Lin Beichen finished speaking, grabbed Sun Zhishi’s shoulder, and jumped into the nearby cave entrance.
"There are traps down here, you need to be careful."
Sun Zhishi didn’t have time to struggle, he could only let out a cry of surprise as he felt the chilling wind all around him, already within the trap’s range.
Sun Zhishi cried out in his heart, a hint of despair flashing in his eyes.
It’s over!
Although he designed the traps here, he does not have the ability to break them.
Back when he designed the traps, his main target was Zhou Kuangtian.
Zhou Kuangtian was reputed to be the top expert on Xiang Island, so when he designed the traps, their power was not diminished in the slightest, resulting in him having to be extremely cautious if he wanted to leave the underground later, fearing to trigger any mechanism.
Over the years, the reason he stayed reclusive and rarely returned to the surface was partly because breaking the traps was extremely troublesome; instead of being isolated above, it was much more enjoyable below.
The first mechanism was a cold flame.
Extreme cold and flame, two extreme temperatures, along with poisonous substances, were pervasive.
Lin Beichen remained calm despite being surrounded, with a single slap, a wave of Spiritual Qi appeared on the wall, which then transformed into sharp ice, enveloping him and Sun Zhishi.
Sun Zhishi felt a sudden chill all over, the next moment he felt his body losing control, the pain was intense.
He hurriedly mobilized his Spiritual Qi to maintain his body temperature, only to find that one centimeter outside his body, there was a ring of solid ice.
The temperature of this ring of ice was even more horrible than the ice he left for Zhou Kuangtian.
This ring of ice’s temperature, could it have reached so-called absolute zero?
Sun Zhishi thought in his fear, regretting not fighting Lin Beichen.
Yet he didn’t know that the true owner of this ring of ice was not Lin Beichen, but Qin Wenwu.
Qin Wenwu was dead, but his techniques did not dissipate, they were remembered by Lin Beichen.
At the Jiangnan Water Village, Lin Beichen witnessed the way the era’s strongest fought.
Qin Wenwu’s methods changed endlessly, although trapped by the Era of Spiritual Qi and unable to use Spiritual Qi, they were extremely ingenious.
For instance, the ice armor Lin Beichen just displayed was Qin Wenwu’s Absolute Ice Cold relying on Triple Spiritual Qi.
When Qin Wenwu displayed it, it froze all life over thousands of miles, as if the Ice God descended, extremely majestic.
While Lin Beichen’s technique looked more effortless, its range was merely one centimeter ahead, but in terms of technical judgment, it was more profound than Qin Wenwu’s.
Qin Wenwu’s methods were beyond Sun Zhishi’s comprehension.
Zhou Kuangtian, though hailed as Xiang Island’s top expert, was merely a regional strongman in Lin Beichen’s eyes, his actual strength wasn’t much stronger than top experts.
People of Xiang Island called Qin Wenwu a Grandmaster, but compared to a true Grandmaster, Qin Wenwu actually lacked deep heritage.
After the cold flame, dozens of different phenomena appeared successively, but regardless of the type of trap, upon encountering Lin Beichen, they dissipated immediately, causing no harm.
Only then did Sun Zhishi realize that he had still underestimated Lin Beichen.
In his eyes, Lin Beichen’s image became more concrete, and more terrifying.
The hundred-meter cave, when Lin Beichen landed, did not create even a speck of dust.
Sun Zhishi landed in a daze, eyes vacant, still unable to believe what he had seen.
He had only met Lin Beichen for a brief moment, but in less than half an hour, an indelible shadow had formed in his heart.
Lin Beichen was helpless about this.
The Celestial Gate was open, everyone was desperately growing, some faster, some slower.
This was originally nothing to worry about.
But if someone blamed the world’s changes on him, Lin Beichen wouldn’t sit idly by.
In this world, it is ultimately the strong who rule.
"How long do you need?"
Lin Beichen said calmly, his gaze scanning the passage below.
Sun Zhishi broke his fingers, looking conflicted.
He wanted to say at least three days, but seeing Lin Beichen’s stance, it was clear he wouldn’t give him that much time to prepare.
"I need at least half a day, sir, shall we set the limit at sunrise tomorrow?"
Sun Zhishi negotiated cautiously.
If Lin Beichen found it unreasonable, he would still make further concessions.
For someone with such cultivation, to be this agreeable, was rare.
Lin Beichen nodded, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Sun Zhishi’s behavior made Lin Beichen feel a bit guilty.
"You needn’t hurry, though I’m taking you away, it’s not that I won’t let you return, once I leave Xiang Island, you can naturally come back here, continuing your reclusive life."
Lin Beichen’s comforting words fell in his ears, but Sun Zhishi’s face showed embarrassment.
He was long tired of being a recluse, whoever wanted this life could live it, he didn’t want to stay here any longer.
Time was precious, Sun Zhishi immediately returned to the cave to prepare, while Lin Beichen curiously surveyed the cave below, strolling around as if sightseeing.
Sun Zhishi had spent decades underground, not always cultivating, occasionally he would relax and enjoy himself.
Lin Beichen casually opened a stone door and was momentarily stunned.
This place turned out to be a subterranean sunroom, with multiple sunlight rays continuously reflected from above, illuminating the underground.
Behind the stone door was a garden-like tea and relaxation area.
Flowers everywhere, trees lush, with a clear spring in the middle.
In the clear spring, along with swimming fishes, a secret place like a hidden paradise.
Lin Beichen’s mouth twitched, suddenly understanding why the earth vein integrated Sun Zhishi.
Sun Zhishi was no destructor of the environment, clearly a diligent worker, constantly embellishing this underground place.
Xiang Island was initially a barren earth vein place, but after Sun Zhishi’s operation, this place now had complete Feng Shui of the Five Elements, becoming a place where Dragon Qi gathered.
And this was just one example, when Lin Beichen opened the second stone door, he found thousands of stone tablets inside, each engraved with an ancient text.
Ancient books were hard to preserve, so even if occasionally passed down, they gradually lost during millennia of wars.
"How much does this guy love collecting?"
Lin Beichen looked at each tablet, finding the ancient texts recorded were precious classics, and beneath each text were numerous observations.
For instance, under a Daoist text, Sun Zhishi wrote in deep strokes:
"Practicing this book can prolong life, but it’s not suitable for young people, who are full of vitality, unlike the mature and patient practitioners required by this text."
"This book requires pairing with Supreme Yang Scripture for cultivation, so that one can understand the ultimate truths of Yin and Yang."
Sun Zhishi’s handwriting was beautiful, elegant yet uniquely free-flowing, making it memorable at a glance.
But such calligraphy in the underground forest of stone tablets appeared strange.
Lin Beichen felt quite puzzled.
Sun Zhishi’s personality and calligraphy both revealed a sense of elegance.
This man, no matter his mental state, should have attracted some protection, why did he end up estranged?
Unless someone deliberately set him up, forcing him to hide underground for decades, Lin Beichen wouldn’t believe it.
When Lin Beichen opened the third stone door, a sudden cry sounded inside.
Inside the stone door, there was an ice bed made of ice blocks.
At that moment, a girl was trembling on the ice bed, wrapped in a quilt, seemingly trying to hide under the bed, yet unable to bear the extreme cold.
In the face-to-face encounter, Zheng Yaxin awkwardly looked at Lin Beichen, her face showing a hint of bewilderment.
She didn’t expect Lin Beichen to come in, nor expected that her hard-maintained image would once again collapse before Lin Beichen.