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nChapter 360: Archeological Breakthroughs

nIn Jade Lake’s prison, the old man’s sole leg’s chain spread out as he brought the gruel mixt with dirt to his mouth.

n“That Faceless should be dead by now. A hegemonic bow as Heavenly Wolf Bow will only accept those that look down on a ruler’s ambitions. And I already lost mine. I can only stand close to a lord with such ambition to have the right to use the Heavenly Wolf Bow.”

n“But this Faceless is too adept at scheming, and even more so deranged, yet doesn’t lack resolve.”

n“I wonder how he’ll die.”

n“Who knows? Six died and not once did I find out!”

nChen Ming stood three feet away from the gate. The arrowhead even touched the gate when the bow was fully drawn. The arrow finally landed on the gate. It started to shine, its many inscriptions lighting up in succession then focused on the totem of a male archer shooting the sun.

nThe gate slowly opened, spilling out a thick red glow.

nIn Chen Ming’s mind, This is it! He wasn’t at all interested in graverobbing like the rest folks.

nHe waved to suppress the red glow but found it stopping a hundred li into the cave. It’s perfectly normal. The owner must have left a test behind to pass on his legacy. He wants to test the successor himself and not have a bunch of geniuses fight among each other.

nRight, didn’t the old geezer said six Faceless died here?

nUnable to gain approval they had to have tried wiping away its will. But this act, against a Martyr weapon, lead to the death of even Supreme Gold Immortal, if not gravely wounding them.

nDid those six leave anything behind?

nChen Ming released his awareness, taking all in, but was met with disappointment. There was nothing there!

nIf the Faceless died, then they had to have left their masks behind.

nThat black-clothed woman must have taken them. I was a step behind!

nWhatever, let’s not think about such heart-wrenching matter and see what the Heavenly Wolf Bow’s owner left behind.

nChen Ming walked through the gate and was met with a broad medicine field, with a stone stage in front of it. It wrote:

n‘Traveling through the mortal world and the immortal path several times, yet coming back empty each time, I return without an answer after asking the lord. I await carving, with warm wine ready and gazing to Northwest. Thank you, Heavenly Wolf!

nSuccessor, for you to enter my gate you must have led a domineering life without a lord. You need not greet, nor kowtow. On the stone stage lays the key to Heavenly Wolf’s immortal abode. If you can bind the key, you can take it with you.’

nHa-ha! I, Chen Ming, am not that kind of man. I am a peace-loving three principles abiding youngster.(1)

nChen Ming walked on the stone stage and saw the key. This place had to have a small paradise, a sacred place for an immortal clan, just like Jade Void Temple’s secret domain. But the difference was that this was a genuine world, though small. For the current Yan Mountain, if it moved in, it would be more than spacious.

nI can also leave it on Expansion Star and let the disciples go in to cultivate.

nI should refine it first and see what advantages it will bring.

nChen Ming held the key. It wasn’t much of hassle to bind it, the same way as one did with spirits. Easy to recognize, hard to keep.

nThe time wasn’t right to show one’s wealth, it is better to safeguard the abode.

nIt was important to bind the key so he would gain information on the abode and soon knew how to open it.

nChen Ming spent two hours on it and found the abode divided into Training Grounds, Pill Pavilion, Cultivation Field, Enlightening Temple, Medicine Garden, Beast Pen, and Heavenly Wolf Palace.

nThe last controlled the position of this abode. The Cultivation Field had dozens of Heaven Spirit Veins interwoven so that wherever you were, you would bump into one.

nThe entire world was on the small side when compared to Scarlet Tide Continent, but this didn’t thwart Chen Ming’s development plan.

nTraining Grounds had a Tower of Trials, similar to the one he got from Flying Sword Sect. This one could enact a larger battlefield and stronger targets. But the strongest that could enter was limited to Gold Immortal.

nOnce one was a Supreme Gold Immortal, in the words of Heavenly Wolf Abode’s owner, this tower had no more uses for him.

nChen Ming surmised this Tower of Trials was one big illusion array. Disciples trained inside with no fear of injuries, or the need for pills to recover.

nIt far surpassed his old one, but to Chen Ming this was normal. In the wake of increased realms, the hardship of cultivation amplifies. If one failed in overcoming them, he would have to face the bitterness of death.

nIn the cultivation world, where was it that said an immortal could cultivate for his entire life? It was meaningless because the only real cultivation was done in one’s youth, advancing in realms and gaining more power. As one grew older, his body would begin to wane, their auras dimming.

nOf course, all those geezers of Jade Lake, enjoying food and the like, had a Youth Surpassing Gossip Geezer Aura, compensating for the age difference.

nIt was the same for that one-legged old-timer, who was once from Jade Lake. This guy had a Jade Lake’s representative aura, Old but Ambitious Aura.

nIts effect would more or less stop the decay of auras as one got on in years.

nThough it was of no use against a Supreme Gold Immortal, but that was beside the point. Yan Mountain only had poor old Chen Ming as immortal!

nHis thought on Supreme Gold Immortal and the like, Uh, ask me again after I train a bit, like three hundred years or so.

nPill Pavilion was also good, with many immortal tools cauldrons and furnaces. It doesn’t look like I’ll need Bu Liuhen’s. Wait, I do need them. Yan Mountain’s main commerce is pills and only these few items aren’t nearly enough for the near future.

nThe Medicine Garden had wood Spirit Veins enriching the soil, and even Heaven grade at that, fit for growing immortal herbs.

nKing ranked pills needed King herbs, with spiritual herbs as secondary ingredients. All Sovereign used them.

nImmortal pills needed immortal herbs.

nThose immortal pills were the most precious pills even in the entire immortal world. They were fought over at every chance.

nSo precious that there were little to no cultivators using them for cultivation. Most immortal pills were recovery pills, saving one’s life in desperate times. Cultivating was too wasteful of a use.

nIn general, only those who broke through would be willing to buy a cultivation pill.

nBut they’d have to fork blood and sweat to pay for it, but even then they were willing.

n(1) refers to how a model citizen behaved in ancient China. The three principles are morality, wisdom, form. A model citizen had to have filial respect, be hardworking, ethical, responsible, qualified and strong

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