Chapter 60: Conflict in the ShadowsThe Hidden Chamber
The underground chamber was silent.
Han Feng stood behind one of the ancient stone pillars, his aura completely concealed beneath the Art of the Celestial Veil.
Across the chamber, the three cultivators of the Celestial Corpse Sect stood before the floating black urn.
The gray-haired cultivator who had led the group stared at it with greed hidden beneath his calm expression.
"So this is what the records were referring to..."
The younger cultivator stepped closer.
"Senior Brother, should we report this to the Sect?"
The gray-haired man shook his head.
"Not yet."
His eyes remained fixed on the urn.
"If the information is correct, whatever is inside this vessel may be connected to the Resonance Scripture."
The third cultivator, the broad-shouldered man carrying the black coffin, frowned.
"The Resonance Scripture?"
The gray-haired man nodded.
"An ancient record left by the owner of this refuge."
He glanced toward the walls.
"According to the fragments we recovered, the scripture described a method for identifying ancient resonance points."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed from his hiding place.
Resonance points.
Again.
The same concept had followed him from the Southern Region.
The black urn suddenly pulsed.
Boom.
A faint vibration spread through the chamber.
Han Feng immediately felt his Celestial Diagram react.
One pulse.
Then silence.
His expression became serious.
It's connected.
But connected to what?
The Resonance-Anchor?
The six ancient nodes?
Or something even older?
Han Feng did not move.
The Celestial Corpse Sect had unknowingly brought him to another piece of the same puzzle.
He could let them investigate.
That was safer.
Unfortunately, the gray-haired cultivator had other plans.
"Open it."
The broad-shouldered man hesitated.
"Are you sure?"
"Do it."
The man placed his hand on the black coffin.
The lid shifted slightly.
A corpse-like aura immediately leaked into the chamber.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
They're going to use a corpse to test the urn.
The coffin opened.
A pale corpse slowly sat upright.
Its eyes were completely white.
The gray-haired cultivator pointed toward the urn.
"Send it."
The corpse moved.
It crossed the chamber in a blur.
The moment its hand touched the black urn—
BOOM!
A violent spiritual shockwave exploded outward.
The corpse was thrown across the chamber.
The black urn remained completely still.
The three cultivators stared.
The gray-haired man's expression changed.
"Impossible..."
The urn had not even moved.
The Hidden Mechanism
Han Feng looked toward the mural behind the cultivators.
The six-point symbol was still faintly visible.
He remembered the formation he had activated earlier.
Then he noticed something.
The six points were not connected directly to the urn.
They were connected to the floor.
The urn isn't the source.
His eyes narrowed.
It's a seal.
A sudden realization struck him.
The refuge wasn't protecting a treasure.
It was protecting something inside the urn.
The gray-haired cultivator apparently reached the same conclusion.
"Destroy the restraints."
The younger cultivator hesitated.
"Senior Brother, the records never said—"
"I gave you an order."
The cultivator formed a series of hand seals.
Several corpse-refinement Gu emerged.
Dark mist gathered around the floor.
Han Feng sighed silently.
Idiots.
If they damaged the formation without understanding it, the consequences would not be limited to them.
But Han Feng had no intention of dying alongside them.
He stepped out of the shadows.
"I wouldn't do that."
All three cultivators turned.
The gray-haired man's pupils contracted.
"Who are you?"
Han Feng stood several meters away.
His white hair fell across his shoulders.
Purple eyes reflected the faint light of the formation.
"Someone who knows when not to break an ancient seal."
The younger cultivator immediately reached for his Gu.
The gray-haired man raised one hand.
"Wait."
He studied Han Feng carefully.
"You followed us."
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"You found the entrance."
"I found the reason to enter it."
The gray-haired cultivator's expression darkened.
"You want the urn."
"No."
Han Feng looked at it.
"I want to know why it reacts to me."
Silence.
The three cultivators exchanged glances.
The gray-haired man finally understood.
"You..."
His eyes narrowed.
"You're the source of the resonance."
Han Feng's expression did not change.
But inside his consciousness, the Celestial Diagram pulsed once.
