Chapter 56

Yan Bujian was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the water.

The water was extremely quiet and serene, like a piece of dark, inky glass, enveloping him completely. The remaining jade-like aura around him was like fireflies, or like living golden threads, which, following his long, deep breaths, meandered and seeped into his meridians.

Lin Yibai stayed by his side for who knows how long. Underwater, without sun or moon, time seemed to stand still. Only Yan Bujian's gradually growing aura of immense power silently announced the passage of time. Her fingertips unconsciously caressed the cold hilt of the Shuyue Sword, but that familiar chill couldn't dispel the lingering, vague uneasiness in her heart.

However, at this moment, a warm itch suddenly came from between the fingers without any warning. The feeling was extremely subtle, but extremely clear, like the gentle scratching of a newborn butterfly's wings.

Her heart skipped a beat and she suddenly looked down.

Upon seeing this, his pupils suddenly shrank——

A slender, dark-gold vine, less than an inch long, slowly emerged from the tip of her index finger. Its hue was gentle, less like a plant than a work of art meticulously crafted from the finest dark-gold jade. Though slender, its surface was covered in intricate, fine lines, a faint glow shimmering within. Upon closer inspection, it looked as if a miniature, radiant galaxy were engraved upon it. It appeared delicate and boneless, its head poking out quietly, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a vibrant, heart-pounding breath of life.

When I first met her, she looked so withered, dead and lifeless, completely different from the way she was.

——It is the mysterious rootless body!

"You... have grown up?!" Lin Yibai practically held her breath, for a moment before a low cry of pure surprise escaped her throat. Ever since she had retrieved this Lifeless Root from the dark and gloomy vault of the Old Demon Tengyan, it had remained dormant deep within her body, and no matter how she tried to probe it, it had been ineffective. She had never expected it to manifest itself before her at this moment, in such a vibrant and full-of-life form.

The vine seemed to understand her words, and the tip of the vine bent slightly, responding like a person nodding.

Lin Yibai felt warm in his heart, thinking back to when he jumped into the whirlpool after eating Wanglan, and when he encountered the dangerous monster fish at the edge of the deep pool. He whispered in gratitude, "Thank you for saving me so many times, otherwise I'm afraid..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Shenggen flexibly wrapped around her arm, meandered up along her sleeve, and finally nestled on her shoulder. The tip of the vine gently touched her cheek, bringing a hint of soft warmth.

Lin Yibai felt a strange throbbing in her heart. She tentatively extended her fingertips and gently touched the vine. Unexpectedly, Wu Shenggen not only did not dodge, but instead rubbed her fingertips comfortably, and the vine even stretched slightly, as if stretching.

Lin Yibai couldn't help laughing and gently scratched the vine with his fingertips.

"It's great," she sighed softly, with a tone of comfort that came from finding support, "it turns out you're still here with me."

Previously, she had secretly worried about how many years Yan Bujian would spend in seclusion. She would inevitably feel suffocated and lonely, alone in this deep, cold, and eternally silent water. Now, with the spiritual Wu Shenggen as her companion, it was like having a friend to talk to and relieve her boredom, and the days seemed less difficult.

However, after the surprise, her rationality returned, but she still had a lingering doubt in her heart, and she couldn't help but ask softly, "Why did you come out now? You haven't made any movement for so long."

"——The boy next to me is full of murderous aura. I have just recovered my vitality and I don't want to be shattered by his sword bone evil aura."

A clear sound like jade colliding suddenly rang in Lin Yibai's ears. She looked up in surprise and looked around: "Who is talking?"

"It's me." The rootless vine tip gently tapped her earlobe, and his voice was full of pride. "Thanks to Yuyu, I finally regained some vitality."

Lin Yibai widened her eyes and looked at the vine on her shoulder in disbelief: "You can actually communicate with me?" She has been in this world in the book for a long time, but she has never heard of any spiritual plant that can speak.

"What's so strange about this?"

Wu Shenggen's tone was filled with a matter-of-fact disdain, and his vine straightened slightly, like a person holding his head high with pride. "Don't lump me in with those ignorant, instinctive creatures. Back then, I... ahem." He paused mid-sentence, as if realizing something, and abruptly turned. "Back then, that Jade Rain was formed from the original power left behind by the Immortal and Demon Lords in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Its efficacy was astonishing! My ability to speak human language is nothing compared to that."

Its words turned out to be abrupt, and Lin Yibai, with his sharp mind, immediately realized that it seemed to be hiding something.

But its last sentence also happened to bring up another long-held question in her mind: "You know the origin of the Jade Rain? But I don't remember you ever absorbing it." She frowned slightly. "Also, according to the nameless inscription, only the 'fish dragons' in the Fish Dragon Realm can carry the Jade Rain. But why did I sense an extremely similar aura from Wuming Yan and the Delusion-Eating Demon before?"

