Chapter 138: The Grandfather of the Troubled Siblings

Page (1/3)
(Third update)
The wilderness stretched vast and deep, shadowed and dim.
It was a place of both opportunity and danger.
Besides the beast spirits guarding the spiritual roots, numerous other scattered or clustered beasts roamed, many of which were incredibly powerful.
After resuming their journey, the person responsible for scouting ahead had changed to Liangyan Luanshi. Her primal spirit was two to three times stronger than Yang Xiaoman’s, truly fearsome!
She always detected beasts or opportunities in advance. Beasts were naturally avoided beforehand, while opportunities were seized upon collectively by the four of them. With the help of the Luanshi siblings, things became noticeably easier.
Although the shares of opportunities diminished, the frequency of their discovery increased, so no one lost out.
…
On the third day, the four found themselves in an underground ruin.
This ruin was dark and damp, already covered with vines, as if it had been devastated by a great catastrophe. Almost nothing remained intact; only some faded symbols lingered on the broken walls.
“In our Luanshi clan’s sect, there are many miscellaneous historical and mythological texts, but I’ve never seen these symbols before, nor do I know which race left them behind,” said Liangyan Luanshi softly, walking among them. Her words bore the tone of a well-read scholar. Despite her lowest cultivation level, she had the broadest knowledge on this trip, identifying numerous spiritual roots and rare materials whose names and effects puzzled Fang Junmei and Yang Xiaoman.
Upon hearing this, Fang Junmei said, “The cultivation standard in Dahe Kingdom isn’t high; they don’t even have mortals transitioning to cultivators. Perhaps when we reach places where cultivation flourishes, we might find some clues. I heard the Luanshi clan in Bai Kingdom is your sect’s main branch. Do you two plan to go there someday?”
Luanshi Daolang, walking beside him, smiled and replied, “I’m interested in Bai Kingdom, but I’ll skip the main branch. Even if I don’t go, I know it’s a place of even greater scheming than our Luanshi clan in Dahe Kingdom. I’m not good at that kind of politics—better to settle things by fighting, straightforward and satisfying.”
The group chuckled at this.
“Someone’s below!” Liangyan Luanshi suddenly exclaimed.
“Looks like a corpse!” she added quickly.
“Hey—there’s a sword-like treasure near the body,” she supplemented.
“Could it be another of our Luanshi clan?” Luanshi Daolang immediately asked.
Liangyan Luanshi examined carefully with her divine sense and shook her head. “No, that sword is unlike any used by anyone in our clan. The face is heavily damaged, so I can’t make out the features.”
Everyone responded with an “oh” and looked toward Fang Junmei.
“Any other living creatures or potential threats?” Fang Junmei asked. As the de facto leader of this group, he naturally did not shirk this responsibility.
“…None found for now,” Liangyan Luanshi answered after another careful scan.
“Let’s go check it out.”
Fang Junmei whispered, and the group hurried over.
This underground ruin was vast, spanning multiple levels. The corpse Liangyan Luanshi found lay on the fifth level below, and the passage between the fifth and fourth levels was blocked. If not for Liangyan’s keen perception, they might not have noticed.
Boom!
Reaching the fourth level, Luanshi Daolang blasted a large hole downward. A chilling, unnatural cold air rushed out, causing the four to shiver as if stepping into a frozen tundra.
“So cold!” Liangyan Luanshi’s teeth chattered, quickly activating her defensive techniques to ease the chill.
The four did not descend immediately, their expressions cautious.
Fang Junmei, Yang Xiaoman, and Luanshi Daolang probed downward with their divine senses. The fifth level space was filled with collapsed ruins, covered everywhere with a thin layer of blue frost. The corpse was a man dressed in black, face down, flesh still intact rather than skeletal.
A brilliant yellow radiance shimmered not far from the body.
On the ground nearby lay a long sword forged from yellow crystal-like material, exquisite and imposing in design, emanating an extraordinary aura—it was a high-grade magic weapon.
“This sword is mine, ha ha!”
Luanshi Daolang grinned broadly, instantly coveting the treasure. He was still wielding a mid-grade treasure blade; acquiring this would be like gaining wings.
The other three smiled, clearly not intending to contest him.
Apart from this, no other living creatures appeared in the space, and there was no sixth level—this seemed to be the last layer. Below it lay only solid earth.
“Let’s go down.”
