Chapter 93: Opportunity in the Cave

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  "Succeeded. Lu Shaoyou was overjoyed in his heart, accelerated the digging, and after a few more scoops, he broke through to an opening. He lowered his head to take a look, and outside the cave, there was a faint floral scent wafting in. In his line of sight, it seemed like there were some trees and green grass, but nothing else could be seen clearly."

  Sheathing his azure longsword, Lu ShaoYue crawled out of the earthen cave. The cave wasn't very long, only about one meter in length. Sticking his head out to take a look, Lu ShaoYue couldn't help but feel astonished: "How beautiful! Could this be the legendary Peach Garden of the Immortals?"

  What appeared before Lu Shao's eyes was a vast mountain valley, in the middle of which stood a dense forest of towering trees. The forest was eerily quiet, with only a few bird calls echoing through the valley.

  Lu Shao quickly climbed out of the pit, and in the dense forest, the cool air permeated his entire body, making him feel refreshed. Underfoot was a lush green grass, and in the distance, there were some unknown flowers blooming everywhere. It was springtime, and the fragrance was strong, causing his heart to flutter slightly.

  A few rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, forming golden columns of light that intersected with each other. As I walked through the shimmering columns, my surroundings were bright one moment and dim the next, as if I had entered a mystical realm filled with an air of mystery, where unseen animals darted and frolicked in the forest.

  Everything in the forest looks hazy, a gentle breeze carries the fragrance of grass, smelling particularly comfortable, and from time to time, pieces of fallen leaves quietly fall down.

  Looking up and gazing into the distance, it seems that all around are mountains and valleys, but outside the forest, there is a mountain peak rising from the ground.

  Gazing at the scene before him, Lu Shao couldn't help but feel astonished. This place should be uninhabited, with a completely secluded and peaceful atmosphere, just like a paradise on earth. Most importantly, within this valley, there existed a spiritual energy that only cultivators could sense. If a cultivator were to cultivate here, they would definitely gain some benefits.

  "I don't know if there's a way out of here." Lu Shaoyou wondered in his heart, carefully observing the surroundings, and for a while, he didn't know where to go either.

  Many animals in the forest looked at Lu Shao with curiosity, but they didn't dare to approach him, just curiously staring at Lu Shao.

  "Sorry, I'm starving." Rubbing his stomach that had gone without food for several days, Lu Shao Yu said softly. A moment later, a wild rabbit fell into Lu Shao Yu's hands, and before long, it was roasted to perfection and entered the bellies of Lu Shao Yu and Xiao Long.

  "Let's go to the top of that mountain and see if there is a way out." Lu Shaoyou gazed at the massive peak rising above the trees outside the forest, where visibility was blocked. Finding a way out wouldn't be easy in this forest, but climbing high and looking far might make it easier.

  After gathering his thoughts, Lu Shao-yu headed towards that mountain peak, passing through the forest. This forest seemed to have no ferocious beasts either, only some ordinary wild animals. On the Spiritual Martial Continent, demonic beasts and spiritual beasts were not many to begin with. Only in the Ancestral Demonic Forest and the Spiritual Emperor's Crags were they densely populated.

  The forest is so wide that it's unknown how far it stretches. The mountain peaks in front seem close, but Lu Shao found out that walking towards them wasn't as easy as he thought. He walked until deep into the night and still hadn't left the forest. At this time, above the valley, a crescent moon hung in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew through the trees.

  After walking for a night, the sky had already brightened. Slowly, the sun sprinkled its sunlight onto the earth, and at this time, Lu Shaoyou was also extremely tired, his legs almost numb.

  "Finally came out."

  The vast forest finally came to an abrupt end here, and Lu Shaoyou finally walked out of the forest. Just outside the forest, without any transition or buffer, a towering mountain peak rose from the ground, piercing the sky and leaving people in awe.

  The mountain peak is majestic, Lu Shao-yu estimated that the area is at least several miles in circumference, with a powerful and majestic atmosphere that can swallow mountains and rivers. The knife-cut and axe-chopped cliff faces are as if carved by gods, making it hard to imagine how this mountain peak was formed.

