OBS Chapter 2120 Core Treasure Map
Chapter 2120 Core Treasure Map
Chapter 2120 Core Treasure Map
Chen Fei spared a sliver of his attention to touch the newly generated encyclopedia on the panel.
"Om..."
A soft hum, perceptible only to the soul, and the map slowly unfolded in Chen Fei's consciousness. There were no complex and esoteric texts as expected, nor any meridian diagrams illustrating the flow of cultivation techniques. Instead, a strange and intricate map came into view.
This map is not the usual depiction of mountains and rivers; its background is a constantly shifting, chaotic color, dotted with countless tiny points of light and shadow.
Like stars in the night sky, or the foundational nodes of some vast structure, clear yet mysterious lines and blocks are outlined against this chaotic backdrop.
These lines are not straight lines or curves, but rather more like the trajectory of some kind of energy flow, meandering and intertwining, forming a complex and dazzling area.
Chen Fei stared intently at the map, trying to understand its meaning.
The map as a whole gives people a peculiar feeling that it contains multi-dimensional information, as if it is not just a marker of a flat location, but also contains spatial hierarchy, energy attributes, and may even be a kind of hint about the flow of time.
Chen Fei observed for a long time, then his gaze suddenly shifted slightly, fixing on a relatively peripheral node on the map, where a tiny silver-white dot of light was constantly flashing.
Chen Fei hadn't quite understood it before, but now he realized that it meant the current location.
Following this line of thought, Chen Fei used this coordinate as the center to quickly browse other parts of the map and gradually began to understand its meaning.
Some of these markings resemble a simple palace outline, others a swirling vortex symbol, some a strange plant, others a blurry human figure bound by chains, and still others are simply a shadowy area filled with a special texture.
There was no text description next to any of the markings.
"Are these markings... other similar hidden palaces? Or some kind of special resource point? Traps and mechanisms? A place of inheritance? Or... nodes that seal something?"
Chen Fei tried to continue interpreting the map, but there was too little information. Based solely on the abstract symbols and regional textures on the map, it was impossible to accurately determine what these markings specifically represented, what their purpose was, or whether they were auspicious or inauspicious.
The map itself is like a key, but where the keyhole is and what's behind the door is something he still needs to find and verify for himself.
However, one thing is certain: the area depicted on this map likely extends far beyond the region they are currently exploring, and may even cover a large part of this ancient celestial ruin.
The locations marked on the map may well be the true essence or key points of this vast ruin. If so, the value of this map would be immeasurable.
Chen Fei memorized the general outline of the mysterious map and temporarily set it aside, focusing his attention back on searching the main hall.
In the water mirror image, the puppet continues to carry out its predetermined plan.
It walked to the ruins of the collapsed jade frame, stretched out its arm, and carefully parted the broken spirit wood and jade pieces to check if there were any hidden compartments or passages underneath.
It approached the walls painted with murals, especially the area near where the ferocious beast carrying the monument pattern had been discovered before, carefully examining the seams and unevenness of the walls, and even releasing faint probing waves with its fingertips to sense whether there were any holes or energy reactions behind the walls.
It looked up at the cracked dome, but apart from the traces of time and the extremely faint decorative energy fluctuations, there was no sign of any hidden space.
The puppet even went to several corners of the palace, carefully tapping the ground and walls, listening to the echoes, and sensing the flow of energy.
The puppet spent nearly fifteen minutes thoroughly exploring every possible corner of the palace, which was not particularly large.
Finally, it stood silently in the center of the palace.
"There are no hidden doors, no mechanisms, no concealed storage spaces, no remaining traces of inheritance, and no other valuable items or information left behind," Chen Fei concluded through the water mirror and his senses.
Apart from the murals on the walls, the special inscription, and the Dao crystals, spiritual materials, and inheritance stones that they had already collected, there was really nothing else in this palace.
Now that the search was complete and no new discoveries were found, Chen Fei no longer allowed the puppet to remain.
