Chapter 249 A Farewell Between Past and Present
Mu Jianjian quickly turned her head, spreading her divine sense around her, and retreated. At the same time, the dark figure of the man in front of her gradually became visible in the air.
Just now... she couldn't even detect any activity.
As expected, it was still too difficult for her to reach the Primordial Tower with her current strength. If she wanted to get out alive, she could only take advantage of the current maze's background.
She lowered her eyes, her right pupil flashing with golden light, her sense of smell reaching its peak. Ignoring the man's provocative insults, she flew into the thick fog.
The man frowned, glanced at the increasingly dense purple mist around him, and snorted coldly.
If he isn't afraid of even a mere Core Formation cultivator, why should he be afraid?
Although this Core Formation cultivator posed no threat to his attempt to seize the Three Stone Flower, the fact that she dared to come here alone meant that she must have many treasures in her spatial bag.
Who knew that as soon as he stepped into the fog, his consciousness was momentarily stunned and other consciousnesses were inserted into his brain.
The man, amidst the pervasive purple mist, furrowed his brows, closed his eyes, and remained motionless. Not far from him, a deep green flower, the size of a human head, emerged from a crack in the ground and slowly opened its petals, which resembled sharp teeth, to avoid his body.
Not far from him, Mu Jianjian, holding a pine root the size of a stick, watched all of this with an expressionless face.
"Click-clack—"
The sound of chewing filled the air. The man who had just stood up was decapitated and slowly fell to the ground, lifeless.
Mu Jianjian stared at the densely packed sharp teeth protruding from the petals, with flesh and blood still sticking to the gaps between them. Blood slowly dripped down, staining the ground and emitting a nauseating, rusty smell.
It was as if a high-quality horror movie had come to life; the visual impact made her feel disoriented and wondered what day it was.
"Click-click-click—"
Just as Mu Jianjian was stunned, the dark green flower buds twisted their slender branches and leaves toward her, and she immediately turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Seeing her flower buds move, it seemed to instantly lose its ability to pursue. The entire branch slowly turned yellowish-brown as if it had withered, and finally shrank into the soil, as if it had never existed.
After this incident, Mu Jianjian figured out everything about the secret realm area in the Primordial Tower. Thanks to the pine and cypress roots that prevented her from falling into inner demons, she tricked many cultivators and made them reveal the situation on the Primordial Tower.
Upon learning of the young prince's whereabouts, she quickly headed in that direction.
My heart is beating too fast... Anxiety is rising in my heart, as if trying to sort out the myriad thoughts in my mind.
I hope everything is still in time.
The Primordial Tower is said to be an ancient place used to imprison ferocious beasts, but it has since become a forbidden place for planting exotic flowers and herbs and cultivating monsters.
Although the Tower of the Beginning appears to be a tall and narrow black tower on the outside, once you step inside, you'll know that its interior is vast and boundless, with darkness and malevolent energy permeating the entire air. It seems that simply walking out safely would have exhausted all your luck.
It is said that the Three Stone Flowers grow on the top of a high cliff in the Primordial Tower, where all the forces in the Upper Realm are now confronting each other.
"Drip, drip—"
A few drops of rain fell from the sky at first, then the rain gradually intensified, the drops tapping on the mountain road, making a crisp and melodious sound.
Mu Jianjian stepped onto the path leading up the mountain, glancing at the deep, inflamed scars on her leg, and felt the chill coming from the sky.
She slowly raised her head, not wanting to expend any true energy, letting the raindrops pelt her body, feeling the pressure of true energy emanating from the mountain peak that made her legs tremble, but she didn't stop walking.
According to the cultivator who just made the threat, no one knows what's going on up there, but the Three Stone Flowers have been in full bloom for two days and no one has come down the cliff yet, so the battle is probably still undecided.
It's not too late for her to go now.
Mu Jianjian was single for over twenty years in her previous life. After developing a tiny bit of feelings for the so-called school heartthrob in high school, she was subjected to something similar to school bullying, which caused her to completely abandon this pitiful feeling.
Having been bullied and humiliated since childhood due to being an orphan, she developed absolute rationality as an adult, clearly knowing when to do what, rarely acting on emotion, and always maintaining an optimistic temperament.
But this was the first time she had acted entirely on emotion, wanting to do something that would bring her no benefit whatsoever—
There are no foreshadowings or spoilers of future plot developments in the original book, no sufficient cultivation level, and no powerful life-saving secret techniques or elixirs.
But she came based on a gut feeling.
