Qingchuan Mountain Range, majestic and towering, with peaks hidden in the clouds, seemingly endless to climb. It was rumored that fierce beasts and demonic creatures roamed this place, filling observers with dread.
It was high noon. Sunlight penetrated the dense leaves, dappling the withered branches and fallen leaves in the mountain's dense forest, forming patches of light, like floating souls swaying with the breeze. A beam of light slowly shifted, finally illuminating a young boy's face.
The boy slowly opened his eyes under the warm sunlight. His features were delicate, his eyes carried a hint of confusion, and his shoulder-length hair was casually tied behind his head, swaying slightly.
"Hoo—" He exhaled a long breath, as if waking from some deep dream. "I actually had such a strange dream. Earth, universe, technology?"
The boy tried hard to recall everything from the dream, but his memory was like a thick fog, yielding no clues. His brows gradually furrowed.
"Experiment?" He tried to piece together a clue from the dream fragments.
"Jane..." He paused, as if remembering something, his expression slightly changing, "And a blonde woman, named Jane, Jane..."
He stopped speaking, then a slight dizziness suddenly struck him. He swayed, feeling unsteady.
"Sigh, never mind," the boy sighed, rubbing his face. "Must be over-training, almost went astray cultivating."
He muttered softly, gradually regaining some composure. After his body recovered slightly, he leaped down from the tall tree trunk. Four or five meters in height, a fall from which would be fatal or severely injurious for an ordinary person.
Just as the boy was about to hit the ground, he suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "Activate quantum defense system!"
However, the so-called "quantum defense system" did not activate, but the boy still descended gracefully, landing steadily. This left him utterly surprised and bewildered.
"How can this be?" The boy muttered in astonishment, his gaze quickly sweeping around, recalling everything that had just happened.
"Mu Yun, what's wrong with you? Haven't you woken up from your dream yet?!" He tentatively slapped his face, feeling a stinging pain.
"No, the dream is over, this is reality."
The boy rubbed his temples, stood up dazedly, and looked around through the slant of the sun's rays. Countless ancient trees surrounded him, with lush canopies and twisted, ancient branches. The air was filled with the fragrance of plants and earth. All of this made Mu Yun feel both familiar and strange.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then, he leaped back up onto the tree trunk several meters high, then dropped down from the trunk again, picked up a wood-chopping knife from the ground, and began to swing it. Each strike landed precisely, with a discernible trajectory. A moment later, the boy slumped to the ground, muttering softly.
"That's right, I am Mu Yun. I live in seclusion with the old man in the Qingchuan Mountain Range."
"Currently, I am forging my body by chopping purple bamboo. My goal is to quickly build a physique capable of Foundation Establishment, and join an immortal sect."
He smiled and shook his head, looking at a pile of freshly cut purple bamboo not far away, further confirming his thought—this was the real world!
After resting and contemplating for a moment, the boy looked up at the sky. The warm sun was setting in the west; it was past noon.
"Alas, I'd better go back quickly, otherwise the old man will give me another head thump." Thinking of this, the boy shrunk his neck, seemingly recalling something terrible. He hurriedly dragged the hemp rope on the ground and walked forward step by step.
"Awoo!!"
Just then, a terrifying roar echoed from afar. Immediately, a wave of air, carrying an extremely strong stench, swept over everything. Mu Yun took the impact head-on, flying backwards and crashing into the trunk of an ancient tree. The intense stench made his heart violently thump, almost causing him to faint.
After several breaths, Mu Yun struggled to get up. Following the traces of the air current pressing down on the vegetation, he saw that the source of the roar was on the other side of this purple bamboo forest, a mysterious forest area that Mu Yun had never dared, nor ventured, to set foot in.
For many years since Mu Yun came here to chop purple bamboo, the old man had repeatedly warned him not to go deep into the purple bamboo forest, and especially not to step into the other side. For years, Mu Yun had obeyed, but nothing unusual had ever happened on the other side of the purple bamboo forest, leading Mu Yun to once believe the old man was exaggerating.
Until this very day, when the anomaly suddenly occurred!!
Mu Yun shook his head hard, forcing himself to regain some clarity. At the same time, he hastily dropped the bundled purple bamboo, put away his chopping knife, reached into his robe to grasp a bamboo slip, and rapidly retreated.
At the same time, a fierce shout, a human voice, strong and resonant, also reached him.
"Beast! How dare you harm my junior brother." Immediately, a fierce sound of fighting erupted.
Mu Yun's face was pale. He hid behind a tree, breathing shallowly, his eyes alert. The bamboo slip in his hand emitted faint white light, enveloping him and concealing his tracks.
The sounds of battle shook the sky, like thunderclaps on a clear day, exploding in Mu Yun's ears.
Several breaths later, as the sounds of battle faded into the distance, Mu Yun peered out from behind the tree and looked towards the other side of the bamboo forest, that dark, soul-stirring forest.
As far as his eyes could see, large swathes of purple bamboo were cut off at the waist, and broken stones and branches were scattered everywhere. Further in the distance, in that dark forest, ancient trees were overturned, a scene of utter chaos. This sight made Mu Yun's pupils constrict, knowing well that he had encountered what was probably a legendary immortal's duel.
