Deep within Fengdu, there was an area completely out of sync with the bustling various departmental halls. Here, there were no towering palaces, only a cluster of low, ancient stone structures that seemed to have grown out of the Underworld Earth itself. The air was thick with the scent of dust and ages, and even the light appeared exceptionally dim. This place was the Secret Vault of ancient scrolls of the Underworld, housing countless sealed, forgotten, or forbidden texts, Jade Slips, and physical archives dating back to the establishment of Fengdu.
The entrance to the Secret Vault consisted of two bottomless caverns, resembling the eye sockets of a giant beast. Above the left entrance was inscribed an ancient character for "Wen" (Literature), and above the right, the character for "Wu" (Martial). These were the Wenzang Cave and the Wuzang Cave, respectively storing texts on magical arts, divine weapons and forbidden items.
The figure of Lu Pan appeared at the entrance of the Wenzang Cave. He displayed his Judge's token, and the two "Vault Keeper Historians" guarding the entrance—who resembled stone statues, clad in heavy armor plates, possessing ancient and powerful auras—slowly opened their eyes. Their gaze was almost tangible as it swept over Lu Pan, and only after confirming his identity did they silently clear the passage.
Stepping into the Wenzang Cave was like entering another world. The space inside was far vaster than it appeared from the outside, utilizing the great divine ability of Space Expansion. Countless tall stone shelves stood in rows, displaying not only uniform Jade Slips but also Beast Hide scrolls, bone books, bronze slips, and even some crystals and precious jades emitting strange light. The carriers themselves spoke volumes of the long years they had endured.
Tiny Light Spots floated in the air; these were the spiritual lights of the automatic defense and retrieval Formation Arrays. Silence was the main theme here, broken only by the faint rustling sound of footsteps falling upon dust accumulated over countless millennia.
This was not Lu Pan’s first visit, but each time, he could feel a crushing pressure emanating from the depth of Time and Space. He headed directly toward the section dedicated to collecting texts on "Talismans," "Formation Arrays," and related miscellaneous studies.
His objective was clear—to find clues related to those bizarre Runes on Solitary Delusion Peak.
Time passed bit by bit. Lu Pan immersed himself in the massive volume of ancient information. He flipped through hundreds of related texts, such as the *Compendium of Nine Hells Talismans*, the *Record of Ancient Nether Forbidden Talismans*, and the *Preliminary Study on the Application of Earth Vein Baleful Qi*. The Runes recorded in these texts were strange and varied: some communicated with the spirits of the Underworld, some manipulated the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, and some condensed Soul Power to empower oneself. However, none matched the savage, violent style of the Runes he had seen on Solitary Delusion Peak.
Those Runes felt more like... a form of sacrifice? Or perhaps some ancient summoning ritual not recorded in the orthodox archives of the Underworld?
He rubbed his slightly throbbing temples. Continuous high-intensity scanning with his Divine Sense and cross-referencing information was exhausting even for his level of Soul Power cultivation. The Green Lamp Ghost Fire hovered beside him, providing stable illumination.
Was his direction wrong? Were those Runes not from some ancient inheritance, but rather... recently created by someone? This thought sent a chill through him. If that were true, the creator's purpose and the threat they posed to the structure of the Underworld would be even harder to estimate.
Unwilling to give up, he expanded his search scope, beginning to review the dossiers related to the power systems used by the various separatist forces and ancient races that existed on this land before the establishment of the Underworld, or before the Great Emperor of Fengdu unified the Underworld Earth.
Most of these dossiers were classified as "Secret" or even "Forbidden," requiring higher authorization to consult, and their contents were often incomplete and vague. Lu Pan was only able to access them by virtue of his status as a Judge, backed by the trust of King Qinguang (he had reported this investigation to King Qinguang through special channels beforehand).
The *Study on the Rise and Fall of the Primordial Nether Race*, the *Tracing the Origins of Savage Beast Totems*, the *Lost Methods of Blood Sacrifice*... Ancient scrolls filled with dangerous auras unfolded before him. These records were bizarre, depicting an ancient Netherworld that was chaotic, barbaric, and governed by the law of the jungle—a stark contrast to the well-ordered Underworld of today.
Suddenly, as he unrolled a damaged Beast Hide scroll depicting the sacrificial ritual of an ancient Nether tribe called "Moon Erosion," his gaze froze!
In the corner of the Beast Hide scroll, several incomplete Runes drawn in dark red, seemingly dried blood, though slightly different in stroke, shared at least seventy percent structural similarity in their core design—the intent of "plunder," "erosion," and "detonation"—with the bizarre Runes he had copied down!
"The Moon Erosion Tribe..." Lu Pan murmured the name, his heart uncontrollably accelerating. According to the scroll, this tribe was completely annihilated during the Great Emperor of Fengdu's unification of the Underworld Earth because they resisted. Their inheritance should have been extinguished long ago. How could their Runes appear on Solitary Delusion Peak? And how were they used to detonate the Underworld Fiend Lair?
