txolops Chapter 224 Five Nascent Soul cultivators gather! Entering the Yin-Yang Cave!
Chapter 224 Five Nascent Soul cultivators gather! Entering the Yin-Yang Cave!
Chapter 224 Five Nascent Soul cultivators gather! Entering the Yin-Yang Cave!
Two months later.
Lin Chuan arrived at the southern border of the Great Jin Dynasty.
The climate here is very different from that of the north. It is hot and humid with abundant rainfall, dense forests, and poisonous insects and miasma, making it difficult for ordinary people to survive. However, this has also given rise to many rare spiritual herbs and poisonous creatures, attracting countless cultivators to come and take risks.
Lin Chuan did not linger in the markets or cities of southern Xinjiang. He flew straight towards "Twin Scorpion Mountain" according to the agreed location with Fu Cheng.
Twin Scorpion Mountain, named for its shape resembling two giant scorpions mating, is a well-known dangerous place in the southern border of the Great Jin Dynasty.
The mountains are perpetually shrouded in colorful poisonous miasma, which is extremely deadly to low-level cultivators. Even Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators need to take specific antidote pills year-round before daring to venture out to the outer reaches of the mountains to collect some of the unique poisonous herbs and associated spiritual medicines found there.
When Lin Chuan rode his escape light to the relatively "safe" mountain peak located on the outskirts of the Twin Scorpion Mountains, which was the place he had agreed to meet with Fu Cheng, he found that there were already other people on the summit.
A woman dressed in a moon-white palace gown, with a slender figure and an exceptionally beautiful face, was sitting cross-legged on a smooth blue stone, closing her eyes and regulating her breathing.
She was enveloped in a thin layer of white, cold mist, which kept out the faint poisonous miasma that was invading her. Clearly, her cultivation was not weak, and she practiced a technique with the attribute of ice and cold.
Sensing someone approaching, the woman in white slowly opened her eyes. Her clear, deep eyes, like a still pool, looked at Lin Chuan, a hint of surprise flashing in them. She then rose, gave Lin Chuan a slight nod, and said in a clear, melodious voice, "Greetings, fellow Daoist. My name is Bai Yaoyi, from the Arctic Palace of the Northern Underworld Ice Plains of the Great Jin Dynasty. Have you come at the invitation of Fellow Daoist Fu Cheng?"
"Indeed. I am Lin Chuan, a rogue cultivator."
Lin Chuan returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and calmly glanced at the other person.
He had heard of the Arctic Palace; it was a sect in the northern part of the Great Jin Dynasty known for its ice-attribute techniques and was quite powerful.
This woman's cultivation level was also at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and her aura was deep and condensed, with an icy and restrained presence, clearly indicating that she was no ordinary person.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Lin. Fellow Daoist Fu hasn't arrived yet, so let's wait here for a while."
Bai Yaoyi spoke in a flat tone, sat down again, and continued to close her eyes to rest, showing no intention of engaging in further conversation. She seemed to have a rather aloof personality.
Lin Chuan didn't mind. He found a clean spot on the other side of the peak, sat down, and closed his eyes to wait.
A day later, another powerful beam of light descended.
The newcomer was a bald, burly man, nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, a face full of scars, bare arms, revealing his bronze-colored, muscular body.
The burly man had a rugged face and fierce eyes. After landing, he glanced at Lin Chuan and Bai Yaoyi, snorted softly, and walked to a boulder without saying hello. He stood with his arms crossed, like an iron tower, exuding a fierce and wild aura.
His cultivation level was also at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
"Body cultivation?" Lin Chuan's heart stirred.
This burly man possessed a vigorous and powerful energy, like a furnace, clearly indicating that he had followed the path of body cultivation and had achieved considerable skill in it.
The three of them each occupied a corner, not disturbing each other. The summit was silent for a moment, with only the whistling of the mountain wind blowing through the poisonous miasma.
Three more days passed, and finally two streaks of light appeared in the sky again, landing one after the other on the mountaintop. It was Fu Cheng, and a woman dressed in a black dress, with a charming and alluring appearance and captivating eyes.
