Chapter 426: Seven Xiālián

The so-called "Spirit Sealing Pillar" was actually a colossal artifact used by ancient cultivators specifically to seal off ambient spiritual energy and completely prevent its leakage.

This rare magical artifact typically served two purposes.

One use was to seal extremely rare spiritual herbs or elixirs, preventing their spiritual energy from dissipating and causing them to lose their efficacy. Such a significant effort would only be undertaken for something truly precious.

The other purpose was to suppress powerful ghostly demons or monstrous entities, preventing them from transforming or escaping.

Regardless of its specific use, either purpose indicated that Han Li and his companions had made an extraordinary discovery.

Spiritual herbs aside, even if the Spirit Sealing Pillar was indeed suppressing a powerful ghostly entity, it would be the best material to capture and bind within a magical artifact, thereby enhancing its power.

However, they also understood that any demonic entity strong enough to warrant being suppressed by a Spirit Sealing Pillar would be formidable. There was a risk that instead of subduing it, they might be harmed or even possessed by it upon entering.

Therefore, after exchanging glances, despite their expressions of pleasant surprise, none of them impulsively suggested immediately pushing over the pillar to investigate.

After a long silence, Jin Qing let out a wry chuckle and muttered, "This is quite a headache! But after all this effort, I doubt any of us would just turn around and leave now, would we?"

"If you want to leave, then go ahead. I'm certainly not leaving!" the cultivator surnamed Jian said coldly, his hands clasped behind his back. "Even if there's no demon inside, I'll try to subdue it if there is." Jin Qing smiled faintly without a word, then turned to Hu Yue and asked, "How about you, Fellow Daoist Hu?"

"As you know, Fellow Daoist," Hu Yue said after a moment of contemplation, finally making up his mind. "We rogue cultivators, unwilling to be constrained by others, live quite freely, but we are much poorer compared to other cultivators of the same rank. It's rare to have such an opportunity. I must take this chance!"

Hearing this, Jin Qing showed no surprise and turned his gaze to Han Li.

"I don't mind," Han Li said indifferently, raising an eyebrow. "If most people are willing to explore, then I'll take a look too."

With the seventy-two 'Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords' refined from Sky-Thunder Bamboo, he had no reason to fear any demons or monsters.

"Don't ask me," Shi Die said, tilting her head before Jin Qing could even pose the question. "Although I'm only at the Foundation Establishment stage, I happen to have a demon-dispelling magical artifact given to me by my father. Even if I can't defeat something, I'll have no problem protecting myself."

"Alright then! Since none of you Fellow Daoists wish to return empty-handed, let's push this pillar down!" Jin Qing sighed softly, his expression cautious. "However, everyone must be extra careful!"

"Hehe! You don't need to tell us that, Fellow Daoist Jin; none of us will gamble with our lives," the cultivator surnamed Jian said, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "But let's be clear upfront: if there truly are any powerful ghosts or demons, whoever subdues it claims it. No snatching allowed."

"Of course," Jin Qing immediately agreed without objection. "If such things exist, then everyone will rely on their own abilities to subdue them."

The others naturally had no differing opinions.

Seeing this, the cultivator surnamed Jian immediately brightened, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

"Oh? Does Fellow Daoist Jian possess a special method for subduing demons? Why such confidence?" Shi Die asked with a half-smile, glancing sideways.

"Well... I won't hide it from you, Fellow Daoists," the cultivator surnamed Jian admitted with a straightforward nod after a slight hesitation. "The cultivation technique I practice indeed includes a divine ability specifically for dealing with ghosts and demons. I thought I might never need it in this lifetime, but it seems I might get to try it today."

"The black skull used by the demonic cultivator that Fellow Daoist Han just eliminated seemed to be conjured by a demonic entity, and Fellow Daoist Jian appeared to struggle quite a bit with it," the Fairy Shi remarked, once again looking unconvinced.

"Ahem! You make me laugh, Fairy Shi," the cultivator surnamed Jian said, scratching his head with a touch of embarrassment. "This divine ability of mine requires some prior preparation to be used effectively. I was caught off guard against that demonic cultivator, which is why I appeared so disheveled."

Hearing this, Shi Die gave a slight nod and said no more. She turned her attention back to the Spirit Sealing Pillar.

"Since none of you Fellow Daoists are willing to give up, let's get started!" Shi Die explained, a hint of excitement in her voice. "To topple this Spirit Sealing Pillar is a bit troublesome; it requires immense force to rotate it a few times before it can be brought down."

