Chapter 59

The flickering firelight made the shadows of the stalactites slowly wriggle, like ghosts, very strange.

Bai Shi paused for a moment in his spot, ensuring there were no abnormal sounds inside before retracting the halo of light from his hand and taking another step forward, continuing on his way.

When he walked about ten meters in, a different scene appeared before Bai Shi's eyes.

This was a vast stalactite cave, or it seemed like the bottom of a volcano, with the firelight reflecting and the heat intense. The stalactites on the cave walls appeared to be scorched, or perhaps just beginning to melt, but they did not drip.

The flames inside the cave burned with a hiss, as if rising from the ground, with sparks flying and illuminating the cave, making Bai Shi's face feel as if it were being scorched. This sensation made Bai Shi output his consciousness again, and this output of consciousness instantly formed a nearly transparent layer of power around his body, creating a defensive circle.

Under this defensive circle, Bai Shi held the white fox and moved forward. Although the cave was almost sealed, Bai Shi was certain that the slight breeze came from inside the cave. Thus, in the scorching heat of the cave, Bai Shi searched for the source of the breeze.

His gaze swept around, and even with the protection of the defensive circle, Bai Shi could still feel the warmth from the ground, which was very comfortable. This warmth made Bai Shi feel a sudden sense of comfort, and this comfort made his brows furrow, as if he sensed something unusual from the warm current.

"I didn't expect... the bottom of the abyss to be so different from here." Pausing, Bai Shi looked up at the void, as if searching for something, but not the so-called exit.

"The aura at the bottom of the abyss is not only thin but also impure... whereas, in this cave, the warm current carries a thread of pure spiritual energy into my body. The spiritual energy in this cave is so rich..." Surprised, Bai Shi closed his eyes slowly, stretched out his palm, and output his consciousness again, trying to confirm the rich spiritual energy in the void.

With the output of his consciousness, Bai Shi could instantly feel the power of the spiritual energy flowing into his body, enveloping him completely in an instant. Under this envelopment, a warm current quickly entered Bai Shi's body, making him feel a sense of comfort.

Opening his eyes suddenly, Bai Shi did not continue to absorb the spiritual energy but instead smiled contentedly and said, "The spiritual energy here is indeed rich... if I can fully absorb it, my strength will surely increase greatly!"

Although he knew the rich spiritual energy here was very attractive, Bai Shi did not rush to absorb it. His immediate priority was still to find an exit; otherwise, even if his strength increased significantly, he would only be waiting to die here.

Thus, Bai Shi took another step forward, following the cave wall, trying to find some cracks. As he searched along the cave wall, his brows furrowed again, and he suddenly saw a smooth spot on the wall reflecting a red glow.

Walking over, as Bai Shi got closer, he saw that it was not completely smooth but had some uneven areas. These uneven areas were not anything else but some carved human figures and some words!

These words and figures were not natural but man-made!

Drawing a sharp breath, Bai Shi focused his gaze and saw that the figures depicted some martial arts techniques, and among these figures, there was a common feature: each figure was holding... a sword!

"Sword techniques!" Looking at these figures, a flush appeared on Bai Shi's face, not due to the heat but from the excitement deep within his heart. This excitement made him exclaim softly, pause, and then scan the words beside them.

"At the bottom of the abyss... inside the fire cave. There was no exit... the exit was sealed within the fire, so it was carved and sealed. If one learns it, one does not need to be perfect, just somewhat proficient... the wind blades within the abyss will surge, piercing through the fire cave, forming a gateway... stepping through, one enters another void. After thousands of years, this cave reappears with such a wondrous scene. Those with a connection, learn this 'Dragon Transformation Sword Technique,' which is the highest..."

Bai Shi silently read the words on the cave wall, and with each word, he seemed to see the face of the person who carved them. As he read on, he suddenly realized that the person who carved them had also fallen into this abyss by accident and left behind the sword techniques he had practiced throughout his life.

His strength had greatly increased in this cave, so he left this seal here...

"The strength of this person... is unfathomable!" Seeing this, Bai Shi couldn't help but exclaim.

As he was exclaiming, he suddenly saw another row of words, as if recording something. When he read the first line, his pupils contracted sharply, and he silently read, "Soul Absorption Heart Technique..."

