Ancient pill formulas—
Chen Sanshi quickly skimmed through their contents.
Not only were there pill formulas for the Foundation Establishment realm, there were even formulas for the Golden Body Realm—and all of them were ancient formulas.
In the cultivation world, ancient pill formulas were rare treasures. Although their refining conditions were far more demanding, once successfully concocted, their effects far surpassed ordinary pills.
If he could refine several of the Foundation Establishment–related pills listed above, it would greatly benefit his cultivation growth in the next stage.
This was an unexpected gain.
Chen Sanshi stored the jade slip away and found several heavenly materials and earthly treasures that, though dried, still retained a portion of their spiritual essence.
From beginning to end, the blind woman remained unmoved. She seemed to have an extremely clear objective from the outset, disdaining everything else.
"Shall we go?"
After securing everything, Chen Sanshi said, "Let's change paths."
The two retraced their steps. After confirming there were no ferocious beasts lying in ambush, they returned to the fork in the road and chose a different route.
"This way."
After hesitating for a moment, the blind woman selected a passage adjacent to the original one.
Not long after, the two emerged empty-handed.
Chen Sanshi leaned on his long spear and looked toward the blind woman.
"This way."
Jiang Xiyue led the way again.
Chen Sanshi followed silently.
This time, they finally did not choose the wrong direction.
Advancing along the passage for roughly 500 steps, the surrounding environment suddenly opened up. Before them appeared a daoist training ground paved entirely with white jade.
In the western corner of the training ground lay a pool of water. On either side stretched soil the color of fiery red maple leaves, within which grew all kinds of spiritual plants, each of them at least second-tier in grade.
Not only that, their varieties were extremely rare. A considerable portion were spiritual ingredients required for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, while another portion consisted of heavenly materials and earthly treasures capable of opening the Mirror God.
Mirror God Fruit, Spirit Rhinoceros Horn, Undying Grass—these three spiritual plants were all present.
Chen Sanshi made a rough estimate. If he took all the spiritual plants here, it would be enough to refine no fewer than 10 Foundation Establishment Pills and cultivate over a dozen True Force martial artists.
With such a substantial force, setting aside foreign Golden Core cultivators, they would absolutely stand at the very forefront in Northern Yang Dao.
Yet among all the spiritual plants, the most eye-catching was a crimson lotus blooming within the pool. In the silent training ground, it radiated a brilliant red spiritual glow.
Before this, Chen Sanshi had never seen any record of this lotus in any ancient text. He had no idea of its specific grade or function.
"Except for that one, the rest are yours."
Jiang Xiyue's cool voice rang out.
"No problem."
Chen Sanshi understood. That lotus was clearly her true objective for this journey.
He already owed the woman a favor. Helping her was simply repaying that debt. Moreover, without her, he would not have found this place at all.
Thus, he had no intention of competing for an unknown spiritual plant.
However—
To reach the edge of the pool, they had to pass through the training ground.
At the very center of the training ground, seated cross-legged upon a meditation cushion, was a man.
Judging from his appearance, he was already past 60 years of age. His temples were graying, his face lined with wrinkles. His eyes were closed in meditation, hands forming a seal.
Before him lay numerous corpses.
Among the bodies were both martial cultivators and spell cultivators. Almost none were below the Golden Core realm, yet all had died from the most direct blade and weapon wounds.
On these corpses—including the surface of the elderly man's own body—Corpse-Kui Demon Vines were visible, indicating that they were all dead and already parasitized.
"Buzz—"
Every few breaths, a burst of spiritual light would glow from the old man's chest, pulsing endlessly like a heartbeat.
"All techniques forbidden."
Chen Sanshi could clearly sense it.
The law of "All Techniques Forbidden," and even the barrier enveloping the entire forbidden land, were intimately connected to the object on the old man's chest.
It seemed that this very elder, hundreds of thousands of years ago, had used some method to establish this barrier, activated the "All Techniques Forbidden" restriction within his cave dwelling, and single-handedly slaughtered these high-realm cultivators who should have dominated the cultivation world.
This indicated that the old man was an extremely powerful martial artist, since there were many martial cultivators' corpses here as well.
"No wonder…"
Chen Sanshi recalled the earlier scenes he had encountered.
No wonder the lingering remnants of those high-realm mighty cultivators' souls had each fled this place in extreme terror.
This way of dying was far too stifling—
Even if you were a Nascent Soul cultivator, no matter how heaven-defying your abilities, under the state of "All Techniques Forbidden," you could still end up dying at the hands of an ordinary barehanded person!
"Can you win?"
Jiang Xiyue suddenly asked.
Chen Sanshi scrutinized more carefully and discovered that embedded in the white-jade stone floor to the elder's left was a flying sword with cold radiance flowing along its edge. On the right was a long spear forged entirely of metal—astonishingly, the weapons he excelled at were exactly the same.
