Floating life reflects two lotuses

Deep within the Taoist temple, the three pushed open a heavy wooden door. The air inside was thick with a musty, musty smell, and the dim light of an oil lamp flickered, illuminating the faint patterns on the walls. Xiao Jinlian stepped inside first, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. She had a strange premonition that this place held a crucial clue.

"Look here!" Silan's voice came from the left. The lamp in her hand shone on a wide wall, which was densely covered with intricate runes and patterns. Li Heng and Xiao Jinlian stepped forward together, their eyes focusing on the lines.

“These runes… are very similar to those we’ve seen on fragments of ancient artifacts.” Xiao Jinlian gently ran her fingertips along the wall. The cool, rough texture confirmed to her that these were not modern forgeries, but rather remnants of ancient ruins.

Li Heng stood behind her, glancing around warily: "It's too quiet here, be careful of an ambush."

Xiao Jinlian nodded, her gaze returning to the mural. She continued observing the runes, discovering that some patterns formed a structure resembling an array. At the center was a massive, ancient, and solemn building, surrounded by winding streams and majestic mountains.

“This is… the Secret Ground for Offering Spirits!” Xiao Jinlian said in a low voice, her voice tinged with excitement.

Silan leaned closer to the mural, carefully observing the intricate symbols and patterns. Pointing to a spot, she said, "Miss, this mentions 'gathering of spiritual energy,' which seems to describe the core area of ​​energy." Her finger slowly moved to a building in the center of the mural. "And this building is very likely the legendary 'Secret Ground for Offering Spirits.'"

Li Heng frowned slightly, his tone steady yet tinged with doubt: "Wasn't the Spirit Offering Secret Ground already lost to history? Why are these runes here?"

Silan lowered her gaze, her voice low and clear: "Perhaps the founders of this Taoist temple knew some secrets. They not only knew of the existence of the Spirit Offering Secret Ground, but also hid information related to it in these runes. Perhaps they were trying to protect it, or perhaps they wanted to hide some more dangerous truth."

"What exactly are these runes conveying?" Xiao Jinlian took a step closer, her gaze fixed on the mural, a complex light flickering in her eyes.

Silan pointed to a crack in the corner of the mural, her expression serious: "According to the description in the mural, the Spirit Offering Secret Land is not only a place where spiritual energy gathers, but also the source of a certain power. It mentions 'the destruction of two spirits'—meaning that if a certain soul energy cannot maintain balance, the power of the entire Spirit Offering Secret Land will go out of control, and may even bring about destruction."

These words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving the three speechless for a moment. Li Heng pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "What...do you mean by this loss of control?"

Silan slowly shook her head: "The mural doesn't provide a detailed explanation. But what is certain is that this is not just a release of power; it may also be accompanied by unimaginable dangers, or even widespread destruction."

Xiao Jinlian's eyes flickered slightly. She slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips resting on a slightly protruding stone brick on the mural: "Perhaps, we can find the answer." She took a deep breath and pressed down hard.

"Click——"

A deep thud came from the wall, and a crack slowly appeared in the center of the mural. As the stone moved, a hidden small stone door gradually appeared, revealing a dark stone chamber behind it.

A faint chill emanated from the stone chamber, as if whispering some long-hidden secret. Xiao Jinlian glanced at Silan, her voice low but firm: "Go in and see, the truth may lie here."

The three entered the stone chamber and found a small altar inside. In the center of the altar was a stone slab engraved with runes, on which were placed several fragments of ancient artifacts, almost identical to those they had found before.

“These fragments…” Xiao Jinlian stepped forward to examine them carefully, confirming that they were indeed related to the Spirit Offering Secret Ground. She said softly, “These runes mention a ‘power of balance’—only by mastering this power can the curse of the Spirit Offering Secret Ground be stopped from spreading.”

Li Heng stood behind her, frowning, and asked, "If these things are so important, why are they left here?"

Silan looked around and said in a low voice, "Perhaps it's to protect them from being misused. Or... because someone wants us to find them."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinlian's heart skipped a beat. She turned to look in the direction of the mural, and a blurry image appeared in her mind—it seemed that someone was guiding her step by step closer to the truth.

Just as the three were about to leave the stone chamber, they heard faint footsteps outside. Li Heng immediately drew his sword and warned in a low voice, "Someone's coming."

Xiao Jinlian quickly put the stone slab and fragments into her backpack and gave Silan a wink. Silan understood and immediately blew out the lamp in her hand, concealing the three of them in the darkness.

The footsteps outside the door grew closer, accompanied by hushed conversation: "Hurry up, those people are nearby."

Xiao Jinlian held her breath, a chill running through her: It was Consort Yan's man.

A faint light shone through the crack in the door, vaguely illuminating several walls inside the stone chamber. Xiao Jinlian quietly approached Li Heng and whispered, "Don't make any rash moves; they don't know we're here yet."

However, Silan suddenly grabbed her wrist, her voice urgent: "Miss, they have weapons, what should we do?"

Li Heng calmly replied, "If we are discovered, I will cover you; you guys go first."

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment, then her gaze became firm: "No, we'll leave together."

Just as the other party was about to push open the door of the stone chamber, a deep bell tolled from afar, shaking the entire Taoist temple. Yan Fei's subordinates were clearly startled by the sound, their movements faltering as they quickly sheathed their weapons and left under low curses.