Chapter 149: Purple Crystal

Leaving the joy for Duan Ye'u to savor and comprehend on her own, Song Yue began searching for the source of the venomous insects gathered within this underground palace.

Since the inheritance had been successfully acquired without any mishap, and this was clearly not the domain of any evil sword cultivator or demonic sword cultivator, a question naturally arose: why would a sanctuary that should have been peaceful and serene be infested with such a massive horde of terrifying, deadly insects?

In truth, when they had first stepped inside, both the Yuxu Tongtian Stele and the orchid within his spiritual consciousness had already provided certain guidance.

However, Song Yue had mistaken it for guidance regarding the inheritance and had missed the true meaning.

Now, having casually left the sword scripture, the ancient sword, and several decent magical artifacts from the mortal world to Duan Ye'u, the Yuxu Tongtian Stele was still "reminding" him, and the slightly drooping orchid in his spiritual consciousness was feebly and gently swaying.

It was as if it were saying: You fool, you've entered the wrong place...

"Wait here for a moment. I'm going to find the reason why venomous insects are running rampant in this place."

Song Yue looked at Duan Ye'u and said.

"Ah?"

A trace of fear flickered across Duan Ye'u's face as she asked, "Didn't we already obtain the inheritance here? Do we still need to look around?"

Song Yue smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. You slept for so long just now, and nothing happened, did it?"

Duan Ye'u thought about it, nodding with a somewhat guilty conscience.

Although she was still a bit afraid, she felt that what Song Yue said made a certain amount of sense.

Following that, Song Yue returned once more to the pair of bronze doors that harbored a majestic sword intent.

Guided by the dual directional cues of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele and the orchid, he re-entered that chamber.

This time, the sensation was considerably stronger.

It was pointing directly downward!

Song Yue was surprised, thinking to himself: Could this room have originally been used to suppress something?

Had taking away the sword scripture, the ancient sword, and those magical artifacts broken the balance, making his perception this much clearer?

He began to search carefully, and very soon, he discovered clues beneath the marks left by the previous bookshelves.

Kicking aside the rotting remains of those bookshelves and books with his foot, he could see a multitude of ancient inscriptions carved into the floor.

At this moment, the drooping orchid in his spiritual consciousness seemed to perk up quite a bit, swaying rather violently.

The Dark Scripture, concealed within one of his kidneys, also emitted a slight, subtle fluctuation for the very first time.

The sensation was akin to a lazy CEO waking up from sleep at two o'clock in the afternoon, gazing at the charming little maid who had disturbed his sweet dream—*Woman, you have successfully caught my attention.*

Song Yue began to use the methods imparted by his master to communicate with the inscriptions on the ground, searching for their frequency.

These inscriptions were quite ancient, containing within them certain profound principles of suppression and sealing.

When Song Yue attempted to communicate with them, he received a response almost immediately, and gradually... they began to synchronize and resonate!

A short while later, a slight tremor emanated from the ground.

The tightly fitted, inscription-carved floor cracked open, revealing a passageway that materialized right before Song Yue's eyes.

Song Yue descended step by step, treading on ancient stone stairs, plunging deeper and deeper into the underground secret chamber.

The passage was not very deep. After walking down about seventy or eighty steps, Song Yue arrived at a narrow subterranean room.

To his surprise, it was not dark here. In this cramped basement measuring roughly a dozen square meters, the surrounding walls were embedded with numerous luminous pearls the size of ox eyes. Though countless years had passed, these pearls were still capable of emitting a dim, yellow glow.

Right in the center of the basement stood a stone well, its opening barely wide enough to accommodate a single person.

The orchid within his spiritual consciousness had obviously grown somewhat cheerful, swaying like seaweed dancing in the waves, beginning to show off a little.

The Dark Scripture hidden in his kidney also seemed to shake off its hazy slumber, though it still appeared somewhat lacking in interest, giving off a symbolic, slightly stronger fluctuation before quieting down again.

*You want me to go in?*

Song Yue approached the wellhead and frowned slightly, clearly sensing an aura of bone-chilling coldness emanating from within the stone well.

He probed downward with his spiritual power along the well opening... It was deep!

