Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Though the Qi Sea Brims, It Cannot Withstand the Frost Hell
A golden-yellow marten beast weaved through the forest, its four paws hitting the ground as it ran swiftly.
A snow-white large bird glided behind, closely following the marten’s figure.
Qiu Changtian couldn’t help but sigh again… Within this third-class beast land, how to find the place with the most abundant spiritual energy?
There’s no clue at all, okay?
One could only rely on their future self cheating to smoothly clear the level.
It’s just unknown how Junior Sister Xu and Miss Shi, upon entering here, would find any clue to break through the level.
About fifteen minutes later, Qiu Changtian followed Luo Yan, tracing the stream into the mountains.
That stream was originally spring water in the mountains, bubbling out from a dark cave.
The Luo Yan marten took the lead and went in, tearing the obstructing vines with its paws and squeezing into the narrow cave with its small figure in just a moment.
Qiu Changtian, as a crane, followed inside and felt the damp air growing heavier, dampening his feathers and making it extremely uncomfortable.
The two advanced dozens of steps inside the cave and saw that the depths unexpectedly revealed a cave heaven.
Holes were chiseled in the roof, letting down daylight, with several vines hanging down like curtains.
In the column of light lay a natural stone platform.
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Countless exotic flowers bloomed around the stone platform, bursting into life like steps.
“Gugu,” called the Luo Yan marten, and the Kunlun Mirror translated,
“Go ahead.”
“You and I are one and the same, and only one person here can receive the anointment of Sun Essence and Moon Splendor.”
“I have already experienced this once in the past and successfully advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Rank.”
“Now, it’s your turn.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Changtian fell silent for a moment, then flapped his wings to move forward, landing in the center of the stone platform.
And then?
There was no ‘then.’
Qiu Changtian cast an inquiring gaze at Luo Yan, only to see that the golden-yellow marten had found a dry spot, comfortably curled up and lay down.
Since his future self had not offered any guidance, that meant there was likely nothing wrong with him simply standing there on the platform for now.
With this in mind, Qiu Changtian once again instinctively began to preen his wet and tangled feathers with his long beak.
It wasn’t because of avian instinct, but rather because the wet, entangled feathers were truly uncomfortable.
After standing within the beam of light for a good while, Qiu Changtian began to feel slightly sleepy.
So he stood on one leg, closed his eyes, and started to rest.
In the midst of his hazy consciousness, he suddenly heard a chanting sound, holy and ethereal, drifting uncertainly, slowly descending from the daylight:
“How grand is the Seven Treasures Palace, where lotuses naturally arise. Illuminating the night with shimmering brightness, its faint glow graces the abode of gods. Looking up at the Mystical Reality Platform, cloud towers majestic and high. Radiance flows, lighting up the profound expanse, summon armies to crush countless demons…”
By the time the chant reached “Fortune and sin arise with no set rule, delivered by one’s own freedom of body,” Qiu Changtian immediately shed his feathers and transformed into human form, adopting a meditative posture, and continued to absorb the Sun Essence on the stone platform.
After an indeterminable amount of time, the outside had shifted from daytime to night, and the Sun Essence in the daylight had changed to Moon Splendor.
Qiu Changtian was still sitting on the stone platform, slowly absorbing the Moon Splendor completely.
A moment later, the chanting ceased.
Qiu Changtian opened his eyes only to find that his Qi Sea was already brimming, his cultivation level had nearly surged!
After a brief internal observation, he confirmed he had skipped at least twenty to thirty years of the Qi Refining Rank and successfully advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Rank!
“Not bad,” Luo Yan emerged from the shadows of the cave and said indifferently, “With that, the third-class beast land has also been broken through.”
“Upon entering the Marrow Cleansing Rank, the ‘Nine Heavens Clear Entrance True Mantra’ will gain an additional derived Daoist Magic, called ‘Shangyang Sword Qi’.”
“This is purely an offensive Daoist Magic. Within one hundred steps, Sword Qi crisscrosses, able to pierce through gold and split stone, controllable at will, untainted by evil, and suitable to be used in conjunction with the Flying Sword.”
“In the next trial, you should start by getting accustomed to it…”
Once again the familiar sensation of the heavens spinning and the earth overturning, the Universe shifting position occurred. By the time Qiu Changtian regained his senses, he found himself and Luo Yan already transferred to the fifth trial by the Restrictions.