Fang Junmei said softly, leading the way as the others followed.
…
Soon, they stood before the corpse.
Swish—
Luanshi Daolang immediately drew the yellow crystal long sword, swinging it a few times with growing delight.
An arrow was lodged in the man’s back, piercing his heart. The arrow appeared crudely made of mortal iron.
Fang Junmei’s eyes flickered; something was amiss.
Hoo!
Yang Xiaoman reached out and flipped the corpse over, revealing the face clearly to the four.
The man’s face was heavily scarred, eyes dull and weary, as if he had used his last ounce of strength while fleeing.
“Definitely not one of us this time around,” Yang Xiaoman confirmed after careful examination.
The others nodded; before entering the Bottomless Realm, they had already scrutinized everyone in their group.
“That means he might be a cultivator who entered here a thousand years ago, or even longer. Because it’s so cold here, his body didn’t rot after death. This guy must have been formidable — possessing such a fine magic weapon. Its power likely surpasses Luanshi Xing’s Purple Tiger.”
Luanshi Daolang said excitedly.
“Why guess? Let’s see if there are clues in his storage pouch.”
Fang Junmei said, taking the pouch and examining it with his divine sense. Naturally, it bore no spiritual mark.
After a brief look, Fang Junmei looked up and said to the Luanshi siblings, “Lots of spirit stones for blades! He must have been a senior of your Luanshi clan.”
Their pupils tightened at this revelation.
Fang Junmei handed the pouch to Liangyan Luanshi, who began examining its contents one by one, frequently pulling out jade slips to read. After a while, her delicate frame trembled, her eyes gleaming sharply as she read and reread one jade slip several times. Then, with a complex expression, she looked at Luanshi Daolang and said, “Big brother, it’s grandpa. He’s grandpa.”
The three were all stunned.
Luanshi Daolang snatched the jade slip and read eagerly.
Liangyan Luanshi bent over, softly crying.
After some time, Luanshi Daolang sighed and said, “It really is grandpa. Mom and dad said grandpa entered here and never came back. Turns out he died here.”
After speaking, he bent down sorrowfully and closed the man’s open eyes.
Fang Junmei and Yang Xiaoman were silent, astonished by such an extraordinary coincidence.
…
“Both of you, my condolences. Take his body back with you. It seems your grandpa’s spirit has been guiding you here all along.”
After a moment, Fang Junmei said softly.
Liangyan Luanshi wiped her tears, and Luanshi Daolang pulled out the arrow from their grandfather’s body and placed it into the storage pouch.
“Whoever killed grandpa must be some old bastard from another sect. If I find out who, I’ll kill him someday.”
Luanshi Daolang said with hatred.
Yang Xiaoman’s expression turned awkward—perhaps the culprit was from the Peach Blossom Sword Sect.
“This matter is strange.”
Fang Junmei said.
The three looked at him.
Fang Junmei asked first, “What was your grandpa’s cultivation level when he entered here?”
“Late Dao Embryo stage!”
Liangyan Luanshi answered confidently. “Mom and dad said grandpa was the strongest cultivator of our generation in the Luanshi clan. Our branch had the highest status. After his death, our branch declined.”
Her gaze darkened at the last words.
Luanshi Daolang snorted coldly; it was clear their family life had been difficult.
Fang Junmei nodded, pointing at the arrow on the ground. “This arrow that pierced your grandpa—if it’s not forged from mortal iron, it must be a low-grade artifact. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so heavily rusted. Whoever killed him must be formidable, but how could they use such a weapon?”
The others were surprised.
“If grandpa wasn’t killed by a cultivator who came here… could there be other archers living in this space? Those creatures without ears or noses? Are any still alive?”
Liangyan Luanshi showed a petrified expression.
“Besides beasts and strange creatures, our sect elders never mentioned other humanoid beings here…”
Yang Xiaoman chose her words carefully, her expression grim.
At this realization, a cloud of dread suddenly settled over them. The unknown is always the greatest source of fear.
The four exchanged glances; the timid Liangyan Luanshi couldn’t help but look nervously around, as if afraid of being watched.
“Don’t speculate wildly. Let’s search carefully for clues.”
Fang Junmei said, his tone calm but deeper than usual.
“Alright.”
The three replied in unison.
“Sister Xiaoman, I want to come with you.”
Liangyan Luanshi eagerly ran to Yang Xiaoman and linked her arm, voice trembling.
The three smiled, their taut nerves relaxing a little.

iQQS

Page (3/3)