Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin felt the chill in his gaze, their hearts tightening. They dared not argue, merely lowering their heads slightly.

Chen Li glanced at Bai San, who was still complaining nonstop, and cut him off coolly. "If you’re not dead, get to work. Search this stone chamber carefully for any mechanisms or secret compartments."

"Yes! Right away, Master!"

Bai San stopped his complaints.

Though he had suffered some superficial injuries, they were all external. His Inner Breath was unharmed, so it was nothing serious.

He immediately began rummaging around the stone chamber.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Bai San ran his fingers along the wall, tapping his knuckles gently against the seams as he tilted his head to listen.

A faint sound, different from that of solid stone, reached his ears.

Bai San’s eyes lit up. After checking a few more times to be sure, he pressed firmly on a tiny, inconspicuous bump on the wall.

"CLICK!"

The faint sound of a mechanism activating was heard.

The section of stone wall receded half an inch, then slid to the side, revealing a secret compartment about an inch square and half a foot deep.

"Found it! Master, over here,"

he exclaimed in delight.

Inside the compartment sat a small, one-foot-square box made of purple sandalwood.

Bai San took the wooden box out and handed it to Chen Li.

Chen Li took the box and gently opened its lid.

The box was lined with bright yellow silk.

Three items rested upon it.

On the left were several small Jade Bottles and porcelain jars, which appeared to contain Elixirs. On the right, three thin booklets lay side-by-side.

Chen Li reached out and picked up the three booklets.

The first was none other than the Seven Fiends God-Seizing Skill.

A quick flip through the pages confirmed it contained the bizarre Secret Technique for devouring another’s Divine Sense to bolster one’s own power.

The second, titled "Sixteen-Character Plate Book" on its cover, seemed to be a classic text on Astrology and Face Reading.

The third was a small, coverless booklet, its pages a mix of old and new.

Flipping through it, he saw it was filled with dense, tiny script.

It was the Seven Kills Ancestor’s diary.

Chen Li was left speechless. He put the items away, his gaze falling once more upon Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin. "Our business here is done. Lead the way out."

"Senior, please follow me."

Feng Suiyun took the lead, and the group filed out of the stone chamber, passed through the curtain of the waterfall, and returned to the grotto-heaven.

They followed the waterfall’s stream upward and soon arrived at a secluded mountain hollow.

The hollow was relatively flat and almost entirely occupied by a deep, emerald-green pool.

The water was bone-chillingly cold, with faint signs of a surging undercurrent.

"Senior, the exit is beneath this pool."

Feng Suiyun pointed to the bottomless pool. "We must dive to the bottom, find a channel with an undercurrent, and follow it out. That will lead us back to the outside world."

Chen Li said, "You lead the way."

"Yes."

Feng Suiyun was the first to leap into the icy pool, his figure quickly vanishing beneath the surface.

Chen Li gestured for Bai San and Gossip to follow, while he brought up the rear, carrying the box with the Secret Manuals and Elixirs.

The five of them dove into the deep pool one after another, following the undercurrent toward the exit.

「A short time later.」

"SPLASH..."

Several soaking wet figures emerged from the water.

Chen Li leaped ashore. Primordial Qi steamed from his body, and the water vapor instantly became a white mist that dissipated, leaving his clothes dry in a moment.

Feng Suiyun, Hua Wuxin, Bai San, and Gossip also came ashore one by one, each circulating their internal energy to drive out the cold.

Looking around, they found themselves on the mountainside of Kao Mountain.

Behind them was an unremarkable, water-filled crevice in the rock, connected to the deep pool below.

As they looked around, they saw that everything was completely covered in a thick blanket of snow.

The bitter wind howled, whipping flurries of snow into their faces. The distant landscape was a vast expanse of silver.

"Down the mountain."

Chen Li was brief and to the point.

The group sped down the steep mountain path.

Before long, they reached the gentler slopes at the foot of the mountain.

Peng Anmin, bundled in a thick fur coat, showed a look of immense relief upon seeing Chen Li and the others. He quickly flicked the reins, urging his cart through the snow to meet them.

"Senior."

Peng Anmin jumped down from the cart’s shafts and bowed.

Chen Li gave a slight nod, his gaze turning to Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin. His eyes were calm, yet an invisible pressure emanated from him, seeming to make even the cold wind falter.

"I’ll give you two choices."

Chen Li’s voice was icy. "One: obey my commands. Two... join your master and martial brothers in eternal rest here. I’ll even pick out a nice burial plot with good feng shui for you."

"You...!"

Hua Wuxin’s hand instantly tightened around the hilt of the Rusted Sword at his waist, his eyes burning with the flames of humiliation and fury.

However, before he could erupt, Feng Suiyun moved like lightning, stepping between him and Chen Li while simultaneously grabbing his wrist, pinning his hand to his sword.

Feng Suiyun’s voice was firm as iron. "My brother and I are willing to await your command!"

Hua Wuxin, pinned tightly by Feng Suiyun, struggled for a moment before finally ceasing his movements, his chest heaving violently.

"You know what’s good for you, at least."

Chen Li’s gaze lingered on the two for a moment. Then, without warning, he pointed a finger through the air at Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin, who stood several paces away.

"Huh?!"

Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin turned pale with shock, having never expected Chen Li to attack so suddenly.

The two instinctively tried to use their Body Techniques to dodge while simultaneously circulating their Gang Qi for protection.

But in the next instant...

"DOOONG...!!"

A grand, heavy toll, like a temple bell at dusk, resonated to the depths of their very being, exploding within their Divine Souls.

The Evil Suppressing Seal.

"GAK!"

They reeled as if struck by a heavy blow, their bodies shuddering violently as they spat out a mouthful of blood. Their faces turned deathly pale in an instant.

The tolling of the bell was like a relentless tide; before one wave receded, another crashed in, each one stronger than the last, pounding against the very source of their Divine Souls.

"DOONG! DOONG! DOONG!..."