Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1628 - 1665: Ancient Cave

The perilous nature of the Xuantian Secret Realm was something Guo Linn and Ah Du had now witnessed firsthand. Clearly, the chances of dying here far outweighed the chances of gaining an opportunity. Both were certain that if they hadn’t met Ding Fan, they might have already perished in this Xuantian Secret Realm, missing any chance of fortuity.

At this moment, Guo Linn finally understood why the Lake Master had allocated a spot in the Xuantian Secret Realm to Ding Fan. It wasn’t Ding Fan pleading with the Lake Master for anything; rather, it was the Lake Master who sought him out. However, Guo Linn knew the Lake Master and Ding Fan shared a good relationship, so it wasn’t about begging.

Guo Linn felt that the Lake Master’s decision to let his elder brother enter the Xuantian Secret Realm with them was indeed very correct. But it was regretful that during the entry into the secret realm, some issue seemed to have dispersed the disciples of the Thirty-Six Caves. Otherwise, gathered together under Ding Fan’s lead, the harvest would have been immense for everyone, especially for the Thirty-Six Caves.

Currently, Guo Linn didn’t know where the other disciples of the Thirty-Six Caves had gone in the Xuantian Secret Realm, but he feared few would emerge alive, having witnessed the dangers firsthand.

He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of worry for his fellow disciples, yet he was incredibly grateful to Ding Fan, feeling very fortunate to have met him. To Guo Linn, meeting Ding Fan was perhaps the greatest fortune, the biggest opportunity.

After a night of cultivation in the mountain cave, Ding Fan and the others continued their journey the next day.

The three traveled for half a day’s time before reaching a mountain cave with an extraordinarily neat entrance. This cave, clearly different from others, had a rectangular entrance with sharp angles against the typically irregular oval shapes of a mountain cave. The edges of the entrance had meticulously ornate carvings, though a thick layer of dust covered them from time.

From the appearance alone, it was evident that this cave was artificially chiseled, showing the meticulous care of its carver, an Ancient Senior. Ding Fan, with his exceptional eyesight, could tell at a glance that the many carved details were completed in one continuous work by an Ancient Senior, indicating the cave’s owner was no ordinary being.

"Brother, is this the Sword Washing Pool inside?"

Excited, Guo Linn spoke to Ding Fan through Divine Sense.

"Yes, this is the cave where the Sword Washing Pool is located. But it isn’t as peaceful as it seems!"

Ah Du, filled with a mix of solemnity and excitement, expressed. Ah Du had been here before, encountering a powerful Yuan Beast that robbed him of the chance to enter the cave and nearly got him killed.

Ah Du found it strange that there were no Yuan Beasts in sight now, but he reasoned it was not unusual. The Guardian Yuan Beast wouldn’t remain stationary; it was likely inside the cave if not at the entrance. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Upon hearing Ah Du’s words, Ding Fan became more cautious, surveying the cave’s interior with his Divine Sense, yet to his frustration, his sense dulled within the cave, obscuring its specifics.

"There’s a Concealment Formation inside the cave. Be careful when we enter,"

Ding Fan said gravely to Guo Linn and Ah Du before drawing his Flying Sword, stepping towards the cave.

"Wait!"

Ah Du stopped Ding Fan with a serious expression as he was about to enter the cave.

Ding Fan halted, looking back with an inquisitive gaze on his solemn face.

"There’s certainly a Yuan Beast inside. Entering like this would definitely lead to an ambush by the Yuan Beast. It could be a Seventh Grade Yuan Beast, or even higher-ranked, beyond our capability to handle. Even if you have a way, entering so abruptly would be disadvantageous!"

Ah Du spoke earnestly to Ding Fan.

Despite knowing Ding Fan might be able to handle a Seventh Grade Yuan Beast, it wouldn’t be an easy feat. Furthermore, he couldn’t contend with such a creature himself, as his Nascent Soul Peak cultivation was still weak against a Seventh Grade Yuan Beast.

Even if Ding Fan could handle the Seventh Grade Yuan Beast, the beast would be hidden while they were exposed. If they encountered an attack and the Yuan Beast targeted Ding Fan first, that’d be okay. But if it emerged beside Guo Linn or himself, they’d face grave danger, which was fatal for them.

No matter Ding Fan’s prowess, death seemed unavoidable for them!

