Not long after Zhou Xiaotong left, a figure appeared in the cave.
Qinghe looked around and frowned.
She took out the divine pearl and activated it with her spiritual power, but there was no response for a long time.
Strange, she clearly sensed the aura of the divine pearl, even if only for a moment, but she was certain that she was here.
However, the cave was pitch black, with nothing but some strange drawings and a few pictographs that looked like writing but weren't.
After the light rain, there was a fresh earthy scent in the air, but the cave was dry and the smell was unusually unpleasant. Even Qing and his sensitive nose couldn't detect any other smell besides the air.
After a fruitless search, she reluctantly prepared to leave the cave when suddenly a flash of light appeared in front of her, and she instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
Turning back, I saw an inconspicuous piece of debris in a corner.
The soil next to the fragments was damp and soft, clearly having just been disturbed.
Qinghe raised his hand, gathered spiritual power in his palm, and slapped the earth. A hole was punched in the earth, revealing a wooden box.
She opened the wooden box, which contained only unimportant trinkets, except for a tattered net bag that caught her attention.
Qinghe picked up the net, his eyes narrowing slightly, for it contained the aura of a divine pearl.
Her gaze darkened slightly. The wooden box had obviously been buried here and had just been disturbed, but when she released her divine sense, she did not detect any human presence in the vicinity.
The Divine Pearl, a sacred object, is formed from the primordial spirit of an ancient god. It is intertwined with a person's aura. Once it resides within a person's body, it can completely conceal its aura, leaving even cultivators at the demigod stage helpless against it.
The same applies to the tiger demon and Consort Cheng.
It was obvious that she was too late; the divine pearl had already been used by someone with ulterior motives, and she could no longer sense its aura.
It's unclear who did this. If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't cause much of a stir, but if it were someone with ulterior motives or a demon, then things would be terrible.
Qinghe thought about it and decided to tell Li Jiang and the others so they could prepare in advance.
Having made up his mind, Qinghe buried the wooden box back into the ground and disappeared from the spot in a flash.
...
The day the Land of Life and Death opened arrived quickly. Qinghe, as the eldest sister, led the way towards the destination. Ningyu and Ningshuang watched the group move forward, their eyes filled with envy and longing.
Ningyu: "Alas, merciless heavens, how could you treat us who have worked so hard like this?"
She picked up a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away tears, saying, "It's truly heartbreaking."
The tone was so desolate and sorrowful that it was enough to bring tears to the listener's eyes.
However, Ning Shuang silently took back her handkerchief, silently put it back into her sleeve, and silently grabbed Ning Yu by the back of her neck and dragged her away from there.
A large group of people followed Qinghe to the Land of Life and Death. What should have been a journey of only two incense sticks' time had dragged on for a full hour before they reached their destination. The disciples began to suspect that Senior Sister Jiyue was using this opportunity to settle personal scores, using the excuse of getting lost to retaliate against them for the gambling they had previously used against her.
They were in the wrong from the start, so no one dared to question Senior Sister Jiyue unless she didn't want to stay in Fusheng Pavilion anymore.
Just because they don't dare doesn't mean that someone else doesn't dare.
When Ji Yue led them astray for the third time, Ling Yun finally couldn't hold back and stepped forward, shouting sternly, "Ji Yue! What are you doing? Are you leading us on a tour around Qingshan? We've been walking back and forth for over an hour and we still haven't arrived. Do you want us to avoid the trial in the Land of Life and Death?"
With one person taking the lead, the other disciples, who had been holding back for a long time, also began to criticize and complain.
Ji Yue swept her gaze across the crowd indifferently, and their previously arrogant demeanor immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
Lingyun wasn't afraid of her, but she looked at her with suspicion. She felt that Jiyue had become strange since she returned to the mountain, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
Ji Yue glanced at Ling Yun, "Since you love showing off so much, why don't you lead everyone to the Land of Life and Death?"
If Jiyue had said this in the past, Lingyun would have gladly accepted it and even mocked her, but at this moment she felt no joy of victory.
In the past, Ji Yue always competed with her for things, whether it was cultivation techniques or material possessions; the two of them would always have a big fight.
Ji Yue's strength and cultivation were superior to hers, and she won most of the time. However, there were exceptions. Several times, she won by using some despicable means. Although it was shameful, it must be said that the victor was always happy. Every time she saw Ji Yue getting so angry that she was jumping up and down, she found it extremely funny.
However, at this moment, she neither fought with Ji Yue nor used any means to force her. Nothing happened, yet she gave up the opportunity to take the lead to herself. This was unusual, and she couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of the matter.
After saying this, Ji Yue retreated into the crowd and gestured for Ling Yun to step forward and become the leader.
Lingyun was still hesitating when people in the crowd began to call on her to be the leader. The voices grew louder and louder until Lingyun couldn't refuse.
Helpless, Lingyun glanced warily at Jiyue, who was pretending to be unaffected, and turned to walk forward.
Led by Lingyun, they soon arrived at the Land of Life and Death.
Beneath the steep and magnificent mountain wall, Lingyun held two jade pendants in the shape of twin fish. Supported by spiritual energy, she slowly rose up. The twin fish seemed to come alive, circling in the air a few times before suddenly flying towards the mountain wall and landing in a slot halfway up the wall. With a loud "boom," the earth shook, and a crack appeared between the mountain walls, slowly opening the gate to the land of life and death.
Lingyun habitually glanced at Jiyue, her gaze full of provocation, but Jiyue didn't look at her at all, only quietly staring at the mountain wall in front of her.
Lingyun stomped her foot angrily and turned her head back.
The moment the gate in the mountain wall opened, a dark aura unique to death rushed in, causing everyone to frown and cover their mouths and noses as they entered.
The cave was not dark at all; on the contrary, it was bright and magnificent. The entire cave was filled with stone pillars, and the lights on the top of the pillars were not candles, but luminous pearls, each as big as a fist and very valuable.
Countless crystal pillars are fixed on the top of the cave, and judging from the material, they should be real crystal clusters that grow deep in the mountains.
There are two doors directly in front of you, ancient and solemn, one engraved with life and the other with death; this is the place of life and death.
After everyone had taken their positions, Lingyun glanced at Jiyue and said, "Since most of you are here for the first time to participate in the trial in the Land of Life and Death, I will briefly explain the rules."
She pointed to the two doors: "The rules are simple: choose the door of life or the door of death, then line up in order, and when the door opens, go in and begin the trial."
"The jade pendant I gave you before is the Sky-Piercing Jade. If you encounter danger beyond your control in the trial grounds, you can be saved by breaking the Sky-Piercing Jade."
She swept her gaze across the crowd: "Remember, you only have two days. After two days, the door will close. You must get out before the door closes, or you will be trapped inside forever, unable to find your way, and lost in the illusion."
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