With a thought, the puppet immediately turned around and walked out of the palace.
The distance of several dozen feet was covered in an instant. The puppet passed through the demonic energy area unharmed. The pale silver barrier on its body flickered slightly a few times, neutralizing the last trace of corrosive power that tried to attach itself, and then quietly disappeared.
Chen Fei stepped forward and examined the puppet before him with utmost care. After a moment, Chen Fei withdrew his hand and spiritual sense.
The puppet was in good condition. Apart from consuming some energy during normal operation, the internal formation was intact, and there were no signs of it being eroded or marked by any abnormal force.
There were indeed no additional traps inside the main hall.
With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Fei unleashed a gentle surge of Yuan energy, retracting the puppet.
After putting away the puppet, Chen Fei's fingertips rippled with spatial energy, and the gap in the illusion barrier that had been torn open and maintained for so long began to slowly close.
The portal to the hidden palace quickly blurred and faded, eventually disappearing completely.
The scene before me has returned to the ordinary ruins it was at the beginning.
After doing all this, Chen Fei did not leave immediately. He focused most of his attention on maintaining a high level of vigilance over his surroundings, while using the remaining attention to delve into the panel and open the encyclopedia containing the mysterious map.
Chen Fei's eyes searched the map, and soon he locked onto another marker that wasn't too far from his current location.
The mark looked like an inverted tower-shaped symbol, dark gold in color, which stood out against the surrounding chaotic background and silvery-white dots.
Judging from their relative positions and connections on the map, at their speed, if they went straight there, it might not even take them fifteen minutes.
"An upside-down tower... could it be another similar treasure palace? Or some kind of trial ground?" Chen Fei wondered.
However, since there is a map to guide us and the distance is not far, there is no reason not to explore it.
After deciding on the next course of action, Chen Fei pushed the spiritual perception of the Undying True Light Mirror to its limit. At the same time, he combined it with his own sensitivity to spatial fluctuations and carefully extended his perception in the general direction of the inverted tower mark on the map.
Intuition spread silently like invisible ripples, passing through the ruins and across the barren ground.
As his perception continued to extend forward, the information that returned surprised Chen Fei somewhat.
The ruins along the way were all similar, with stable spatial structures. Most importantly, within the range of spiritual perception, there was no trace of any vengeful demons or other living beings.
This discovery stirred something within Chen Fei; it was undoubtedly good news. If the journey was safe, the risk of exploring that marked point would be greatly reduced.
Just as Chen Fei finished exploring the route and felt somewhat at ease, preparing to discuss with Cao Feiyu whether to immediately set off for the location marked by the inverted tower on the map, a sudden change occurred.
Chen Fei's expression suddenly changed. His highly alert spiritual senses, which had been constantly alert, suddenly felt like they were being pricked by a needle, sending out a sharp warning.
He turned his head sharply, his gaze fixed on the other side, slightly off-center from where they had come from.
There, an aggressive surge of demonic energy was rushing toward their current location at an alarming speed.
This demonic energy was far stronger than any of the vengeful demons they had encountered before, and even more violent than the vengeful demon they had killed that possessed the power of the late-stage Tai Cang Realm.
"At least a demonic cultivator at the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm!"
Chen Fei's heart sank, and what alarmed him was that this demonic energy was not wandering aimlessly; its direction and target were extremely clear, and it was heading straight for their current location.
Moreover, it's moving extremely fast. At this rate, it probably won't take more than half a cup of tea to get here.
The moment Chen Fei sensed the surging demonic energy, Cao Feiyu, standing beside him, also showed a slight change in expression on her beautiful face.
Slightly different from what Chen Fei sensed, Cao Feiyu felt an impact that was more like a violent upheaval of the primordial energy of heaven and earth.
At this moment, on the sunny side of the ancient celestial ruins, the world is filled with a majestic and righteous aura. This righteous aura is inherently incompatible with the pure demonic energy cultivated through demonic techniques, and they restrain each other.
