions.”

“The nearest regions are Xiyou Province and Mu Mountain Province. Both of us are from Mu Mountain Province. Surely you don’t want to see your hometown suffer such a disaster,” he continued.

“Hometown…” The disciple recalled scenes from his childhood, familiar faces flashing through his mind. But thinking about how these people might die tragically in the future, he hesitated.

Even if he had fallen, it didn’t mean he had no feelings. Sometimes, people needed support and reliance from others around them. Several more disciples approached to persuade him, and seeing these familiar fellow disciples, he felt a growing sense of regret.

Perhaps he had indeed made the worst choice back then, but would his sect forgive him? Even he himself didn’t believe it. After all, killing required retribution, let alone betrayal.

“If you can help quell this disaster, I will plead for your forgiveness at the Zhaoye Palace,” the gentle voice of the young lady came from behind, though she still wore a menacing mask. Her voice seemed to possess a magical quality, making people instinctively trust her.

“I… I am willing,” the disciple looked at the young lady, slowly lowering his head, his eyes filling with warmth.

Betrayal was not something to be proud of, even if it was for personal gain. Such actions meant cutting ties with the past, becoming rootless drifters, forever uncertain when they could return to a peaceful life.

After the initial extreme emotions subsided, the excitement caused by greed gradually faded. The heart hung like a thread in the air, always worrying about possible exposure, failure, and the condemnation and tears of loved ones in the past.

Maybe there truly were born villains in the world, but at least most couldn’t completely lack empathy. They still dreamed of one day returning home in glory, respected by all.

But that dream had been shattered forever. What remained were perhaps the elusive immortality and ascension that supported these traitorous disciples.

Thus, Lolan Hill recruited another Zhaoye Palace disciple. All living Zhaoye Palace disciples in this underground ruin were temporarily brought under her command.

She did this because time was pressing. She needed to quickly seal these temporal rifts and required many hands to assist. Ideally, she wanted to complete everything before Immortal Crane Feather returned with the others.

Although Lolan Hill was powerful, facing hundreds of disciples at once would be difficult, so she needed to prepare carefully.

Lolan Hill led everyone to a spacious main hall, which seemed to be a crucial part of the former Yama Palace. It contained numerous inscriptions and stone pillars, with a deep underground pond in the center, emitting a faint purple-red glow.

“This is an entrance to the former Yama Palace’s cave heaven. Although the cave heaven has fragmented, this entrance remains intact, leading directly to that hidden realm,” a disciple explained.

“What’s the situation inside?” Lolan Hill floated slightly, a gentle moonlight emerging from behind, her perception spreading out like ripples.

“The cave heaven is only a thousandth of its original size, but fortunately, most of the hidden realm remains intact, and currently, no one is inside.”

“I see.” The young lady extended her perception into the entrance below, exploring the strange realm.

After a few minutes, she reopened her eyes, gazing at the deep pond.

The cave heaven was indeed wondrous, with landscapes similar to the present world but with unique distinctions, astonishing anyone who saw it.

But now was not the time for detailed exploration; first, containing the overflow of Nether Realm energy was the priority.

She leaped lightly, her figure slowly floating upwards, with the moon behind her gradually appearing.

“You all stand around and assist in setting up the seal.”

“Yes.” Everyone agreed.

Then, Lolan Hill began her full exertion.

First, the murky dead energy from the Nether Realm sequence continuously seeped out. Under her control, a vast and chilling wind swept through the entire hall.

The bone-chilling wind corroded the mountain rocks, as if piercing the soul, causing shivers.

Seventeen purple-robed disciples struggled to maintain their balance against the wind, even though they were beings of the Nether Realm sequence, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the intense dead energy.

For living beings, dead energy was harmful, but the Nether Realm sequence could overcome and neutralize this erosion. However, this ability was not limitless, and they now felt a chill in their limbs.

Fortunately, these disciples were not weak. Within seconds, they adjusted, and purple magic cores gradually formed in front of them. Since they had broken the seal, they knew something about it, albeit minimally.

Under the mysterious young lady’s guidance, they gradually understood the intricacies and began assisting in the construction.

A complex three-dimensional array gradually formed above the dark pond, with intricate nodes resembling night stars, and light points moving and distributing within, dazzling the eye.

