With anticipation in his heart, Lin Feng followed Lu Danxin through the opened stone door. The moment he stepped inside the cave dwelling, he was hit by an intense wave of pure heaven and earth spiritual energy, several times denser than the faintly leaking energy he had sensed outside.
Judging by the concentration of spiritual energy, there was indeed a fourth-grade Spirit Gathering Array within this cave dwelling. However, it felt somewhat less potent than the energy concentration within that mysterious black hall deep inside the Black Mist Herb Valley. Lin Feng was inwardly shocked. Just what level had the former master of that black hall reached? It was likely even higher than this Master Lanling.
What greeted their eyes was a moderately sized hall, smaller even than the 'plaza' outside. The furnishings within the hall were rather simple; some tables and chairs had already decayed, a testament to the countless years that had passed.
Finding nothing particularly special in the main hall, the group pressed deeper. They discovered several stone chambers. One contained a massive nest of dried grass, likely the dwelling place of the cave owner's spirit beast—now long empty. Two others appeared to be bedrooms, but yielded no treasures either.
After finding nothing in three consecutive rooms, the fourth stone chamber finally delivered a significant surprise. Upon entering, the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs washed over them. Before their eyes lay a space roughly thirty meters square. The surrounding cave walls were studded with spirit stones, and the floor was covered in soft soil where various spiritual herbs grew abundantly.
It was clearly a small medicinal herb garden.
"Crimson Bell Fruit!" Lu Danxin's gaze instantly locked onto a crimson herb about half a person's height in the center of the garden the moment he entered. The herb resembled a small, slender sapling, crowned with a single fire-red, bell-shaped fruit. Lin Feng recognized it immediately—this was the Crimson Bell Fruit, a fifth-grade fire-attribute spiritual herb, the primary material for refining the 'Crimson Bell Elixir.' This precious elixir was extremely beneficial for Nascent Soul cultivators attempting to break through to the Divine Transformation realm.
"Bloodnourish Grass, Dustveil Fruit, Starwave Grass, Dustsprinkle Flower, Crystalthread Fruit, Firecloud Ganoderma…"
Lin Feng's gaze moved away from the Crimson Bell Fruit, his inner astonishment growing with each new herb he identified. This garden held several dozen species, totaling nearly a hundred individual herbs. Only one was fifth-grade—the Crimson Bell Fruit. There were only a few fourth-grade herbs; the rest were all third-grade. Astonishingly, there wasn't a single herb below third-grade!
He had gathered quite a few third-grade herbs back in the Black Mist Herb Valley, but compared to this place, that haul seemed insignificant. Looking at so many precious herbs, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Lu Danxin carefully surveyed the entire herb garden, then mused aloud, "It seems this herb garden has been sealed for at least five hundred years. All these herbs grew naturally from seeds left behind long ago. I fear the original owner likely harvested most of the fourth and fifth-grade herbs that were once here, leaving primarily these third-grade ones behind…"
His tone held a distinct note of regret. While the abundance of third-grade herbs was tantalizing to Lin Feng, Lu Danxin, as the leader of the Lingyue Sect, naturally wasn't overly impressed. After a moment's thought, he addressed the group, "I will take only that one Crimson Bell Fruit. The rest, you may divide amongst yourselves. Agreed?"
Given his superior cultivation level and seniority, it was perfectly reasonable for Lu Danxin to claim the most valuable herb. Everyone nodded in agreement without objection.
The remaining herbs were then divided fairly evenly between Lin Feng, Lu Su, and the other two cultivators. Lin Feng received two fourth-grade herbs and over twenty third-grade herbs, leaving him quite satisfied.
After thoroughly 'sweeping clean' the herb garden, the group proceeded to the next stone chamber—the final room.
"Hmm? A barrier?"
However, as they reached the entrance, they discovered they couldn't enter. An invisible force blocked their way. Zhao Qian's eyes flickered slightly as he observed, "It's just a third-grade defensive formation. And judging by its aura, it seems hastily set up. Combined with the erosion of time, it's very weak now. Sect Leader Lu, if you would be so kind? It shouldn't be difficult to break."
"Alright." Lu Danxin nodded slightly. He raised his right hand and slashed forward, unleashing a blade of flame. Though it was a simple spell, its power was formidable. A muffled "THUD!" echoed as the barrier flashed violently before shattering completely. A musty, rotten smell immediately wafted out from within, making everyone wrinkle their noses unconsciously.
Even before stepping through the broken barrier, everyone instinctively extended their spiritual senses into the chamber. Almost simultaneously, expressions of shock appeared on their faces. They exchanged glances, then stepped inside together.
This appeared to be a cultivation meditation chamber—small and austerely furnished. What had shocked them was the sight at the very center of the quiet room: seated cross-legged upon a meditation cushion… was a withered skeleton.
Unlike the skeleton Lin Feng had seen near the coffin in the mysterious black hall of the Black Mist Herb Valley, this skeleton showed no signs of a violent death. It seemed to have passed away peacefully in meditation. The robes it wore were decayed and tattered, but the tears didn't appear solely due to rot; they seemed damaged long ago, perhaps even before death.
On the middle finger of the skeleton's right hand rested a Spatial Ring. Seeing it, everyone's eyes lit up with anticipation. Lu Danxin reached out with his hand, exerting a gentle pull from a distance, and the Spatial Ring flew into his grasp.
He swept his spiritual sense through the ring, but then his brow furrowed slightly. A trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes. He glanced at the others, then first waved his hand, summoning a wooden table from within the ring itself. He then held the Spatial Ring over the table and gave it a light shake. A small pile of items tumbled out onto the wooden surface.
"CRACK…"
As soon as Lu Danxin emptied the ring's contents, the ring itself emitted a faint cracking sound and split into fragments. Clearly, it had already been severely damaged; Lu Danxin's manipulation had finally caused it to collapse completely. Fortunately, everything inside had been retrieved.
However, upon seeing the items retrieved from the Spatial Ring, Lin Feng and the others couldn't help but stare blankly, expressions of bewilderment and disappointment spreading across their faces.
The expected trove of treasures was nowhere to be seen. Laid out before them were merely a few pieces of what looked like tattered, broken artifacts, and two jade slips. There were no heavenly materials, earthly treasures, or even any pills.
If this skeleton truly belonged to the legendary Master Lanling, then the contents of his Spatial Ring were… disappointingly meager.
Frowning slightly, Lu Danxin picked up the two jade slips and began examining them. He glanced briefly at the first one before setting it down. The second one held his attention for a longer moment. Gradually, a look of understanding dawned in his eyes. Finally, he placed the jade slip down and let out a soft sigh as he addressed the expectant group.
"It is confirmed. This is indeed Master Lanling's cave dwelling, and these remains are indeed his. Master Lanling truly did perish attempting to break through to the Divine Transformation realm. He exhausted every possible means to endure the Divine Transformation Heavenly Tribulation… yet he failed. In the end, he barely managed to return to this cave dwelling… and passed away seated here, filled with regret. These shattered artifacts… they were likely all destroyed during the tribulation… Alas…"
His sigh held not only disappointment at the lack of the anticipated grand treasures, but also a profound lament for the sheer difficulty of the cultivation path. The once legendary and renowned Master Lanling had ultimately met his end due to a failed breakthrough.