Chapter 311: Heaven and Earth Cave

Looking down at the stone table reduced to powder, Lin Dong slowly entered the hall. After discussing a few matters regarding the new prefect with Ma Chun, he returned to the backyard.
In the courtyard, Yun Lan and the other two were chatting casually. When they saw Lin Dong return, Mo Jianchen stood up without hesitation. With a flick of his right hand, a spiritual sword appeared in his palm.
“Brother-in-law, go again!”
Mo Jianchen spoke with great enthusiasm. Having been beaten for over a month, he no longer cared about taking a few more hits.
“I’m busy!” Lin Dong replied leisurely. “I have to travel for some business.”
“Traveling for business? How long will it take?” Mo Jianchen seemed even more anxious than Yun Lan. The effects of the Golden Armor Snake’s internal pill were fading, but even so, another half month would be enough for him to reach the seventh level of the Mental State phase and advance to the eighth level. With victory so close, why suddenly leave?
Haven’t all these months of beating him been in vain?
“I’m not sure. Maybe one or two months, or three to five months,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Mo Jianchen’s face fell, and he muttered, “Brother-in-law, are you trying to avoid me on purpose? In just over half a month, I’ll reach the eighth level of the Mental State phase.”
“Even at the eighth level, I can still knock you down. If you don’t believe it, wait until I return,” Lin Dong said dismissively. “You’re not even worthy of me avoiding you.”
“That’s what you say!” Mo Jianchen gritted his teeth. Better to wait a few more months—things would work out eventually.
Yun Lan stood up and asked, “Aren’t you taking me as your guard?”
Lin Dong nodded and pointed toward Old Ding’s room.
Yun Lan understood that Lin Dong must have some method to improve his strength. Though she couldn’t figure out what it was, she knew it surely wouldn’t be something she could agree to—otherwise, he would have taken her along. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly nodded. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Lin Dong smiled and nodded. To end his singlehood sooner, he wasn’t afraid of any hardship.
After chatting with the three of them, Lin Dong went to Old Ding’s room and knocked gently on the door.
“The door isn’t closed…” a careless voice came from inside. Old Ding, lying on the wooden bed with his legs stretched out, opened his drowsy eyes and stared at Lin Dong as he entered.
“Elder, are you interested in going out for a trip?” Lin Dong asked with a smile. “Fall leaves, fine wine, delicious food—what a delightful experience.”
“No interest!” Old Ding replied without hesitation.
Unfazed, Lin Dong continued, “Elder, how about the taste of that three-year-old red wine?”

“Not bad. Though it can’t compare to Bai Nian Yu Lu, it’s still top-quality wine,” said Old Ding leisurely.
“Once we’re back, I’ll have people prepare a hundred or eighty jars,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
“I was waiting for you to say that!” Old Ding leaped to his feet, came in front of Lin Dong, and asked, “How long will it take?”
“Between two and five months,” Lin Dong replied.
“Won’t there be a shortage of good wine along the way?” Old Ding pressed further.
“There aren’t many three-year-old red wines in the first batch, so we can only take a dozen jars. Next time, there will be plenty of three-year-old thyme wine,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “By the time we return, the second batch of three-year-old red wines should be ready.”
“Let’s go! My old arms and legs need some movement too,” Old Ding said, tapping his neck.
Lin Dong nodded. “Wait a moment, old man. I’ll prepare some food and wine for the journey. Also, since we’re in a hurry, I’m afraid you’ll have to walk.”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as Yun Nv can keep up,” Old Ding said nonchalantly.
“It’s just the two of us this time,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “It’s not a big deal. I just found a great place that can speed up my cultivation. It’s not suitable for Yun Lan to go there, and I didn’t want her to worry, so I asked you to come.”
Old Ding nodded in understanding and waved his hand. “Bring more food and wine!”
“Okay, wait a moment, old man!”
Lin Dong rushed to the kitchen in the front yard. After loading up a lot of good food and wine, he returned to the back yard.
“Old man!” Yun Lan quickly greeted him as she saw him coming out.
Behind them, Xue Qinghong and Mo Jianchen glanced at the old man, who hadn’t been seen outside in over a month, trying to figure out his identity.
Old Ding yawned and said with a smile, “Yun Nv, keep an eye on the red wine that was sent over. Don’t let the shopkeepers sell it all.”
Yun Lan nodded.
“Let’s go!” Old Ding waved his hand, took a jar of three-year-old thyme wine from Lin Dong, took a big gulp while walking toward the back door.
After exiting through the back door, Lin Dong glanced around and, seeing no one, turned to Old Ding.
Holding the jar in one hand and gripping Lin Dong’s shoulder with the other, Old Ding took a huge gulp. Then, in an instant, the two of them turned into a gust of wind and rushed forward.
In just a moment, they left the city gates. On the bustling streets, no one could even notice that someone had passed by them.
They rushed toward Qing Mei Mountain. Even on fast horses, it would take five or six days to reach the foot of the mountain. But Old Ding, holding a jar of thyme wine in one hand and gripping Lin Dong with the other, reached their destination in less than an hour.