This vertical stone well was at least over two hundred meters deep. When his spiritual power reached the bottom, he could distinctly perceive that the space below was vast and seemingly harbored a certain powerful energy.

The orchid in his spiritual consciousness danced even more jubilantly, almost fawningly.

After a brief hesitation, Song Yue gritted his teeth, squeezed into the wellhead, and began sliding downward inch by inch.

If one were not naturally bold, an ordinary person would truly not dare to enter such a gloomy, enclosed space.

During the descent, Song Yue discovered that all sorts of diverse inscriptions were carved along the stone walls of the well, which he could feel clearly by reaching out and touching them.

He paused to attempt communication and quickly received an answer: just like the inscriptions beneath the bookshelves, the ones on the well walls were also used for sealing and suppression!

Furthermore, through his continuous deciphering of these inscriptions, he discovered that they were not meant to suppress living creatures, but rather to prevent any leakage of ambient energy!

Could it be that some kind of resource vein was hidden beneath this stone well?

Pondering this, Song Yue continued his downward slide.

Soon, he reached the bottom of the well and landed lightly on the ground.

It was pitch black here, the air was very dry, and that fluctuating energy had become even more intense.

The orchid in his spiritual consciousness had already begun breakdancing, seemingly overwhelmed with excitement.

Though pitch black, it did not affect Song Yue's spiritual perception.

This place was indeed the entrance to a mineral vein.

Within the irregular space, powerful energy fluctuations filled every nook and cranny, strong in some areas and weak in others.

Then, he tossed out several emergency lighting lamps, and the entire underground space instantly flooded with a vast expanse of purple radiance.

Song Yue was somewhat stunned by the scene before him.

It felt like a massive amethyst mine. The spot where he stood was at the edge of a colossal cavern, with the vertical stone well piercing straight down from the ceiling to link with the surface.

Behind him was the stone wall of the mining tunnel, dotted with transparent purple crystals of varying sizes embedded within it. The space in front of him was immense, the highest point of its arched ceiling reaching dozens of meters high like a purple starry sky, the purple glow intertwining and reflecting the light emitted by the emergency lamps.

It felt as if this space had been forcibly carved out by someone, filled everywhere with these entirely transparent, brilliantly shining purple crystals.

Why were there no mining tunnels, and why were so many purple crystals left behind... Perhaps in that era, the master of this place simply had no shortage of them at all!

Song Yue plucked a purple crystal the size of an ox eye from the stone wall behind him, attempting to perceive it with his spiritual power, while the orchid in his spiritual consciousness could wait no longer.

It exerted force directly and actually... absorbed the purple crystal in Song Yue's hand right then and there!

The purple crystal dissipated in Song Yue's grip, transforming into tiny, stellar molecular particles of purple spiritual state, shifting from solid to ethereal, and was swallowed up by that orchid!

The orchid, which had been rather feeble just a moment ago, instantly became full of vigor upon absorbing the purple crystal, perking right up in a flash.

Its leaves grew emerald-green and dripping with life, radiating an incomparable and formidable vitality.

Song Yue could also feel that his depleted spiritual power instantly became full and replenished.

*Holy shit!*

These purple crystals were actually soul-stones that replenished spiritual power?

He was instantly galvanized.

To be honest, this trip had already been worthwhile even without this.

Before entering this place, he had merely wanted to find the reason for the gathering of venomous insects in the underground palace.

Who would have thought that good deeds bring good rewards, leading to the discovery of an abundant deposit of spiritual crystals!

What were they waiting for?

Mine them, of course!

Digging away while stuffing them into the Yuxu Tongtian Stele.

Outside.

Duan Ye'u, who had once again immersed herself in the profound state of the sword scripture, was jolted awake.

A wave of intense humming resonated through the quiet underground palace.

It felt just like the scene of a locust swarm passing by while watching a movie in a virtual world; the buzzing sound grew increasingly distinct.

Next, Duan Ye'u witnessed a scene that she would never forget in this lifetime.

The venomous insects, normally invisible to the naked eye, had manifested!

Countless billions of bugs were gathered together, converging toward this place from all directions.

A pitch-black, overwhelming expanse!

In the blink of an eye, they formed a massive dark cloud, and the buzzing noise filled the entire underground palace.