"The Soul Absorption Heart Technique is used by evil sword cultivators to absorb others' souls to enhance their own strength. It does not require merging with the sword, nor can one merge with the sword..."

Bai Shi had learned this from Xi Chenzi's words when he was at Xi Chen Village. However, when he saw this, his world seemed to be overturned. As he read on, his mind began to buzz, and in this buzz, it was as if he received some kind of baptism. In a moment, he took a deep breath and said, "It turns out that Master Xi Chen was wrong... not only was he wrong, but everyone in Xi Chen Village was wrong!"

His gaze moved away from the cave wall, and Bai Shi pondered, "Soul absorption can also merge with the sword, but why did Master Xi Chen say it couldn't... Could it be that he didn't really make a mistake, but simply didn't want to tell me..."

As he pondered, Bai Shi made a rough judgment: "Perhaps he wasn't really wrong. The Soul Absorption Heart Technique is a very evil technique... if every cultivator practiced it, they would constantly kill and absorb others' souls. The world... would surely be in chaos!"

In his heart, Bai Shi had a rough idea, and he continued to look at the Soul Absorption Heart Technique. The deeper he read, the more his heart surged. On the words, he saw many names he had never heard before, and these names seemed to be those of former strong figures!

"The supreme soul absorbers include the King of Blades, the Sword Saint Wu Qin, and the Emperor of Music, Sima Ming! Now... there is also me, the nameless one!"

Silently reading these names he had never heard before, Bai Shi tried to remember them. The next part recorded some events, and these events belonged to some battlefields. The battles on these battlefields were extremely fierce, and these battles were the confrontations of the supreme figures! As he read on, Bai Shi became more and more excited, as if he could see the scenes of the battles and feel as if he were there.

At this moment, he suddenly saw a familiar story, which made his mind buzz again, as if the world was spinning. For a moment, he felt somewhat at a loss, as if in a dream.

"Evil King's Sword!" Bai Shi exclaimed, and in the buzzing of his mind, he continued to read silently, "The Evil King's Sword contains the soul of his beloved, who was being hunted... the beloved merged her soul with the sword, and the Evil King became evil because of this."

This scene seemed to play out in Bai Shi's mind. He clearly remembered that when he held the Dragon Chant Sword, a similar scene played out in his mind, which made him tremble with shock when he recalled it now.

"Could it be... related to the Dragon Chant Sword?" Speculating, Bai Shi took out his storage bag, and under his consciousness, the Dragon Chant Sword instantly appeared in his palm, with a dragon's roar echoing.

Focusing his gaze on the Dragon Chant Sword, Bai Shi seemed to see the soul of the woman in the sword, and his heart became calm like still water.

"Could it really be related?" In his uncertainty, Bai Shi looked at the cave wall again.

This time, his gaze fell on some other events, which were not as intense as the previous ones but seemed more peaceful. However, when he read the last line, his heart trembled, and his eyes showed surprise again.

"Originally... the Soul Absorption Heart Technique does not require killing to absorb others' souls. This is the highest level of the Soul Absorption Heart Technique... merging the soul with the sword, and when the soul is pure, merging one's own soul with the consciousness, controlling the soul, and thus merging with the sword..."

Silently reading, Bai Shi seemed to have a sudden realization, knowing that not every soul absorber could merge with the sword. In silence, Bai Shi looked at the end of the last line: "Those with a connection, who recognize this sword technique and heart technique, are also connected to me."

His gaze moved away from the last line, and Bai Shi touched his chin, hesitated for a moment, and murmured, "If I can combine the Soul Absorption Heart Technique with this supreme sword technique... the power, I fear..."

In his excitement, Bai Shi's heart became even more agitated, and he moved his gaze to the bottom of the figures, where the key techniques and incantations of the Soul Absorption Heart Technique were recorded.

With his heart full of excitement, Bai Shi tightly gripped the Dragon Chant Sword. As he gripped it again, a green glow suddenly appeared, and the shadow of the sword whistled out. The soul sealed within the Dragon Chant Sword seemed to awaken at this moment, and a dragon's roar echoed. As Bai Shi's gaze followed the figures on the cave wall, he silently recited the techniques, and his steps moved forward.