Chapter 17

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Devil Subduing Peak.

One of the seventy-two peaks of Wudang, located south of the main peak, Heavenly Pillar Peak, it connects to the dragon vein, with its majestic mountains and ancient forests.

On Devil Subduing Peak, there is a Ghost Valley Gorge, where the stones split and streams flow, often seeing giant turtles and snakes moving up and down. It is said to be the place where the Dark Emperor subdued demons and judged their sins.

Su Qinnian read in the Daoist scriptures that the Dark Emperor, also known as the True Wu Emperor, whom the Wudang generations have worshipped, observed the evil qi permeating the lower world from the heavens. He then broke through the boundary to enter the mortal world, battling the Six Heavenly Demon Kings in the Cave of Yin. In the end, he subdued the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and locked the ghosts in the Fengdu Cave, bringing peace to the nation and clarity to the universe.

In ancient mythology, Devil Subduing Peak was the place where the True Wu Emperor judged the Six Heavenly Demon Kings, and the Yin wind from the Cave of Yin was also brought here, locked in the Xuan Yin Cave.

Therefore, when Su Qinnian learned that the place of punishment was the Xuan Yin Cave on Devil Subduing Peak, he was somewhat surprised. However, he had not heard of any of the suspended death row inmates from Xiaoyao Valley dying there.

Devil Subduing Peak is not very high, about four hundred zhang tall, with rugged mountain paths and jagged rocks. Among the ancient forests, one can occasionally see some dilapidated temples, sealed ancient wells, dust-covered stone dippers, broken pottery jars and bowls, and even some fine porcelain shards and clumps of charcoal, all indicating that people once lived here.

"Once upon a time, on Devil Subduing Peak, there was the Demon Subduing Palace of our Wudang. A thousand years ago, to hunt a demon king in the East Sea, the entire lineage of the Demon Subduing Palace perished, thus breaking the lineage." Daoist Jingdu said.

"Is it true that the seventy-two peaks of Wudang are the seventy-two lineages? Then now..." a young man hesitated to speak.

Looking at him, Daoist Jingdu calmly said, "That's right. Today, our Wudang is far from the grandeur of its founding over five thousand four hundred years ago. Back then, the seventy-two lineages were seventy-two top figures, all masters of the spirit. Now, our Wudang has only twenty-seven peaks, and we still barely maintain a complete lineage."

What!

Even Su Qinnian was shaken. At its peak, Wudang had seventy-two lineages, seventy-two top spirit masters. How powerful that must have been, something hard to describe.

Perhaps Su Qinnian was not very clear about the overall situation of the world, but when the three top demon path masters infiltrated the capital Chang'an, it caused a great upheaval. The Jingzhao Prefecture was on high alert every day, with various inspections and searches, making the entire Chang'an uneasy. The imperial palace was even more heavily guarded, summoning top figures from the Six-Fan Gate and the Dragon Guard Mountain to reside there, but in the end, they still failed.

The other two young men had bright eyes, filled with longing. Even with only twenty-seven lineages remaining, if they could join any of the peaks, they could dominate the江湖 and become famous throughout the land in no time.

...

Xuan Yin Cave.

A cave located near the summit of Devil Subduing Peak, it looked unremarkable, with the cave entrance covered in fallen rocks and moss. However, as soon as one's gaze fell on the cave, a chill ran down the spine.

Looking into the cave, it was pitch black, with no light, as if it swallowed all the light, making one feel uneasy.

"Inside the Xuan Yin Cave, the underground Yin wind rises, with hundreds of wind outlets. You need to enter any one of these outlets and stay for three days. During these three days, the demon tiger meat soup will be supplied in double portions."

Daoist Jingdu spoke, glancing at Su Qinnian, and continued, "I advise you not to practice easily. If you can't hold on, stop immediately. Don't go too deep. No one knows what lies deep in the Xuan Yin Cave, not even the ancestors and strong figures of our Wudang. If you seek death, no one will stop you, and no one else will enter the cave during these three days."

After saying this, Daoist Jingdu turned and walked down the mountain. His steps were not fast, but each step covered seven or eight feet, and in a moment, only a blurry figure remained, disappearing into the mountain mist.

"This damned Devil Subduing Peak, I haven't seen the sun for a whole year!"

One of the young men couldn't help but curse, pulling his neck in. It was really too cold here. The mountain was already cold, and in front of the Xuan Yin Cave, the cold in the air seemed to increase several times.