  "Let's go up and take a look first." Lu Shaoyou gazed around, there was no road leading up to the mountain peak, only uneven stone blocks along the way that could be climbed.

  Looking at the mountain peak, Lu Shaoyou pondered that as long as he reached a height of thirty meters, he would be able to see the entire valley. Although the mountain was steep, a height of thirty meters wouldn't be difficult for him to overcome.

  His body had already recovered some of its true energy, and with a tremble of his true energy, Lu Shao's figure sprang up, lightly tapping the uneven stone wall as he floated upwards. After several rotations, his figure had already leapt to a height of over ten meters.

  In the forest, the height of these towering trees is all above 20 meters. Lu Shao-yu stopped for a moment on a stone wall and then his figure flashed up again, like a gecko, floating upwards on the stone wall, instantly reaching dozens of meters high.

  At this moment, under the forest, looking around, the area inside the valley is not small, it's really a place like a paradise on earth, surrounded by mountains on all sides, only on the left side, there is a flowing blue color, which should be a small river.

  "That must be the exit." With river water flowing, there will naturally be an exit. Lu Shao had this much wisdom and was overjoyed to have finally found a way out.

  Lu Shao was about to go down when he suddenly saw a cave behind him, which was as tall as a person. The wind inside the cave was howling, and it seemed that the cave was not shallow.

  Looking at the marks on the entrance of the cave, Lu Shaoyou felt that it was not a natural mountain cave. The surrounding area was smooth and should be man-made.

  "Could it be that someone had been here before?" Lu Shao's curiosity got the better of him, and with a burst of true energy, he leapt into the cave. The interior of the cave was also smooth all around.

  Hesitating for a moment, Lu Shaoyou walked into the cave, and after a while, the entrance narrowed again. Originally two meters wide, it was now only enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

  "Night Pearl."

  Inside the cave, it was originally pitch black, but now on the surrounding stone walls, there were fist-sized night pearls embedded every meter or so, emitting a faint glow. These fist-sized night pearls are also absolute luxury goods in the outside world, with a value that is not cheap.

  Seeing this Night Pearl, Lu Shaoyou has already been able to confirm that this cave is absolutely man-made and will not be an ordinary person. An ordinary person cannot excavate such a large cave on the cliff, even if it's an average warrior who can't do it. Those who can achieve this are absolutely true strongmen.

  About ten meters further in, the space suddenly opens up and brightens. Ahead is a stone chamber with an area of over twenty square meters, its walls smooth as mirrors. The top of the chamber is embedded with thousands of fist-sized night pearls, illuminating the chamber with dazzling brightness.

  In the center of the stone room, there was a crystal-clear jade bed. Apart from this, the only thing in the stone room was a desiccated corpse lying on the jade bed, its age unknown. A black robe hung loosely on the corpse, and long hair covered its skull. Everything seemed eerie, shrouded in an aura of gloom.

  "Who is this, and how did they die here?" Lu Shaoyou wondered, the person who could open up a cave on the cliff must be a strong one, so why would a strong person be trapped to death here.

  Lu Shao walked around the stone room and finally stopped in front of the desiccated corpse. On the jade bed beside the corpse, there was also a cyan storage ring, which should have been left by the deceased.

  Storage ring, this has already become a symbol of identity. Ordinary people can't afford to wear storage rings, even the smallest spatial area storage ring is not cheap.

  "Let's see what's inside." Lu Shao had a surge of excitement in his heart. The spatial pouch left behind by the Fire Spirit was already a significant gain for him, and the storage ring of this mysterious expert would naturally yield an astonishing harvest.

  Take that storage ring in hand, the master of this storage ring has died, after recognizing the owner with a drop of blood, you can open this storage ring.

  "Hmph."

  A drop of fresh blood dripped into the storage ring, and Lu Shao-yu was about to peek inside when the storage ring suddenly emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the entire stone room with an intense glare that made it impossible to look directly at it.

  "There's something strange." Lu Shaoyou instantly threw the storage ring to the ground, his body violently retreating, and after the dazzling light dissipated, the stone room returned to normal once again.

  Lu Shaoyou looked around again, but there was no change. Just now, everything was also unclear to Lu Shaoyou.