His [Qi Observation Technique] could not be used, so naturally he had no way to distinguish how much strength the other party still retained.
But under All Techniques Forbidden, in the end, it was a contest of pure martial prowess.
He said, "This is why you brought me here, isn't it?"
The blind woman was a spell cultivator; her martial arts were not particularly outstanding. Combined with some clearly recent traces of battle nearby, it was evident she had already failed once.
Jiang Xiyue said nothing, which counted as tacit agreement.
"Fine. I'll give it a try."
With a spear in one hand and a sword in the other, Chen Sanshi circled around the nearby ancient corpses and slowly advanced.
The instant he stepped within 10 paces, the elder's tightly closed eyes snapped open, revealing turbid, hollow pupils.
He rose to his feet, pulled up the long spear and the long sword, lowered his body slightly, held the spear horizontally at his waist, lifted the sword over his head, and assumed a martial opening stance. Yet he did not rashly strike; instead, he stood in place and waited quietly.
"It feels like fighting on an arena platform."
Chen Sanshi likewise raised his long spear, tightened his grip on the long sword, and assumed his own opening stance.
Only at the moment he was fully prepared did the elder finally move—unhurriedly.
"Clang!"
In Chen Sanshi's eyes, the opponent's spear thrust was clearly not fast, yet it arrived in an instant, filling his entire vision.
"Clang!"
As he used Dragon Abyss Sword to parry and knock aside the spearhead, he dashed forward in a single step, the Dragon Gall Silver Spear stabbing straight for the crown of the elder's head.
The elder flicked his sword up to brace the spearhead, withdrawing his body with the motion. Then his long spear moved like a dragon, sweeping in broad, unrestrained arcs that scythed in every direction.
Chen Sanshi faced it without fear, controlling both spear and sword.
Weapons collided repeatedly. In the training ground, the sound of "clang, clang, clatter" rang out like a smithy at work, sparks bursting and scattering through the air—brilliant as the iron-flower fireworks seen on common street corners.
The two fell into a fierce battle.
Off to the side, Jiang Xiyue observed while also clearing away the other ancient corpses that tried to interfere.
After more than a dozen exchanges, neither side had yet gained the upper hand.
"Fine technique!"
Chen Sanshi praised from the heart.
The ancient corpse before him had actually preserved all of its martial prowess from life. Whether spear technique or sword technique, it wielded them at a level that could be called first-rate, not inferior to his at all. In some aspects, it was even stronger than he was.
Chen Sanshi had to go all out; the slightest carelessness could cost him his life.
His spear and sword allowed him to "fight with both hands," each compensating for the other—advancing and retreating with control, offense and defense both complete.
But the elder's spear and sword were completely fused into one, integrated into a single method. This method, by its nature, was meant to be used with both a long spear and a long sword.
Between the two of them, neither had the advantage.
Yet what made Chen Sanshi feel uneasy was that his stamina was steadily draining. By now, he was already drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
Under All Techniques Forbidden, all of his various physiques—and even his qi and blood—were reduced. The strength of his body was equivalent to when he had first joined the army.
And the elder was a corpse.
It did not feel fatigue.
That was an enormous advantage!
"Clang clang clang!"
After another round of exchanges, Chen Sanshi's sweat soaked through his white robe. His hands, gripping the heavy weapons, had gone slightly numb, and even his legs were starting to tremble.
The elder opposite him, however, remained just as ferocious.
"If you can't, then leave."
Jiang Xiyue, dealing with more and more ancient corpses, was also beginning to struggle.
"I'll try again!"
Chen Sanshi did not want to give up just like that.
Having lost his various qi and blood and True Force, there were naturally no corresponding traits reinforcing him, and he truly was not used to it.
But for a martial cultivator, the greatest strength had always come from deep within the heart—from one's own "martial Dao" state of mind.
He was no exception.
In marching and warfare, one could advance or retreat, following the principle that "victory and defeat are common in war," but in a duel, you could not!
On the arena platform, it had always been both a contest of superiority and a decision of life and death!
Boom!
The elder unleashed a sweeping strike that felled armies. In his hands, the long spear was like a massive siege hammer, crashing down with a power that seemed to topple mountains and overturn seas.
Chen Sanshi crossed his long spear and sword edge to block. Even so, under the terrifying impact, his body was forced back again and again until he slammed heavily into a gigantic stone pillar within the training ground.
Ever since his training reached true proficiency, this was the first time he had experienced the heart-rending agony that came from a fragile flesh body.
From that collision, Chen Sanshi only felt as if every bone in his back had snapped. His organs shook without pause, heat surged in his chest, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He did not even have a chance to catch his breath before the elder's ferocious spear was already in front of him again, the rushing wind stinging his cheeks.
