The Hidden Passage and the Warring Lands

The cave was dim, barely wide enough for one person to pass.

Lin Tian extended a small hand, conjuring a fireball that illuminated his surroundings. He walked along the damp, craggy stone path, only to find his way blocked by a small pond.

Cautiously, he probed the area with his divine sense for a moment before plunging into the water.

At the bottom of the pond, a hidden passage lay concealed, remarkably well-hidden.

Swimming along this secret route, he soon encountered an impenetrable barrier.

This was clearly a restriction, surprisingly placed underwater, making it impossible for ordinary people to breach.

Lin Tian unleashed a fireball spell, and the barrier shattered instantly like glass.

The surrounding water boiled from the heat of the fireball, sending waves of scorching air his way.

As he continued to swim, the secret passage gradually ascended.

Soon, a head of white hair emerged from the water, and the fireball lit up a room-sized cavern.

In a corner lay several bags, which presumably belonged to the person who had attempted to possess him.

He picked one up and carefully sensed its contents, finding numerous spirit stones—over a thousand of them—along with many pills and herbs.

Taking one pill into his palm, he noted its scent and color; it seemed more suited for feeding spirit beasts than for human consumption.

After examining everything, he discovered not a single magical artifact, but rather a multitude of venomous insects.

It was clear that this cultivator wielded venomous insects as weapons, with three spirit beast bags containing hundreds of different types.

Unfamiliar with such creatures, he dared not open them casually. Perhaps the stout young man would know something and could offer guidance.

After collecting everything, Lin Tian returned the way he came.

Qian Yuling was still sitting outside the cave entrance, bandaging her foot injury with a strip of cloth.

“Fellow Daoist Luo…” Qian Yuling instinctively shrank her neck, a hint of fear in her eyes.

She wondered if Lin Tian would honor his promise not to kill her now that the storage bag had been found.

“I have some medicine for external wounds; take it.” Lin Tian tossed a small bottle to her.

It was precisely the Qi Recovery Powder his father had given him.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist!” Qian Yuling’s expression softened, relieved that Lin Tian was not entirely cold-blooded.

His clothes were soaked, so he retrieved a fresh set from his storage bag and changed.

“Your foot is injured, making travel difficult. You should rest here for a couple of days.”

Qian Yuling nodded. “Fellow Daoist Luo, that pavilion is also a magical artifact. It can change size at will, making it convenient to carry.”

“A pavilion?” Lin Tian gazed at the three-story building, perplexed.

Such an elegant structure appearing in a desolate place was clearly suspicious; he had not expected it to be a magical artifact.

“Yes, the pavilion can activate simple defensive spell formations, allowing you to reside anywhere and cultivate at any time. Its mechanism is behind the statue in the main hall.”

Lin Tian ran towards the pavilion with keen interest.

At that moment, the building had no restrictions active, allowing him to easily enter the main hall and glance at the statue on the platform.

This was a wooden carving, hollow inside, where the old woman’s soul had been stored to prevent its dissipation. Clearly, it was no ordinary woodcarving.

On the counter was a hidden compartment containing three or four spirit stones, most of their spiritual energy already depleted.

This must have been the energy source supporting the pavilion’s spell formation.

Lin Tian toggled a small flag on the platform, and a defensive barrier instantly lit up around the pavilion, as the spirit stones gradually diminished.

After some study, Lin Tian understood the purpose of these flags.

These formation flags could create a defensive spell formation and even render the pavilion invisible. The last flag controlled the pavilion’s size.

With a gentle flick, the entire pavilion instantly shrank to the size of his palm.

Lin Tian held it in his hand, resembling an exquisite model.

A portable dwelling—Lin Tian found it incredibly wondrous.

This meant he could stay wherever he pleased during long journeys, and with its built-in spell formation, it was remarkably convenient.

After retrieving the pavilion artifact into his storage bag, Lin Tian glanced at the spirit beast bag.

Jiaofeng remained in a deep slumber, showing no signs of waking, so the two had no choice but to travel on foot to Mount Mufu.

