Ninety: The Immortal’s Cave Abode, Treasures Divided by Destiny

This is the third update of the day, and Wood is utterly worn out—he has not even had dinner. Just a quick notice: within the next couple of chapters, the heroine’s identity will be revealed, and it is absolutely something none of you will expect. The relationship between the heroine and the protagonist is about to undergo a qualitative transformation, heh heh heh... Tomorrow is the next special event, so everyone be there early!

“It is a pity only that you met me today. I shall send you on your way to the afterlife...” Soul-Slashing Demon said coldly. He reached behind his back and drew out a small yellow bell. As his arm moved, a ringing sound rose from it, as though it were striking directly at the heart.

Wood and the others’ expressions tightened. They were just about to summon their flying swords and launch a full assault when a clear, tinkling note rang out from the zither, and it was Elegant Heart’s fingertips brushing the strings.

Soul-Slashing Demon’s face changed. He increased the motion of his arm, and the bell’s ringing came in an endless stream, but the seven-string zither remained measured and unhurried, like water flowing onward, gradually swallowing the bell sound whole.

Soul-Slashing Demon’s expression changed again. Just as he was about to act, a sharp note suddenly rang out from the zither. With a crisp snap, the yellow bell shattered. Soul-Slashing Demon seemed to be struck by a heavy blow. He spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at Elegant Heart, shaking with fury. “You... you actually dared destroy my magic treasure!”

For cultivators, a magic treasure was tied by countless invisible threads to their primordial spirit. Soul-Slashing Demon was famed for that bell; now that it had been destroyed, it was like a tiger with its teeth pulled. What threat could remain? But in his agitation he became utterly reckless, unleashing a piercing shriek as he turned into a streak of light and hurled himself at Elegant Heart with savage momentum, as though he meant to die in the attempt.

Wood had been watching Soul-Slashing Demon’s every move all along. Seeing him rush toward Elegant Heart, he did not even bother with his flying sword. He raised his right hand, and twelve overlapping shockwaves surged forth in layers. It was the mutated skill, Particle Overlap Surge.

Under normal circumstances, even if Soul-Slashing Demon could not defeat it, he would only suffer minor injuries. But at this moment, his heart was shattered by the destruction of his famed treasure, and he had no defenses at all. He was struck full on by Particle Overlap Surge.

This was a mutated skill that instantly released twelve particle waves in layered impact, each wave doubling in force. When the waves struck consecutively, the target suffered not only the damage from each individual strike, but also the cumulative damage of twelve times in the end. Cultivators were not especially renowned for physical toughness to begin with, and with his treasure destroyed and his primordial spirit wounded, Soul-Slashing Demon had no means of protection whatsoever. His body was blasted backward like a wad of cotton, and in midair his form nearly disintegrated, reduced almost to dust.

King of the Golden River and Autumn Ruthless were both horrified at the sight. Their bodies turned into two streams of light, one gold and one red, and they fled in opposite directions into the mist. These two famed figures of the demonic path had actually been driven off by younger cultivators. If word of this spread, they would die of shame.

A flash of swordlight flickered in White Blade’s hand, and he was just about to give chase on his flying sword when Daoist Heavenly Heart called out, “Do not pursue the fleeing enemy. Let them go!”

At that moment, Wood suddenly felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth roiling violently around him. A cave entrance abruptly appeared halfway up the mountain, and within it radiated countless beams of auspicious light and shimmering radiance, dazzlingly beautiful.

All three masters cried out in unison, “An immortal’s abode! Quickly, you go in first!”

Elegant Heart said, “Master, if we go in, what will you do?”

Just then, a figure suddenly shot skyward from within the mist and darted into the cave entrance with astonishing speed. Righteous One exclaimed anxiously, “Hurry inside! This immortal’s abode cannot take too many people at once, or if its restrictions are triggered, everyone will be sent out. We will hold the entrance for a while. Seize the time!”

Elegant Heart worriedly said, “Master, if something should happen...”

Water Dance Maple understood her concern and said softly, “Good child, with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth so abundant right now, our cultivation is no longer being suppressed. With the three of us working together, we are rarely matched in this world. Go in without worry!”

Elegant Heart then followed the two of them into the cave.

As soon as they reached the entrance, all three could not help but cry out in surprise. The stone gate at the cave mouth stood wide open, still shimmering with countless bands of radiant light. It was carved with strange beasts, their eyes inlaid with gems and their armor fashioned from gold and silver. Beyond the gate was a great hall, spacious and bright, as large as a football field, yet the person who had entered just moments earlier was nowhere to be seen.

The three walked through the stone gate, and the scenery before them changed once again. The hall the size of a football field vanished, replaced by a different scene: overhead, the ceiling was formed from blue crystal, like a sky vaulting over all directions. Within the hall drifted wisps and ribbons of cloudlike mist, constantly shifting shape. The walls were made of translucent soft jade, carved with countless floating reliefs like clouds. Looking closely, they were all stories of immortals preaching the Dao. The left and right walls were bare, but on the side facing another door stood row upon row of shelves. Each cubby held an item—blades, swords, bottles, jars, a vast assortment, no fewer than a hundred pieces.

But the three of them knew this was only an illusion. It seemed that immortal treasures were not so easily obtained. Elegant Heart suddenly said, “Huh? Why does this place feel so familiar?”

As she spoke, she unconsciously took several steps forward, ignoring the calls from Wood and White Blade.

