Chapter 225 - 253: The Heaven-Peeping Mirror Shatters! Dao Palace Realm Level 9, a Complex Jianghu, Cooking Smoke Rises
Projected by the Heaven-Peeping Mirror,
the crowd saw a white-robed figure in the image.
He had merely extended a single finger.
Yet it had crushed the Inner Sect Elder’s Sacred Artifact, the Black Bell, and effortlessly sent the black-robed old man flying.
Then, as casually as if he were merely chatting, this person suppressed the highly cultivated Great Prince, Zhou Xiao!
The entire sequence, from start to finish, had taken but a few moments. It was simply unbelievable.
Finally, the crowd saw the white-robed figure leading a young, spear-wielding woman.
He paid his fare and stepped ashore.
CRACK!
Before the crowd could get a closer look, the Heaven-Peeping Mirror, suspended in midair, suddenly shattered!
The crisp sound echoed between heaven and earth.
In the final, fracturing image, the middle-aged man realized with horror,
the white-robed figure in the image had actually stopped walking.
He turned and looked right at them!
Their gazes seemed to cross an infinite distance to meet!
The man let out a shaky breath. Even after the image had shattered completely, the horror and dread lingered in his mind like a waking nightmare.
’He could actually detect the Heaven-Peeping Mirror’s scrying!’
’This... How is this possible!?’
The middle-aged man’s face was pale, and a monstrous wave of shock crashed through his heart.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a thing. Not only had the Heaven-Peeping Mirror shattered on its own, but the person being scryed had somehow sensed it.
This meant that this person’s Power of Divine Thought had likely reached an utterly unbelievable Realm.
"Let’s go, now!"
The white-robed middle-aged man didn’t dare to linger for a moment. He immediately led the others away from the Bi River, flying swiftly in the direction of the Sun and Moon Sect.
After returning to the Sun and Moon Sect, the middle-aged man immediately sought an audience with Ming Luo Ancestor and recounted the entire affair in detail.
"What? The Heaven-Peeping Mirror was destroyed?"
"And that man even sensed the Heaven-Peeping Mirror’s scrying?"
Hearing the middle-aged man’s report, Ming Luo Ancestor’s expression turned grim.
He fell into a brief silence.
"You may leave."
He then waved his hand, dismissing the man.
After the middle-aged man departed, only Ming Luo Ancestor remained in the small pavilion, his face dark with thought.
’To be able to detect the Heaven-Peeping Mirror’s scrying means his Power of Divine Thought is at least as strong as mine,’
Ming Luo Ancestor murmured with a frown.
Evidently, the mysterious expert who had struck down Zhou Xiao was no weaker than him.
’If we were to truly fight to the death, it’s hard to say who would emerge victorious.’
After a moment of thought, a sinister Evil Qi filled Ming Luo Ancestor’s eyes. His gaze turned dark.
’Even if you’re at the peak of the Nine Tribulations Realm, or even a Void Realm expert... I will have my revenge!’
With that thought,
The figures of some of his Demon Dao friends surfaced in his mind. Then, as if he had made a firm decision, a wisp of Demonic Qi rose from his body, and he vanished on the spot.
His whereabouts were unknown.
...
Within the canyon of the Nether River, Su Bai suddenly stopped, his eyes flickering.
"What is it?"
The Master of Fulong Temple, standing beside him, noticed the change in Su Bai’s expression and couldn’t help but ask.
"It’s nothing."
Su Bai replied with a smile, not elaborating further.
Seeing that Su Bai wasn’t going to say more, the Master of Fulong Temple tactfully dropped the subject and resumed searching for opportunities within the canyon.
’How interesting. It seems someone is about to deliver themselves right to my doorstep!’
Su Bai smiled to himself, a flicker of anticipation in his heart.
The trio continued their careful exploration of the vast, boundless canyon.
「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」
The Master of Fulong Temple and Jin Jian Ancestor had reaped a bountiful harvest, obtaining a good number of rare treasures.
