"Perception Secret Technique?"
Bao Siyan's expression changed slightly.
For someone like Wei Tu, a seasoned cultivator in the immortal realm, it was impossible for him not to possess a perception technique.
Thus, the perception technique that Wei Tu was asking her for was clearly not an ordinary one. It was a perception technique of the third stage or higher.
However, such a perception technique could be considered a core secret skill for Golden Core True Monarchs.
But given their current situation, with mutual interests at stake, Bao Siyan couldn't be too concerned about this. If they couldn't find the demonic cultivators' traces, she might end up like her late husband, perishing in this place.
Bao Siyan hesitated for a moment, then took out a blank jade slip. After imprinting it with her divine sense, she handed it to Wei Tu with her spiritual energy and said, "I'll trust you this time, Wei Daoist."
After all, she had chosen Wei Tu initially because he had recently broken through to a higher cultivation stage, his overall strength was still relatively weak, and he could be easily manipulated.
Now that Wei Tu didn't understand high-level perception techniques, she could only attribute this to herself.
"Thousand Woods Tracking Technique." Wei Tu took the jade slip and paused for a moment. The technique in the jade slip was almost identical to the three core techniques of the "Divine Wood Origin Technique" and followed the same principle.
"As I expected, the 'Divine Wood Origin Technique' has more than just the three main techniques. There are other secret techniques as well," Wei Tu thought silently.
However, this was not the time for Wei Tu to question Bao Siyan about deceiving him. He gathered his focus and began to fully analyze the "Thousand Woods Tracking Technique."
Fortunately, the "Thousand Woods Tracking Technique" was an auxiliary skill of the "Divine Wood Origin Technique," and he didn't waste much effort before mastering the technique.
Half a day later, Wei Tu sat cross-legged, opening his mind to sense the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth's location.
Soon, a thick green light enveloped his body. The green light turned into countless rays that spread out in all directions.
The edges of the underground cavity and the area beneath the ground were all bathed in this green light.
—Cultivators' divine sense is limited, but perception techniques, aided by spiritual energy, can enhance the range and accuracy of their divine sense.
After a while, Wei Tu, with his divine sense enveloped by the green light, touched a formation barrier deep beneath the underground cavity.
However—
To his surprise, there were no traces of the demonic cultivators or the exact location of the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth inside the formation barrier.
"Very close." Wei Tu wasn't convinced. He retracted the green light and concentrated all his power to strike toward the location of the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth.
In that instant, Wei Tu clearly sensed the position of the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth.
However, unexpectedly, the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth was outside the formation barrier, not inside it as Wei Tu had originally deduced.
—If the Seven-Colored Phantom Moth was outside the formation barrier, logically, he should have sensed its location as soon as he arrived at the tomb entrance, without having to wait for Bao Siyan to open the tomb entrance and break the formation barrier.
Due to limited perspective, Wei Tu found it difficult to understand the situation immediately.
After some thought, Wei Tu shared this discovery with Bao Siyan, seeking her input.
"There should be two layers of formation barriers. The tomb is the first layer, and below, there is another layer," Bao Siyan concluded.
"These two layers of formation barriers are interwoven. It's like two bubbles on the surface of water sticking together. When I opened the tomb entrance with the formation, the second layer of the formation also broke," she added.
At this point, Bao Siyan's expression shifted to one of excitement.
The presence of a second layer of formation barriers meant that there was another "secret place" that she and Wei Tu had not reached yet.
"Could this other secret place be Venerable Master Shentu's secluded cultivation cave, the place where he entered his final closed-door meditation?" Wei Tu casually asked.
After all, inside the gray stone hall, neither he nor Bao Siyan had found Venerable Master Shentu's remains.
According to the murals in the tomb, Venerable Master Shentu had constructed this tomb as a place of inheritance for the Fire Essence Sect's cultivators, as well as his own final resting place.
"It's unlikely." Bao Siyan shook her head. "Venerable Master Shentu didn't need to set up two layers of formation barriers. After all, this tomb is where Venerable Master Shentu passed on his inheritance to the Fire Essence Sect cultivators."
"I'm more inclined to think it's a tomb within a tomb."
She spoke in a low voice.
A tomb within a tomb?
Upon hearing this hypothesis, Wei Tu thought for a moment and felt it was quite reasonable.
Before entering the tomb, he had suspected whether there was another hidden entrance inside, which allowed those demonic cultivators to enter.
