Chapter Fifty-One: The Spirit-Devouring Bats That Blot Out the Sun

Leaving one person at the boundary to recuperate, Liu Junhuai approached the golden skeleton and examined it closely.

Although this person’s physical body had been obliterated, his bones remained untouched and exuded a terrifying killing intent. Clearly, his cultivation before death was extraordinary. Liu Junhuai surmised that even an ordinary cultivator at the Golden Core stage who died here would not have left behind a preserved corpse.

He circled the golden skeleton repeatedly, his eyes emitting twin beams of divine sense, as if trying to discern something from the remains. Yet after prolonged scrutiny, he found no answers. Smiling wryly, he muttered, “I am just a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—why bother with all this? Besides, this cultivator is already dead.”

A voice from the boundary called out, “Brother, you might as well take this golden skeleton with you. Study it at leisure once we return. I have already benefited enough from this senior.”

Liu Junhuai agreed and, with a wave of his hand, stored the golden skeleton in the Tower of Myriad Phenomena.

He began searching the stone chamber, digging three feet deep, yet found nothing of value. Liu Junhuai sighed, “This senior must have been exceedingly poor—he left behind nothing at all.”

The voice at the boundary laughed, “You’re rather greedy! Who knows how many millennia he’s been here—anything left would have long since turned to dust.”

Liu Junhuai could only sigh in resignation, acknowledging the truth.

The man at the boundary stood up and said, “I’ve almost recovered. There’s still that cave rich in spiritual energy we haven’t explored. The mansion will close soon; I think we should head there.”

With that, the two hastened back along the path.

They reached the cave where dense spiritual energy surged outward. As they ventured deeper, the spiritual energy became nearly tangible, a vaporous mist filling the air.

Both Liu Junhuai and his companion grew excited; the richer the spiritual energy, the more likely it was that a spiritual vein lay further within.

Soon they entered an enormous cavern, and were both stunned by its vastness. Neither had expected such a hidden world behind the cave.

The entire space was saturated with vaporized spiritual energy, spilling from a square opening two yards across at the side.

Almost simultaneously, the two rushed to the opening.

Suddenly, a humming sound echoed from within. Instinctively, both retreated, pressing themselves against the cave walls for cover.

The humming grew louder, and a flock of white, bat-like creatures swept out from the opening, their shrill cries piercing straight into the consciousness of the two men.

Liu Junhuai’s heart sank. Soul-devouring bats! He quickly shrouded his aura with divine sense.

His companion also recognized the soul-devouring bats. These demonic bats were highly sensitive to spiritual power and fed upon it—the stronger the fluctuation, the fiercer their attack.

Hundreds of soul-devouring bats streamed from the cave. Though individually weak, their sheer numbers and unique devouring techniques made them nearly unstoppable.

Thanks to Liu Junhuai’s concealed aura, the bats circled above him a few times before flying away.

His companion, however, was already beset by the swarm.

---

His companion unleashed his full strength, wielding the Tiger Shadow Blade to fend off the bats. The blade’s fierce tiger aura tore through the white mist, severing many bats whose bodies fell in pieces to the ground.

But there were simply too many bats. His companion began to tire, and the blade’s movements slowed.

Liu Junhuai grew anxious, drew the Chaos Blade of the Five Elements, and plunged into the fray.

Many bats were slain, yet more surged forward to fill their ranks.

His companion called out, “Brother, there are too many of these beasts. We can’t kill them all! Don’t worry about me, just escape!”

With that, he flung an oval, bronze mirror-shaped artifact into the air. In an instant, it unleashed searing red flames like a blazing sun, engulfing a swarm of bats before Liu Junhuai.

The flames rose, sending acrid, black smoke billowing; the space before Liu Junhuai suddenly cleared.

“Brother, run!” his companion urged.

But Liu Junhuai, inspired, summoned Azhi, who unleashed violet flames into the void.

Instantly, the air became a sea of fire, reducing countless bats to ash and filling the sky with dark dust.

The two seized the opportunity to regroup, their blades pursuing the bats fleeing the flames.

As the dust gradually settled, Liu Junhuai enveloped them both in divine sense, pressing against the cave wall without moving.

Bats continued to pour from the cave, and the area covered by the Lotus Heart Flame expanded.

In less than an hour, Liu Junhuai felt his spiritual power waning as he struggled to maintain the Lotus Heart Flame.