The young lady stood in the air, her hair constantly blown by the cold wind. She closed her eyes, carefully sketching the enormous array covering hundreds of meters in diameter.

Though some tasks were shared by Zhaoye Palace disciples, the remaining work was still arduous.

The original sealing of the Yinyue Taiyin Palace used the tidal force of the moon to regulate and adjust, but with the moon now gone, she had to reconstruct this function herself, adding complexity.

As time passed, the ritual array above the deep pond grew brighter, resembling stars revolving around the silver-haired young lady.

Such a scene was dreamlike in the dark rock cavern, unforgettable.

Finally, the constructed sealing array began to descend, falling into the deep underground. With brilliant starlight flickering, it was hard not to be captivated.

Without the moon’s tidal regulation, Lolan Hill used starlight to adjust the magic within. Though starlight was more ethereal to ordinary people, it was simpler for her. After all, she was a witch symbolizing the stars.

In the deep underground, the array resembling a galaxy of stars descended, causing the cave heaven’s entrance to slowly close, shrinking toward the center until it fully sealed, vanishing into thin air.

This place would later appear like other intact Peach Garden cave heavens, only visible during specific seasons in the sub-space, preventing the Nether Realm energy from leaking out, instead containing it within the cave heaven to nurture its natural products.

Perhaps it would be fantastical exotic beasts, or enchanted trees like silver flowers, or perhaps just the endless purple jade flowing with clear springs.

After sealing, Lolan Hill descended gently, standing on the cold rock, overlooking the area below.

The underground radiance faded, with the underground river flowing through, its murmuring waters passing by and heading toward some distant direction.

With the largest cave entrance resolved, the other fragmented cave heavens were swiftly sealed.

Hours later, the major fragmented cave heavens were all sealed, leaving only minor cracks.

The young lady condensed silver gems using a special technique, floating beside her, then distributed them to the other purple-robed disciples.

“Take these gems to the various fissures and use them to seal the gaps.”

“Yes.” Though they didn’t know what these gems were or where they came from, they were willing to solve the problem and redeem themselves. They had already been guilty, why seek further trouble?

Everyone dispersed, heading to each fragmented fissure according to the young lady’s perception. She gradually relaxed, slowly approaching a peculiar fragmented fissure.

Unlike the others, though small, this fissure was more chaotic, with both space and time distorted.

A silver crescent moon appeared on the young lady’s forehead, and her body twisted like a wave, merging into the chaotic temporal fissure.

Amidst the disarray, she quickly navigated, and some remnants of the past appeared before her. It seemed like a scene from long ago. One fleeting image revealed a familiar figure.

Wait, this…

Lolan Hill’s eyes filled with the symbol of the silver moon, then she pieced together the fragmented temporal fragments, bringing the past scenes back to life.

In the incomplete Yama Palace, three young people were arguing under a fierce and towering deity statue.

“It’s all Jade Sword’s fault. If you hadn’t acted recklessly, we wouldn’t be trapped here,” a square-faced youth holding a bronze lantern angrily accused.

“How was I supposed to know we’d be sucked in? It’s not entirely my fault,” another youth responded meekly, handsome in appearance, holding a bronze longsword.

“Enough, let’s not argue. Finding a way out is more important. We don’t have much, and if we’re stuck too long, something bad might happen,” a girl intervened. Beautiful with soft features, she had silky hair and a red-beaked black bird perched on her shoulder.

Under the girl’s mediation, the two youths finally quieted down.

“Hmph, if it weren’t for Xiao Luo, I’d report to the elders and have your results revoked,” the square-faced youth said.

“Copper Candle, you!” The youth called Jade Sword was indignant, wanting to strike with his sword but hesitating.

The girl shook her head, then persuaded them, and they stopped quarreling.

They then explored the broken hall, searching for a way out.

Lolan Hill watched the scene from long ago, her gaze finally settling on the girl. Her features were so familiar that it surprised her.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this girl was the young Granny Ge Luo. No wonder she had mentioned that Jade Sword was an old acquaintance. Now it seemed they were more than just acquaintances.

But why was young Granny Ge Luo with these two? Their attire suggested they belonged to the same faction or organization.

