frightfiction Chapter 368 Dragon Veins
Chapter 368 Dragon Veins
In the Jingxin Garden, the flickering candlelight illuminated the solemn faces of Hu Qing and Gu Yang.
The two of them slowly closed the yellowed volume of "Burning Secret" in their hands, looked at each other, and saw a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.
"The energy of dragon veins is already rare, not to mention this Ziwei fate..." Hu Qing sighed, his fingertips gently stroking the edge of the scroll, feeling the rough texture.
Gu Yang shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It seems that this technique is destined to be out of our reach."
The Sword God leaned against the window, the moonlight shining on his silver hair, making him look particularly cold.
Seeing the two of them looking lost, he raised his hand and pointed at the first half of "Burning Technique" and said lightly:
"You don't need to fully comprehend it. The first half of the spiritual energy operation method will still be beneficial to your practice."
Upon hearing this, Hu Qing and Gu Yang opened the scroll again and read the first half carefully.
Sure enough, the way spiritual power operated recorded in it was very different from what they had learned before. Although it was obscure and difficult to understand, it faintly revealed a sense of mystery.
"Try it?" Gu Yang raised his eyebrows and looked at Hu Qing.
"Let's give it a try. It's already in our hands. It would be a waste not to learn." Hu Qing nodded, then sat cross-legged, palms facing up, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Gu Yang said no more and also sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly guiding the flow of spiritual energy in his body according to the "Burning Technique".
The Sword God stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the two of them calmly, occasionally speaking out a few instructions.
Time passed quietly like flowing water, the night outside the window gradually faded, and a hint of dawn appeared in the east.
"Boom, boom."
A crisp knock on the door broke the silence of Jingxin Garden.
Hu Qing and Gu Yang opened their eyes at the same time, with beads of sweat already oozing from their foreheads.
The two looked at each other, and both saw a bit of fatigue in each other's eyes.
"This 'Burning Technique' seems simple, but when it is actually put into practice, it is as elusive as looking at flowers in the fog." Hu Qing rubbed his swollen temples, shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Gu Yang also sighed: "There has been no progress at all this night."
The Sword God rubbed his sore eyes and said calmly, "Practice is not something that can be achieved in a day. Let's go, Sanqi is here, I think he will take us to see Zhou Li."
Hu Qing and Gu Yang stood up and simply straightened their clothes.
As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw Xiao Zi lying on his back by the pool, with his dragon tail drooping in the water. He was sleeping soundly with a trace of crystal saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"This guy..." Hu Qing smiled helplessly, walked forward and grabbed Xiao Zi by the scruff of the neck.
"Oh?" Xiao Zi opened his eyes in a daze, his dragon whiskers trembled, and he looked around in a daze, with a small fish in his claws.
Sanqi stood at the gate of the courtyard. Seeing everyone coming out, she bowed slightly and said, "My Lords, His Majesty is waiting in the hall. Please follow me."
Gu Yang nodded, threw Xiao Zi onto his shoulder, and the group followed Sanqi towards the palace.
Inside the palace hall, the morning light shines through the carved window lattices, reflecting on the gilded tableware, refracting a fine halo of light.
Zhou Li sat at the main seat, with a long table in front of him filled with various delicacies:
Crystal clear meat dumplings, golden and crispy rice noodles, steaming bird's nest porridge, and several plates of exotic fruits that Hu Qing had never seen before, exuding a sweet aroma.
"There's no rush for dynasty deductions. Everyone, please enjoy these breakfasts first."
Zhou Li smiled warmly and raised his hand to indicate, "The preserved fruits from Nanling, the snow lotus soup from the North, and the seafood porridge from the East China Sea were all specially prepared by me."
The Sword God nodded slightly, picked up a piece of emerald-colored pastry and tasted it briefly.
Seeing this, Hu Qing and Gu Yang were no longer restrained.
Xiao Zi even pounced directly in front of a plate of barbecue, grabbed the whole piece with his dragon claws and stuffed it into his mouth, with oil dripping from the corners of his mouth onto the brocade tablecloth.
Zhou Li's gaze wandered among the crowd and finally landed on the Sword God.
"Sir, is your comprehension of the Burning Technique going smoothly?"
The Sword God put down the teacup, and the porcelain clinked against the sandalwood tabletop, making a crisp sound. "It hasn't started yet."
The smile on Zhou Li's face froze, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the wine glass.
Just as he was about to speak, the Sword God stood up, his white sleeves drawing a neat arc in the morning light.
"Now that we're done with our meal, take us to the Dragon Vein." The Sword God's tone left no room for doubt. "After the deduction is complete, we have other important matters to attend to."
Zhou Li's Adam's apple rolled, and in the end he just sighed deeply.
He clapped his hands, and the servants immediately came forward quietly to clear the tableware.
After passing through numerous palace gates, everyone arrived at the underground entrance to the deepest part of the palace.
The bluestone steps meander downwards, and the luminous pearls on both sides emit a cold light.
At the end, a huge black iron door engraved with runes stood in front of everyone, and a hint of cold air seeped out from the gap of the door.
Zhou Li took out a gilded key from his bosom and inserted it into the keyhole. The clicking sound of the mechanism turning was particularly clear in the silent tunnel.
"boom--"
The moment the iron gate opened, a biting cold wind carrying an ancient atmosphere blew in our faces.
Hu Qing couldn't help but shudder. He saw the bottomless darkness behind the door, like a huge mouth ready to devour anyone.
All of Xiao Zi's scales exploded, its dragon tail tightly wrapped around Hu Qing's arm, and its dragon head rested on Gu Yang's shoulder, trembling.
The Sword God had already stepped in, and his figure was swallowed by the darkness in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Li followed closely behind, holding the night pearl.
Hu Qing and Gu Yang looked at each other and followed him reluctantly.
In the darkness, only the sound of people's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.
I don’t know how long I walked, but suddenly a faint blue light appeared in front of me.
As the distance shortened, the light grew brighter and brighter, and finally—
A massive underground cave appeared before everyone. Countless glittering stalactites dangled from the ceiling, and the ground was covered in interwoven golden lines that flowed slowly like living things.
In the center of the cave, a brilliant golden beam of light shot up into the sky, and a dragon-shaped shadow could be vaguely seen swimming in the beam of light.
"This is..." Gu Yang held his breath.
"This is the dragon vein of the Great Zhou Dynasty," Zhou Li's voice resonated strangely in the cave, "the place where the dynasty's destiny lies."
The golden beam of light rising into the sky was reflected in the pupils of Hu Qing and Gu Yang, and their throats rolled unconsciously.
The spiritual energy here is so dense that it almost condenses into substance. With every breath, it seems as if countless tiny spiritual streams penetrate into the meridians, making all the pores in the body relax.
"The concentration of spiritual energy..." Gu Yang clenched his fist, feeling the spiritual energy boiling in his body, "It's at least three times that of the outside world."
Zhou Li held the night pearl in his hand and led the Sword God forward.
The golden lines on the cave floor flickered slightly with the footsteps of the crowd, as if some ancient formation was breathing.
Xiao Zi huddled on Hu Qing's shoulder, Longyan looked around vigilantly, and his scales occasionally emitted a layer of purple light.
As we walked, tombs built of bluestone gradually appeared on both sides of the road.
These tombs are arranged in an orderly manner, and in front of each tomb stands an obsidian stele, the inscriptions on the stele glowing dimly under the light of the dragon vein.
Gu Yang paused, a chill running down his back. "Isn't this a dragon vein? How could there be..."