Chapter 1275
Underwater
Chapter 1275 Underwater
Lin Fan thought she was going to miss out this time, but she didn't expect everyone to be even more enthusiastic than she was.
Jin Tong wanted to go too. Her reasons were sound: it wouldn't be safe for her to be alone in the woods with them. Besides, if they encountered a situation like Tian Xiang's again, she could warn them.
"I know it's dangerous, but didn't my senior sister tell me that the path of cultivation is about encountering danger, overcoming danger, and tempering oneself? I'm ready! I'm not afraid!"
Since even Jin Tong had said so, Shen Xiuyuan didn't try to stop him anymore.
Without further ado, now that the decision was made, everyone prepared to go down to the lake.
After discussing which direction to go down, the group decided that Ling Yichen would follow the scent down, and the others would follow behind.
As one of only two people who didn't apply the medicine, Ling Yichen didn't have any objection.
The group retied the ropes that bound them together, leaving an arm's length between each other.
Ling Yichen released his breathing, and after a few breaths, he was drawn in by the sweet fragrance and began to sway.
Seeing this, Shen Xiuyuan quickly had Yu Sinian grab his belt, and Mu Jingjing and the others followed behind, like a group of eagles catching chicks, following Ling Yichen.
When they went into the water, the lake reflected the setting sun, turning the whole area red and looking very warm, but the water temperature was unusually cold.
"Should we use water-repelling beads in the water?" Mu Jingjing asked, her teeth chattering, as she gripped Yu Sinian's belt tightly with both hands in water that reached her calves.
Before anyone could reply, when the water was just over her knees, she felt a powerful suction force coming from above.
The lake water seemed to turn into a viscous gel, enveloping her legs and dragging her downwards.
Mu Jingjing only had time to cry out in surprise before she was suddenly plunged into a crimson abyss...
Lin Fan is second to last.
Suddenly, Mu Jingjing was pulled into the water, along with Yu Sinian, who was holding onto her tightly, and Jin Tong, who was holding onto her tightly, all fell down together.
Everyone was connected, and the chain reaction of Ling Yichen and Shen Xiuyuan being dragged down was inevitable.
Lin Fan only had time to take a deep breath before he was dragged down as well.
The moment she entered the water, she felt countless cold tentacles brush against her skin, and heard faint sobs in her ears.
It's a spirit! Sure enough, there's a spirit in the water!
Having killed so many infant spirits, Lin Fan's fear of these things had been reduced to a certain level.
She silently recited the incantation, a flash of silver light appeared, and suddenly a certain space opened up around her.
She turned her head and saw Du Xingyu, whose head was swollen like a pig's, smiling at her. The two of them were falling rapidly downwards at the same time.
Not long after, the light suddenly changed, and Lin Fan felt his body become lighter.
It's spacious!
She quickly adjusted her body in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground.
Du Xingyu also managed to create a gust of wind in time, catching a string of people. Only Ling Yichen was spared, causing him to fall heavily onto the hard ground.
"Ouch!" Ling Yichen was jolted awake by the sudden fall, wincing as he lay on the ground. He opened his eyes and was stunned by the sight before him.
The sky was a dark red, like congealed blood, and you could see something swimming inside it.
“Those are all spirits.” Yu Sinian almost fell over by Ling Yichen, and reached out to pull him up. “They are trapped there, forming the sky of this space.”
Ling Yichen suppressed his shock and looked around.
The ground was covered with large stone bricks, the old brick surfaces covered with indistinct black and red marks.
The air was filled with the smell of rust and decay.
In the distance, massive building ruins lay scattered across the desolate land, with unrecognizable runes etched into the broken brick walls.
They seemed to have fallen into a corner of the wilderness, where there was not even a breeze, only the sound of their breathing...
"This... is ancient times?" Mu Jingjing's eyes widened as she looked at the scenery so different from outside. "We just got in like this? Shouldn't there be a door? And we need a key to open it?"
"Perhaps..." Shen Xiuyuan was also somewhat confused, "Hao Heng has already been unlocked?"
He wasn't entirely sure either. Normally, once a secret realm is opened with a key, it can only be reopened with another key.
But if this is an ancient secret realm... perhaps it only opens once in ancient times? This is his first time here, so he's not sure.
Lin Fan looked around at everything. It was the same scene she had seen for a fleeting moment after opening the stone gate beneath the Canghai Sect and being sucked into the white light. So, were they originally going to a place like this too?
