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Thinking of this, Xiao Yefeng couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Now, reflecting on the Demon Fox from back then, although it had hidden itself well, Xiao Yefeng could sense that the Demon Fox's strength was at least on par with the fourth strongest subordinate of the leader.
As this thought crossed his mind, Xiao Yefeng broke out in a cold sweat. He understood the Demon Fox's abilities all too well; both the Demon Fox and Snow Fox were his most prized students. However, as a Medic instructor, he naturally taught those who were least skilled in combat. Yet at this moment, the Demon Fox could match the fourth combatant under the leader.
Realizing this, Xiao Yefeng thought it was imperative to inform the leader immediately. Although he didn't particularly like the leader and felt frustrated by their decision to test him without revealing the content of that test, he could still distinguish right from wrong when it came to significant matters.
Regarding the issue of Gene Warriors, Xiao Yefeng had briefly mentioned it during his return to Huaxia when he underwent questioning. At that time, he had only received a strange injection and subsequently undergone continuous testing. He had stated that the Zodiac was developing a physical enhancement drug because that was what he believed at the time. However, now combining this with his own abnormalities, Xiao Yefeng had come to a complete understanding.
He needed to resolve this issue quickly and then find the leader! With that thought in mind, Xiao Yefeng lifted his leg and walked toward a stone snagged with a torn piece of fabric. Indeed, it was a fragment of Utu's clothing, possibly torn off when the body sank and was caught in the recent turbulence. At this moment, with his ability to breathe underwater, Xiao Yefeng felt as if he were walking on solid ground beneath the water.
His spiritual awareness sank into the Spirit Platform as he said, "Your physical body is not at the bottom of the pond."
At that moment, Utu exclaimed in surprise, "How can that be? I clearly died right here in this water! Moreover, my spirit has been floating above this pond ever since I was expelled!"
"How could this happen? Let me search again!" With that, Xiao Yefeng withdrew his spiritual awareness and began searching alone at the bottom of the lake. There were plenty of fish and aquatic plants down there, but he couldn't find a single hidden cave. After some contemplation, Xiao Yefeng decided to return to that mysterious whirlpool location; after all, whirlpools only appeared where there were Liao Kong caves—large amounts of water being absorbed would create such vortices.
However, there was no sign of Utu's body here; only fragments of Utu's clothing remained. Clearly, this whirlpool followed some pattern, so Xiao Yefeng decided to wait. If there was a pattern, it would surely reappear.
Standing at the bottom of the lake, Xiao Yefeng felt a surge of emotions. This wasn't his first time diving underwater; he had undergone numerous underwater missions in the past while carrying an oxygen tank and wearing diving gear. However, he had never experienced staying at the bottom for so long without any equipment.
After some time underwater, Xiao Yefeng sensed a change in the water flow due to his integrated Fish Genes. He quickly scanned his surroundings and finally spotted a location where bubbles were continuously rising. With a swift movement of his legs, Xiao Yefeng transformed into a fish and swam forward.
Just as he approached a patch of sand, an immense suction force from beneath pulled him into the sand. Then, as he passed through it, Xiao Yefeng found himself suspended in a massive underwater cavern. Crawling out from the sand pile, he beheld an unusual sight within the cave: various types of green vegetation surrounded him. And next to one of those green plants closest to the sand lay Utu's lifeless body.
Xiao Yefeng hurried to the vicinity of Utu's corpse and discovered that Utu's body had not decayed. Perhaps it was due to the extremely low temperature here. However, Xiao Yefeng believed this was only temporary; after all, this place was not a true morgue. Yet, after passing through the sandy layers, Xiao Yefeng clearly felt that bringing Utu's body through would be a joke. After communicating with Utu, they both agreed that this location would serve well as a burial site. Utu had no wife, only a son, and Xiao Yefeng speculated that this must be the Dragon Lair of the mountain range.
Xiao Yefeng was not particularly skilled in locating dragon graves, but he could tell that this was a hidden treasure. The burial here would surely bless Utu's descendants for generations to come. Lacking suitable tools, he found the sandy soil in the cave easy to dig. Following the burial rites, after laying Utu's physical form to rest, Utu immediately felt accepted by the cave. After several days, Utu's spirit could finally return to his body; this was the crucial step known as Seven Reincarnations.
With that, Utu was able to reincarnate. Retrieving Utu's spirit into the Spirit Platform meant Xiao Yefeng had solved one problem. However, the water pool forbidding spirits from approaching hinted at deeper mysteries. Thus, Xiao Yefeng decided to investigate the cave further. He believed this place was not entirely natural; he had already discovered several stones arranged artificially and even found a stone mat.
