Chapter 414: Treasure Manual, Bone Flute

After the stone door opened...

Lu Chao saw what was inside. It was just a simple secret room with an altar table.

On top of the altar table were three items.

They were: a letter, a thick, black Treasure Manual, and a flute made of bone.

Lu Chao took a deep breath, darted inside, and collected all three items. He then zipped back out and returned to the edge of the 9th Floor’s Barrier...

"Everyone, stay close to me."

"If that Commander Ke or the Young City Lord Red Sword appears, follow me immediately into the deadly Illusion Realm that leads out."

Lu Chao remained on high alert...

He wanted to read the letter, but he absolutely could not do it inside the secret room. Instead, he had to stay right by the Barrier of the 9th Floor.

There was no telling when Commander Ke would break through.

The moment Commander Ke appeared, he had to lead everyone into the deadly Illusion Realm to escape the Forbidden Land. He had to avoid a direct confrontation with a powerful expert Above the Creation like Commander Ke.

After giving these instructions, Lu Chao finally turned his attention to the letter he had taken from the secret room.

There were no words on the envelope!

Lu Chao tore the envelope open, and several pages of letter paper came into view.

The first line read: "I am Cang Xu, the thirty-fifth Sect Leader of the Azure Flame Sect."

It continued...

"By the time you open this letter, I fear I will have already died outside the Azure Flame Domain."

"On this trip to the Green Bone Palace, I have a faint premonition of impending crisis. Perhaps it is a crisis for the Azure Flame Sect itself, or perhaps for us on this journey. Thus, I leave this letter for the descendants who follow."

Reading this...

Lu Chao guessed that this Sect Leader Cang Xu must be the Sect Leader of the Azure Flame Sect from two hundred years ago.

As expected, the following lines confirmed it.

The gist of it was...

Cang Xu had an ominous premonition. Unsure if the danger would befall his traveling party or the Azure Flame Sect itself, he had torn off the last two pages of the Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Map to take with him.

He left the Seven-Page Array Map within the Sect...

This way, at least the Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Map would not be completely lost.

At the same time, he instructed his most trusted disciple on how to reach the deepest part of the Azure Flame Forbidden Land via a secret passage. If a major disaster occurred, that disciple was to use the passage and retrieve the three items from the secret room with the second Azure Flame Order.

"Among them is the Azure Flame Treasure Manual, which contains all of the Azure Flame Sect’s Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, and knowledge of the Soldier Dao."

"If we die outside, the Azure Flame Sect can be rebuilt and glorified with the Azure Flame Treasure Manual. Even the last two pages of the Nine Palace Array Map can be found and restored through understanding its contents."

Reading this, Lu Chao’s gaze fell upon the Azure Flame Treasure Manual. ’This really is quite a Treasure Manual,’ he thought.

Immediately, Lu Chao frowned again...

This letter was originally left by Sect Leader Cang Xu for his most trusted disciple, but it had remained untouched for two hundred years. Clearly, something had happened to that disciple, preventing him from reaching the depths of the Forbidden Land through the secret passage.

Lu Chao thought to himself...

’He was probably killed during the great turmoil of the Azure Flame Sect!’

’Two hundred years ago, when Cang Xu and the other Azure Flame experts died outside, the Azure Flame Sect fell into chaos. The most trusted disciple was killed, but the murderer didn’t know about the secret passage. So, they took the Seven-Page Array Map and the second Azure Flame Order and tried to break into the Forbidden Land level by level.’

’In the end, they all died on the seventh floor.’

’Elder Sect Leader Cang Xu must have anticipated that his disciple might die, which is why the letter was addressed to... "the descendants who follow."’

’But he probably never dreamed that after they died, the Azure Flame Sect would fall into such disarray that even its history and many of its treasures would be lost.’

Just like now, even Marshal Fan Changcun had never heard of the Green Bone Palace.

’He also never imagined that these items would remain here for two hundred years, almost falling into the hands of the Cyan Sword Great Empire.’

Lu Chao mused silently, but knowing all this was useless right now.

The Azure Flame Treasure Manual was for long-term development, but they had no time to develop. The Cyan Sword Great Empire was about to invade.

Thinking no more of it, Lu Chao turned to the second page of the letter...

It mostly contained instructions for the future of the Azure Flame Sect—messages from Cang Xu to his descendants. But now that the Azure Flame Sect was practically gone, many of his arrangements and words were useless.

It wasn’t until the last page that Lu Chao finally found what he was looking for...

Cang Xu had written: "If you face an unforeseeable and grave danger, such as an invasion from the Cyan Sword Great Empire or another terrifying enemy, immediately blow the Biyin Bone Flute. My good friend within the Green Bone Palace, Elder Biyin, will surely come to your aid."

The letter basically ended there...

The last few lines were more instructions about glorifying the Azure Flame Sect.

Lu Chao slowly put the letter away and gently picked up the Biyin Bone Flute...

He gave a wry, silent smile and muttered, "Two hundred years have passed. I’m afraid this Elder Biyin has long since passed away. Blowing this now is probably useless."

He had actually found a way to contact the Green Bone Palace in the deepest part of the Forbidden Land, but it was unlikely to work.

’No matter how slim the chances, I have to blow it and try after we leave the Forbidden Land.’

’Maybe Elder Biyin’s cultivation level was terrifying, and she’s still alive? Maybe her descendants can sense the Biyin Bone Flute?’

In any case, this was a chance to save the Azure Flame Domain.

Without further thought, Lu Chao quickly put all three items from the secret room into his Storage Ring.

He looked at Chang Yuan...

"Brother Chang, there might be a secret passage here. I’m going to look for it. Notify me immediately if the Barrier fluctuates."

With that, Lu Chao darted off again.

Since the letter mentioned a secret passage to get in, it must also be a way to get out.

Lu Chao hurriedly searched the deepest part of the Forbidden Land. As expected, in a corner, buried in the dirt, he found a stone slab... which also required an Azure Flame Order to open.

He, of course, embedded the Azure Flame Order without hesitation. The stone slab rumbled open, revealing a deep, dark secret passage.

Just then, Chang Yuan’s voice rang out, "Brother Lu Chao, the Barrier is fluctuating..."

Lu Chao’s eyes widened. "Quick, over here! I’ve found the secret passage," he shouted.

Saying this, Lu Chao rushed out first.

He retrieved the Azure Flame Order embedded in the secret room’s stone door. At the same time, he saw Chang Yuan carrying Chang Duan, and Le Chun carrying the semi-conscious, still-cultivating Cheng Yunsu, both desperately rushing toward the secret passage.

After Lu Chao removed the first Azure Flame Order, the stone door slowly closed.

Then he, too, raced back to the secret passage.

He ducked inside after everyone else, simultaneously reaching out to retrieve the second Azure Flame Order. The stone slab sealed shut in an instant.

During that time, Lu Chao had already seen Commander Ke’s figure emerge from the 9th Floor’s Barrier.