This place, however, was a world of red skies and red earth, the Heavenly Dome stained like blood, the ground’s magma forming rivers, and fiery sparks fluttering in the air—a heat nearly intolerable, reminiscent of a Fire Prison.
“This is the Fire Prison trial.” Luo Yan said with a frown, “The reason being, this trial is to test your ability to deal with powerful enemies, so…”
“So, it will generate an opponent we are unable to defeat?” Qiu Changtian thought to himself.
Then he saw a figure slowly appearing in front of them.
The person was wearing a blue Daoist robe, tall and slender, with a Sword Box on his back, his hair white with age, and his features handsome and cold-hard, truly a middle-aged hunk.
“Qi Sha True Person Su Jian…” Luo Yan slowly said, “Run.”
The two turned and flew away with Sword Control, and only after Su Jian fully materialized did he look up toward the direction they were fleeing, his eyes filled with coldness.
The two fled desperately into the distance, practically Qiu Changtian following Luo Yan as they sped past smoke-engulfed volcanoes and through seas of magma, and soon the far side was in sight—a range of iron-blue peaks rising up like axes and knives.
Suddenly, a frosty white Sword Light came flying from afar and in a moment appeared in front of them.
As if prepared, Luo Yan called for his Magical Treasure, and the Heaven-flipping Seal spun half a circle in the air, then violently smashed toward Su Jian’s head.
With his right hand forming a Sword technique, Su Jian’s Harsh Cold Sword met the Heaven-flipping Seal head-on, the Sword Light as round as a full moon.
With a thunderous noise, the Harsh Cold Sword was actually bent by the impact.
Qiu Changtian: !!!
Could the power of this Heaven-flipping Seal be a bit too outrageous?
Well, after all, it was a Magical Treasure famous for its “great-power brick-flying,” and it exerted itself to the utmost in sheer brute force to barely contend with Su Jian’s Harsh Cold Sword.
As he was thinking this, he was suddenly enveloped by Luo Yan’s Sword Light, and they once again fled toward the mountain range ahead.
Behind them came the cold, merciless incantation from Su Jian:
“The void is clear and chill, the night eternally frosty.”
The next moment, the entire world was engulfed by endless wind and snow.
The cold was piercing to the bone.
Even though Qiu Changtian had Daoist Heart Clarity, witnessing such terrifying elemental power for the first time caused his mind to go blank for an instant.
When he came back to his senses, he was already enveloped in Luo Yan’s Sword Light, not knowing how far they had broken through.
He turned his head sharply, and saw that within the relentless expanse of the red sky and sea of flames, the place where they had just battled with Su Jian had now abruptly transformed into a nearly hundred-mile expanse of chilling ice Hell.
Inside it, fierce winds surged, frost and snow flew wildly, jagged rocks stood stark against the Heavenly Dome. Its outer shell was layered obsidian, keeping the massive rivers of magma completely at bay.
The shocking and grand sight was only a flash before Qiu Changtian’s eyes, quickly obscured by the iron-blue mountain range.
Luo Yan drove them into the Iron Thistle Mountain Range, and with the Heaven-flipping Seal, he directly smashed a very deep cave into the mountainside nearby, and they quickly ducked inside.
Qiu Changtian then noticed that Luo Yan’s entire body was turning a shade of blue and purple, with many places torn open by Su Jian’s Sword Qi, leaving narrow, dreadful wounds.
He silently cast the Universal Pure Tone Minor Illumination Technique on Luo Yan, and then he watched as Luo Yan expressionlessly took out an Elixir Bottle from his bosom.
“Caowu Baijiang Pills, most suitable for extracting cold energy.” He tilted the Elixir Bottle into his mouth without a glance, not even drinking water, as all the pills went straight down his throat, and only then did he slowly exhale, saying, “Don’t be stingy with money, buy the best.”
Qiu Changtian nodded gravely.
Seeing you like this, how could I possibly go for cheap ones?
I’ll keep ten bottles on me after the reset!
After taking the Caowu Baijiang Pills, the blue and purple on Luo Yan’s skin slowly faded away, and the wounds also began to heal under the effects of the Universal Pure Tone Minor Illumination Technique.
Then he reached into his bosom and pulled out a broken mirror.
“The Life-commanding Mirror you got from your third Senior Sister last time can withstand one fatal external attack, don’t forget to carry it with you.”