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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hongfei ascended to Basin and headed directly towards Peak Summit. As he glided past the edge of the mountain, he felt a sudden urge to look down, nearly causing him to tumble off his Flying Sword.
Goodness! What are those things!
In the strange thickets, there were large groups of bizarre creatures that could only be described as living beings, as they were all moving. However, what exactly they were was beyond Li Hong's comprehension.
Some resembled clusters of branches but had eyes and noses, with a few legs that touched the ground. These creatures moved slowly towards Basin on their grounded "legs," looking just like the legendary tree spirits.
Others appeared to be long snakes but had hundreds of long centipede legs supporting a long, plump body resembling a colorful python. The snake's head sported red and green spikes, making it a hybrid of a centipede monster and a giant snake.
There were also some that looked like fluffy bushes, except in the middle of the bush were two shiny green eyes that blinked incessantly. This "bush" hopped forward.
...
Countless indescribable monsters filled the scene. At this point, Li Hong realized that the strange creatures seen during the day—those running dragons and monkey-like birds—were quite similar to Middle-Earth beings. The ones before him could only be called monsters. What puzzled him most was that these monsters had not been seen during the day; he had no idea where they suddenly came from.
For now, he decided to name this Basin beneath Peak One as One Basin. All these monsters were heading towards One Basin, moving in various strange ways—rolling, wriggling, crawling, twisting... there was every kind imaginable. They did not coexist peacefully; occasionally, piercing shrieks erupted as large groups of monsters clashed with one another.
They fought while advancing towards One Basin.
Li Hong was left in a daze, wondering what was happening.
A beam of Crystal Light shot towards him quickly, revealing Chu Xi, who appeared flushed and out of breath. "Finally, I’ve been waiting for you to come out! We need to leave! It's extremely unsafe here at night."
Li Hong did not move; instead, he pointed at the monsters below and said, "Do you see? They all want to go to Basin. We should follow them and find out how they enter those Restrictions and why they want to go inside."
Chu Xi shook her head vigorously, glancing around nervously as she whispered, "You’ve already been gone for half a day. We’re in trouble."
"What happened? Is someone injured? How is Chuxiong?" Li Hong's heart sank.
Chu Xi said, "There is something strange here. I didn't notice it during the day, but now I've realized that we can't cultivate to replenish the spiritual energy consumed during the day. Chuxiong and I are fine, thanks to you giving us this." Chu Xi took out a fiery red Supreme Fire Jade Essence from her Spirit Bag. "I can absorb Fire Spirit Energy from it to cultivate and recover the energy spent during the day. Chuxiong also carries a piece of top-grade fire jade, so he is naturally fine. But aside from us, no one else has such good items. Although our sect provided each of us with six Fire Origin Pills when we entered, what will we do for the rest of these days? Just thinking about it makes me anxious. So now everyone is at a loss."
Upon hearing this, Li Hong's confusion cleared up instantly as he exclaimed, "I see! No wonder the people from Heavenly Grain haven't come in to establish their caves; first, the environment here is too perilous, and second, it's impossible to cultivate inside. For instance, this One Basin can only be approached when the Toxic Miasma weakens at night to break through the Restrictions and gather herbs, but at night there are hordes of monsters roaming around. It must have been tough for Heavenly Grain all these years."
"You're right, but Heavenly Grain has certainly reaped many benefits over the years. Enough about that; let's hurry up. We must have consumed a lot of spiritual energy inside, so we should return and meditate." Chu Xi urged Li Hong to get moving.
Li Hong smiled slightly, "Others can't cultivate, but I can! You don't need to worry."
"Ah?!" Chu Xi's cute little mouth formed a round shape in surprise.
"You all practice Li Fire Aura, while I practice this." Li Hong took out a fist-sized Supreme Celestial Stone from his Cosmic Bag and handed it to Chu Xi. "Keep this safe; I think it might come in handy here." He briefly explained the situation in One Basin to Chu Xi.
Chu Xi's eyes lit up, and a thoughtful expression that Li Hong was very familiar with appeared on her face. She nodded and said, "Your idea is very correct; there is indeed some connection between the Ancient Immortal Mansion and this place. I think you should take out that incomplete Ancient Marvelous Skills map and compare it with this area; perhaps they are actually the same location."
Li Hong's eyes widened; Chu Xi was right! He had never considered this possibility before—perhaps they were indeed one and the same! He quickly took out the map for a detailed comparison, their heads almost touching. After examining it closely, they both realized that there were too many missing parts on the map to confirm anything.
