Chapter 119: The Empty Room

This is a vacant chamber.

It had remained untouched for thousands of years. Silence and darkness had held sway here for centuries.

Suddenly, the faint, messy, and unsteady sound of footsteps approached. With every step taken, it felt as though the person’s entire weight was pressing down upon their feet, making each movement appear heavy and labored.

From the darkness of the corridor, a figure emerged, clad in white robes stained with black streaks. He was panting, his appearance disheveled and wretched. This was Qing Yuan, who had just escaped from the depths of the magma.

His hair was scorched, and his fair face was smudged with soot and marked by numerous red burns from the flames. His inner white garment was torn and stained with large patches of gray and black.

In the face of the previous danger, he had ultimately underestimated the earthly fire—or rather, overestimated the ice-silk Daoist robe.

The ice-silk of the Northwest was a rare treasure, typically impervious to water and fire. If refined by a master of artifact crafting, it might have withstood the magma. However, the robe he wore had merely been woven, not refined. While it possessed a degree of resistance, the earthly fire was no ordinary flame; it was a heat capable of melting rock, and the ice-silk had been destroyed in an instant.

Fortunately, he had recalled the map left behind by the Venerable Guangyuan Guye. The material of that map was not a magnificent treasure, but having been nourished by the aura of an immortal for hundreds or thousands of years, it had surpassed the ice-silk. At the critical moment, Qing Yuan had managed to wrap himself in the map to save his life. Even so, a single map could not cover everything, which explained his current disheveled state. Had he not channeled the essence of Northern Water from his Condensation Pagoda to protect himself, he would have perished despite the map.

As the magma surged and spilled out of the fire chamber, the ground beyond was free of earthly fire; the temperature gradually dropped, and the molten rock began to solidify. It was then that Qing Yuan had broken free from the cooling, viscous layer of magma.

"A stroke of luck..." Qing Yuan took a deep breath.

The Red River White Night Spirit Carriage was destroyed, the Venerable’s map was ruined, and the ice-silk robe was gone. Yet, after struggling with all his might, risking his life, and surviving against all odds, he had finally escaped the predicament, eliminated his powerful enemies, and made it inside.

...

Venerable Guangyuan Guye had designed this place primarily to nurture a treasure, not to deliberately prevent outsiders from entering. However, as an ancient true immortal, even his unintended arrangements were not places that ordinary people could easily traverse.

"The Five Elements Formation was meant to nourish the treasure—these obstacles are merely trials, I suppose? And the trial of the Earth Dragon was actually the Great Mountain Demon?"

"The key to the treasure casket was said not to be a trial, but a mere afterthought, yet it caused heavy losses to all the clans in Yuanyuan City. As for this place, to be considered a trial by the Venerable Guangyuan Guye himself, it is truly formidable."

He looked around the empty chamber. Having attained a certain level of cultivation, he could see in the dark, so the lack of light no longer hindered him much. He walked slowly, looking back toward the direction of the magma eruption with lingering fear. His steps unsteady, he sat down against the wall, exhaled a long breath, and managed to perform the June Pure Observation, visualizing the Nine-Story Jade Pagoda.

Within the Condensation Pagoda, the "Qing Yuan" manifested by his soul appeared slightly dimmed, facing north, gazing at the Black Tortoise.

Qing Yuan had survived, but his body was covered in burns. It was thanks to the aura of the Northern Black Tortoise and the essence of Water that his life had been spared. Exhausted and wounded, he knew he could not proceed further immediately. He had to rest, recover his vital energy, and tend to his injuries.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes slightly, pressed his tongue against his palate, and folded his hands over his dantian, breathing rhythmically to circulate his energy. As his vital energy returned, the fire poison raging within his body gradually dissipated, seeping into his flesh and blood. His flesh began to harden and solidify, a change of which Qing Yuan was not yet aware.

...

A long silence ensued.

Though his wounds remained and every movement stung with a burning pain, his vital energy had fully recovered. The Water essence within his Condensation Pagoda had kept the fire poison in check, and he was now mostly out of danger. He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a plume about a foot long that slowly dispersed.

"This time, it was truly luck."

Qing Yuan still felt the lingering terror. When the Red River White Night Spirit Carriage was nearly shattered, he knew that once this remnant treasure was destroyed, he would have to face three Masters. With his cultivation at the Third Heaven, he was no match for them. He had been forced to break into the fire chamber, drawing out the magma to destroy both the carriage and his enemies, placing himself in mortal danger. If he had any other choice, he would never have resorted to such a desperate, near-suicidal tactic.

"Regardless, I have survived."

Leaning against the rock wall and using an iron rod for support, Qing Yuan slowly stood up.

The arrangements of the Venerable Guangyuan Guye were not something he could have broken on his own. Had he been alone, he would have been helpless before the Liyue Bottom Valley. Even the formidable Sun family, with all their resources, their gathering of Masters, and their use of other cultivators as bait, had been stopped at the fire chamber. It was only through Qing Yuan’s guidance that they could proceed.

Qing Yuan had known how to apply the principles of the Bagua and the River Map/Luo Scroll, but his cultivation was only at the Third Heaven, making it difficult to execute such techniques. Thus, he had instructed Sun Yu on how to construct the stone bridge, borrowing Sun Yu's Daoist arts to build the nine sections of the bridge to cross the void. He had realized that only on that bridge could he use the Red River White Night Spirit Carriage to crush all four Masters at once. Had it been in any other, more spacious area, even the power of the carriage would not have been enough to kill them all.

"Next..."

He stood up, circulated his energy, and walked slowly forward.

Behind this empty chamber should be the heart of Mount Fuzhong and the end of the Liyue Bottom Valley. Logically, the treasure should be kept there, being nurtured by the Five Elements Formation.

As Qing Yuan walked, his heart grew heavy. If the Venerable had deliberately set up barriers to isolate the treasure, no one short of an immortal descending to the mortal realm could ever obtain it. But the Venerable had no intention of monopolizing the treasure, believing it should go to those with affinity. Therefore, these surroundings were not meant to be a hopeless death trap. The Five Elements Formation, for instance, was meant to nurture the treasure, not block outsiders; yet, the immense power required for the formation naturally created an obstacle, which in turn served as a trial.

But was this trial finally over?

Qing Yuan took a deep breath, passed through the empty chamber, and rounded the corridor.

Then, he saw himself.

Standing opposite him was another "Qing Yuan," staring right back at him.