He suppressed his excitement and continued to search all records related to "Moon Erosion." However, the information was scarce, as if a large portion had been intentionally erased. It only vaguely mentioned that the tribe worshipped the Nether Moon (the unique moon of the Underworld, symbolizing the ultimate Yin power), excelled at utilizing Earth Vein Baleful Qi and various negative energies, and that the core of their power was closely linked to a Rune system called the "Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern."
"Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern..." Lu Pan firmly memorized the name. He tried to find more detailed records of this Demonic Pattern, especially its complete drawing method, activation conditions, and effects, but found nothing. The relevant scrolls were either completely lost or marked with "Highest Taboo; Not to be consulted without the Great Emperor's decree."
The clue seemed to end here. But Lu Pan was not discouraged. At least he had confirmed the origin of those Runes, pointing toward an ancient, evil force buried by the dust of history. This in itself was an extremely important discovery.
He carefully copied the section on the "Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern" from that damaged Beast Hide scroll, comparing and supplementing his own records. After finishing, he felt mentally exhausted, yet his spirit was in a state of high excitement.
When he left the Wenzang Cave, the outside was still in eternal gloom, making it impossible to distinguish day from night. The guarding Vault Keeper Historians remained like stone statues, showing no reaction to his departure.
Returning to the Judge's Office, Lu Pan confined himself to his Meditation Chamber. He spread out the two copied Runes, quietly contemplating and comparing them. The deeper he perceived, the more he grasped the strangeness and malice of this Demonic Pattern. It seemed inherently born for destruction, devouring, and ruin, completely contrary to the Underworld's principle of maintaining Reincarnation and the Balance of Yin and Yang.
"I must report this matter to His Highness King Qinguang as soon as possible," Lu Pan thought to himself. The reappearance of the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern and its use to damage the Earth Vein was no small matter.
However, just as he was preparing to leave for the Hall of Yama, a black Jade Pendant on his waist, used for emergency communication, suddenly vibrated faintly, transmitting a regular, cold fluctuation signifying a specific meaning.
Lu Pan's expression shifted slightly. This Jade Pendant was a Magical Artifact used for secret contact in extreme situations among a few like-minded friends stationed in different key departments. Receiving a message now meant something urgent.
He immediately injected Soul Power to read the information. The message was short, only one sentence, yet it plunged Lu Pan into an ice cellar, chilling him to the bone!
"The Black Mountain Ghost General was ambushed en route to escort; the escorting Ghost Officers were annihilated; the key evidence in the Soul Essence disappearance case—Storehouse Clerk Wang Shan—'self-immolated' to death in his own Meditation Chamber an hour ago, his Soul Scattered and Spirit Destroyed."
The Black Mountain Ghost General was hijacked! Storehouse Clerk Wang Shan silenced!
Two pieces of news exploded like two successive thunderclaps!
Although the Black Mountain Ghost General was convicted, the secrets he held, especially the final destination of the embezzled supplies, remained an unsolved mystery. His hijacking now made the mastermind's goal obvious! And Storehouse Clerk Wang Shan was the person directly responsible for the final inventory check in the Soul Essence disappearance case; his "self-immolation" was clearly intended to sever this line of investigation!
Such swift and ruthless methods!
Lu Pan slowly sat back in his chair, feeling a bone-chilling cold rise from his spine. He realized that his investigation into the Soul Essence case and the Solitary Delusion Peak Baleful Qi Lair might have alerted the person behind the scenes. That party was decisively purging hidden dangers, cutting off every clue that might point to them!
This was absolutely not just ordinary embezzlement or dereliction of duty! A massive conspiracy must be hidden behind this! And the power of that party within Fengdu was likely far beyond his imagination!
He had originally planned to immediately report the matter of the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern to King Qinguang, but now he hesitated. Was the King Qinguang's Hall truly safe? Could the news leak again? That party could easily silence the clerk responsible for guarding crucial evidence; the extent of their infiltration in Fengdu was terrifying to contemplate.
He looked at the flickering Green Lamp Ghost Fire in the Meditation Chamber, his eyes shifting uncertainly. At this moment, he felt as if he were caught in a vast, invisible net, surrounded by mist, where friend and foe were indistinguishable.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath, his gaze regaining its firmness. He took out a specially made Heart-Soul Jade Slip, used for writing top-secret reports, and recorded in detail, using his Divine Sense, the discovery of the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern, the suspicious points regarding the Solitary Delusion Peak Baleful Qi Lair, the hijacking of the Black Mountain Ghost General, and the silencing of Storehouse Clerk Wang Shan. However, he did not send this Jade Slip out immediately.
Instead, he took out another Jade Slip that appeared ordinary, used for recording daily official business, and wrote a routine handling report regarding the outbreak of the Solitary Delusion Peak Underworld Fiend Lair, omitting all content about the bizarre Runes.
Holding this ordinary report Jade Slip, he rose and headed toward the Hall of Yama. He needed to meet King Qinguang, but the content of his report needed to be reserved. The true core findings had to be conveyed through a more secure and covert method.
Walking down the long corridor leading to the Hall of Yama, the Murals on both sides depicted scenes of good and evil receiving their due and the cycle of Reincarnation. In Lu Pan's eyes now, they seemed to carry a hint of icy sarcasm.
The storm seemed to be drawing nearer, and he had been swept into the very center of the Vortex.