Li Hong put away the map confidently and said, "Let's continue exploring; today is just the first day. We still have three months left; maybe we'll find something deeper in the Ancient Celestial Field."
"Yes," Chu Xi agreed deeply.
The two flew towards One Peak.
When everyone saw Li Hong return, they all stood up and rushed over. Chuxiong's voice was the loudest as he shouted, "You're back!"
Li Hong patted his shoulder and joked, "Don't worry; your brother won't be eaten by monsters no matter what."
"That's right, I have the most confidence in you," Chuxiong said with a chuckle.
The two of them were joking and laughing, but Chu Huai's expression grew darker. It was obvious to everyone that Li Hong was in a good mood, which meant he must have gained something significant during his long absence. However, Li Hong did not report back immediately.
Did he not consider himself the leader? Chu Huai's eyes burned with anger, and it seemed he was about to explode.
Chuxuan had been watching silently for a while and then spoke loudly, "Sixth Senior Brother, this is serious; we have a situation here. Please explain what happened so we can brainstorm together!"
His words were firm and resonated with everyone present, prompting agreement from the group. Even Hui Feng, who usually showed no hesitation, nodded slightly in support.
Although Li Hong was joking with Chuxiong, his mind was racing. At this point, he was the only one with combat effectiveness and initiative. He needed to ensure everyone's safety while also preserving their strength, which was quite challenging. The upcoming actions had to be directed by him. He feared that Chu Huai would constantly seek power and deliberately oppose him, which could jeopardize their plans.
He organized his thoughts and described the situation in One Basin to everyone, omitting the fact that he could enter and exit Restrictions. He downplayed it by saying, "The situation in the back Basin is likely similar to that of One Basin. The medicinal herbs we need are probably all growing in the Basin, though we can't rule out that there might be some on the surrounding mountains as well. Our best approach is to check each Basin one by one and carefully map out what we find. As for those areas that seem dangerous, we should avoid them entirely and not provoke any monsters." Noticing Chu Huai opening his mouth to speak, he gestured for him to wait until he finished and continued, "This is the safest method. Sister Chu Xi has already informed me that none of you can cultivate here. However, I am different. I can!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone erupted in surprise and stared at Li Hong in disbelief. Chu Huai opened his mouth wide but then tightly closed it again. He looked deeply at Li Hong—Li Hongxiu practiced the Six Spirit Salty Ritual; others might not know much about it, but he was already aware. With people from Qixia Palace present, no matter how dissatisfied he was with Li Hong, they were still fellow disciples and could not expose this secret in front of outsiders. He couldn't help but glance at the only outsider present—Hui Feng.
Hui Feng's gaze held a hint of contemplation as he fixedly watched Li Hong without saying a word.
Seeing that Chu Huai did not refute him, Li Hong knew that his earlier move had silenced him and confidently continued, "Then it's settled. We'll travel during the day and rest at night. Everyone will pair up into teams of two; one person will carry the other during the day while resting at night. The next day we'll switch roles. The resting person shouldn't just waste time; they must try to cultivate as well. I estimate that it's not impossible to cultivate here; rather, it's due to the scarcity of Li Fire Aura that progress is minimal—so small it's nearly imperceptible. But regardless, any recovery is better than none. That's one point. Secondly, while we'll travel together as a group, if we need to enter a Basin or explore somewhere specific, that task will be mine alone; you all will wait for me at an agreed-upon location. This way, we won't delay each other and can ensure that when three months are up, we've covered the widest area possible for maximum benefit."
His words brightened everyone's eyes; Chuxiong excitedly laughed and said, "Big Brother's brain really works wonders! I knew everything would be resolved once you returned—not like some people..." His voice trailed off into a mumble no one could hear clearly as he glanced at Chu Huai with an expression that betrayed him.
Chu Huai felt like a thorn was lodged in his back; he was uncomfortable all over.
Suddenly Hui Feng exclaimed loudly, "What about me? There are eighteen of you; what should I do?"
Li Hong smiled slightly and replied leisurely, "That's easy to solve; I won't be partnering with anyone anyway. You can choose anyone from our Nine Li Sect as your partner."
Hui Feng bit her lower lip in thought and suddenly pointed at Chuxiong, saying, "I choose him!"
Chuxiong's dark face turned suddenly red, then deep purple, unable to utter a single word.
