radicalducati Chapter 7 Beneath the Bitter Sea Lies a Sacred Mountain
Chapter 7 Beneath the Bitter Sea Lies a Sacred Mountain
The pulse of the abyss lasted for half an hour before finally subsiding.
Li Xian remained calm as he led Ye Fan and Pang Bo down the gentle slope on the east side of Mount Sheng.
Back near the giant coffin, some of the students had already gathered together.
Lin Jia was the first to come forward, her face still covered in blood, and the light of the relic in her hand had dimmed considerably.
Behind her, Zhou Yi leaned on a wooden stick, his right ankle swollen.
A bronze bell lay horizontally at Wang Ziwen's feet, while she ate a Snickers bar in her hand.
Li Xian took out several bottles of mineral water that she had filled in her bag and handed them to the three of them.
These three were the ones who contributed the most during the previous crocodile attack, besides Ye Fan and Pang Bo.
Lin Jia, in particular, saved Li Xian's life at a crucial moment.
If it weren't difficult to explain the sacred fruit now, I would definitely take it out to repay the debt.
"It seems the original owner had some connection with Lin Jia, and they almost ended up together... In the end, it seems he accidentally stumbled into the Heavenly Family and backed down..."
"Drink," Li Xian said calmly.
Lin Jia took the bottle, unscrewed it, smelled it, and her eyes flashed: "This water..."
"The divine spring in the sacred mountain of the ancient forbidden land can accelerate wound healing and delay aging," Li Xian said rapidly. "Don't take more than three sips at a time, or your body won't be able to handle it."
Zhou Yi and Wang Ziwen didn't ask any more questions. Those who had survived the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin and the Crocodile's attack had all learned one thing—just do whatever Li Xian says.
The three of them each took a few sips.
During this time, Lin Jia also shared the divine spring water with Li Xiaoman and Liu Yiyi.
The spring water was warm and mellow, and the wound visibly healed upon tasting it.
Li Xian's words and actions aroused the suspicion of the others, who unanimously believed it was the magic water.
Liu Yunzhi, who had been absent all along, suddenly emerged from the shadows not far away.
He was followed by four or five classmates, their faces not looking too good, but with a sense of relief that "we're finally safe."
Liu Yunzhi rubbed his hands together, glanced at the mineral water bottle in Li Xian's hand, and walked up with a smile:
"Old Immortal, um... I was actually in the coffin just now to help calm everyone down..."
Li Xian didn't look at him and started tidying her bag.
Liu Yunzhi was left hanging for a few seconds, his smile froze for a moment, then he changed his tone and turned to wink at the students behind him.
"Hey, Li Xian," a square-faced boy spoke up, "you found that water on the mountain, right? We're all classmates, shouldn't we share good things?"
"Yeah, you gave it to them, why shouldn't we get it?" another person chimed in.
Liu Yunzhi spread his hands, feigning helplessness: "Look, everyone's emotions are running high, and I can't stop them—"
"I remember you pushed three people when you ran."
Li Xian finally looked up, her voice not loud.
Liu Yunzhi's expression changed: "I didn't—"
"Crawling into the coffin is the fastest way, so you didn't get a chance to save people, but now you're here to divide the spoils?"
Li Xian stood up, took two steps toward Liu Yunzhi, and exuded an imposing aura without being angry.
Liu Yunzhi instinctively stepped back, stubbornly saying, "Don't spout nonsense, I just had a leg cramp—"
He didn't finish speaking.
Li Xian acted much faster than Liu Yunzhi could talk nonsense, his whip kick sweeping across and striking precisely behind Liu Yunzhi's left knee.
"Snapped!"
The dull thud of his kneecap shattering was clearly audible, and Liu Yunzhi screamed as he knelt on one knee.
Before he could react, the second blow arrived—his right knee, in the same spot, with the same force.
"ah--!"
Liu Yunzhi lay on the ground with his legs bent at an abnormal angle, his forehead hitting the stone ground and leaving a trail of blood.
The classmates behind him all backed away, as if they had seen a ghost, and none of them dared to speak.
"If you shout again, your tongue will be ruined."
Li Xian remained expressionless, squatted down, and wiped the dust off his trouser legs.
The entire room fell silent.
Ye Fan stood three steps away, his lips moved, but in the end he did not stop him.
Previously, inside the coffin, he personally witnessed Liu Yunzhi push Chen Fang'er aside and squeeze into the giant coffin.
Pang Bo, however, thoroughly enjoyed the sight. He slammed the bronze plaque onto the ground and said in a deep, booming voice:
"Anyone else want to get some stuff? I'm in a good mood, so get in line."
There was no queue.
Li Xian stood up and glanced at the sky.
Thick clouds gathered, and the life force within the sacred mountain began to contract—a harbinger of the ancient forbidden land's renewed power.
The desolate forbidden land is a place where one is immediately enveloped by desolate energy upon entering, causing one's lifespan to rapidly deplete and one's physical body to age quickly. The lower one's cultivation level, the faster the decline. Ordinary cultivators will be exhausted and die in no time.
The younger sister felt sorry for her brother before he ate the sacred fruit, fearing he would die of old age, but that's no longer the case.
"Listen up," he raised his voice, threateningly. "You must leave here before dark. Once the sun sets, things you can't even imagine will come out of the mountains. You wouldn't have enough lives to catch them then."
No further explanation is needed.
The experience on Mars has taught everyone a valuable lesson—
When Li Xian says "there is danger," then there really is!