Duan Ye'u was too terrified to move; forget her scalp, her entire body went numb!

It felt as though every single venomous insect in the entire underground palace had gathered together. What on earth were they trying to do?

Did this have anything to do with Brother Song Yue?

Duan Ye'u held her breath, staring blankly at the overwhelming swarm of insects above her head. She knew that the moment these bugs launched an attack on her, she would perish in an instant!

There was simply no possibility of any lucky escape.

Strangely enough, these terrifying venomous insects, which attacked anyone they laid eyes on, completely ignored her, a living human being.

Gathering together and multiplying in number, they finally swarmed like a hive toward the direction where she had just comprehended the sword intent.

The buzzing sound instantly faded into the distance, and the space above Duan Ye'u's head restored a clear serenity.

Duan Ye'u dared not move for a long time. Opening her mask to reveal a pale, delicate little face, she took a deep breath and reached up to wipe her forehead—it was drenched in cold sweat!

Curious to see what those bugs were up to, she hesitated for a moment before quietly shuffling over in that direction.

From afar, she could see countless venomous insects plastered densely across the two metal doors where she had comprehended the sword intent, completely sealing the area off!

Yet more and more bugs continued to hurl themselves forward, as if a treasure with a fatal attraction to them existed behind those two doors. Duan Ye'u was completely dumbfounded.

Not daring to make a sound, her heart was filled with curiosity: Where did Brother Song Yue go? Did he cause the commotion here?

Inside the mine pit.

Grandminer Song was still mining furiously.

Mining while "eating" at the same time, the feeling could not have been more wonderful.

The spiritual energy contained within this type of purple crystal was simply too powerful!

Song Yue felt that his spiritual power was already formidable. Although he could not compare with paragons at the Divided Soul tier, if a master at the Nascent Soul tier tried to bully him with spiritual power, success was unlikely.

Yet such a powerful spiritual power had become full after "eating" only a few purple crystals.

The orchid, however, had eaten plenty.

It grew increasingly vivid and lively, even giving Song Yue the sensation that this grass rooted in his spiritual consciousness... seemed to have birthed a strong sentience, expressing an emotion full of joy.

This emotion even managed to infect him.

After mining here in one breath for several hours, the large purple crystals within this massive mine pit were finally almost all dug out by him.

Only tiny speck-sized ones remained, which Song Yue could no longer be bothered to touch.

The interior of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele was also piled high like a mountain.

Song Yue felt like a diligent little bee, working desperately and striving to store up the resources necessary for cultivation.

However, the purple crystals here were not entirely exhausted.

He could clearly perceive that behind the stone walls, there should still be plenty left.

Song Yue decided to stop.

The ones he had just dug out were enough to support his own cultivation and that of the people around him for a very long time.

Just as Ling Xiaohan and her group had said back then, one must always leave some opportunities for those who come after.

One should not hog all the benefits!

Of course, if this were an enemy's territory, Song Yue would undoubtedly have hollowed it out completely without hesitation, leaving not even a grain-sized piece behind.

But this was China!

It was the mortal realm!

He was not the only one possessing opportunities; who knew, perhaps someone else would enter this place one day in the future.

With these thoughts in mind, Song Yue retrieved the Dragon-Patterned Immortal-Slaying Saber from the Yuxu Tongtian Stele and waved it gently. Saber Qi hissed out, carving three large characters into the stone wall—*Dig deeper!*

Having finished writing, Song Yue put away his saber with satisfaction and slowly climbed back up via the stone well.

Returning to the small basement and traversing the steps once more, he entered that chamber of the underground palace.

Just as he was about to step outside, his extraordinarily abundant spiritual consciousness suddenly transmitted a warning ripple.

Song Yue paused for a moment, opened his spiritual eyes, and looked outward.

Good grief!

He was given quite a scare!

A vast horde of terrifying venomous insects had almost completely sealed off the two doors outside!

He even "saw" Duan Ye'u in the distance.

Song Yue felt a burst of realization: what attracted these bugs over... should be the spiritual crystal vein beneath the mine shaft!

Originally, it had been thoroughly sealed, but as time flowed on, the once-sealed formation had grown decaying and loose, allowing auras to leak out.

