27: Chapter 27 The Deep Abyss, the Mystery of the Ancient Scales

Deep darkness, like viscous ink, settled at the end of the Secret Grotto passage. Only the soft glimmer emitted by the fire marrow crystal, dancing on the surface of the pool water, barely illuminated the area of a dozen zhang nearby. The air was warm and peaceful, yet carried an indescribable weight and antiquity, as if time flowed exceptionally slowly here.

Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian stood side by side by the pool, their gazes cast into the unknown darkness. Chi Rong's massive body lay sprawled a bit further away, absorbing the residual fire-attribute energy in the air to heal its wounds, while its dark golden vertical pupils scanned the darkness with vigilance from time to time, emitting extremely low, uneasy grumbling sounds from its throat. It had just submitted, its injuries were not light, and its fear of the depths seemed rooted in its soul.

"What do you feel?" Lin Yan asked Xiao Yi Xian beside him in a low voice. His own soul perception extended into the darkness, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, blocked by that dense ancient aura; he could only vaguely sense that the energy there was extremely obscure and complex, far beyond the scorching fire poison of the outside world. On the contrary, the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame within his body transmitted a desire that was becoming increasingly clear and urgent, as if something at the end of the darkness was strongly attracting it.

Xiao Yi Xian frowned slightly, her emerald eyes looking exceptionally deep in the dim light: "I cannot quite say... It is not poison, nor is it pure energy. It is more like a kind of... resonance? The origin of my Calamity Poison Body seems to be trembling slightly, not a riot, but... like it heard some kind of extremely distant call from the same source. It is very faint, but it definitely exists." She subconsciously stroked her lower abdomen, where the origin of her poison power gathered.

A call from the same source? Lin Yan felt a chill in his heart. The Calamity Poison Body was a strange constitution generated by heaven and earth; could it be that in the depths of this grotto, something related to the origin of the Calamity Poison Body actually existed? Or was it a record or residue of some special existence by the will of the earth vein itself?

"The will of the earth vein guided us here and suppressed Chi Rong, it is definitely not without reason." Lin Yan pondered, "These depths are likely the true core secret of this place. Chi Rong," he turned to the Magma Earth-Walking Dragon, "You have guarded this place for many years, do you know what exactly is in those depths?"

Chi Rong's huge head lifted slightly, fear and struggle intertwined in its dark golden vertical pupils, and a mental fluctuation came, carrying awe and hesitation: "Reporting to Master... Although this little dragon has guarded the fire lotus and the holy crystal (fire marrow crystal) here for over a hundred years, I have never dared to go deep into the end of the 'Path of Returning to Silence'... That is the true forbidden zone of the will of the earth vein, the place where the ancient will sleeps, and also... the starting point of the return of all things to ruins. This little dragon only knows that powerful existences (it referred to some fifth-order or even higher-order magical beasts or human experts in the past) who tried to break into the depths were all silently swallowed, leaving not even a trace. Only the will of the earth vein itself, or those approved by it, can set foot there... Just now, the holy crystal moved abnormally, and the will awakened, perhaps... it is precisely the approval of Master and this young lady?"

Approval? Lin Yan was noncommittal. The actions of the will of the earth vein were indeed intriguing, more like a kind of... guidance and test? It seemed to want them to go in, yet it did not give any clear instructions or guarantees.

Risk and opportunity coexist. This is the eternal truth of the cultivation world.

Lin Yan glanced at Xiao Yi Xian. Although her face was still a bit pale, her eyes were firm, and she was clearly prepared to face the unknown. After the baptism of the energy of the earth vein and the life-and-death battle with Chi Rong, an extraordinary trust and tacit understanding had been established between the two.

"Let us go in and take a look." Lin Yan finally made up his mind, "Chi Rong, guard the entrance here. If there is any abnormality, contact me immediately through the Soul Contract."

"Yes, Master! Please be careful!" Chi Rong hurriedly replied, it was eager not to have to go in.

Lin Yan took two night-luminescent pearls from his storage ring and gave one to Xiao Yi Xian. The soft white light barely dispelled some of the darkness. He retracted his soul perception to within a few zhang around him, concentrating and guarding. The Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame flowed slowly in his meridians, ready to erupt at any time. Xiao Yi Xian also quietly circulated the Poison Sutra, strands of condensed poison power lingering on her fingertips, which could be used for self-defense as well as a special means of detection.

The two walked one after the other into the deep passage that Chi Rong called the "Path of Returning to Silence".

The passage was not straight, but snaked downwards with a gentle slope. The rock walls on both sides were no longer the dark red of the outside world, but presented a deep dark gray, cold to the touch, with an exceptionally hard texture, covered with traces of erosion by time and some blurry, ancient patterns, similar in style to the formation patterns by the pool, but more primitive and grandiose.