"You only saw the superficial origins of the Fish-Dragon Realm, but haven't considered the true mastermind behind the Three-Layered Mist Secret Realm." The rootless vine swayed gently, shaking its head like an old scholar. "The true nature of this entire Cloud Mountain is, after all, nothing more than a trial ground opened up by a wisp of 'Legacy Will,' whose sole purpose is to select qualified successors. Whether it's the so-called 'Fish-Dragon' or the numerous trials and monsters within the 'Three-Layered Mist,' they are all essentially part of the trial, born from the same source, and their core power is derived from that wisp of will."

"...Now that the successor has been chosen, these Trial Creations, having completed their missions, naturally no longer have any meaning in continuing to exist. They will transform back into the most fundamental Jade Rain Power and return to heaven and earth. It's just that some of the benefits that escaped were just picked up by you and me by chance."

Lin Yibai was shocked when he heard this: "Are you saying that the origin of Sanchong Lan and those monsters is actually Jade Rain?"

"Exactly. You know the person who's been chosen—that's the Sword Bone kid who's in seclusion right next to you." The rootless vine nodded, its tone suddenly becoming a little strange. "...But to be honest, I originally thought that with his personality, he wouldn't choose this path."

Lin Yibai's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he hurriedly asked, "What path? Did he change his mind? When he accepted the Wind and Thunder Order, there was something wrong. Is it because of me..."

"Heaven's secrets must not be revealed." Wu Shenggen's voice suddenly turned serious. "Now, I dare not offend 'Him'—so stop speculating. Some things, knowing too early is not a good thing. Instead of worrying about him, you might as well worry about yourself."

The topic was suddenly brought to him, and Lin Yibai couldn't help but be stunned. He looked at the vines on his shoulder in confusion: "Worried about myself? I...what do I have to worry about?"

"You can't stay here forever. What will you do after you get out? Where will you go?" Wu Shenggen's voice was filled with pity. "Your father has gone mad. If he can do cruel things to his own daughter once, he will do it again. You can't go back to the Bodeng Sect, but other than the Bodeng Sect, is there any other place in this world of cultivation where you can settle down and make a living?"

These words exploded in Lin Yibai's heart like thunder. She stood there in a daze, her mind at a loss.

Yes, she had been so preoccupied with worrying about Yan Bujian's fate that she had forgotten to consider her own future. Lin Wuya had considered her an abandoned child, and the Bodeng Sect was no longer a place for her to stay. But apart from that, she had no other place in this world where she could settle down.

"There's no point in complaining about yourself." Seeing her expression turn forlorn, Wu Shenggen spoke again, "Before I was severely injured by the thunder tribulation that year, I had traveled to many places in Yunshan and am quite familiar with the many hidden structures within this mountain. Since you accidentally brought me out of that old demon's warehouse, I will take you to a place and give you an opportunity, which can be regarded as repaying you for your karma."

Lin Yibai's eyes lit up when he heard this, but then he showed hesitation: "But Yan is still in seclusion..." What if danger comes while she is away?

"Don't worry, Yunshan won't open again." Wu Shenggen's tone was full of confidence. "Everyone who came in last time died, except for you two. Right now, this stretch of water is the safest place in this small world, bar none. If you're really worried..."

Before he finished speaking, the rootless vine suddenly split into several thin vines, quickly weaving a dazzling array of light curtains around Yan Bujian. The light curtain was engraved with complex runes and emitted a soft spiritual light, protecting Yan Bujian.

After doing all this, the rootless vine curled up slightly, no longer giving Lin Yibai the chance to hesitate. A soft but irresistible force came, and the dark golden vine had already wrapped around her slender waist, carrying her lightly out of the water, turning into a golden light, and flying towards the water surface above where the faint skylight could be seen.

Lin Yibai glanced back at Yan Bujian underwater, a hint of worry still in her eyes. However, she also knew that Wu Shenggen was right. She couldn't stay in this secret realm forever. She needed the capital to gain a foothold in the dangerous outside world.

"Let's go." She sighed softly, as if letting go of all her hesitation and uneasiness, and her eyes gradually became firm.

Then he slowly turned his head and didn't look back.

*

Time flies like an arrow, never stopping day or night.

In the mortal world, a hundred years is the passage of several generations' birth, aging, illness, and death, the rise and fall of several dynasties. But for this eternally existing Cloud Mountain, for the cultivators of the Three Thousand Continents who imbibe the essence of the sun and moon, ignorant of cold and heat, it is like sand slipping through fingers, or water flowing in a stream, passing by in a hurry, leaving no trace.