Su Bai casually took a few for himself.
These treasures held little attraction for him.
What he valued most was the gain in Experience Points.
It was worth noting that during these three days, Su Bai had suppressed nearly thirty Evil Shadows.
Most were at the Dragon Mansion Realm, and as for Evil Shadows with cultivation comparable to the Nine Tribulations Realm, Su Bai had only suppressed a total of three.
Even so, the cumulative Experience Points from thirty Evil Shadows were quite substantial.
Now, after three days, Su Bai’s accumulated Experience Points had once again surpassed one hundred million!
After a moment of thought, Su Bai decided to use these Experience Points to raise his Cultivation Realm.
Of course, not right now.
After all, the two people with him had strong cultivation themselves; they would naturally be able to clearly sense the aura of a Realm breakthrough.
When that time came, it would be difficult for Su Bai to explain.
"The Nether River is about to disappear! We have to leave, quickly!"
At a certain point, Jin Jian Ancestor took out a Jade Plate, his expression grave.
Once, a Nine Tribulations Realm expert had missed the window to leave and remained in the Nether River, ultimately vanishing along with it.
His fate remains unknown.
"The exit is that way."
When the pointer on the Jade Plate locked onto a certain direction, Jin Jian Ancestor spoke in a deep voice.
WHOOSH!
The trio transformed into a long streak of light and flew in that direction, finally leaving the Nether River.
Not long after the three of them had flown out, BUZZ! The entire Nether River suddenly erupted in a black radiance. Infinite light and shadow intertwined above it, and in the end, the entire river vanished.
Su Bai personally witnessed two Dragon Mansion Realm experts, who failed to fly out in time, get caught in the Nether River’s monstrous torrent. Their bodies were swept up and pulled into the endless waves.
The two let out despairing roars before disappearing completely.
Su Bai pondered deeply. ’Perhaps this is how those strange, dried corpses in the Nether River are created.’
’In ancient times, perhaps some experts were trapped in the Nether River for one reason or another, eventually turning into these dried corpses and becoming the river’s strange inhabitants.’
The trio didn’t linger long before returning to Purple Origin City.
After entering the pavilion, the three chatted for a moment. The Master of Fulong Temple and Jin Jian Ancestor then announced their intention to return to their respective sects and focus on their cultivation.
This time, they had both profited greatly from the Nether River. If they could fully absorb their gains, their Martial Arts Cultivation would surely rise to a new level.
"Senior, I shall take my leave," the Master of Fulong Temple said with a carefree smile before leaving. "If Senior is ever interested, please visit my Fulong Daoist Temple. We can drink and talk together!"
"I will."
Su Bai nodded, not refusing.
"Fellow Daoist, if you are free, please visit my Spirit Sword Sect someday. It would allow this old man to play the part of a proper host."
Watching the Master of Fulong Temple disappear over the horizon, Jin Jian Ancestor retracted his gaze and chuckled, stroking his beard happily.
If not for Su Bai on this trip to the Nether River, their chances of survival would have been slim.
And they certainly wouldn’t have been able to obtain so many opportunities and treasures.
Therefore, he was deeply grateful to Su Bai.
"If I have the time, I will."
Su Bai said with a smile.
"Haha! Then this old man shall await you at the Spirit Sword Sect!"
Jin Jian Ancestor was also a carefree person. After exchanging a few more words, he let out a hearty laugh.
And disappeared into the sky.
However, Jin Jian Ancestor’s disciple, Mu Yu, did not return with him.
He wanted to continue following Su Bai as a guide, just like before.
Su Bai didn’t mind. After giving him a few instructions, he left the pavilion with Mu Yu and Xu Ningxiu.
The three of them headed in the direction of Canglan City.
Once outside the city gates, with a mere thought, Su Bai poured his Experience Points into his Cultivation Realm.
As his Experience Points were consumed, Su Bai’s cultivation soared, reaching the Ninth Level of the Daoist Palace Realm in just a few moments!
