Zhou Ming flew west for about an hour before finding a hidden cave at the foot of a snowy mountain and walking inside.

The entrance of the cave was mostly obscured by a slope of gravel washed down by melting glacial water. Inside, it was quite spacious, dry, and cool, with a thin layer of frost coating the stone walls.

Zhou Ming waved his large sleeve, and his mana whipped up a gentle breeze that swept the dust, gravel, and dried animal dung out of the cave, cleaning it completely in an instant.

Zhou Ming took Emperor Liu Jun's cushion out of his Storage Ring.

He placed it on the flattest stone slab inside the cave and sat down cross-legged.

The cushion was woven from some unknown Spiritual Plant; it felt cool to the touch, and the moment he sat on it, a faint, pure Qi seeped from the cushion into his Meridians, instantly clearing his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ming extended his Divine Sense into Emperor Liu Jun's Storage Ring and began to examine the rows of Jade Slips on the shelves one by one.

He had already figured out how to use Jade Slips when he observed Emperor Liu Jun with his Divine Sense earlier.

By pressing a Jade Slip against one's forehead and extending Divine Sense into it, the information sealed within would be projected directly into the Sea of Consciousness.

He picked up the first Jade Slip and pressed it to his forehead. The moment his Divine Sense sank into it, a massive amount of information surged in like a tidal wave.

The more he read, the brighter Zhou Ming's eyes shone.

A Disciple of a major Sect really was different.

In Emperor Liu Jun's Storage Ring, these Jade Slips were practically a portable library of cultivation.

Cultivation Sorcerys, sword arts, the Dao of Formation, introductions to Artifact Refining, foundations of Alchemy, and primers on Talisman making.

All kinds of cultivation information from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Golden Core Stage were there, categorized and systematic.

Among them, the Formation, sword arts, and Sorcery content reached the Golden Core Stage and even higher levels.

As for Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and Talisman making, there was only basic knowledge, likely because Emperor Liu Jun himself did not delve deeply into those paths.

He had simply prepared a set of introductory Jade Slips according to Sect rules for emergencies.

What particularly excited Zhou Ming was the Dao of Formation.

There were fully seventeen or eighteen Jade Slips on Formations in Emperor Liu Jun's Storage Ring.

They ranged from the most basic sketching of Formation patterns and setting of Formation eyes, to the overlapping and nesting of Intermediate Formations and the refining of Formation Flags.

And then to the borrowing of natural forces and the cultivation of Formation spirits for Advanced Formations, progressing layer by layer.

The content was so profound that even Emperor Liu Jun himself had marked it with numerous confused annotations.

Zhou Ming glanced roughly at the most Advanced Jade Slip on Formations.

The few major Formations recorded within, by his estimate, might not even be fully understood by someone at the Nascent Soul Stage.

The reason Emperor Liu Jun was able to set up the blood pool Formation in the valley that drained blood and Qi was because of an obscure Formation recorded in these Jade Slips called the "Blood Spirit Formation".

As for the sword arts and Sorcery, they were likely standard equipment for an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

The Qingyun Sword Arts were recorded in detail, from the sword Sorcerys of the Qi Refinement Stage to the sword control arts of the Foundation Establishment Stage, all the way to the Light-Splitting Shadow Sword Art of the Golden Core Stage.

The Sorcery Jade Slip contained complete cultivation methods for the Five Elements Spells—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—as well as the three variant Spells of wind, lightning, and ice.

The only pity was that he did not find any information about the cultivation world; there wasn't a single word about it.

However, even so, for Zhou Ming, who was almost completely ignorant regarding cultivation information, this was incredibly valuable.

These Jade Slips were like charcoal in snowy weather.

He was like a traveler who had been trekking through a desert for who knows how many days and suddenly discovered a sweet spring, greedily and thirstily absorbing every bit of information within the Jade Slips.

The gale zones, the empress ascending the throne, the resurrection of the Marquis of Yongning—all of it was cast to the back of his mind.