The Xingli Sect is extremely vast, and Tiandihong is a highly secretive place within it. An ordinary martial artist might never be able to find it in their lifetime. Even for Yun Lan, Lin Dong estimated it would take at least a day or two.

When Old Man Ding learned that Tiandihong was made of Jinghong Stones, he closed his eyes slightly and slowly released his spiritual energy. In just a moment, he opened his eyes again. He grabbed Lin Dong and rushed forward. It wasn’t until they reached a large mine cave on the back mountain of the Xingli Sect that their speed slowed down slightly, clearly due to the obstruction of spiritual arrays.

They rushed forward, breaking through the arrays as they delved deeper into the winding mine caves, avoiding countless disciples from the Xingli Sect who were mining there. Finally, the two stopped outside what appeared to be an abandoned mine cave.

“There’s someone inside!” Old Man Ding said calmly.

Lin Dong glanced at the dark mine cave and asked, “How many?”

“A young girl!” Old Man Ding explained.

Lin Dong felt relieved—it must be You Qinxang.

After thinking for a while, Lin Dong asked, “Elder, based on your estimate, how long can you stay in there?”

“As long as I can survive, a hundred or eighty years is easy,” Old Man Ding replied indifferently.

“That long? Does a stronger strength mean one can stay longer?” Lin Dong was surprised. “By that logic, doesn’t it mean the elder can also cultivate inside?”

“It indeed depends on strength. It’s just Jinghong Stones. There are quite a few inside, but to me, their presence or absence doesn’t matter much,” Old Man Ding said nonchalantly. “Similarly, at my level of strength, the help these Jinghong Stones provide for my cultivation is almost negligible. Compared to it, the spiritual arrays you set up in my room to speed up cultivation are far more effective.”

“Then, with my strength, how long can I last?” Lin Dong pressed further.

“Half an hour each time,” Old Man Ding explained. “As for how long you can stay each time, it depends on your willpower. I estimate you can hold out for about an hour.”

“So the elder means I can cultivate intermittently?” Lin Dong showed delight.

“Yes, but the longer you persist, the better the results,” Old Man Ding explained. “Jinghong Stones are auxiliary minerals for cultivation. Like medicinal herbs and spiritual materials, once you reach a certain level, their auxiliary effects diminish. If the amount of Jinghong Stones inside allows you to cultivate continuously, it should enable you to break through to the first level of the Xin Ni period in one go.”

“The first level of Xin Ni period?” Lin Dong’s eyes widened, and his heart rate accelerated significantly.

There are six stages of the Mental State phase, yet it can be directly advanced to the first stage of the Mental Reversal phase? This effect is several times better than that of the Blue-Green Fruit.
“The prerequisite is that you can practice continuously inside without eating or drinking for three months straight,” said Old Ding indifferently. “If you come out once every hour, it should be enough to help you reach around the middle stage of the seventh stage of the Mental State phase.”
“Such a big difference?” Lin Dong’s expression darkened.
“The longer you stay inside, the better the results of your cultivation,” Old Ding said leisurely. “It’s the same principle as taking spiritual pills and herbs—those with better innate talent will see greater effects.”
Lin Dong pondered for a moment before asking, “If an elder uses spiritual energy to protect me, can that help me practice inside for three months straight?”
“That won’t work!” Old Ding shook his head. “At most, I can help you regain consciousness and regulate your spiritual energy after you can no longer hold on. To block the power of the Jinghong Stone, I can only create a shield around you, which would essentially neutralize its effects.”
Lin Dong fell silent, gritted his teeth, and nodded. “Then fine, let’s go in.”
“Should we knock out the girl inside?” Old Ding asked.
Lin Dong shook his head. “I should know her. I actually need to talk to her about something.”
“As you wish!” Old Ding raised the wine jar in his hand, took a few sips, then staggered drunkenly into the cave entrance following Lin Dong.
As soon as he stepped into the mine, a damp, musty smell hit him. On the cave walls, dark ores were exposed. Lin Dong stepped forward step by step. After about a hundred meters, the dark cave gradually became brighter. Between the dark ores on the cave walls, faint green light spots flickered faintly.
The further he went, the more and denser the green light spots became. The damp, musty smell gradually disappeared, replaced by an indescribable fragrance that made one feel as if all their pores were opening up.
Before long, the green light spots covered the entire cave wall. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a smooth, green stone wall without any gaps.
“Is this the Jinghong Stone?” Lin Dong couldn’t help but look back at Old Ding.
Old Ding nodded in response while continuing to drink thyme wine.