At this moment, the demonic cultivator charged straight at him without any attempt to conceal his presence. The surging demonic energy around him was like a red-hot iron being thrown into a calm lake.
Centered on the demonic cultivator, wherever his vast demonic energy passed, the originally scattered and sparse righteous energy, as if subjected to the strongest stimulation, began to violently surge and converge, squeezing and colliding towards the direction from which the demonic energy was surging.
Almost at the same time that Cao Feiyu sensed the unusual movement of the heaven and earth's energy and the spontaneous operation of the sword energy within her body, she subconsciously turned her head and cast a solemn and inquiring gaze at Chen Fei beside her.
The action was so natural that Cao Feiyu herself did not immediately realize that, faced with this sudden threat from a powerful enemy, her first reaction was not to make a decision herself, but to look at Chen Fei and wait for his opinion.
This subconscious dependence wasn't due to a lack of assertiveness or timidity. Rather, it stemmed from Chen Fei's previously demonstrated keen insight and meticulous planning, which had unknowingly earned Cao Feiyu's profound trust.
In her heart, Chen Fei had become someone she could entrust her life to, so she was willing to let Chen Fei take the lead.
"Go inside!" Chen Fei said very quickly.
As he spoke, Chen Fei pointed his fingers like a sword and swiftly tore open the newly closed barrier, creating an entrance large enough for two people to pass through at the same time.
Chen Fei grabbed Cao Feiyu's wrist and hissed, "Let's go!"
His figure transformed into a blurry streak of light, carrying Cao Feiyu, and instantly swept into the gap in the barrier that had just been torn open.
The moment Chen Fei grabbed Cao Feiyu's wrist, her body paused slightly, but she did not struggle or resist. She followed Chen Fei's force and rushed into the barrier in sync with him.
The moment the two figures disappeared into the gap in the barrier, Chen Fei waved his hand backward, and a subtle spatial force swept over, causing the gap that had been forcibly torn open to immediately close and heal, and the outside scene quickly blurred and disappeared.
In an instant, the barrier was completely restored to its original state. From the outside, it was still an ordinary ruin, with no indication of what lay inside or any trace of the two people who had just broken in.
Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu appeared in the center of the hall where the puppets had previously collected the treasures. Chen Fei released Cao Feiyu's wrist, and only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
“That demonic energy just now was clearly aimed directly at us. With our current cultivation levels, we have absolutely no chance of winning against such a being head-on. Even if we wanted to escape, we wouldn't be able to outrun it. This palace has a double barrier of illusion magic and the power of ruins, which might be able to hide it from its senses.”
Upon hearing this, Cao Feiyu nodded emphatically, her face solemn.
A true late-stage Tai Cang Realm demonic cultivator's strength and threat level are incomparable to the previous Vengeful Demon. She gripped her longsword tightly, the blade humming slightly, and whispered, "Junior Brother is absolutely right, but how was he able to find me so precisely?"
This was also Chen Fei's biggest question. He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I don't know! But right now, this is the only barrier. Let's conceal our presence and observe the situation. If he doesn't discover this place, that would be best. If he does..."
Chen Fei didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. If they were discovered, they would have no choice but to fight to the death.
The two said no more and each used a concealment technique to reduce their aura, vitality fluctuations and even body temperature to the lowest level, as if they had turned into two stones in the palace.
Chen Fei also quietly set up several layers of concealment formations, covering the small area where the two were located.
Inside the palace, deathly silence returned, and the tense atmosphere, like an invisible string, quietly tightened.
Chen Fei's mind involuntarily sank into the spatial grid, where a ball of light radiating profound fluctuations was slowly flowing and condensing. It was the sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual material that was still condensing.
"Still a little short..."
Chen Fei silently estimated the progress in his mind. If he could refine it now, he would at least have more resources to resist or even reverse the situation when facing a desperate situation.
But at this moment, it is not yet complete. This means that if that demonic cultivator were to break in now, Chen Fei would have to rely on his current strength.
A sense of urgency flashed through Chen Fei's mind, but he immediately suppressed it.
