A Martial Odyssey Vol 1 CH 21

The secret passage led to another larger passage with many winding paths.

Yi Ping led the way with a burning torch and Xiao Youxue followed him.

They walked for some time but there were still no end to it.

Yi Ping expressions were solemn as he said, “We should turn back now. This passage way is too big. We may easily get lost in this passage and never turn to the outside. And the cave is getting colder by the minute.”

Xiao Youxue said, “Let us go back then…”

Yi Ping nodded at her and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t enter this passageway in the first place.”

It was because they were walking too rapidly in the dim cavern. When he looked back and shone the torch at where he had come from, he realized that there were many other passageways.

He sighed, “I think we are lost…”

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue called out for him, “Yi Ping, take a look at this…”

Startled by her voice, he looked back panicky.

Xiao Youxue was examining a section of the passage wall. There were inscriptions carved onto it. The inscriptions were not too obvious but Xiao Youxue and Yi Ping was able to read every single inscription clearly.

Yi Ping was astonished, “This seems to be a martial intricate formula but is not. What a weird thing. It is a poem?”

Xiao Youxue read it out, “The most powerful act is thought, the highest function is focus, the most positive mind is the absolute will, the universe is beneath the subconscious, nothing is impossible, enable the motivation, inspire the spirits… ”

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue said in utter surprise. “Yi Ping, this is indeed a martial intricate formula. It is the ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’, the most powerful mind intricate formula. To think we would have accidentally found it.”

Yi Ping was delighted as he said, “I have heard of it too. Among the many famous martial skills, the ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’ was said to be created by an elderly priest more than two hundred years ago. It is said that his willpower was so absolute that he was able to resist the Heavenly Temptress and even in the most dire of all situations, he was able to remain absolute calm and was able to overcome obstacles that seemingly impossible to overcome.”

Xiao Youxue smiled enthrallingly as she looked at him in his eyes, “You should really learn it. In this way, you won’t be tempted anymore.”

Yi Ping began to fluster when he noticed that Xiao Youxue was looking at him as she teased him.

Xiao Youxue said, “Yi Ping. Let’s spend some time to memorize the ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’. When we use our skills in combination with the ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’, we will surely see a marked improvement in our martial progression.”

Yi Ping nodded. He could not agree more with her.

When he had committed the ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’ into his memory, he noticed that Xiao Youxue was quicker than him and was looking at the surrounding of this cavern keenly so he asked, “Youxue, what is wrong?”

Xiao Youxue said coolly, “Don’t you find that it is weird that someone will crave such an epitome intricacy formula in such an isolated place? It is as though it is meant never to be discovered. We can barely read some of the characters too…”

Yi Ping asked, “What do you mean?”

Xiao Youxue said, “Over time, the cravings on the wall will fade or erode. If that person really wants the Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula to be known by future generations, wouldn’t he at least try to preserve or hide it carefully first?”

Yi Ping saw what she was trying to say as he said, “So you are saying that this intricacy formula is left by someone hastily?”

Xiao Youxue said, “Very hastily in fact. It was as though he was in his final moments and only wrote it on the walls here so that this skill won’t be forgotten by future generations.”

Yi Ping too, began to look keenly around. “Alas, I think he was lost in this cavern too and eventually die of starvation.”

Xiao Youxue said, “If he had died here, then his corpse will surely be around here…”

All of a sudden, she said. “Yi Ping, there is an opening on top of this cavern and it looks like a dry place. Let’s investigate the cave opening.”

Yi Ping nodded.

It took them considerable efforts to find a path up the cavern; they had lost much of their internal strength and were not confident to scale the slippery walls of the cavern with their lightness movement skill.

The interior of the cave was much warmer but was still very cold.

What greeted them was another surprise and startled them!

When they had just entered the small cave, they saw a pale looking maiden in a mediating posture.

Yi Ping asked, “Is she alive?”

Xiao Youxue flew towards the maiden and examined her, she got a shock. It seemed that this dead maiden here was trained in a type of skill that was similar to the Golden Impervious Body that preserved her body.

After a while, she said. “She still has a vital breath in her body but is as good as a dead person.”

Yi Ping asked anxiously, “What do you mean?”