Humans could hardly sense anything, but these insects... were naturally sensitive.

Thus, they began to congregate here in droves, multiplying through the ages until they grew more and more numerous.

Finally, they formed the current situation.

A swarm of venomous insects was actually so obsessed with crystals that elevated spiritual power... Song Yue was somewhat speechless.

The next moment, he erupted with his blood Qi, infusing it with the intent of thunder, coupled with a vibrational frequency, and stepped right out.

Boom!

Sensing this aura, the venomous insects scattered in droves.

This scene nearly startled Duan Ye'u, who had been closely watching this area all along, into screaming out loud.

Fortunately, she subsequently saw Song Yue materialize out of thin air in her line of sight.

Only then did she pat her pale-faced chest.

That was truly... way too thrilling!

Song Yue walked all the way, and the venomous insects dodged all the way.

As Song Yue moved away from that region, those bugs buzzed and flew right back.

Looking at those insects, Song Yue frowned slightly, wondering: What method could be used to wipe them out completely?

Otherwise, this place would remain a death trap!

Very few of those who entered ever managed to leave alive with all their limbs intact.

Duan Ye'u also thought of this and said, "Brother, you said we've already taken the opportunities from this place. If anyone enters here in the future, not only will they get nothing, but they'll also throw away their lives for nothing—it's just not worth it! It would be great if we could completely seal this place off!"

Song Yue thought for a moment and said, "Should we blow up the entrance after we head out?"

Duan Ye'u replied, "Just blowing up the entrance... doesn't feel very meaningful, because anyone capable of entering the mystic realm should be able to find this place. Even if the entrance is gone, they won't give up easily..."

She looked at Song Yue. "Brother, why don't we just make the entrance even bigger?"

Song Yue was stunned.

"Make it even bigger, and simply let this swarm of bugs fly out!" Duan Ye'u said excitedly, "Brother, you remember those fierce birds outside, right? We can have the birds eat the bugs when the time comes!"

Song Yue expressed his doubt, looking at Duan Ye'u: "Those birds... are they a match for this kind of insect? Not only are these bugs infinitely strong, but they also possess deadly venom. What if the birds aren't a match for them after being let out? Wouldn't that make things even worse?"

"..."

Duan Ye'u also felt that her idea didn't seem so great and said somewhat dejectedly, "Looks like there's no way then."

Right at that moment, the orchid in his spiritual consciousness trembled gently, followed by... the Dark Scripture hidden in Song Yue's kidney resonating in response.

Song Yue was instantly stunned. Did the orchid want to help, he wondered?

The next moment, he saw the Dark Scripture fly directly out from his body, floating in the void in an ethereal, illusory state visible only to Song Yue, while Duan Ye'u beside him was still looking troubled.

The Dark Scripture floating mid-air flipped open by itself, rustling... Song Yue could seemingly hear the sound of pages turning.

It stopped when it reached a certain page.

Then, numerous runes flew out from that page, instantly merging into the massive swarm of insects plastered there.

The ensuing scene left both Song Yue and Duan Ye'u utterly shocked.

Duan Ye'u, in particular, had no idea what had happened. She could only see patches of insects vanishing in massive numbers; even when she used her spiritual power to perceive it, she could only sense that some miraculous power was erupting in that spot, and nothing else.

Song Yue was equally shocked. Just moments ago, he had felt that after consuming massive amounts of purple crystals, the orchid in his spiritual consciousness had birthed some sentience. Now he could almost confirm that grass... was truly becoming a spirit!

Having perceived his thoughts and heard his inner voice, it was actually able to make the Dark Scripture react, unleashing countless runes to slaughter those insects!

This was simply too incredible.

Would this supreme scripture from the demonic race... one day evolve into an uncontrollable and terrifying existence?

Song Yue couldn't help but generate this thought.

The next moment, the orchid in his spiritual consciousness swayed gently, transmitting a vague intent—*Will not.*

Song Yue was speechless.

He couldn't help but ask, "What are you?"

Because this was simply too horrifying.

This question caused the orchid in his spiritual consciousness to fall silent... or rather, to lag for a very long time.

It seemed not to know how to answer this question.