...
On the other side of the bamboo forest, the duel had not ceased, but had moved deeper into the forest, further and further away from Mu Yun's location.
At this moment, deep within the dense forest, with its gnarled roots and fallen leaves covering the ground, two young men dressed in green robes stood supporting each other on branches. Both held ancient longswords in their right hands, their blades shimmering with green light.
One of the younger men had a pale complexion, his left arm broken and bleeding profusely. The other youth had a cold expression, his gaze fixed intently on a completely black tiger-shaped creature not far away. This creature was majestic and imposing, with black flames flickering around its body, and shockingly, it held an arm in its mouth.
The older youth frowned deeply and spoke, "Ghost Tiger, my junior brother and I only intend to take one of your cubs back to our sect; we have no intention of taking your life. If you continue to pester us, we will have no choice but to fight to the death and kill you!"
The tiger-shaped creature seemed to understand human speech. After a few low growls, its massive head slowly lowered towards the ground. The older youth, seeing its head lowered, assumed the Ghost Tiger had surrendered and was about to speak again, when unexpectedly, as he relaxed, the Ghost Tiger suddenly exerted force and pounced.
Seeing this, the former roared, holding his longsword vertically at his chest. He muttered a few words, and the longsword immediately glowed brightly. With a swing of his sword, a green sword aura left the blade and shot straight towards the Ghost Tiger.
But the giant tiger was also extraordinary. Seeing the sword aura approach, it actually extended its dark, sharp tiger claws in mid-air, which instantly lengthened like five keen blades to meet the sword aura. Immediately, sparks flew, and hissing sounds spread.
The tiger's claws deflected the sword aura, but its body did not retreat. In an instant, it roared to the heavens and pounced towards the two green-robed figures.
The older youth was already standing further away and quickly dodged the attack. The other youth, however, was unable to dodge in time and was tackled by the Ghost Tiger. Immediately, a tragic scream rang out.
"Ah! Senior Brother Leng, save me...!" the pounced man cried out urgently.
Seeing his fellow disciple about to die in the demon tiger's maw, the retreating youth showed no intention of rescuing him. After unleashing several sword auras, he tossed his longsword aside, then pointed his right hand into the air towards the demon tiger. Immediately, the ancient longsword glowed brightly and shot towards the demon tiger, creating a sonic boom.
"Junior Brother, don't blame me. The cultivation world is just like this. Capturing a Ghost Tiger cub is a great merit! This credit, you'll get a share."
Then, the hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by fierce resolve. He formed hand seals and roared, "Explode!"
As Senior Brother Leng's words fell, the youth being pounced on and bitten by the demon tiger exploded in response.
The earth trembled! When the smoke dissipated, a radius of dozens of feet around where the youth exploded was leveled. The black tiger lay motionless on the ground, its massive head profusely bleeding, seemingly beyond revival.
Soon after, Senior Brother Leng, disheveled, slowly emerged from the dense forest, cradling two black tiger cubs, about a foot long each. These were undoubtedly the Ghost Tiger's young he had spoken of.
"It's still just a beast, but what a pity for junior brother..." Senior Brother Leng's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia, seemingly sighing.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, an anomaly occurred! A black, sharp claw silently struck, piercing through Senior Brother Leng's abdomen. Simultaneously, the wound rapidly turned black, and a rotting stench spread. This sharp claw carried potent venom!
"Ah!"
Senior Brother Leng screamed tragically. With a fierce cry, he stepped forward, pulling himself away from the tiger's claw. Ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen, he spun and thrust his sword. The Ghost Tiger was already dead, and its extended claw immediately snapped off. But its body remained in an attacking posture, its bloody, mangled tiger head fiercely staring at Senior Brother Leng.
Senior Brother Leng was startled by the demon tiger's fierce appearance. Meanwhile, the Ghost Tiger cubs in his arms took the opportunity to break free and escape into the distance. Perhaps sensing that its children had escaped danger, the Ghost Tiger's massive and taut body slowly slumped to the ground, utterly lifeless.
Senior Brother Leng, regaining his senses, cursed loudly but did not pursue the Ghost Tiger cubs. Instead, he immediately took several healing pills.
"What powerful poison. I must return to the sect for treatment quickly." He was keenly aware of his current state. He staggered towards the area where the purple bamboo grew.
"As long as I get out of the Demon Sealing Realm, I can send a message to the sect, and then fellow disciples will come to save me!..."
Senior Brother Leng spoke indistinctly, his steps faltering, his consciousness growing increasingly blurred.
"The sealing power... has disappeared!" Approximately the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Senior Brother Leng finally reached the purple bamboo growing area. A smile appeared on his pale face, and then he used some method to send a distress signal to his fellow disciples.
After doing all this, he finally slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.
However, footsteps approaching from a distance made him wary. After a few breaths, he saw an unfamiliar boy holding a wood-chopping knife. The boy was Mu Yun. Although the previous air current impact had caused him some harm, it was only minor superficial wounds. He naturally did not know what had happened deep in the forest. A moment ago, hearing the sounds of fighting vanish, he had returned to investigate, but unexpectedly ran into the escaping Senior Brother Leng. Seeing the green-robed man severely wounded, Mu Yun felt a desire to help him.
