Chapter 106 Exploring the Spirit Stone: Suffocation and Qi Transfer
The dark seawater washed over my head, and the cold, damp air enveloped my entire body, raising goosebumps on my skin.
The moment Ji Mingran was immersed in the vortex, the Vajra Formation protecting his entire body collapsed and dissipated.
Not only the Vajra Formation, but even the teleportation array she used only managed to get her to within a meter of the target vortex before collapsing and disintegrating. She plummeted straight into the surging waves and was instantly submerged by the vortex.
Her body was spinning rapidly uncontrollably with the swirling current, the waves violently crashing against her face. Struggling alongside her in the whirlpool were various marine creatures spinning at high speed with the ocean current.
Ji Mingran tried several times, but was still unable to summon the Vajra Formation.
The whirlpool in the sea suppressed her formation.
Ji Mingran simply relaxed her body, looked up at the sea surface that was getting farther and farther away from her, and the light source suddenly went out, letting the rushing water carry her into the depths of the sea.
Floating and sinking, surrounded by darkness, there is no difference between having my eyes open and closed.
Ji Mingran adjusted his posture, making himself stand vertically in the sea.
Time passed faster than she expected; she only managed to hold her breath for a very short while.
As soon as her body relaxed, the violent currents that had been pounding against her immediately softened, and dozens of currents spread backward from the swirling waters, lifting her body and carrying her away from where she had been.
The vortex she jumped into contained higher-level teleportation and protective arrays, which completely neutralized the teleportation array and Vajra array she used.
The more a creature resists when it enters the whirlpool, the more the whirlpool will interpret the resistance as an attack, thus making the current more turbulent and the waves crash more violently.
But as long as she stops all movement, the formation in the vortex will send her to the exit.
This is the "exit" of the vortex teleportation array.
With a thought, a faint white light appeared a hundred meters away.
The light emitted by the teleportation array became the only source of light here, illuminating the rugged mountain cliffs and the enormous, terrifying sea creatures lurking in the darkness.
Ji Mingran tilted his head back and spun around in place.
One, two, three, four.
A gigantic sea monster, as large as a small mountain, lay silently in the water, each facing her like a high wall, silently surrounding her.
The deep sea was tranquil; they seemed to be asleep, unnoticed by the faint light.
Ji Mingran turned to the thick-lipped fish monster with scales like strange rocks that was closest to her and activated the teleportation array on its lips.
The light was brighter than before.
A provocation that couldn't be clearer.
Ji Mingran stuffed a handful of Spirit Storage Pills into his mouth, wary of the giant monster's reaction.
No action was taken.
They looked as if they were dead.
Swallowing the Spirit Storage Pill, Ji Mingran glanced at the silent giant monster again, pursed his lips, suppressed the slight irritation rising in his heart, and extinguished the teleportation array.
She hates giant monsters.
I want to smash them to pieces whenever I see them.
However, we must not overestimate our abilities, and we must not delay important matters.
Ji Mingran took out a water-repelling bracelet from the exquisite brocade pouch at her waist and put it on her wrist, instantly feeling much lighter. This was a magical artifact crafted by Zhu Shibai, which allowed her to hold her breath underwater for at least three hours.
Grasping the sect's jade token at his waist, Ji Mingran turned his body upside down and swam headfirst into the deeper part of the sea.
This should be the entrance to a seabed fissure.
The teleportation array only brings people here. I guess the other people are in different parts of the rift. The rest they will have to find on their own.
The sect's jade tablet vibrated. Ji Mingran grasped the sensor and realized it was a message from his companions; they were indeed near the crevice.
Guan Wangzhen: "It's pitch black here, like a deep underwater valley. How's the situation on your side?"
"In the cracks, amidst the beast fights, nothing's amiss. Don't worry, I'll reply later," Shen Qingluo replied briefly.
Zhu Shibai: "Behind us is a cliff face, and there are three demonic beasts lying prone on the cliff. I am still observing them. Everyone, please be careful."
Ji Mingran quickly relayed the message: "I have arrived at a seabed crevice and have preliminarily determined that the light source will not attract any creatures or demons in the vicinity."
They were all in what appeared to be underwater crevices, valleys, or cliffs, but they could not see each other. Shen Qingluo was fighting with a sea monster, which should have caused a greater commotion, but Ji Mingran's place was quiet and undisturbed.
The four people were quite far apart.
Transmitting or reading information from the sect's jade tablet with one's thoughts requires more spiritual energy.
Now that every bit of spiritual energy can be conserved, after exchanging greetings of safety, everyone tacitly agrees to stop communicating through sect jade tokens and instead explore on their own.