  "After waiting for 5,000 years, someone has finally come here." At this moment, the desiccated corpse on the jade bed began to move strangely. Its head moved slightly, and its dry hands brushed aside the long hair covering its face, revealing a withered and terrifying visage. The two eyeballs deeply sunken into their sockets now shone brightly, radiating a sharp light.

  "Who are you, you didn't die." Lu Shaoyou said in surprise, this strange scene made Lu Shaoyou's hair stand on end, and his body involuntarily retreated to lean against the stone wall.

  "Death, I suppose it's death." The withered corpse said lightly, its voice like a whisper from the nine hells, ethereal and elusive.

  As the voice fell, the corpse slowly got up from the jade bed and stood up. The black robe on his body was like a piece of cloth hanging on an electric pole, looking a bit ridiculous. But at this time, paired with the terrifying appearance of the corpse, it made the stone room even more eerie and gloomy.

  "This stinking flesh looked at its own body and said faintly, 'This smelly skin bag used to think it was nothing big deal, now it seems that it's actually quite important.'"

  "Senior, who are you?" Lu Shaoyou asked calmly after his initial panic, thinking to himself that even if it was a ghost, there's nothing to be afraid of, as he is now a cultivator.

  "Who am I? Even if I told you, you wouldn't recognize me. Five thousand years ago, everyone called me the Holy Hand Spirit Lord. Now, I suppose no one remembers me either." The dry corpse said indifferently.

  "Sheng Shou Ling Zun, are you dead or alive? How can this be?" Lu Shaoyou asked.

  "Can't you see that living like this is the same as being dead?" said the self-proclaimed Holy Hand Spirit.

  "Sheng Shou Ling Zun, then how could you..."

  Lu Shao's words had just fallen when the withered corpse said, "Your cultivation is still shallow, so you naturally don't know that when my life was coming to an end and I couldn't break through the Spirit Emperor realm, I could only stay here. At the time of my death, knowing that I would be unable to ascend to heaven, I used some methods to leave behind a soul in this storage ring, wanting to pass on a few last words. I didn't think it would take so long, fully five thousand years before someone came."

  "It's no wonder." Lu Shaoyou was not surprised either. When a strong person reaches a certain level of power, leaving behind a soul outside the body is not unusual. Generally speaking, when one's power reaches the Martial General level, they can do it, and for Spiritual Beings, when their power reaches the Spiritual Soul level, they can also do it. Spiritual Beings are much stronger than Martial Artists in terms of souls.

  "You're just a little warrior, being able to get here is already a good fortune for you. I'll ask you, do you want to obtain the legacy of my lifetime?" The dry corpse asked Lu Shao Yu.

  "Think." Lu Shaoyou didn't hesitate at all. This Sacred Hand Spirit Venerable was absolutely a strong expert, and judging from his title, he should be a Spirit Venerable or a Martial Venerable level super strong expert. If he could obtain the legacy left behind by this person, it would undoubtedly be a great treasure trove. Such a good thing, even an idiot wouldn't refuse.

  "What is your name?" asked Saint Hand Lingzun.

  Lu Shao Yu had no need to conceal his identity and said, "I am Lu Shao Yu."

  "That's good, I can leave everything in my life to you, but you also have to promise me one thing." Shengshou Lingzun said.

  "I don't know what the senior wants me to do?" Lu Shaoyou couldn't help but ask clearly first, lest he fall into someone else's trap later. This treasure is in front of him, and he must also be careful himself.

  "Clever little kid, don't worry, this matter won't make things difficult for you. However, you must first swear to accomplish it, otherwise, I would rather self-destruct the Storage Ring that I've kept my whole life than give it to you." Sheng Shou Ling Zun said.

  "Alright, I swear." Lu Shao said, thinking to himself that this Saint Hand Spirit Emperor was still so cautious even in death, but as long as it didn't make things difficult for him, making an oath wasn't a big deal.

  "The junior vowed that he would definitely accomplish the task entrusted by Senior Shengshou, otherwise he would be struck by thunder. Lu Shaoyou made a solemn oath, but in his previous life, after making an oath, it was easy to blow it away with a fart, who still cared about oaths? If something couldn't be done, one could just do their best."

  "Alright, kneel down and kowtow?" Shengshou Lingzun said.

