Chapter 257 Found It!
A slender strand of hair drifted in the void, like a rootless duckweed, floating and sinking in the cracks of chaos. It was wrapped by invisible air currents, moving up and down, as if it would never find a resting place.
Finally, the void cracked open a barely perceptible fissure.
The hair strand drifted out with the momentum, and the view before it suddenly opened up—
A thin mist before dawn shrouded a paradise of beautiful mountains and clear waters. The distant mountains were like eyebrows, the morning dew had not yet dried, the streams gurgled, and the vegetation was lush.
Just as the hair strand was about to land, it was swept up by a gust of morning breeze, twirled lightly, and continued to drift.
At the same time.
At the entrance of the village, an old man leaning on a cane led the villagers back one after another with a gloomy expression. They had tried various methods—chopping with knives and axes, bombarding with curses—but they were unable to shake that strange black door from start to finish.
"Elder, dawn is coming..." A villager reminded in a low voice.
The old man sensed the changes within his body and snorted coldly: "Withdraw!"
The villagers felt as if they had been granted amnesty, dragging their exhausted bodies out of the underwater cave one after another, then walking toward the village. Although they possessed boundless strength and bodies that were ageless and undying, they could still feel fatigue.
The old man fell to the back, a trace of sinister coldness flashing in his turbid eyes. In three more days, it would be the night of the full moon. Compared to capturing those few outsiders, the 'sacrifice' on that night was more important.
"You can avoid the first day, but you cannot avoid the fifteenth." He muttered to himself, his withered fingers rubbing the patterns on the cane. "This old man wants to see just how long you can hide behind that door..."
He did not notice in the slightest that a black hair, fine as a gossamer thread, was drifting gently with the morning breeze and quietly stuck to his graying hair bun.
And deep within that void passage—
Chen Chang'an, who was originally sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes!
"Arrived!"
Chen Chang'an rejoiced secretly in his heart. His divine sense followed the induction transmitted from that hair strand and instantly locked onto the location. He pinched his fingers to calculate, but his brows suddenly furrowed—
"It is actually still in the Lower Realm?"
He had thought this passage connected to an independent secret realm, but he did not expect it to still be within the Lower Realm.
It was just that this location... was shockingly far away.
If not for the fact that he had already promoted to Immortal Venerable and possessed the ability to cross the void, even a Saint Realm cultivator would probably have to spend ten to fifteen days to cross such a distance.
What was more troublesome was that this place was obviously no longer within the range of the Xuanying Continent, but deep within the Endless Sea!
"Endless Sea..."
Chen Chang'an murmured in a low voice, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
That sea area was vast and boundless, unpredictable and dangerous. Even cultivators dared not easily step into its depths.
As his thoughts turned like lightning, the clone in the passage instantly dissipated, turning into a wisp of green smoke.
At the same time—
Shua!
A sword light slashed down from the clouds. A new clone stepped out on a sword, his robes fluttering as he sped toward the sensed direction.
Although the realm of Immortal Venerable could cross space, this clone needed to first arrive at an area where it could exert its full power!
"Still need some time..."
The clone's gaze was calm. The speed of the flying sword beneath his feet increased by another thirty percent, drawing a dazzling stream of light across the horizon.
Ever since promoting to Immortal Venerable, although there was the system's shielding, he could still detect this world's rejection of him.
Whenever his main body took half a step out of the secret room, it was as if thousands of fine threads were binding his whole body. The further away he went, the tighter the restraint became.
At first, it was just a vague discomfort. As long as the time was long enough, it would even turn into substantial oppression, making even breathing feel stagnant.
Fortunately, after the system upgrade this time, the coverage range of the Sect Leader's secret room had expanded several times, incorporating a small half of the Immortal Spirit Valley into the safe zone.
Otherwise, being trapped in this square inch of land all day long, he would really be bored to sickness.
...
Two days passed again.
In the secret realm—
"Xiao Luo! You woke up?"
Chen Xingcai was guarding at the side. Seeing Xiao Luo's eyelashes tremble slightly, she hurriedly leaned over to get closer. Xiao Luo slowly opened her eyes, and what entered her view were Chen Xingcai's eyes full of worry. Her heart warmed, and just as she wanted to speak—
"Mmh!"
Suddenly, she let out a muffled groan, and her whole body trembled violently. Chen Xingcai was frightened into hurriedly retreating two steps. She saw a glistening spiritual light suddenly rise around Xiao Luo's body, and her aura began to climb steadily!
"This is..."
Han Yu and Jiang Che rushed over upon hearing the sound, happening to see an astonishing scene—Xiao Luo's originally ordinary and unremarkable aura was actually surging crazily like a flood breaking a dike!
Object Control Realm!
Profound Connection Realm!
Returning Origin Realm!
...
Finally, it only barely stopped at the peak of the Longevity Realm.
Xiao Luo raised her hand blankly, sensing the surging True Essence circulating within her body, her voice trembling somewhat: "I... what is going on with me?"
Han Yu pondered for a moment and analyzed: "You have lived in this place filled with spiritual energy for hundreds of thousands of years. Even a pig should have been nurtured into a spirit beast by the spiritual energy."
He paused, "Let alone humans who are the head of all living things? Even without actively cultivating, just the daily breathing exercises and accumulated spiritual power are comparable to hundreds of years of bitter cultivation by cultivators."
"Moreover, your own talent is not weak; you were just suppressed by those tree roots before." Han Yu continued: "So—now that the hidden danger is completely removed, you naturally recovered the cultivation base you should have originally had."
Just then, Jiang Che suddenly slapped his thigh: "I understand!"
Seeing the three people look at him, Jiang Che said excitedly: "I know why Daoist Kurong wanted to control those villagers!"
His eyes shone with light, "Just as Second Senior Brother said, humans are the head of all living things. That Daoist Kurong is probably using the spirituality of these villagers to cultivate! Moreover—"
"Moreover—" Han Yu's expression turned grave: "In that case..."
"That's right!" Jiang Che nodded heavily. "His main body likely really had a major problem! Even that tomb of his we saw before—"
"Is probably real!"
...
"Then what should we do next?" Chen Xingcai broke the silence, her gaze shifting between Han Yu and Xiao Luo.
Han Yu did not answer immediately but looked at Xiao Luo with deep meaning.
"Me?" Xiao Luo pointed at herself in panic, her eyes full of disbelief.
Han Yu nodded: "Nowadays, you are the most familiar with this place. You might as well try telling us what we should do next."
Xiao Luo bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting together: "But... I..."
"Don't be afraid!" Chen Xingcai grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. "You are not an ordinary person now, but a cultivator in the Longevity Realm. If we insist on saying it, you might even be the Immortal you speak of!"
"Me? Immortal?" Xiao Luo revealed a look of confusion.
"Yes!" Chen Xingcai said seriously: "Just like your father."
"Like father..."
Xiao Luo closed her eyes. A moment later, she suddenly took a deep breath and finally mustered up her courage.
"I understand..."
She lowered her head to think for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "How long have we been in here?"
"Two days," Han Yu answered.
"Then it is tomorrow!" Xiao Luo's voice rose slightly.
"Tomorrow?" Jiang Che raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, tomorrow!" Xiao Luo's eyes twinkled with determined light. "If you want to find that person you just mentioned, then he will definitely appear tomorrow."
Han Yu's gaze focused: "Why?"
Xiao Luo took a deep breath, as if she had made some kind of determination: "Because every night of the full moon is the day of sacrifice. All the villagers around Kunlun Mountain will go to the deep mountains of Kunlun Mountain to worship... the Sacred Tree."
Her voice trembled slightly on the last two words, but her eyes were unusually bright.
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