Boom—
Chen Sanshi barely dodged. Where he had stood, a hole as wide as a bowl had been punched clean through. He grit his teeth against the searing pain, forced his trembling hands—shaking from exhaustion—back into control, and lifted the long spear and Dragon Abyss Sword again to meet the stormlike onslaught.
Thirty exchanges had long since passed.
Even [Qilin Heart] had not taken effect.
What a terrifying All Techniques Forbidden!
Step into this place, and everyone becomes mortal flesh!
Boom!
The elder's sword edge smashed down from above again.
This time, because Chen Sanshi's strength was failing, he could not take it fully. As the elder withdrew his sword, it carved a deep gash into Chen Sanshi's arm. Blood poured out in streams, quickly dyeing his entire arm red.
Jiang Xiyue's figure appeared silently.
But her martial arts were not refined. She was defeated in fewer than 3 exchanges, slid backward more than 10 steps, openings everywhere, and in the blink of an eye she was in mortal danger.
Clang!
The Dragon Gall Silver Spear swept across in time, barring the path before her.
"You're not needed here. Go block the ancient corpses!"
Chen Sanshi glanced behind him.
At this very moment, most of the ancient corpses in the underground palace had already been drawn over. By rough count, there were at least 200 of them, almost sealing off every exit.
Without realizing it, they had lost their way out!
If they did not deal with the elder, it would be impossible to fight their way out.
"Fine."
Jiang Xiyue did not waste words.
Her martial arts might not be enough against the elder, but against the other ancient corpses, it was more than sufficient.
"Haa…"
Chen Sanshi gripped the long spear and only felt it as heavy as a mountain. With every breath, his throat was dry and tinged with iron, and breathing grew more and more difficult.
The elder attacked again without fatigue—spear whirling, sword light coiling around, edges sharp and pressing!
"I won't lose!"
Chen Sanshi panted violently. The pain in his body made images surface in his mind—scenes from when he had first begun practicing martial arts.
There was a time when he had to cross mountains and rivers, rush tens of miles, feet rubbed raw, all for the sake of earning a single bite to eat.
There was a time when he had to swallow, forcing down all kinds of beast entrails that were nearly impossible to stomach, all to replenish the slightest bit of qi and blood.
There was a time when he had to stay awake all night, drilling one move and one form, never stopping even when his body reached its limit, all to seize the opportunity that belonged to him in a chaotic age!
Again and again, the pain of bones nearly grinding apart; again and again, the agony of organs on the verge of bursting; again and again, the past of being so exhausted he nearly fainted—every bit of it had been real!
If it was only because of "All Techniques Forbidden" that Chen Sanshi could not hold on, that he would be defeated by a corpse, then had all the martial arts he had trained for so many years gone straight into a dog's belly?!
Flames began to burn in his chest. The suffering on his body went completely numb, and in his heart there remained only a duel of life and death. Before his eyes there remained only the weapons sweeping toward him—nothing else in the world!
Bang!
Chen Sanshi's eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulged across his body, his face savage. Like someone possessed by inner demons, he threw himself back into the slaughter with the ancient corpse.
What spear technique!
What sword technique!
But I have cultivated hundreds, thousands of weapon arts—so even without [Qilin Heart], why would I be unable to see through you?!
Familiar!
Every move and every form is familiar!
All martial arts under heaven—no matter how many paths, they all return to the same end!
"I've seen this move!"
"I've used this move too!"
As the elder struck again and again, countless manuals and techniques surfaced in Chen Sanshi's mind.
In this moment, he finally saw through the other party's moves!
Clang—
With nowhere left to retreat, Chen Sanshi abruptly stopped. He raised his long spear horizontally to halt the incoming weapons, then launched a counterattack. In an instant, offense and defense completely reversed!
It was a pity that the elder retained only an empty shell and his martial arts, without any self-awareness. Otherwise, he would surely have been shocked that the lifelong culmination of a martial cultivator once ranked among the foremost in the lower realm had been deciphered by a young man in such a short span—and then learned for himself.
"Pure two-handed fighting won't do. And just fusing spear and sword into one art won't do either. Both have flaws, but if you merge them together and create something new that is truly unparalleled under heaven!
"I call it an Extreme Dao Divine Ability!"
What Chen Sanshi held in his hands no longer seemed to be mere weapons, no longer confined to spear technique or sword technique alone, but martial Dao itself!
What he held in his hands was the ultimate pinnacle of martial Dao!
At last.
The ancient corpse's moves were no longer flawless. Every move, every form, was suppressed by Chen Sanshi, until under that overwhelming pressure a fleeting opening appeared—and Chen Sanshi seized it with perfect precision.
The Dragon Gall Silver Spear screamed through the air and pierced straight through the other party's heart.