Chapter 417: Six Caves Mountain Gate

Sun Lingtong was filled with surprise and uncertainty.

At this moment, thoughts raced through his mind as he quickly reviewed everything he had just experienced.

"How exactly did I fall victim to this petrification spell?"

The skin on his hands was still turning to stone. Sun Lingtong quickly and carefully examined it, confirming that this petrification art was quite profound, and he couldn't discern its intricacies.

"This is a trap, designed to kill people without consequence! Before me, there might have already been many victims."

"No, that's unlikely."

"If that were the case, then the group of hooded figures just now wouldn't have paid such a grand visit, performed sacrifices, and caused deaths so openly."

"Furthermore, they didn't even dare to enter the cave, clearly implying they believed this Divine Transformation-level existence was still alive."

"I used magic tools to excavate the treasures, and after the treasures were transported into the Mechanical Swimming Dragon, I personally examined them."

"The problem lies with these treasures!"

Sun Lingtong analyzed the situation, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The petrification spell continued to erode him, and suppressing it with his magic power seemed to be akin to drinking poison to quench thirst. As the petrification spell came into contact with his magic power, it benefited from it, and its power began to increase.

"This won't do, I must immediately inform Xiao Zhuo of the situation!"

"We can't lose track of that group of black-robed cultivators. We need to find trouble with them and see if we can torture any information out of them."

Sun Lingtong hastily began to save himself.

While controlling the Mechanical Swimming Dragon, he immediately left the cave and pursued the departing black-robed cultivators.

At the same time, he wrote a flying letter and sent it directly to Ning Zhuo's room.

Meanwhile, after being criticized by Sun Lingtong, Ning Zhuo returned to his living quarters.

At first, he was calm.

He instinctively wanted to meditate and cultivate, but then remembered that Sun Lingtong had forbidden him from doing so.

He lay down on the bed, deciding to sleep.

However, after closing his eyes, he couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Normally, he hadn't fully recovered yet, and the lingering effects of cultivation deviation remained, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. In such a state, he should have been able to fall asleep easily.

But the reality was quite the opposite. Ning Zhuo tossed and turned, his eyeballs constantly moving beneath his eyelids.

He took a deep breath and suddenly opened his eyes.

He stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, then sat up in frustration.

He didn't maintain this posture for long before getting up and changing to sit on the edge of the bed.

After sitting for a dozen breaths, he felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles and had to stand up.

Anxiety.

Trouble.

Various negative emotions quickly sprouted.

"Brother Linghu has been in solitary confinement so many times, and he can actually endure it. He is truly formidable!"

"Boss Sun's lesson is absolutely right."

"I can't even bear this bit of free time and feel restless, feeling like I'm wasting time."

"My state of mind has undergone many subtle changes compared to before."

"Alas..."

Ning Zhuo was so uncomfortable. Reason told him that cultivation and doing things required a balance of tension and relaxation, but emotions were in turmoil, causing him to constantly pace and wander around the room.

Just at this moment, there was a knocking sound at the cabin door.

Ning Zhuo opened the door and saw a flying letter enter the cabin, unfolding naturally in the air.

"Why would Boss write me a letter?"

Ning Zhuo was quite surprised and cast his gaze towards it.

After reading it once, he understood the reason and his expression immediately changed: "Boss is in trouble!"

Ning Zhuo flicked his finger, sending out a spark of fire, which drifted upwards and burned the flying letter.

He immediately began to write a letter.

The Mechanical Swimming Dragon originally had a device that allowed Sun Lingtong to transmit sound to Ning Zhuo's living cabin. However, Sun Lingtong was worried that the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon might also be petrified, so he had already started to minimize its usage range.

He was even more concerned about Ning Zhuo's safety, so he used a flying letter to inform Ning Zhuo of what had happened, and in the letter, he instructed Ning Zhuo to burn the flying letter in time, and not to enter the storage cabin or the dragon head cabin, and to stay as far away from Sun Lingtong as possible.

Ning Zhuo's flying letter was soon delivered to Sun Lingtong's hands.

"At least Xiao Zhuo knows," Sun Lingtong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly read the content of the flying letter.

In the letter, Ning Zhuo inquired about Sun Lingtong's specific injuries and suggested deciphering the flying letter that the hooded black-robed figures had actively sent into the giant cave but had been intercepted by Sun Lingtong earlier.

In fact, Sun Lingtong had already started doing so.

The flying letter was quickly deciphered. In reality, the sender had not encrypted it.

To Old Monster Stone:

We, cultivators of the Six Caves Sect, respectfully submit this letter under the command of the Demonic Heart Cave Lord, sincerely inviting Old Monster to awaken.

