The Ten Halls Council summons felt like a death warrant hanging over Lu Pan’s head. The three-day deadline was fleeting. He had to find a bargaining chip capable of shifting the situation before the council meeting began. The "Ancient Battlefield Burial Goods" vaguely pointed out by Mr. Xuanji was the only clear clue, and this clue led directly to the heavily guarded Secret Vault of Ancient Scrolls—the Wuzang Cave.
Applying through official channels, even setting aside whether his authority was sufficient, the time required for layer upon layer of approval could never be completed within three days. Furthermore, such an action would be tantamount to alerting the enemy, allowing the person behind the scenes to prepare defenses.
The only way was to resort to extraordinary measures—infiltrating the Secret Vault at night.
This was a grave offense! If discovered, the minimum penalty was the stripping of his divine office and banishment to Reincarnation; the maximum was Soul Scattered and Spirit Destroyed. Lu Pan paced within the Meditation Chamber of the Judge's Office, undergoing an unprecedented internal struggle. Outside the window, Fengdu’s "night" grew deeper. The light of the Nether Sun was completely extinguished, leaving only the self-generated Eerie Light of the various halls, resembling scattered Ghost Fire in the boundless darkness.
He stopped pacing, his gaze falling upon the "Water Dripping Through Stone" calligraphy gifted by Mr. Xuanji on his desk. The ink was still fresh, and the Dao of "Perseverance" and "Tenacity" contained within the characters seemed to silently lend him strength. Retreating might secure temporary safety, but to stand by and watch the Northern Ghost Emperor's conspiracy succeed and the Underworld Order collapse—he, Lu Zhiyuan, would be unworthy of being a Judge!
“Some Vortices must be entered,” he murmured softly, his eyes finally hardening into resolute ice.
At the precise hour of Zi (11 PM to 1 AM), Fengdu entered the quietest moment of the day. Even the most active night patrol teams had passed their peak inspection time. Lu Pan changed into a tight-fitting black night suit, woven from the silk of the "Shadow Nether Silkworm," which greatly suppressed his aura and allowed him to merge with the Shadow. He did not carry the conspicuous Judge's Brush, only concealing a short "Evil-Shattering Dagger" at his waist, along with several meticulously drawn Stealth Talismans and Breath-Hiding Talismans.
Taking a deep breath of the cold Yin Qi, Lu Pan’s figure flickered, merging like a Ghostly Phantom into the darkness outside the Judge's Office. He avoided the main thoroughfares and routes frequently used by patrols, choosing instead to traverse the shadows of the halls and abandoned alleys. The light of the Stealth Talisman flickered faintly, making him seem like a non-existent phantom; even when passing by low-ranking Ghost Officers, he failed to arouse the slightest alarm.
The area housing the Secret Vault of Ancient Scrolls was as deathly silent as ever. The two Vault Keeper Historians, standing like stone statues at the entrances to the Wenzang Cave and Wuzang Cave, had their Soul Fire in their eye sockets beating slowly, emitting an ancient pressure that made the heart tremble.
Lu Pan lay hidden in the shadow of a distant massive rock, holding his breath and concentrating. Forcing entry was absolutely impossible; the strength of the Vault Keepers was unfathomable. They were rumored to be ancient Battle Souls personally animated by the Great Emperor of Fengdu, obeying only the Emperor's decree and fixed procedures. He needed to find a blind spot in the Vault Keepers' perception, or exploit some loophole in the rules.
He observed carefully. The Vault Keepers were not maintained at peak vigilance at all times. The beating of their Soul Fire followed a faint pattern: approximately every incense stick’s worth of Time, there was an extremely brief "dissipation period," as if they were undergoing some internal Energy circulation, during which their perception dropped to its lowest point.
But even so, passing through the completely exposed plaza entrance right under their noses was nearly impossible.
Lu Pan’s gaze shifted to the sheer cliff face above the entrance to the Wuzang Cave, a wall as sharp as if cut by a blade. The rock face was covered in withered, rust-colored vine-like plants—the remains of "Soul Devouring Vines." In life, these plants could devour Soul Power, and even after death, the vines remained incredibly tough. Moreover, due to their nature, they could interfere with Soul Power Perception to a certain extent.
A risky plan took shape in his mind.
