Chapter 177: The Yellow Spring Palace Opens

Chapter 177: The Yellow Spring Palace Opens

After returning from the Wanyao Mountain Range, Xiao Chen immediately headed westward to seek his breakthrough.

Throughout March, he remained completely out of sight.

Thanks to his new status as a Demon-Slaying Guard, he could finally afford such freedom.

This, however, left Han Ziyan in a tough spot.

She carried a mission assigned by Yaoshang Zhenren, but without even being able to locate her target, how could she complete it?

She exhausted every method, seeking information through countless channels.

Eventually, she learned Xiao Chen had appeared at the Xianghe Bazaar, so she rushed there immediately.

With the month’s end approaching, she abandoned any elaborate plans and opted for a straightforward, aggressive tactic.

Dressed in her most alluring outfit, she smeared aphrodisiac elixir all over her body.

The moment she saw Xiao Chen, she’d throw herself at him.

She’d improvise excuses later—after all, the elixir would cloud his judgment soon enough.

Of course, this carried risks, as the potion’s effects wouldn’t last forever.

But with time pressing, she had no choice.

Trained for years by the Divine Flame Cult, Han Ziyan had never forgotten her mission.

Yet she never expected she’d still arrive too late.

Xiao Chen hadn’t returned to Yuan Ci Peak, heading west instead.

She’d learned this from a passerby, never even catching a glimpse of his back.

Strangely, upon confirming her failure, Han Ziyan felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

She’d done her best. He was simply too cautious, offering no openings.

Right—this was all Xiao Chen’s fault, not a betrayal of Yaoshang Zhenren’s trust.

Thinking this, she eased her self-criticism.

But the Divine Flame Cult would never forgive a failed mission.

Reflecting on this, she glanced coldly at the two demonic sect spies assigned to assist her.

They’d been far too much of a hindrance!

Three days later.

The Divine Flame Cult was shocked to discover several of their operatives had gone silent.

Among them were two foundation-building families who’d secretly defected—their ancestral founders suddenly vanished.

The news quickly reached Rear, drawing Nie Jing Zhenren’s attention.

However, this matter seemed trivial compared to his current priorities.

The Yellow Spring Palace’s activation was imminent, a make-or-break moment.

Once they secured the malevolent qi, both Hezhou and Li Zhou would fall under the Holy Flame’s dominion.

Yet in the past half-month, they’d encountered far more ancient edicts than expected while setting up the talisman formation to open the entrance—over twice the anticipated number.

Delaying further was dangerous. If the Spirit Origin Sect detected anomalies, they might lose their first-mover advantage.

Thus, he had no time for minor disappearances, focusing instead on deciphering the edicts.

He merely sent someone to remind Yaoshang Zhenren to accelerate her progress and eliminate Xiao Chen, a potential threat.

However, as fellow Golden Core cultivators, there was no strict hierarchy between them, so the warning’s impact was predictable.

Yaoshang Zhenren didn’t notice Han Ziyan’s silence until several days later.

They’d agreed to report every three days, yet she hadn’t heard from her disciple in six.

“Hmm, where’s my apprentice?”

But soon, she had bigger concerns.

The Yellow Spring Palace’s entrance had been exposed.

Built by the ancient Yellow Spring Path, this grand palace enshrined the third patriarch of the Yellow Spring Path, who claimed to be the “Human Manifestation of the Yellow Spring Sovereign.”

Yet all rumors about it missed one key fact: the palace had two entrances, one in Hezhou and another in Quanzhou.

The Divine Flame Cult believed they’d found the entrance, unaware the two were linked—opening one would activate the other.

The Hezhou entrance lay shockingly close to the southern slopes of the Black Flame Mountains, hidden within a ravine occupied by the Wan Hua Valley.

The Spirit Origin Sect quickly detected the abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations and dispatched cultivators to investigate.

This was dire news. Upon hearing it, Nie Jing Zhenren smashed a small mountain in rage.

If a Golden Core cultivator interfered, the palace’s activation would be indefinitely delayed.

But there was a silver lining—the Spirit Origin Sect’s scout failed to recognize the site as a Yellow Spring Path relic, mistaking it for an ordinary ancient forbidden realm.

