"This question is not difficult to explain. I saw it in a book. To perform the 'Cicada Body' technique, some living sacrifices are needed. Furthermore, because of the heavy rain that night, this cave only appeared due to a landslide. This means that there is more than one exit here. Otherwise, how could Master have reached this cave from the inner courtyard without anyone noticing?"
As soon as Zhi Xuan finished speaking, she held up the torch and went towards the end of the cave, occasionally tapping the rock walls with her hand, producing a "knock knock knock" sound. When she moved to the Zhen Kun position, the sound from the rock wall became noticeably hollow!
"It seems the hidden door must be here. Perhaps, opening this hidden door will reveal the whereabouts of those who were originally held in the prison cells."
"Look for any mechanisms?" Zhi Ran raised her torch, almost rubbing it against the rock face. However, after searching for a while, the expression on her face grew increasingly disappointed. It seemed she hadn't found any mechanism that could open the hidden door.
Ying Caiwei looked around. Apart from the prison cells, the position of her master's遗体 (yítǐ - remains) was the only other special place. She thought that if there were a mechanism, it would likely be placed in a more hidden, yet not too obvious location.
With this thought, her gaze immediately shifted to the chains that bound her master's遗体. After some fumbling, she indeed discovered a very well-hidden small protrusion on the inner side of the clasp. She stepped forward and pressed it down, and the entire cave echoed with a rumbling sound!
As if covering their ears against the thunderous noise, the rock wall at the Zhen Kun position suddenly descended along a sliding track, and dust was stirred up everywhere. Everyone covered their mouths and noses, cautiously stepping forward to look inside with the torchlight. A simple parallel passage was clearly visible, and a stale, rotten odor rushed towards them.
Everyone looked at each other, seemingly guessing what had happened. They exchanged glances, their faces not looking very good.
Meanwhile, the two accompanying disciples wrapped Fang Mu Yan's遗体 with shroud cloth. They then tried to find the key to unlock the manacles, intending to transport her遗体 back for a proper memorial service and burial. However, after searching the entire open area, they couldn't find the key.
Seeing this, Ren Yuan Hao immediately drew Cun Xue. As soon as he channeled his internal energy, his hand moved, and his sword fell. With a clang of metal against metal, sparks flew, and the chains snapped.
The two bowed in thanks. Ren Yuan Hao then stepped forward, preparing to investigate further.
He held Cun Xue and walked at the forefront. Undoubtedly, the further they went, the stronger the foul smell became, and the darker everything seemed, as if something at the end was about to swallow the torchlight.
"Everyone be careful." Ren Yuan Hao didn't say much. On one hand, he wanted to confirm that the people behind him were still following his footsteps, and on the other hand, he wanted to stabilize morale. However, at that moment, he suddenly thought of a chilling question.
Since Fang Mu Yan had used the evil technique of 'Cicada Body,' why did she lock up her discarded flesh with such strong chains?
Could it be—that this rotten flesh would reawaken at some point?
He had previously thought that Fang Mu Yan had chosen to take her own life out of despair. But now, all the signs pointed to one conclusion: locking her up with chains was precisely to prevent her from running wild after reawakening!
With this thought, Ren Yuan Hao suddenly stopped.
"Little brother, what's wrong?"
Ren Yuan Hao didn't answer. Instead, with a grim expression, he walked towards the two disciples carrying the遗体 at the back. However, those two were nowhere to be seen!
"Where did Ye Qing and Ye Yun go?" Zhi Ran felt a chill and was about to call out when she heard the sound of rock walls grinding. The torchlight at the entrance instantly dimmed!
"You guys go quickly!" Ren Yuan Hao held his sword across his chest, his words becoming cold and sharp.
"What exactly happened? Little brother, they..."
Before Ying Caiwei could finish speaking, she saw a pair of ghostly green eyes slowly moving towards them from the direction of the entrance!
"I guarantee you don't want to see what happens next. You go quickly, I'll cover the rear."
As soon as Ren Yuan Hao finished speaking, he leaped forward with great speed. At this moment, a dry, rasping voice, like an old erhu, was heard.
"Ren Yuan Hao, you still have the heart to accompany my dear disciple here? Have you forgotten your many lovers?"
The rushing Ren Yuan Hao stopped abruptly upon hearing this. His mind exploded, and his vision went dark!
"Who, who are you!"
"Who am I? I am naturally the master of these people," her voice grew deeper, her tone as if carrying some sort of magic, like a dull knife scraping against bone. Everyone could only raise their hands to cover their ears to slightly alleviate this pain.
"Caiwei, my good disciple, I told your father to destroy the凶剑 (xiōng jiàn - ominous sword), but I didn't tell you to give it to your beloved. You dare to defy your master, to betray your lineage, you deserve to die the most!"
Fang Mu Yan's killing intent was fully displayed. In the dim torchlight, she lunged forward like a wild beast at extreme speed, though not so fast that Ren Yuan Hao couldn't track her.
"I could kill you once with Cun Xue, and I can kill you a second time. Die!"
Ren Yuan Hao thrust his sword forward urgently. The internal energy in his丹田 (dāntián - lower abdomen) surged like a vast ocean. In terms of speed, he was not at all weaker than Fang Mu Yan. However, Fang Mu Yan was not unarmed; she held a short sword in each hand. As her aura passed, the clash of swords sounded like glass windows rattling in a storm!
"You do have some skill. It's a pity, you are merely a faint firefly, how dare you compete with the sun and moon!"
Ren Yuan Hao had not practiced any sword techniques. Fighting against Fang Mu Yan now, apart from having an advantage in weaponry, he was constantly suppressed by her in terms of swordsmanship. At this moment, Fang Mu Yan made an unconventional move, lightly slicing across the blade of Cun Xue, inflicting a wound about ten centimeters long on Ren Yuan Hao's chest.
"Little brother!" Ying Caiwei cried out in alarm.
Fortunately, the wound was not deep. Both were pushed back several steps by each other's aura. Fang Mu Yan then said, "Shen Lan Ni, Ye Lan, Yang Ling Xue, I assume these three young ladies are very important to you? Tsk tsk, it's a pity, you have bad luck. Oh, no, it's not bad luck, but you provoked someone you absolutely cannot afford to provoke."
"What exactly do you want to say?" Ren Yuan Hao waved his hand, signaling Ying Caiwei and everyone else not to come closer.
Fang Mu Yan sighed, not intending to answer immediately. As if mocking herself, she said in a deep voice, "I, Fang Mu Yan, devoted myself to the pursuit of the Dao, thinking that by diligently cultivating, I could eventually break through my limitations. Later, I realized that on the vast path of the Dao, only by living longer can one experience more. Therefore, I did not hesitate to cultivate the 'Cicada Body' technique, which you call an evil method, in an attempt to prolong my lifespan. And do you know where I obtained this evil technique?"