Even when speaking or breathing, the breath condensed into small ice beads and fell. No wonder Daoist Jingdu said the demon tiger meat soup would be supplied in double portions. Without enough qi and blood, one would freeze to death even without practicing martial arts.

"Su Qini, look at you, you're such a wimp!"

The other young man sneered, "You've only practiced the Turtle Snake Technique for less than a month, and you haven't even perfected the second level. You'd better be smart, or you might never get out of here."

The young man was not exaggerating. He knew that most of the suspended death row inmates who first entered Xiaoyao Valley had the experience of entering the Xuan Yin Cave. At that time, their foundation was still shallow, and with only one or two layers of qi and blood, most of them would fall seriously ill after three days in the Xuan Yin Cave, unable to get up for ten to fifteen days. Over the years, although rare, some people had indeed frozen to death due to the wind outlet anomalies.

"Let's go. Such a waste of a person, with no spirit at all. It's better to bury him in the Xuan Yin Cave, giving him a peaceful death, saving him from the tiger-headed guillotine, and leaving a complete body."

...

Half a cup of tea later, Su Qinnian watched the two trembling figures disappear into the Xuan Yin Cave. His cloudy eyes cleared, revealing a serious expression.

Xuan Yin Cave, with its Yin wind, disrupts the qi and blood, making it hard to control!

This was the description of the Xuan Yin Cave in the Daoist scriptures, meaning that once inside, the body's qi and blood become uncontrollable under the Yin wind.

After a moment's hesitation, Su Qinnian followed into the cave without showing any emotion.

Although no one was watching, Su Qinnian did not think he could escape punishment. His mental energy sensed a vague unease, and although he did not detect any hidden presence, he feared that retreating or leaving would not end well.

Cold!

Bone-chilling cold!

Su Qinnian had never felt such a cold, as if it could penetrate the soul. However, he noticed that the mental energy in his ancestral spirit court became unusually agile.

In the Xuan Yin Cave, there was only a faint light. After walking dozens of steps, Su Qinnian saw numerous wind outlets, each about ten feet high, like beehives, constantly blowing out cold Yin wind, with a mournful sound like the cries of ghosts and wolves.

Su Qinnian casually chose a wind outlet and carefully stepped in. The moment the first gust of Yin wind hit him, he truly experienced the chaos of qi and blood described in the Daoist scriptures, starting with stiffness.

The Yin wind was like needles, each gust piercing his body with hundreds of needles, bone-chillingly cold.

Bang!

In that instant, Su Qinnian no longer hid. His back straightened, his eyes sharp, and his heart beat like a drum.

In a moment, a burning qi and blood surged through every inch of his body, his tendons stretching like strong bows, shooting arrows with a thunderous sound.

This was not just the third level of the Turtle Snake Technique, where the tendons move like strings, forming a perfect bow, but the symbol of the fourth level reaching perfection.

The tendons moved like a storm, and the bow sounded like thunder.

After more than half a month, with three meals of demon tiger meat soup each day, Su Qinnian practiced martial arts day and night. The fourth level of the Turtle Snake Technique advanced rapidly, reaching perfection the day before. He even sought guidance from Daoist Jingdu every morning, gradually breaking through the barriers of the fifth level, needing only a bit more insight to achieve a complete understanding.

At this moment, the fourth level of the Turtle Snake Technique, now perfected, burst forth, with qi and blood surging. Su Qinnian barely resisted the Yin wind, but as time passed, the flow of qi and blood in his body slowed down.

This made Su Qinnian take it seriously. The flow of qi and blood in the body cannot stop; once it completely stagnates, death is not far off.

With a slight shift in his steps, Su Qinnian's aura changed, and he stood in the Turtle Snake Stance. At the same time, he slowly raised his hands, using the fourth level of the Turtle Snake Technique to promote the flow of qi and blood and drive out the cold.

However, this was fine when he was still, but as soon as he moved, even as he began the fourth level of the Turtle Snake Technique, his qi and blood became uncontrollable, rushing through his muscles, bones, and skin, causing internal organs to vibrate, making him feel extremely uncomfortable, and his breathing became labored.

Do not practice easily!

At this moment, Su Qinnian remembered Daoist Jingdu's warning. Indeed, practicing in the Xuan Yin Cave was not easy.

Even without practicing, Su Qinnian estimated he could easily last until noon. With the demon tiger meat soup, he could drive out some of the cold, and relying on the qi and blood from the meat, the three days in the Xuan Yin Cave would not be so unbearable. (Please vote for me every day to boost the rankings, and please add to your favorites! A small climax is coming in a few days.)