The air became increasingly dense, and even breathing seemed to require extra effort. The light of the night-luminescent pearl could only illuminate their feet and the nearby rock walls, while further away remained endless darkness. Dead silence, absolute dead silence, only the slight footsteps and the friction of their clothes echoed in the passage, adding to the oppression.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the front suddenly opened up. The end of the passage connected to a wider underground space. The light of the night-luminescent pearl seemed insignificant here, and one could only vaguely see that this was an unimaginably huge underground cave, with a dome of unknown height, hidden in the darkness. Under their feet was a flat, smooth, mirror-like black rock ground, extending into the depths of the darkness.

And what was most shocking was what stood in the center of this cave.

It was not a mountain, nor a giant rock, but a section of... a spine of some creature that was unimaginably huge!

Even though only a small part was exposed above the ground, it was dozens of zhang high, winding like a mountain range, with a pale white color that had gone through the weathering of eternity, yet faintly glowing with a jade-like luster. The bones were incomparably thick, covered with mysterious and complex natural patterns, not carved, but grown, and every pattern seemed to contain the principles of heaven and earth. Just gazing at it, one could feel an ancient, desolate, and... faint pressure originating from the source of life.

This pressure was not the momentum of a living thing, but a residual imprint of life level engraved deep in the bones, which, despite the wear of endless years, still made the souls of Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian tremble. The source of Chi Rong's fear was likely this!

"What... creature's remains are these? A dragon? Or some other ancient divine beast?" Xiao Yi Xian's voice trembled, clutching Lin Yan's sleeve tightly. The scene before her exceeded her cognition.

Lin Yan was also shocked. Such huge remains, what kind of terrifying existence must it have been when it was alive? It was likely far beyond a Dou Zong, Dou Zun, or even... he dared not think further. Moreover, the aura emitted by these remains seemed to have some indescribable, extremely faint connection with the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame in his body and Xiao Yi Xian's poison body perception.

The desire of the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame reached its peak at this moment, pointing to the central area of that huge spine.

"Let us go over and take a look, be careful." Lin Yan took a deep breath, suppressed the palpitations in his heart, took Xiao Yi Xian, and walked slowly towards that towering spine.

The closer they got, the clearer the desolate and ancient pressure became. The black rock ground under their feet was smooth enough to reflect images, reflecting the faint light of the night-luminescent pearl and the pale bones. The air was filled with a strange energy field, calm and obscure, as if it could absorb all sounds and distracting thoughts.

Finally, they arrived at the root of the spine. Viewing it from close range, it felt even more magnificent. The surface of the bones was as smooth as jade, and those natural patterns looked even more complicated and mysterious at close range, with energy faintly flowing in them extremely slowly. And at the place where the root of the spine met the ground, Lin Yan saw something different.

On the black rock ground there, some scales of different sizes were scattered!

Most of the scales were incomplete, dark in color, as if they had experienced unimaginable energy scouring and corrosion by time. But a few of the relatively complete ones could still show their original color—jet black as ink, yet faintly flowing with a dark golden luster, the texture was neither gold nor jade, incomparably heavy, with sharp edges. On each scale, similar, yet smaller and more precise natural patterns were engraved, like those on the spine.

Lin Yan squatted down and carefully picked up a palm-sized black scale. It was cold and heavy to the touch, as if holding a piece of cold iron. The patterns on the scale felt delicate to the touch, faintly transmitting an extremely faint, yet incomparably tenacious strange fluctuation. This fluctuation... was actually extremely slightly similar to the aura of the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame in his body! It was not about devouring, but that essence of "emptiness" and "inclusiveness", as well as an indescribable... ancient and noble feeling.

Xiao Yi Xian also picked up a smaller scale, sensed it carefully, and a strange expression appeared on her face: "This scale... seems to have no rejection towards my poison power? Instead, it is a bit... intimate?" Her poison power touched the scale, and the dark surface actually lit up slightly with an imperceptible gray-purple halo.

At the same time, the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame in Lin Yan's body separated a strand of extremely tiny energy and actively wrapped around the black scale in his hand. The dark golden patterns on the scale seemed to be activated, and began to flow with faint light, forming a sharp contrast with the "emptiness" feeling of the jet-black scale itself, yet harmonious and unified.

"The owner of this scale..." A shocking guess emerged in Lin Yan's heart, "Could it be that it simultaneously possesses the attributes of 'emptiness' and some kind of 'extreme yang' or 'creation'? Even... perhaps it has some connection with the birth of strange things in heaven and earth like strange fire and the Calamity Poison Body?"

Just as the two were immersed in the shock and thought of discovering the scales, Lin Yan's system interface suddenly flashed red violently!

