Chapter 49 She's afraid? They're all old acquaintances.
The night was dark, the crescent moon was dim, and the surroundings were desolate. I stretched out my palm, but I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.
Ji Mingran clenched her outstretched fingers, her expression grave. For some reason, she couldn't sense the presence of a living person. She gently kicked away something at her feet; the stick-shaped object rolled forward and landed next to the same thing.
It was all bones, countless bones piled up on both sides, the skeletons piled up like mountains, with only a narrow path for people to walk on.
Even the wind that was blowing carried a chilling stillness, and for a moment, she thought she had returned to the apocalypse.
Clutching the jade pendant hanging from his waist, Ji Mingran closed his eyes and reminisced.
The sect's jade token and the inherited memories in her mind were both there. Although the jade token could not communicate, it didn't matter, as she had not returned to the apocalypse.
With a sense of peace, I opened my eyes.
They were almost face to face, and the two paper effigies' dark eyes were staring at her without blinking.
......
On the observation platform, the equipment repairman was busy adjusting the projection stones one by one, trying to connect to the internal image of the secret realm.
Unlike the scene of the Wanli Canyon that was just projected, the secret realm is isolated from the outside world. The projection stone cannot directly project the scene inside the secret realm. It can only project the image of the participating disciple by capturing the aura of the participating disciple inside the secret realm. If the aura of the participating disciple is not captured by the projection stone, then his/her competition scene will not be projected at all.
This results in the projection of images from the projection stone being unstable, either suddenly interrupted or randomly switched.
In short, the number of participating disciples that the observers can see depends entirely on luck, but with the large number of projection stones, they can get a fairly accurate grasp of the situation in the secret realm competition.
"Ha! Look, isn't this the one from the Dingsheng Sect?"
A projection stone suddenly lit up, and a scene of Ji Mingran standing in the mass grave flashed by. In the image, she stood alone in the mass grave, clutching the sect's jade tablet tightly in her palm, her eyes closed and motionless. Unaware that two paper figures had silently arrived in front of her.
"This place is really eerie; I feel uneasy just looking at it from a distance."
"Look at how nervous she is, clutching the sect's jade token and keeping her eyes closed. Is she too scared to open her eyes?"
"Wouldn't she be terrified if she opened her eyes?"
"The communication artifacts within the secret realm are unusable; she can't wait for her fellow clansmen to come and rescue her."
The observers' curiosity was fully piqued, and they kept searching for other projection stones, hoping to see Ji Mingran open his eyes.
A dozen or so projection stones began projecting images of different disciples.
"Wait, I think I saw a few ghosts floating behind those disciples."
Another observer pointed to the projection stone at the other end and shouted excitedly, "Hahaha, look how scared they are, they're huddled together!"
In the secret wasteland.
"Let me go." A refined and cultured cultivator, who was being held tightly in his arms, said with exasperation, "With your peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, how can you be afraid of these things?"
The other handsome cultivator, trembling, released the person and muttered, "Sigh, back in the small world, I only ever killed monsters, never captured any vengeful ghosts. The yin energy here is too heavy; I don't like it."
The refined and cultured cultivator was extremely disgusted and broke free, saying, "Why do I have to be with you? Let's go and find someone else."
"Hehe, this is an unbreakable bond we formed back in the small world." Although the handsome cultivator let go of his companion, he still hunched his shoulders and followed closely behind.
The darkness, the graveyard, the skeletons, and the suffocating atmosphere created a terrifying and eerie environment that made him afraid to look around. He kept his eyes glued to his companion's heels as he walked forward. He walked like this for an unknown amount of time until the footsteps in his field of vision suddenly stopped without warning.
He bumped into his companion's back, "Ouch!"
“Look,” his companion said.
His heart pounded wildly with tension, and his tall frame hunched over. The handsome cultivator cautiously peeked out from behind his companion, looking ahead.
The pale moonlight blended with the light mist, and the man stood amidst the interplay of light and shadow. Although his face was difficult to discern, his distinctive, deep-set features alone revealed his extraordinary appearance.
Alone and desolate, like a broken plum blossom in the cold, a sense of frost and loneliness emanated from the man's figure. For a moment, one wondered whether it was his coldness that permeated the surroundings with desolation and death, or whether this lifeless, silent place had taken human form.
His tall, solitary figure not only alerted the participating cultivators, but also attracted the attention of all the cultivators on the observation platform.
"Huh? This is..." The handsome disciple in the image seemed to recognize the newcomer and exclaimed, "Am I seeing things?"
The man turned around upon hearing the sound.
The observers held their breath, eagerly awaiting the man's turn. But the moment he turned his head, the projection stone flickered a few times, and the projection went out.
"Of all times!" The observers beat their chests and stamped their feet in despair.
The team leaders were secretly shocked; there was such an outstanding person among the participating disciples.
On the observation platform, projection stones lit up one by one, displaying different dreamlike scenes of snow-covered landscapes, flying yellow sand, and rocky cliffs, officially announcing the start of the first round of the spiritual cultivation competition.
In this competition, if the participating disciples can persist until the mystery is lifted, they will automatically advance. The one who has solved the most illusions will have priority in the next competition.
