Chapter 82: The Secret Room in the Cave and the Wall of Sealed Memory
The secret room in the cave and the mural wall with dusty memories
The movements of the giant egg on the altar became more and more violent. Bai Zhi on the other side of the rift seemed to have sensed the danger. She temporarily stopped attacking and looked at the strange egg in surprise and doubt.
"Let's go!" Jiang Xuelan made a quick decision and headed for the hidden cave entrance on the cliff. Staying here, no matter what the giant egg hatched or fighting Bai Zhi through the air, was definitely not a good idea.
Li Jiuyou glared fiercely at Bai Zhi on the other side (trying to use his eyes to redeem some of the dignity he had lost while reciting poetry), and immediately followed suit. The aura from the cave entrance that resonated with the key also made him instinctively feel that it was the key.
They quickly reached the cave entrance. Man Gu smashed through the vines and rubble with a few blows, revealing a narrow stone staircase leading down, just wide enough for one person. The interior was dark, emitting a stale smell and a faint energy fluctuation that originated from the bronze key.
"I'll go ahead." Li Jiuyou pulled Jiang Xuelan behind him, his Jinsheng Blade ignited with red-gold demonic fire, and he was the first to step into the cave. He could sense the subtle fatigue coming from Jiang Xuelan from activating the sword energy and suppressing the God-killing Gu.
Jiang Xuelan looked at his back, pursed her lips, and said nothing. A ball of ice-blue light condensed from her fingertips, illuminating the area. She followed closely behind. A-Che, Man Gu, Xing Tong, and Xuan Jia followed in turn.
The stone steps extended downward for a distance before becoming flat. A man-made corridor appeared before our eyes. The walls were covered with thick dust and cobwebs, but some faint traces of murals could be vaguely seen.
There was a sense of age-old sadness and dead silence in the air, but strangely, there wasn't much evil in it. Instead, there was a sense of... desolation that had been forgotten by time.
"It seems like no one has been here for a long time." Ache whispered, holding the Jianmu fragments. The soft green light emitted by the fragments dispelled some of the haze.
Xingtong scanned the wall with her enchanting eyes and suddenly exclaimed, "Eh!" "These murals...are quite interesting."
Upon hearing this, everyone moved closer to the wall for a closer look. Jiang Xuelan waved his hand to clear away the dust in an area, revealing the relatively well-preserved mural underneath.
The content of the mural made everyone hold their breath——
The first painting depicts a peaceful and tranquil scene in the sacred village. People live amidst picturesque scenery, cultivating, weaving, and offering sacrifices to a massive sacred tree (similar to the Xirang tree in Wangchuan Valley). In the center, a gentle woman with a shallow scar on her wrist (remarkably resembling Jiang Xuelan's mother, Su Jingyan) waters the sacred tree's saplings with blood. Nearby stands a dignified man (whose features bear a resemblance to Jiang Xuelan's, likely his father, Jiang Lin) and several members of the Zhe clan (one of whom is elderly, bearing a resemblance to Li Jiuyou) engaged in a friendly conversation.
According to the immortal sect's records, Shencun, who was sworn enemies with the demon clan, actually lived in harmony with the Zhe clan?!
The second image: **The Descent of Darkness**. Countless **Immortal Sect monks** descend from the sky, wielding sharp blades, frantically slaughtering the unarmed residents of Shencun and... **the equally resisting Zhe Clan**! In one corner, a **Immortal Sect elder** (his features blurred, but his aura sinister) is **handlingly** slicing open Jiang Lin's chest and extracting a glowing heart**! Meanwhile, Su Jingyan, hugging the Xirang Tree, a blood-red glow emanating from his body, seems about to self-destruct! Farther away, a **small black cat** with a broken tail**, holding half a steamed bun in its mouth, anxiously tries to push a **child** (young Jiang Xuelan) **hiding in a corner into a more secluded area!
Jiang Xuelan's entire body trembled violently, his face instantly pale as paper! His icy blue eyes fixed on the scene of his parents' tragic death on the mural, his body trembling slightly! This wasn't the "demon tribe slaughtering the village" that had been tampered with in his memory! This was... the Immortal Sect joining forces to massacre the Divine Village and the Zerg Clan who had come to their aid!
Li Jiuyou's eyes widened, his scarlet pupils filled with disbelief! The little black cat with a broken tail protecting young Jiang Xuelan on the mural... that figure, that feeling...
The surging shock, anger, pain, and overwhelming emotions of having their cognition overturned washed over them like a tsunami! The fragments of childhood memories evoked by the phantom mist were now cruelly confirmed!
The third panel: Desperate Guardianship. The scene becomes chaotic and tragic. The few surviving residents of Shencun and the Zhe Clan retreat to a cave (the very same one they had seen in their earlier vision!). The little black cat with a broken tail (which appears to be seriously injured) thrusts half a steamed bun into the corner, offering it to the young Jiang Xuelan crying. Then, resolutely turning, it pounces upon the immortal cultivators pursuing them from the cave entrance, a faint but resolute light emanating from its body...
Something seemed to explode in Jiang Xuelan and Li Jiuyou's sea of consciousness at the same time!
That vague memory became extremely clear!
That little beast… is Li Jiuyou?! (Or rather, is it the form he took when he lost control and transformed as a child?)
That half bun...
That selfless protection...
"Impossible... This is impossible..." Jiang Xuelan muttered to himself, taking a half step back, almost losing his balance. Three hundred years of faith and hatred collapsed at this moment!
"I..." Li Jiuyou was also confused. He looked at the stupid but desperately protecting little black cat on the mural, and thought about his hatred and torture of Jiang Xuelan for the past three hundred years... An extremely absurd and panic feeling gripped him.
Never before had the link conveyed so clearly and painfully the shattering emotions and crumbling sanity of both parties.
At this moment, the entire secret room suddenly shook! It wasn't from the altar outside, but from deep inside the secret room!
At the far end of the chamber, dust fell from a wall, revealing another mural hidden behind it. Written on it in dim, nearly dried-up blood-red paint were the same densely packed, distorted words:
**“I am guilty”** **“I am guilty”** **“I am guilty”**…
And in the center of those countless "I am guilty" was a simple sketch of a child curled up and crying, outlined in a darker blood-red, and a line of small words:
**"Sorry, kid, live on."**
The signature is a name - **Shiyan**.
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