He sat cross-legged on the cushion, holding a Jade Slip in each hand, swapping one for another as he finished reading.

Sometimes he would frown in thought, and other times he would have a sudden realization, tracing Formation patterns on his knee with his finger.

Sometimes he would take the long cyan sword out of his Storage Ring, hold it in his hand, and attempt to circulate his mana according to the sword control methods recorded in the Jade Slips.

Just as Zhou Ming was immersed in his studies, inside the valley, those Blood Refining Realm experts who had just regained their freedom were not having such a peaceful time.

Everyone saw that the figure hidden in the mist above the sky had not appeared again for a long time.

The oppressive aura that had made it hard to breathe had also completely dissipated.

They began to turn their attention to the scripture with the faint golden glow on the stone wall.

They were all Martial Artists at the Blood Refining Realm or above; having cultivated to this level, none of them were fools, and none were illiterate.

They had seen with their own eyes that mysterious person kill the "Immortal" who had imprisoned them for who knows how many years with a single palm strike.

And then personally carve this scripture onto the stone wall; what this meant was self-evident.

Some looked up and recited silently, some used their fingers to copy it into the dirt, and some closed their eyes and sat cross-legged after reciting it a few times.

They attempted to find the sensation of Qi in their Dantian according to the eight words at the beginning of the scripture: "Read the book a hundred times, and the divine skill will reveal itself."

But scripture could not be eaten as food.

Their bodies, imprisoned for who knows how many years, were already severely depleted of blood and Qi. Their empty stomachs felt like clenched fists twisting repeatedly in their abdominal cavities.

Someone rushed into the Kitchen in the valley first, lifted the pot lid, and grabbed everything on the stove that could be stuffed into their mouth.

Half a pot of cold beast meat soup, a few chunks of charred, unidentifiable beast leg, and a basket of raw beast meat that hadn't been cooked yet.

Whether it was raw or cooked, they picked it up and began to devour it.

Those who came later rushed into the Kitchen, only to find the pot empty, the stove empty, and even the half-piece of raw meat on the cutting board was being stuffed into the mouths of those who had arrived earlier.

Hunger and anger instantly ignited conflict. Several tall Martial Artists wrestled together, their fists and feet landing on bodies with dull thuds.

Fortunately, all these people were extremely depleted of blood and Qi. Their punches were soft and lacked power. After rolling on the ground for a few turns, they were panting harder than they were fighting, so no lives were lost.

After the conflict, everyone began to restrain themselves.

Some continued to explore the valley and found several stone houses, which were still stacked with dried meat and medicinal herbs that the previous Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement Cultivators hadn't had time to take away.

More people returned to the stone wall, sat down cross-legged in silence, and began to recite the scripture over and over again.

They all knew very well that the little food in the Kitchen would last at most a day or two.

The Endless Forest outside the valley was filled with powerful wild beasts everywhere.

With their current weak shells, having had their blood drained for who knows how many years, walking out would be certain death.

The only way to survive was carved on the stone wall in front of them.

Old Marquis Su Yongning leaned against a broken iron cage, arms crossed, watching everything before him coldly.

He recognized the scripture—the Dushi Sutra; of course, he recognized it.

He knew the background of this scripture better than anyone else present. Precisely because he knew, he had remained sitting and hadn't moved.

But as he watched more and more people sit cross-legged in front of the stone wall and begin to recite the scripture.

And witnessed the scene in the Kitchen where they fought over a few pieces of raw meat, Old Marquis Su Yongning's expression grew increasingly grim.

These people were all local powerhouses; none of them were pushovers.

Those who could be imprisoned here and not die, which one of them wasn't a ruthless person?

If this group of people recovered their strength one by one, while he, Old Marquis Su Yongning, remained in this weak shell with his blood and Qi drained.

Let alone walking out of the valley, whether he could live to see tomorrow's sun was up for debate.

Gritting his teeth, he remained silent for a long time before finally standing up from the ground, walking with large strides to the stone wall, and looking up at the scripture with its flowing golden light.

He took a deep breath, then slowly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to recite.