"Along the way, court secret agents and Mystical Sect spies could not have been completely unaware."
"Unless... it never truly left Tai Lake!"
"The demon woman and the tripod must still be nearby, only completely hidden by so extrely advanced Secret Technique or geographical advantage."
"We’ve searched everywhere."
Zhang Jingqing shook his head and said, "All cultivators worked together and searched twice; there couldn’t be any oversight..."
"Not necessarily."
Nearby, Wang Daoxuan seed to be contemplating sothing and spoke up, "I recall sothing! When Lai Yin took the Yangzhou Tripod from the Dragon-locking Well, she didn’t take it directly but utilized that peculiar ’demon’ she cultivated."
"That demon was nurtured to spin silk and form cocoons, layering the Yangzhou Tripod with this Secret Technique, isolating its aura, making it difficult for cultivators to detect."
"Perhaps she might repeat her trick!"
Everyone’s spirits lifted upon hearing this!
Though it’s just speculation, there finally is a clear clue and direction!
"Good! It’s excellent to have this clue!"
Zhang Jingqing also nodded in agreent but frowned, saying, "But the Tai Lake region is vast, with nurous islands, dense water networks, and winding mountains; there are countless places to hide."
"Cultivators’ Divine Skills can’t sense it; it’s hard to find..."
"Let handle it."
At this mont, Lv San, who had been silent, stepped forward.
Without wasting words, everyone imdiately cleared a space.
They knew that Lv San was likely to use Ancient Chu Witchcraft.
Zhang Jingqing, though unsure, sensibly stepped aside.
Lv San, looking solemn, took out several ancient artifacts from his pack:
A wooden Nuo mask painted with a fierce beast face, a small copper bell, and several old turtle shells stained with dark red marks.
These were Witch and Nuo Magical Tools crafted from spiritual materials gathered along the way.
He solemnly placed the mask on his face, and as he shook the copper bell in his hand, his footsteps danced Nuobu, making the Nuo Mask seem to co alive, exuding an aura of ancient barbarism.
Snap!
He directly tossed aside his shoes, stepping barefoot onto the parched earth, disregarding rubble and debris, beginning a strange and ancient Nuobu dance.
Sotis like a gibbon climbing, sotis like a Spirit Snake slithering, sotis like a fierce tiger crouching. He recited incantations obscure, long, and with Chu Territory’s unique intonation:
"Soul and Spirit, Mountain Ghosts arise! Spirits and Monsters of the Four Corners, heed my command! Water Mansion’s Dragons and Snakes, quickly reveal your traces! Creeping creatures and birds, lead the way! Wicked cocoons hiding filth, foul silk concealing the tripod, where do you hide? Report swiftly! Urgent as the law commands!"
The copper bell resonated rhythmically with his dance steps and chanting.
The sound was not loud, yet it seemingly pierced through space, reaching deep into the earth, the flowing dark currents, plant roots, and even the awareness of birds and beasts.
The turtle shell was struck by his Magic Wand, emitting a crisp sound.
An intangible ancient aura, with Lv San at its center, spread out like ripples in all directions, quietly rging with the surroundings.
The commotion here also caught the attention of the distant Jinling cultivators.
"Ancient Witchcraft communication with spirits..."
Zhang Jingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly and imdiately ordered, "Prepare all!"
Ti ticked away, and everyone held their breath, staying focused.
Suddenly, several surviving, ragged-feathered water birds startled up from the reed marshes, circling and frantically crying, collectively pointing to an inconspicuous lakeside cliff under Dongting West Mountain’s southern foothills.
Imdiately after, a few half-dead fish, bellies up, circled near the water surface close to the cliff unusually.
More unusually, several bugs and geckos crawled out from the ruins’ corners, seemingly summoned, all crawling toward that cliff.
Lv San’s Nuodance abruptly stopped, the voice beneath the mask tinged with fatigue: "Found it! The place where the aura is most obscure and gloomy is right under that cliff!"
Everyone’s gaze instantly focused on that steep lakeside cliff.
"It’s underwater!"
Li Yan made a swift decision, "Daoists with good water attributes, follow into the water to investigate! Heavenly Master Zhang, please arrange personnel for shoreline and water surface vigilance!"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded, "Good! Mr. Li, proceed cautiously! On the shore and water surface, I will oversee!"
Several cultivators proficient in Water Escape or with excellent Water Attributes quickly removed their outer robes, revealing waterproof clothing or activating Water Avoidance Talismans.
Li Yan took a deep breath and perford the North Emperor Mysterious Water Escape, reciting, "Nuogao! Heavenly pure Taisu, Ren and Gui Essence. Inner assistance residing in the kidney, upper connection with rcury..."
