Chapter 36 [VIP]
About half a day later, the spirit boat gradually slowed down. The group peered ahead and saw that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was chaotic; the once verdant mountains were twisted and deformed, and the air rippled with water-like patterns, their colors beautiful yet disordered. They had reached the edge of the Cloud and Water Realm.
Intense spiritual energy fluctuations surged like the ebb and flow of the tide, wave after wave crashing in.
"Stay calm and use your internal energy to resist." Xu Xing's voice clearly reached everyone's ears.
The spirit boat did not arrive directly at the entrance to the Cloud and Water Realm, but landed at a temporary camp jointly established by various factions on the outskirts.
The camp was bustling with people and flags fluttering in the wind. A complex atmosphere, a mixture of anticipation, vigilance, and subtle hostility, filled the air. Various spiritual pressures intertwined, making Jiang Zhuochen, whose cultivation level was slightly lower, feel somewhat short of breath.
These peacocks are such a nuisance.
Xu Xing, Ni Gui, and Ju Mo did not disembark from the spirit boat. Instead, they stood at the bow and slowly scanned the various factions below. The invisible pressure of the number one sect in the cultivation world gradually quieted down the originally noisy camp.
On the boat, Ni Gui gave her disciples a final plea: "The spatial laws within the Cloud Water Realm are chaotic, and teleportation points are likely to be randomly scattered. Once inside, you must immediately use our sect's secret method to sense your fellow disciples and gather together as soon as possible. Remember, while the opportunity is great, life is paramount."
Ju Mo's voice deepened slightly as his sharp gaze swept over the other sects. He then added, "Inside the secret realm, not only are there natural barriers and ancient ferocious beasts, but we must also be wary of the treacherous hearts of men. Murder and robbery driven by greed for treasure are not uncommon in such lawless places. Always remain vigilant, travel in groups, and do not easily trust others."
Jiang Zhuochen's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously looked up at Xu Xing in the middle. What did this mean? They weren't going in? He was already devastated when he heard that the teleportation point was random, and now he was completely clueless.
Xu Xing met Jiang Zhuochen's gaze and immediately used telepathy to reassure him. "Don't panic, you'll be fine. Once inside, stay close to your fellow disciples and proceed with caution."
Jiang Zhuochen had no choice but to suppress his grief, take a deep breath, and follow the crowd toward the entrance where the light was flashing violently and constantly twisting and expanding. The closer he got, the more he could feel the vast and chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy, which made his heart tremble.
The moment he passed through the portal, an immense tearing force surged from all directions, far more intense than he had imagined. Jiang Zhuochen felt as if he had been thrown into a violent vortex, his internal organs feeling like they were about to shift, his protective spiritual energy flickering erratically, and all he could hear were howling currents of spiritual energy and a few short screams.
He didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps just a short moment, when the force suddenly vanished, and Jiang Zhuochen was thrown heavily to the ground, the pain almost preventing him from getting up. He was dizzy, his vision blurred, and his ears were ringing. He struggled to his feet, shook his head, and finally managed to see his surroundings clearly.
This is an incredibly beautiful yet eerily strange place. Countless enormous, colorful crystal clusters rise from the ground, their shapes bizarre and varied, refracting light from an unknown source and radiating a mesmerizing and dreamlike glow.
The air was filled with rich, pure spiritual energy, but this energy was mixed with some obscure aura, which caused a slight stinging pain in the meridians when inhaled.
"Senior Brother? Sixth Senior Brother?" He tried calling out twice, but his voice sounded hollow in the silent crystal forest, with only his own echo and the occasional dripping sound from afar.
Fortunately, a response came from nearby soon.
Shen Hezhou's voice came from the diagonal front, "Junior brother, come over here."
Jiang Zhuochen walked in the direction of the sound, where three or four fellow disciples who had recovered from the dizziness were gathered. They were close together, and their faces showed signs of shock.
Everyone quickly formed a circle, back to back, alert to their surroundings, while simultaneously forming hand seals and attempting to use their sect's secret techniques to sense the locations of their fellow disciples.