But the current situation was that this tomb had been explored by Bao Siyan and her husband for over two hundred years, and no one had entered since.
The demonic cultivators must have been accidentally trapped in the "tomb" beneath the tomb... Over forty years later, when he and Bao Siyan arrived, those demonic cultivators took advantage of the formation barrier opening to send out a distress signal, bringing in an unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator.
"Perhaps," Bao Siyan analyzed, "when Venerable Master Shentu built this tomb, it was to monopolize the opportunities hidden beneath it."
The two of them exchanged thoughts, one sentence after another, roughly piecing together the hidden secrets of the tomb.
However, after their analysis, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan exchanged a glance and fell silent.
At this moment, a Golden Core demonic cultivator was about to break in. Based on the strength of the foundation-building cultivators they had encountered, the Golden Core demonic cultivator's strength could not be underestimated, likely at least mid-Golden Core or higher.
And there was more than one of them.
"The formation in the hall should be able to hold them off for a while," Wei Tu spoke first.
He was self-aware enough to understand how dangerous it would be for him to face a mid-Golden Core cultivator with his current strength.
"The tomb's exit is sealed. If we want to escape, we'll have to head deeper into the 'secret place' beneath the tomb. The foundation-building demonic cultivators are trapped here, but that doesn't mean you and I will be."
He proposed a concrete plan.
Bao Siyan nodded in agreement.
...
But next, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan didn't rush to search for the passage leading into the other secret place. Instead, their attention turned to the seven jade boxes on the storage rack.
These seven jade boxes were Venerable Master Shentu's lifelong treasures, worth far more than ordinary items.
Even in their haste, they decided to take their time for this.
Bao Siyan flicked her sleeve and opened the seven jade boxes.
Upon seeing the treasures inside, both Wei Tu and Bao Siyan relaxed, their previously tensed minds now at ease.
In the first three boxes, there were jade slips, while the remaining four contained rare and unique treasures.
These treasures included a jade hairpin, a white jade rhinoceros horn, a plate of sandalwood incense, and a green pill bottle.
Earlier, they had discussed the distribution of treasures based on their value, but dividing seven items between two people could lead to complications and potential conflicts.
The three jade slips could be copied and shared, while the remaining four items would be split between them, two for each.
Bao Siyan didn't see much value in the four treasures, so she smiled and decided to offer a concession, "Last time, I selected the disciplinary ruler, so this time, Wei Daoist can choose first."
"Me first?" Wei Tu was surprised by this, but he didn't hesitate. He didn't refuse the opportunity.
After a moment of thought, he waved his sleeve and casually placed the "jade hairpin" and "green pill bottle" into his bag.
The "white jade rhinoceros horn" and "sandalwood incense" were clearly rare spiritual materials from Venerable Master Shentu's collection.
As for the "jade hairpin," it was obviously a weapon for attack.
What Wei Tu lacked at the moment was an offensive weapon at the mid-Golden Core level. The "Demonic Buddha Bell" was too passive for his needs.
The green pill bottle... it was difficult for Wei Tu to guess what was inside, but since it looked intact, it was likely a valuable item.
Next, Bao Siyan took the remaining "white jade rhinoceros horn" and "sandalwood incense" into her hands.
As for the jade slips, Bao Siyan generously copied them and handed the originals back to Wei Tu.
...
After distributing the treasures, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan began to split up, each searching for the secret passage leading to the "secret place."
Both were confident that Venerable Master Shentu had left a hidden passage leading to the "tomb within a tomb" deep in the underground cavity.
However, after searching for a while, they found nothing.
But at this moment—
A massive rumbling sound came from above the underground cavity, shaking the ground and mountains.
Upon hearing the noise, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan, who were standing outside the stone hall, immediately changed expressions, their eyes flashing with anxiety.
From the sounds of the instruments attacking the formation, they could tell that at least three Golden Core cultivators were approaching.
Wei Tu and Bao Siyan, already at the bottom of the Golden Core cultivator ranks, had no way of matching three cultivators of the same level.
At this point, Wei Tu, who had been prepared to risk everything, suddenly noticed that Bao Siyan, standing nearby, was showing signs of indecision, as though struggling with something.
Seeing this, Wei Tu instantly realized that Bao Siyan might have another way to deal with these Golden Core demonic cultivators.
"Bao Daoist," Wei Tu sneered, "At this point, there's no point in hiding anything. If we don't act, we'll really be without a burial place."
