novelraw Chapter 12 : A Dungeon You Can Enter from the Exit Is a Good Dungeon
Chapter 12 : A Dungeon You Can Enter from the Exit Is a Good Dungeon
Chapter 12: A Dungeon You Can Enter from the Exit Is a Good Dungeon
The stone steps were slick, mottled with patches of moss.
The air carried the scent of aged dust and rotting wood, and in the dimness, stalactites could vaguely be seen hanging from the dome above.
Drip!
Water seeped from the stone walls, each drop echoing with a hollow stillness.
Dai Bojun held a torch, trembling as he moved forward, his delicate, androgynous face filled with fear.
Above his head—
followed a miniature white tiger.
The white tiger’s form was illusory, emitting harmless soul flames, flickering in and out of sight in the air.
“Big Sister Bai, th-this… will there really be some secret treasure…”
“I feel like the chance of a vengeful ghost appearing is even higher…”
Dai Bojun’s voice was almost on the verge of tears.
He had originally only been the son of a woodcutter. Even beneath the dirt and grime, his ambiguous beauty could not be concealed.
Not long ago, he had nearly been sold into a male brothel for prostitution.
Just thinking about it now made Dai Bojun shudder with lingering fear.
Fortunately, Big Sister Bai had saved him.
The white tiger soul raised a thick paw and smacked his head.
With a tone of disappointment:
“Look at how spineless you are. With your aptitude, reaching the pinnacle in the future is by no means impossible. Why are you afraid of a few ghosts?”
Dai Bojun wailed upon hearing this: “There really are ghosts?”
“Of course there are. Back then, the monks who built Yideng Temple didn’t understand feng shui and constructed the temple on top of an ancient tomb of a general from a previous dynasty.”
“So the secret treasure is actually burial goods from someone else’s tomb?”
Dai Bojun’s face fell as he turned to run.
“Big Sister Bai, you’ve doomed me… grave robbing is a filthy act that leaves a stench for ten thousand years…”
“What’s there that can’t be done? If treasures have no owner, I shall take them myself! Stop whining like a woman!”
The white tiger suddenly grew larger.
Ferocious and imposing, it dragged the boy back.
Seeing him trembling in fear, it felt a trace of pity.
Its tone softened as it said:
“That abandoned well dug back then leads directly to the tomb chamber. The monks drank from the well water tainted by sinister energy for years, and after death, they all became slaves of the tomb’s master. This trip is not only to obtain treasure, but also to grant those monks release.”
“R-really?”
“Of course it’s true. Bojun, I know you are kind-hearted. Since you have the ability, why not help them?”
“I… I don’t really have any ability… I’m just an ordinary person…”
“This journey is partly to free the monks, and partly to help you step into Qi Absorption.”
“Then what about Senior Sister Cui? I promised to wait for her…”
“Once you truly step into cultivation, not just Canglan Mountain—even the Twelve Orthodox Paths will scramble to take you in.”
In Dai Bojun’s short life so far, he had never experienced a moment without being rejected.
Hearing this, his spirits lifted.
He finally steadied himself and nodded heavily.
And just at that moment—
A withered corpse demon in monk robes, its face hideous, suddenly appeared within the torchlight.
The dried corpse jerked its head, dust falling off with a creak, then let out a shrill roar.
Behind it—
was a half-closed stone door.
From the crack in the door, a stone-carved child peeked out, smiling and beckoning at them.
Under the dim light, it looked especially eerie.
The white tiger said coldly:
“Though I have lost my body, I am still a Sitting in Forgetfulness cultivator—detached from form and knowledge, united with the great Dao. I have permeated this mountain for a long time. Beyond that stone door lies the deepest layer—the general’s tomb. At that time, I will possess you and assist you. There is a fair chance of success. Pull yourself together!”
Dai Bojun’s almond-shaped eyes, as delicate as a woman’s, widened.
Summoning his courage, he rushed forward.
...
...
Meanwhile.
Cui Wenxi, who had leapt into the abandoned well and successfully entered the underground dungeon—
The depth of the dungeon was strangely vast.
At the forked paths lay scattered dried corpses, severed limbs of demons strewn everywhere, and sword marks still seemed to scream from the stone walls.
Cui Wenxi stood with her sword in hand, her breathing not yet steady.
Looking at the scene before her, she fell into confusion once more.
The passage ahead was again filled with dried corpses and scattered demon remains.
Judging by the sword wounds—
it was clearly the very path she had just cleared not long ago.
“How did I circle back again!”
