Chapter Nineteen: The Sealed Cavern

Then, Liao Yi transformed into Xu Cheng, Liao Zhen, and even into flowers, grass, fish, and trees—anything could change. This scene reminded Xu Cheng of a television series from his previous life called "Journey to the West," where the Monkey King could perform all sorts of transformations, referred to as the Seventy-Two Changes.

“I could take you with me, but both of you have to follow my lead!” Liao Zhen gestured emphatically, adopting the manner of a little adult.

“You brat, I’m older than you, and at least I’m your senior disciple. Shouldn’t you be listening to my instructions?” Liao Yi now assumed the posture of a senior.

“If you don’t obey me, you won’t be included in our mission!” Liao Zhen snorted coldly.

“You… fine, I’ll yield to you. I’ll follow your lead, alright?” Liao Yi suddenly conceded, and Xu Cheng didn’t dwell on it; thus the three reached a consensus.

“Junior sister, why don’t you tell us what our mission actually is?” Liao Yi inquired.

“It’s not terribly difficult, but it’s not easy either. Our task is to investigate the sealed cavern a hundred miles away.” Unexpectedly, their assignment was to examine the seal on the cavern a hundred miles distant. It was said that the place was once a site of extreme darkness. Practitioners of dark arts had conducted evil rituals there, and after a battle with Daoist masters, the area was sealed.

The specifics would only be clear once the three of them saw it for themselves.

“However, I haven’t learned any travel spells yet! I’ll have to rely on you for the journey!” Xu Cheng’s repertoire of spells consisted mainly of fate-divining and various attack techniques; none were suited for traveling.

“Ahem! Well, in that case, it’s best if Junior Sister Liao Zhen takes you! She’s cultivated the Sword Dao, and her speed is unmatched!” Liao Yi’s body transformed instantly into a ball of flame and reappeared on the other side, as if to say he only knew this method of travel.

“We’ll meet here again tomorrow!” With these words, Liao Yi flashed a few times and quickly disappeared into the distance.

“Fine, I’ll lead! Junior brother, you’ll go with me tomorrow!” Liao Zhen stomped her foot in frustration, patted her chest, and returned to her quarters.

“I have all these spells, yet not a single one for swift travel!” Xu Cheng, feeling regretful, immersed himself completely in the Scroll of Ten Thousand Arts, hoping it would impart a new spell suited for travel.

After a long while—whether by fate or coincidence—the Scroll of Ten Thousand Arts bestowed upon him the Divine Movement Technique. However, it required four thousand five hundred spell symbols. With his Thousand-Eye Technique, his calculation abilities had increased tenfold, allowing him to master the Divine Movement Technique in just one night.

Early the next morning, the three met at the spot where they had watched the sunset the previous day.

Though Liao Zhen cultivated the Sword Dao, her current skills were not much higher than those of Xu Cheng and Liao Yi. It would be impossible for her to carry three people like Sword Master Jianyu had done, as swift as lightning.

“Should I wait here like a Daoist elder while you two go ahead?” Liao Yi was feeling smug, relying on his Fire Escape technique and not needing to carry anyone, standing with hands on hips and looking proudly at Xu Cheng and Liao Zhen.

“Junior brother, get on!” Liao Zhen, her face flushed with anger, summoned her flying sword. It couldn’t alter its size freely, so carrying two was extremely difficult.

“No need, Senior Sister. I just learned the Divine Movement Technique. You take the lead!” Xu Cheng replied calmly, leaving Liao Yi momentarily stunned—he wondered when Xu Cheng had learned such a spell.

Hearing this, Liao Zhen’s anger vanished. Her two-foot-long, three-finger-wide sword let out a gentle hum as it soared forward with her aboard.

“Divine Movement through All Directions!” Xu Cheng murmured the words, taking a few steps to match the speed of Liao Zhen’s flying sword, easily keeping up.

Liao Yi, unwilling to fall behind, transformed himself into a fireball and shot forward. The explosive power of fire spells far surpassed other types in speed.

However, with a thud, Xu Cheng crashed into a tree. Having just learned the Divine Movement Technique, he had yet to master it fully, and inattentiveness led him straight into obstacles.

“Hahaha!” Liao Yi’s laughter echoed. Brushing off the dust, Xu Cheng continued practicing the new spell; after all, one cannot master it without repeated attempts.

After four or five collisions that left him bruised and battered, he finally grasped the rhythm of the Divine Movement Technique. Each step now covered the distance of thirty ordinary strides, and as long as he controlled his pace, obstacles no longer posed a threat.

Though this took considerable time, Liao Yi’s Molten Fire Escape was powerful but lacked endurance, consuming vast amounts of true energy. Liao Zhen’s Sword Flight lacked explosive speed but had stamina, though her Daoist energy couldn’t be replenished easily, requiring frequent rests.

Once Xu Cheng fully comprehended the Divine Movement Technique, his movement became as leisurely as a stroll through a garden, like a traveler among mountains and rivers. His true energy replenished continuously, and soon he was the one urging the others to keep pace.

“Junior brother, I concede! I truly concede! Let me catch my breath first!” Just ahead lay the sealed cavern, but Liao Yi could not go further, sitting down to restore his energy.

“Well done, Junior brother!” Liao Zhen gave Xu Cheng a thumbs-up, happy to have outpaced Liao Yi. The latter just grinned mysteriously.

With all three at their peak, they began investigating the cavern’s seal. In truth, it was a massive pit, from which black fumes occasionally emerged.

Nothing could be discerned from outside. The three exchanged glances and leapt into the pit.

Below, the cavern was pitch-black. Liao Yi raised a hand, summoning Southern Blaze True Fire to illuminate the space.

Once the fire blazed, the walls revealed swarms of palm-sized spiders, their gleaming black fangs promising trouble.

Though Xu Cheng and his companions wished to avoid the spiders, the creatures had other intentions: they sought to devour the intruders.

The moment the spiders saw the Southern Blaze True Fire, they surged forward with open jaws.

“Southern Blaze True Fire, burn them!” Liao Yi responded by spitting intense flames from his mouth, instantly reducing the nearest spiders to ashes.

As the fire spread, burning spiders ignited others, turning the cave into a fiery inferno. The density of spiders made it easy for the flames to catch and spread.

Taking advantage, Liao Yi paused his assault and rested on the side.

The orange-yellow flames danced merrily, but peace was short-lived—a roar interrupted Liao Yi’s rest.

The pit rumbled loudly; a giant spider had appeared. This enormous creature was not particularly afraid of the Southern Blaze True Fire. It spewed black venom from its mouth, extinguishing the fire wherever it touched.

Liao Zhen summoned her divine sword. As the strongest sword cultivator, she swung her sword and shouted, “One Sword Shatters a Thousand Cities!”

Hundreds of sword marks converged into a single, most powerful slash.

It was indeed Liao Zhen’s strongest attack. With a sharp sound, the giant spider's body was sliced into fragments.