Chapter 143

"What kind of remnant grotto-heaven?" Meng Jingzhou wasn't present during the torture.

Lu Yang explained, "The person we interrogated is called True Monarch Sanli. He left behind a grotto-heaven, with the rule that only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage and below can enter. It contains his lifelong wealth."

"The lifelong wealth of a Body Integration cultivator?" Meng Jingzhou gasped. Lu Yang didn't grasp the concept, but Meng Jingzhou knew how astonishing the wealth of a Body Integration cultivator could be. Just looking at his family elders was enough; it was a fortune so vast it couldn't be spent in a lifetime, something he had envied since childhood.

If they could get their hands on it, even a tiny fraction, they would be set for life. Even a behemoth like the Asknot Sect couldn't ignore the fortune of a Body Integration cultivator!

"And only Foundation Establishment cultivators can enter, hehe, isn't this an opportunity for us two?" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou chuckled. A secret realm with such cultivation restrictions was perfect for them to showcase their abilities. Their Senior Sister must have brought them here considering their talents, intending for them to enter the remnant grotto-heaven.

The auspicious cloud flew at an incredibly high speed. People on the ground looked up, and in the blink of an eye, a cloud streaked past, so fast it seemed like an illusion. Before long, the three arrived at the location True Monarch Sanli had described.

The regional divisions of the Great Yu era differed from those of today. According to current terms, True Monarch Sanli's remnant grotto-heaven was beneath the sixteenth tree from the top of Dalang Mountain, Huayun Commandery, in eastern Ji Province.

Yun Zhi caressed the tree trunk, sensing spatial fluctuations and confirming the presence of a grotto-heaven. The grotto-heaven's location was hidden and difficult to detect; even someone as powerful as Yun Zhi needed to be at a very close range to confirm its existence. True Monarch Sanli's grotto-heaven had not yet been discovered.

Yun Zhi lightly flicked the tree trunk with the back of her index and middle fingers. A distortion followed, and a pitch-black entrance appeared before the three. The entrance resembled a swirling black vortex. The dark space spun continuously, with runes flashing within, indicating that rules had been imposed, marking it as an owned grotto-heaven that could not be easily entered. The entry rule for this grotto-heaven was that only Foundation Establishment cultivators under the age of twenty could enter.

Just as Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou thought their Senior Sister was about to let them in, they watched as she gripped the edges of the black vortex with both hands and forcibly tore open a massive opening. All rules crumbled in that instant, utterly failing to restrict their Senior Sister.

Lu Yang: "..."Meng Jingzhou: "..."

"Logically, shouldn't this be our moment to shine? Why is it so different from what we imagined?""Are we somewhat redundant here? Why did Senior Sister even bring us along?"

Lu Yang voiced the question, and Yun Zhi tilted her head, considering. "Didn't you two just follow me directly when we left Prisoner Peak? I didn't call for you."

Alright, so they really were redundant. Within the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy was doubled over with laughter.

The three entered the remnant grotto-heaven. Looking around, they saw a vast, open grassland where elephants slowly ate leaves and lions pursued antelopes, biting through their necks. On the other side of the grassland was a lush rainforest, where massive creatures could be vaguely seen moving through the foliage. Lu Yang distinctly felt his cultivation suppressed; he could only exert the power of the late Qi Refinement stage.

At this moment, conspicuous words formed by clouds appeared before the three.

DANGER HERE, LEAVE IMMEDIATELYDANGER HERE, LEAVE IMMEDIATELYDANGER HERE, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY

