249: Chapter 249: The Jade Rabbit Army

"The fated ones?"

Zhao Wudi was stunned.

"What does it mean to be a fated one?"

No one could answer.

Xiao Ran didn't look at the stone tablet; instead, he looked around, searching for the area with the rabbit statues Li Changsheng had mentioned.

Soon, he saw a massive open space on the western side of the palace complex.

Hundreds of Jade Rabbit statues squatted on the open ground, packed so densely that the end was nowhere in sight.

The red eyes of those statues shimmered under the moonlight, as if they were watching something.

He tried to sense his surroundings but didn't find Li Changsheng's aura.

"This guy... surely he hasn't gone in already?" Xiao Ran frowned.

He walked to the edge of the square, found a deserted corner, and contacted Li Changsheng through the Soul Link.

"Changsheng, where are you? I've entered the second floor."

Li Changsheng's voice came through, sounding somewhat rushed.

"I... I accidentally triggered a mechanism here by the rabbit statues. Now all the rabbits have come to life and are chasing me!"

Xiao Ran: "...Didn't you say you didn't dare get close?"

Li Changsheng: "I didn't get close! I was far away, but I don't know what I touched, and they just woke up!"

Xiao Ran sighed: "Then where are you now?"

Li Changsheng: "I ran into an Immortal Cave."

"Those rabbits stopped at the entrance and won't come in, as if they're afraid of something."

"I'm heading further inside; there's something big in here."

Xiao Ran's heart tightened: "Be careful."

Li Changsheng cut the link.

Xiao Ran looked at the cluster of rabbit statues to the west and hesitated, deciding not to go over.

Li Changsheng had his own coincidental Opportunities, and his own were not bad either.

Going over now would only cause trouble.

He turned and walked toward the palace complex.

On the square, the Human Race and Yao Race were still researching how to pass through.

No one dared to step in rashly because although those Jade Rabbit statues were squatting, they could strike at any moment.

Xiao Ran walked to the edge of the square and observed for a while.

He noticed there was a silver-white path on the square, with Jade Rabbit statues on both sides.

The middle of the path was empty; no one was walking on it.

Other areas were the same—every path had Jade Rabbit statues on both sides.

"These rabbits are likely guarding the paths," Xiao Ran thought to himself.

He thought about it and decided to take a gamble.

He took a step and set foot on the silver-white path.

The Jade Rabbit statues on both sides did not move.

They simply turned their heads, their red eyes staring at him as if scrutinizing him.

Xiao Ran walked very slowly, each step light.

After walking about a hundred steps, he reached the end of the path.

There was a door there, and behind it was a side hall.

He pushed open the door and walked inside.

The side hall was empty, with nothing in it.

There was only a stone table, and on the table lay a Jade Slip.

He picked up the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Recorded inside was a Cultivation Technique—the Lunar Body Refining Art.

By practicing this Cultivation Technique, one could absorb taiyin essence to temper the Physical Body; at its peak, the Physical Body would become indestructible.

"Good stuff." Xiao Ran tucked the Jade Slip into his robes.

He walked out of the side hall and found that some people's luck was not quite as good.

On another path, a Prodigy from the Zhao family walked too fast and triggered a mechanism.

The Jade Rabbit statues on both sides lunged simultaneously, their red eyes glowing as they turned into streaks of silver-white light pouncing toward him.

That Zhao family Prodigy didn't even have time to scream before being torn into pieces.

Blood splattered on the silver-white ground, looking exceptionally striking.

Zhao Wudi's face turned ashen, but he said nothing.

Because he knew that casualties were inevitable in a Secret Realm.

Xiao Ran withdrew his gaze and continued forward.

He walked through path after path and entered several side halls, obtaining many good items.

taiyin essence, Medicinal Pills, Magic Treasures, Cultivation Techniques... a dazzling array, too many to count.

Meanwhile, Li Changsheng was also experiencing his own adventure.

Li Changsheng squatted at the entrance of the Immortal Cave, gasping for breath.

Behind him, hundreds of Jade Rabbit statues blocked the entrance, their red eyes staring at him.

But not a single one dared to enter.

They seemed to be afraid of something.

"What exactly is in here?" Li Changsheng stood up and looked into the depths of the Immortal Cave.

The Immortal Cave was very deep, the end invisible to the eye.

Various murals were painted on the walls on both sides.

The content of the murals was very consistent.

A Jade Rabbit, under a massive Laurel Tree, was pounding medicine.