“Jinghong Stone belongs to the sixth-tier ores. When used as the main material, it can be used to forge sixth-tier spiritual weapons. Spiritual weapons crafted from Jinghong Stone have the advantage of reducing the consumption of spiritual energy, but their weakness is their insufficient hardness—they can easily break when encountering spiritual weapons of the eighth tier or higher. Unlike other sixth-tier spiritual weapons, if the user is strong enough, even after a hundred or eighty exchanges, at most only minor cracks will remain.”

“Additionally, like spiritual stones, Jinghong Stone is also one of the very few ores that can be used as an aid in cultivation. If there are Jinghong Stones nearby, they can speed up the flow of spiritual energy during cultivation, achieving a similar effect to the spiritual arrays you set up in my room. However, the arrays you set up have no limitations and deliver consistent results regardless of one’s strength, whereas Jinghong Stones have many constraints. The only advantage over your arrays is that the more there are, the stronger the effect. The amount of Jinghong Stone in this cave is probably unmatched anywhere in the Great Han Kingdom.”

Lin Dong nodded. After walking a short distance further, a striking figure came into view.

On a flat stone surface, You Qinxang was sitting in lotus position, in a state of meditation. If one ignored the painful expression on her beautiful face, her light red dress made her stand out remarkably in this world dominated by blue tones.

Lin Dong paused, hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his right hand. An Ruyi stool appeared silently, gradually transforming into a pitch-black spiritual sword under the old man Ding’s surprised gaze.

The sword body shimmered with a cold light, clearly infused with spiritual energy. Lin Dong stepped forward again, his footsteps sounding much louder this time.

When they were less than ten meters apart, You Qinxang apparently sensed someone approaching. She suddenly opened her eyes. Upon seeing Lin Dong, she rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she saw.

“Brother Lin… is it really you?” Confirming it wasn’t an illusion, You Qinxang exclaimed in delight.

“It’s me! I never expected to find you in this Heavenly Cave…” Lin Dong replied indifferently, the cold light from the black spiritual sword in his hand growing brighter. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes as well.

You Qinxang was stunned, taking a few steps back in disbelief. She cried out in alarm, “Brother Lin, what… what do you want?”
“I’m just curious. I wanted to take a look at this Heavenly Cave you mentioned,” Lin Dong said coldly. “I never expected to run into you inside.”