The others looked at each other with wide eyes, somewhat perplexed.

Although they were cultivators, their physical strength wasn't particularly great. Even with the aid of a 'Giant Strength Talisman,' they likely wouldn't be able to move a massive stone pillar several times a person's width.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned and quietly gave a command in his mind.

"Allow me," Qu Hun said in a deep voice, stepping forward and walking towards the stone pillar. "I happen to possess considerable strength."

Hu Yue and the others looked somewhat surprised.

After all, Qu Hun had rarely spoken since arriving. His willingness to take on this task now surprised them.

"Then we'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Qu!" Shi Die said with curiosity.

Qu Hun, as if he hadn't heard, took a few large strides to the pillar. A yellow light flashed around him as he applied a 'Giant Strength Talisman' to himself.

He then rolled up his sleeves, let out a loud shout, and powerfully embraced the pillar with both hands.

The stone pillar, roughly two zhang tall, began to slowly rotate with a rumbling vibration.

Seeing this, the others were immediately overjoyed.

Qu Hun's arms bulged with muscles, faintly glowing red. After rotating the pillar three times, he pushed it forcefully to one side, then darted backward.

With a resounding crash, the pillar toppled onto its side, causing the ground to tremble slightly and leaving a deep furrow, clearly demonstrating its immense weight.

However, no one paid attention to the pillar itself; their gaze was fixed on the large hole that had suddenly appeared in the ground after the Spirit Sealing Pillar collapsed.

The hole was pitch-black, with a faint cold breeze emanating from it. A small flight of white stone steps led directly down into the earth.

"Let's go!" the cultivator surnamed Jian said, after looking at the hole for a moment, then led the way down without another word.

The others hesitated for a moment, then followed closely. At this point, it was natural that no one would turn back.

Han Li watched the cultivators, subtly excited, enter the underground cavern one by one. He, however, remained rooted to his spot, resting his chin on his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He suddenly flipped his hand, producing the shimmering red scroll, which he then began to idly manipulate.

After a while, a pensive look appeared in his eyes. He put the item away and walked towards the entrance of the cavern.

Qu Hun followed closely behind him.

The underground cavern was very deep. Han Li walked for a full quarter of an hour before reaching the end of the stone steps.

His eyes brightened as a square hall, over twenty zhang in size, appeared before him.

Besides the entrance they had just used, the hall had two semicircular side doors, one to the left and one to the right, leading to unknown destinations. Several fist-sized luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the space with a milky-white glow. The surrounding walls were speckled with twinkling lights, as if some spell had been cast upon them, making them exceptionally beautiful.

Hu Yue and the others, who had gone down first, stood motionless in the center of the hall, their eyes fixed in one direction. They occasionally whispered to each other, seemingly examining something intently.

Han Li's curiosity was piqued, and he took a few steps closer.

"What is this?" Han Li's expression showed a hint of surprise as he clearly saw what everyone was staring at.

He saw a skeleton, as white as jade, half-reclining beside a small pool. A foot-long emerald green arrow was embedded in its skull, pinning its head firmly to the ground, making for an extremely eerie sight.

Yet, no one lingered on the skeleton; instead, all eyes were excitedly fixed on a three-colored lotus flower in the pool.

Although the lotus was still a bud and had not yet bloomed, it was already the size of a bowl and radiated brilliant blue, red, and yellow light.

Most astonishingly, a small and exquisite seven-colored rainbow shimmered brilliantly a few inches above the lotus, appearing out of thin air.

Even the water supporting the lotus in the pool was not ordinary clear water, but an extremely viscous white milky liquid, subtly emitting an intoxicating fragrance.

"A Seven-Luster Lotus! No mistake, it's definitely this," Hu Yue murmured, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I thought this was just a myth, but it actually exists! And that pond water... could it be the legendary Millennium Stone Milk?"

"No wonder so many formations and restrictions were placed above, sealed by a Spirit Sealing Pillar!" Shi Die exclaimed, staring intently at the lotus with a look of enchantment. "If I had these two items, even a dozen more layers of restrictions wouldn't be too much."

"But whose skeleton is this?" Jin Qing asked, sounding a bit puzzled, as he seemed to have recovered from his shock and glanced at the remains. "Could it be the owner of this cave dwelling?"

"Why bother with that?" the cultivator surnamed Jian said directly, without turning his head, his eyes filled with greed. "We've struck it rich this time! Even though this Seven-Luster Lotus only has three colors, it would undoubtedly fetch a sky-high price at an auction."