Travel (Part 4)
Lin Shi walked along the river for a long time, and the surroundings remained quiet. There were no sounds of birds chirping or insects buzzing in the forest, nor the babbling of flowing water; only the faint sound of her deliberately heavy footsteps treading on the thick grass or sand. The whole environment was eerie and frightening.
The forest is mostly filled with tall trees, including pine, poplar, and eucalyptus. Near the river, many pine cones have fallen beneath the pine trees. Beneath the scattered pine cones lies a thick layer of pine needles. The dark brown and greenish-blue pine needles intertwine, carpeting the ground beneath the trees. Occasionally, one can see some tangled wild grasses, and the carcasses of what appear to be dead snakes, insects, rabbits, and other small animals.
Lin Shi passed countless green trees, but only saw one red maple tree. The red maple leaves on its branches were vibrant and eye-catching, swaying gracefully in the silent breeze. She walked for a long time like an ordinary person, but the red maple tree remained visible ahead, neither too close nor too far, making its presence felt.
Having no other choice, Lin Shi stopped and stared intently at the red maple tree for a moment before swiftly flying to its base. The red maple tree had a grayish-brown trunk, but it stood straight and tall, with an extremely beautiful overall shape and branches that stretched freely. The main trunk stretched straight upwards, while the branches either branched out diagonally or soared into the sky, their dense leaves layered upon each other, like a giant, fiery red umbrella spread out in the air.
Lin Shi couldn't resist reaching out to touch the branches and vibrant red leaves of the maple tree. Her movements were gentle, her spiritual energy soothing, giving off a tender and reliable feeling. Gradually, the branches and leaves of the maple tree transformed into pure white infant spirits and the souls of young boys and girls, eagerly drawing near to Lin Shi's hand to receive the baptism of her spiritual energy.
Seeing this, Lin Shi took out more than a dozen Soul Nourishing Stones from his storage bracelet and let them fly to the original red maple tree branch, where they hid within. Then, the souls of the infant spirit and the young boy and girl gradually condensed from transparent to a more solid state. When the time was almost up, Lin Shi activated the Rebirth Technique again, sending these clean souls to be reborn.
After all the pure white souls vanished into white mist, the red maple tree disappeared as well. Only a single fiery red maple leaf remained on the ground where the tree had stood. Lin Shi picked up the leaf, examined it with her spiritual power, and then her brows furrowed. Through this leaf, she saw the last remaining memories of a villager. After a while, she sighed softly and placed the leaf into one of her storage rings, next to a Dragon Valley City cultivator's registration plaque bearing the name "Dan Meng."
At this moment, the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing began to rise and fall from the direction of the forest, intermittently accompanied by the low growls of wild beasts. The babbling of the river could also be heard, clear and melodious, like a highly skilled musician playing the most beautiful tune.
Lin Shi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She examined the spiritual energy within her meridians for a while and found it to be still abundant as usual. She then glanced at the liquid spiritual energy cluster stored in her dantian and noticed that it was now enveloped in a golden halo. Lin Shi knew that this was a reward for the merits of slaying evil spirits, purifying souls, and helping them to be reborn, which would be entirely beneficial to her cultivation.
Lin Shi resumed walking upstream along the river. This time, she hadn't walked far before she turned a corner, bypassed a thicket of thorns, and found herself in a bright and clear place.
Lin Shi was surprised to find a large open space in the center of the forest, where a huge complex of palaces and pavilions was located. The source of the river was underground, running through the complex and extending forward, but the view was blocked by the buildings, so the end could not be seen.
In front of the magnificent palace complex lies a wide lake, its surface densely covered with lotus flowers. The jade-like lotus leaves stand upright in the water, forming a dense, crowded expanse. Above the layers of lotus leaves, scattered throughout are lotus flowers of various colors—white, red, pink, yellow, cyan, crimson, bluish-purple, and yellowish-green—some in full, graceful bloom, others still shyly budding.