Wood feared she might encounter danger and hurried after her. Unexpectedly, she took a few steps, stopped, shifted sideways, then turned again. Suddenly the scene before them blurred, and once more the surroundings changed; they had arrived at a garden.

The Supreme Clear Art Wood had been practicing also contained some descriptions of medicinal herbs. The moment he saw the garden, he was left staring in shock, because it actually contained many spiritual plants and immortal herbs recorded in the art. Even more were species he had never seen before, and even White Blade showed a look of amazement. “This... could this be a garden where immortals cultivate medicinal herbs?”

Yet Elegant Heart seemed to have fallen into some enchanted trance, walking straight toward the depths of the garden. Wood and White Blade exchanged a glance. Both found it strange that Elegant Heart had seemed off since entering the immortal’s abode.

Still, with no way of knowing whether there might be danger inside, they followed after her. The garden was not large, and as the three walked through it they were met by wave after wave of fragrant aroma, suggesting some spiritual medicine was nearly ripe.

Wood’s thoughts suddenly shifted, and he said, “Brother White, these spiritual herbs are ownerless. Why don’t we...?” As he spoke, he made a plucking gesture.

White Blade gave a slight nod. The two of them followed behind Elegant Heart, picking the spiritual grasses and immortal herbs as they went. Although most of them were unfamiliar, they were surely treasures of great value. Anything that emitted an intoxicating fragrance was immediately stuffed into a spatial bracelet. Thus the two of them moved along like raiders looting a village, stripping the path bare of spiritual plants and immortal herbs.

Just as they were gathering these heavenly treasures, Elegant Heart suddenly stopped. The two failed to brake in time and nearly ran into her. Following her gaze, they saw that they had reached the outer edge of the garden. Before Elegant Heart stood a large pit, roughly ten feet across, with spiritual energy faintly wafting from within.

Most strangely of all, there was already a person beside that pit, standing with his back to the others, bent over and staring into it as he muttered, “Gone? It’s gone?”

This person was naturally the one who had entered the cave first. It seemed, however, that he was quite familiar with this immortal’s abode, since he had actually found his way to this garden.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Elegant Heart asked.

The man turned around and looked at the three of them, but said nothing. Then he turned back again and stared blankly into the pit from which spiritual energy was still seeping.

Wood felt that glance and only sensed an icy chill through his whole body. His limbs nearly went stiff. Seeing White Blade’s pale face, it seemed he was no better off. Wood quickly reached out and pulled Elegant Heart, whispering, “This man’s cultivation is too high. We can’t afford to provoke him. Let’s go!”

His hand touched Elegant Heart’s, and her body gave a slight jolt. Through the veil, her eyes seemed to flash with an odd light. Feeling the softness of her small hand, Wood was suddenly struck by a strange electric sensation, and he found himself unwilling to let go. It was only when White Blade urged them on that he finally took Elegant Heart by the hand and hurried away.

Only after they had returned to the hall did Elegant Heart seem to come back to herself. With a soft, breathless sound she pulled her hand free from Wood’s grasp. Wood kept an outward appearance of calm, yet inside his heart was pounding wildly, filled with a curious feeling of gain and loss.

White Blade did not notice the odd mood between them. Following the method taught by Daoist Heavenly Heart, he calculated carefully with his fingers and led them slowly onward through the illusion.

After a little more than half an hour, he brought the two of them to a stone gate. Strangely enough, it was exactly the same as the stone gate outside, except smaller in size. Ancient characters were carved above it, and Wood could read them: treasure left by immortals, keep away common folk; only those with heavenly fate may take one item.

The gate stood slightly ajar, and one could faintly see that inside was a very small room. The three entered one after another and saw a long white-jade table in the room. On it were placed seven or eight strange magic treasures, each covered in a thin layer of golden light, as though all of them were sealed by restrictions upon the table. In the center of the room stood a massive iron-gray cauldron, over half a person tall, with layers upon layers of talismanic script covering its surface.

Upon entering the stone chamber, Elegant Heart cast a brief glance around and then stepped forward to pick up a bottle of pure white jade. It came away effortlessly, without the slightest obstruction! Wood and the others stared, stunned. Was it really that easy?

White Blade copied Elegant Heart and casually reached for a magic treasure shaped like a dragon of refined steel. The instant he touched it, golden light surged and bounced his hand away. White Blade said in surprise, “How strange!” He circulated his true essence and reached for it again. This time, the refined steel dragon sprang violently upward and began flying about the chamber. White Blade gave a low shout and used his movement technique to catch it. The chamber was only so large, and before long the refined steel dragon treasure was in his grasp, though it still gave low, mournful hums and trembled in his hand as if unwilling to be subdued.

White Blade circulated his true essence, continuously pressing down upon the refined steel dragon until it finally gave up its resistance and lay obediently still in his hand.

Seeing him subdue a magic treasure, Wood smiled and said, “Congratulations, Brother White!” He then followed their example and casually reached for a treasure on the table.

But strangely enough, the moment his hand touched those treasures, golden light would surge from them and bounce his hand away. The stronger his force, the greater the recoil. He tried several items in a row, and in the end not a single treasure on the table would allow him to touch it.

At this, his temper flared. He said angrily, “Damn it! I actually have no fate with these magic treasures at all?” As he spoke, he slapped a hand onto the iron-gray cauldron.

Who would have thought that with a humming sound, the cauldron would begin revolving around Wood on its own?

Wood did not know whether to laugh or cry. “So this... this is also a magic treasure. Seems I do have some fate with it after all!”