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墨書 Inktalez
If a pen were to connect the Fake Tree that generates Fire Essence, the River Valley Marsh, and the Great Lake Ruins, it would form a straight line. Considering the direction, the burrow of this Slug is also on the extension of this line. Li Hong can conclude that there are further extensions beyond this point. This means that if one continues along this straight line from south to north, they will surely discover more things.
Since jade has begun to appear, it indicates that there is a Spiritual Vein beneath the mountains and rivers along this line.
Legend has it that there are Spiritual Veins in the world, often referred to as Spirit Veins in feng shui practices. However, for cultivators, the term Spiritual Vein is more appropriate. The Spiritual Vein gathers the Spiritual Energy from the mountains and rivers within this distance. Feng shui practitioners believe that burying the dead here will benefit their descendants, but cultivators see the Spiritual Vein as naturally generating certain Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures due to the concentration of Spiritual Energy. Jade is one of the most common examples. Under certain special circumstances, jade on the surface of a Spiritual Vein can also produce Jade Paste, which is what legends refer to as “Celestial Mud.”
In this burrow, unknown species of Slug have appeared over time. They feed on Spiritual Vein and Jade Paste, and over time their bodies undergo changes, becoming spiritual beings and naturally developing supernatural powers.
The long tunnel leading to the outside Deep Pool has walls so smooth that it indicates the Slugs have long known about this passage and frequently travel through it. Generally, they would linger outside for a while before returning, but for some reason, one particular Slug ventured out and did not return. Its body grew larger and larger, unable to go back, so it settled in the outside Deep Pool, becoming a guardian of the passage.
As Li Hong pondered, he had already figured out the secret of the Slug and the Azure Mud.
The three leading Giant Slugs, seeing that this person was hanging at the top of the cave without leaving, became increasingly anxious. Their large black eyes spun around on their long antennae as they communicated with each other in some strange way.
With a flash of white light, one of the Giant Slugs suddenly flattened itself, soaring into the air like a large broad willow leaf, drifting slowly towards Li Hong.
Having understood the situation, Li Hong had no intention of harming them. He ignored the approaching Giant Slug, lightly pushed off with his toes, and slid down along the right wall of the cave. Reaching for his waist, he wielded his Dragon Tail Whip, which stirred up golden light from the Cave Full of Crystals, sweeping up all the Slugs within a ten-foot radius on the right side of the cave floor and pushing them to the left side of the chamber, revealing a dark patch of ground below—a Clearing.
The surface of the Azure Mud, covered in shiny transparent slime resembling Jade Paste, was somewhat disgusting. Shaking his Dragon Tail Whip, he scraped off an inch-thick layer of Jade Paste, flinging it into the pool. He leaped up and landed lightly on the ground like a large bird. Standing on the thick layer of Jade Paste, he felt quite strange; it was as if there was something gelatinous beneath his feet—soft and bouncy.
The Slugs, realizing Li Hong's intentions, both large and small, were unwilling to concede their territory. They surged forward like a tide, trying to reclaim their ground. With a chuckle, Li Hong took out a Mid-Level Spirit Talisman Fire Wall from his Cosmic Bag. Stepping into a stance and forming hand seals while chanting incantations, he cast a circular fire wall about ten feet wide that perfectly enclosed this area of the Clearing.
The blazing flames illuminated every detail of the jade cave.
A strange voice came from above: “Big Brother, what are you doing?”
Li Hong laughed heartily: “Treasure hunting!”
Summoning Lingyi, the heart and mind shifted, expanding to over five feet. A flash of fire disappeared into the Jade Paste, carving out a thick block of Jade Paste measuring five feet thick and one foot in diameter.
The layer of Jade Paste here was astonishingly five feet thick. Through the excavated square hole, one could see the jade beneath. It was a translucent reddish hue, gleaming with brilliance, clearly extraordinary. Li Hong was somewhat surprised and decided to use Lingyi to carve out a large piece of this jade for closer examination. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that this was not ordinary jade but Jade Essence, containing both Li Fire Aura and Water Spirit Energy, an extremely rare form of Rare Jade Essence representing Water-Fire Balance.
Li Hong's brow twitched; the creation of Jade Paste was undoubtedly related to this peculiar Water-Fire Balance Jade Essence. Continuing his actions, he quickly excavated all the Jade Paste within a ten-foot radius, cutting it into one-foot squares for collection, and also dug out several large pieces of the unique Water-Fire Balance Jade Essence before finally stopping with satisfaction.
The Fire Wall blazed fiercely outside, while the Giant Slugs and their smaller counterparts were already in a panic, huddling together in chaos, pushing against each other. Suddenly, a small Slug leaped recklessly into the fire circle. The Fire Wall was not to be trifled with! The small Slug sizzled as it burned, quickly turning into a fist-sized lump of charcoal, continuing to disintegrate into powder.
The lesson from this incident caused the Slugs to cease their foolish movements, their spirits visibly dampened. Three lead-like Giant Slugs remained unwillingly at the edge of the water pool, their monstrous eyes darting around but not daring to approach.
Seeing that it was time to withdraw, Li Hong retracted the Fire Wall and soared upward, swiftly exiting through the cave opening.
A haze filled with smoke obscured his vision; heat rose heavily, distorting all objects in sight.
Releasing his Divine Consciousness felt like transforming into a swift breeze moving forward.