"Snap—"
Mu Jianjian walked to a corner of the cliff top. The oppressive aura coming from afar had begun to compress the bones in her body, as if it wanted to squeeze out all the air from her chest.
She raised her head to look at the side fighting, and with just that one movement, she could feel as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on her head.
really……
Even from this distance, she can hardly move normally; getting close would probably be enough to reduce her body to ashes under the pressure of her true energy.
How can we possibly go and see the true condition of the young prince?
Mu Jianjian lowered her eyes, her right pupil flashing with golden light, which scattered in the air and transformed into illusory butterflies that flew towards the fighting area where true energy was engulfing them. Finally, with the help of the pupil-turning technique, she was able to see the moves of both sides more clearly.
Only then did she notice that during the fight, there seemed to be a kind of illusory butterfly, similar to her pupil-turning technique, fluttering about.
Unlike the pale purple phantom butterfly that she transformed from golden threads, the phantom butterfly not far away was a deeper and purer in color. As its light wings fluttered, golden dust even scattered from them, turning into solid matter and drifting in the air.
Those cultivators who came into contact with the dust seemed to have their internal energy become stronger, and their attacks became more ferocious.
The illusory butterfly has always been seen only by those who have mastered the Eye-Shifting Technique, but now even dust particles can...
To materialize?
Amidst countless golden butterflies, a long-haired woman stood in the void, casually tossing her hand to send others flying as they tried to approach her. A fierce wind billowed as she became the only golden light in the dark world.
Although she was too far away to see the woman's face clearly, one could sense her fearlessness and arrogance in the face of cultivators who outnumbered her five to one.
Mu Jianjian stared at this scene in disbelief. Even when Qu You had taught her the secret technique for advancing the Pupil Transformation Technique, he hadn't mentioned this point.
She immediately became alert and tried to recall the purple illusion butterfly, but it was too late.
The golden butterfly and the purple butterfly touched, and an explosive collision erupted from the small space. A breath later, Mu Jianjian felt a cold gaze from among the countless cultivators in the distance, locking her onto this path.
We've been discovered!
Before she could even find the young prince, she was caught by the others?
High on the mountain, there is no dazzling purple mist like in the secret realm to confuse the opponent!
Mu Jianjian immediately turned around and left. Just as she was about to use her pupil-shifting technique to move away from this place, she bumped into the transparent barrier in front of her with a "bang".
This is... a secret technique within the Eye Transference Technique...
She looked up and saw a pale yellow robe fall in front of her, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman with blood on her cheeks, the blood still flowing from the splatter.
The woman's black hair, reaching her waist, was divided into two sections and braided into small braids that fell to her waist. The three braids were decorated with white silk ribbons, and small beads were sewn at the edges for embellishment, making it look elegant but not complicated.
"Oh my," she licked her lips, "the pupil-rolling technique in my right eye..."
Mu Jianjian stared blankly at her face, finding it strangely familiar.
This woman was the one who had used the Pupil-Turning Technique on her eyes after she first transmigrated here!
But...but...
"The necklace around your neck..." After realizing this, Mu Jianjian suddenly felt that the other person's expression was not one of disgust or aversion, but rather like that of an old friend reunited after many years—
His sigh was tinged with slyness.
"You mean this?" The woman picked out a necklace from her neck. "This necklace was given to me by my teacher. Have you seen it before?"
Amidst the clamor of battle in the background, two women with faces as beautiful as paintings seemed to be having a casual chat, isolating themselves from the surrounding noise.
Mu Jianjian shook her head.
But she lied.
Not only have I seen it, but this necklace was also found in a box unearthed from the Zhu Pavilion in the Xuan Tian Secret Realm.
However, the one in the woman's hand now is a deeper color, full of surging true energy, unlike the one she held ten thousand years later, which, although beautiful, had lost its current ethereal quality.
Upon realizing this, she suddenly felt lost.
Did she travel back ten thousand years in time first, or did she transmigrate from the book into this world first?
Just like the chicken-and-egg dilemma, it's a non-cyclical, dead-end problem.
Is it really possible for her to change the predetermined fate of each member of the main group?
"Don't just stand there like an idiot," the tall woman suddenly reached out and put her arm around Mu Jianjian's shoulder. "Come on, tell your master, what do you want to do here?"
"Aren't you going to ask?" Mu Jianjian asked back, her eyes filled with a thousand thoughts, fixed on the woman's eyes.
"I already asked," the woman blinked.