They reported it as good news, delaying any urgent response from the Golden Core Zhenren.

Both sides erred, balancing the scales.

By sheer accident, the Yellow Spring Palace finally opened several days later.

A torrent of demonic qi surged skyward, transforming a hundred-mile radius around the entrance into a demonic wasteland.

This massive upheaval finally forced Hezhou into action.

Even the western regions of Yuan Ci Peak felt the ripple effects.

As Xiao Chen completed his breakthrough and returned to Yuan Ci Peak, he encountered waves of Bandit Cultivators wreaking havoc.

Late Li Qi Stage and even Li Qi Perfection cultivators were openly robbing Core Formation Mid-Stage cultivators.

Some even slaughtered innocents for sport.

Xiao Chen eliminated these scoundrels casually. “Strange, where did all the local Foundation Builders go?”

Even one Foundation Builder’s presence would’ve prevented such chaos.

The Spirit Origin Sect wouldn’t normally reassign all their Foundation Builders unless something critical occurred, drawing even these solitary cultivators to investigate.

Though suspecting a major event, Xiao Chen slowed his pace, clearing out the Bandit Cultivators he encountered.

This delayed him by two hours, arriving at Yuan Ci Peak around midnight.

To his surprise, the peak was shrouded in a brilliant golden glow.

Chains of glowing runes formed a dome, like an inverted bowl covering thirty miles around the peak.

The mountain’s protective formation was fully activated, cutting off all access.

Such situations typically meant one of two things: either an enemy siege or a complete evacuation.

Judging from current events, it was clearly the latter.

Xiao Chen turned to the Xianghe Bazaar, now eerily quiet with all shops shuttered.

Only an Elder from the Qiu family remained, guarding the Spirit Tortoise Egg.

“Fellow Cultivator Qiu, where has everyone else gone?”

It turned out the delay in comprehending the Yin-Yang Principle had brought them to April 18th—six days after the Yellow Spring Palace’s activation.

“Five days ago, rumors spread of an ancient forbidden realm opening, containing Golden Core cultivation opportunities.”

“Everyone believes someone already claimed the treasure, so they rushed inside seeking their own fortunes.”

“Cultivator Xiao, you should hurry too. It’s not too late.”

What? An ancient forbidden realm with Golden Core opportunities?

Could this be real?

After learning the details from the Qiu family, Xiao Chen immediately headed south.

Crossing the Black Flame Mountains, he spotted a massive black cloud hovering in the distance.

Beneath it, several Golden Core Zhenren sat cross-legged, surrounded by swirling runes forming a grand formation.

Brilliant light poured from the formation into the Yellow Spring Palace above.

On the ground lay an open cavern, thirty meters wide.

Gong Lingfeng and others stood at the cave entrance, waiting anxiously.

Seeing Xiao Chen approach, they first looked startled. “Cultivator Xiao, you’re still outside?”

Their expressions eased slightly. “Good you’re safe.”

Xiao Chen asked curiously, “Senior Gong, isn’t there an ancient forbidden realm with Golden Core opportunities?”

“Why are you all waiting outside? What’s going on?”

Gong Lingfeng’s face darkened, sighing repeatedly.

An elder behind him blurted out, “Cultivator Xiao, you don’t know—the place isn’t an ancient forbidden realm at all!”

“There’s no damned treasure inside either!”

“It’s a trap set by the Divine Flame Cult’s cursed dogs!”

His voice grew more heated, laced with curses against the Divine Flame Cult.

Essentially, for the first three days, the entrance was hidden behind a powerful illusionary formation made of pure mana, deceiving even the Golden Core Zhenren.

All cultivators who rushed in seeking treasures found themselves trapped in a death trap—easy to enter, impossible to leave.

Only when no messages returned did the remaining cultivators suspect foul play, eventually destroying the illusion.

But by then, it was too late—countless cultivators were already trapped inside.

The remaining Foundation Builders gathered nearby, waiting until the Golden Core Zhenren could secure an exit.

Gong Lingfeng wore a worried expression. “According to Master Gongliang’s calculations, this is the legendary entrance to the Yellow Spring Palace left by the demonic sects.”

