Chapter 114: Only Through Contrast Can the Truth Be Revealed

"To have such a captivating piece of jade, only to take a single glance and find it impossible to banish from one's memory—yet in the end, it serves merely as a key to a concealed compartment. Isn't that a bit of a waste?" Yu Shang took the white jade into his palm, greedily savoring its rare, treasure-like spiritual energy. Surprisingly, he discovered that no matter how warm his palm became, the jade remained as icy as ever, completely unaffected.

"Brother Yu is absolutely right! Such a flawless treasure would be better suited as a rare offering. To treat it as something as common as a pebble, lacking any appreciation, is truly a shame for such a rare, star-like gem!" Leng Huaiyi had always viewed gold and jewels as mere dust, beneath his notice, but today he found himself strangely drawn to this piece of white jade. Upon hearing that such a beauty was merely a key, he could not help but feel a pang of heartbreak, sighing at the waste.

"Why have even you, Yi'er, become so shortsighted? You must realize that the concealed compartment holds a scroll hundreds of times more precious than this piece of jade. Whoever obtains this scroll would effectively hold the entire Ancient City of Biluo in their grasp. Think carefully—is the Ancient City of Biluo not far more valuable than this small piece of jade?" The old Dean sighed helplessly after hearing the group's lamentations, then spoke to them in a booming voice.

"The Ancient City of Biluo is a mandatory passage for all travelers, and it contains precious realms unseen in the outside world. Most importantly, the renowned Yanlan Academy is located there. Whether it be divine artifacts, spiritual lands, immortal herbs, or flying beasts, there is nothing you could name that cannot be found there. One could say the Ancient City of Biluo is an unparalleled fairyland on this earth; therefore, its value is simply incomparable to this piece of jade." Lan Bingxian, who understood the old man's intentions best, spoke exactly what was on his mind.

"Hearing you say this, I suppose compared to the Ancient City of Biluo, this beautiful jade is indeed inferior. But this paper is completely blank, without even a speck of ink. How are we to discern any clues from it, retrieve the scroll, and ensure the safety of the Ancient City of Biluo?" Meng Youyuan kept examining the white paper but saw nothing. No matter how he looked at it, it did not resemble a map at all.

"Perhaps we are in the wrong environment. A tomb is usually dark and damp, devoid of even a shred of light. I ask you, what use is a map in such surroundings?" Yu Shang looked at the jade in his hand, then at the white paper. He nodded, suddenly enlightened, and spoke to the group. It seemed he had been living too comfortably lately, his mind growing sluggish without his notice, taking so long to realize this simple fact.

"You mean to say that only in a place of matching darkness can we reveal the hidden wonders on this white paper? Senior Brother, you know what to do!" After Yu Shang's prompt, Xun Mishuang understood the mystery. She turned to the old Dean in the corner and said with a smile. Her initial decision was correct—following them was indeed full of fun, and it seemed what was about to happen would not disappoint her.

The old Dean did not say a word upon hearing this. Instead, he closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and gathered all the true energy within his body. Suddenly, he struck a powerful beam of light upward. The group watched as the light ascended slowly into mid-air, then began to rotate rapidly, stirring the air into a vortex. The vortex grew larger and larger, as if it could swallow the very earth. Slowly, the sky shifted from white to yellow, and then to pitch black.

The group watched in stunned silence; even the old man's disciples were dumbfounded. It turned out their master was so profound, capable of manipulating the cycle of the sun and moon—truly shaking the heavens and earth! Only Yu Shang, looking at the night sky outside the window, smiled. It was as he expected: the old man's cultivation was unfathomable, no less than—and perhaps even exceeding—the kings of other regions. However, Yu Shang could not understand why, if the old man were so powerful, he would fear the Yanlan Academy being seized by outsiders.

"What are you all still standing there for? Get to work! I cannot hold this for long, you must hurry!" The old Dean, seeing them frozen in place, shouted with displeasure. He was working himself to the bone controlling nature, yet these dead kids were just staring blankly, doing nothing. If they couldn't figure it out, he would surely teach them a lesson to vent his frustration.

"Xiao Yin, quickly, give me that white paper!" Yu Shang shouted toward Xiao Yin's position, relying on the faint light. But then, an incredible thing happened: the exquisite white jade broke free from Yu Shang's hand, flew into the air, and burst into brilliant radiance, shooting toward the white paper in Xiao Yin's hand. Xiao Yin was shocked, quickly dropping the paper and jumping aside, fearing the intense light.

Just as the slowly drifting paper touched the incoming light, it instantly dissolved into specks of starlight, drifting before the group to form a phantom image. Following the image, they saw it was indeed a map of the tomb, featuring countless hidden chambers of all sizes. Had it not been for the clear markings, they likely could have searched for eight or ten years without finding the right place!