With the aid of medicine and spiritual energy, Qian Yuling’s leg recovered within two days.

Traveling as a Qi Refinement cultivator was quite inconvenient, as they could only run with the aid of a Thousand-Mile Talisman.

If their cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they could fly on swords, and at a considerable speed.

“Fellow Daoist Luo, listen! It sounds like there’s a fight ahead.”

The two had followed the mountain path for three days, arriving at a desolate valley.

From a distance, the clashing of weapons could be heard, and the commotion was quite significant.

“Should we go take a look?” Qian Yuling asked with a hint of curiosity.

“It’s better not to invite trouble. Aren’t you still afflicted by the poisonous Gu? Any further delay could cost you your life.”

Lin Tian stared at her. It was astonishing how optimistic Qian Yuling remained, even with her life hanging in the balance.

“I still have two months. It’s hard to say if I’ll even be cured, so I might as well make the most of this final time.”

Whoosh!

A sharp arrow shot straight towards them.

Lin Tian flicked his hand, and a surge of blue spiritual energy deflected it.

His gaze sharpened as he looked towards the direction of the arrow. A troop of soldiers was charging towards them!

“Those look like soldiers,” Qian Yuling observed, also looking into the distance.

Neither of them made any other moves, waiting for the soldiers to approach. Running now would only make them seem suspicious.

“Halt!”

“Who are you two?!” the leading soldier shouted.

“We are but common folk, wandering through. May I ask what is happening ahead?” Lin Tian replied.

“The area ahead is a war zone. You two… your identities are unclear. Take them away!”

Lin Tian sighed. These men had lecherous eyes, clearly harboring ill intentions. If they had disguised themselves, they wouldn’t have run into trouble.

He had read enough to know that if women were accused of being spies, the methods of torture were exceedingly cruel.

Swish!

A flying disc shot out from his storage bag, instantly slicing off a horse’s head!

“A-a cultivator?!” The troop of soldiers gasped in fright, the floating disc above them threatening to descend at any moment.

“Mercy, Senior Immortals! We were blind and foolish. If we have offended you, please be magnanimous…” The leader’s voice trembled.

He had just been wondering why the two women were so calm; they were cultivators!

“I ask you, is there a battle ahead?” Lin Tian stared at them expressionlessly, while Qian Yuling, taking her cue, remained silent.

“Yes, yes!”

Lin Tian retrieved the flying disc and told Qian Yuling, “Let’s go. We’ll have to go around.”

The two vanished into the jungle in a flash.

The remaining soldiers’ foreheads dripped with cold sweat. If their words or actions had been any worse just now, they might not have lived to tell the tale.

Approaching the battlefield, the shouts of war shook the heavens.

With Thousand-Mile Talismans affixed to their legs, they moved like the wind, skirting the edge.

It was Lin Tian’s first time witnessing a cold weapon melee, and it was vastly different from what he had seen on television.

Death was commonplace, and the soldiers’ armor was difficult to penetrate, making it very hard to kill an enemy.

The battlefield was thick with dust and yellow sand, limiting soldiers’ visibility to less than ten feet.

Fortunately, they were well-trained and focused, adjusting their formations based on hazy memory.

This kind of battle was a test of manpower and training quality. Human lives were the cheapest commodity, perhaps less valuable than a horse.

The gap between immortals and mortals was too vast. If either side could enlist a cultivator, victory would be assured.

Some great nations would also recruit cultivators, offering pills or refining materials in exchange for help, such as Qin Jiu.

Great nations would also pay high prices for spirit stones; those that fell into mortal hands could be exchanged for substantial silver.

Most spirit stones were collected by adjutants, who would sell items of interest to cultivators.

Maidservants were the most common, fetching only three or four spirit stones, while a pair of princesses from a fallen kingdom, auctioned previously, had a starting bid of only ten.

****

After traversing the battlefield, the two journeyed for another two days, finally reaching the foot of Mount Mufu.

Although the stout young man wasn’t on the mountain, they could inquire there, as the Library Pavilion should have records.