"You know perfectly well that's not what I meant." Mu Jianjian bit her lip, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance, her pent-up emotions knotted up inside her.
What she wanted to ask was, why did it mean that the other party already knew she would be her disciple when they first met?
Whether it was the encounter where she was taught the Pupil Transformation Technique or the booklet that provided guidance and answers in the secret realm, it all indicated that she knew something.
"What's done is done, and the past cannot be changed," the woman sighed softly, speaking earnestly.
"But what is the past, and what is the future? What I consider the future, in the eyes of those who come after, is it not the past?" Mu Jianjian desperately wanted to know the answer, to find the expectation in the woman's eyes, but all she got in return was the calm, dark lake.
Her heart sank to the bottom.
"The person you're looking for is at the very bottom, within the Prajna Buddha Formation," a hint of pity flashed in the woman's eyes. "I will send you down, but from here on, you must face everything on your own. Are you still willing to go down?"
"I do." Mu Jianjian nodded without hesitation.
She can hesitate over countless choices, but this is the one she cannot, and cannot do.
——
Mu Jianjian watched as the woman summoned a golden illusion butterfly that enveloped the two of them, forming a transparent barrier that easily blocked the surging true energy from the surrounding area.
The woman lowered her eyes and smiled gently at her. The moment the two of them took a step forward, they had already moved from where they were just now to the top of the thousands of upright, swaying water plants. At this moment, floating on the murky water were several familiar figures.
Mu Jianjian raised her eyes and glanced over. It was a group of people from the Demon Palace who were following the young prince. The leader was Mu Binyi. Their clothes were tattered and stained with blood, and they looked like they had just gone through a great battle.
Seeing the commotion, the group raised their hands in a wary manner. When they saw that the girl's appearance had almost fully recovered, their eyes flashed with amazement. However, when they looked at the woman behind them, their expressions turned complicated.
This is the Celestial Palace's... Immortal Venerable Zilu!
Why is she here, and what is her relationship with Miss Mu?
“You don’t need to be so nervous about me,” Zilu Immortal Venerable rubbed Mu Jianjian’s head. “I just brought this girl over.”
Her pupil-shifting technique allows her to come and go freely, so even if she comes here, she won't worry about being left behind.
Mu Jianjian turned and tugged at her sleeve, "Master, please be careful in the future—"
"You don't need to worry about me. You should worry about yourself." Ziluo Immortal Venerable pulled away the hem of her clothes that the girl was holding onto. Golden phantom butterflies rose up, and just as her figure was about to disappear, she heard a voice behind her.
"Pupil-changing technique... When will I be able to be like you—"
Like you, I can materialize illusory butterflies; like you, I am powerful and fearless; like you, I see through life and death, yet I am unafraid of them.
Despite his obvious doubts and expectations, his words were filled with endless resentment.
Now that we've parted, I don't know when we'll meet again.
As the phantom butterfly rose, the scattered golden light carried away the woman's figure and the three words lingering in the air.
She reached out and took a phantom butterfly that wanted to land on the back of her hand. Just as she was about to gently touch it, she saw the butterfly shake its wings and scatter gold dust in the air, drifting to everyone's side.
"This is the Illusionary Butterfly of Immortal Venerable Zilu, be careful." Huo Jin narrowed his eyes, and just as he spoke, Mu Jianjian said.
“This dust is used to restore your true energy,” she said, turning her head to scan the surrounding environment. She saw that the stone path leading to them from the dark valley floor was entangled with countless green plants, which seemed to be writhing with a faint sense of life. “Where is the young prince? Why aren’t you by his side?”
Seeing that they didn't believe her choice to avoid the dust, Mu Jianjian didn't try to persuade her further. However, when no one answered her question, her expression hardened, and a sense of irritability and anxiety gathered within her.
“I came here to find the young prince, not to listen to your riddles.”
Mo Yi and Mo Er looked indignant, taking out their anger at her for being tricked by the group from the Immortal Palace.
She's just a Core Formation female cultivator, yet the young prince likes her and actually thinks she's something?
Just as the two were about to speak, Mu Binyi interrupted them with a look.
Mu Binyi frowned, trying to maintain his last bit of patience despite his anxiety. "Miss Mu, no matter what, this is not a place for you. I will send someone to escort you out of the valley—"
“Mu Binyi, I have no intention of going back, and I never came here to put on an act,” Mu Jianjian walked to the man in the blood-stained blue robe, her eyes filled with cold light and unyielding. “Either you tell me what happened, or I will go down that road to find him myself.”
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