Li Hong sighed inwardly. Despite Hui Feng's few words, her insight was sharp. From Chuxiong's call of "Big Brother," she deduced that Chuxiong had a close relationship with her. Choosing Chuxiong as a partner was equivalent to choosing herself. This Ice Queen had long considered herself the most skilled among the Nine Li Sect members. With this choice, her safety was assured.
Li Hong did not reveal her thoughts and looked at Chu Huai, now waiting for his final decision.
Seeing that Chuxuan and others were subtly signaling him, Chu Huai suppressed his displeasure and said, "Let's do as Chu Hong suggested."
Li Hong quietly breathed a sigh of relief; this was the best outcome. It ensured everyone's safety while allowing her to keep many little secrets. She could also take the opportunity to gather Fragrant Grass and Longan Flower to resolve any future issues for Chuxiong and Chu Xi, achieving multiple goals with one action.
Everyone began to find partners. Chuxuan immediately paired up with Chu Liang, leaving only two people standing alone—Chu Huai and Chu Xi.
Everyone could see that Chu Huai had some feelings for Chu Xi. Such a good opportunity naturally should be given to the sect leader's third disciple and team leader to avoid any misunderstandings.
At this point, Chu Huai finally gained an advantage. He thought about how he would be inseparable from Chu Xi for the next three months, even standing closely together on a Flying Sword, which made him feel very good. He smiled as he walked up to Chu Xi and said, "Junior Sister, it's just us left; let your Senior Brother take care of you."
Chu Xi smiled slightly and without hesitation took out a piece of Supreme Fire Jade Essence from her Spirit Bag. Holding it in her hand, she said, "Senior Brother Chu Huai, I brought two of our Nine Li Sect's most precious Supreme Fire Jade Essence in my Spirit Bag. You know what Fire Jade Essence means without me saying it, right? Unfortunately, there are only two pieces—one for myself and one left over. I still want to help Senior Brother Chu Hong. If you agree, I will explore with Senior Brother Chu Hong from now on. What do you think?"
The Supreme Fire Jade Essence in Chu Xi's hand glowed red, making every Nine Li Sect disciple's eyes turn green with envy. With this item, they wouldn't have to worry about lacking spiritual power for three months; it was truly a coveted treasure! But there were only two pieces in Chu Xi's possession! One for herself and one... dozens of eyes turned toward Chu Huai.
Chu Xi did not throw the Fire Jade Essence to Chu Huai but looked at him with a smile. Her delicate white hand holding the Fire Jade Essence glowed bright red and translucent, with the vibrant Li Fire Aura pulsing inside it capturing everyone's attention, including Chu Huai's.
He sighed inwardly and immediately compromised, chuckling as he said, "Let's do as Junior Sister suggested!"
Chu Xi tossed the Fire Jade Essence to Chu Huai and walked over to Li Hong with a charming smile, saying, "Senior Brother Chu Hong, you must lead me on our exploration next."
"Alright!" Li Hong readily agreed, unable to hide the smile on his face.
At One Peak, everyone quickly set up a defensive circle. That night, Li Hong and Chu Xi took the night watch, while Chu Huai served as a backup since he had the Supreme Fire Jade Essence to replenish his depleting spiritual energy.
In the darkness, everyone sat quietly in a circle to cultivate—they all felt that Li Hong's words made sense; everyone wanted to conserve their strength, so even the smallest gains were worth striving for.
The nights in the Ancient Celestial Field were far from peaceful. Strange Beast Roars echoed from below the peak, and the commotion in the Basin grew louder, with sounds of clashing and bursts of red and green light appearing one after another. It seemed that the monsters below were breaking through the Restrictions to invade the medicinal garden.
Li Hong sat cross-legged a foot away from the group, with a faint golden liquid Awareness slowly rotating around the Fake Dan at his Upper Dantian. Indeed, there was no shortage of Multicolored Spiritual Energy in the Ancient Celestial Field; one by one, Multicolored Dots were drawn to him, flowing into Li Hong's meridians. After entering his Upper Dantian, they circulated again through the Great Circulation, transforming into Li Hong's own Awareness. The liquefied Awareness spun slowly, with the center of the Fake Dan glowing ever more brilliantly.
Suddenly, an ominous feeling surged within Li Hong. He opened his eyes and stood up abruptly, looking toward the sky.
The sky was deep blue, dotted with twinkling stars, but a shadow streaked toward them like a meteor at incredible speed, drawing closer and closer. In an instant, a large mass of darkness loomed overhead.
A flash of Crystal Light appeared in Li Hong's eyes as he shouted:
"Prepare for battle!"
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