On the path of spiritual practice, how can everything go smoothly and be perfect at all times? More often than not, we face sudden crises when the timing and preparation are insufficient.
All he can do is make good use of everything he already has.
"Senior sister, if the barrier is broken, attack with all your might and catch them off guard," Chen Fei quickly transmitted to Cao Feiyu.
Cao Feiyu nodded emphatically, holding back her sword energy and minimizing her presence, awaiting the outcome.
Inside the palace, time seemed to stretch out, and every breath felt exceptionally long.
Less than three breaths later, after they closed the illusion barrier and concealed their presence,
Outside the illusion barrier, above the area where Chen Fei had cleared away the traces, a pitch-black figure appeared without warning and then stepped onto the ground.
The newcomer wore a long, jet-black robe with wide sleeves embroidered with eerie, dark red patterns that resembled flowing blood.
He was tall and thin, his face shrouded in a layer of constantly twisting black demonic energy, making it difficult to see clearly. Only his eyes, like two bottomless pools, occasionally flashed with a chilling scarlet light.
As soon as Gu Yanzhen appeared, his deep, dark eyes swept over every inch of the surrounding ruins. However, apart from the resentment and fragments of demonic energy left after the vengeful demon was slain, and some signs of battle, there was nothing else.
"Ok?"
Gu Yanzhen let out a very slight nasal sound. Just now, he clearly sensed two Tai Cang Realm cultivators here through the object in his hand, their auras were fresh. How could they have disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye?
He looked down, his gaze falling on his outstretched left palm. In his palm, he held something.
It was a compass about the size of a palm, with a dark gold color throughout.
The compass base is as smooth as a mirror, with ancient cloud patterns carved along its edges depicting the orbits of stars. At the center of the base is not an ordinary magnetic spoon, but a slender, dark gold pointer as thin as a hair.
At this moment, the pointer is pointing to the area beneath Gu Yanzhen's feet, but the pointer itself is trembling slightly and irregularly, as if it has been interfered with and can no longer accurately lock onto the target.
Gu Yanzhen narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of scarlet light appearing briefly in them. He stared at the strange compass in his hand, his mind racing.
This Qian Yuan Ding Zong Si Nan (乾元定踪司南) was something Gu Yanzhen had just found by chance in the ruins of a side hall.
This treasure can ignore most of the sensory suppression and interference within the ruins, and directly connect to some deeper network or mark that is spread throughout the ruins, thereby detecting the approximate location and strength of beings whose cultivation has reached a certain level within a radius of millions of miles.
With this, Gu Yanzhen has already killed nearly ten Tai Cang Realm cultivators along the way.
Gu Yanzhen suspected that this compass might have been used by the ancient celestial gods for patrolling and surveillance, which was why it could exert such a miraculous effect in this place.
However, at this moment the compass needle malfunctioned.
"Just now it clearly pointed here, but now it's just a blurry direction, and it's trembling incessantly... Did those two use some secret technique to completely conceal their presence, making it difficult even for the compass to locate them? Or... did they hide in some secret place that can block detection?"
Gu Yanzhen's gaze sharpened as he began to scrutinize every inch of ground beneath his feet, every pebble, and even the slightest fluctuations in the space around him.
He couldn't believe that two juniors below the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm could completely disappear right under his nose. There must be something he overlooked.
Inside the palace, although Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu could neither see the scene outside the barrier nor hear any sounds, their sense of danger far exceeded that of ordinary people.
The moment Gu Yanzhen appeared and his gaze swept across the illusion barrier, they all felt a sudden tightness in their hearts.
Although the feeling was fleeting and extremely vague, it was enough for them to understand that the demonic cultivator had arrived, just outside the barrier. Moreover, it seemed to be searching.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
In Gu Yanzhen's left palm, the dark gold Qian Yuan Ding Zong Si Nan (a type of compass) floated quietly. Although the slender pointer trembled slightly, it stubbornly pointed to the area beneath his feet.