Chapter 1269
: Lake
Chapter 1269: Lake
In the middle of a clearing in a lush forest, a green lake, like a forgotten piece of jade, quietly ripples with light.
As the sun gradually rises higher, white mist gradually condenses from the lake surface, rapidly solidifying into a visible white and spreading towards the shore.
Everything Lin Fan and the others had done before was in vain.
“Sure enough, the appearance of the fog has nothing to do with the formation,” Yu Sinian said with a wry smile after a moment of surprise. “It’s caused by thermal evaporation.”
They tried several times this morning, changing speeds and directions, and were almost about to give up.
Shen Xiuyuan had even made plans to return to his sect, pondering how to report the whole story of Ao Hen's disappearance.
Regardless, since they are all disciples of the three upper sects, if they can't handle it, there will always be someone who can.
“Oh right,” Mu Jingjing obviously thought of it too, and clapped her hands with her fist, “Last time we came here, it was quite far away, and it was indeed around noon when we arrived, which was the hottest time of the day.”
That time, with the rush of things, the poisoning, the loss of contact, and Yu Sinian saying there was a formation in the fog, everyone would subconsciously feel that the appearance of the fog was also related to the formation.
Who would have thought that it was just the most ordinary natural phenomenon?
Lin Fan scratched his forehead.
She had actually considered this possibility, but wasn't sure; she just casually mentioned it as the last possibility.
As a result, a group of cultivators simply made a simple matter complicated...
"So we didn't see it when we came yesterday because the temperature dropped in the evening?" Du Xingyu understood. "If this fog only appears during the hottest one or two hours at noon? Does that mean that as long as we can endure this period in the fog, we can be safe and sound after the fog dissipates, even without escaping?"
“But didn’t you say there are spirits in the fog? And many more. Who can guarantee they’ll be unharmed when facing them?” Ling Yichen asked, pausing when he saw Mu Jingjing. “Oh, except for you.”
Mu Jingjing seems to have some immunity to spirits, whether it's because of her fire spirit root or something else; she didn't see anything last time.
If it were her, she might actually remain motionless until the fog dissipates, completely unharmed.
"Don't say anything yet." Seeing that the solidified white mist had already reached the edge of the forest and was about to pass through their bodies, Shen Xiuyuan quickly took out a porcelain bottle to dispense medicine. "Take the antidote pill first."
Their trip was specifically to find these spirits in the white mist for Lin Fan to practice his soul techniques. Having been mentally prepared, they were able to remain calm and composed.
This time, Lin Fan didn't overestimate himself and accepted the antidote pill from Shen Xiuyuan.
Shen Xiuyuan handed out the bottles to everyone, pretending not to see Ling Yichen who had followed him, and put the bottles back into his pocket.
Ling Yichen just saw everyone taking their medicine and subconsciously followed suit. He was annoyed inside, but he pretended nothing had happened, smiling and pretending nothing was wrong as he took out his medicine and took it.
The fog quickly passed over the group and spread rapidly into the forest.
Lin Fan once again felt as if he were immersed in a gentle stream of water as fine as cow's hair.
The surroundings cooled slightly instantly, yet remained noticeably hot. The sticky sensation from the contrasting temperatures made it difficult for her to breathe. It was as if the white mist was compressing the oxygen in the air, making it thinner.
But it didn't seem to be like this last time...
Was it because you were near the edge last time that you didn't feel the impact? Or were you in such a rush when you got here that you didn't pay attention?
Lin Fan adjusted his breathing, looked at the lake which was now completely covered by a thick white mist, its outline barely visible, wiped his face, and said, "I'm still a little concerned. If this white mist is entirely formed from the evaporation of water from the lake, does that mean the water in the lake is essentially the same as the mist? In other words, the spirits or formations in the mist are only a part of the manifestation, and the lake is the root of all the problems?"
During the period without fog, they wandered around the area several times without noticing any problems.
Of course, their lower skill level cannot be ruled out, but their perseverance is undeniable...
Could he be in the lake?
She still remembered what Cheng Kong had said to Lin Fan about the ancient secret realm after she returned and handed over the key last time.
Both sides combined, Ao Hen was determined to find the Lingzhen Pavilion treasure vault of the ancient passage, but he suddenly disappeared. Now that it is known that the lake is not simple, Ao Hen's whereabouts seem to be no surprise.
But below... is there really an entrance to the ancient times?
Before Ao Heng disappeared, he didn't even leave any useful signal, which is not reasonable for a cultivator at the Golden Core stage.
You can contact him to lie on the ground and sniff; the water vapor from the lake will also exude a white mist-like spiritual entity, forming a folded space...
For cultivators who are not good at breaking free from spirits, it is understandable that they would find it difficult to escape if they were actually in a lake full of spirits.
"You mean, the water in this lake is actually full of spirits?" Mu Jingjing grinned.
Even though she didn't see it, watching the water droplets gradually become clearer above the lake, she imagined each droplet was a soul...
A lake teeming with countless spirits? Even Mu Jingjing, who always prided herself on her boldness, couldn't help but shudder at this moment.
“Isn’t the guy surnamed Ao always looking for the entrance to the treasure vault?” Ling Yichen agreed with Lin Fan’s idea. “Those six did indeed come out in this direction. If the entrance were somewhere else, there would be no need to deliberately go all the way to such a large lakeside. It couldn’t be just to admire the scenery. So it’s very likely that the entrance to the secret passage is in the lake.”
“Based on this deduction, Ao Heng sniffed all the way to the lakeside, where the scent stopped,” Du Xingyu continued. “He misjudged the situation at the bottom of the lake and went down directly, or perhaps he triggered something and was dragged down… In any case, he went down.”
“I vaguely remember that when we came out, the lake looked purplish-red,” Shen Xiuyuan said. “At the time, I thought it was the afterglow of the sunset, but now that I think about it, the color is indeed a bit strange and inappropriate.”
“If the entrance to the secret realm is indeed below, and the Lingzhen Pavilion has been able to control it for thousands of years without making any preparations… it is impossible that there is no defense at all, allowing people to come and go freely.” Yu Sinian tapped his palm with the handle of his fan and pondered, “After all, although there are few people coming from here, it is not that there are none at all.”
Besides those who stumbled in by accident, there were also herb gatherers and hunters, but they generally wouldn't venture this deep.
The reason why Lingzhen Pavilion did nothing is probably because the natural defenses here are strong enough, and there is no need for them to create any further trouble.
It was like the traps in the secret passages of the Canghai Sect. Lin Fan felt that these traps were beyond the capabilities of those useless fools in the Canghai Sect, yet they were truly formidable and had almost trapped them.
Not to mention the stone gate that suddenly appeared later.
If it weren't for the coincidence that Ao hardened his literacy skills and that Lin Fan happened to have seen a similar key, he wouldn't have been able to refine a temporary key to make do.
If they turn back and find themselves trapped in the same path, returning to that light net mechanism will likely result in them being severely injured, much worse than facing a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"If the lake is entirely made of spirits, the sheer number is staggering." Lin Fan gazed at the increasingly clear surface of the lake, where countless tiny water droplets hovered, resembling miniature bombs, making him dizzy. "Souls are trapped here, endlessly cycling through the area, drifting with the mist year after year..."
“This lake should be a sealed place,” Du Xingyu said in a deep voice. “It can trap the undead, and theoretically it can also trap living beings!”