The stone mat had a diameter of at least one meter and a thickness of about a foot. It was evident that this mat had been carved directly from the ground. However, Xiao Yefeng noticed that this circular mat was remarkably smooth. As he brushed his hand over its surface, he discovered an engraving of a map on it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was only part of a larger map.
Though small, the map featured numerous intersecting paths. On this palm-sized fragment were indications of over a hundred mechanisms and secret passages. With his exceptional memory, Xiao Yefeng committed the map to memory. However, an inscription beside the map changed his initial thoughts.
"I am the Eternal Child, junior! You do not need to know me, but I hope you remember this map’s legacy. It is said that it cannot be opened until the time of decline for the mysterious gates."
The writing on the mat appeared to have been inscribed by this predecessor named Eternal Child during his final moments. Judging by the depth of the markings, it seemed likely he had used his fingernail to carve them. Yet there were no bones present here. However, behind the mat, Xiao Yefeng discovered an ancient ring covered in rust; it looked like it had been there for ages. The material of the ring seemed high quality despite its corrosion over time.
The characters for "Longevity" were still clearly visible on its surface. Seeing the ring led Xiao Yefeng to speculate that perhaps due to time passing, the bones had turned to dust while this ancient ring remained intact. Still, it appeared to be an ordinary ring—perhaps it symbolized status thousands of years ago!
After pocketing the ring, Xiao Yefeng followed Eternal Child’s instructions and used his altered fingernail to scrape away all inscriptions and patterns from the mat. His altered fingernail was as sharp as steel; however, his technique was not very refined. After several attempts where his fingernail alternated between hard and soft textures, he finally erased all traces. Yet he found nothing else; apart from this mat, there was nothing else in the cave.
Just then, Zhang Chuanhai unexpectedly emerged from Xiao Yefeng's Spirit Platform without being repelled by previous energies. This made Xiao Yefeng recall that when he scraped away at the map earlier, an invisible Qi seemed to disperse into the air. Could it be that Eternal Child had placed a spell prohibiting spirits from approaching on the map?
Thinking of this made Xiao Yefeng turn back to look at the mat again; however, it remained on the ground just as before—only scattered stone dust remained around it. He couldn't help but admire this elder who had lived for over two hundred years. Indeed, according to records about Eternal Child, he lived for two hundred thirty-three years and possessed cultivation equivalent to at least celestial spirit power in today's terms.
Eternal Child’s account proved that those who practiced cultivation could indeed extend their lifespan; stepping into cultivation freed one from predetermined limits on longevity. Perhaps you might traverse your path in cultivation smoothly like Eternal Child did and live for so long; however, you might also meet an untimely death due to impatience or various other reasons—that is cultivation life.
However, everything vanished as Xiao Yefeng crushed the characters on the mat. At this moment, Xiao Yefeng was the heir who possessed this part of the map. He felt a strong envy towards the treasures depicted within it, yet he was helpless because Eternal Child had left a message. The map had been drawn by him and his Western companions, during a time when Eastern and Western cultivators maintained a good relationship, marking the last period of friendship.
At that time, two skilled cultivators from the East and West, both adept in calculations, realized that the end of cultivation was approaching. Thus, they gathered together to hide the methods of cultivation and various texts from both sides in one place. Their intention was to ensure that if calamity struck in the future, descendants could use these resources to revive the path of cultivation. The responsibility for hiding these treasures fell to four of the most respected elders from both sides. After they finished hiding everything, they created a treasure map, dividing it into four parts, each entrusted to one of them.
They agreed to pass it down through generations until the final crisis arrived. The descendants of the four would gather the hidden cultivation methods according to the map and pass them on to future cultivators from both sides. However, among the two guardians from the East, one passed the map to Eternal Child, who ultimately chose to die in this secret cave for reasons unknown.
Perhaps Eternal Child had not found a suitable heir back then, or perhaps this was simply how legacies were meant to be passed down. By chance, Xiao Yefeng obtained this inheritance. To be honest, he longed for the ancient texts hidden within the map. However, according to what he saw, his portion appeared to be a maze trap map of the treasure location without any positional information; thus, this half-scroll of internal treasure map was essentially useless.
Nevertheless, according to Eternal Child's records, another scroll of the map should be in the hands of someone named Yan Zi. Currently, it was unknown who held that inheritance now. As for the two individuals from the West, one was named Green Sage and the other Charlie the Holy Knight.
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