119: Underwater stone chamber, where one can hear the aspirations of the sages.

The night by the Heavenly Lake was exceptionally long. In the latter half of the night, the wind and snow rose again, swallowing the last trace of glimmer between heaven and earth. Inside the rock crevice, only the cold-dispersing Restriction laid by Li Muchen emitted a faint and constant warmth.

Chen Feng's mind had been impacted by the roar of the Old Ancestor of the Liu Family, making it difficult for him to calm down for a long time. Only with the help of Li Muchen's gentle Core Essence was he barely able to enter a state of meditation to regulate his breathing, though a trace of alarm still lingered between his brows.

Li Muchen, however, maintained a basic state of stillness throughout. Half of his mind was consolidating his Golden Core and organizing what he had gained on this trip, while the other half of his Divine Sense was like the most sensitive radar, constantly monitoring any subtle changes in the Heavenly Lake waters and the surrounding area for dozens of miles.

He held the "five immortals secret key" in his palm. Beneath its cold and hard touch, there seemed to be a trace of warmth left over from when it triggered the Spiritual Energy Vortex last night. Everything he had seen last night—the reflected altar and the phantom of the covenant stone, the location and characteristics of the Spiritual Energy Vortex, the fleeting shadow of the Old Ancestor of the Liu Family's claws and his roar—repeatedly replayed, deduced, and was verified in his mind.

The entrance had been found, but how to enter? The Spiritual Energy Vortex last night was clearly a sign of the Secret Realm's portal periodically opening or manifesting, but it was not a physical passage. Forcing one's way into that turbulent vortex of spiritual energy was extremely risky and could easily alert the entities within. He had to find a more stable, and perhaps the "normal" entrance that the Five Immortals Alliance originally planned to use.

The sky gradually turned white amidst the howling wind and snow. Li Muchen opened his eyes and looked at the still-gray Heavenly Lake. The snow had subsided slightly, but visibility remained very low.

Chen Feng also woke up. Although his face was still somewhat pale, his eyes were steadier than they had been last night.

"How do you feel?" Li Muchen asked.

"Much better." Chen Feng took a deep breath and tried to circulate the rudimentary technique Li Muchen had taught him. The trace of "Tongyou Constitution" spiritual perception within him was still weak, but his sense of the mixed auras in the surroundings seemed a bit clearer than yesterday. "Muchen, what do we do next? Do we go directly to that place from last night to find the entrance?"

"No rush." Li Muchen shook his head. "What we saw last night was just the 'manifestation' of the Secret Realm's portal under specific conditions, not the physical entrance. We need more specific clues. Since the Five Immortals Alliance can use the 'secret key' to locate and plan their entry, it means there must be a relatively stable passage or teleportation point nearby for personnel to enter and exit."

He stood up and walked out of the rock crevice. His Divine Sense spread out again, but this time it didn't focus on the water's surface. Instead, it meticulously scanned the lakeshore, the cliffs, and the area beneath the ice near the water.

The Spiritual Energy Vortex had appeared last night over the waters in the west-central part of the Heavenly Lake. The corresponding underwater or mountain areas were the primary targets for investigation. However, Li Muchen did not limit himself to that; his Divine Sense was like an invisible net, radiating in a fan shape from last night's observation point toward the surrounding lakeshore, not missing any abnormal energy residues, artificial traces, or naturally formed special structures.

Time passed bit by bit. The wind and snow stopped and started, and white mist rose from the lake surface, adding a bit more blurriness to the scene.

About an hour later, Li Muchen's gaze landed on a seemingly ordinary rocky beach on the south shore of the Heavenly Lake, about three miles from the rock crevice where they were staying.

The rocks there were of different sizes, piled up haphazardly and half-submerged in the cold lake water, looking no different from other places along the coast. However, in Li Muchen's perception, the water fluctuations, the thickness of the ice, and even the faint lingering aura in the crevices of the rocks near that beach all revealed a hint of disharmony.

In ordinary places, after a snowstorm, the distribution of ice and snow and the frost marks on the rocks should be naturally random. Yet, on the leeward side of several large rocks on that beach, the melting speed of the snow was clearly different from the surroundings, as if a faint heat source or energy field had been continuously acting upon them.

More importantly, deep in the crevice between two of the rocks, Li Muchen captured a wisp of extremely faint, almost dissipated, special spatial fluctuation residue that shared the same source as the "five immortals secret key" and last night's Spiritual Energy Vortex!

He signaled Chen Feng to follow, and the two of them stepped through the snow, carefully approaching the rocky beach.

The closer they got, the more obvious that sense of disharmony became. The Gui Water cold Qi permeating the air seemed to be slightly pushed aside by some force here, forming a tiny area with a slightly higher temperature and lower humidity. If not for his keen Divine Sense, it would have been extremely difficult to notice.

Arriving before the two giant rocks that formed the crevice, Li Muchen stopped. The surface of the rocks was covered with moss and icicles, appearing natural. He reached out his finger and gently brushed away the snow and floating ice at the junction of the base of one rock and the ice surface, revealing a shallow, deliberately polished smooth groove on the stone wall below.