As soon as the secret technique was activated, Shen Hezhou frowned. "The spiritual energy here is chaotic, and my senses are being interfered with. I can only vaguely sense the presence of a few fellow disciples nearby."
Qu Ling, the only girl in the group, put down her hands and suggested, "The group is too scattered. Why don't we head ahead first, find our companions, and then make other plans?"
The other two disciples nodded in agreement, then looked at Shen Hezhou and Jiang Zhuochen. This place was bizarre and full of hidden dangers, and they desperately wanted to travel with powerful people.
Shen Hezhou, holding Jiang Zhuochen's hand, nodded without hesitation upon hearing this. "If we share the same goal, it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to travel together."
“Let’s go, Senior Brother Shen.” Qu Ling stepped aside. “Let’s find our fellow disciples nearby first.”
Jiang Zhuochen followed behind Shen Hezhou and quietly leaned over to ask, "Senior Brother, what is our purpose?"
Shen Hezhou chuckled at his words, “The small world trials assigned by the sect are usually about eliminating demonic beasts to obtain their cores, or finding treasures that are one level above one’s own abilities. Each disciple will receive a task from their master before setting off, and if they happen to be the same, they can work together to complete it.”
Jiang Zhuochen asked in confusion, "I didn't receive it."
"Where didn't you receive it?" Shen Hezhou teased. "Didn't Master want you to come in and join the fun?"
"..." Jiang Zhuochen choked, and after a long while muttered softly, "I wonder who they're making things more difficult for."
“It’s not about difficulty.” Shen Hezhou tapped his forehead. “If so many of us can’t even protect a junior brother, then all our cultivation has been for nothing.”
"Hehe." Jiang Zhuochen couldn't help but be happy to hear this. "Senior brother is so good to me."
"Hey, don't praise me so soon." Shen Hezhou rejected his compliments and said righteously, "Master said that he can't protect you blindly. He can only take action when you are really in danger."
Jiang Zhuochen's eyes widened in disbelief: "Master really said that?"
“Yes.” Shen Hezhou paused, then asked, “Did you anger your master? He’s never been this strict with you before.”
"Who knows?" Jiang Zhuochen pouted. "Maybe he's going through menopause."
Shen Hezhou was startled by the man's earth-shattering statement. He looked around in panic before letting out a sigh of relief, feeling a slight headache.
As they entered the dense forest ahead, passing by a few disciples from other sects, the five of them successfully found all their fellow disciples nearby.
Feng Shuang and Ling He automatically walked to Shen Hezhou's side. Surrounded by familiar faces, Jiang Zhuochen almost burst into tears, his sense of security instantly rising.
The group cautiously made their way deeper into the jungle. Jiang Zhuochen, on the other hand, was more relaxed, simply enjoying the scenery. As he crossed a deep pool, he caught a fleeting glimpse of light in the dark depths below.
So, after everyone had safely reached the other side of the pool and decided to stop and regroup, he turned back. Following his memory, Jiang Zhuochen carefully walked in, and when the water was above his knees, he finally found the light.
He took a few tentative steps forward, bent down and reached into the water to scoop up some light, which he scattered and then slowly gathered again.
Just then, Ling He's voice came unexpectedly from behind. "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Zhuochen plunged headfirst into the pool, which was only knee-deep, but one step further and it became unfathomably deep.
Jiang Zhuochen was startled and quickly surfaced, stopping Ling He's anxious approach and pulling her to a stop. Feeling soaked to the bone wasn't pleasant, and he said irritably, "Why are you yelling for no reason?"
"I'm not afraid you'll do something foolish." Ling He helped him dry his clothes, then curiously peered behind Jiang Zhuochen. "What are you scooping up?"
The others arrived one after another, and Shen Hezhou asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Zhuochen pointed to a tiny white dot a foot away, thinner than a pinhead, which everyone stared at for a while before noticing. "I just saw a light underwater and thought it was some kind of treasure, but I couldn't get it out after trying for so long."
Being far away, they couldn't see clearly. Feng Shuang wanted to move forward a little, but Jiang Zhuochen stopped her. "Senior brother, be careful. The pool ahead is unfathomably deep. You could fall in if you're not careful."