The lake is divided into two parts by a white arched bridge in the very center. Looking along the central arch, one sees the main entrance to the palaces and pavilions. The tall and majestic gray gate towers almost reach into the clouds, adorned with exquisite patterns and reliefs, intricately detailed and lifelike. Tall gray pillars stand on either side, next to which are two bronze statues of Pixiu, looking both imposing and fierce.
There are also paths leading to palaces and pavilions on both sides of the lotus pond. However, there were no living creatures, let alone mortals or cultivators, near the lotus pond.
This type of architecture and lotus pond clearly belong to the traditional architectural style of a cultivation sect. There are similar architectural complexes on Seven Peaks Mountain. If the palaces, pavilions, and lotus ponds standing in the clearing in the middle of the forest were not in the Little Spirit Realm, Lin Shi would not have found them strange at all. But since they appeared in the Little Spirit Realm, she couldn't help but think more about it.
Lin Shi used her spiritual sense and power to investigate the lotus pond, but found nothing unusual. She then tried to extend her spiritual sense and power to investigate the complex of buildings, but she couldn't advance any further after hitting the walls. From the outside, the palaces and pavilions appeared very well concealed. Without going inside, it was impossible to know if any creatures were inside. But if she went in, she worried it might be a trap.
Lin Shi couldn't resist taking out the red maple leaf she had just put away, and then looking towards the lotus pond and palace buildings to see if she could discover any miracles. Her gaze passed through the red leaf, and she was instantly drawn into a fragment of an illusion.
Lin Shi, now in a transparent spirit state, watched as a beautiful young woman in red chased after a tall, handsome man in white, running across the lotus pond. The woman in red called out sweetly, "Third Senior Brother, wait for me!" She appeared to be only about 16 years old. The man in white, who was leading the way, looked no older than 18.
Behind them, a younger man dressed in black followed them in. The boy in black still had a childish face, but his features already showed signs of growing handsomeness. He called out impatiently, "Third Senior Brother, Junior Sister, wait for me!" His voice was still a clear boy's voice, sounding like it hadn't changed yet, suggesting he was only 12 or 13 years old.
The three chased each other through the palace gates. Lin Shi hurriedly followed behind them. Once inside, the three young men and women stopped running and walked side by side. The woman in red walked in the middle, flanked by a man in white and a boy in black.
As the three walked through the front courtyard, the covered walkways, and the sword-training grounds, they encountered many different people, who greeted and exchanged pleasantries with them. Most of the people they met wore similar styles of clothing to theirs—either all white, all red, or all black, with some also dressed in cyan or gray. They were clearly disciples from different factions, but they all seemed to get along very well.
Lin Shi roughly counted several hundred people, indicating it was at least a medium-sized or large cultivation sect. It was much more impressive than a small sect like the Seven Peaks Sect, with a much larger number of cultivators. It wasn't until the three of them circled around to the innermost hall that Lin Shi saw the huge characters "Dream Heaven Sect" on the wall.
Lin Shi was startled upon seeing those three words, and couldn't help but recall the introductory texts about the Dream Heaven Minor World she had read. She hadn't expected to have the opportunity to meet the legendary "Dream Heaven Sect." According to the texts, the Dream Heaven Minor World was originally a large world, but due to various reasons, for thousands of years, its cultivators dwindled, its spiritual energy became scarce, and it was punished by Heaven, its level repeatedly lowered, ultimately becoming the Dream Heaven Minor World it is today.
Seeing that the three were about to disappear from sight, Lin Shi quickly followed behind them. She couldn't wait to know more about the "Dream Heaven Sect".
Following behind the three every day, Lin Shi quickly learned their names. The man in white was named Qi Ming, the woman in red was named Li Feini, and the boy in black was named Wen Zhaoan. They were all fellow disciples who had grown up together since childhood. When the three of them chased each other across the lotus pond and ran into the "Dream Heaven Sect," they were only 17, 16, and 13 years old respectively.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
