He Yiming let out a long sigh of relief. Although Bai Lingba's footsteps were light, to He Yiming's ears, they were so familiar, stirring a sense of profound relief from the bottom of his heart.

Even though the fellow boasted of being immortal, to claim he felt no apprehension would have been a lie.

Fortunately, the man had finally emerged; otherwise, He Yiming truly would have charged into the cavern regardless of the risk.

With a shimmer of movement, Bai Lingba stepped steadily out of the gaping, dread-inducing mouth of the cave.

He Yiming scrutinized him from head to toe. While he knew the fellow could probably manage without a few missing parts, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of worry.

"What are you staring at?" Bai Lingba asked, bewildered.

He Yiming chuckled, "Good, you're not injured."

Bai Lingba's gem-like eyes brightened momentarily, seemingly conveying some unspoken sentiment, but they quickly dimmed. He then stated, "Inside the passage, there is a cavern. There are no living creatures within."

He Yiming's heart tightened; he fully grasped the implication of 'no living creatures.'

"Brother Bai, were there dead people inside?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Only one."

He Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind. Could the person inside be the one who had slain these Venerables?

Yet, the thought was fleeting. After all, the sixteen corpses outside were all Venerables, one of whom was a Great Accomplishment Venerable possessing nine Sarira relics. If one person alone could annihilate them all, it would be too horrifying to contemplate.

After a long moment of contemplation, He Yiming cautiously inquired, "Was there danger inside?"

Bai Lingba shook his head without hesitation. "Dead people pose no danger."

Only then did He Yiming nod, taking the lead into the passage. Unlike the dense, labyrinthine passages encountered before, this one offered no forks; it was a single, straight road to the end.

However, as He Yiming proceeded deeper, a subtle apprehension began to grip him. He sensed a pressure, which, while not overwhelmingly strong, was baffling because it existed in a place devoid of life.

If Bai Lingba hadn't emphatically guaranteed the safety of the dead, He Yiming would genuinely have begun to doubt the existence of specters or phantoms in this world.

With one more step, He Yiming finally emerged fully from the passage.

Before him lay a massive cavern dwelling. Though not as exaggerated in scale as the exterior mountain cave, it was overly luxurious for mere habitation.

His gaze swept around, landing first on a skeleton.

As his eyes settled upon the remains, He Yiming’s heart lurched violently.

The skeleton was seated upon a stone stool. Although the clothes and flesh had long since vanished, the bones themselves were extraordinarily unique.

They were golden yellow. Even after dying for countless years, the moment He Yiming approached, a sudden, overwhelming urge to prostrate and worship surged within him.

Drawing a deep, cold breath, He Yiming fought fiercely against the sensation. After a moment, he finally managed to exhale, slowly extricating himself from the pressure.

At this point, the terror he felt was beyond mere external expression.

A skeleton that had been dead for at least a millennium still exuded such oppressive power. If this fact were known, it would undoubtedly cause an unimaginable sensation.

His internal true qi churned like a restless tide. He Yiming opened his mouth, and three tangible Flowers burst forth. They merged instantly, transforming into a suit of armor that enveloped his body.

Having completed these preparations, He Yiming cautiously extended his hand, gently touching the remains before him.

No power emanated from it; the entire cavern remained placid.

Only then did He Yiming finally relax, calming his mind to sense the source of the mysterious pressure surrounding him.

After another silence, He Yiming’s eyebrows shot up. He stared intently at the spot between the skeleton's brows.

He had sensed it—the inexplicable pressure originated precisely from that location.

His heart hammered wildly; his breathing grew ragged. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. After prolonged hesitation, he finally resolved himself.

He retreated a few steps, bowing respectfully three times to the corpse, murmuring incantations under his breath. After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, he stepped forward again, gently placing his fingertips between the skull’s brows.

Potent true qi surged through his meridians, flowing out through his fingers and piercing into the bone.

To his astonishment, the moment his true qi made contact, it inexplicably dissipated without a trace, as if the skeleton were protected by some power his qi could not breach.

A surge of defiance flared within him. He Yiming calmed his spirit and began circulating his true qi anew. Previously, he had only used one-tenth of his power; this time, he was going all out.

A faint metallic sheen began to spread from He Yiming’s fingertips. Under the impact of this powerful Metal element energy, even the mysterious grey-black vortices on his armor retreated obediently.