The scene quickly shifted. In the hall, Jade Sword sat on a cushion in front of the deity statue, exhausted. Another youth named Copper Candle joined him.

“Move over, let me sit too.”

“Go sit somewhere else. Why crowd with me? You’re so warm, like a furnace,” Jade Sword grumbled.

“These cushions are clean compared to everything else. If I don’t sit here, should I fight Xiao Luo for a spot?” Copper Candle replied, sitting down.

Jade Sword glanced at the girl sitting nearby, talking to her bird, but turned away before she noticed.

“Alright, since Xiao Luo is a girl, it’s inappropriate to sit with you.”

They discussed further, but Jade Sword and Copper Candle seemed naturally incompatible, bickering and eventually wrestling on the cushions, falling to the ground.

Click.

Unsure what triggered it, a slit opened beneath the deity statue, revealing a passage.

Curious, they crawled in and found three large bronze pedestals with chains binding three strange objects.

“What treasures are these?” Jade Sword approached curiously but was pulled back by Ge Luo, a flash of light appearing as spirits rose from the pedestals, seemingly unintelligent, circling the pedestals.

“Good thing Little Black warned us, or you’d have been dragged in by those spirits,” Ge Luo said, relieved, while her black bird chirped.

“There are inscriptions!” Copper Candle placed his lantern on a nearby wall, illuminating the rock.

Carvings on the rock read:

“Seven Swords Piercing Heart Cabinet”, “Devilish Soul Furnace”, “Evil-Dispelling Spirit Horn”.

“Do you even understand this?” Jade Sword asked casually.

“Of course, I’ve studied it since I was young,” Copper Candle explained proudly.

Though he was unremarkable in appearance, several of his elders were Zhaoye Palace disciples, giving him knowledge and history, allowing him to roughly decipher the characters of the Yi Clan.

“Wow, if we took this out, we’d be rich, right?” Jade Sword exclaimed excitedly.

“But these things are dangerous, I’ve heard the Yama Palace is very fierce,” Ge Luo worried.

“What’s to fear? Wealth comes from taking risks. Besides, I’m not as privileged as Copper Candle. It took a lot to get into the Zhaoye Palace selection.”

“Jade Sword, you’re wrong,” Copper Candle shook his head.

“The Zhaoye Palace’s mission is to guard the Xi Mu Mountains. If the inner disciples find out we’ve entered this sealed area, our assessment will be over.”

“Oh, then all my efforts are wasted,” Jade Sword stared blankly, mouth agape.

Entering the Zhaoye Palace had been his dream, and now it felt like a death sentence. His voice sank, showing sorrow and frustration.

Sighing, Copper Candle shook his head.

Though he was involved, he had several elders in the Zhaoye Palace, and finding another way in wouldn’t be a problem. But Jade Sword was different. Born into an average family, his trip to Mu Mountain Province had cost a lot. He probably wouldn’t get another chance.

But who could have foreseen this accident? They entered the outer gates of the Zhaoye Palace and, through trials within the faction, arrived at the Xi Mu Mountains. Chasing a monster, they fell into a ravine and ended up in this strange place.

Though they survived, they would likely face blame. From a young age, his elders had told him the Zhaoye Palace highly valued this underground site, and outsiders were forbidden from entering. Even the outer disciples were considered sinful for trespassing.

“This is our responsibility given by the Dynasty, a great honor, Copper Candle,” a senior uncle had once said, proud and honored.

The Zhaoye Palace’s independence from the Xiangyu Sect was precisely because of this honor and mission. Otherwise, with the Xiangyu Sect’s strength back then, such a thing would never have happened.

Thinking about this, Copper Candle finally restrained his dislike for Jade Sword. He promised that if they could escape on their own, he wouldn’t report it to the Zhaoye Palace, allowing Jade Sword to officially enter.

At the exit, Jade Sword asked the girl:

“Ge Luo, what about you? We’ve killed several demons, so we should be able to enter the sect properly.”

“Me?” Ge Luo stood quietly at the exit, answering after a long silence.

“I won’t go to the Zhaoye Palace. The Yi Clan might need more help. I’ve seen how miserable they live,” she said, her face showing hesitation and struggle.

(End of Chapter)