txolops Chapter 716 Map Differences! The Meticulous Old Eunuch!
Chapter 716 Map Differences! The Meticulous Old Eunuch!
These four conditions were all clearly stated, ensuring his own safety while leaving ample room for maneuver. After listening, Daoist Huoyuan did not immediately reply, but instead picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip, his slender eyes narrowing slightly in the steam.
After a moment, he put down his teacup, his smile deepening. "Fellow Daoist Guimu is indeed a cautious person. I agree to all four conditions. However, I have one small condition: if we encounter other cultivators who are not teammates during our exploration, how to deal with them will be decided jointly by you and me. After all, some of the cultivators who have been trapped here for many years have gone mad and become demons, and they will fight to the death if they see a living person."
Chen Fan nodded slightly: "Okay."
Huoyuan Daoist stood up, took out a crimson jade slip from his sleeve, and placed it on the table: "This jade slip contains my detailed record of the outer area of this underground space over the past three thousand years, including the distribution of spatial rifts, the location of safe footholds, and some relatively safe ruins. Fellow Daoist, you can take a look first; it is my way of showing my sincerity."
Chen Fan took the jade slip and scanned it briefly with his divine sense. He found that the records in the jade slip were indeed quite detailed, even more complete than the map in his Yuanlingzi. The safe routes marked on it were basically consistent with his own judgment.
He tucked the jade slip into his sleeve, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Daoist Huoyuan: "In that case, I, Chen, will temporarily form an alliance with you, fellow Daoist. I wonder when the other fellow Daoists will arrive?"
"It will take at least half a month, and at most a month," said Daoist Huoyuan, stroking his goatee. "If you don't mind, you can stay in this stone building for the time being. Although the spiritual energy here is thin, it is safe, and there are very few spatial rifts. You can also explore the surrounding area at your leisure. I have already explored several ruins nearby, and there is no danger."
Chen Fan shook his head: "I have some personal matters to attend to, so it's inconvenient for me to stay here any longer. I will return here to meet you again in a month."
After he finished speaking, he cupped his hands in greeting to the Taoist Huoyuan, then turned and walked out of the stone building.
Huoyuan Daoist did not try to stop him, but simply stood at the entrance of the stone building and watched his figure gradually disappear into the gray sand.
Only after Chen Fan's aura had completely faded away did he slowly withdraw his gaze, a thoughtful look flashing in his slender eyes.
Aoki and Ishii walked in from outside the door.
Aoki lowered his voice and said, "Lord Huoyuan, this person is only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Is he worth your efforts to win him over?"
Huoyuan Daoist picked up the now-cold teacup on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "Late-stage Nascent Soul? Hmph, the sword intent emanating from him has reached a state of perfection. If you two were to fight, you might not be his match even if you joined forces. More importantly, he moved through the spatial rift with ease, so he must possess some kind of magical treasure or secret technique that can circumvent spatial rifts. This kind of person is exactly what we need."
He set down his teacup, his gaze fixed on the direction Chen Fan had disappeared in, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Let him prepare. He'll return in a month. In this desolate place, no one can refuse the hope of leaving."
After leaving the stone building area, Chen Fan did not immediately head deeper into the ruins. Instead, he found a relatively safe spot of rubble and sat cross-legged on a stone slab half-buried in the sand.
He took out the crimson jade slip given to him by the Fire Source Daoist and carefully examined it with his divine sense.
The records in the jade slip are indeed detailed, but compared with Yuan Lingzi's map, there are several key differences.
For example, the blood-red skull forbidden zones marked by Yuan Lingzi are only marked as "dangerous areas" in Huoyuan Daoren's jade slip, without any skull markings.
For example, a relatively safe corridor area marked by Yuan Lingzi was marked as "unknown area, caution required" in Huoyuan Daoren's jade slip.
These differences were not unintentional.
Chen Fan repeatedly compared the two jade slips in his mind, gradually sketching out a more complete picture of the underground space.
It should be noted that Yuan Lingzi has been exploring this space for three thousand years, and his map is more conservative, but also more reliable.
Although Daoist Huoyuan had also stayed in this place for three thousand years, his jade slip clearly contained a lot of key information, especially information about that area deep in this space.
Chen Fan put both jade slips back into his pocket and looked up towards the depths of the underground space. The eerie green demonic energy was even more concentrated there, and several huge spatial rifts could be vaguely seen solidified beneath the dome like black lightning.
Deeper still, everything was shrouded in a chaotic darkness, and nothing could be seen.
But Chen Fan could sense that there was indeed something in that darkness.
Lost in thought, he stood up and dusted off his robe.
Instead of waiting here for a month, I figured I should take this opportunity to thoroughly explore this outer area.
Although the map given by Huoyuan Daoren was preserved, it could be compared with Yuanlingzi's map to piece together a lot of useful information.
At least in the outer areas, his safety is still guaranteed.
After making the decision, Chen Fan rechecked the terrain of the surrounding area.
According to the map, heading north from this gravel area, passing through several ruins and a relatively sparsely populated underground channel, one can reach the northwestern edge of the underground space.
There is a corridor marked "temporarily safe" by the elemental particles, which leads all the way to the last unexplored area on the map.
He put away the jade slip and turned to walk north.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more ruins appeared ahead. The ruins in this area were older and more dilapidated than the previous ones.
The patterns on the stone pillars have become so blurred that they are almost invisible. The walls of the stone hall have been eroded by time, leaving them pitted and uneven. A light touch will cause stone chips to fall off.
Chen Fan stopped in front of a half-collapsed stone hall and scanned the interior with his divine sense. Scattered inside were several skeletons that had been weathered to ash, and beside them were several fragments of rusted magical artifacts.
He used his toes to clear away the pebbles on the ground, revealing a stone slab half-buried in the sand. Several indistinct characters were carved on the slab, the strokes somewhat similar to the star patterns on the banks of the river, but even more ancient and simpler.
He crouched down and gently stroked the stone slab with his fingers. The strokes of the characters were deeply embedded in the stone, and even after countless years of wind and sand erosion, one could still feel the force of the engraver.
Unfortunately, he couldn't recognize a single word.
Chen Fan stood up, about to continue walking forward, when he suddenly sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of energy coming from his left front. The fluctuation was so faint that if he hadn't cultivated the Fixed Word Technique, which gave him a far superior perception of energy compared to others of the same level, he would have almost ignored it.
It was the aura of a cultivator. A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, somewhat similar to the frenzied aura of a Loose Demon Master, but much weaker and more concealed.
The other party had clearly noticed his presence and was cautiously approaching him.