Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 145 - 120: Ling Qiyue: We Can Continue to Go Deeper...

Chapter 145: Chapter 120: Ling Qiyue: We Can Continue to Go Deeper...

"Never mind. Let’s go check the next place," Ling Qiyue said. While it was a bit of a shame, what they’d already gained was still pretty good.

The two of them left the courtyard and continued deeper into the ruins.

Compared to the outer areas of the Immortal Mansion Ruins, the Array Restriction Traps were clearly more numerous here. Not only were they better hidden, but their lethality had also increased significantly.

After turning at a new intersection, Ling Changqing stopped. His expression was grave as he cautiously scanned his surroundings.

About a hundred feet away, a ten-foot-tall, heavily-armored Spear Holding Puppet approached with slow, heavy steps.

A faint Spiritual Light flickered across its Armor and Weapon. Fine, glowing runes could be seen faintly swirling across their surfaces, and a sharp killing intent filled the air.

Following it, more Daoist Soldier Puppets emerged from the depths of the passage, one after another.

Ling Qiyue’s gaze hardened. Just as she was about to act, Ling Changqing stopped her.

"Don’t alert them yet. Let’s observe the situation first."

Ling Changqing explained.

Sure enough, the first Spear Holding Puppet to appear walked slowly until it was about thirty feet from Ling Changqing, then it stopped, turned around, and slowly walked back.

The other Daoist Soldier Puppets did the same. Without any external interference, their patrol routes were fixed.

"If I’m right, as long as we stay about ten feet away from these things, we won’t alert them."

Ling Changqing sent via voice transmission.

Although these were only Rank Two Middle and Upper Grade Daoist Soldier Puppets that Ling Qiyue could handle, fighting a large number of them would still be incredibly draining.

That was why Ling Changqing stopped her from acting rashly. There were surely countless unknown dangers deeper in the ruins, and they had to maintain their peak condition at all times.

"From now on, every time I go out, I should have you by my side and never let you go."

Ling Qiyue said earnestly to the handsome, purple-robed young man beside her.

If it had been just her and Tang Qiu Yao again this time, they likely would have fallen into a trap by now.

"Mm, and I’ll never leave your side either, Senior Sister."

Ling Changqing wrapped his arms around Ling Qiyue’s soft, voluptuous body and gave her a kiss.

The beauty’s face flushed red. Her enchanting arms wrapped around him proactively as she gave him a light kiss with her lustrous, alluring lips.

"Alright, let’s keep moving deeper."

Ling Qiyue said softly, "I don’t know if those people outside will chase us in here. We need to claim the fortunes in the core region of the ruins as quickly as possible."

Ling Changqing nodded. He took the beautiful woman’s arm and continued onward, carefully avoiding both the Restriction Traps and the wandering Daoist Soldier Puppets on patrol.

...

「The outer region of the Immortal Mansion Ruins.」

In the Black Stone Passage, torrents of flame poured down from the vaulted ceiling while bolts of lightning crashed down, leaving the group of black-robed Cultivators in a wretched state.

Unfamiliar with their surroundings, they had inadvertently triggered several Restriction Traps, falling prey to them in a most frustrating fashion.

The Cultivators joined forces to resist, barely managing to withstand the onslaught before crushing the Restriction Trap with brute force.

When they took a headcount afterward, although there were no fatalities, quite a few of the Cultivators were injured.

"...Elder, we can basically confirm it now. Someone beat us here, and not long ago!"

A Pseudo Core master, holding a Star Plate-shaped Magical Artifact, frowned as he reported to the Golden Core Master.

The Elder’s face was grim. "Is there any way to pinpoint their current location and catch up to them quickly?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Well... we can try, but I can’t guarantee success!"

the Pseudo Core master said cautiously.

It was his first time in this place. Even as a Quasi rank Three Array Master, he was getting a massive headache from the system of Array Restrictions left behind by the Vast Sea Dark and Bright City.

As newcomers, they had extremely limited information to go on. They would be lucky just to ensure their own safety, let alone hope for anything more.

"Never mind. Just do your best."

The Elder sighed. In a situation like this, they couldn’t solve the problem immediately, even with a knife to their throats.

And so, led by the two Array Masters, the group advanced into the depths of the Black Stone Passage, cautiously testing and probing their way forward step by step.

