Dingjiao spoke in a low voice. White Banyan glanced at him, but was already showing hesitation. After all, some things weren’t meant to be heard so casually.
He whispered, "Does the Crown Prince have any information... this place is strange. If the one below has too great a background, we might violate a taboo."
So even White Banyan doesn’t know who it is... thought Dingjiao.
After all, among the three, he was the one who had gone to listen in person. If something went wrong, White Banyan would be the first to suffer. Dingjiao naturally understood his concerns and replied softly, "It’s fine. A senior once mentioned that what’s beneath isn’t a Golden Core Realm cultivator. If a Golden Core Realm cultivator had cried out in pain, would we still be alive? Uncle Heyun would have come out to warn us long ago..."
What White Banyan feared most was a Golden Core Realm cultivator. Ordinary Purple Mansion Realm matters wouldn’t endanger him as a Fox of the Serene Heart, but if it involved a Golden Core Realm cultivator, even the lord behind him might not be able to protect him.
"Since Uncle Heyun hasn't appeared, it means there's no danger here," said Dingjiao, gently reassuring the two of them. He put away the jade vial in his palm and revealed a bright white stone bead.
The bead was milky white, with three faint yellow patterns etched on its surface. A soft glow surrounded it, but there was no mystical brilliance. Dingjiao spoke softly, "This place is so deep that even Purple Mansion Realm cultivators can't reach the bottom. The deeper it goes, the stronger the Baleful Qi. Normally, they’d just hear a single cry. That’s why I specifically brought this ancient spirit artifact.
"This item once belonged to the Ji[1] Immortal Dao. It's called Yin[2] Era's Ji Earth-Tongue and has been in my estate for a long time. It has only rarely been used."
White Banyan couldn’t help but glance over at the impressive origins, revealing a hint of envy as he softly said, "An Earth Virtue ancient spirit artifact is truly rare. The Ji Immortal Dao is top-tier. Only a dragon-blooded crown prince like you could own such a piece."
Dingjiao looked a bit embarrassed. He raised his chin slightly and his pair of dragon horns glowed faintly, becoming the only source of light in the entire abyss. He replied, "Earth Virtue is indeed formidable, but this item is too ancient. Back then, cultivators didn’t craft dharma artifacts for combat, they prioritized mystique above all. So this one isn’t very useful in battle."
White Banyan looked slightly puzzled, but Dingjiao didn’t explain. He casually tossed the bead into the air. It spun midair and released a hazy yellow glow. Li Zhouwei frowned slightly, but Dingjiao remained silent.
The yellow light circled them once and swept across the stone walls like a shadow. Wherever it passed, the earth and stone trembled with a rustling sound. Dingjiao's voice turned low and he chanted an obscure incantation that was hard to decipher.
Suddenly, the stone wall beside them split open with a loud crack, forming a palm-sized mouth. Its lips and teeth were clearly defined, and a deep voice buzzed forth from within.
The voice was hoarse, like rocks grinding against each other. It was layered, ancient, and hesitant, yet it showed no extra emotion. White Banyan watched thoughtfully, then chuckled and said, "It is, after all, from the Ji Immortal Dao."
Dingjiao waited a moment, then gave up and handed over the bead with a smile, "Minghuang, this item can hear the language of the earth and make stone and soil speak for us. But Ji Immortal Dao was the head among Immortal Daos, and this spirit artifact is prideful. It won’t accept my demon power. You should give it a try."
"How interesting." Only now did Li Zhouwei understand their reaction. He took the bead gently and channeled his mana into it. The bead immediately brightened severalfold and came to life.
The mouth on the stone wall called out eagerly, "Greetings, my lord!"
Li Zhouwei swept his spiritual sense over it and nodded, then asked, "Are you this wall?"
The wall replied respectfully, "Replying to my lord... I am indeed the minor god of this wall, awaiting your exalted instructions."
