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墨書 Inktalez
In the vast expanse of the desert, untouched for thousands of years, I emerged from the void, surrounded by swirling runes that dissipated like smoke.
I squinted as I looked around; the wind and sand whipped at me, leaving only the sound of howling winds, nothing else.
The Sand Scorpion King was beyond human strength to contend with. The talisman affixed to me by Rain Master Luo was likely the Hundred Li Talisman, a gift from the sect leader to important disciples for critical moments of escape. Yet she had chosen to use it on me.
I waited in place for a long time. From the countless Dao Jing I had perused in the Martial Dao Classic, I learned that the Hundred Li Talisman had a specific point of teleportation. Perhaps Rain Master Luo would appear shortly.
I sat cross-legged in the desert, watching the sun set. The wind and sand buried half my body, and even as night fell and the air turned cool, she still did not appear.
I shook off the sand clinging to me and continued onward in a certain direction through the desert. Disoriented, I pulled out the Zhou Compass and looked at the direction indicated by its needle, feeling utterly exhausted.
I lost track of time—perhaps it had been three days or even three months. The moisture in my body had been completely evaporated, and I had grown gaunt. The Dao Qi stored within my Qi Sea was depleted, leaving me unable to continue.
Finally, when my throat felt parched and dry, I could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the ground.
No matter that I possessed a Taoist Sacred Body or countless precious medicines and divine items—even the Book of Life and Death—against the endless desert without water to sustain me, I was ultimately just a mortal who could die.
In my dazed state, I felt someone lift me up and carry me on their back. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of her short hair behind her ear; she said nothing.
Eventually, she set me down on the ground and took out a pearl that shone brightly like the moon. Using her Dao Qi, she shattered the pearl and drew all its Spirit Energy into my body. I gazed at her haggard face with its parched lips, feeling an unusual pang in my heart.
When I regained consciousness, I saw her collapsed beside me, her skin sunburned and her breath faint. I channeled my Dao Qi into her body and retrieved Tai Sui from my Qi Sea for her to consume.
“Rain Master Luo, wake up,” I urged.
Rain Master Luo opened her eyes and saw me. She pushed herself up from the ground and said, “You’re alright now.”
I nodded gratefully. “Thank you. Why couldn’t I find my way out after walking for so long? Where exactly is this place?”
“It should be the Endless Desert,” Rain Master Luo replied.
“The Endless Desert…”
I recalled the contents recorded on an ancient scroll. The Endless Desert had been transformed by an unparalleled power to trap the armies of various factions during the war against the Daoist World, ensnaring all who entered, leaving them unable to escape. We had inadvertently stumbled into this place.
"I'll use my Primordial Spirit to see what's going on," I said, and then my Primordial Spirit detached and soared into the sky.
My Soul hovered high above, gazing down at the earth, and I discovered that the desert below was actually a vast depression. However, when I was down there, I couldn't see it. I continued to ascend until I reached the clouds, only to find a massive barrier, like a protective shield, enveloping the desert above.
I activated the Boundary Breaking Technique, extending my hand to probe the barrier. Once outside, I unleashed the Rift Path and shattered the barrier with a punch. The barrier trembled and dispersed, causing the clouds above to swirl ominously until dark storm clouds gathered.
My Soul returned to my physical body as I opened my eyes and said, "Someone has cast an illusion over the desert; we should be able to leave now."
The dark clouds thickened, and soon a torrential rain began to pour down—a rare occurrence in the desert. Rain Master Luo and I pressed forward until we spotted a lush green hill not far ahead.
Upon entering the forest, we found a waterfall and quenched our thirst by its stream, experiencing a joy akin to escaping death.
After a while, we suddenly heard screams coming from deeper within the forest. Rain Master Luo and I exchanged glances and moved toward the source of the sound, only to witness a group of Daoist Disciples being besieged by a massive horde of monkeys. These monkeys were bright red with sharp claws, leaping about as they mercilessly attacked countless Daoist Disciples.
"Those are Crimson Sky Fire Monkeys," Rain Master Luo remarked before drawing her sword and charging forward.
Among those being hunted by the Crimson Sky Fire Monkeys were several disciples of Arched Eyebrows. An Emei Disciple spotted Rain Master Luo and shouted, "Sister, save us!"
Rain Master Luo landed in front of them just as one of the fire monkeys lunged at her. With a swift stroke of her sword, she cleaved it in two, flames erupting from its burning body.
The remaining fire monkeys screeched in fury and charged at Rain Master Luo. With each swing of her sword, she claimed another Crimson Sky Fire Monkey's life. One monkey, seeing its comrades fall, turned to flee. I used Time Walk to appear before it and struck down with my palm, shattering its skull.
"These monkeys have already gained intelligence; their wits are not much inferior to humans. Letting even one escape could bring disaster," I said.
Rain Master Luo nodded and addressed the crowd: "How did you end up here? What is this place?"
The Emei Disciple looked puzzled and replied, "Sister, this is Kunlun Secret Realm; we just followed everyone inside."
"You didn't pass through the desert?" I asked.
Everyone shook their heads in unison. "How could there be a desert within Kunlun Demon Realm?"
I asked again, "How long has it been since you entered the secret realm?"
An Emei Female Disciple replied, "It's been about five or six hours, I think."
Everyone nodded in agreement; the time seemed roughly accurate. Rain Master Luo and I exchanged glances, both surprised. After all, we had spent at least a month in the desert, and the discrepancy was staggering.
The most crucial point was that these people hadn't seen any desert at all. Could it be that Rain Master Luo and I had walked into an illusion set by an ancient power?
"Haozi," a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned to see it was Wu.
Behind Wu were Huzi and Iron Bull. I walked over to them and asked, "Is Manman not with you?"
