The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6481

The deeper they went into the corridor, the more tightly that pressure gathered inside Master Wellspring.

"The spiritual power around him shifted stranger and stranger.

A faint smell of blood had begun to hang in the air. It was very thin, but his senses still caught it."

"That blood scent was old.

It did not seem newly left behind. It had clearly been there for a long time, yet it could still send a thin chill through anyone who noticed it."

"That made one thing even clearer.

This corridor was absolutely not simple. And the place Osric was leading him to was absolutely not somewhere safe."

"Without meaning to, he tightened his grip on the jade vial in his hand.

His fingertips brushed lightly over the bottle, as if sending a signal to the Aureate Heir, and as if steadying himself at the same time."

"A vow settled silently in his heart.

No matter what danger came, he would protect the Aureate Heir’s soul. Even if it cost him his own life, he would never allow the Aureate Heir to suffer the slightest harm."

After the two of them walked for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the stone door finally appeared ahead.

"The stone door was black from top to bottom.

It stood 3 yards high and about 2 yards wide, its surface covered in complex, mysterious sigils."

"The sigils flickered with pale golden radiance and released an ancient, powerful aura.

They were completely different from the sigils along the sides of the corridor. These looked far more imposing, and far more strange."

"The surface of the stone door was smooth as a mirror.

It reflected the shadowing figures of both men, and the sight alone made the heart sink a little lower before it."

Osric stopped walking and turned back to Master Wellspring. His smile stayed gentle as he said, “Sect Master of Wellspring Order, just ahead is my private chamber. Let’s discuss the matter inside.”

"After he finished speaking, he took a black Exchange seal-token from inside his robe.

The token was black all over, carved with the character for “Exchange.” Sigils flowed across it, giving off faint ripples of spiritual power."

"He pressed the token lightly against the stone door.

The instant the token touched the door, the sigils on the stone door flared to life. The pale golden radiance turned dazzling, bright enough to make the eyes squeeze shut."

Rumble—

"A deep, heavy rumbling sounded.

The stone door slowly opened inward, and through the widening crack, a faint fragrance drifted straight toward them."

"The fragrance was warm and mellow, carrying a trace of spiritual power.

Just breathing it in made the mind clear and sharp."

"But Master Wellspring did not lower his guard.

The safer a place seemed, the more dangerous it usually was."

Once the stone door had fully opened, the hidden chamber inside was revealed.

"The hidden chamber was not large, only a few yards across.

Even so, it had been arranged with exceptional care."

"Several landscape paintings hung on the wall.

Their frames had been made from precious red sandalwood, with exquisite patterns carved across the surface."

"Inside the paintings, mountains, rivers, and streams looked almost alive.

Mist curled through them, making them seem less like paintings than real places. Looking at them felt like stepping into the scenery itself, and the tight, restless pressure in the chest eased by quite a bit."

"Stranger still, the mountains and waters inside the painting shifted faintly with the direction of a person’s gaze.

They moved as if they were alive. This was clearly no ordinary work, but an ancient painting infused with spiritual power."

"At the center of the hidden chamber stood the stone table.

It had been built from warm black jade, its surface polished smooth enough to reflect like a mirror."

"A delicate tea set rested on top.

"If you have something to say, say it plainly. What is the promised substitute? Where is it? What conditions are required?"

"He did not want to waste time, and he had no patience left for circling words with Osric.

The only thing that mattered to him now was news of the promised substitute, and whether it could allow the Aureate Heir to rebuild a physical body."

"As for Osric’s conditions, Master Wellspring still did not know what they were.

But he had already prepared himself for them. As long as they were not too excessive, as long as he could obtain the promised substitute, he could agree."

"Osric lifted his teacup and took a light sip.

The tea entered warm and sweet, and a faint stream of spiritual power instantly melted into his body, nourishing his meridians."

"He set the cup down and leaned back against the chair.

His narrowed eyes stayed on Master Wellspring, layered with calculation and measuring scrutiny."

"His gaze lingered on Master Wellspring for a long while.

It moved from the disordered robe, to the red-swollen eyes, to the hand clenched tight around the sword hilt. At last, it settled on the jade phial in his arms.

The corner of Osric’s mouth curved by the smallest degree, almost too slight to catch, while a covetous glint passed through his eyes."

"He could see that this jade soul phial was not simple.

Something important had to be hidden inside it."

"And Master Wellspring valued the jade phial to an extreme degree.

He kept holding it in his hands, keeping it pressed close against his chest at every moment. Clearly, whatever was inside mattered to him beyond measure."

"Osric did not know exactly what the jade phial held.

Even so, he could sense a faint but extraordinarily pure spirit aura contained within it. That aura was weak, but it carried an uncommon foundation. The soul within the phial clearly did not belong to an ordinary master."

But Osric did not expose it. He only spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse. "Sect Master of Wellspring Order, I will not hide the truth from you. The Genesis Dew was indeed taken by Venerable Starwick. On that point, there is nothing I can do, and I would not dare offend Venerable Starwick lightly."

"However, I possess an item called the Chaos Spiritual Elixir."