“Cracking it won’t be easy for the Zhenren.”

"The fellow cultivators who entered this time are likely facing grave danger. I wonder how many will survive in the end."

Hiss!

Yellow Spring Palace!

Xiao Chen immediately recalled the ancient text he'd studied. This was a place rumored to contain the Five Elements Sha Qi.

Great! Didn't that mean there was truly an opportunity for Golden Core Formation inside? At least for himself, the Five Elements Sha Qi could directly boost Golden Core Formation success rates.

"Fellow Cultivator Gong, don't worry. I'll go inside and check the situation."

Xiao Chen turned to enter.

"Eh?!" Gong Lingfeng startled, hastily grabbing his arm. "Cultivator Xiao, this is a demonic sect ruin. You can't go in!"

"Right now, Divine Flame Cult cultivators probably occupy the interior, not to mention various traps and mechanisms."

Xiao Chen waved him off. "That's precisely why I must enter. Fellow cultivators might need my help right now."

"My decision is final, Fellow Cultivator Gong. Please don't try to stop me."

Gu Qiuling arrived just then, adding her plea: "Cultivator Xiao, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has confirmed the Yellow Spring Palace's outer walls display ominous shadows. Its interior must be filled with stagnant malevolent Qi."

"Entering now means facing both demonic cultivators and the risk of Qi corruption. It would be no different than walking into your own grave."

"Wait two more days. Once the elders stabilize the exit, we can enter safely to rescue anyone."

She'd been unable to leave Wangyan Mountain immediately when the illusion formation first activated, and by the time she arrived later, the formation had already dissolved. She'd been fortunate to remain outside.

Yet upon hearing her mention the malevolent Qi, Xiao Chen didn't hesitate. Instead, he waved his hand decisively. "No one stop me. We cultivators must face challenges head-on."

With that, he strode to the entrance and leapt inside without hesitation.

The moment he entered, the world seemed to invert completely.

When the chaos settled, he found himself standing in a pitch-black cave.

Having experienced the Xuantian Immortal Palace before, Xiao Chen immediately recognized this as spatial displacement energy. Remaining calm, he activated his Truth-Seeing Spirit Eye to examine his surroundings and determine direction.

Everything appeared gray and hazy, devoid of any other color. The cave had two ends, both roughly ten feet high and wide—clearly man-made. Neither direction revealed any distinguishable features or endpoints.

Xiao Chen didn't hesitate. He simply continued forward in the direction he'd faced upon entry.

After winding through seven or eight turns covering about three kilometers, faint blue-glowing moss began appearing on the walls. The dim light revealed the cave's distant end, where a strange white sand poured in. Unlike ordinary sand, these grains radiated an eerie chill.

As Xiao Chen approached, he felt an intensifying coldness in the air. He bent to pick up a grain, rubbing it between his fingers.

The sand immediately transformed into a thread of cold energy, seeping into his body. A bone-deep chill spread through him, like standing naked in a winter gale.

"Coldwind Sand", Xiao Chen identified instantly. This special Spirit Herb formed only in extreme yin environments, resembling sand but composed entirely of condensed yin energy. A common talisman crafting material, it sold for about five spirit stones per jin.

His eyes swept the ground. "There's at least a hundred jin just at this cave entrance."

He stepped forward, exiting the cave into an open area. The entire ground was covered in this spirit sand. Altogether, there must have been tens of thousands of jin—worth one or two thousand spirit stones if he could transport it all. However, since it was composed of yin energy, he couldn't use mana to collect it from a distance. He'd have to gather it manually.

There were also several digging marks on the ground—likely left by earlier cultivators. Most had probably ignored this spot, rushing to seek other treasures. Such resources were usually left for the next Yellow Spring Palace opening, when prepared cultivators would come specifically to harvest.

Xiao Chen didn't linger, continuing deeper into the cave. Suddenly, a cold wind howled, and a mass of Coldwind Sand coalesced into a humanoid figure, lunging at him.

What in the world?

According to his studies, Coldwind Sand should be inert. Yet the spiritual energy radiating from this figure rivaled a Foundation Building Late Stage cultivator's strike.