Wu shook his head. "Weren't you with her?"
I replied, "We got separated when the Beast Tide struck. I haven't seen her since."
Huzi reassured me, "Don't worry, Hao. Manman is tough; she’ll be fine."
I nodded and asked, "So you all came here without passing through the desert?"
"What desert? Did you come through a desert?" Everyone looked puzzled.
Iron Bull said, "Did you drink too much, boss?"
I responded, "It's nothing; I was just asking how things are in these mountains. Have you made any new discoveries?"
Wudao chimed in, "Actually, we have made some discoveries. The Spirit Energy here is much stronger than in other places. However, no one has found any Holy Medicine or Medicine King. The top disciples from several sects have met up but reported finding nothing significant."
"What about the demon beasts?" I inquired. It was rumored that unimaginable Great Demons resided in the Kunlun Secret Realm. Throughout my journey, aside from encountering an unbeatable desert stingray while inexplicably walking into the desert with Rain Master Luo, I hadn't seen any other notable demon beasts. Even the Crimson Sky Fire Monkeys posed no real threat; it hardly felt like a secret realm untouched for a millennium.
Wudao added, "That's something I've found strange as well. The Spirit Energy in these mountains is much more intense than elsewhere. There are demon beasts around, but none of them are particularly powerful. Most importantly, we haven't seen a single Holy Medicine or Medicine King; that's very unusual."
"Could someone have come here early and harvested all the herbs?" Huzi suggested. "Although Yaochi is vast, it’s not big enough to completely cut off Kunlun; there must be other entrances leading here."
I said, "There's some truth to that. At least the Five Great Supremes can ignore the restrictions if they want to enter."
Just then, someone shouted from a distance, "Someone has discovered the Holy Medicine Concentration Area! There are restrictions there, so we ask skilled individuals to come and break them."
"Someone found the Holy Medicine Concentration Area," Wu's eyes lit up. "Let's hurry there."
I nodded and glanced at Rain Master Luo nearby. Rain Master Luo didn't look at me but led his disciples deeper into the mountain.
Our group arrived at the Holy Medicine Concentration Area, where a vast forest was surrounded by restrictions. The perimeter was formed by thorny vines creating a barrier, and in addition, there was a powerful protective barrier enveloping the area.
Underneath the barrier, I saw several corpses of Spirit Birds.
"Did you find anything?" Wu asked.
I replied, "These are all Spirit Birds raised by the Yaochi Saintess. The Spirit Birds didn't fly in, but it seems the Holy Medicine did. It looks like there's something incredible inside."
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from within the restrictions. Everyone activated their Dao Qi to protect themselves, fearing that the light might be dangerous. However, the light passed through without causing any harm.
I stepped forward and used the Boundary Breaking Technique. As my palm reached into the restriction, it felt as if nothing was wrong; I walked in completely unharmed.
"What’s going on? Wasn't there a strong backlash from the restrictions just now? Why is it suddenly gone?" everyone exclaimed in surprise.
Wu Ye followed me into the light curtain without any obstruction, prompting everyone to step inside as well. I said, "What we encountered before wasn't a secret realm; this is the true Kunlun Secret Realm."
Before us lay countless corpses of fierce beasts, enormous in size—some lying down, others kneeling—radiating powerful demonic energy.
"These beasts are hundreds of times stronger than those outside. How did they all die?" Huzi remarked, gazing at the towering and terrifying beast corpses with shock.
Everyone was equally astonished and began to search forward in the direction where the beast corpses were kneeling.
"What kind of power must exist inside to make so many powerful beasts kneel and die?" someone wondered aloud.
I hesitated as well, but having come this far, I couldn't just turn back now.
Some people were so frightened that they stepped back, as others with white objects in their hands fled in panic, warning their masters not to proceed any further. Some spirit beasts raised by cultivators went mad and ran back the way they came.
In the end, Nangong Lin of the Serpent Cult, Dongfang Zhen of the Sword Pavilion, Rain Master Luo of the Arched Eyebrows, along with the top disciples and elders from various sects, gathered at the deepest part of the secret realm, in front of a magnificent altar.
At the heart of the Kunlun Secret Realm, leaning against a towering mountain, stood an enormous altar. In the center floated a sphere of light wrapped in mysterious runes. Above the altar, terrifying totems were painted, depicting countless fierce deities worshipping an empty throne in the starry sky. Next to the throne were some mysterious and ancient characters. Even though I had read countless books and was familiar with Yinwen and the scripts of ancient nations, I had never seen such writing before.
"Look! The Light Sphere on the altar suddenly moved," someone pointed at the Light Sphere and exclaimed.
The Light Sphere shook, dropping fragments that resembled eggshells. Immediately after, a sound like a baby's cry emanated from within. However, after just two cries, the sound ceased. Then, the Light Sphere transformed into thick smoke as the runes dissipated, revealing a fluffy beast that fell out. The creature appeared to be palm-sized with a head larger than its body. Its eyes were large and deep, filled with shifting stars.
The beast sat on the ground, one paw fiddling with its toes while the other rested on its mouth, gazing at everyone present.
"This is a divine beast! According to ancient legends, every thousand years a divine beast is born within the Daoist Sect; this must be one!" someone shouted as they lunged toward the beast on the altar.
The beast emitted a child's hum as it looked at the approaching person. It blew a bubble that enveloped them, lifting them into the air until they quickly vanished into the clouds.
The beast soared into the sky. At that moment, above it on the altar, the totems shifted as a group of people gazed up at a Light Sphere in the starry sky. These Light Spheres flew over everyone's heads one by one as if searching for something.
"This is a selection ritual; when spirit beasts choose their masters, there are often inexplicable signs. The more powerful the spirit beast, the more unique these signs will be," said one who raised spirit beasts.
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