「Three days passed quietly.」

By the time they finally laid eyes on the great hall filled with Daoist Soldier Puppets, the size of their group had already shrunk by nearly a third.

In other words, more than fifty black-robed Cultivators had been left behind, dead in the passages along the way.

"Oh? There are quite a few Daoist Soldier Puppets here! It looks like some of them can still be salvaged."

the Elder said, sounding slightly surprised.

In his opinion, it was truly baffling that the group of Cultivators who came in first hadn’t plundered every available resource.

Before long, the black-robed Cultivators finished investigating the scene and reported the situation as it was.

"In other words, they plundered all the good stuff, leaving only the damaged goods, is that it?"

The Elder’s expression immediately soured.

But there was nothing to be done about it. The others had simply gotten here earlier.

In the end, the Elder could only order his men to press on, his face grim.

「Several more days passed.」

By the time the Elder laid eyes on the picturesque courtyard, fewer than fifty Cultivators remained by his side.

"Hey? That Jade Scroll... could it be something valuable?"

A sharp-eyed Cultivator spotted the open Jade Scroll on a stone table not far away, flickering with Spiritual Light.

"Let me check it first!"

the Pseudo Core master said, cautiously approaching with his star plate magical artifact to investigate.

Even with his skills, and after checking it repeatedly for a good while, he couldn’t find anything unusual about the Jade Scroll.

"...The Taiyin Moonlight Divine Heart Refining Scripture? So it’s this lost Cultivation Method Scripture. But why didn’t they take it?"

The Elder gave it a single glance and instantly committed the contents of the Jade Scroll to memory.

"Elder, you can bring this Cultivation Technique back and hand it over to the organization in exchange for merit points!"

a black-robed Cultivator said in a fawning tone.

The Elder contemplated for a moment, then shook his head. "Inadvisable. I’m afraid there’s something strange about this thing. You may look, but do not touch it!"

Anyone who managed to reach the Golden Core Master Realm through Cultivation was no fool. The fact that the previous group hadn’t taken this precious Cultivation Method Scripture spoke volumes.

The black-robed Cultivators then proceeded to turn the courtyard inside out, but as expected, they found nothing.

However, a few greedy fellows couldn’t keep their hands to themselves and, whether intentionally or not, touched the White Jade Furnace and the Sword.

Then, piercing screams echoed endlessly. Their bodies were instantly engulfed by a strange black qi. They struggled for a moment, bleeding from all seven facial orifices, before their bodies went still and their souls dissipated.

"You bastards! Who told you to touch things you shouldn’t! If you interfere with the organization’s grand plan, can you bear the consequences?"

the Elder furiously rebuked, his face dark. The other black-robed Cultivators looked at each other, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

"Enough, let’s go! Be more careful this time. We must catch up to those audacious bastards!"

After scolding them for a while, the Elder gave the order to move out.

...

By this point, Ling Changqing, arm in arm with the beautiful woman beside him, had safely passed through hundreds of intersections and arrived inside a magnificent, golden hall.

"Senior Sister, should we find a place to rest for a bit?"

Ling Changqing said in a low voice, his handsome, jade-like face showing a rare trace of fatigue.

His Luck and Fortune had been constantly draining along the way and had now dropped to a critical level. If he kept going, something could go wrong.

"Okay, let’s go over there!"

Ling Qiyue looked at the young man, her heart aching for him. She supported him as they moved to an empty area in a corner.

She took a tent from her Storage Pouch, set it up, and had Ling Changqing go inside to lie down and recover.

The space inside the tent was quite spacious, fully furnished with a bed and bedding. A faint, pleasant fragrance filled the air.

Wealthy Golden Core Masters were capable of Refining Pocket World Treasures to carry with them. By deploying them when needed, they could enjoy luxurious and convenient living conditions even in the wild.

However, Ling Qiyue had only advanced to the Golden Core Master realm a few years ago, so she hadn’t had time to prepare such a Pocket World Treasure. She could only make do with this magical artifact-grade tent.

Ling Changqing stripped off his clothes and lay down on the bed. Ling Qiyue followed him in, a trace of tension in her soft, beautiful voice:

"Just a moment ago, that group of unknown origin reached the courtyard. It seems there are forty or fifty of them?"

When she and Ling Changqing had left the courtyard, she had secretly set up a small measure.

Now that this hidden measure had been triggered, Ling Qiyue received the alert.