The group quickly moved southeast. Li Xian led the way, Ye Fan coordinated in the middle, and Pang Bo brought up the rear carrying the bronze plaque.
Liu Yunzhi was being supported by two classmates, his legs dragging on the ground. He was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat, but he didn't utter a sound.
In less than two hours, the group crossed the last mountain ridge and descended the gentle slope on the outskirts of the desolate forbidden land.
Ahead lay a sparse woodland.
Ancient trees reach for the sky, insects chirp at night, and the concentration of spiritual energy in the air suddenly drops, replaced by the earthy smell of grass and trees that one would expect in the mortal world.
The moment he stepped out of the forbidden area—
Unexpected changes occurred suddenly.
Lin Jia was the first to notice something was wrong.
She looked down at the back of her hand, where fine lines were appearing at a visible speed on her once smooth skin.
"My hand..."
Her voice suddenly tightened.
It wasn't just her.
Zhou Yi has gray hairs at his temples, and Wang Ziwen has three more forehead wrinkles.
Those who hadn't consumed the divine spring water fared even worse—their black hair turned gray, their cheeks sagged, and their skin became loose. In just a few seconds, these young people in their early twenties turned into elderly people in their sixties or seventies.
A girl grabbed her rough, dry hand and screamed.
The other person touched his wrinkled face, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
The life essence within the forbidden area sustains everyone's youth.
Once they leave, all the vitality they had previously exhausted will be demanded back, with interest.
Panic spread again.
Only three people remained unchanged in appearance.
Li Xian, Ye Fan, Pang Bo.
The three of them had consumed the remnants of the elixir of immortality, thus opening the sea of suffering and entering the secret realm of the sea of reincarnation. Their life essence had undergone a qualitative change, and they were no longer subject to the erosion of mortal aging.
Those who drank the divine spring water, such as Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, and Wang Ziwen, aged much less than others, appearing to be in their early forties—middle-aged, but not yet old. They were charming, mature women and handsome men.
Li Xian glanced at the miserable state of everyone and didn't linger.
"Walk."
No one asked why we were leaving, nor where we were going.
People who can stay young can say whatever they want.
The group walked through the woods for about 15 minutes.
As night fell completely, the low growls of wild beasts echoed from the depths of the dense forest, but they were all far away and posed no threat.
Suddenly, several beams of light appeared in the woods ahead.
It's not a torch, it's magic.
Streaks of light descended from the sky, landing at the edge of the forest and transforming into figures dressed in various colored Taoist robes.
Some stood on swords, while others hovered in the wind, their bodies surging with spiritual energy, their aura far surpassing that of ordinary people.
A spiritual practitioner.
A true practitioner of the Big Dipper.
The leader was an old man with red hair and beard, wearing a red robe, whose sharp gaze swept over the crowd.
He was followed by seven or eight disciples, each with an extraordinary aura.
Immediately afterwards, the second and third groups of people arrived almost simultaneously.
With different directions and different flags, there were a total of six groups of people.
The Six Great Grotto-Heavens.
They came to kidnap people.
"Strange phenomena are occurring frequently in this forbidden area; indeed, there are visitors from beyond the realm!" The white-haired elder roared, his voice booming like a bell. "I am Han Feng, Elder of Lingxu Cave Heaven. You have come from afar—"
"Wait, Old Han, stop talking nonsense!" the red-robed old monster interrupted. "First come, first served, it's an ancestral rule!"
"The ancestral rules refer to measuring one's bones and spirit, not just something you can spout off!" The female cultivator leading the third group sneered.
The six parties instantly erupted into chaos.
Li Xian stood still, watching this scene with great interest.
"The Battle for Talent" - a classic scene from the early stages of "Covering the Sky," where the six major grotto-heavens divide up Earth's transmigrators.
Each grotto has a different focus, and the criteria for selecting people also vary.
Lingxu Cave Heaven is the strongest, but also the most demanding.
Amidst the six parties' dispute, a cool and aloof figure emerged from the Lingxu Cave Heaven's ranks.
The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a white dress, with delicate, arched eyebrows and a beautiful, ethereal face.
Her deep blue eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.
Those eyes swept over the aging crowd, past Lin Jia and Zhou Yi, and finally settled on the three young people at the front—Li Xian, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo.
Vivi.
Fairy Eye.
See through illusions and look directly to the source.
Weiwei's gaze first fell on Ye Fan, then paused slightly, a strange light flashing in her azure eyes.
Then, those eyes turned to Li Xian.
It paused for three seconds.
The girl's brows furrowed slowly.
Li Xian noticed the change in her expression and a hint of curiosity arose in her heart.
To a celestial being, his mortal form would appear much like a stone.
Frowning? Did you see something wrong?
"Could the Celestial Spirit Eye be so terrifying that it can see through the suffering of low-level cultivators?"
"Possibly! This physique is quite remarkable. The second-generation Queen Mother of the West, who possessed the mixed-blood holy body, had this physique. If she were born in the Immortal Realm, she would be practically a descendant of immortals."
"Uncle-Master."
Weiwei turned to Han Feng and spoke in a cold voice.
"Lingxu needs these three people."
After she finished speaking, she turned back and glanced at Li Xian again.
A calm-looking young man with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth was reflected in his azure pupils.
Those were eyes that could not see through.
Beneath the sea of suffering, there is clearly nothing but emptiness.
But she always felt—
Beneath that sea of suffering lies an entire sacred mountain.