Chapter 63: World Within the Painting
The jade pendant known as the Friend’s Invitation Jade was activated once more, floating slowly toward the scroll.
In the corner of the painting, at the seal, there was a black lion.
Though small in appearance, this black lion had its mouth wide open.
The jade pendant flew before the painting and actually merged into it, becoming a piece of jade held in the black lion’s mouth.
Che Ning paid no attention to the other cultivators. He simply walked forward and vanished into the painting.
“It’s not an illusion formation…”
Song Yan was stunned. “The painting itself forms a world!”
The other cultivators were equally amazed but did not hesitate.
The three independent cultivators went together. Wu Zheng walked with his old friend Wei Dao. Song Yan went with Rong and Wu. They all stepped into the painting.
The remaining scar-faced cultivator also walked in alone.
Approaching the scroll, the paint colors on the surface scattered like ink and water. When his fingertip touched the scroll, it felt like touching flowing water.
“Hum—”
Stepping through, he opened his eyes again to find an entirely different scene before him.
“This feeling is no different from the Water Curtain Technique’s cleansing…”
“Fellow Daoist Song, we are not cultivators who go back on our word. If there truly are supreme spiritual treasures in this cave, we will do our utmost to assist Fellow Daoist in obtaining them.”
“My husband and I ask for nothing else. We only wish to earn a few spiritual items for our family’s younger generation. If there are magical artifacts or pills in this cave… we hope Fellow Daoist will yield them to us.”
Song Yan nodded. “As it should be.”
Only after stepping into this painting’s world did they discover that the location where one appeared seemed to be related to where they had entered on the scroll.
No one was around.
This was a mountain forest, unique in that purple flowers and leaves grew everywhere.
The three walked forward, climbing stone steps.
To the left was an open clearing and dense forest. To the right was a shallow ravine, like a small canyon.
Looking into the distance, the other side of the canyon seemed to be a completely different landscape.
The two places were connected by a suspension bridge.
“In my estimation, Che Ning must have obtained, by chance, the treasure hoard of a cultivator who was once acquainted with Senior Lin Qinglong. That is why he possesses the Friend’s Invitation Jade.”
The Friend’s Invitation Jade was equivalent to an invitation card in the mortal world.
When cultivators invited others to visit their homes or discuss the Dao, it was simply an invitation card with additional functions.
But Song Yan was not thinking about this matter.
He was thinking about Wu Huaguo’s ability to see through the truth of words.
The scar-faced cultivator’s question just now had awakened him.
If Che Ning said, “Of all the items in the cave, I only want the ink painting,” and the cave contained only that one thing…
From the way he spoke, he had not lied…
“…”
When he had first learned of Wu Huaguo’s ability at the Spirit Source Market, not knowing the full picture, he had still been startled.
Now it seemed there must be many limitations.
Moreover, if one knew about this in advance, there were many ways to guard against it.
He felt inexplicably reassured.
“Although Senior Lin Qinglong was a Foundation Establishment realm powerhouse, maintaining a celestial cave like this with spiritual treasures would consume an enormous amount of spiritual energy…”
“I suspect that either this painting world is not very large, or there are certain spiritual items that can naturally absorb spiritual qi to sustain the operation of this small world.”
“Or perhaps both.”
“If we want to compete for treasures, we must move quickly!”
“Good!”
The three channeled spiritual energy and increased their speed.
Instead of crossing the suspension bridge to the canyon on the right, they headed left.
Ahead was a crescent-shaped clearing. Purple leaves drifted down from the trees, forming a purple path on the ground.
Beside the path stood a small wooden cabin.
“…”
The three exchanged glances and cautiously pushed open the door with spiritual energy.
Nothing happened.
The cabin was small, containing only a wooden table and a wooden bed. It did not appear to be the Foundation Establishment senior’s usual resting place.
On the table was a handkerchief, but it seemed to be a mortal item. After so many years, it had already corroded and crumbled. Apart from this, there was nothing of value—only some miscellaneous items.
“Rustle rustle rustle—”
“Hmm?”
A sound came from behind, and all three walked out of the cabin.
Outside, a patch of fallen purple leaves had suddenly been swept up by a gust of wind, transforming into blue-purple spiritual light that gradually coalesced into a humanoid form.
“When it sighs, it becomes clouds and rain; when it laughs, it becomes thunder…”
“Penetrating heaven and earth, emerging from darkness into light…”
A blue-purple talisman spirit appeared before them, its voice carrying ancient resonance.
“I am a Talisman Puppet, entrusted by my master to guard this realm. All trespassers shall be slain on the spot!”
Whoosh—
A violent gale struck!
Song Yan felt a piercing cold within the wind. The whirlwind swept around, and his protective spiritual robe actually began to crack and shatter!
Wu Huaguo warned, “Though this Talisman Puppet has no spiritual intelligence, its spiritual energy level matches the late stage of Qi Refining!”
Talisman puppets—Song Yan had heard of them.
They were typically humanoid spirit puppets refined from spiritual talismans. Though they possessed no ordinary person’s spiritual intelligence and only followed the commands of their refiner.
However, their activation time was extremely long. Some talisman puppet spirits could even naturally absorb and store spiritual energy.
They were mostly used by cultivators to guard caves or protect sects.
Logically, once the cave master died, the talisman puppet would naturally not activate.
But now, for some unknown reason, these talisman puppets had been reactivated.
Gale winds swept the leaves, blotting out the sky and sun.
The three felt their vision darken.
Song Yan suddenly sensed blue-purple spiritual energy gathering slowly around him, but the speed of accumulation was growing faster and faster…
“Watch out!”
The Untethered Vessel was instantly summoned, slicing through the barrier formed by the purple leaves. The three flew backward.
Boom—
A tremendous bolt of thunder descended from the sky, blasting a crater where the three had stood moments before.
“Strike.”
Rong Xiaofeng formed a strange hand seal with his left hand. Dense black points of light shot out from behind him.
Buzz buzz buzz…
Song Yan focused his gaze and saw countless tiny black insects. The sound was the fluttering of insect wings.
The spirit insects approached the talisman puppet’s spiritual body and passed through its form.
Some spirit insects fell to the ground, emitting wisps of black smoke.
Rong Xiaofeng suddenly frowned and spoke. “Both wrists, Lieque points.”
Song Yan understood immediately. The talisman puppet’s vital points had been identified. By simultaneously disrupting both points, the puppet could be neutralized.
He silently praised Rong Xiaofeng’s decisiveness.
For insect cultivators, these spirit insects were like a sword cultivator’s flying swords.
When the spirit insects died, the cultivator would also be greatly affected.
The talisman puppet had no spiritual intelligence and only knew how to unleash thunder techniques at the three’s location.
The three barely dodged.
Seizing the opening when the thunder technique was released, not wasting a moment, Song Yan and Wu Huaguo exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously.
The Untethered Vessel shot forth like lightning, striking directly at the left wrist.
Wu Huaguo pressed his palms together, and a burst of green spiritual light suddenly blazed.
A slender vine erupted from the ground. Though thin and long, its speed was astonishing—in an instant, it pierced through the right wrist.
“…”
The talisman puppet’s movements suddenly halted. Its body’s spiritual light gradually stiffened and froze.
“My master…”
Despite possessing spiritual energy at the late stage of Qi Refining, having its vital points pierced, the talisman puppet now began to gradually collapse and dissipate.
After a moment, it transformed into a cinnabar talisman, drifting to the ground along with the purple leaves. A pale purple fluorescent stone lay atop it.
“A mid-grade spirit stone?!”