His strength surged dramatically!
Along the way, Xu Ningxiu chattered animatedly, telling Su Bai interesting stories about Canglan City, so she didn’t notice the change in his aura.
But Mu Yu, walking behind them, did perceive this subtle fluctuation in aura, and his Heart Spirit immediately trembled in awe.
’Senior has grown stronger again!’
He murmured to himself, the reverence in his eyes growing ever deeper.
As time went on, the sense of distance between them, born from the vast gap in their cultivation, had actually lessened considerably.
On their journey, the three of them crossed mountains, rivers, and forests, passing by ferries and traveling merchants.
They saw all sorts of people: Monks and Daoists, caravan guards and mountain bandits, the poor and the destitute.
Their understanding and perception of the Jianghu underwent a subtle transformation.
In contrast to "the finite," Jianghu is a broad term, implying the infinite and the unknown.
Monks and Daoists are the Jianghu. Merchants and boatmen are the Jianghu.
Bandits and robbers are the Jianghu. Rich, dissolute scions in the city are the Jianghu.
Gangs and sects are the Jianghu. Court officials and nobles are the Jianghu.
Even mountain hermits are part of the Jianghu.
All these myriad beings are within the Jianghu.
The Jianghu encompasses all walks of life, the warmth and coldness of human relationships. Fighting and killing are part of it, but so too are grievances, love, and hate.
After leaving a small city, the trio had not walked for long when the sun was high in the sky.
"Senior! Should we start a fire and make a meal?"
Xu Ningxiu asked suddenly, holding a brown package.
"Go ahead."
Seeing that it was noon, Su Bai nodded.
The trio found a shady spot in a bamboo forest.
Mu Yu returned with some firewood. Xu Ningxiu took some beef from her package and asked Mu Yu, "How much did you get?"
"Three pounds’ worth. Probably not as much as you."
"I got three pounds too, so it’s the same."
Xu Ningxiu unwrapped the banana leaves from the beef and chuckled. "I was just worried it might leak on the way, so I asked the stall owner for a couple of extra leaves."
"You are very thorough."
"Are you cooking, or should I?"
"To be honest,"
Mu Yu’s voice was calm and unhurried. "I have some experience in this area."
"Then I’ll start the fire!"
Xu Ningxiu had a more impatient nature. Without a moment’s hesitation, she took a flint from her bag, glanced around, and gathered some dry reeds and leaves.
Then she squatted before the small fire pit Mu Yu had built and began to light the fire.
Su Bai watched her intently as she struck the flint.
CLACK... CLACK... CLACK...
Sparks flew out, scattering onto the dry leaves.
Hearing the sound, Mu Yu also looked over.
Catching their gazes from the corner of her eye, Xu Ningxiu couldn’t help but laugh. "Senior, what are you two looking at? Afraid I can’t start a fire?"
Mu Yu watched intently, while Su Bai simply smiled without a word.
It was indeed an excellent way to start a fire, but it wasn’t a common sight these days.
After all, anyone with strong enough cultivation could simply conjure a flame with a wisp of True Qi.
Su Bai had only seen it done once or twice.
Seeing it up close now, he found it rather interesting.
"This is how I used to start fires when I was a kid," she said. "It’s been years, but I’m not too rusty."
Xu Ningxiu got a flame going and blew on it gently, carefully coaxing it to grow.
When she turned her head and saw Su Bai and Mu Yu were still watching, she grew puzzled.
"Why are you still staring?"
Mu Yu just shook his head with a smile, then picked up his cooking utensils and began to stir-fry the beef.
Su Bai retracted his gaze and sat to the side, quietly awaiting the meal.
Soon, within the bamboo forest,
a plume of cooking smoke rose, reaching straight for the blue sky.
The aroma of meat filled the air, tempting and mouth-watering.
Wisps of smoke drifted toward the horizon, mingling with the twilight glow and the river’s shimmering hues.
They carried the rich flavor of human life up into the heavens.