The thirtieth floor of Doushuai Palace was a vast space, shrouded in silence. Thousands of jade-colored meditation cushions made from a special material were laid out neatly across the floor.
There was a simple unadorned platform at the very front. It had a radiant white jade cushion resting on it that glowed softly. A faint, almost imperceptible Dao resonance flowed gently through the entire space.
This must have been a place for passing on the Dao and imparting teachings, Li Xiaofei thought.
He could almost picture the grand scene of the past when the master of Doushuai Palace lectured on the Dao of Alchemy. Alchemic immortals and prodigies from major human star regions and military zones had gathered here to listen to their teachings.
Such a magnificent event was a rare sight indeed. Yet now, the place was empty and desolate. Only thousands of cushions remained, resting silently under the passage of time.
Li Xiaofei did not linger on this floor for long. The restriction at the stairwell did not hinder him in the slightest. He passed through smoothly and arrived at the thirty-first floor.
This floor, too, was a large open space without partitions. It was a massive pill refining room. The four sides of the room were arranged in the shape of the Eight Trigrams, with Qian, Kun, Xun, Dui, Gen, Zhen, Li, and Kan forming eight distinct sections.
At the very center lay a nine-meter-wide circle, shaped like the yin-yang double fish symbol. But something was missing from that central spot.
After a brief moment of thought, Li Xiaofei realized that this was exactly where the Eight Trigrams Furnace should have been placed. This was the alchemy chamber of the master of Doushuai Palace.
Li Xiaofei continued upward. When he reached the thirty-second floor, a wave of medicinal fragrance greeted him. He was met by a lush and verdant garden. It was incredibly refreshing to behold.
“Is this... a medicinal garden?” Li Xiaofei was momentarily stunned.
The medicinal garden of the master of Doushuai Palace; just how precious would the immortal herbs and divine medicines grown here be?
As he swept his gaze across the garden, he found that most of the herbs and spirit fruits present were unfamiliar to him. Some were blooming, while others bore unripe fruit. However, the garden had become overgrown and wild from neglect, with plants growing in a chaotic and untended state. Get full chapters from novel•fire.net
Li Xiaofei did not linger on this floor for long. He ascended directly to the thirty-third floor. Unlike the previous levels, the stairway to the thirty-third floor ended at a door. It was a wooden door, yellowed with age and etched with distinct grain patterns.
Li Xiaofei reached out and touched it. The feel of the wood was clear and tangible. It was not made from any rare divine wood, nor had it undergone any special treatment. Yet the mere presence of such a simple door here gave it a deeper meaning.
He gently pushed it open. The door creaked as it swung aside. A faint, subtle fragrance drifted out to greet him.
“This is...” Li Xiaofei’s eyes widened slightly.
Behind the door was a small bedroom. He could tell from the presence of a dressing table inside that it was a woman’s bedroom. Beyond that, the room was decorated with simple white walls and orange-toned furniture. There was a canopy bed, a desk by the window, a standing cabinet beside it, and a bookshelf filled with various books such as cultivation manuals, herb catalogs...
The furnishings and decorations painted a vivid image of the room’s owner. She was likely a learned and serene woman, as pure and elegant as a white lilac blooming in a quiet, secluded valley.
This place must have been the living quarters of the master of Doushuai Palace, which brought about a new problem. Li Xiaofei scanned the room. There was no sign of the Blood-Drinking Sword. The entire room was only about fifty to sixty square meters.
One could see it all at a glance from the entrance. There were no other rooms or partitions. There was absolutely no trace of the Blood-Drinking Sword. Standing by the door, Li Xiaofei silently offered an apology to the woman.
Then he stepped inside and began searching. Just then, the room suddenly began to shake violently. Li Xiaofei stumbled and braced himself. He rushed to the window and looked outside. His expression immediately changed.
Countless mutated Ruos were surging into Doushuai Palace like a tidal wave. Some were even crazily trying to scale the white tower from the outside, braving the devastating power of laws radiating from the palace. They were climbing desperately, regardless of the cost.