That Jade Rabbit's eyes were red, exactly like the statues outside.

Li Changsheng walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before a massive stone chamber appeared ahead.

In the stone chamber squatted a giant Jade Rabbit statue.

That Jade Rabbit was more than ten times larger than the ones outside, its entire body silver-white.

Its eyes were two fist-sized rubies.

In front of it was a stone mortar, containing half a mortar of unfinished medicine.

The air was filled with a rich medicinal fragrance; taking a single breath made his whole body feel refreshed.

Li Changsheng approached cautiously.

The Jade Rabbit statue did not move.

He walked to the stone mortar and looked down.

The medicine in the mortar was pale gold, emitting a soft glow.

He reached out, wanting to pinch a bit to examine it.

The moment his finger touched the medicine, an aged voice echoed in the stone chamber.

"After ten thousand years of waiting, a fated person has finally arrived."

Li Changsheng jerked back, looking around vigilantly.

In the stone chamber, that giant Jade Rabbit statue opened its eyes.

A soft light lit up within the ruby eyes.

Within the light, a phantom slowly emerged.

It was a snow-white Jade Rabbit, slightly larger than a normal rabbit.

It was fluffy, with amber eyes.

"Who are you?" Li Changsheng asked.

"I am Moon Fairy's spirit pet, the Jade Rabbit."

The phantom spoke, its voice very light, like wind blowing through a bamboo forest.

"Ten thousand years ago, Moon Fairy perished here."

"Before she died, she sealed me in this Immortal Cave, telling me to wait for the arrival of a fated person."

Li Changsheng was stunned: "A fated person? Me?"

The Jade Rabbit's phantom floated in front of him, sizing him up, its gaze falling on the jade pendant at his waist.

The jade pendant was emitting a faint silver-white glow.

"Moon Fairy's jade pendant."

The Jade Rabbit's voice carried a hint of nostalgia.

"She said that the one who could enter this place carrying the jade pendant would be her successor."

Li Changsheng looked down at the jade pendant he had picked up from the bottom of the skeleton pit, suddenly understanding.

So that skeleton hadn't just given him the Frost Cold Sword, but also this jade pendant.

And this jade pendant was the key to entering the Moon Secret Realm and obtaining the Legacy.

"So, you want to acknowledge me as your master?" Li Changsheng asked.

The Jade Rabbit's phantom nodded.

"My true body is those Jade Rabbit statues outside."

"They are my Incarnations that have guarded this Immortal Cave for ten thousand years. Now that you are here, they can be set free."

It floated in front of Li Changsheng, its forehead touching his.

A wave of warm spiritual energy surged from the Jade Rabbit's phantom into Li Changsheng's brow.

Li Changsheng felt countless connections appear in his mind.

Those connections were dense, linking to the hundreds of Jade Rabbit statues on the square outside.

With a thought, the Jade Rabbit statues blocking the cave entrance simultaneously moved aside to create a path.

With another thought, they lined up in a square formation, standing neatly outside the cave.

"The method to control the Jade Rabbit Army has been passed to you."

The Jade Rabbit's phantom grew fainter and fainter.

"Moon Fairy's Legacy is in the deepest part of the Immortal Cave. Go take it yourself; I am going to find Moon Fairy."

The phantom dissipated.

Li Changsheng stood in place for a long time without moving.

He took a deep breath and walked toward the depths of the Immortal Cave.

This trip was a huge profit.

On the other side, Xiao Ran walked out of the last side hall, having gained quite a lot.

He contacted Li Changsheng through the Soul Link.

"Changsheng, how are things on your end?"

Li Changsheng's excited voice came through.

"I've subdued the Jade Rabbit Army! Hundreds of Jade Rabbit statues, each with the combat power of the Peak Soul Transformation Stage!"

Xiao Ran: "???"

Li Changsheng: "I'm currently in an Immortal Cave deep within the palace complex, preparing to take Moon Fairy's Legacy. What about you?"

Li Changsheng's voice was incredibly excited.

Xiao Ran: "I'm on the second floor. I just finished searching the side halls, and the harvest was good."

"There are a few Magic Treasures and a set of the 'Lunar Body Refining Art'."

The two chatted for a bit and agreed to meet at the entrance to the third floor.

Xiao Ran cut the link and looked at the distant palace complex.

There, the Lunar Star fragment was still suspended atop the high tower, emitting an enticing glow.

And the key to obtaining it lay deep within the palace.

He gripped the yellow spring banner and stepped toward the palace complex.