Who Brought Him into the Cultivation World?

Chapter 299: Chapter 245: The Secret of Divine Techniques in the Corpse Refinement Lineage

Now, this black substance is dead set on not making a move against Han Yu anymore.

No matter how Han Yu lures it, the substance remains dormant, eventually too lazy to even move, just lying slumped at the edge of the Great Cauldron. If you didn’t look closely, you’d think the cauldron was simply coated in black paint.

This situation had all the makings of a stalemate.

Han Yu didn’t dare to approach the Great Cauldron to make a move.

The black substance was unwilling to make a futile counterattack.

Are we just going to keep stalling like this?

”At this rate, this thing will wear me out.”

Han Yu’s face darkened. This thing had been here for a millennium and was still lively. How long could he last?

”Or, should we open the barrier and leave?”

The Artifact Spirit hesitantly suggested.

Uh! Han Yu hesitated for a moment, feeling uncertain.

If this setup was indeed the handiwork of the Corpse Refining Lineage, and they went through so much trouble to suppress it, it proves the thing inside the Great Cauldron is extremely troublesome.

If the power suppressing the altar is broken, who knows what might happen then.

”Do you think they went to such lengths to suppress it because they don’t want to destroy what’s inside the Great Cauldron, or because they can’t destroy it?”

Han Yu thought it was crucial to first understand the intentions of those people.

If they simply didn’t want to destroy it, then it might still be manageable.

If the Corpse Refining Lineage cannot destroy it, then it’s hopeless. If such a massive underground force can’t solve the problem, he certainly wouldn’t be arrogant enough to think he’s stronger than the lot of them combined.

Actually, Han Yu leans towards the first scenario. If they could set up such a trapping array and suppress that black substance to this extent, there’s no reason they couldn’t handle it.

”How about freeing us?”

The group of cousins peeked from the outside, and seeing that everything had calmed down, couldn’t help but speak up.

Han Yu waved his hand to open a gap in the Earth Prison, and a few people quickly emerged, bombarding him with questions.

”What exactly is going on?”

The cousin urgently asked. Even though they were trapped, they could see from afar what Han Yu was doing.

Han Yu sighed helplessly and explained the current predicament.

If they can’t resolve the issue of what’s on the altar, no one can leave.

If they destroy the altar, they’ll have to endure unpredictable changes.

The layman toyed with the small copper ring in his hand, ”Do you think putting this thing back will work?”

The group suddenly realized, right! Putting it back might make this large indiscriminate trapping array go dormant again.

After all, this array was ultimately aimed at suppressing the altar; they were just collateral damage after entering, and the suppressive forces weren’t directed at them.

Thinking this, the layman took the copper ring and retraced his steps to the spot where it was first awakened.

The cousin likewise took the copper ring and started searching all over for its original position.

Finally, the layman found a stone pillar at the northern position. Unlike the others, it had not only Tao Patterns but also a small groove just the size of the copper ring.

The cousin also found a similar pillar at the southern position.

After trying to embed the copper ring into it, they hoped it would control the trapping array again.

But the stone pillar with the copper ring showed no reaction. The cousin’s face turned a bit grim. He took out the copper ring and inserted it again, but seeing nothing happen, he shook his head and called out to the layman who was trying in the distance.

”Don’t bother, it’s just a one-time use. They never thought of reusing it.”

The layman, face dark, walked back, muttering, ”What kind of heartless person designed this, making it just a one-off?”

The cousin glanced at Yi Xian and the layman, sighing, ”Maybe the designer never expected this place buried beneath the mountain to be unearthed by you.”

The entrance to the Earth Palace was deep within the mountain, and with over a hundred steps down from the entrance, the Earth Palace’s location was quite deep. Without the collapse exposing it, just excavating would make finding it difficult.

So, in the designer’s mind, there was no consideration for someone discovering the place unplanned.

Thus, there were no measures prepared for such an event, and he even found it strange there wasn’t a single lethal move here.

If explained this way, it all made sense.

”The current trapping array is likely triggered for the day the altar is about to lose control, a backup plan left by those who entered.”