[Emergency Warning! Detected high-concentration 'Hun Clan' (Hall of Souls high-level) origin soul power residue! Source: Inside the core area of the giant creature's spine ahead! Nature of residual soul power: Extremely pure, ancient, and carries strong 'devouring' and 'enslavement' characteristics! Exists partial homologous high-order characteristics with the soul fragments in the 'Three-star Dou Ling You Gu' black ring obtained by the host! Danger level: Extremely high! Suspected to be the remains of a top expert of the Hun Clan who fell in ancient times!]

Remains of a top expert of the Hun Clan?!

Lin Yan's brain roared! The Hun Clan, the ancient clan behind the Hall of Souls, one of the most mysterious and terrifying forces on the Fighting Qi Continent! Could this be the place where an ancient expert of the Hun Clan fell? Then this black scale... could it be part of that Hun Clan expert's body? Weren't the Hun Clans known for their strange souls in ancient times, how could there be such a huge, scaled physical remain? Could the form of the Hun Clan in ancient times be different from later generations?

Countless questions instantly filled his mind. And the system's warning continued:

[Warning: Although the soul power residue in the core area of the remains has experienced the passage of time, its essence is extremely high, and it seems to be sealed by the will of the earth vein and some more ancient power. The host's approach may trigger a reaction of the residual soul power or trigger an unknown sealing mechanism! It is recommended to stay away immediately!]

However, the desire of the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame pointed even more intensely to the core of the spine, as if there was something it must obtain there.

Xiao Yi Xian also seemed to sense something, pointing to an inconspicuous depression in the middle section of the spine: "There... it seems like something is glowing? It is very faint, carrying a kind of... cold, gloomy feeling that makes me very uncomfortable."

Lin Yan looked in the direction she pointed, and in the shadow of the pale bone gap, there was indeed a point of extremely faint, pale light that seemed to be extinguished at any time, flickering. The aura of that light... was actually somewhat similar to the "Bone Chilling Flame mark" he had previously blocked from the black ring, but more obscure and ancient!

Was it the residual origin soul fire of the Hun Clan remains? Or something else?

To go, or not to go?

Lin Yan clenched the black scale in his hand, feeling the desire of the Void Swallowing Flame and the system's warning, his eyes flickering violently. He knew that ahead might be a huge crisis, or it might be the key to unlocking the secrets of the Hall of Souls, and even the deeper connection between his own strange fire and this world!

"Xiao Yi Xian, you step back a bit, go to the entrance of the passage." Lin Yan said in a deep voice, his tone unquestionable, "I will go to the front to take a look. If the situation is not right, leave immediately with Chi Rong, do not worry about me."

"Lin Yan!" Xiao Yi Xian said urgently, her eyes full of worry.

"Do not worry, I have a sense of propriety." Lin Yan gave her a reassuring look, then turned around, his internal Fighting Qi and strange fire energy quietly raised to a state of alert, walking step by step towards the core area where the pale spine and the pale light spot were located.

As he approached, the surrounding air seemed to become more viscous, and in that desolate and ancient pressure, a trace of cold, dead, yet weirdly attractive soul power aura gradually mixed in. The black ground under his feet seemed to be starting to heat up slightly?

Just as Lin Yan was about ten zhang away from the depression in the spine, a change occurred again!

The entire underground cave shook violently!

It was not from the earth vein, nor from the remains, but from... high above their heads, deep in the rock layers far, far away! It was as if something unimaginably huge was using terrifying power to smash and tear the earth, trying to break into the depths of this earth vein!

At the same time, the "Heart-Burning Seal" on Lin Yan's back, which had been suppressed by the energy of the earth vein and had almost fallen silent, suddenly became scorching hot and jumped violently, as if it had been summoned by some external, homologous, and more powerful force!

The mental fluctuation transmitted by Chi Rong through the Soul Contract was full of horror: "Master! It is bad! Above... above, there is an extremely terrifying existence forcibly breaking through the rock layers! The aura... is countless times more terrifying than when this little dragon was in its prime! And... it carries the same source of flavor as that mark on your body!"

The system's warning also rang crazily: [Detected ultra-high-level external impact! Source: From the surface to the underground rock layers! Nature of impact energy: Fire attribute (extremely violent), space attribute (tearing), soul power attribute (cold erosion)! Comprehensive judgment: An unknown strong enemy is breaking through the seal of the earth vein by violent means, and the target is suspected to be directly aimed at the location of these remains! The impact is expected to arrive at this area within half a stick of incense!]

Lin Yan's face changed drastically!

In front was the mystery of the Hun Clan remains and potential danger, and behind was an unknown terrifying strong enemy breaking through the ground! This deep grotto abyss had become a desperate situation within a desperate situation in the blink of an eye!

He looked up sharply, as if he could see the destructive shadow approaching rapidly through the endless rock layers. The black scale in his hand was slightly hot, and the pale light at the depression of the spine also seemed to sense the threat from the outside world, flickering more urgently. Deep in the earth vein, that vast will transmitted an extremely faint fluctuation again, this time, carrying a trace of deep fatigue and... a resolute sigh?