The secret realm is perilous, but the highest cultivation level among the participating disciples is only Foundation Establishment. The illusions created within the realm shouldn't normally endanger their lives; however, each time they enter an illusion, disciples from different sects will be scattered. If they find teammates in the same illusion, traveling together is the best option. Otherwise, they must not only guard against attacks from the demons and monsters within the realm but also from attacks from other sects.
“Hongqi Sect, Hongqi Sect is over there! It’s Meng Yingyang.” The images of the participating disciples projected by several projection stones were recognized by the observing cultivators. “Where is he? There’s yellow sand everywhere, and these buildings don’t seem to be familiar to us.”
"This disciple of the Beast Taming Sect seems to be shivering in the freezing cold."
The observers shifted their attention to watch the illusionary scenes of the other participating disciples.
The projection stone connecting the desolate graveyard illusion dimmed and went out, making it impossible to see the mirrored scene.
The man turned around; his features were exquisite, like those of a celestial being, but his dark eyes were cold and lifeless.
The handsome disciple who greeted him seemed to have long been accustomed to his aloofness, automatically ignoring the dangerous aura he exuded that warned strangers to stay away, and excitedly said, "I knew it. Even in the spiritual cultivation world, there are few people with your looks and temperament, so I recognized you at a glance, Brother Tianxing."
The man called out his name. Yu Tianxing's eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he coldly stared at the newcomer.
The handsome cultivator had a refined and elegant appearance, but his voice was unexpectedly deep and resonant. He patted his head and said familiarly, "Hehe, no wonder you didn't recognize me. I shaved my beard as soon as I came to the spiritual cultivation world. Only those who ascend to spiritual cultivation can shave. This is a tradition of our Void Sect."
"You've talked for so long, but you haven't gotten to the point. How are people supposed to recognize us?" The refined and cultured cultivator standing next to him complained before adding, "Fellow Daoist Yu, I wonder if you still remember that a year ago, we broke into Minghua County together. Fellow Daoist Ji should have mentioned our names to you. I am Shao Qingshang, and he is Fu Renlan."
"I didn't expect you to come to the Spirit Cultivation Realm too." Fu Renlan didn't hide his surprise, after all, when they met in the small world, he was just a mortal. But that didn't matter, it wasn't uncommon for mortals to come to the Spirit Cultivation Realm by various opportunities and coincidences. He began to look around and asked, "Where's Mingran? Did you get separated after entering the secret realm?"
Yu Tianxing's expression was inscrutable; he remained silent, only gazing intently at the two of them.
Shao Qingshang sensed something was amiss, and without making a sound, tugged at Fu Renlan's sleeve and whispered, "Shut up."
Fu Daolan was puzzled, but obediently said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, Yu Tianxing's figure gradually blended into the moonlight and disappeared.
“This…” Fu Daolan also felt something was wrong. “Why does he seem so gloomy, even scarier than this gloomy place? But…” he said happily, “Since Brother Tianxing is here, I didn’t mistake him. The one who flew out of the mountain at the last moment was indeed Sister Mingran.”
The commotion caused by the disciples of Dingsheng Sect exploding through the canyon, flying out and crashing, and piling up on top of each other was quite significant. Fu Daolan, one of the crowd who rushed to the front to watch, recognized the little girl lying on top of him.
The young girl looked even more radiant and beautiful than before; after all, they hadn't seen her for a year, so they weren't sure. However, back in the small world, Ji Mingran and Yu Tianxing were inseparable, so if the latter was there, the former must also be there.
Shao Qingshang was speechless at his clueless companion: "Now it's confirmed that Fellow Daoist Ji is indeed in Dingsheng Sect, but we've all seen the disciples participating in the Dingsheng Sect's trials, and they're all unfamiliar faces, but he's not there. Fellow Daoist Ji's side is bustling with activity, but he's like this."
Alone and solitary, with a melancholic air and a sense of brokenness and incompleteness, it's unmistakable.
Shao Qingshang said confidently, "The two of them separated. Fellow Daoist Ji dumped them." The first sword strike after ascension often ends with the one you desire; such things are nothing new. "Next time we meet, don't bring up things that are hard to swallow. I think his cultivation is quite high."
“But I don’t think Fellow Daoist Ji is that kind of person,” Fu Daolan said, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t believe it.”
Shao Qingshang hesitated and said, "Don't forget, a little boy suddenly called out 'Mother' to one of them." However, he wasn't sure who the little boy was calling out to.
"Nonsense." Fu Daolan glared. "How old is Mingran? It's only been a year since we last met, how come she has a child?"
Shao Qingshang said bluntly, "Spiritual cultivation is full of strange and wonderful stories, so it's best to say less."
......
On the observation platform, the projector, dimly lit, flickered on and off, as if struggling to stay afloat. Finally, the projector began to project an image again.
The practitioners who had been watching the projection stone eagerly craned their necks to get a better look.
I wonder if I'll ever get to see that aloof cultivator's face again.
only......
The observers and practitioners had complex expressions.
The projected image also showed three people, but they were no longer the same three as before.
In the scene, Ji Mingran has a talisman with wisps of blue smoke stuck to his forehead. He swings his cane and walks happily through the mountain of corpses and sea of bones.
Two paper figures were hopping along on either side of her.
The scene was as bizarre as it could possibly be.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