As Mu Yun's gaze fell, the green-robed man's eyes were slightly lowered, appearing extremely fatigued. A pool of pitch-black blood lay on the ground, emitting a foul odor. The boy had never seen such a sight. His right hand tightened around the chopping knife he held.
At this moment, Senior Brother Leng looked up and met Mu Yun's gaze.
"Boom!" Mu Yun immediately felt a heavy blow to his chest, and his ears actually buzzed! Although Senior Brother Leng was severely wounded, the imposing aura and disdain in his eyes seemed innate.
"Are you alright?" The boy's kind nature prompted him to ask.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Senior Brother Leng did not answer but counter-questioned. At the same time, he inadvertently appraised the boy before him.
"I'm a villager who lives nearby and comes up the mountain to gather firewood," Mu Yun replied without thinking.
"A villager who chops purple bamboo?" Senior Brother Leng chuckled. He had noticed the purple bamboo chopped by Mu Yun, and though suspicious, he didn't show it.
Mu Yun remained silent. After a few breaths, he spoke, "Lad, I'll take you back for treatment. My family knows how to heal illnesses." Seeing the man on the brink of death, Mu Yun felt a pang of pity.
Senior Brother Leng's breath was weak. He whispered, "What a benevolent heart. Alright, then come help me up."
Mu Yun nodded upon hearing this, tied the chopping knife to his waist, and walked forward. Although he wanted to help the green-robed man before him, he still did not let down his guard. As he drew closer, he saw that the man's breath was faint and barely perceptible, and his head had also slumped down. Mu Yun's expression gradually relaxed.
"How foolish!" As Mu Yun approached, Senior Brother Leng's lowered head suddenly lifted, his eyes flaring with fierce light.
"How could there be mortals near the Demon Sealing Realm? Training the body by chopping purple bamboo is clearly a common practice for tempering disciples of sects. So young, spouting nonsense, and not accepting death!"
Senior Brother Leng suddenly erupted, thrusting his sword at Mu Yun. Mu Yun had no idea the green-robed man would suddenly go berserk and instinctively dodged. But due to the close distance, the overwhelming pressure brought by this sword left him unable to move an inch. He could only watch as the longsword approached.
Total disaster!!
"Ant..." The longsword thrust forward, and Senior Brother Leng mocked weakly. His pale face was full of disdain; in his eyes, Mu Yun seemed like an ant.
At this moment, a calm voice suddenly rang in Senior Brother Leng's ear.
"Activate nuclear arc reactor!"
"Activate quantum defense system!"
"Plasma light wave... launch!"
This voice came and went quickly. Along with the voice, a bright light condensed on Mu Yun's right index finger, then shot out.
In contrast, the longsword Senior Brother Leng thrust, only an inch from Mu Yun's throat, stopped abruptly. He looked at the longsword in his hand in astonishment, only to see that the longsword had broken after the flash of strong light, and a terrifying large hole had appeared in his chest.
"Golden Core... Immortal!"
Senior Brother Leng stumbled a few steps, stunned and speechless. He finally collapsed unwillingly to the ground, motionless.
Mu Yun retracted his right hand. The energy light wave that had shot from his fingertips earlier made him feel hot and tingling. He glanced faintly at his right index finger and said to himself, "My physical quality far exceeds that of Earth humans, so I can directly activate plasma light waves without needing vibranium modifications for amplification!"
Mu Yun's eyes revealed a wisdom and composure unbefitting his young appearance, as if he had completely transformed into a different person.
"It's just that the nuclear arc reactor, after releasing the plasma light wave just now, fell silent again. It seems it can't be restarted without a certain amount of time."
"The good news is that the antimatter armament system is still operating at a low frequency, seeming to be very compatible with some substance in this world!!"
"Just now, he mentioned a Golden Core Immortal??" He pondered slightly, his eyes thoughtful, as if retrieving memories from his mind.
"Mu Yun... Body Tempering Stage!"
"Body Tempering, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul....."
"Could it be that I've come to a world of cultivation?!"
Mu Yun continued to recall. "The Genesis spacecraft, after arriving at the Pillars of Creation, was captured by a black hole and then fell into it. Then, I saw a golden humanoid creature, and then..."
"Then, I was enveloped by golden light and lost my memory."
"When I woke up again, the first thing I felt was a death warning, so I immediately activated my defense and attack armament systems. I killed the person in front of me."
"Hoo!" This top intelligent person from Earth immediately discovered many questionable points.
"But, there's a blank in my memory. Obviously 'I' was fighting this person before. But I have no memory of it."
"Am I a dual personality now? Or, in this world's terms, two souls in one body?"
"That's not right either, I can still use technology from Earth, and various armament systems... How do you explain that?!"
"Is it really a god at play?"
Mu Yun was troubled, without an answer for a moment. He then thought, "The antimatter armament system is highly compatible with some substance in this world, which directly corroborates my previously published theory."
"This must be the antimatter world!!"