This woman's cultivation level is also at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
"Haha, thank you for waiting so long, fellow Daoists! I was preoccupied with some trivial matters and arrived a little late. Please forgive me!"
Fu Cheng smiled and bowed to Lin Chuan and the other two in apology, then introduced them: "This is Chang Zhifang, my fellow disciple. Junior sister, these three are Fellow Daoist Lin Chuan, Fairy Bai Yaoyi, and Fellow Daoist surnamed Yuan."
The beautiful woman in the black dress, Chang Zhifang, gave the three a graceful bow. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the aloof Bai Yaoyi and the taciturn Lin Chuan before she said with a charming smile, "I am Chang Zhifang, and I greet you three fellow Daoists. I hope you will take good care of me on my journey ahead."
The muscular man simply nodded slightly and uttered two words in a deep, muffled voice: "Yuan Kui."
Bai Yaoyi rose again to greet him. Lin Chuan returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute.
Thus, the five mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators gathered at Twin Scorpion Mountain.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, enough with the nonsense. What is the purpose of inviting us here? This place is shrouded in poisonous miasma; it's not a good place for reminiscing." Yuan Kui couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, his voice like muffled thunder.
Fu Cheng's expression turned serious. He looked around at the four people and said in a deep voice, "Since Fellow Daoist Yuan has asked, I will speak frankly. I have invited you all here today because of an immense opportunity that I wish to share with you, but it also comes with considerable risks. We—are going to explore that 'Yin-Yang Cave'!"
"The Yin-Yang Cave?!"
Apart from Lin Chuan, who remained calm despite having anticipated this, Bai Yaoyi, Yuan Kui, and even Chang Zhifang all showed varying degrees of shock on their faces.
Yin-Yang Cave!
One of the ten most forbidden places in the cultivation world of the Great Jin Dynasty!
Located deep within the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons in the Southern Frontier, it is said to be a rift where the Yin and Yang realms intersected in ancient times, and was later sealed by powerful cultivators.
The cave is constantly filled with the bone-corroding and soul-destroying "Nine Nether Winds". This wind is extremely vicious and is designed to break through protective spiritual light and erode the physical body and soul. Even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot last long in it without special protection.
Not to mention that countless powerful ghosts and spirits, born from the nourishment of yin energy, roam within, and there may even be beings at the level of ghost kings!
Over the centuries, countless cultivators who considered themselves powerful have entered the cave, but only a tiny fraction of them have survived, and most of them remain tight-lipped about what happened inside.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, are you joking? You don't know how dangerous the Yin-Yang Cave is?" Bai Yaoyi frowned, her cold voice carrying a hint of doubt.
"Yes, senior brother, isn't that place a bit too dangerous?"
Chang Zhifang also looked worried.
Although Yuan Kui did not speak, his large, round eyes were filled with scrutiny and incomprehension.
"Fellow Daoists, please be patient and let me finish speaking." Fu Cheng, having anticipated this, explained calmly, "Since I dare to invite you all to accompany me, I naturally have something to rely on, and I certainly am not sending you to your deaths. To be honest, a few years ago, I accidentally obtained a complete formula for the ancient elixir, the 'Nurtured Infant Pill'!"
"Nurture Pill?!" This time, even Bai Yaoyi couldn't remain calm, her beautiful eyes flashing with disbelief.
Yuan Kui and Chang Zhifang were also sharing the same room.
The Nascent Soul Pill! A legendary ancient elixir, considered an unparalleled treasure for Nascent Soul cultivators!
This pill is not used to break through realms, but it can directly nourish and strengthen the cultivator's nascent soul origin, improve the solidity of the nascent soul and the ability to comprehend the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thereby indirectly improving cultivation, enhancing the power of supernatural abilities, and even providing a slight benefit to the future breakthrough of the Nascent Soul bottleneck!
This elixir has long been lost in the human realm, existing only in ancient books and legends. Its value is immeasurable!