Our Six Caves Sect has long heard of Old Monster's great name and has always admired the earth-element divine abilities, which have shaken the eight directions. Now that the dynasty's army is encircling Thousand Peaks Forest, the situation is critical, and we require Old Monster's assistance to display celestial might and share in the joy of slaughter.

If you grant your permission, the Six Caves Sect will surely reward you handsomely!

"These people are actually from the Six Caves Sect?" Sun Lingtong naturally knew the enmity between the Ning family and the Six Caves Sect long ago.

Sun Lingtong stared intently at a certain line of text above: "As the Six Caves Sect, their tone implies treating Old Monster Stone and the Demonic Heart Cave Lord as equals..."

"Could it be that Old Monster Stone was originally a Nascent Soul cultivator, and this time he failed to break through to a higher realm, leading to his death?"

Sun Lingtong discovered some crucial information, but it was far from enough.

Under his control, the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon easily followed the envoys of the Six Caves Sect.

The envoys quickly descended the mountain and stood at the foot of the mountain, taking out their mounts, which were all lion-tiger type demonic beasts.

Their faces were filled with anxiety, their brows furrowed, and when they communicated with each other, they no longer used divine sense but spoke verbally.

Along the way, they discussed how to report back.

Clearly, this mission as envoys had ended in failure, putting them under immense pressure.

Their lives hung by a thread!

During this process, Ning Zhuo deliberately used his divine ability to plant the thread of life on each of these four individuals.

The black-robed cultivators' mounts were quite fast, and soon, they arrived at a station on the mountainside.

Through the teleportation array in the station, the four envoys completely left.

Normally, following to this point, cultivators could only sigh and look up at the sky. However, Sun Lingtong, with the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon, was different.

This mechanical creation was at the Nascent Soul level and possessed the ability to travel through the void, which only Nascent Soul cultivators had.

Any teleportation array's principle is void teleportation.

Therefore, Sun Lingtong decisively controlled the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon and directly fled into the void.

"Xiao Zhuo, it's up to you!" Sun Lingtong communicated through a magic tool.

Ning Zhuo hummed and immediately activated his divine ability.

The upper dantian - the Clear Mirror Spiritual Light Dantian.

The complete divine ability, resembling a white lotus root, green leaves, and pink lotus flowers, suddenly shone brightly.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but open his mouth wide. Although he could sense the four targets, sensing them in the void was completely different from the outside world.

Ning Zhuo felt left and right reversed, distances distorted, and even the sky spinning.

For a moment, he didn't know how to describe it.

This journey through the void was too profound for him, far exceeding his comprehension limit.

Fortunately, he and Sun Lingtong had already anticipated this. Ning Zhuo was only responsible for injecting what he sensed into the Mechanical Swimming Dragon, allowing the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon to operate on its own.

A moment later, the dark curtain dissipated, the silver light expanded, and turned into the real world.

Sun Lingtong was in the dragon head cabin, stared intently, and cheered: "Success, haha, Xiao Zhuo, well done!"

Ning Zhuo was already kneeling on the ground, his whole body numb, and the spiritual sense mirror in his mind was almost completely shattered.

He panted heavily, dizzy and unable to move for a moment.

The four black-robed cultivators stepped off the great teleportation array.

Sun Lingtong carefully controlled the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon, continuing to follow behind the four black-robed cultivators.

After leaving the hall where the great teleportation array was located, Sun Lingtong arrived outside.

He saw that on this giant Heavenly Pillar wood, stone buildings stood in abundance, with tall buildings and low houses, mainly in gray and black colors.

A layer of purplish-black poisonous mist constantly enveloped the sky, blocking out the sunlight.

The four black-robed cultivators dared not linger and walked directly onto the main road, climbing quickly towards the peak.

On the road, they occasionally encountered other cultivators from the Six Caves Sect. These cultivators were almost all dressed in black or gray robes, with cold or fierce expressions. Many cultivators were accompanied by lion-tiger ferocious beasts, while some cultivators were playing with poisonous scorpions, centipedes, and other venomous insects.

On the mountainside, Sun Lingtong looked into the distance and saw a huge martial arts training ground.

Inside the training ground, a large group of cultivators were fighting each other, blood splashing, and the spectators roared with excitement, the sound waves spreading out in waves. From time to time, cultivators completely fell, losing their lives.

Clearly, the internal competition among the cultivators of the Six Caves Sect was much fiercer than in the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect!

The four cultivators passed through the gate tower and stepped into the great hall at the top of the mountain.

The guards blocked them, and someone turned to report to the hall.

Before long, the guards allowed them to pass.

The four black-robed cultivators exchanged glances, bit the bullet, walked onto the great road, and finally stepped into the vast and majestic hall.