It was merely a blade of grass with a newly birthed trace of spiritual wisdom in a special form of existence. Although it could sense some of Song Yue's thoughts and intents, regarding its own self-awareness, this grass was still somewhat hazy.

It did not yet possess clear concepts of "you" and "me."

After a long while, the orchid gave an answer—*Heaven-grass, existing by depending on you.*

This answer plunged Song Yue into an even greater state of bewilderment and confusion.

What was Heaven-grass?

It wasn't recorded even in the encyclopedias of the cultivation world.

It sounded exceedingly high-end.

Existing by depending on me... so it was just a parasitic weed, then?

This time, the orchid did not answer again, instead exuding a ingratiating emotion.

It was somewhat akin to a puppy sticking out its tongue to lick its master's hand, or a kitten rubbing affectionately against its master's legs.

*Perhaps I'm just overthinking it.*

Song Yue pondered.

However, he decided that if the opportunity arose, he must get his hands on the supreme scriptures of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

No matter what happened in the future, at least he would get a share of every dew... which would make his heart feel more secure.

As numerous runes flew out from the Dark Scripture, the clusters of venomous insects gathered there were like snow encountering a scorching sun, quickly vanishing without a trace.

In the end, only a tiny fraction of the bugs managed to escape successfully.

The Dark Scripture did not pursue them, flying back into Song Yue's body instead.

Duan Ye'u had once again witnessed the occurrence of a miracle with her own eyes. Even though she did not know how all of this had come to pass, she understood that it undoubtedly had an inseparable connection to Song Yue.

Earlier, she had heard her family elders discuss Song Yue, saying that this disciple chosen by the Master might look like a young martial artist, but he was definitely no ordinary person.

At that time, Duan Ye'u only thought Song Yue was very handsome!

As for other aspects... well, they were all legends anyway, true and false mixed together, and she hadn't taken them too seriously.

It wasn't until recently, when Qian Qianyu and Wen Rou became famous throughout the capital and Song Yue's reputation soared with various miraculous deeds recounted about him,

that she truly began to pay attention to this handsome older brother.

As those deeds of Song Yue were verified one by one by the elders in her family, Duan Ye'u increasingly felt that Song Yue was extraordinary.

That was why she later intentionally provoked Meng Xudong and enlisted Lin Huan's help to invite Song Yue along to explore this underground palace. Indeed, hearing a name was not as good as meeting the person face-to-face; it was truly so.

Without this shared experience of exploring the underground palace, Duan Ye'u would never have believed that such a powerful peer could exist in the mortal world.

Geniuses existed in this world, and naturally there would be many who surpassed her; she understood this and could accept it.

At least, those geniuses who surpassed her were within her comprehension.

Yet Song Yue... she could not understand him at all!

Watching him fight, he was clearly a martial arts cultivator possessing formidable battle prowess, terrifying intuition, and... astonishing spiritual power!

While these were shocking, they were still understandable, and she could comprehend why.

However, the inexplicably appearing sword scripture, ancient sword, and those magical artifacts were already beyond her comprehension.

She couldn't figure out where Song Yue had found them, nor how he had obtained them.

And the eradication of this mass of venomous insects right before her eyes was something she understood even less; to say that this unfathomable power had nothing to do with Song Yue was something she wouldn't believe even if beaten to death.

Yet to say it was related—Song Yue had stood right beside her, seemingly doing nothing at all!

So... regarding that secret, should she tell him about it?

Perhaps he was that kind of person as well?

Duan Ye'u felt somewhat conflicted.

Right at that moment, Song Yue's voice rang in her ear: "It should be fine now. Even if someone enters in the future, they won't have it quite so miserably. Of course, the bugs couldn't be wiped out entirely, nor is there any way to wipe them out completely."

"It's already miraculous enough!"

Duan Ye'u looked at Song Yue and suddenly asked, "Brother, do you think countless plane-worlds exist in this world?"

Song Yue smiled and said, "Probably."

Duan Ye'u asked again, "Then do you think there might be worlds even more advanced than the Immortal Realm in the eyes of mortals from the cultivation world?"

Song Yue glanced at her. "There might be."

Duan Ye'u hesitated. "Brother, have you ever seen any... special stone steles?"

Song Yue: "..."