"Fu has spent many years painstakingly collecting most of the auxiliary ingredients for refining the Infant-Nourishing Pill. Now, only the last ingredient, which is also the most important main ingredient, is missing."
Fu Cheng's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said, word by word, "Yin, Zhi, Ma!"
"Yinzhi Horse?!" Bai Yaoyi gasped. "Wasn't this creature long extinct in the human realm? Legend has it that it only grows in places where Yin and Yang meet, places of extreme Yin and Yang, where pure Yang energy occasionally leaks out. It feeds on Yin spirits and ghostly energy and pure Yang dew, and although it resembles a lingzhi mushroom, it can move like a living thing, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, making it extremely difficult to capture—could it be that such a creature exists in the Yin-Yang Cave?"
"Excellent!" Fu Cheng nodded emphatically, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "It was by chance that, during an exploration of the outer area of the Yin-Yang Cave, I discovered some unusual traces and—feces—that appeared to be left by the Yin-Yang Horse. After extensive investigation, it's almost certain that the Yin-Yang Cave is deep within it! And there's probably more than one!"
"The convergence of Yin and Yang—the extreme Yin and filth—the leakage of pure Yang—the environment of this Yin-Yang Cave does indeed meet the growth conditions of the Yin-Yang Horse," Chang Zhifang murmured, a flame of hope igniting in her eyes.
If she could obtain the Infant Nourishing Pill, her cultivation, which had stagnated for many years, might be able to advance further!
"With five mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators working together, as long as we are well-prepared and don't venture into the most dangerous areas of the Yin-Yang Cave, our safety should be guaranteed. Once we find the Yin-Yang Horse and refine the Nascent Soul Pill, we can divide it equally among the five of us, each receiving at least one or two pills. This will be enough to strengthen our Nascent Souls by several times, saving us decades of arduous cultivation!"
Fu Cheng then offered the final temptation: "Fellow Daoists, what do you think? Are you willing to join me in venturing into this dangerous place and seizing this immense opportunity, or will you choose to give up now?"
The area fell silent for a moment, with only the mountain breeze blowing.
Lin Chuan spoke first, breaking the silence: "I am willing to go." His tone was calm, as if he were merely agreeing to stroll through the market. He was naturally aware of the dangers of the Yin-Yang Cave, but he also knew that in the original story, although Han Li and his companions encountered some setbacks, they ultimately succeeded and gained a great deal.
More importantly, he has daily divination guidance to avoid misfortune and good fortune, and he has enough confidence in his own strength and means of survival.
The Pei Ying Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) also held considerable appeal for him.
Seeing Lin Chuan agree so readily, Bai Yaoyi hesitated for a moment, then a resolute glint flashed in her beautiful eyes: "If we can truly obtain the Nascent Soul Pill, it's worth taking the risks. I am willing to go with you."
Yuan Kui glanced at Lin Chuan and Bai Yaoyi, then at Fu Cheng, and finally nodded emphatically: "I'm going too! Fortune favors the bold!"
Chang Zhifang naturally had no objection, as she was from the same school as Fu Cheng and had already discussed it with him.
"Good! Good! Good!" Fu Cheng was overjoyed to see that all four had agreed. "In that case, to show our sincerity and to prevent the news from leaking out, I would like to ask you fellow Daoists to join me in making a vow to our inner demons, guaranteeing that we will not reveal today's discussions, the formula for the Infant Cultivation Pill, the Yinzhi Horse, and other information to a fifth person. Otherwise, the backlash from our inner demons will destroy our cultivation!"
Everyone agreed with this.
At that moment, each of the five forced out a drop of essence blood, mixed it with their divine consciousness, and made a solemn oath against their inner demons.
Once the oath is made, it's as if an invisible shackle rests on one's mind, making one dare not easily break it.
"Within the Yin-Yang Cave, the Netherworld Winds are not static. According to my observation, there will be a window of opportunity about six months from now, during which the power of the winds will periodically weaken," lasting approximately one month. Entering during that time will be the least dangerous. Therefore, we must wait another six months. After six months, we will regroup here and enter the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons together to explore the Yin-Yang Cave!"