Cui Wenxi stomped her foot in frustration, her flowing sleeves and ribbons fluttering.
Though she was a Sitting in Forgetfulness cultivator, her perception and intuition far surpassed ordinary people.
Yet the branching paths within this underground cavern were absurdly numerous, and its construction contained large amounts of artificially made materials that blocked spiritual perception, causing her to wander in circles several times.
Cui Wenxi felt anxious, worried about Dai Bojun’s situation.
But at the same time,
deep in her heart, she strangely wished to remain alone in the cavern a little longer.
She wanted to avoid her junior sister’s clear and innocent gaze.
Even more, she wanted to avoid that strange Corpse Refinement Path.
That man named Fang Chang had a pair of deep, shadowy eyes. When he looked at people, it felt like two needles piercing into the chest, drilling into the heart—as if he could see through one’s thoughts.
Cui Wenxi lightly bit her soft lips, an indistinct emotion drifting across her face.
The founding sect master of Canglan Mountain was named Cui Wen.
The second-generation sect master, Cui Wangjin.
The third-generation sect master, Cui Ya.
Aside from a few generations in between, up until the current twenty-third generation, all had borne the surname Cui.
If outsiders said that Canglan Mountain was the Cui family’s domain,
few would refute it.
And the Cui family likely took pleasure in that notion.
Now, with the true disciple selection approaching, it concerned the matter of succession.
Junior Sister Cheng Hua had entered the sect most recently. She was an orphan picked up from the mortal world by her master.
Yet her aptitude was exceptional, her Dao Heart clear and pure, and her progress extremely fast.
Even among the Cui clan cultivators, she was the strongest contender—without equal.
And she, Cui Wenxi, also bore the surname Cui.
Yet at times, she had no choice but to do despicable and underhanded things for the sake of the Cui family.
“……”
Suddenly—
From the sachet at her waist, a wisp of sandalwood fragrance slowly drifted out.
With her mind in turmoil, Cui Wenxi inhaled it unknowingly.
Her entire body trembled, and when she looked ahead again—
the passage was gone, replaced by a brilliantly lit palace hall.
Magnificent pavilions and jade towers, mist swirling, faint melodies of a zither drifting through the air, and silhouettes of immortals moving gracefully.
She even heard someone calling her name, gentle and familiar like an old acquaintance.
The clarity in her eyes gradually became hazy.
Her foot unconsciously stepped forward.
But just as the lights ahead shone brightly—
they suddenly dimmed for a moment.
A withered arm in luxurious monk robes gently rested on her shoulder.
Behind her, silently, a pale face pressed close to her ear, grinning.
...
...
At the narrow end of the cavern.
There were clear signs of artificial excavation here, and above, four slits allowed light to shine through—it was unmistakably the exit path.
Suddenly, a mass of cloud-like qi crashed downward.
The cloud rapidly took shape—
forming a man and a woman embracing as they fell, hitting the ground with a muffled groan.
“Damn… was it that high…”
After being stuck for half an hour, Fang Chang’s internal organs were shaken badly from the fall, almost causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Cheng Hua’s delicate figure collided into his arms along with gravity.
Even through their clothes, the warmth of her skin could be felt.
The fullness and softness of her body made one’s mind tremble.
In the darkness, her face could not be seen clearly.
But a faint fragrance drifted into his nose, light and elegant like orchids.
Cheng Hua got up with a cold expression, but as she pushed herself off the ground, her hand slipped slightly. Her body tilted forward, pressing even closer against Fang Chang.
This time, she was firmly pressed against his chest, her waist tightly encircled by his arm.
There was little fluctuation in Cheng Hua’s eyes.
Their gazes met.
Their noses were almost touching, and even their heartbeats seemed to beat together.
“……”
Fang Chang’s pained expression turned into a smile—he knew what this was—
—A staring contest.
“Grrrk, grrk, grrk, grrk, grrk——”
The stalemate lasted for a moment.
From the coffin behind Fang Chang came the sound of fingernails scraping against the lid, filled with an inexplicable resentment.
Only then did Cheng Hua push him away and stand up calmly.
As if nothing had happened.
Fang Chang didn’t mind either, dusting off his clothes.
Turning his head, he easily spotted a stone chamber not far behind them.
Around the chamber were piled decayed porcelain, scroll paintings, and precious mortal treasures.
The most eye-catching object—
was a square bronze cauldron at the very center.
The cauldron stood half a person tall, intricately carved with hollow patterns.
It was filled to the brim, with radiant light shining through its gaps.
“Hehehehe… came without any effort at all.”