The interior of the great hall was incredibly spacious, with the dome high above and various murals painted on the surrounding walls. Some murals depicted ominous mountains, treacherous waters, and mournful mist, while others depicted numerous cultivators engaged in fierce battles, and some were scenes of bloody sacrifices. The figures in the murals all had one common characteristic: regardless of whether they were crying, laughing, or showing any other emotion, their expressions were extremely ferocious.

The floor of the great hall was paved with dark black profound iron, cold and hard.

A faint fragrance permeated the air, mixed with a hint of nauseating fishiness.

In the central area of the great hall, six dark black stone pillars stood separately.

The form of each stone pillar was quite different.

The middle and upper sections of the stone pillars were hollowed out and carved into seats or cloud beds.

The four cultivators walked to the center of the six stone pillars and prostrated themselves.

On the stone pillars, three seats were empty, while the remaining three were either sitting or lying with cultivators.

These three all had surging Nascent Soul auras, each with a different phenomenon.

One sat upright on a throne. His figure was tall, his upper body bare, covered in black and purple scales. At this moment, his eyes were tightly closed, and he remained motionless, appearing like a stone sculpture.

One sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, but his entire body was enveloped in a layer of bloody light and shadow, his figure blurry, but his aura surged like waves propagating outwards.

The third one lay on a bed, her back facing outwards. She wore a translucent purple cloud gauze, her waist and back lines graceful and alluring. However, at her buttocks, a huge scorpion tail had grown. The sting at the end of the tail emitted a chilling light.

The four cultivators performed a grand salute.

Through their words, the two Sun Ning immediately understood the identities of the three Nascent Soul cultivators before them.

The tall man covered in scales was the Demonic Heart Cave Lord.

The one enveloped in bloody light and shadow was the Blood Shadow Cave Lord.

The alluring female cultivator lying with her back to the others was the Poison Scorpion Cave Lord.

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord opened his eyes. His eyes had clearly been cultivated through secret arts, and he had no normal pupils. There was only a blood-red vortex in his eye sockets, constantly rotating on its own.

Hearing the report from his subordinates, the Demonic Heart Cave Lord slowly spoke, his voice low: "Hmph, you sacrificed more than a dozen Qi Condensation fellow disciples, yet you didn't even see the face of Old Monster Stone. You failed in your task, all of you die."

The four cultivators knelt on the ground, just about to open their mouths to beg for mercy.

Bang bang bang.

After a series of explosions, their chests exploded, and four hearts flew out.

The living hearts flew in front of the Demonic Heart Cave Lord. The scales in the center of the latter's chest suddenly split open, revealing a vertical slit the size of a palm.

The slit opened, revealing a blood-red heart, covered in black veins like coiling dragons or tree roots, densely intertwined.

Each time the demonic heart beat, it would explode one of the hearts in front of it.

The essence that exploded from the hearts was successively poured into the chest slit, swallowed by the demonic heart.

On the other side, the Blood Shadow Cave Lord on the black pillar let out a chilling laugh.

A wave of bloody light that enveloped him also separated and shone on the four corpses.

The four corpses with exploded chests withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Almost all of their essence and blood were sucked out, and finally merged into the Blood Shadow Cave Lord's bloody light.

As for the Poison Scorpion Cave Lord, she also slightly shook the scorpion tail behind her.

The cold light of the scorpion tail flashed in mid-air.

Immediately, the shriveled corpses all turned into four pools of purple poisonous water.

The poisonous water quickly turned into purple smoke, steaming upwards and gathering on the scorpion tail.

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord let out a laugh: "War is imminent, yet we are slaughtering disciples and practicing demonic arts. When the Great Cave Lord returns and finds that there are a hundred or eighty fewer cultivators in the sect, he will definitely be furious. Hehehe."

The Blood Shadow Cave Lord snorted coldly: "Currently, the vanguard of the dynasty's punitive expedition is already approaching Thousand Peaks Forest, and more troops are continuously marching over. Even if the Great Cave Lord is angry, what can he do at this crucial juncture? How can a few mere Foundation Establishment cultivators compare to our Nascent Soul-level combat power?"

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord's voice was low: "Even Old Monster Stone couldn't be invited out. What use are these wastes? Their only use is as resources to help us gain a shred of cultivation."

"War is imminent. At a critical moment, it is likely this slight difference in cultivation that can determine life and death!"

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord laughed again: "Hehe, that Old Monster Stone was born from a ten-thousand-year-old earth spirit. He likes peace the most, and his age is the oldest. Inviting him out of the mountain was the most difficult task to begin with. Second Cave Lord, you have used this method to eliminate many rising stars of the sect. I think we can slow down. After all, without these cannon fodder, will we have to take the field in the early stages of the war?"

The Blood Shadow Cave Lord snorted coldly: "Poison Scorpion, you speak well. The real reason is that your love poison has reached a bottleneck and requires a period of refinement before it can continue to progress."

"You are worried that if we continue to cultivate like this, you will be left out."