Fu Cheng finally set a time.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Afterwards, Bai Yaoyi, Yuan Kui, and Chang Zhifang seemed to have their own trivial matters to attend to, and they took their leave one after another, saying that they would meet again in six months.
Lin Chuan thought for a moment and, since he had nothing to do for the time being, decided to stay on Twin Scorpion Mountain. He found a secluded cave and set up a restriction, while cultivating the "Ming Wang Jue" to consolidate his newly broken through to the second level, familiarizing himself with the newly acquired Hunyuan Jade Wall and the puppet, and waiting.
Half a year is but a fleeting moment for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
During this time, Bai Yaoyi, Yuan Kui, and Chang Zhifang also returned one after another, each finding a place to meditate near the mountain peak.
Although the five people were on the same mountain, they did not communicate much and maintained a tacit distance.
The six-month period will pass in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the five of them gathered once again at the summit. Without much small talk, Fu Cheng solemnly waved his hand: "Let's go!"
Five beams of light, each a different color, shot into the sky and flew towards the "Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons," a place deeper within the Twin Scorpion Mountains and shrouded in even denser poisonous miasma.
The deeper one goes into the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, the more colorful and bizarre the poisonous miasma becomes, and the more potent its toxicity. The air is filled with a strange stench that is a mixture of sweet, fishy, and rotten smells.
If an ordinary Core Formation cultivator were to reach this point, without a top-grade poison-avoiding magic treasure, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out for even a short while.
The five of them each used their own methods. Bai Yaoyi's body was enveloped in even thicker cold mist, and wherever she passed, the poisonous miasma froze into tiny ice crystals that fell to the ground.
Yuan Kui let out a low roar, and a faint golden light emanated from his bronze skin. He actually used his powerful physical body to resist the invasion of the poisonous miasma, and the poisonous gas was evaporated by his hot blood as soon as it got close.
Chang Zhifang produced a brocade handkerchief embroidered with a hundred flowers, from which rays of spiritual light descended to protect her. Fu Cheng, on the other hand, activated a jade pendant, which emitted a soft, clear light to ward off the poisonous miasma.
Lin Chuan was the most relaxed. With a thought, a wisp of pale blue flame leaped from his fingertips—it was the Dry Blue Ice Flame.
The icy flames spread rapidly, forming a thin, almost transparent, pale blue flame shield around his body.
The highly toxic miasma immediately hissed upon contact with this layer of icy flame shield, freezing and purifying itself, unable to penetrate even a fraction. The Dry Blue Ice Flame and even the Frost Flame are the perfect nemesis of such insidious miasma.
Seeing Lin Chuan so relaxed and carefree, especially with the extreme cold and purifying aura emanating from the pale blue flames, the other four people's eyes flashed with a strange light, and their evaluation of Lin Chuan unconsciously rose a few points.
As they ventured deeper, tiny, indistinguishable poisonous insects began to appear in the miasma, swarming towards the five like a dense gray fog.
These venomous insects are small individually, but their numbers are terrifying. They have sharp, highly venomous mouthparts that can corrode spiritual light.
Bai Yaoyi's cold mist, Yuan Kui's blood and qi, Chang Zhifang's brocade handkerchief's spiritual light, and Fu Cheng's jade pendant's clear light were all slightly rippled by these poisonous insects, requiring them to be reinforced with magic power from time to time, or to be cleaned by casting small-scale spells.
Only the azure ice flame shield surrounding Lin Chuan could freeze the poisonous insects into ice shards the moment they got close, causing them to fall down in a flurry and posing no threat whatsoever.
This scene secretly alarmed Fu Cheng and the others, making them even more wary of Lin Chuan's mystery and strength.
Finally, in the deepest part of the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, in a desolate place completely shrouded in five-colored poisonous miasma and devoid of any vegetation, the group saw their destination.
A shockingly huge crack appeared in the earth!
The fissure was hundreds of feet wide and stretched for an unknown length, its two ends disappearing into a dense, poisonous miasma, its depths unfathomable.