He waited patiently, calculating the rhythm of the Vault Keepers' Soul Fire beats. The moment arrived: the instant the Soul Fire in the Vault Keepers' eye sockets dimmed slightly, Lu Pan moved!
Like a nimble black snake, he slid silently close to the ground, not rushing toward the cave entrance, but straight toward the cliff face on the side! As he leaped up, the Evil-Shattering Dagger inserted precisely into a rock crevice, providing a point of leverage, while his other hand lightning-fast grabbed a thick remnant of a Soul Devouring Vine.
The Tentacle felt icy cold, and a faint suction force tried to devour his Soul Power, but the remnant’s Activity had long since faded, making the suction weak. Lu Pan circulated his Soul Power, resisting the pull, using both hands and feet. Relying on precise timing and extraordinary agility, he climbed rapidly up the sheer rock face like a gecko!
The entire process occurred in a flash, without making a sound; the Soul Power Fluctuation was also maximally concealed by the night suit and the Soul Devouring Vine remnant.
When he successfully hauled himself onto the ledge above the cave entrance, pressing against the cold, rough rock surface, the Soul Fire in the eye sockets of the two Vault Keepers below had just returned to its normal rhythm, completely unaware.
Lu Pan felt a slight easing of tension but dared not relax in the slightest. He carefully moved horizontally along the rock face, searching for what Mr. Xuanji had once mentioned casually—"Due to Earth Vein shifts during the original construction of the Wuzang Cave, a subtle 'Soul-Splitting Wind Fissure' remains on the upper left side. It is caused by the collision between Earth Vein Baleful Qi and the Restriction Seals inside the cave. It is usually hard to detect and impassable, but perhaps someone with a Pure Yin Body could seep through this fissure..."
This was not an official Record, but an anecdote Mr. Xuanji had mentioned to a friend while discussing the storage environment for ancient artifacts after having a few drinks. Lu Pan hadn't paid much attention then, but now it was his only hope.
He concentrated his perception and indeed detected an extremely faint point of Energy turbulence on the rock face near the top of the Wuzang Cave, almost completely merged with the surrounding environment. It was a tiny Fissure barely wide enough for a finger, from which an eerie, chilling Baleful Wind—the Soul-Splitting Wind—faintly emanated!
If he hadn't been deliberately searching, it would have been impossible to find. And even if found, this Soul-Splitting Wind was a potent poison to ordinary Souls, causing injury upon contact. But Lu Pan was different; he was a "Pure Yin Spirit Body" generated by Heaven and Earth. Though not the ultimate Yin, his tolerance for Yin Baleful energy far surpassed that of his peers.
He took a deep breath, condensing his Soul Power to the extreme. His body seemed to transform into a pure stream of Yin Qi. Then, he circulated his profound technique, and his body began to blur and become transparent, like mercury, slowly and arduously "seeping" toward that tiny Fissure!
The Soul-Splitting Wind scraped against his Spirit Body like countless tiny ice blades, bringing tearing pain. He gritted his teeth, maintaining a single point of clarity in his Spiritual Platform. The characteristics of his Pure Yin Spirit Body were pushed to the extreme at this moment, constantly adapting and merging with this violent Baleful Wind.
The process was slow and agonizing. After an unknown amount of Time—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity—just as he felt his Soul Body was about to be completely frozen and torn apart, his surroundings suddenly felt light!
He had successfully passed through the Soul-Splitting Wind Fissure and landed in a completely different Space.
Inside the Wuzang Cave!
What met his eyes was not the expected warehouse piled high with weaponry, but an incomparably vast and gloomy space. Countless spheres of light, large and small, emitting faint glows of various colors, floated in the air like Stars, drifting slowly. Each sphere was an ancient artifact, malevolent weapon, or forbidden item sealed by powerful Restriction Seals. The air was filled with chaotic, powerful, and sometimes even conflicting Energy fluctuations; silence concealed endless danger.
There were no clear paths here, only endless void and floating light spheres. According to the Secret Vault regulations, the batch of "Ancient Battlefield Burial Goods" stored fifty years ago should be classified in the "Recently Unearthed - Pending Appraisal Area."
Lu Pan stabilized his form, carefully avoiding the light spheres radiating dangerous auras. Relying on his perception of the internal Energy flow, he crept toward the area marked in his memory. He dared not use his Divine Sense to scan widely, fearing he might trigger some sensitive Restriction Seals.