The secret passages outside the chambers were as numerous as stars, comparable to a labyrinth. If one took a wrong turn, one might not get out for a long time. However, the secret passages traced in red looked like the character for "Death" no matter how one viewed it. Could it be that, as the map suggested, one wrong step would lead to nothing but death? If so, the place truly lived up to its name as a burial ground.

"There are so many hidden chambers along these specifically marked passages; which one holds the scroll, and which one holds the remains?" Xiao Yin looked at the dense array of chambers and felt a headache. Why make a tomb like this? Were there really so many strange things inside that they needed so many rooms? It was impossible to understand why people of the Immortal Realm had to be so troublesome even after death. They said death ended all things, but it seemed they remained entangled in worldly affairs even in the afterlife.

"Look at the shape of this chamber—doesn't it look like that white jade? It's as ethereal as a cloud in the sky," Yu Xiaoran pointed to one of the chambers. The group looked over, and indeed, as he said, the chamber was carved from the same mold as the jade. Could the scroll, coveted by so many powerful figures, really be hidden in a concealed compartment within this chamber?

"Do you think the very center of this tomb is where she is buried?" Meng Youyuan suddenly pointed to a small dot in the middle and said softly. The group immediately understood that "she" referred to the subject of the consciousness that had just vanished from before their eyes. This sparked their curiosity: what treasures were hidden in her coffin that required them to be buried with her?

"Let's not worry about those irrelevant things. Aren't you all anxious to know where the remains of the 'Death-Severing Blade' and the 'Bone-Eroding Mirror' are? Why not take this opportunity to search the map? If you wait until you get there, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Lan Wu urged the group, sounding as if these two divine artifacts were her own treasures. The true owner hadn't said a word, yet she was already impatient.

"Lan'er is right; finding the remains of the divine artifacts is the priority. Brat, don't forget your true purpose for going to that tomb!" Xiao Yin walked to Yu Shang's side and reminded him gently. Nothing was more important than the remains of the Death-Severing Blade. The only way to open the mysterious portals within the brat's body was through the blade; if this were delayed any longer, who knew how many years it would take.

"That woman once said that as long as the remains of the Bone-Eroding Mirror are found, the remains of the Death-Severing Blade will also be revealed. Since the pearl is the key to activating the compartment holding the remains, shouldn't we look for a chamber shaped like the pearl?" Yin Boxuan mused from the side. Since the chamber holding the scroll resembled the jade, perhaps the chamber holding the remains would resemble the pearl!

"But I've looked many times and haven't found a single circular chamber! Could the previous similarity just be a coincidence? Have we been looking in the wrong direction?" Yan Xuesu, after searching for a long time, could not help but speak up. The person who built this tomb was truly difficult! So many chambers and passages made her dizzy, yet she couldn't find a single place shaped like a pearl.

"In my opinion, it's not a coincidence. Perhaps what we are looking for is right here," Yu Shang frowned, pointing to the dot in the center of the map. If they had to follow the rule of similarity, only this dot fit the criteria. Furthermore, since such a precious treasure was hidden there, it meant it was the safest place in the tomb.

Yet, the remains of the Death-Severing Blade and the Bone-Eroding Mirror were also rare treasures; they were likely hidden with that treasure for maximum security. But that woman knew they would come to the tomb to search for these things—did she not fear they would disturb her peace by placing these treasures with her coffin? Or was this, too, a trap containing things she wanted them to see or even take?

However, top-tier divine artifacts were rarely friendly; even as fragments, they would repel each other. Why was that woman so bold as to place so many divine artifacts together? Was she not afraid they would destroy the tomb? Yu Shang had confidence in his Death-Severing Blade; if it wanted to destroy something, it would be effortless, let alone the Bone-Eroding Mirror, which was its equal.

There were too many puzzles haunting Yu Shang, and the woman and the tomb held too many mysteries tempting him to explore. Whether this journey would be a blessing or a curse, no one knew. But one thing was certain: with Meng Youyuan there, they would not be in grave danger. Regardless, Yu Shang believed that woman would not be heartless enough to go as far as to cut off her own next life.

"Isn't that exactly where her coffin is? Logically, nothing should disturb her rest again," Meng Youyuan said. For some reason, whenever he thought of his past life's body resting there, a chill ran through him, causing his heart to panic. He was used to seeing corpses; he shouldn't feel afraid. Moreover, it was his own past life—what was there to fear? But the unsettling feeling wouldn't fade, leaving Meng Youyuan at a loss.

"Perhaps the brat is right; what we are looking for is indeed there. Since that object is so precious, she wouldn't just leave it anywhere. She would surely place it where she could rest easy, and the only thing that could put that woman at ease is her own coffin. Therefore, the remains are very likely inside. I must admire her for coming up with this," Xiao Yin shook his head helplessly and said.