It turned out to be a Deep Mountain Rift. Running north-south, it plunged deep underground with only a sliver of sky above. The Rift Valley was extremely long and narrow at the top but spacious inside. Its central area was low-lying marshland filled with dense grass and sparse shrubs. The terrain on both sides was higher, with grass rustling as if something lurked within.
In an instant, his Divine Consciousness reached the northern end of the Rift Valley where an extremely high cliff stood. Turning back, he discovered that the southern end was also a cliff. It became clear that this long Rift Valley had no exits on any side; it was sealed off. Apart from the entrance leading to the underground jade cave, flying was the only way out.
As the sun dipped westward, the light here began to dim. Li Hong noticed that the entrance to the jade cave was located not far from the southern end of the Rift Valley on a massive rock protruding from the marshland.
A thought crossed his mind; Li Hong silently praised his luck! The three of them had risen early in the morning. From discovering the ruins to reaching the Deep Pool beneath that waterfall took just enough time for noon when the sun was directly overhead. Sunlight streamed into the jade cave and reflected off the water pool beneath the waterfall. Chuxiong had fortuitously battled that Giant Slug and fallen deep into the pool. It took several clues coming together to uncover this hidden path. If one were to fly overhead amidst towering mountains, it would surely be difficult to spot such a narrow opening revealing only a sliver of sky.
Chuxiong could be seen nearby on the grass, gently swaying with the blades but Chu Xi was nowhere in sight.
Just as I was about to explore the Divine Consciousness, I noticed a faintly glowing crystal point above my head. Chu Xi floated down from a narrow opening and landed in front of the two of us.
She smiled and said, "You wouldn't believe it, would you? That narrow exit that looks so high is actually just a small ridge between two Peaks. If it weren't for the river right next to the ridge, it would have been completely obscured by the old forest, and this place would be shrouded in darkness all year round. Nature is truly marvelous; it's like a work of art."
She seemed to be in a good mood, so Li Hong took out a piece of Water Fire Jade Essence and held it in his hand, smiling as he said, "You ran away quickly when you saw the Slug. You should know there's treasure there! Look at this; I've dug up something good!"
Chu Xi took it and examined it closely for a moment, while Chuxiong also leaned in, expressing his amazement. However, after they both looked at it, they said in unison, "This thing is useless to us; you should keep it. You can make us a magic item later."
Seeing that they were not interested, Li Hong took out Jade Paste to show off its benefits. After just a few words about its advantages, Chu Xi frowned deeply, and Chuxiong shook his head repeatedly.
Chu Xi pinched her nose and exclaimed, "That's disgusting! You dare to take something from where the Slug lies! Whether it's Jade Paste or Jade Essence, get it away from me quickly! I can't stand even a whiff of that; I'm going to throw up!"
Chuxiong gave him a thumbs up and said, "This Jade Paste must surely be soaked with that disgusting stuff's mucus. Brother, I have to admire you; you're so brave to even want something that's been soaked in that slime!"
Li Hong was about to defend himself by saying he had already peeled off a layer when he saw the two of them turn around and fly away. He could only awkwardly put the items away and follow them. He thought to himself that Chu Xi usually remained calm in any situation, but seeing her react like this to the Slug was quite amusing. This version of Chu Xi seemed more genuine. As she pinched her nose, the distant aura she usually carried—like that of an ice goddess from the snowy mountains—gradually faded away. In that moment, she looked just like the little girl she once was when she made faces at him.
Feeling a warmth in his heart, Li Hong called out, "You two cowards!" and hurried after them.
********
The swamp was deep. Li Hong took out his Dragon Tail Whip and poked downwards but couldn't reach the bottom. Clearly, there was a source; dark muddy water flowed slowly everywhere amidst clusters of dense Mugwort. From afar, these Mugwort appeared as a whole patch, but up close, they were arranged in a checkerboard pattern with flowing dirty water in between and occasionally some low shrubs growing.
Aside from that, nothing unusual was found at the bottom of the Rift Valley.
Li Hong looked up at the sky above him, which had turned into a deep blue line, and said, "Let's go up for the night. We can search around here again tomorrow; it's best if we head north along this straight line."
Chu Xi shook her head, "I have explored the entire area above, and aside from the Ancient God ruins in the direction we came from, there is nothing else."
Li Hong pondered for a moment, feeling a strong intuition that there must be more Ancient God ruins nearby. Could it be that he was mistaken?
The three stood at the end of Rift Valley, facing the marsh in silence.
After a long while, Chu Xi extended her delicate finger and pointed at the marsh, thoughtfully saying, "Don't you think the distribution of those bushes is strange? They look so orderly, almost like they were arranged by someone."
Bushes? Li Hong's eyes lit up. "Let's go back and take another look!"
The three returned to hover above the marsh.
Taking out a Fire Phoenix, Li Hong ignited it and pointed. The Fire Phoenix hovered in mid-air, and with its blazing light, the three focused on the marsh below, growing increasingly curious as they observed.
The fire illuminated the surface of the marsh, revealing that beneath the flowing water, there were huge shadows where Mugwort was growing. It seemed that there were many small Lands distributed evenly throughout the marsh, with smaller tops and larger bottoms, and Mugwort was growing on these small Lands.
After staring for a while, it appeared that these small Lands were slowly moving—whether it was an optical illusion or reality remained uncertain.
"Let's go down and investigate!" Li Hong said as he flew down first.
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