With He Yiming exerting his utmost effort, his finger finally touched the space between the skull’s brows.

A sound like the clash of metal and stone rang out abruptly. He Yiming instantly recoiled a step, his eyes wide with sheer horror.

He had given everything he had this time. Forget a mere skeleton; even armor forged from Vajra could surely have been cracked.

Yet, the skeleton before him remained utterly unmoved. Moreover, as his power surged, a formidable counter-force erupted from the spot between the corpse's brows, violently jarring his finger away.

Though physically unharmed, the shock to He Yiming’s spirit was utterly indescribable.

For this skeleton to possess such immense defensive power was truly inconceivable.

His gaze shifted, and the armor coating his body slowly began to recede. Having confirmed the absence of immediate danger in the cavern, he saw no need to waste true qi maintaining the shell.

Since entering, his entire attention had been captured by the golden skeleton. Only now did he begin to survey the rest of the cavern environment.

On one side of the cavern, facing the direction where the skeleton sat, there was a large pond. The water had long since dried up, but in the very center of the pond bed grew a strange plant.

The plant was large; it occupied the entire basin of the former pond. Yet, strangely, the plant’s trunk appeared utterly withered, with only a small, oval-shaped fruit at its very top.

He Yiming sensed it quietly, his expression fluctuating between surprise and uncertainty.

Based on the plant's condition, it must have died countless years ago. But the single fruit resting atop it seemed vibrant with potent life force.

He was certain that among every creature or plant he had ever encountered, none surpassed this fruit in terms of life essence.

Not even the Dragon-Snake of Ghost Cry Ridge, nor the massive sea monster from the Outer Sea.

His gaze swept across the cavern again, and his eyes suddenly lit up as he approached a massive stone stele.

This stele was crafted from some unknown material, having survived all these years without the slightest erosion.

However, what captured He Yiming's attention were the numerous characters inscribed upon its surface.

He stilled his mind and began to study the carvings intently. After a long while, He Yiming’s brow furrowed deeply.

The script was actually Da Shen writing, but what confused He Yiming was that he recognized many characters, yet numerous others were utterly foreign to him.

A sudden thought struck him. He Yiming asked, "Brother Bai, do you recognize the writing up here?"

"I do," Bai Lingba replied with a very satisfactory answer.

"What language is this?"

"Da Shen script."

"Why can’t I read it?"

"This is the ancient Da Shen script from several thousand years ago. It differs considerably from the modern script. Since you never studied ancient texts, naturally you wouldn't recognize it," Bai Lingba stated matter-of-factly.

He Yiming nodded slightly, aware that Bai Lingba had studied such matters and certainly understood more than one language.

"Translate it for me."

Bai Lingba complied without a word, translating the inscription. He Yiming listened quietly. Though his outward expression remained calm, internally, a tempest was raging, leaving him deeply shaken.

The one who left the inscription on the stele was precisely the figure seated on the stone chair.

This was, of course, the man’s dying testament, detailing why he had come here and why he refused to leave, even unto death.

As He Yiming had initially suspected, this skeleton was indeed an unparalleled figure of immense stature in life.

Thousands of years ago, the Five Elements Sect was the preeminent sect on the continent.

The sect housed a multitude of masters; not only did they possess the largest number of Venerables on the continent, but they also had more than one Divine Dao expert.

This skeleton was Zhou Minghua, one of the two Divine Dao masters of the Five Elements Sect.

By that time, he was already advanced in age, perhaps even nearing the end of his natural lifespan. Yet, it was then that he discovered this natural cavern beneath Penglai Immortal Island and found within it a Heaven and Earth Sacred Fruit.

Overjoyed, he immediately expanded the cavern and meticulously laid out a Five Elements Labyrinth at the entrance.

However, his sadness lay in the fact that the maturation period of the Heaven and Earth Sacred Fruit was excessively long; by the time his own limit arrived, the fruit had still not ripened.

Helplessly, Zhou Minghua carved his experience onto the stele and created a simple map, instructing his sole disciple to carry it out and deliver it to the Five Elements Sect.

Evidently, however, the elder’s disciple had failed to fulfill his final wish, and the map somehow ended up within the Dragon-Snake’s lair. Had the Treasure Pig not stolen it away, it would have remained hidden from the light forever.