novelslam Chapter 19 The Secret Vault
Chapter 19 The Secret Vault
"Understood." Li Shancheng clenched his fist, feeling a slight warmth in his palm.
As midnight approached, the four were ready. Editor-in-Chief Qin redrawn the magic circle to open the earth vein passage in the center of the courtyard, but this time it was more complex, with seven auxiliary rune nodes added.
"The energy state of the secret vault is unstable, and we need a more stable passage," said Editor-in-Chief Qin. "Qingqing, you guard the Zhen position; Liu Wei, you guard the Li position; Shancheng, you stand in the center and use the Lingxi Mark to guide the direction of the passage."
The magic circle lit up, this time with a soft purple light, the same color as the purple dragonwood, instead of silver-white. The ground became transparent again, and the runes on both sides of the downward-extending stairs emitted a brighter and more stable light.
"The passage has been reinforced and you may enter," Bishop Qin said. "Remember, the flow of time in the secret vault is different from that outside. We can stay inside for a maximum of three hours, while approximately forty minutes will pass outside. After that time, the passage may close due to unstable energy."
They entered the passage one by one. Li Shancheng walked at the front, the spiritual mark on his palm pulsating, as if guiding him. This time, he clearly felt the energy flow within the passage was much clearer, and he could even "hear" the "sound" of energy—not a real sound, but a resonance that directly affected his consciousness.
Upon arriving at the main hall of the secret vault, the sight before them caused everyone to gasp in shock.
Compared to last time, the changes in the vault are astonishing. A third of the gems on the dome have gone out, and the rest are dim. Large sections of the murals on the walls have peeled off, revealing the stone structure beneath. In the center of the hall, the Book of Light is still on the stone platform, but the light on its pages is so faint as to be almost invisible.
Most disturbingly, there are black, fluffy particles floating in the air, like "residue" from decaying energy. These particles drift slowly and produce a cold, stinging sensation when they come into contact with the skin.
"The decay of the array's core has accelerated." Editor-in-Chief Qin's voice was heavy. "The siphon effect of Hanshan Technology is more severe than we imagined."
The Book of Light sensed their arrival and slowly floated up, but its movements were sluggish, like that of a weary old man. The pages turned, projecting a few lines of text:
"Energy loss...42%...Core recording area...unstable...be careful..."
"Where is the core recording area?" Li Shancheng asked.
The Book of Light pointed to a wall on the east side of the hall. It had originally been a complete mural depicting ancient cultivators constructing the array's core. But now the mural was severely damaged, leaving only fragmented patches of color and lines.
Li Shancheng walked to the wall, and the Lingxi mark on his palm suddenly became intensely hot. He subconsciously pressed his palm against the wall, and the purple light of the mark shone through his skin, illuminating the wall.
A miracle occurred. The damaged areas on the wall began to repair themselves, the colors reappeared, and the lines reconnected. A few seconds later, the entire mural was restored to its original state—no, even clearer and more vivid than before.
In the scene, seven cultivators dressed in different attire form a circle, each holding a glowing object: a scroll, a jade seal, a sword, a bronze mirror, a bell, a compass, and a token. In the center of the scene, on the ground, lies an open treasure box, its interior empty.
"The Seven Guardians and the Seven Relics." Bishop Qin approached to examine the painting. "This painting depicts the final moments before the relics were sealed. Look, the central box should be the container that held the relics, but it's empty in the painting, indicating that the relics have already been taken out and distributed to the seven guardians."
"Where did the belongings go?" Xu Qingqing asked.
The Book of Light turned its pages once more, projecting new information:
"Records... incomplete... the ancient war... relics scattered... the guardians of the cultural center... hiding clues... in... the initial chapter..."
"The Initial Chapter?" Liu Wei asked, puzzled.
Li Shancheng suddenly understood: "The oldest record in the secret vault, the earliest record of when the array's core was established. Take us there."
The Book of Light drifted to the west side of the hall, where a row of stone bookshelves stood, holding not books, but jade slips—ancient mediums for recording information. The Book of Light stopped before a deep purple jade slip, its surface engraved with ancient cloud patterns.
Li Shancheng took the jade slip, and the light of the Lingxi Mark automatically activated it. The jade slip emitted a soft purple light, projecting a three-dimensional image—not text, but a direct reproduction of the scene.
They witnessed a scene from three thousand years ago:
On a desolate land, seven cracks pierced the sky, from which raging torrents of energy surged forth. Seven cultivators stood at seven points, each holding a relic, channeling its power into the sky to repair the cracks. The process was extremely difficult; three of them died on the spot from exhaustion, and the remaining four were also severely injured.
After the rift was repaired, the survivors decided to seal the relics to prevent their power from being misused. They hid the relics separately and built seven array points at the hiding places, both to protect the relics and to use their remaining power to maintain the balance of the world.
The guardian of the Wen Shu formation's core—an old man holding a scroll—hid the clues to the Tianquan relics within...his own bloodline inheritance.
The video ends here.
"Bloodline inheritance..." Bishop Qin murmured, "Could it be..."
Everyone looked at Li Shancheng.
"No, that's impossible." Li Shancheng shook his head. "My ancestors were all ordinary people; there have never been any cultivators in my family."
"Sometimes, bloodlines can lie dormant for many generations," Bishop Qin said. "The Spiritual Mark reacted so strongly to you, and your speed in learning runes is extraordinary. All of this points to one possibility—you are a descendant of the Guardian of the Spiritual Pivot."
The Book of Light confirmed this conjecture. It flew to Li Shancheng, and the pages turned to a certain page, on which a family tree appeared. The name at the very top was blurry, but a few generations down, the label "Li" appeared. The family tree extended all the way to the present day, and the last name was indeed "Li Shancheng".
"So the array's core chose me not only because I have spiritual awareness, but also because I have a bloodline connection." Li Shancheng felt dizzy; this information was too shocking.
"This also explains why you can easily learn those ancient skills," Xu Qingqing said. "It's instinct passed down in your blood."
"So, what about clues about the Tianquan relics?" Liu Wei asked. "Are there any hints in the family genealogy?"
The Book of Light continued to turn its pages. This time, instead of text or images, it displayed a complex spectrum of energy frequencies. The spectrum shifted continuously, like a silent melody.
"This is... an energy code." Bishop Qin studied it carefully. "It requires a corresponding decoding key. The key should also exist in the bloodline inheritance, in the form of a recessive gene or energy imprint."
He looked at Li Shancheng: "You need to meditate deeply to activate the memories inherited in your bloodline. But there are risks involved; it might awaken too much information, exceeding your current capacity."