Chapter 296: Covering the Sky
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Outside the cave, two figures stood side by side, observing the struggling rabbit demons on the ground.
Jin Weiming sensed the force of this field pressuring down and nodded slightly. The person below seemed to have a remarkable comprehension of the Zhongyuan Sword. If they could travel together later, their combined strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Chi Yuqing stood by Jin Weiming’s side, delicate and soft, like a bird perched on a branch. For those who didn’t know her, it would be hard to imagine that she was one of the few Aperture Tempering realm cultivators within the Sunken Water Pavilion.
When Jin Weiming heard the sound from the cave, he turned to look and saw that someone was already standing outside the cave, and it was none other than Chen Fei.
So, it’s Master Chen. I’ve heard about you for a long time,” Jin Weiming said, his eyes showing some surprise. He hadn’t expected that Chen Fei would be the one underground. When he had considered a few possibilities earlier, he had subconsciously overlooked Chen Fei.
It wasn’t that Jin Weiming looked down on Chen Fei, but rather that Chen Fei had only broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm a short two years ago. Jin Weiming had heard about the match between Chen Fei and Shen Tucang within the sect, in which Chen Fei had been outperformed.
At the time, Jin Weiming wasn’t a member of the Long Rainbow Sect and hadn’t witnessed it firsthand. In his mind, Chen Fei was still a newcomer to the Aperture Tempering realm. After all, Shen Tucang, in Jin Weiming’s eyes, was just a junior.
Chi Yuqing looked at Chen Fei, her eyes brightening. In recent years, Chen Fei’s name had been mentioned frequently in Immortal Cloud City. While he might not be universally renowned, he was frequently discussed.
Now, as she saw him in person, his appearance was handsome and charismatic, making it hard not to feel a favorable impression.
“Greetings to both of you,” Chen Fei said with a slight bow to Jin Weiming and Chi Yuqing.
Jin Weiming was a disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and was a cultivator of the same generation as Chen Fei’s master, Feng Xiupu. However, Jin Weiming had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm earlier than Feng Xiupu, thanks to his strong foundation within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
In terms of cultivation, Jin Weiming was considerably higher than Feng Xiupu.
As for Chi Yuqing standing beside him, at a glance, she appeared gentle and approachable. However, her actual age was slightly older than Jin Weiming’s.
Nevertheless, when it came to the lifespan of Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, the age difference wasn’t very significant, especially when taking into account the effects of some rejuvenating elixirs. If someone were to claim that Chi Yuqing was only twenty years old, no one would doubt it.
“This mystic realm can be somewhat dangerous. Chen Fei, would you be willing to accompany us?” Jin Weiming asked. While he sensed that Chen Fei’s cultivation had weakened somewhat, the difference in realms was still apparent. Moreover, based on Chen Fei’s display of the Zhongyuan Sword just now, his comprehension of it was impressive.
If Chen Fei joined them, he would, at the very least, not be a burden and might even be an asset.
“I’m sorry, but I’m used to traveling alone,” Chen Fei politely declined.
Chen Fei had come to this mystic realm primarily for the spiritual materials that could enhance his core soul energy. These materials were coveted by any Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. When the time came to divide such resources, it would undoubtedly be a challenge. Although Jin Weiming was currently displaying courtesy, when they actually encountered these valuable materials, he might not be as accommodating.
Jin Weiming couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly. He had extended an invitation in good faith and hadn’t looked down on Chen Fei due to his lower cultivation. However, Chen Fei had refused first, leaving Jin Weiming somewhat dissatisfied.
“This mystic realm holds many dangers. Chen Fei, are you absolutely sure about traveling alone?”
Chi Yuqing sensed Jin Weiming’s emotions and looked at Chen Fei, gently advising him.
“Thank you both for your kind offer!” Chen Fei replied, recognizing Jin Weiming’s expression. A simple refusal had garnered this reaction. It made him wonder what could happen if they actually traveled together.
In that case, we won’t force the issue,” Jin Weiming said with an expressionless nod, gesturing to Chi Yuqing. They turned and departed. Chi Yuqing cast a brief glance at Chen Fei and shook her head slightly before following Jin Weiming.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared from Chen Fei’s view.
Chen Fei extended his hand and examined the greenish stone. He suspected that it might have something to do with Baka’s disappearance. However, solely relying on a single stone like this to find Baka seemed like an insurmountable task.
Chen Fei put the stone away and surveyed the surroundings. During his previous visit to the mystic realm, Baka had gone off to battle a peculiar Strange Locust Tree, whose fruits could calm and cool the mind.
Though not directly beneficial to core soul energy, anything related to core soul energy was highly prized. With a sufficient quantity, these fruits might even stimulate the growth of core soul energy.
“1 remember it was in this direction,” Chen Fei recalled the path Baka had taken before. With a swift movement, he disappeared from his current location.
On the ground, the once-immobilized Rabbit Demons, who had felt the pressure lifting, all stood upright, their crimson eyes scanning the surroundings.
Their simple wit prevented them from discerning what had truly occurred. Only the slightly stronger Rabbit Demon among them knew what their group had just experienced.