The shape of the groove was actually seventy to eighty percent similar to that "five immortals secret key"! It was just slightly larger in size.

Li Muchen took out the secret key and compared them. The outline of the key could just fit into this groove, but it required some method to activate.

He didn't try it immediately. His Divine Sense extended along the groove into the interior of the rock and found that the groove was not just a mark; its interior was connected to an extremely exquisite micro-conduction Talisman array hidden deep within the rock!

This array was faintly connected to several specific surrounding rocks and even certain leyline nodes on the lakebed below, forming a trigger-type, small-scale spatial disturbance or teleportation mechanism!

"It is indeed here."

Li Muchen understood. This rocky beach was one of the regular entrances to the Secret Realm reserved by the Five Immortals Alliance, to be opened using the "secret key"! The design was quite ingenious, hidden with the help of natural rocks and the leyline environment. Without the guidance of the secret key and knowledge of its workings, it would be extremely difficult to find.

But now was not the time to use it. The night of the full moon had not yet arrived. Forcing it open might not only fail but would also immediately expose their presence.

Li Muchen carefully noted the structural characteristics of this entrance, the direction and connection nodes of the Talisman array, and all the details of the surrounding environment. Then, he took Chen Feng and continued to explore in other directions along the lakeshore.

Since there was one preset entrance, there might be a backup entrance or other related facilities.

Hard work pays off. About two miles from the first entrance, near a shallow bay covered by a thick layer of ice, Li Muchen's Divine Sense penetrated the ice and discovered artificial excavation marks on the lakebed rocks about three zhang deep!

It was a hidden stone door, half-buried in silt and water plants. Twisted runes similar in style to those of the Five Immortals Alliance were carved on the door, but they were more ancient and mottled, appearing to be from a much older era. The stone door was tightly closed, and the water flow around it was calm, yet there was a faint repulsive force field preventing fish and water plants from approaching.

Li Muchen pondered for a moment and decided to risk an investigation. This stone door was in a hidden location and underwater; it might be a secret passage or storage point left by ancient Shamans or early members of the Five Immortals Alliance. Perhaps he could obtain more information about the Secret Realm and the "covenant stone" from it.

He told Chen Feng to stay on the shore and keep watch, while he himself circulated his magic power to form an invisible Qi shield on the surface of his body. With a flash of his figure, he dove silently into the bone-chilling lake water like a swimming fish.

The light underwater was dim, and visibility was extremely low. But for Li Muchen, his Divine Sense was his eyes. He easily avoided the slowly swimming cold-water fish and drifting water plants, arriving before the stone door.

The stone door was about one zhang high and six feet wide, cast from a special blue-black material that was neither metal nor stone, feeling cold and heavy to the touch. Most of the runes on the door were blurred, but at the core, a composite symbol consisting of a ring, a triangle, and a serpentine curve was still clearly visible, emitting a desolate, mysterious, and slightly bloody aura.

Li Muchen tried to penetrate the stone door with his Divine Sense, but was blocked by a tough energy barrier. This barrier was connected to the runes on the door and faintly echoed the leyline of the lakebed below. Forcing a Breakthrough would likewise trigger unknown consequences.

He carefully observed the core symbol and the surrounding rune structure, while simultaneously verifying them against various Talisman and Formation principles recorded in the Yellow Court Scripture in his Sea of Consciousness.

After a moment, he extended his finger, and a wisp of extremely pure and peaceful Huangting True Qi condensed at the tip. Following a specific sequence and rhythm, he made several phantom taps in the air toward several key nodes around the core symbol of the stone door.

There was no brilliance, no sound. However, the energy barrier on the stone door was like a calm lake surface into which a stone had been thrown, rippling with layers of imperceptible waves. Then, the core symbol brightened slightly before quickly dimming.

"Click..."

An extremely slight sound of a mechanism turning, as if from ancient times, came from inside the stone door.

Immediately following, the heavy stone door slowly slid inward, opening a crack just wide enough for one person to pass! A puff of stale air, mixed with dust, fishy water, and the lingering scent of some ancient spice, gushed out from behind the door and was instantly diluted by the lake water.

Li Muchen's figure flashed, and he was already inside. The stone door closed silently behind him.

Behind the door was an artificially excavated passage extending diagonally downward. The four walls of the passage were smooth, covered with ancient runes similar to those outside the stone door and crude murals.

The murals mostly depicted scenes of primitive ancestors offering sacrifices, hunting, and dancing with various wild animals. Among them, images of snakes, foxes, weasels, hedgehogs, and rats appeared multiple times, depicted as either majestic, eerie, or sacred.

The passage was not long. After about twenty zhang, it led to a small stone chamber.

The stone chamber was square, about the size of an ordinary room. At each of the four corners stood a long-extinguished, strangely shaped bronze lamp. The air inside was dry and isolated from the lake water outside, clearly having special protective measures.

In the center of the stone chamber sat a crude stone table. On the table was enshrined a dark-red wooden god statue only about a foot high, neither Buddhist nor Daoist, appearing both human and beast-like. The statue's face was blurred, yet it gave off a sense of ferocious majesty. Behind it seemed to be the phantom shadows of several arms or tails, which were precisely the distorted and fused early forms of the five immortals' characteristics!