With those words, he firmly reminded her.
Bao Siyan's expression firmed as she gritted her teeth, pulling out a jade slip and tossing it toward Wei Tu.
"This is my husband's secret technique 'Know Heaven Crossing.' Back then, he used this perception technique to find the entrance to this tomb."
"'Thousand Wood Tracking Technique' is far inferior to this one. With this technique, Wei Daoist, you might be able to use your Seven-Colored Illusion Moth to find the passage to the secret place," Bao Siyan said through gritted teeth.
"Know Heaven Crossing" was a top-tier perception technique, one that went beyond the standard of the third level. Even at the Nascent Soul stage, it was still considered an exceptional technique.
Had it not been for the current critical situation, where her life was at risk, she would never have so easily handed over such a secret technique.
"Know Heaven Crossing?" Wei Tu sighed inwardly at the audacity of this technique, which even claimed to be able to perceive the "crossing of heaven."
He took the jade slip and began using his divine sense to read and practice the technique.
However, compared to the "Thousand Wood Tracking Technique," "Know Heaven Crossing" was far more cryptic and complex.
After a glance, Wei Tu didn't even understand the essence of the technique.
Seeing this, Bao Siyan pulled out another jade slip, "This is my husband's cultivation experience. Wei Daoist, you should quickly practice it."
With the cultivation experience of Jade Cliff Immortal, Wei Tu could now make some headway with "Know Heaven Crossing."
However, mastering this technique wouldn't be instantaneous. After all, it wasn't like the "Thousand Wood Tracking Technique," which was an auxiliary technique to the "Divine Wood Origin Art."
"The formation in the hall should be able to hold off the demonic cultivators for several months. Wei Daoist, there is no need to rush," Bao Siyan said, although she herself was desperately anxious. She had to calm herself down and try to reassure Wei Tu.
Right now, their only hope for survival rested on Wei Tu.
Though she had also practiced "Know Heaven Crossing," she could not sense Wei Tu's Seven-Colored Illusion Moth. Searching for the "secret passage" was like groping in the dark for her, requiring profound skill to pinpoint the location of the "secret passage" left by Venerable Master Shentu.
In terms of cultivation, although Wei Tu didn't have an outstanding natural talent, his brain's golden-purple fate made him far more gifted than an ordinary cultivator.
Additionally, perception techniques were based on a cultivator's divine sense.
Cultivators with strong divine sense would find it much easier to master perception techniques.
As a talisman master, Wei Tu had enough confidence in his divine sense. His divine sense was as strong as that of a mid-Golden Core cultivator.
Time passed slowly.
The booming sounds from the outside grew louder, but Wei Tu remained calm, his mind as still as water.
One day, two days...
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a layer of dark, misty light appeared around Wei Tu. This dark light spread rapidly, like a drop of ink diffusing in a lake, reaching a distance of one li, then ten li, then a hundred li.
The gray stone hall, which had previously obstructed Wei Tu's divine sense, was now easily penetrated by his divine sense, which, under the protection of the dark light, touched every corner of the underground area.
Wei Tu manipulated the dark light, heading toward the location of the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth.
When the dark light touched the formation's barrier, it should have been bounced back.
However, Wei Tu suddenly felt his divine sense, wrapped in the dark light, penetrate the formation's barrier, allowing him to issue commands to the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth.
Wei Tu manipulated the restrictions in the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth's mind, commanding it to search for the passage to the secret place.
If Bao Siyan, relying on "Know Heaven Crossing," was like a blind person trying to feel an elephant, then now, with the guidance of the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth, Wei Tu had a clear set of eyes to see "that door."
"We found it!" After several hours, Wei Tu's eyes lit up with joy. He shouted toward Bao Siyan and immediately took flight toward the gray stone hall.
Upon arriving at the gray stone hall, Wei Tu went to the supply table where the "Sword Holding Daoist" painting had been hanging, waved his sleeve, and directed several waves of spiritual energy into a specific point on the wall.
With the infusion of the spiritual energy, the wall emitted a radiant five-colored glow, flickering and shrinking in a rhythmic pattern.
In the next moment, the wall vanished.
A stone door, about ten feet wide, appeared in its place.
"Is this the passage Venerable Master Shentu used to enter the secret place? He nearly tricked me into missing it," Bao Siyan exclaimed in surprise. She had previously attempted to find the secret passage here but had found nothing.