Yunshan, which was disturbed by the opening a hundred years ago, has long since returned to its former tranquility.

Only this core waters, hidden deep within the mountains, in the Fish-Dragon Realm, virtually isolated from the outside world, remain like a giant piece of amber frozen for a century, stubbornly retaining their original appearance. The waters are still, deep and silent, even the current seems to have slowed to an extreme slowness, as if time has lost its proper scale here.

Until——

The last ray of jade-like spiritual light, spinning like stardust, circled the upright body for the last time, and then, like a burned-out spark, quietly disappeared. And at the moment it completely merged into the depths of its meridians—

The entire area of ​​water, which was originally emitting a faint glow, suddenly darkened!

It was as if all the light was drained away in an instant, plunging into the most extreme darkness, where even the spiritual consciousness was about to be swallowed up.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable sense of terrifying oppression, as if originating from the ancient times, erupted without warning from the deepest point under the water!

“Buzz!”

With the young man who had shed his youthful immaturity and whose figure had become taller, more solid, and as sharp-edged as a sculpture as the center, the thousand-foot-deep lake water around him, which was as heavy as lead and mercury, was instantly pushed aside and squeezed by an invisible but extremely powerful force, and forcibly formed a vacuum sphere with a diameter of more than a hundred feet, the inner wall of which was constantly flashing and jumping with fine red-gold electric light!

In a vacuum, even the tiniest water molecules no longer exist. Only the purest and most violent force is surging and roaring!

The next moment, the young man slowly opened his eyes.

“Clang!”

It was as if two divine swords, dormant for eternity, suddenly emerged from their sheaths. Two beams of unparalleled, tangible, crimson-gold sword light burst forth from his profound eyes! The light was so intense, so overwhelming, that it instantly illuminated the gloomy depths of the water a thousand feet below, revealing every detail. Even more, this light, imbued with supreme sword intent, directly penetrated the barrier of the water curtain and the solid mountain, causing the entire cloud mountain network outside to tremble slightly.

Afterwards, everything was silent and all the animals bowed their heads!

Looking closely, his once familiar, jet-black eyes, like black jade, had now changed to the same color as the radiant sword light, transforming into a majestic and mysterious red gold. Deep within his pupils, two ancient and profound miniature sword seals, as if condensed directly from the laws of the Great Dao, slowly rotated and rose and fell. Each rotation released an ancient and profound aura and a chilling sword pressure that trembled the soul and made one want to worship them!

At this moment, the aura around him was no longer restrained, but stretched out its body like a prehistoric beast that had been sleeping for eons. The overwhelming pressure made the waters hum as if it could not bear the heavy burden. The mud and rocks under his feet silently turned into powder, and even the ruins farther away trembled slightly under this invisible force.

His existence seemed to have become the rule of this world. Just a slight movement of his mind could cause rivers to flow backwards and mountains to collapse.

After a hundred years of sitting in meditation and practicing diligently, and absorbing and refining almost all the Jade Rain Essence here, he now stands firmly at the pinnacle of this human world.

The cultivation achieved at the perfection of the Return to Void Realm was as profound as an unfathomable abyss, a single thought capable of covering mountains and rivers thousands of miles away. He could even clearly sense the mysterious membrane above his head that separated the mortal from the immortal, and led to a higher realm. If he so desired, he could at this moment mobilize the vital energy of heaven and earth within a ten-thousand-mile radius, converging it into a ladder to the heavens, forcing his way to the legendary supreme realm of the sky!

However, as soon as he changed his mind, the surging power subsided like a tide and returned to silence.

He didn't do that after all.

Firstly, the fairyland has not returned yet, and the boundary wall is as solid as iron. If you force your way through it, you will just end up like those cultivators in the Kongxiang Lan mirror, crashing into the boundary wall and dying, with your soul torn apart.

Secondly...

He slowly tilted his head, looking toward the spot not far from him, a spot he remembered. As he did so, he imagined the owner of that beautiful face, the smile of delight and surprise that would be revealed upon seeing him successfully break through and achieve perfection. Just the thought of that scene involuntarily brought a faint, gentle smile to the corners of his mouth, which had been frozen for a century.

That smile dispelled the coldness and loneliness between his brows, making him feel lively and warm.

But this rare warmth was completely frozen on his face the next moment.

His smile froze, and his red-gold pupils, which contained the rotating sword mark, suddenly shrank into the most dangerous needle-like shape.

As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but cold, dead, empty water waves. Where is the shadow of the girl?

The person who was supposed to be there was gone.

Volume 3: Jade Rain, Fish and Dragons - End