Xiao Chen slashed his sword, cleaving the figure in two.

"Boom!"

The figure collapsed, scattering into sand. Two wisps of yin energy emerged from the remains. As they recombined with surrounding sand, a new figure formed instantly.

"Boom!" Xiao Chen struck again, carefully observing the dispersing yin energy with his spirit eye.

Strangely, the energy appeared ordinary yet exhibited unnatural vitality. When another cold wind blew, the separated wisps rapidly expanded, forming two new figures.

"Now I understand. No one would leave this much Coldwind Sand unguarded."

"There's definitely something strange here."

Seeing the multiplying figures, Xiao Chen abandoned direct combat. Activating his Golden Light Technique, he dodged while advancing. The number of figures grew rapidly, revealing this was clearly a large-scale hunting ground.

Though each figure's cultivation realm wasn't high, forty-nine had already gathered nearby. These tireless, nearly immortal constructs would overwhelm even a typical Foundation Building Late Stage cultivator.

Fortunately, his Zongdi Jinguang technique was fast enough. After dashing about ten kilometers, the Coldwind Sand finally disappeared from the ground. The figures behind him disintegrated instantly, as if they'd never existed.

He now entered a new cave. Compared to before, the glowing moss here was denser, concentrated on the ceiling. The soft blue light revealed murals carved into both walls—no text, just simple, primitive depictions.

Xiao Chen examined all the images. They told a story of people venerating a river. First, a person drinking from the river. Then a group drinking. Seasons changed, showing aging figures. They jumped into the river, sinking beneath the surface. Finally, one person emerged from the river, kneeling to kowtow.

"No doubt this represents the Yellow Spring River", Xiao Chen muttered. "Why use paintings instead of writing? I'd say they drank too much Yellow Spring water."

He continued deeper, turning a corner into a vast stone hall. Ten feet high, it housed a towering statue wearing an emperor's crown, black robe, and ochre silk garment.

Xiao Chen recognized this immediately as the Yellow Spring Sovereign's statue. Strangely, like the Yellow Spring Path secret technique, the statue's head remained blank—not unfinished, but deliberately polished smooth.

"What? No face to show the world?" Xiao Chen circled the statue, concluding it was inert. Yet after the Coldwind Sand incident, he remained cautious, keeping his distance.

No abnormalities occurred as he left the hall. It seemed the palace's designers had merely intended to tell the Yellow Spring Path's story.

Beyond the hall, white marble corridors appeared. Jade pillars, pearl curtains, coral screens, lapis lazuli roof tiles inlaid with night pearls—finally resembling a proper palace.

Xiao Chen followed the corridor. Spirit fields lined both sides, growing rare medicinal herbs, including extinct ancient species. White Treasure Vine, Shadow Spirit Herb, Crimson Violet Immortal Flower—he recognized many high-grade herbs. The further he walked, the rarer they became, including third-tier spirit herbs and legendary treasures from ancient texts.

"Why so many spirit herbs here?" Though curious, he didn't stop harvesting. Past experiences warned him these might be dangerous.

Sure enough, he soon spotted scattered Meteorite Gold Crystals beside a spirit field. This rare spirit mine, recorded in "Travels Through Hezhou: Memoirs of Wonders", could enhance supreme-grade defensive talismans. Yet these crystals were already half-melted, soon to vanish entirely. Clearly, some greedy cultivator had tried harvesting them, only to become fertilizer for the spirit field.

Further ahead, fourth-tier spirit herbs appeared. Beneath a colorful fruit tree, vibrant fruits exuded an aroma that stirred an irresistible urge—each promising a century of longevity.

The Divine Veil didn't activate, confirming their authenticity. Yet despite activating his Truth-Seeing Spirit Eye, he detected no danger. For a moment, he considered testing them.

"Wait, stay calm!" He bit his tongue, using the pain to clear his mind. His goal was the malevolent Qi, not wasting his ace here. Golden Core Formation would grant five centuries of life—the true path to longevity. He mustn't be distracted.

Resolutely, he turned away, continuing deeper into the palace.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end