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord, whose thoughts were exposed, didn't care: "Hehehe, so what if you saw through me?"

"My love poison must collect the freshest emotions. This kind of horror, fear, shock, and anger before death is excellent material for refining poison."

"What's wrong with the two of you slowing down?"

"The hearts and essence blood of these Foundation Establishment cultivators are of little help to you two, virtually negligible."

The Blood Shadow Cave Lord snorted coldly: "You and I are both leaders of the Six Caves Sect, helping each other is naturally acceptable. So, what is the reward?"

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord flicked her scorpion tail, throwing out two objects.

One was a fist-sized Blood Evil Demonic Stone, and the other was a section of a mechanical carriage.

"A Nascent Soul-level Blood Evil Demonic Stone, not bad, not bad." The Blood Shadow Cave Lord put away the demonic stone, very satisfied.

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord said displeasedly: "Poison Scorpion, you want to send me away with just a section of a magic tool-level mechanical carriage? Do you know that you are provoking me, insulting me?"

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord let out a charming laugh: "How dare I, Little Sister. Second Brother Demonic Heart, look closely, this mechanical carriage is a magic tool on the surface, but in reality, it is at the magic treasure level, just cleverly disguised."

"Back then, when we plotted against the Ning family, we confiscated a large amount of their wealth. We were all mistaken, and this mechanical carriage was treated as a magic tool and bestowed downwards."

"One time, I accidentally discovered the profoundness of this mechanical carriage and designed to harm that disciple and captured this object."

"Second Brother Demonic Heart, hasn't your son Lin You been coveting the Pale Savage Elephant?"

"That's not good."

"The new Elephant King is very protective, and with a formidable enemy approaching, we need to unite that group of White Tooth Elephants."

"This brat Lin You likes to show off, mainly wanting a mount to display his power. With this mechanical carriage, after some modification, he will definitely be satisfied."

Only then did the Demonic Heart Cave Lord show a hint of a smile, extending his hand and taking the mechanical carriage.

"Good, indeed, You'er has been quite noisy these days."

"Poison Scorpion, you are thoughtful."

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord giggled: "As long as Second Brother is satisfied!"

The Blood Shadow Cave Lord snorted: "Poison Scorpion, you used a small amount of money to accomplish a great deed, I admire you, I admire you."

Inside the Mechanical Swimming Dragon, Ning Zhuo was trembling with anger!

He recognized that mechanical carriage. It was exactly what his mother had described to him, something she had used when she was pregnant.

"Could it be that mother had a miscarriage because this carriage was stolen and she had to travel a long distance?"

"Poison Scorpion, and Demonic Heart!"

"Six Caves Sect!"

"I swear, I will definitely get the mechanical carriage back!"

Just as Ning Zhuo made up his mind, the Demonic Heart Cave Lord suddenly showed a look of surprise.

This Nascent Soul-level demonic cultivator spoke: "Something is wrong."

"What?" the Blood Shadow Cave Lord asked.

The Poison Scorpion Cave Lord smiled: "If Second Brother is not satisfied, Little Sister can add something more."

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord's face was solemn, and he slowly shook his head: "I ate these hearts, but there is a sense of foreign matter, as if something was mixed in."

Speaking of this, he immediately activated his magic art.

For a moment, demonic energy overflowed, radiating throughout the entire hall, conducting a powerful investigation.

The investigation yielded no results.

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord then activated another magic art.

Demonic energy surged like towering waves, shaking the entire hall.

In the dragon head cabin, Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth, sweating profusely in tension.

Outside the cabin, Ning Zhuo's mechanical ring suddenly tightened.

"Not good!"

"Boss, run quickly!"

Ning Zhuo subconsciously shouted.

Hearing Ning Zhuo's voice, Sun Lingtong's heart skipped a beat. Before his mind could react, his body moved first. He immediately activated the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon and raced towards the outside of the hall.

The next moment, the doors of the hall slammed shut.

The Demonic Heart Cave Lord burst into laughter, his aura suddenly soaring, rising slowly like a towering giant.

The red cloud in his eye sockets accelerated its rotation, his invisible vision firmly locking onto the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon.

"Hahaha, you rat dares to spy on my Six Caves Sect, what audacity!"

"All of you die!!"

His demonic heart inside his body suddenly thumped.

Inside the Mechanical Swimming Dragon, both Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong spat blood.

At the critical moment of life and death, the Myriad Miles Swimming Dragon fled into the void.

However, the Blood Shadow Cave Lord's bloody light followed closely, hitting the mechanical dragon's body and quickly staining it red.

Run, run, run!

Sun Lingtong's hair stood on end, and this was the only thought in his mind.

As for Ning Zhuo, his heart almost burst, and he fell directly to the ground, unconscious.