But what was that blue light? Did it push them out and throw them into the pool of blood?
“I didn’t see Ao Heng.” Du Xingyu stared at him with his squinty eyes and looked around. “The runes on the wall are similar to the ones underground last time, but Ao Heng isn’t there. We don’t know what they mean.”
"It seems... not as dangerous as we imagined up there." Ling Yichen said after surveying the area. "Seeing is believing, after all. It was worth the risk."
"It's not what I imagined..." Mu Jingjing couldn't find the right words, paused for a moment, and continued, "Just looking at this place, it's hard to connect it with the Lingzhen Pavilion's treasure vault."
“Even if it’s an ancient ruin, treasures can’t just be scattered everywhere,” Lin Fan chuckled. “There must be a place where they are stored. Let’s keep looking.”
The ancient stone-paved road was covered with cracks of varying sizes, but the surface was still relatively smooth. People walked along the road, slowly passing the uneven ruins and collapsed bricks on either side.
"Huh?" Shen Xiuyuan suddenly stopped in his tracks. "There are plants here?"
He saw a deep green in the shadows beneath a collapsed wall.
"Senior brother, be careful." Yu Sinian kept his fan open in front of his chest as a warning. "If this is really an ancient relic, sealed underground for thousands of years, the one that is still alive must be extraordinary."
"Thank you for the reminder, Junior Brother. I will be careful," Shen Xiuyuan replied with a smile, and headed in that direction.
He was an alchemist, and was particularly sensitive to spiritual plants.
The plants that can survive in this place must be extraordinary.
Lin Fan followed Shen Xiuyuan and got closer to take a look.
Beneath the shadows was a patch of dark green, moss-like material, with something that looked like a leaf drooping half-withered on the moss at the very back.
"What is this?" Lin Fan asked Shen Xiuyuan, having never seen it in a book.
Shen Xiuyuan shook his head, "I don't either..."
Suddenly, the ground shook, and a dark figure suddenly pushed aside the broken wall in front of them and pounced on the two of them.
Lin Fan was prepared and pulled Shen Xiuyuan backward.
Huge, dark green plants sprouted continuously from the cracks, their leaves edged with sharp serrations. Irregular, dark red cracks covered both the roots and leaves, emitting a pungent, poisonous fumes.
"It's thorn vine!" Shen Xiuyuan shouted.
Mu Jingjing slammed her purple-gold hammer down, and bursts of golden light shot out and rushed towards the vines.
But the vines only paused for a moment before passing through the fire and suddenly wrapping around Mu Jingjing.
Just as the vines were about to touch Mu Jingjing, Ling Yichen suddenly appeared from the side, raising his Duanxiao Sword to slash at the vines.
The Broken Sky Sword flashed with lightning, but it was as if it had struck dough. Not only was the force dissipated, but the sword itself seemed to be stuck and dragged into the vines.
Since its reforging, the Broken Sky Sword had been invincible, and this was the first time it had suffered a setback. Ling Yichen was stunned and quickly tried to pull the sword out, but found that he couldn't muster any strength.
"What the hell is this?!" Ling Yichen cursed in frustration. "Jing Teng is not like this!"
Lin Fan tossed Shen Xiuyuan toward Yu Sinian and leaped up onto the vines that were reaching toward her.
Eight fiery runes shot out from his fingertips, each flying towards the thickest main branch of the vine.
"Senior Brother Du!" Lin Fan shouted.
"Coming!"
When a strong wind suddenly arose, the explosive flame talismans exploded one after another.
The huge fire cage was blown by the wind, and the already fierce flames flared up even more fiercely, engulfing the twisting vines.
The intense pain caused it to temporarily release its grip on Mu Jingjing and Ling Yichen's swords, convulsing and trembling, emitting a painful hiss.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ling Yichen increased the power of the electricity and chopped straight down at the center of the vine that had been burned through by the fire.
A foul-smelling, dark green liquid splattered everywhere. Accompanied by a piercing scream, the massive, fiery vine crashed to the ground, breaking into charred fragments.
Looking at the remains of the vines, Yu Sinian solemnly deactivated the defensive array: "This is no ordinary thorn vine; it must have mutated for some reason."
Ling Yichen shook off his robe, which was stained with sap, and said irritably, "Even this common roadside vine has mutated this much. What if there were other living things..."