Chapter 689: If You Lose Your Life, What Use Is an Ancient Fortune?

“For the past three hundred years, Woodheart has used the life force of Greenwood Court’s ten-thousand-year-old root veins to conceal our traces, right up until today.”

As Qingheng spoke, the golden sap that had been dripping like rain from above the ancient hall suddenly stopped, without warning. It was as though the immense ten-thousand-year-old luminous banyan had let out a heavy sigh upon hearing this tale of the past.

“Lord of the Nether Abyss...” Qingheng raised his head to look at the motionless sap and gave a cold laugh. “Back then, he personally slaughtered tens of thousands of people from my Qiming Royal Court. He must have known of the legend of the Thirty-Six Ancient Sleepers long ago.”

Qingheng’s aged voice slowly echoed through the empty hall. His clear eyes reflected the vicissitudes of countless years.

Shadow shifted her claws uneasily on Su Ming’s shoulder, her feathers pressed tightly against her body.

Chiyan, the red-haired elder standing to Qingheng’s left, drew his gaze back from the dome. Like two sharp blades of flame, his eyes cut coldly toward Su Ming, who stood at the outermost edge.

“Human.” Chiyan’s withered chest rose and fell slightly. The red life force surrounding him was like a suppressed volcano as he stepped forward half a pace and fixed his gaze on Su Ming.

Su Ming raised his head slightly, his expression neither servile nor overbearing. But his left thumb had already slipped inside his sleeve and quietly pressed against the life-gate node of his lifebound formation plate.

“What would you have of me, Senior?” Su Ming asked calmly.

“Though we elders are left with only remnants of our bodies, we can still tell how remarkable the water curtains you used just now were. If you hadn’t stepped in, that outer defensive line of the ancient sleeping hall would already have been torn apart by that bastard! You’ve made such a tremendous contribution. Why not take this opportunity to demand heavenly treasures and ancient inheritance from my Qiming Sect? Once this chance is gone, it won’t come again!” Chiyan seemed to be offering Su Ming a reminder.

Meeting Chiyan’s scorching gaze, Su Ming shook his head. “You jest, Senior. This junior’s cultivation is meager. I wouldn’t dare be greedy.”

“Hmph!” Chiyan abruptly swung his one remaining arm, whipping up a wave of scorching wind. “Greed is in the bones of every human. I’ve seen plenty!”

Shadow gave a low, warning cheep, but Su Ming gently pressed one finger against her.

“I’m staying here only because the enemy army outside has already surrounded us.” Su Ming’s voice was utterly calm. “Going out means facing the butcher’s blade of a Manifestation Realm mighty being. It would be certain death.”

Su Ming lifted his thumb from the formation plate, let both hands hang naturally at his sides, and looked Chiyan straight in the eye.

“I entered the spirit realm to survive. I saved people to protect myself, too.” Su Ming answered each word deliberately. “My life isn’t secure yet. Coveting treasures would only add to my troubles. If I lose my life, what use would an ancient fortune be?”

Chiyan was abruptly choked by those words, and a dark flush rose across his withered face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found he had nothing to say.

The elder beside them, whose eyes were nothing but two black, hollow sockets, gave a soft laugh. His empty face turned toward Su Ming.

“Chiyan, don’t be so overbearing.” The blind elder’s voice was like a clear spring flowing over dry stones. “This human may be weak, but he’s quite shrewd.”

Chiyan had just been put in his place, and was naturally displeased. “Blind man, don’t let that honest-looking exterior fool you. This kid is full of dirty tricks.”

The blind elder slowly shook his head. “You judge appearances. I judge the light of the soul. His soul is as still as a pool of green water. It holds none of the greed, anger, or delusion commonly found in humans, only the purest calculation.”

“You flatter me, Senior.” Su Ming cupped his hands slightly. “I only want to live a little longer and see the scenery at the end of the Great Dao.”

“The end of the Great Dao...” The blind elder sighed and said nothing more.

Qingheng, who had remained silent until now, lightly tapped his walking stick against the wooden floor.

“Chiyan, stand down.” Qingheng’s gaze passed over everyone and settled on Su Ming. “I won’t ask any more about the incomplete text of the Spirit Nourishing True Explanation you have. In the past, my Qiming Royal Court maintained close ties with human Formation Masters. I know how difficult it is to use the soul-possession method to prolong one’s life.”

Su Ming bowed deeply. “Senior, your magnanimity is admirable. If the elder of my household can see the light of day again, he will surely come in person to thank you.”

“Enough.” Qingheng turned to the elders around him. “My old companions, rein in your soul auras. This junior’s Spiritual Platform is fragile. Don’t accidentally injure his soul.”

Inside the ancient hall, the eleven ancient auras that had been bristling with hostility all receded in an instant, like the ebbing tide, and vanished completely.

The pressure around Su Ming immediately eased, as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders.

Retreating into the shadows at the outermost edge, Su Ming rapidly calculated the situation in his Consciousness Sea.

“Master,” Su Ming silently called out. “Senior Qingheng seems to have seen through something, but deliberately chose not to point it out.”

Deep within the Xuantian ring, Lin Yu rolled an imaginary eye. The dark golden sheen on the surface of his Soul Body flickered faintly.

“These old trees that have lived for tens of thousands of years simply don’t want to complicate matters at this critical moment.”

Lin Yu grumbled to himself: These old fossils have lived for ten thousand years, yet still can’t shake that insufferable habit of putting on airs. If they faced the Ninth Heavenly Tribulation, would that lofty master act as a lightning rod? Too proud to save face, and suffering for it.

Su Ming’s eyes shifted slightly. “Then what should we do now?”

Lin Yu pondered for a moment, lowering his voice. “Stay put. If you rush forward, you’re just cannon fodder.”

“What if Elder Woodheart loses up there?” Su Ming asked inwardly. “If Woodheart falls, the death energy will inevitably flood back in. We can use the water in those three underground rivers to escape, but under the pressure of a Manifestation Realm mighty being, our chance of survival would be less than thirty percent.”

“That’s why you need to plan your next move,” Lin Yu replied, his tone grave. “If you stay in this ancient sleeping hall, as long as these old monsters can hold out, you’ll be able to witness the laws revealed in a Manifestation Realm battle from close by. Such an opportunity would be of immeasurable benefit when you polish your Golden Core and break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the future.”

“Even if I have to stake this old life of mine, I absolutely won’t let you, my only surviving sapling, perish here.” Lin Yu snorted coldly. “But we’re not betting on whether Woodheart can hold out.”

Su Ming froze. “We’re not?”

Lin Yu’s Soul Body hovered in the darkness, lost in thought.

“Look at the earth veins beneath Withered Wood Cliff. Those human Formation Masters left traces in the Qiming Royal Court back then, so there must be something in the ancient sleeping hall’s formation foundation that we can use. That old tree spirit, Woodheart, isn’t nearly as passive as he appears.”

“Master, have you seen those ancient Formation Masters before?” Su Ming keenly caught the odd note in Lin Yu’s voice.