In front of the stone table, on the level ground, a sacrificial Formation was drawn with dark-red pigment—uncertain if it was cinnabar or blood—that was relatively simple yet exuded an ancient, barbaric aura. In the center of the Formation lay several fossilized animal bones whose original forms could no longer be discerned.

What attracted Li Muchen's attention the most was one side of the stone chamber wall, which was covered with densely packed ancient characters!

The writing was not Chinese, nor was it Manchu or Mongolian; it was a more primitive ancient symbol System that combined pictographs and ideograms—Shamanic Runes!

Although Li Muchen was not proficient in Shamanic Runes, at his Realm, his perception of "intent" far exceeded that of ordinary people. He concentrated his gaze, his Divine Sense carefully stroking those carvings, attempting to decipher the information and emotions contained within.

The content of the text was intermittent and largely incomplete, but it roughly outlined a distant historical picture:

"...White Mountains and Black Waters, where the ancestral spirits dwell... The five tribes of spirits—Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, and Hui—nourished by the mountains and rivers, gradually gained spirituality... They lived adjacent to the Human Race, sometimes in peace, sometimes in conflict... Blood stained the forests, and souls wept in the wilderness..."

"...A person of great wisdom emerged, communicating between humans and spirits... A stone was established as a covenant, with the contract carved upon it... With the rite of three sacrificial animals, a hundred-year agreement was set... Humans provide incense and do not invade the spiritual Realm; spirits restrain their descendants and do not disturb human dwellings... Together they suppress the evil thoughts beneath the earth to ensure the peace of the region..."

"...Once the covenant was formed, heaven and earth bore witness... However, human hearts are prone to change, and spirits' greed grows... Later generations may forget the ancestral teachings, replacing the three sacrificial animals with live sacrifices, and offering living beings to seek personal gain... The covenant gradually becomes stained with filth, and the balance is about to tilt..."

"...I, the last contract-keeping Shaman 'Wuzhu,' sense my end is near and the covenant is tarnished... I leave this warning for those who come after: If you see the covenant stone permeated with blood-red Qi and the totems distorted, it means the covenant has fallen and a great disaster is coming! One must seek a person of righteous heart and profound Daoist cultivation; perhaps they can reset the covenant, or... when it's time to cut ties, cut them. Destroy the stone and break the covenant. Better to suffer the backlash than to let an evil contract bring disaster to the world!"

The text ended abruptly there. The last section of carvings was particularly deep and messy, revealing a sense of tragedy, determination, and helplessness.

Li Muchen finished reading in silence, his heart surging with waves of emotion.

This "Wuzhu," the last contract-keeping Shaman, had clearly foreseen today's situation hundreds of years ago! He saw the trend of the covenant being distorted and used by evil, left a warning, and even proposed the extreme suggestion of "resetting" or "breaking the contract." He just didn't know if there were any successors after him, or if the successors had also long since been corrupted and assimilated by the Five Immortals Alliance.

This stone chamber, the inscriptions on the wall, the ancient sacrificial Formation, and the god statue were likely the last "sentry post" and "beacon" left by this Shaman. Perhaps he had once tried to monitor the state of the covenant stone from here, or perhaps he had wanted to wait for someone destined to find it.

Li Muchen's gaze fell once more on the dark-red wooden god statue. The statue appeared ordinary, but when probed with Divine Sense, one could feel a wisp of extremely weak yet exceptionally pure and condensed Shamanic ancestral spirit power sealed within! This power shared the same source as the aura of the inscriptions on the wall; perhaps... it was some kind of token or a carrier of a Legacy?

He did not touch it rashly. The purpose of this trip had been achieved; he had obtained crucial historical information and a moral basis—the ambition of that ancient Shaman undoubtedly provided an ancient endorsement and moral support for his future actions, whether it be "resetting the covenant" or "breaking the stone to end the situation."

He carefully checked the other corners of the stone chamber, but besides some decayed animal skins, broken bone tools, and other useless junk, he found nothing else of value.

Lingering no longer, Li Muchen exited the stone chamber, returned along the passage, triggered the mechanism again with a specific technique to open the underwater stone door, and left quietly.

When he surfaced and returned to the shore, Chen Feng was looking around anxiously.

"How was it? What's down there?" Chen Feng asked hurriedly.

Li Muchen briefly informed Chen Feng of what he had seen in the underwater stone chamber, especially the content of the Shamanic inscriptions.

Chen Feng was dumbfounded as he listened, then said indignantly, "As I thought! They knew all along that there was a problem with this covenant, yet they went even further! Those bastards!"

"With the inscriptions of that Shaman, we have even more confidence in our actions." Li Muchen looked toward the gray Heavenly Lake, his gaze as sharp as a sword. "Next, we just wait for the night of the full moon to see what kind of big show this Five Immortals Alliance and those five 'Old Ancestors' are going to put on."

"And we," he paused, his tone calm yet carrying a chilling coldness, "will be the ones to break the game."

The cold wind swept across the lake, bringing a wailing sound, like the sigh of an ancient Shaman, and like the prelude to a coming storm.