More bats emerged, filling the space beyond the sea of fire with a dense swarm of white bodies.

Reluctantly, Liu Junhuai withdrew Azhi; eight-tenths of his spiritual power had been spent.

Without Azhi’s flames, the blaze weakened, and the white bats took over most of the space.

The oppressive presence of these first-tier demonic beasts weighed heavily on both men.

Neither dared speak—a fluctuation in spiritual power would draw the bats upon them once more.

Frantically searching for a solution, both broke out in cold sweat.

Unable to circulate energy to restore their strength, and with Liu Junhuai unable to reveal the existence of the Tower of Myriad Phenomena, they found themselves in grave peril.

Fortunately, after more than half an hour, the bats, unable to locate their prey, began to retreat back into the cave, leaving the vast space covered in ash.

Once the bats had vanished from the cavern, both men finally relaxed.

Liu Junhuai scanned the cave with his divine sense, signaled to his companion, and the two slowly retreated to the entrance.

After exiting the cave, Liu Junhuai finally let his guard down, quickly sitting cross-legged to recover his spiritual power.

This time, the depletion was so great that he doubted he could recover quickly.

His companion said nothing, focusing on protecting Liu Junhuai.

---

Gradually, the sun passed its zenith, and the closing time for Taifeng Mansion drew near. Their desire to seek the spiritual vein in the cave had faded.

“Will you go to advance your cultivation after leaving?” Liu Junhuai asked, having recovered. “I’m at Shangbao Pavilion in Cloud Valley. If you get the chance, come find me—we can search for treasure together.”

His companion laughed, “Of course. My family lives east of Shangyu City, in the Kingdom of Dawan, on Leshou Mountain. Just look for the Bian family at Leshou Mountain and you’ll find me.” He handed Liu Junhuai several communication jade talismans.

Liu Junhuai nodded, “Your Tiger Shadow Blade is truly formidable—its defense is impenetrable. If I hadn’t had a few escape treasures, I wouldn’t have lasted as long as you.”

His companion chuckled, “If you hadn’t revealed your trump cards, we wouldn’t have gotten out. I just benefited from ancestral skills—the blade technique is a family legacy. But your concealment technique is remarkable; if not for my drag, those beasts would never have found you.”

Liu Junhuai’s eyes brightened at the mention of the concealment technique. He stood up abruptly, “Right, brother, wait here. I’ll explore the cave again. If danger arises, I’ll return immediately.”

His companion tried to stop him, but Liu Junhuai insisted, “With my concealment technique, as long as I don’t let my spiritual energy fluctuate, the soul-devouring bats can’t detect me. Don’t worry.”

Seeing Liu Junhuai’s determination, his companion relented, offering a few more words of caution.

Parting from his companion, Liu Junhuai cloaked his aura with divine sense and moved slowly to the inner cave opening.

He sensed no abnormalities and cautiously entered the cave.

Inside, the space was vast, the ceiling covered with hanging soul-devouring bats—a sea of white.

At the far end, a smaller opening emitted even denser spiritual energy.

Liu Junhuai approached the small opening, probing with divine sense. Inside, a dozen soul-devouring bats of the second and third tiers, many times larger than those outside, hung from the ceiling.

Below them lay a pool shrouded in white mist, the source of the rich spiritual energy.

Liu Junhuai rejoiced, carefully entering the cave.

Finding a protruding rock far from the bats, he crouched low and slowly slipped into the water.

To his surprise, the pool was pure spiritual liquid—the deeper he went, the denser it became. Before reaching the bottom, it was already thick as paste.

Suppressing his excitement, Liu Junhuai summoned the Mountain River Gourd, which, at his command, began to absorb the spiritual liquid.

He brought out every jade vessel he had, frantically filling them, unaware that the disturbance in the water had awakened the bats above.

A piercing screech summoned countless soul-devouring bats, which swarmed into the cave, instantly covering the water’s surface in white.

Thousands of bats shrieked together, sending waves of sonic attacks into the depths.

Liu Junhuai’s sea of consciousness was wracked with agonizing pain; within, the golden sphere and the “Golden Mixing Vessel” spun rapidly, resisting the intrusion.

Enduring the pain, Liu Junhuai swiftly gathered his gourd and jade bottles, desperately casting cutting techniques.

But the sonic attacks grew ever more intense, and his sea of consciousness was on the verge of collapse.