Life and death hung in the balance, at the whim of others.
Chen Fei’s figure flickered as he sensed the surrounding aura, searching for the Strange Locust Tree.
He hadn’t killed the Rabbit Demons because they held little value to him. Instead, he allowed them to continue guarding the cave to prevent other creatures from damaging it.
After running for less than a quarter of an hour, Chen Fei’s figure made a slight turn, halting in front of a massive pit.
The pit was enormous, and its soil had been continuously stirred by a tremendous force. An eerie chill lingered in the air around the pit.
“Did that Strange Locust Tree relocate?”
Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly. He extended his right hand forward, and faint strands of energy gathered in his hand. In mere moments, a segment of gray and white energy materialized at his fingertips.
He engaged the Thousand Threads Technique to its utmost, infusing the mist-like core soul energy into the gathered energy, nurturing and strengthening it.
This technique was one he had accidentally mastered in Moyang Manor. It allowed him to amplify an energy source for better tracking. It couldn’t achieve long-range tracking; even slightly distant targets were beyond its reach.
It had significant limitations, but it was still somewhat useful. As for why he hadn’t used this technique inside Baka’s cave, the Rabbit Demons had already muddled Baka’s aura, making it impossible for Chen Fei to extract. As for the greenish markings on the cave walls, they contained almost no aura, just a faintly pungent odor.
Only the pit before him, where the Strange Locust Tree had originally taken root, remained undisturbed. Thus, even after some time had passed, Chen Fei could still extract something from it.
As Chen Fei infused his core soul energy into the pit, the gray-white aura at his fingertips began to grow, emitting subtle fluctuations that pointed to the tree’s location.
A smile crept across Chen Fei’s face as he observed the frequency of these fluctuations. The Strange Locust Tree hadn’t moved far at all.
This was normal for such sentient plant creatures, as their inherent weakness lay in their mobility. These sentient plant creatures were the rare few that could even consider moving a little, unlike most other spiritual herbs that lacked any form of mobility.
Following the sensations from his fingertip aura, Chen Fei’s figure flickered as he ran toward the right side. As the distance closed in, the vibrations of the fingertip aura became increasingly frequent.
Given this range, Chen Fei could have found the Strange Locust Tree even without extracting the aura. His sense of purpose was so strong that he would have located it with a little more time. He had essentially saved some time by extracting the aura.
In less than a moment, Chen Fei arrived at the foot of a hill. Compared to the lush greenery in other areas, this hill was completely bare, with soil that appeared dark and ominous.
An eerie chill hung in the air, warning any intruders to stay away, instinctively urging them to keep their distance.
Chen Fei deliberately released the constraints on his fingertip aura. Guided by his innate sense, the aura floated forward and then directly entered the hill.
With a slight smile on his face, Chen Fei extended his hand forward, and a black light sphere formed in his palm. The next moment, a black beam of light burst forth from his palm and struck the hill before him.
“Boom!”
The terrain within a hundred meters trembled as the soil on the hillside rolled
and shattered. Dark-colored dust billowed into the sky, shrouding the surroundings.
After a moment, the dust settled, revealing a massive crater on the hillside. Behind the crater, faint glimpses of a cave could be seen inside.
An eerie chill emanated from the cave as it appeared, a cold breath that could instantly freeze an ordinary person to death. Weaker martial artists would likely struggle to withstand such a frigid aura.
“There’s treasure!”
Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly. There was undoubtedly treasure within the cave, which had compelled the Strange Locust Tree to move its massive body to this location and claim the treasure as its own.
Judging by the aura that had just emanated, the Strange Locust Tree had undoubtedly gained tremendous benefits and had already advanced to a second-order monster.
Chen Fei stood still, sensing the aura inside the cave. In the next moment, he disappeared from his original position and appeared inside the cave.
Inside the cave, visibility was almost zero, with only the cold aura enveloping everything. Chen Fei looked at the traces on the cave floor, including the grooves in the ground left behind by the Strange Locust Tree’s movement.
Following these tracks, Chen Fei made his way downward, and in just a moment, he arrived in an even larger cave. In the center of the cave stood a gigantic locust tree, its dense leaves and branches almost completely covering the cave’s ceiling.
However, this lushness didn’t exude a sense of vitality but rather a profound stillness that pervaded the surroundings. A single glance at it would cast a shadow in one’s heart.
As if it had long anticipated someone’s arrival, the locust tree trembled slightly. The already dense cold aura inside the cave suddenly intensified, and the temperature plummeted. Chen Fei’s exhaled breath formed visible moisture in the air.
“Sss!”
The sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out as a branch appeared in front of Chen Fei. It was just inches away from piercing his forehead.
However, despite the short distance of less than a fist’s width, this branch couldn’t cross it. A black barrier had emerged in front of Chen Fei, blocking this sudden attack.
“Ssss…”
Sensing Chen Fei’s resilience, the countless branches that darkened the sky within the cave suddenly extended. Their piercing noises filled the cave as they converged on Chen Fei from all directions..