Feng Shuang stopped in her tracks. "No wonder such a little water soaked you through."
Qu Ling frowned slightly. "This pool of water is as deep as ink. It is indeed suspicious that there is a point of light out of nowhere. Maybe it really is some kind of treasure?"
After all, there have been many treasures hidden underwater since ancient times.
"It could also be dangerous." Shen Hezhou looked at the eager look on these people's faces and felt a headache coming on.
"We should at least explore it," another disciple said. "Although Master said that rare small worlds are full of rare treasures, we haven't found anything along the way. There are quite a few cultivators who have entered. If we let others get there first, wouldn't we regret it?"
Jiang Zhuochen looked around and tugged at Shen Hezhou's sleeve. "Don't worry, there are so many of us, surely we can beat them."
Shen Hezhou wanted to say that if they encountered some ancient ferocious beast, they really wouldn't be able to escape, but since his master dared to let them in, they certainly wouldn't be in any danger. After all, it was Jiang Zhuochen who discovered this place, and he couldn't stop the other party from being interested.
"Then let's give it a try."
Everyone turned to look; the undisturbed lake surface was still and calm, making the faint speck of light even clearer. Knowing that the water ahead had deepened, no one dared to lift their foot, instead relying on their magical artifacts to retrieve it.
Jiang Zhuochen waited for a while and then suddenly realized, "Are the senior brothers and sisters not good swimmers? Why don't I go down and scout it out?"
Qu Ling pulled back the rope and took a step back. Before she could speak, Jiang Zhuochen was stopped by Shen Hezhou.
"Nonsense, I'll go."
Jiang Zhuochen laughed, mercilessly exposing his lie. "Senior Brother, you shouldn't go. To be honest, I'm afraid you'll drown just standing here."
"Don't worry, I'm a very good swimmer." Jiang Zhuochen rolled up his sleeves. He had just glanced at the bottom of the water in his haste and hadn't seen anything alive, so he figured it shouldn't be a big problem. "If you senior brothers are worried, just keep an eye on me here. If anything seems wrong, just tie me up immediately."
He stepped to the edge of the pool, took a deep breath, and plunged in, swimming downstream along the light. Strangely, there was nothing below. He swam to the deepest point he could reach, where it was so dark he could barely see. The gentle current enveloped his body, the stillness unsettling.
Jiang Zhuochen turned and swam towards the water. After surfacing, he wiped his face and mumbled, "There's nothing there..."
"Never mind if it's not there. Maybe it's just a reflection somewhere. Come on up first." Shen Hezhou stepped forward and reached out his hand, about to pull him up.
"Reflection?" Jiang Zhuochen reflexively looked up and saw that the dense crystal trees overhead refracted colorful light, but the reflection was only a small part.
"Wait..." He squinted, vaguely discerning a deep green amidst the vibrant colors. "Is there something there?"
"What is that?" Everyone looked up in the direction Jiang Zhuochen was pointing, but couldn't find anything special.
"Didn't you see the green?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison, "No."
Jiang Zhuochen was anxious. He climbed up, soaking wet, but didn't care. He was about to point it out to them. But when he looked up, he couldn't find the strange thing.
"Hmm?" He circled around, but still couldn't see it.
Jiang Zhuochen, refusing to believe it, retreated to the spot of light in the pool. Looking up, the green hue reappeared. "Could it be that this is the only way to see it?"
Feng Shuang pulled Jiang Zhuochen up, "Let me give it a try."
After a moment, Feng Shuang nodded, "There really is."
"The only place we can see it?" Qu Ling asked in surprise. "Then what do we do? Can we fly up and get it?"
Feng Shuang replied, "It's worth a try."
So Jiang Zhuochen sank back into the pool to give instructions to the group, but some climbed trees and others flew on swords, and after a long time, no one could find them.
Jiang Zhuochen pondered, "That high place probably isn't reflecting light, is it?"
Having searched in vain, Shen Hezhou was about to retreat to the ground when he glanced down unintentionally and his heart suddenly trembled. Beneath the ink-black surface of the pool, several even more slender and mysterious figures silently approached.
A note from the author:
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! But I've had a power outage for so long, I'm not happy.
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