"Good." Dingjiao nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "Go down for a round and report what’s below. Remember, you don’t need to see or listen, just speak as instructed. I’m afraid even one glance or sound might shatter your feeble divine power, and I’d have to summon another."
"Thank you, Exalted Immortal."
The minor god within the wall gave thanks, and the mouth slid down the wall. Li Zhouwei gave a small nod of approval, then looked at the Yin Era's Ji Earth-Tongue in his hand. It was simple and unadorned, with no hint of being an ancient spirit artifact.
White Banyan’s ears twitched. He formed seals, and began chanting softly in preparation. His voice was like a low weeping; it was sharp and grating to the ear.
Soon, purple light shimmered from the fine hairs on his body, flitting around the two like birds. Li Zhouwei suddenly felt a clarity in his ears, followed by the emergence of chaotic noise.
It was distant at first, then drew near, rising and falling, "Binding... too tight, please... loosen!"
White Banyan hadn’t exaggerated. The voice was anguished to the point of heartbreak. The person was howling and wailing as if undergoing brutal torment, desperate to scream its very heart out.
As each person performed their role, Dingjiao finally focused his spirit and spoke softly, "Who are you?"
Li Zhouwei suddenly felt all the sound around him vanish. The agonized cries ceased, replaced by a silence so intense it sent chills down his spine.
After more than ten seconds, a roar sharp enough to pierce metal and shatter stone erupted skyward, shaking the entire abyss.
The man's voice was as shrill as a ghost’s wail, "Who are you? Where is Yao Chenlin? Where is Yao Chenlin?! Please... loosen! Please... loosen!"
The force of the cry made White Banyan let out a muffled groan. Li Zhouwei felt the bead in his hand suddenly grow heavy. The bead, which had been steadily drawing on his mana, abruptly cut off its connection. Dingjiao's face turned pale.
Peng!
A crisp sound echoed by his ear. Li Zhouwei was still supplying mana and the dharma artifact was still under Dingjiao’s control. When he saw Dingjiao frown, there was no need for words, it was clear the minor god had been shaken to death.
Without a word, Dingjiao summoned another mouth from the opposite stone wall, gave it instructions, and sent it downward, his tone slightly grim, "There’s no great void here. Summoning a mountain god each time consumes tremendous mana and not to mention, I have to brief them all over again..."
White Banyan worked to calm his breath, his expression complicated, and whispered, "He might be at the bottom of the abyss, and who knows how far down he might be. But the moment the prince asked, he was able to roar all the way up here using just his mana! In just a few seconds! That kind of power..."
Dingjiao had clearly realized the same and furrowed his brows. White Banyan thought for a moment and continued, "My lord probably couldn’t do that... maybe only our ancestral matriarch could attempt it..."
When Xiao Chuting and the others attained the Purple Mansion Realm, they could spread their voice across ten thousand kilometers, but that was through the great void. Anyone who gained divine abilities could do that, it wasn’t too rare. But here, with no great void present, for someone to rely purely on mana to send their voice upward... that was no ordinary feat.
After a while, Dingjiao spoke again, "Who are you?"
A few seconds later, a man’s voice sounded again. It was much calmer this time. The voice was hoarse and deep. It was clearly spat out from between gritted teeth and was accompanied by the sound of coughing blood, "I... am Li Xunquan."
White Banyan was stunned. Dingjiao looked up, and beside them, Li Zhouwei slightly opened his eyes. The voice echoed like a grand bell, striking his heart, Crown Prince Li Xunquan of the late Wei State!
So the one bound at the bottom of the abyss was the late Wei Crown Prince, the same Li Xunquan who had been publicly displayed in Dianyang for nine years!
1. 稷 (Ji) – ancient Chinese deity of agriculture, associated with millet and revered as a patron of farming, order, and foundational cultivation. ☜
2. 殷 (Yin) refers to the Yin dynasty, another name for the Shang dynasty, especially its later period. ☜