That was enough.
The gray-haired man smiled.
"Interesting."
Conflict in the Shadows
"You've just made a mistake," he said.
Han Feng's eyes became cold.
"I make very few."
The gray-haired man suddenly waved his hand.
"Kill him."
The two cultivators attacked.
The broad-shouldered man released the corpse from his coffin.
At the same time, the younger cultivator sent several dark needles toward Han Feng.
Han Feng moved.
The first needle passed beside his cheek.
The second struck his sleeve.
The third—
Han Feng twisted his body.
It missed by a fraction.
He immediately vanished beneath the Celestial Veil.
The three cultivators lost sight of him.
"Where did he go?"
The broad-shouldered man turned.
Too late.
Han Feng appeared behind him.
A strand of spiritual energy shot from his hand.
The Dual Chaos Larva reacted.
The energy split into several thin threads.
They wrapped around the corpse's arms and legs.
The corpse struggled.
The threads tightened.
But they did not destroy it.
Han Feng frowned.
Its body is tougher than expected.
He changed tactics.
Instead of trying to overpower the corpse, he redirected its movement.
The creature stumbled sideways.
Its fist slammed into the stone wall.
Boom!
The impact shook the chamber.
Han Feng used the opening.
The Celestial Dark Flame erupted from his palm.
A concentrated blade of black fire struck the corpse's shoulder.
The corpse was thrown backward.
It crashed against the wall.
The broad-shouldered cultivator stared in shock.
"You—!"
Han Feng did not give him time to recover.
He kicked a loose stone into the air.
The stone struck one of the formation nodes.
A pulse of spiritual energy spread across the chamber.
The ancient formation activated.
The corpse froze.
Han Feng's eyes sharpened.
So that's how it works.
He had not destroyed the formation.
He had turned it against the intruders.
The Price of Greed
The younger cultivator attacked again.
Dark blades formed around his body.
Han Feng raised his hand.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu activated.
The energy within the incoming attack changed slightly.
Not enough to absorb it.
Just enough to destabilize its structure.
The blades lost cohesion.
Han Feng stepped through the gap.
His elbow struck the cultivator's chest.
Bang!
The man was thrown backward.
He crashed against the wall and fell to one knee.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Han Feng turned toward the gray-haired cultivator.
The man's expression was no longer arrogant.
It was cautious.
"You are only Rank 3..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Yet you fight like this."
Han Feng said nothing.
The gray-haired man suddenly took out a black bone talisman.
A terrifying corpse aura filled the chamber.
Han Feng's expression changed.
That's not ordinary Gu energy.
The talisman shattered.
A giant spectral corpse appeared behind the cultivator.
Its body was covered in dark chains.
Its mouth opened.
A roar shook the chamber.
Han Feng immediately retreated.
The spectral corpse struck.
He raised a wall of Celestial Dark Flame.
BOOM!
The flames exploded.
Han Feng was thrown backward.
His shoulder struck the ground.
Pain spread through his body.
He rolled aside just as another attack smashed the place where he had fallen.
Too strong to confront directly.
Han Feng's mind raced.
Then his gaze fell on the black urn.
An idea formed.
Dangerous.
But possible.
The Black Urn
Han Feng suddenly stopped retreating.
The gray-haired cultivator smiled.
"Finally realized the difference in strength?"
Han Feng ignored him.
He looked at the urn.
Then at the six-point formation beneath it.
The Celestial Diagram pulsed.
Han Feng understood.
The formation wasn't protecting the urn from outside energy.
It was suppressing the energy inside it.
If he disrupted one of the points—
The suppression would weaken.
But only briefly.
Han Feng formed a seal.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu activated.
His Qi flowed into the formation.
The six-point pattern immediately reacted.
The gray-haired cultivator's expression changed.
"What are you doing?"
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"Making sure you don't get what you came for."
He struck the nearest formation point.
Crack!
A portion of the formation collapsed.
The black urn shook violently.
A pulse of darkness exploded outward.
The spectral corpse behind the gray-haired cultivator was struck first.
Its body twisted.