We must find the Blood-Drinking Sword as soon as possible, thought Li Xiaofei as he grew increasingly anxious.
He had spotted a golden vertical pupil in the distant void, though he couldn’t tell exactly how far it was from Doushuai Palace. That vertical eye was enormous, as if a blazing sun hung suspended in the heavens.
It emitted a single golden beam of light that shot directly toward Doushuai Palace. The beam carried a terrifying and incomprehensible pressure, pinning down the palace with overwhelming force.
It was precisely this oppressive light that had weakened Doushuai Palace’s suppressive effect on the Ruos a hundredfold, which explained how the swarm had managed to break into the palace.
That vertical eye must belong to the Mother of All Beasts, Li Xiaofei thought in utter shock. Could that ancient source of disaster have truly broken free of its seal?
If so, wouldn’t all of Little Aunt’s and my efforts have been in vain? No, that can’t be.
If the Mother of All Beasts had completely escaped its seal, its true form would have descended. It would have come in person to seize the Eight Trigrams Furnace and destroy Doushuai Palace. But it hadn’t, which meant it hadn’t truly broken free. That vertical pupil was likely just a projection of its power.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Li Xiaofei, and everything became clear. He stopped thinking about anything else and focused all his energy on finding the Blood-Drinking Sword.
After searching through every other item in the room, Li Xiaofei’s gaze fell upon the standing cabinet next to the desk. It stood about two meters tall, one and a half meters wide, and half a meter thick. He opened the cabinet doors.
There were six drawers inside. Nothing else. Li Xiaofei placed his hand on the handle of the top drawer, thinking to himself, There’s no way a sword could be hidden in here, and pulled it open.
A dazzling white light burst out from within. His vision went white. By the time he regained his senses, he found himself in a strange place. It was the rear mountain of some peak, within a beautifully constructed martial practice ground.
The air was fresh, and the architecture was simple yet elegant. A white figure could be seen cultivating and practicing swordplay in the martial practice ground.
Her features were indistinct, but judging from her clothing and hair ornaments, she appeared to be a beautiful young woman, around sixteen or seventeen years old. She was entirely focused, immersed in her practice with complete dedication and oblivious to all else.
Li Xiaofei immediately sensed that this apparition was neither a real person nor a clone. It was merely a projection. It possessed no consciousness.
“So, one of the cabinet drawers contained a miniature world?” Li Xiaofei was thoroughly surprised.
Could the Blood-Drinking Sword be hidden inside this small world?
He began to search at once, but he found nothing. The small world wasn’t large, it was just this martial practice ground. An invisible force at its edge formed a boundary that could not be crossed.
Li Xiaofei searched the area thoroughly. A stone stele stood at the edge of the field. Carved upon it were the words, Asking Sword Sect, Central White-Robe House, Martial Practice Ground A1.
It seemed that this miniature world was a recreation of one of the martial grounds from the Asking Sword Sect. If Li Xiaofei’s guess was correct, the white phantom was none other than Ximen Qianxue, the master of Doushuai Palace. This martial ground must have held special significance to her, which was why it had been recreated in such a form.
Li Xiaofei didn’t dare waste any time. He exited the miniature world within the drawer. Then he opened the second drawer. He found himself in a classroom. It was a simple teaching room with wooden desks and chairs. It was antique in style, capable of seating around fifty people. There, Ximen Qianxue appeared once again.
This time, she seemed to be in her early twenties. Dressed in the robes of an instructor, she stood at the podium, lecturing earnestly.
The fifty seats were filled with young men and women in cyan robes. Of those, forty-nine had blurry, indistinct appearances. Only one youth was clear. He had thick black hair, sword-like brows, and eyes like stars. He sat at his desk, gazing up at Ximen Qianxue at the podium, his eyes gleaming with light...
This was still the Asking Sword Sect. Specifically, this was the sect’s alchemy and herbology classroom. But Li Xiaofei knew exactly who the sword-browed, star-eyed youth was.
He had seen him before.