Guo Linn’s excitement faded into fear upon hearing Ah Du’s caution. He had seen many Seventh Grade Yuan Beasts along the way, rarities in the Cultivation World that one might never encounter in a lifetime. He believed another might lurk within the cave, possibly even stronger.

After all, the cave housed the Sword Washing Pool; a Guardian Yuan Beast surely couldn’t be weak.

They had come this far, understanding the Treasure was nearly within reach, yet Guo Linn knew if he lost his life, no Treasure would matter. Thus, he spoke to Ding Fan:

"Yeah, big brother, we should study a bit more. After all, we know nothing about the Yuan beast inside. At the very least, we need to figure out what kind of Yuan beast it is."

Ding Fan heard their conversation and stepped back from the cave entrance. He understood that they were afraid of whatever Yuan beast might be inside, but Ding Fan felt there was no such creature within. However, he wasn’t entirely sure because the cave had a concealed formation, and even Ding Fan’s Divine Sense could only provide a general view of the inside.

Whether there was a guardian Yuan beast in the cave, Ding Fan had no way of knowing.

Then Ding Fan withdrew from the cave and with the two, hid in a nearby bush. Ding Fan directly said:

"I’m not exactly sure what’s inside. Do you guys have any good ideas? Wait! Suddenly, I feel the vitality here is depleting so quickly!"

Just as he spoke, Ding Fan suddenly realized the vitality within him was depleting rapidly. A Rebirth Pill would normally sustain a person for three days, but at this depletion rate, even a Supreme Rejuvenation Pill would barely last a day.

Yesterday, the three of them had already taken a Rebirth Pill, and now the depletion rate had suddenly increased. The Supreme Rejuvenation Pill in each of them was already half used up and clearly insufficient, prompting Ding Fan to quickly say to the others:

"Hurry, take two more Rebirth Pills, or we’ll die once our vitality is depleted!"

After Ding Fan spoke, Guo Linn and the others also felt the sudden increase in the consumption of their vitality. The pills they took were running out, and they quickly took out two more Rebirth Pills and consumed them.

Ding Fan, too, quickly swallowed two Rebirth Pills, which made the three feel somewhat better. Ding Fan felt strange; while there had been some fluctuation in vitality consumption in this oasis before, it was generally stable. But near the cave entrance of the Sword Washing Pool, the consumption suddenly increased, an odd occurrence.

Fortunately, Ding Fan and the others had prepared plenty of Rebirth Pills through refinement. Despite the current quick consumption of vitality, they had enough Rebirth Pills to last for several dozen days.

Nevertheless, Ding Fan was curious — was the existence of this cave the reason why the oasis absorbed vitality?

Ding Fan was shocked. Guo Linn was also shocked, and said with his Divine Sense:

"What’s going on? Why is the vitality consumption suddenly so high?"

"When I was here before, it was the same. At first, I resisted with True Qi, but by the time I got here, my True Qi was completely used up. To put it accurately..."

Ah Du recalled his last visit here — it seemed quite similar. However, he hadn’t had Ding Fan’s Supreme Rejuvenation Pill back then and could only deplete his True Qi to resist the absorption, but he seemed to remember something, unsure if he should mention it.

Ding Fan, hearing Ah Du’s words, was curious. He wasn’t aware of these details previously and said to Ah Du:

"What is it?"

Ah Du heard Ding Fan’s question, furrowed his brow, and after a moment of thought said:

"This is just my feeling; I can’t be certain. I remember last time when I reached the cave entrance, I encountered the Yuan beast guarding it. I was so tense I couldn’t gauge its rank, but I’m sure it was at least Seventh Grade, maybe stronger, because I had no power to resist and could only run for my life."

Ah Du paused, then continued:

"Luckily, that Yuan beast didn’t seem proficient in action, so I barely escaped with my life. But I felt my vitality was nearly depleted and I was about to die, so I instinctively ran towards the area where vitality was absorbed slower. That’s when you found me."

Ding Fan pondered Ah Du’s words and said:

"So the source of vitality absorption in this oasis is this cave at the Sword Washing Pool."

"No, I suspect it’s the Yuan beast guarding the cave!"

Ah Du directly voiced his suspicion. Unbelievable as it seemed, when he encountered the guardian Yuan beast, all he could do was flee. There was no time to think, only now recalling made him feel it was indeed the case.