Finally, after passing through an area sealed with countless broken armors and permeated with overwhelming killing intent, he found his target—a relatively "calm" area. The light spheres here were predominantly gray and dim, and their Energy fluctuations were weaker. This was the area designated for items of lesser value or those awaiting final appraisal.
He searched meticulously, his Divine Sense acting like the most precise tentacles, gently brushing over the label information outside each light sphere.
“Ancient Battlefield, Seventh Exploration Zone, Burial Goods, Serial Numbers Jia 703 to Jia 752…”
Found them!
Lu Pan’s spirit lifted, and he immediately locked onto a cluster of about fifty gray light spheres. He quickly scanned the labels, searching for items possibly related to the "Moon Erosion Demonic Pattern." Most were broken weapons, decayed ornaments, or bone fragments inscribed with blurred Totems…
Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a light sphere labeled "Jia 721." Inside was a black-red stone slab, palm-sized with irregular edges. On the slab, inscribed with a dark pigment almost black in color, were several incomplete Runes that bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to the "Moon Erosion Demonic Pattern" he had copied!
This was it!
Lu Pan was ecstatic in his heart, about to devise a way to break the light sphere's Restriction Seal to take out the stone slab for closer inspection. However, just as his Soul Power was about to touch the light sphere—
“Buzz!”
A deep Buzzing Sound, yet one that seemed to resonate directly in the depths of his Soul, suddenly erupted from the depths of the Wuzang Cave! All the light spheres in the entire cave space trembled violently in response!
Immediately following, a vast, ancient Will, filled with infinite majesty and wrath, surged like a tide, instantly locking onto Lu Pan’s location!
He had been discovered! Was it the Vault Keepers, or… a higher-level protective mechanism of the Wuzang Cave itself?
Lu Pan’s scalp tingled; he felt Soul Scattered and Spirit Destroyed! Without hesitation, he turned and fled desperately toward the direction he came from—the general vicinity of the Soul-Splitting Wind Fissure! All stealth and caution were cast aside; only escape mattered!
That terrifying Will pursued him like a physical entity! Countless floating light spheres were agitated, beginning to collide and tumble chaotically, releasing turbulent Energy Turbulence that blocked his path!
“Unauthorized entry into a restricted area! You shall be executed!”
A cold, emotionless, grand voice, seemingly echoing from eons past, exploded directly within his Soul Sea!
Lu Pan felt his Soul Body take a heavy blow, nearly spitting out a mouthful of Soul Blood. He endured the intense pain, pushing his speed to the absolute limit, his eyes fixed only on the rapidly approaching Soul-Splitting Wind Fissure!
Behind him, a massive hand condensed from pure Restriction light had already taken shape, carrying an aura of absolute Destruction, grasping fiercely toward him!
At the critical moment, Lu Pan simultaneously detonated all the Stealth Talismans and Breath-Hiding Talismans in his possession! At the same time, he bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of Natal Soul Blood, and executed the extremely draining Blood Escape secret technique!
“Pfft!”
His body transformed into an almost invisible streak of blood-red light. A hair's breadth before the giant hand clamped shut, he narrowly squeezed back into that tiny Soul-Splitting Wind Fissure!
The terrifying sensation of compression and the erosion of the Soul-Splitting Wind struck him again, but compared to the destructive giant hand behind him, this was a path to life!
When he tumbled out of the rock fissure, covered in blood and with his Soul Body dimmed, crashing heavily onto the cold ground, the terrifying fluctuations within the Wuzang Cave abruptly subsided, as if nothing had happened. Only the Soul Fire in the eye sockets of the two Vault Keepers seemed slightly brighter than usual; they swept over the spot where Lu Pan had fallen, then quickly returned to their usual placid state.
Lu Pan lay on the ground, gasping violently, the intense pain in his Soul Body nearly causing him to faint. But in his hand, he tightly clutched a cold, hard object—it was the black-red stone slab, serial number "Jia 721"!
He had not returned empty-handed in the final moments. In the chaotic instant of detonating the Talismans and casting the Blood Escape, he had risked severe damage to his Soul Body to forcibly use the Evil-Shattering Dagger to break open a corner of that light sphere, snatching this crucial stone slab!
He dared not linger. Mustering the last trace of Soul Power, he struggled to rise, merging back into the darkness, staggering toward the Judge's Office.
This trip to the Secret Vault, though a near-death experience, was... worth it!