This left the cousin quite worried. Those inadvertently intruding can only wait here for the array’s energy to deplete.

But once the energy depletes, the altar is unsealed, and no one knows what will happen.

If they don’t wait and try to forcefully break through, Han Yu can do it, but it’ll mean prematurely unsealing the altar.

”If the altar is unsealed, can you handle it?”

He asked Han Yu.

”I don’t know, but you definitely won’t be able to handle it.”

Han Yu shook his head. If he were alone, he’d just risk it.

But with a group of people, even if he can escape, what about the others?

So the group retreated back to sit beside the corridor exit to discuss.

”What was it like when the altar wasn’t suppressed?”

The cousin curiously asked Han Yu, given his previous expression implied he wasn’t unfamiliar with such things.

”Sacrifice!”

Han Yu briefly described the altar the Judge had drawn in the void at that time.

The group immediately fell into deep thought, and the layman couldn’t help but curiously ask, ”Sacrificing to whom?”

Right! Since there’s a sacrifice, naturally there should be a recipient.

So upon hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at the black substance.

”Could it be this thing?”

The layman’s mouth twitched, clearly sharing the same thought as everyone else.

”The key question is, what’s to be gained?”

On the mural, there were cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks, ultimately leading to human lives.

”Whatever it is, it’s certainly not about wishing for prosperity or a happy marriage.”

The cousin quipped.

Just then, Coconut raised her hand slightly and began to speak softly.

”I think I know.”

Everyone quickly turned their heads, looking curiously at her.

”Thousands of years ago, when dynasties hadn’t formed, there was a prevalent sacrificial culture among tribes. They would worship their totems, holding ceremonies before every inter-tribal war, praying for the totems to grant them strength.”

”After the war, they would offer the lives of captives to the totems, believing this would make the totems stronger, thus granting them greater power.”

Coconut explained in a clear voice, and everyone exchanged looks.

Worship is common in the mortal realm as well, but it’s generally for things like seeking protection or benefits.

However, sacrificial offerings aimed at strengthening the object of worship were something entirely unheard of.

”So, the sacrifices were meant to nurture this thing, making it stronger?”

The layman incredulously pointed at that blob.

”But what kind of grated power could such an ugly thing offer?”

The cousin was utterly puzzled. If nurturing something was meant for gaining power, what could this thing give?

In Han Yu’s Sea of Consciousness, it felt as if a flash of lightning struck, leaving him paralyzed.

An absurd idea emerged from the depths of his heart.

The Corpse Refining Lineage’s divine technique Corpse King, Ma Zhou, Qi Bai, all possessed powers that weren’t their own.

Qi Bai even mentioned being awakened at ten and spending over a decade in the Valley of Forgetfulness before being taken back to the palace to receive divine techniques.

So, could it be they nurtured divine monstrous entities through sacrifices, made them stronger, and then transplanted them to people?

This thought was overwhelmingly absurd, yet was anything the Corpse Refining Lineage did not absurd?

They could grant divine techniques to a corpse.

They could make people like Qi Bai and Ma Zhou achieve Ascension in One Step, bestowing them with powers that seemed honed over countless years despite never practicing.

”Can divine techniques be amplified through external methods?”

Although the group were not Divine Power Cultivators, they were knowledgeable enough to know that such a notion was unheard of in the Cultivator Realm.

But there is!

Han Yu sighed inwardly, it indeed existed.

Wasn’t he an example himself, his divine techniques were similarly boosted by the feedback from the bottle. If he had to rely on bitter cultivation alone, who knows when he’d manage to acquire his current skills.

With his own example in mind, it wasn’t unimaginable that the Corpse Refining Lineage had their shortcuts and methods. But what costs they had to pay remained unknown.

After all, every Innate Divine Power Cultivator he had encountered had paid a significant price.

But these were secrets he couldn’t reveal, nor could he refute them.

But given everything before him, if his deductions were right, the Corpse Refining Lineage absolutely didn’t want their divine techniques’ secrets exposed.

But by sheer coincidence, he had stumbled upon it.

Truly, life felt more like a tightening noose, pulling him deeper in.