As the incantation was chanted, a faint mist enveloped him, then he took the lead, diving into the murky, icy lake water, followed closely by the other cultivators.
Underwater visibility was extrely low, filled with murky mud and dismbered limbs.
Li Yan flicked his legs, like a nimble fish, swiftly diving in the direction pointed out by Lv San.
The closer he got to the bottom of the cliff, the lower seed the water temperature, and the currents beca more turbulent.
Soon, they reached the target area.
This ti, they searched more ticulously.
At the junction of the cliff and lake bed, amidst dense aquatic grass and collapsed rock fragnts, there indeed lay a very hidden, deep crevice ford by years of water erosion.
The entrance of the crevice was narrow, just wide enough for one person to barely pass through, and looking inside was pitch black.
More crucially, the entrance of this crevice was completely blocked by a thick layer of grayish-white substance.
This material was neither tal nor stone, remarkably tough, with irregular veins and mucus covering its surface, exactly the Divine Silkworm Silk Li Yan and others had seen before.
This is it!
Li Yan squinted slightly and made a gesture backward.
No need for him to act, imdiately two Lushan Magical Sect disciples drew long whips from their waists, covered with copper charms, forming a mantra with their left hand and swinging them forcefully with their right.
Bam bam bam!
They had extraordinary strength, creating undercurrents even underwater.
The Divine Silkworm Silk blocking the cave entrance smoked black and was gradually torn apart.
Li Yan and others moved aside the Divine Silkworm Silk and crawled into the dark cave, where indeed lay hidden mysteries.
The cold lake water was isolated by a "V"-shaped waterway, forming a hidden cavern.
The intense sll of Corpse Oil and stale water filled the air, making Li Yan dizzy as he quickly covered his nose and looked ahead.
He saw arm-thick Corpse Oil candles flickering with ghostly green flas.
In the green glow, a Divine Statue was tightly wrapped in silkworm thread.
Though the face was blurred, it was the image of the Silkworm God "Miss Ma Tou," worshiped by Jiangnan folk, though heavily corroded by silkworm thread.
"Evil worship!"
A Shangqing Daoist from Maoshan spat, eyes full of murderous intent.
Everyone’s gaze finally focused on the object behind the Divine Statue.
An object half a person’s height, wrapped in Divine Silkworm Silk, clearly outlined the Yangzhou Tripod.
Li Yan stepped forward, the Duan Chen Blade flashing coldly, and the tough silkworm threads snapped and peeled layer by layer.
But to everyone’s surprise, inside the tripod wasn’t the Lai Yin Demon Woman they expected to be healing or performing spells, but simply a set of skeletal remains wrapped in light, thin silk clothes, sitting cross-legged!
The white bones were posed as if they had fossilized in so ritual.
The hollow eye sockets faced the do of the cavern, looking extrely eerie.
"This..."
A Lushan disciple gasped, his voice trembling in the small cavern, "Did she... has she reached Ascension?!"
No wonder he was shocked, the scene was bizarre yet induced a feeling of "perfection" and "tranquility."
Li Yan frowned deeply, the tip of the Duan Chen Blade gently lifting a nearly transparent, gossar silk piece from the knee of the skeleton, feeling cold and slippery to the touch.
The Divine Silkworm Silk had lost its vitality, emitting no strange aura.
"Impossible!"
A disciple of Lushan Magical Sect frowned, gritting his teeth, "Everyone, hold on a mont! This object is placed in the tripod and wrapped in the Demon Woman’s Divine Silkworm Silk, it must be a Blinding Technique!"
"Let use the ’Eye of Truth’ to see through it all!"
Before he finished speaking, he started a mantra, an incantation gathering a wisp of white Qi at his fingertips, drawing it before his eyes, and cautiously pointing towards the skeleton inside the tripod.
As soon as it touched the skeleton’s surface, a sudden change occurred!
The skeleton showed no reaction, but the Yangzhou Tripod awakened.
"Buzz——!"
A soundless roar exploded in the narrow dark cave.
Substantial pressure instantly filled every inch of space.
That Lushan disciple bore the brunt, grunting as if hit hard, his face turning pale, backing up step by step until he hit the cave wall, barely stabilizing, his chest heaving violently, breathing becoming incredibly difficult.
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically.
The Yangzhou Tripod exerted its power, and everyone felt as if a mountain weighed down on their shoulders.
Astra Bane Qi solidified instantly, akin to congealed lead rcury.
Heavy and sluggish, completely unresponsive to commands.
Let alone performing any more Investigation Techniques, even standing was a struggle.
And the skeleton inside the tripod, under this overwhelming aura, seed even more mysterious and eerie.
Calmly sitting cross-legged, as if mocking everyone...
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