IF YOU INSIST ON ENTERING, PLEASE REMEMBER TRUE MONARCH SANLI'S GROTTO-HEAVEN RULES; THEY CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Rule 1: Everyone's cultivation will be suppressed to the ninth level of Qi Refinement.Rule 2: No contact with the outside world is possible.Rule 3: True Monarch Sanli's grotto-heaven has only grassland, no rainforest. If you see a rainforest, do not enter.Rule 4: Lions are benevolent. If a lion chases you, do not run; it only wants to play.Rule 5: Antelopes are bipedal demonic beasts with spiraling horns. Antelope laughter is normal; do not be afraid.Rule 6: There are no elephants on the grassland. If you see an elephant, you must seek shelter with a lion; the lion will protect you.Rule 7: If you accidentally enter the rainforest, do not panic. Remaining calm is essential for survival in the rainforest.Rule 8: The apes in the rainforest are humans in disguise, so it is normal for them to speak. However, apes will not initiate conversation with you.Rule 9: The water in the rainforest is undrinkable.Rule 10: If you encounter a Foundation Establishment demonic beast, imitate an ape's cry, and the Foundation Establishment demonic beast will voluntarily leave.Rule 11: All the above rules are true.

Following this, Lu Yang saw several lines of text written in blood on the ground. The bloodied words were scrawled, as if left in a hurry.

RUN, THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS!AN ABNORMALITY HAS OCCURRED HERE!WARNING! WHAT I'VE WRITTEN ARE THE TRUE RULES OF TRUE MONARCH SANLI'S GROTTO-HEAVEN!True Monarch Sanli's grotto-heaven has both grassland and rainforest. The rainforest is safer than the grassland!Lions are at the Core Formation stage and will eat anyone they see!Antelopes do not walk upright. If you hear an antelope laugh, leave immediately!Elephants will protect you!Remain calm in the rainforest!Do not initiate conversation with apes, or you will become an ape!If you feel your body is abnormal, quickly drink the rainforest water; it can save your life!Do not imitate an ape's cry; it will attract Core Formation demonic beasts!All of True Monarch Sanli's grotto-heaven rules are false...

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou shivered as they saw the bloodstains. The bloodied text was unfinished; the last character trailed off into a long bloodstain, as if someone had desperately tried to crawl out of the grotto-heaven but was caught by some unknown, terrifying entity, forcibly dragged back, leaving a prominent trail of blood.

Their scalps tingled. What was inside this grotto-heaven?

"These rules have serious problems; they contradict each other everywhere. Is the first set of rules correct, or is the second set correct?"

"Based on our experience in Cloth-Dyeing Town, the more formal set of rules should be correct, right?"

"Not necessarily. It wasn't explicitly stated that the more formal rules are always correct. The second set, though seemingly written in haste, could also be a form of rules, couldn't it?"

The two found it difficult to decide. They were currently only at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, and the grotto-heaven was filled with Foundation Establishment and Core Formation demonic beasts. They couldn't fight them directly; they could only rely on strategy. But with two conflicting sets of rules and no way to distinguish truth from falsehood, one wrong choice could mean certain death and eternal damnation!

"Don't panic, there must be a solution. One set says lions are benevolent, the other says they eat people. One says elephants kill, the other says they protect us. We could try luring a lion and an elephant together to see who protects whom. That way, we can determine which set of rules is the real one..."

"Is it possible that both sets of rules are half-true and half-false, and they're written just to trick people?"

"This is a bit tricky."

Just as the two were racking their brains, desperately trying to devise a path to survival, Yun Zhi raised her arm, revealing her fair wrist, and lightly struck out with a palm. This was clearly not a palm strike from the Qi Refinement stage. The palm wind contained terrifying power, roaring and raging, scaring the lions, antelopes, elephants, and apes into fleeing. Regardless of whether they were man-eating or protective, facing this palm strike made no difference; their only option was to run for their lives. This single palm strike tore through both the grassland and the rainforest, creating a straight path directly to the end.

How could the rules here possibly restrict Yun Zhi?

***

**Anti-trope, Light Comedy, Alternative Cultivation: Indulgence in Pleasure.**

"My lady, do you know that cultivation emphasizes balancing work and rest, and that blind asceticism only backfires?"

"Is that why you've been staring at me?"

Liu Qing transmigrated into a cultivation world where he received rewards simply by pleasing his mind and body. From then on, the world gained the "person who best understood cultivation."

(End of Chapter)