  "Kowtow?"

  "If you want to get my lifelong legacy, you must become my disciple. Whether you kowtow or not is up to you. Think back to those years when so many people cried and knelt down begging me to take them as disciples, but I didn't even give them a glance. Now it's your good fortune."

  "The disciple has seen the master." Lu Shaoyou turned his head and thought, this kowtowing a few heads would not knock off a few pounds of flesh, and even if the Holy Hand Spirit was also several thousand years old, it would be absolutely older than himself, so he treated him with respect as an elder.

  Lu Shao Yu got up after knocking his head on the ground three times in a very proper manner.

  "Alright, from now on, you are my disciple of the Holy Hand Spirit. I was obsessed with cultivation in the past and never took an apprentice, not even teaching the younger generation in our clan properly. Now, there's no time to teach you either. Unfortunately, you're not a spirit being, so it's not suitable for you to cultivate what I've learned my whole life. But now, there's no other choice. In 5,000 years, only you have arrived here. This is the 'Tianling Record', my lifelong learning. Learn as much of it as you can."

  Sheng Shou Ling Zun picked up the storage ring on the ground and immediately took out a jade slip to hand over to Lu Shaoyou, saying: "What I want you to promise is that you will go to Donghai Mo Yun City to find the Duanmu family. If the Duanmu family is doing well, just give them this Tianling Record. If the Duanmu family is not doing well, if you have any achievements in the future, you must think of a way to take care of the Duanmu family."

  "Under these conditions." Lu Shaoyou took over the jade slip and asked, this condition was indeed not difficult for himself.

  "Not bad, under this condition, I've spent my whole life cultivating and rarely gave any pointers to the younger generation in the family. As long as I'm alive, no one dares to mess with the Duanmu family. Now that I'm gone, a big tree attracts wind, and back then, there weren't many strong people in the Duanmu family either. I'm afraid now, their situation won't be much better." Shengshou Lingzun sighed, his dry face's sunken eye sockets' eyes also dimmed.

  "The disciples will definitely make it, and the Tianling Record disciples will be sent to the Duanmu family in the future." Lu Shaoyou said, but at this time he also understood that Moyun City was far from Lingwu Continent, and it was not easy to get to Moyun City.

  "I'm a weak soul that can't hold on for much longer, this storage ring you've just acknowledged as yours, inside there's also a scroll of spiritual techniques for the deceased, although it's only an elementary-level mystic technique, but to you, it's useless. There's also a command token, take it with you, who knows when it might come in handy. As for the rest, there doesn't seem to be anything else inside this storage ring," said Shengshou Lingzun.

  "Master, I'm now more or less your disciple, don't you have any pills or medicinal materials to leave for me? Or perhaps some demon pellets or spirit pellets?" Lu Shaoyou's eyes widened in surprise. A strong person like him actually didn't even have any pills in his storage ring.

  "It seems like there isn't. At first, I didn't think much of ordinary elixirs, and the better ones I used to break through my strength. Now there's nothing left." said Shengshou Lingzun.

  Lu Shao Yu almost collapsed, originally thought he could still get a big treasure, who would have believed that the storage ring of such a strong person actually had no collections.

  "Ah, this Spirit Jade Bed is also a treasure. I risked my life to retrieve it back then. My corpse relied on this Cold Jade Bed to remain intact for 5,000 years. If a cultivator were to cultivate on top of it, they would naturally discover its wonders. The effect would be remarkably good, and their soul power would surpass that of others at the same level of cultivation. What a pity." Holy Hand Spirit Sovereign sighed softly.

  Lu Shao's cultivation of the Yin Yang Spiritual Martial Arts, at first glance, could only reveal that Lu Shao was a martial artist. It was impossible to think that Lu Shao was also a spiritual being. Adding to this, he was currently just a residual soul body and didn't have any real power. The Yin Yang Spiritual Martial Arts had an extraordinary aura, making it even more impossible to discern Lu Shao's identity as a spiritual being. If he were in his prime, coupled with the fact that Lu Shao's cultivation wasn't high, it wouldn't be difficult to see through him.

  Lu Shao didn't mean to expose it, some things are still hidden for good, and being cautious of others is necessary.