Ji Mingran took out the sect's jade token and, following the corresponding direction, continued to dive deeper.
The cliffs here are towering, and there are countless deep-sea monsters. It is not advisable to use teleportation arrays, otherwise you might accidentally teleport yourself to the seabed rocks or the belly of a monster.
He did not rashly use the teleportation array, but only left a thin layer of Vajra Array to cover his body.
The sect's jade token flickered on and off as she moved, like a flashlight that was about to run out of power.
She swam deeper and deeper, occasionally throwing out several teleportation arrays to identify the surrounding illusions.
The cliff face is shadowy, and the further down you go, the more caves and crevices appear in the cliff face, one after another, like a honeycomb.
If Ji Mingran wasn't mistaken, there was something inside each of the caves.
Resembling a human, a ghost, and a beast, with disheveled hair and a bizarre shape, they huddled in a cave barely large enough for a child to stand upright. Occasionally, when illuminated by light, they would tremble and, like ghostly shadows, extend their withered claws towards the edge of the cave. But as soon as their hands were raised, they would tremble violently as if struck by lightning, and then lose consciousness and remain motionless.
Some forcefully resist the invisible constraints, constantly pounding on the unseen air barrier in the hole, trying to attract the attention of the one emitting light.
Ji Mingran glanced at it only once and continued downstream.
But after a short while, she stopped.
Already dizzy from hunger, the pressure of the deep sea further strained his body, pushing his energy to the brink of collapse.
The sect's jade tablet's luster was not much more stable than before, and the whereabouts of the Spirit Essence Stone remained unclear.
The other three also did not send any messages, and they had no further leads either.
It's like finding a needle in a haystack. We need to think of another way.
Ji Mingran thought for a while. Then he took off the sect's jade token.
Instead of sending yourself, why not send the jade tablet?
Even if she accidentally sends the jade pendant into the belly of a sea monster, she can still teleport it out.
As for the rocks.
In an instant, a hundred meters away, the teleportation array lit up in a ring, illuminating the surrounding area. After confirming that there were no rocks or mountains nearby, the teleportation array lit up again, and the sect's jade token flashed between them.
In one of the places, the sect's jade tablet emitted a light. Ji Mingran aimed at the direction of the light and then teleported himself there.
In this way, it wouldn't even take half a breath.
Ji Mingran followed the same method.
An hour later, she stopped in front of an inconspicuous cave in the cliff.
The hole was empty; nothing was locked inside.
Ji Mingran examined it closely, his gaze settling on an inconspicuous rock protruding beside the cave on the cliff face, on which was a fist-sized seashell.
She took out the sect's jade tablet and placed it on the tablet. The spiritual energy flowed and shone brightly. The five peaks, two rivers, and cloud patterns on the white jade seemed to come alive. She could almost see the sect's current scene thousands of miles away.
Ji Mingran picked up the sect's jade token, his eyes fixed on the inconspicuous gray seashell.
That's it. The Spirit Stone.
Ji Mingran reached out to pick it.
Hmm? I can't pick it.
A small teleportation array hovered around the rock behind the shell, flickered twice, and then went out.
It cannot be cut.
Ji Mingran frowned, staring at the black jade bracelet on his wrist, then reached out and placed his hand on the rock wall.
The rock face here is similar to Luanfeng Peak, and it can isolate spiritual energy.
Not only did it disable her teleportation array, but it also rendered the water-repelling jade bracelet that had been near the rock wall ineffective.
She could only hold on with the last breath she had left in her lungs.
This damned rock wall was actually draining her energy even more without her realizing it.
Ji Mingran turned his gaze to the empty cave next door.
So, the "thing" she saw locked inside the cave couldn't get out because of that?
She had no time to think further about what was going on here; she needed to hurry.
Unable to discern the surroundings or inform his companions of the location, he was left to rely solely on himself.
Ji Mingran tried to pull with both hands, but the shell wouldn't budge.
Ji Mingran turned around, half-stepping and half-squatting on the wall for leverage, his fingertips digging tightly into the seashells clinging to the rock.
She pulled it out!
She pulled it out!
She pulled it out again!
She exerted force from her dantian, planted her feet firmly, clenched her fingers tightly until her nails turned white, and the veins on Ji Mingran's neck bulged. She exerted force again and again, almost using all her strength.
A small gap appeared between the shell and the rock wall, and then the gap widened. Suddenly, mud and rocks overflowed, and Ji Mingran's hands yanked backward due to inertia, almost causing him to tumble backward.
Ji Mingran stared blankly at his raised hands and the dusty seashell in them.
She pulled it out!