Xiao Youxue sighed, “It seems that while she was alive, she had suffered grievous internal and external injuries as evidenced by her scarred body. At her most critical moment, she had slowed down her heartbeat and now she was in a suspended death animation.”

Yi Ping nodded and saw her gray skin. Indeed, she had been dead for a very long time.

Besides her was a black sword.

Yi Ping examined the black sword and saw two characters as he read it aloud, “Perpetual Darkness”.

Xiao Youxue gasped aloud softly, “This sword is an ancient sword and is famed for its extreme sharpness and craftsmanship. This sword is one of the seven most coveted swords of the martial fraternity…”

Yi Ping said, “Who is this maiden and how come she is in possession of such a precious sword.”

She added, “My guess is that she is waiting for someone else to revive her in time but that never happened.”

Yi Ping asked, “Can we revive her?”

Xiao Youxue shook her head, “Nothing short of a miracle can revive her now. Even if she could receive a miracle herb now, the odds are so low that it is not even worth trying.”

Yi Ping sighed, “What a pity. It seems that the Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula was left behind by her and we have no way to thanks her.”

Xiao Youxue looked at him weirdly as she said softly, “We are now lost in this cavern and yet you are thinking of repaying others?”

Suddenly, Yi Ping exclaimed excitedly, “The Divine Dragon Pill! What if we give her the Divine Dragon Pill? I have heard that it has the ability to revive even the dead.”

Xiao Youxue was flabbergasted, “That is just hearsay. No one knows if that is the true and there is only one in the world. Surely you are not thinking of giving her something so rare and precious? Do you know how many lives have been spilled over the Divine Dragon Pill?”

Yi Ping said coolly, “This Divine Dragon Pill requires the practitioner to have sixty years of internal strength and it is of no use to me now. Moreover we are all trapped in this ice cavern. Even if we have the Divine Dragon Pill, what good would it be for me if I cannot make out alive?”

Xiao Youxue looked at Yi Ping with a wondrous expression…

The Divine Dragon Pill was a lot far more precious than the Prolonging Vital Purity Pill that he had given her. When he had given to her the Prolonging Vital Pill, she was stunned and extremely touched at the same time.

But this Divine Dragon Pill was so precious that its very whereabouts would spark a furious struggle for it in the martial fraternity. Especially for the super exponents who were all struck at a martial progression level, the power of this pill would create a breakthrough for them and even eradicated some of their training mistakes!

And he thought of nothing about giving it away?

Yi Ping had already decided as he said, “We have already learnt her ‘Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula’ so even if this attempt fails to revive her, it is still a fair trade off.”

Xiao Youxue was about to say more but Yi Ping had already taken out the Divine Dragon Pill, forcibly smashed it into powder as he mixed it with water from his water skin and forced it down the maiden’s throat!

She sighed to herself, “That isn’t even a fair trade-off. Even a generous person would never give away something so precious without a very good reason. He is so generous…”

But to Yi Ping, that was a good enough reason.

Xiao Youxue liked him more and more as she loathed her selfish father.

She broke into a smile as she exclaimed urgently, “We must immediately transfer our vital energies into her and dispersed the potency of the Divine Dragon Pill into all her vital channels.”

Yi Ping nodded immediately and they did not hesitate for a moment longer as they immediately transferred their vital energies into all her vitality channels.

After some time, the ‘Dead Maiden’ began to cough out and she had actually revived!

Xiao Youxue was astonished as she thought, “This is really a miracle. The Divine Dragon Pill can really revive a person? No wonder so many had fought over it…”

Yi Ping was startled too. There were now some white and pink colors on her face as she started breathing once more!

The ‘Dead Maiden’ fluttered open her eyes and looked at Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue in complete astonishment.

When Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue saw the pupils of her eyes, they were startled. It was because her eyes colorings were red! They had never seen anyone with such an eye coloring before!

Xiao Youxue said, “She is still far too weak. Just the Divine Dragon Pill alone isn’t sufficient to replenish her health. She is in a suspended animation for far long.”

Yi Ping nodded and slashed his wrist slightly with the White Emerald Phoenix Sword and dripped his blood into her mouth.

Both Xiao Youxue and the ‘Dead Maiden’ were caught by surprise by Yi Ping’s action.

