Chapter 599 - 478: Nether River Rising
Cold Qilin True Man sighed inwardly; the Nine Netherworlds is not a safe place, and injuries and deaths are inevitable.
These vibrant lives, who knows how many of them will return alive.
Back when he entered the realm to comprehend the Earth-born Gold, it happened to coincide with the flood of the Nether River, rampaging powerful Yin Soul Beasts, and various invisible Yin Souls emerging.
That year, only one in ten cultivators who entered the Nine Netherworlds survived.
Those who were given the quota to enter this place were all promising Golden Core seeds from various factions, yet they ended up dying and dissipating, truly making one sigh in regret.
If it weren’t for that disaster, the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Red Rock Immortal City area would surely be several more than today.
Unfortunately, when a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out; bury the bones in the Nine Netherworlds and all things rest.
Ji An had no acquaintances, so there was no need for pleasantries. He placed the Jade Slip on his forehead, probing his Divine Sense to carefully observe the map, feeling as if he were experiencing a virtual property viewing.
The passageways of the Earth Cave are intricate and winding, with Magic Arrays constructed at intervals where one can take shelter. As long as a Middle-grade Spirit Stone is inserted, they can be activated, marked as red dots on the map.
The entire map contains more than a hundred of these red dots, serving as individual safe zones.
Ji An was impressed by the considerate design of the Immortal City; when facing an overwhelming Yin Soul Beast, one could hide inside.
The passageways are like a labyrinth, impossible to remember all at once. Ji An browsed through quickly, focusing on the locations of the red Defense Arrays.
Every design has an original purpose; it can’t be meaningless, just like an aircraft’s flight manual is written with blood and tragedy as its safety regulations.
Time ticked away silently, and Ji An was still immersed in studying the knowledge about Yin Souls and Yin Soul Beasts on the Jade Slip.
Yin Souls have form but no substance, able to create illusions and seize the opportunity to absorb a cultivator’s qi and magical power, which he regarded as ghostly beings.
As long as one’s Dao Heart is firm and perceptive, the threat posed by individual ones appears minimal to a cultivator.
If there are large groups of Yin Souls, cultivators must be cautious and vigilant.
If one encounters a large number of Yin Souls during times of great joy or sorrow with unstable emotions, it would be a disaster.
However, the Nine Netherworlds was recently cleared, reportedly with the participation of Golden Core cultivators, making the likelihood of large groups of Yin Souls appearing nearly zero.
Yin Soul Beasts are the result of Yin Souls devouring one another, capable of materializing from the intangible, generally manifesting in beast form, but not necessarily.
He eagerly absorbed the knowledge until he heard a shout.
"The mist is beginning to dissipate, everyone prepare to enter it in an orderly fashion.
In about three months, the tide of the Nether River will rapidly recede, and the mist will quickly occupy the entire Earth Cave. Remember not to linger and return a few days early."
Cold Qilin True Man had just finished speaking when the mist in the Earth Cave seemed to be inhaled by a giant beast, swiftly descending into the Earth Cave.
Members of the team each summoned their Spiritual Artifacts, and for a moment, various lights flashed.
Some summoned a red Flying Sword, bursting forth in ten thousand rays of rosy light, soared into the air, and leaped into the Earth Cave.
Other cultivators activated their spell techniques, Daoist Robe shimmering with light, stepping into the Earth Cave without the slightest hesitation.
Ji An, at the back of the group, unhurriedly released the Mixed Gold Profound Armor Spell.
Golden light flickered across his body, mysterious patterns crawled over his cheeks and arms, then quickly gathered and hid beneath his skin.
He then summoned the Celestial Soaring Armor, his Dharma Seal changed in his hands, and the Spiritual Artifact disassembled in mid-air.
Pieces of armor plates revolved around him, then covered his body, forming a layer of brass-colored armor.
Though the Spirit Armor had a metallic sheen, it was actually entirely made from Earth-elemental Spiritual Objects.
But he wasn’t done yet. He also summoned the Wuji Xinghuang Banner, exhibiting ’fear of death’ vividly.
Transforming into a mass of Spirit Cloud, it flew around him, yellow Spirit Light swirling around as if it was a special effect from a video game set.
Cold Qilin True Man noticed his actions, showing his teeth as he kindly smiled:
"Truly a wealthy young fellow."
To bring out two pieces of Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts at a time, and both were Defensive Spiritual Artifacts; that’s quite a lack of security!
He remembered the other as the first to slay a Demon Puppet, whose actions exposed the hidden Demon Cultivator under sunlight.
If viewed from this perspective, the entire Red Rock Immortal City owes him a favor.
At this moment, only Ji An remained among those with a quota in the grand hall. He gazed at the deep passageway below, took a deep breath, and leapt down.
Cold Qilin True Man waved his hand and said:
"Seal the Earth Cave entrance, reopen it in three months."
If the entrance isn’t sealed, the Qi Mechanism within the Earth Cave would have an outlet to escape, making it difficult to form the evolving Earth-Born Gold Spirit Realm.
"Yes, sir," disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall responded in unison. Two stepped forward to activate the Sealing Array, yellow Spirit Light flickering at the cave entrance, forming the shape of a tortoise shell.
Cold Qilin True Man nodded slightly and further instructed:
"Leave a group here on watch, the rest follow me back."
...
The wind roared in his ears, Ji An spread his arms in a ’big’ shape, free-falling downwards, tense yet thrilling.
Before long, he saw the "ground" where light-emitting array runes flashed.
The Wuji Xinghuang Banner rippled out countless golden flowers, almost instantly reducing his falling speed to zero, suspending him mid-air.
This was also a massive Earth Cave, with countless stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The innermost rock wall revealed four passageways.
Many stalactites emitted a gentle glow, with some unknown moss growing on the rock wall, emitting a faint blue light.
The entire Earth Cave wasn’t bright, even somewhat dim, yet in Ji An’s eyes, it was all clear and visible.