“You… you want to kill me?” You Qinxang’s face turned ashen; all her strength seemed to have been drained from her. She wanted to tell Lin Dong that she wouldn’t mind him sneaking into the Heaven and Earth Cave, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“I do have such an idea!” Lin Dong said coldly.
You Qinxang fell silent, tears streaming down as she stared at Lin Dong with a vacant gaze.
“Brother Lin, if you want to kill me, you can do it anytime. As long as you kill Qinxang and then find a way to gather some Jinghong Stones to build a wall at the end of the Heaven and Earth Cave, I believe no one will be able to detect your presence. All Qinxang hopes is that Brother Lin won’t try to seize the Heaven and Earth Cave for himself. With Brother Lin’s strength… I don’t want either side to lose.”
“That’s a good idea!”
Lin Dong slowly raised the black spiritual sword in his hand and stepped toward You Qinxang, who had her eyes tightly closed. Behind him, Old Ding licked the wine stains from his lips, finally understanding what was happening.
Seven meters, six meters, five meters… You Qinxang’s heartbeat accelerated, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. To die like this, at the hands of the person she loved deeply—she was unwilling, but no matter how unwilling she was, there was nothing she could do.
Looking at You Qinxang’s pale, tense face, Lin Dong felt somewhat helpless. This was the only solution he could think of.
Better quick pain than prolonged suffering. By making You Qinxang think of him as a bad person, even one she resented, Lin Dong believed that although she might suffer greatly in the short term, she would eventually be able to let it go.
The black spiritual sword in his hand gradually transformed. By the time Lin Dong reached her, it had turned into a dark iron rod.
Aiming at the artery on You Qinxang’s delicate neck, Lin Dong raised the iron rod, ready to swing it down. Suddenly, You Qinxang’s tightly closed eyes opened.
“What? Regret it now?” Lin Dong was startled. The iron rod quickly reverted to a spiritual sword, its sharp blade pointing straight at her neck.
“Brother Lin, did you lie to me?” You Qinxang looked up at the spiritual sword in Lin Dong’s hand, then back at him, affirming, “Brother Lin wants to knock me out!”
Lin Dong said coldly, “That’s an interesting idea!”

You Qinxang, with her white hair, stared at her toes, speaking shyly and despondently, “Brother Lin’s method is indeed good. But Brother Lin doesn’t know that the reason Qinxang likes him is because, at her most helpless moments, it was Brother Lin’s selfless spirit that gave her hope. Someone who goes to such lengths to help someone they’ve known for only a short time—how could such a person kill someone who likes them for the sake of this Heaven and Earth Cave? Moreover, Brother Lin must have realized that since Qinxang would tell him such a confidential matter as the Heaven and Earth Cave, she surely wouldn’t refuse any of his requests once he asked. Besides…”
You Qinxang said softly, “The Blue-Green Fruit and the Red-Flower Fruit that Brother Lin gave me are no less effective than this Heaven and Earth Cave. If he could give those to me, how could he possibly kill me for it?”
Lin Dong felt ashamed. He had only thought about keeping You Qinxang at the Lin’s Inn to take on tasks, not realizing his actions had gone too far and made her fall in love with him. Thinking quickly, Lin Dong retorted coldly, “I helped you because Master Xiao and I are close friends. He was also struggling with how to deal with the formidable enemy, the Ningji Sect. With the help of the Xingli Sect, not only would the task be easier, but we could also ensure we have the strength to protect the benefits that come afterward.”
“What about the Blue-Green Fruit and the Red-Flower Fruit?” You Qinxang pressed.
“I have plenty of those. I’ve already eaten so much that they no longer have any medicinal effect!” Lin Dong said indifferently. “But the Heaven and Earth Cave is different. It not only helps me improve my strength but also greatly assists me in training a group of warriors.”
“I don’t believe it!” You Qinxang looked up at Lin Dong, staring intently. “Brother Lin can’t deceive me. If that were really the case, why would he tell me so much? If he wants to prove it, he can just slash me with his sword now.”
Lin Dong was stunned. His raised arm drooped weakly.
“Girl, you can’t compete with Yun Ya. Why make yourself suffer and put others in an awkward position?” Old Ding’s tone was plain, but his words carried no mercy at all.
You Qinxang looked at Lin Dong with difficulty. Those words felt like a sharp blade twisting in her heart.
Lin Dong nodded with a bitter smile. “With Miss You’s intelligence, since you can see that I’m lying to you, you should also be able to understand why I did it. If you don’t want me to avoid you, you should calm down and think it over carefully.”

You Qinxang nodded gloomily, speaking weakly, “Practicing in Tiandi Cave indeed greatly helps with the speed of cultivation, but it also requires enduring immense pain. If Brother Lin can’t bear it, please don’t force yourself. I’ll go first. After you come out, you can find me in my courtyard. I think by then, I should be able to think things through.”
Lin Dong nodded, watching You Qinxang’s weak figure gradually disappear. Though frustrated, he also felt relieved. He believed that with You Qinxang’s intelligence, despite the difficulties, she would surely be able to resolve her doubts.
It wasn’t until You Qinxang vanished from sight that Lin Dong sat down, focused his mind, and prepared to experience the power of Jinghong Cave thoroughly. If it truly had miraculous effects and could be obtained, it would be a great asset for training his guard team.