Yi Ping said, “I hope that my blood can replenish her…”

Xiao Youxue said, “Yi Ping, you are making too much sacrifices for her…”

After some time, the ‘Dead Maiden’ seemed to be breathing normally as she said weakly, “I…I am still alive?”

Xiao Youxue said, “It all thanks to him that you have swallowed the Divine Dragon Pill that you are now able to talk to us. I didn’t expect it to work.”

The ‘Dead Maiden’ was even more startled as she looked at Yi Ping keenly, “You actually have the Divine Dragon Pill?”

Yi Ping smiled gently at her, “I was lucky. A senior gave it to me.”

The ‘Dead Maiden’ still could not believe what she was hearing, “Do you know how precious that Divine Dragon Pill really is?”

Yi Ping said coolly, “It can boast the internal strength of the practitioner and can save lives.”

The ‘Dead Maiden’ sighed, “More than that and you have just given it to me…”

Yi Ping said coolly, “At least it works. I was afraid that it does not work…”

The ‘Dead Maiden’ nodded slowly as she stared at Yi Ping, “The odds are very low. I…I can’t believe that you would seriously try it on me?” She was in tears now as her voice trembled uncontrollably…

Xiao Youxue looked at the ‘Dead Maiden’ as she gasped to herself, “Is she…”

The ‘Dead Maiden’ said to Yi Ping, “I am Lie Qing, what is your name?”

Yi Ping said, “I am Yi Ping and this is Maiden Xiao Youxue.”

Lie Qing muttered, “Yi Ping…Xiao Youxue…”

Lie Qing smiled sweetly at Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue, “You are both my benefactors. If you have anything that you require of me in the future, feel to ask of me.”

Xiao Youxue was quiet for a moment before she said, “We may have saved your life but your injuries are too severe. I am afraid that much of your former internal strength had been exhausted to maintain this suspended animation.”

Lie Qing smiled weakly, “It is alright. I can re-train again. After all, I am alive now and have plenty of time.”

Xiao Youxue said, “Why are you here? Who was the one that had injured you?”

Lie Qing smiled weakly, “Good sister, this place is my forbidden ground where I practiced my skills. As for the second question, no one had injured me.”

Yi Ping was startled, “No one? Is your enemy so powerful that you are unwilling to tell us?”

Lie Qing sighed softly, “Really no one. I was merely injured by the ‘Divine Calamity’ and it is much more powerful than I have expected. Out of desperation, I took ten potent pills and entered into a suspended death animation hoping my injuries would recover by the time that I had awakened.”

She looked around the cave and said, “This place isn’t always this cold. This is the result of the ‘Divine Calamity’. In the end, I still couldn’t escape from it.”

Yi Ping had heard of the ‘Divine Calamity’ on numerous occasions now but no one was willing to tell him about it.

Xiao Youxue had never heard of the ‘Divine Calamity’ before. So she asked, “What is that? I have never heard of it.”

Lie Qing looked in bewildered at them before she finally said, “You really do not know? How long have I been in suspended animation? No wonder, you can give me the Divine Dragon Pill so freely. If I have the Divine Dragon Pill before I fought with the ‘Divine Calamity’, then I might have translucent to a higher divinity level. I have failed…”

Yi Ping asked her, “Maiden Lie Qing, what exactly is the ‘Divine Calamity’? We really do not know.”

Perhaps she would tell him because she looked like an easy-going person…

Lie Qing sighed, “I cannot tell you.”

Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue were stunned.

Lie Qing smiled weakly, “Don’t be upset. If you ask me what the Divine Calamity is before I have fought with it, then I could tell you. But if I tell you now and prepare you for it, then I would surely die now, at this very instant. Since I cherish my life and I don’t want the both of you to die along with me, let’s not talk about this, alright?”

Yi Ping could tell that she was a kind hearted maiden and he did not want to force her. Therefore he nodded.

Xiao Youxue took a quick glance at Lie Qing suspiciously as she sighed silently, “Yi Ping, you are really too gullible. Can’t you tell that she is only putting on an act? How can you trust anyone so easily in this fraternity? She has the face of an angel but do you really know what really is in her heart?”

Ch21 End

Chapter end