Chapter 251: The So-Called Hope
Xiao Luo stared blankly at the three people before her, a shock she had never felt before surging in her heart.
At first, she thought they were no different from those outsiders who had strayed into the Kunlun Mountains in the past—panicked, fearful, despairing, ultimately either becoming puppets of the Sacred Tree or being crushed into bloody mud.
Yet, they unhesitatingly charged into the villagers' encirclement and rescued her. At that moment, an absurd thought faintly emerged in her heart: they were different.
But it was not until this moment that she truly understood—how were they merely different? They did not tremble when facing the Sacred Tree's curse; they did not flinch when hearing those tragic past events.
Even now, what flickered in their eyes was not fear, but... excitement? Fighting intent?
Xiao Luo suddenly remembered the words her mother had said before she passed away— "In this world, besides the Kunlun Mountains, there are also 'Immortals'."
At that time, she was ignorant and unaware, only treating it as a story her mother used to coax her. But at this moment, she looked at the brilliant starlight in Chen Xingcai's eyes, looked at the unbridled smile at the corner of Jiang Che's mouth, and looked at Han Yu's steady yet hidden sharp posture...
It turned out that her mother did not lie to her. They were not those outsiders fleeing in panic, nor were they those pitiful wretches swallowed by despair. They... perhaps could really change all this?
Xiao Luo's heart beat violently, and a long-lost, almost unfamiliar emotion surged within her chest— Hope.
...
Han Yu stood up, brushed off the nonexistent dust on his sleeves, his gaze calm and sharp: "We have rested enough. Since Xiao Luo says those people will come looking sooner or later, our time is limited."
He looked around at everyone, his voice steady and powerful, "At least we must first figure out exactly what happened here and who the mastermind behind the scenes is."
Chen Xingcai turned to Xiao Luo, her eyes carrying an inquiring meaning: "Xiao Luo, what are your plans? Do you want to go with us?"
The cave quieted down for a moment, with only the fire pile occasionally making slight crackling sounds. Xiao Luo lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.
She thought of those long years spent under the shadow of the Sacred Tree, thought of her mother's final gentle yet despairing look, and thought of the countless nights she curled up alone in the darkness.
Suddenly, she quietly clenched her fists, her fingernails almost embedding into her palms. When she looked up again, those eyes that always carried timidity were shockingly bright at this moment: "I will go with you!"
Hope, this kind of thing, was like a ball of light in the darkness. When it was absent, people could get used to the darkness; but once they saw the light again, they would never bear to look away.
The corner of Han Yu's mouth rose imperceptibly. Jiang Che patted Xiao Luo's shoulder heartily, while Chen Xingcai smiled and handed her a Night Luminescent Pearl flashing with faint light: "Then let's go. Follow us closely."
The four turned and walked toward the depths of the cave. Xiao Luo walked at the very back, looking at the three tall and straight figures ahead, feeling for the first time that this passage seemingly leading to darkness did not seem that terrifying anymore.
In the deep and serene cave, the four walked slowly along the underground dark river. A wisp of spiritual fire ignited at Han Yu's fingertip, illuminating the wet and slippery rock walls.
"Xiao Luo, are you familiar with this cave?" Han Yu suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the empty cave.
Xiao Luo shook her head, her hair glowing faintly under the reflection of the spiritual fire: "This place has never been discovered by anyone. However, I know this lake; it is formed by the convergence of several streams on the mountain."
She paused, "In the past, when villagers got lost in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains, the simplest method was to find a stream and follow the current down; most of the time, they could walk to the side of this lake."
Jiang Che stroked his chin thoughtfully: "So you are saying, if we walk upward along this cave, it is also a road leading to the depths of the Kunlun Mountains?"
Xiao Luo froze for a moment, then nodded and said, "It should be so."
Han Yu suddenly thought of something, turned his head, and asked, "By the way, Xiao Luo, that day you said we came from the side of the 'passage'. Besides the place we came from, are there other ways for outsiders to enter?"
Xiao Luo nodded, a trace of a complex expression flashing through her eyes. "There are, but very few. Most outsiders enter from the 'passage' on the periphery of the Kunlun Mountains like you guys."
She hesitated for a moment, "But occasionally... in very rare circumstances, someone will suddenly appear in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains. And..."
"And what?" Chen Xingcai leaned in curiously.
"And these people are usually abnormally excited at the beginning, shouting and yelling, making it especially easy to attract the villagers' attention." Xiao Luo pursed her lips, "Right, they call themselves 'Ascenders'."
"Ascension?" Han Yu frowned. This term was not unfamiliar to him.
Legend had it that when a lower realm cultivator's cultivation base reached the Heavenly Human Realm and found the passage connecting the two realms, they could ascend to the upper realm. This was exactly the ancient origin of the realm name "Heavenly Human Realm".
However, the passage between the two realms had long been shattered; this was the consensus of all immortal cultivators on the Xuanying Continent.
Moreover, ascending to such a ghostly place?
A trace of pity flashed through Han Yu's eyes: "Ascending here... I am afraid it is some cultivator from a Small Thousand World who had eight lifetimes of bad luck..."
...
The air inside the cave became increasingly cold and damp, the chill seeping into the marrow like fine needle points. Xiao Luo unconsciously hugged her arms tightly, her teeth chattering slightly, and her pace gradually slowed down.
Chen Xingcai keenly perceived her discomfort and understood after a brief thought. Although Xiao Luo was "blessed" by the Sacred Tree and obtained the ability of agelessness and immortality, her physique was ultimately still mortal. She was different from those villagers who were thoroughly modified.
"Here." Chen Xingcai took out a warm crimson jade stone from her sleeve and handed it to Xiao Luo. "Holding this will make you feel better."
Xiao Luo took the jade stone hesitantly and immediately felt a warm current spreading from her palm to her whole body, as comfortable as being soaked in warm water. She looked up in surprise, met Chen Xingcai's smiling eyes, and could not help but return a grateful look.
The four continued to move forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the narrow corridor suddenly opened up.
The originally rough rock walls became flat and smooth, with traces of artificial excavation faintly visible on the surface, the edges and corners distinct to the point of being almost deliberate. The roof of the cave also rose abruptly, forming a spacious dome space.
Right at the end of this cave with obvious artificial traces, a gigantic stone door stood there abruptly.
The stone door was entirely pitch black, its surface smooth as a mirror, gleaming with a cold and gloomy luster under the illumination of the spiritual fire.
The four stopped their footsteps involuntarily, gazing solemnly at this mysterious stone door that appeared out of thin air in this underwater cave.
...
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