As excitement and joy welled up, the exhaustion, fatigue, despair, and hunger that had been suppressed by intense focus due to achieving the goal surged forth.
The joy vanished. Ji Mingran sensed something was wrong.
Oh no, is this going to backfire?
A strong feeling of suffocation suddenly traveled from his lungs to his brain, and a string of bubbles overflowed from the corners of his lips. Severe lack of oxygen caused Ji Mingran's eyes to roll back.
His lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Recalling the route he had taken, avoiding the rocks and cliffs, Ji Mingran quickly activated the teleportation array and arrived at the entrance of the seabed rift in an instant.
Just as he was about to teleport back up, Ji Mingran suddenly stopped.
The teleportation array that was currently beneath him was projected to a distance of 100 meters.
A bright beam of light illuminated the path ahead.
Four enormous creatures stood there like mountains, facing her, eyes wide open, mouths agape, revealing sharp fangs, waiting for her to crash into them.
Ha! No wonder I didn't move earlier; I was waiting for her to bring up the treasure!
If Yu Guang wasn't mistaken, various shadows lurking in the darkness were also quietly approaching.
They're here to steal it.
More bubbles overflowed from the corners of his mouth.
Ji Mingran gripped the sect's jade token and urgently sent a support message to Senior Brother Sanyang.
Senior Brother Sanyang is in the Mahayana stage; he should be able to find her.
Not knowing if he would make it in time, Ji Mingran flashed ten times in a flash, ascending a thousand meters in half a breath.
Just then, four enormous figures in front of her moved. These mountain-sized figures moved with lightning speed, gathering together even faster than she could.
As the water flowed, the Vajra Formation crumbled layer by layer.
There are also unseen sea monsters and demons attacking her in the shadows!
At this moment, the four giant monsters had already attacked her, and the overwhelming pressure was almost crushing her.
Ji Mingran, holding his cane sword, swung it forward, unleashing a torrent of water that struck the four giant monsters with tremendous force. The monsters paused for a moment before lunging forward again.
Ji Mingran's figure had reappeared a thousand meters above the ground, but he still hadn't surpassed the towering figure in front of him.
His body suddenly stiffened, and then he was violently dragged downwards!
Ji Mingran looked down and discovered that a tentacle with suction cups was wrapped around her waist, dragging her down.
Sword shadows flashed, blood mist burst forth, and fragments of tentacles were carried away by the surging water.
He managed to get rid of the tentacles that were holding him back, but then a towering mountain loomed over him.
Exhaustion and suffocation made Ji Mingran feel as if his throat was being clamped, leaving him weak all over and unable to swing his sword again.
He simply used the inherited power within his sea of consciousness to blow them up.
Brother Sanyang should be able to get back in time to save himself.
The thought had barely formed when the four towering mountain shadows in front of him suddenly flickered, and Ji Mingran thought he was seeing things.
In the next instant, the four towering mountain shadows vanished like ink into the clear pool, disappearing without a trace.
The seawater was stained with blood, as if fulfilling her wish, and the four giant monsters were blown to smithereens.
The giant shadow dissipated, revealing the figure of the sword-wielding man who had been hidden behind it.
Is it Senior Brother Sanyang?
Due to lack of oxygen, Ji Mingran's vision had become blurred.
The figure approached her, its silhouette becoming increasingly familiar.
No, that's not right. Ji Mingran, unaware of his own exhaustion, smiled slightly.
She let those long arms pull her into their embrace.
"You always force yourself." The voice in my mind seemed to carry a hint of helplessness. "Next time, please wait for me, okay?"
Yu Tianxing carried her, and they quickly rose to the surface.
The ascent was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, she seemed to vaguely see the moonlight spilling onto the water's surface.
But... Ji Mingran used her remaining strength to tug at the clothes of the person who was holding her.
She couldn't hold on any longer. Her hand, which had been gripping Yu Tianxing's collar, went limp and fell to her side.
Ji Mingran rolled her eyes, unable to see the person in front of her, but she could sense that he had stopped and was looking at her.
For some reason, Ji Mingran thought of the boat-pulling demon that she had subdued.
They look just like drowned ghosts.
His face was swollen and pale from being soaked in water, and his eyes rolled back. He probably looked no different from those demons and ghosts now.
She never imagined that she would become one of them.
Ji Mingran's mind was in chaos due to lack of oxygen. As he was thinking randomly, his lips touched something cool and soft, and a warm breath came from it.
It's oxygen.
The suffocating feeling of impending death eased instantly. In his hazy state of consciousness, Ji Mingran's lips parted slightly, and he involuntarily pressed them tightly against that cool touch.
Suck it hard.
Author's note: Here it comes! Here it comes!
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