The gray-haired cultivator's face changed.
"Stop!"
Han Feng struck a second point.
Boom!
The entire chamber trembled.
The black urn began to crack.
Not open.
Just crack.
A thin black light emerged through the fracture.
Han Feng immediately stopped.
That's enough.
He had confirmed his suspicion.
Something inside the urn was reacting to the resonance.
He did not need to release it.
The Celestial Corpse Sect's Warning
The gray-haired cultivator roared.
"You'll die for this!"
He attacked with everything he had.
Han Feng barely dodged.
A sharp force grazed his side.
Blood appeared on his tunic.
He gritted his teeth.
The opponent was stronger.
But the chamber was no longer stable.
Han Feng activated the Art of the Celestial Veil.
His aura disappeared.
The gray-haired cultivator lost track of him.
"Where are you?!"
Han Feng moved behind him.
The Celestial Dark Flame gathered around his hand.
But he did not strike the cultivator's chest.
Instead—
He struck the stone beneath his feet.
BOOM!
The floor collapsed.
The gray-haired cultivator lost his balance.
The formation surged.
A powerful spiritual force slammed into him.
He screamed.
Han Feng seized the opportunity and sent a concentrated blast of black flame into his chest.
The cultivator was thrown across the chamber.
He crashed into the wall.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He remained conscious.
But he could no longer stand.
Han Feng approached slowly.
The younger cultivator tried to reach for his weapon.
Han Feng's gaze turned cold.
"Don't."
The cultivator froze.
Han Feng looked at the three men.
"I don't need to kill you."
The gray-haired man laughed weakly.
"You think this ends here?"
"No."
Han Feng's expression remained calm.
"I know it doesn't."
He turned toward the black urn.
"Tell your sect that the refuge was already damaged."
The gray-haired man's eyes widened.
Han Feng continued.
"And tell them nothing was taken."
A brief silence followed.
The cultivator understood.
Han Feng wasn't merely threatening them.
He was giving them a reason to report an incomplete failure instead of immediately launching a full investigation.
That was more useful to him.
The gray-haired man slowly wiped the blood from his mouth.
"You think the Celestial Corpse Sect will believe you?"
Han Feng looked back.
"They don't need to."
His eyes became cold.
"They only need to become uncertain about what happened."
With that, Han Feng turned away.
The Unopened Treasure
The chamber fell silent.
Han Feng approached the black urn.
He did not touch it immediately.
He studied the cracks.
The black energy inside had already calmed.
The six-point formation was damaged.
But not destroyed.
Han Feng carefully extended his spiritual sense.
Nothing.
No clear consciousness.
No obvious treasure.
Only a deep, ancient resonance.
He withdrew his hand.
He would not take the urn.
Not yet.
The moment he moved it, he might break the remaining formation.
And he had learned enough to know that ancient seals were rarely designed without a reason.
Instead, he searched the altar beneath it.
A small stone plate was hidden beneath the dust.
Han Feng brushed it clean.
Several words appeared.
"The vessel is not the inheritance."
His eyes narrowed.
A second line appeared beneath it.
"The inheritance is the path that leads to the vessel."
Han Feng stared at the inscription.
Then the Celestial Diagram pulsed.
A faint image appeared in his mind.
Six points.
A seventh location.
And a line connecting them.
His expression became solemn.
So this refuge is another piece.
Not a treasure vault.
A waypoint.
A record.
Perhaps even a test.
Behind him, the gray-haired cultivator coughed.
"You..."
Han Feng turned.
The man stared at him.
"What exactly are you?"
Han Feng did not answer.
He simply activated the Art of the Celestial Veil.
His presence disappeared.
A moment later, he was gone.
The three cultivators were left in the dark chamber.
The black urn continued floating silently above the damaged formation.
But deep within it—
Something had noticed Han Feng.
Not awakened.
Not released.
Only noticed.
And far away, within the headquarters of the Celestial Corpse Sect, a soul lamp suddenly flickered.
Then another.
The sect had not yet learned Han Feng's name.
But they had learned one thing.
Someone had interfered with their search.
And they would not ignore it.