Chapter 268 - Abyss of the Nether Spirits

Chapter 268 Abyss of the Nether SpiritsNoticing the sudden change in his expression, Yu Yifeng asked, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother Xiao?”

It took some time before Xiao Chen responded. He shook his head and said, “Nothing.” He got up and walked outside, where he spread his Divine Sense almost a mile away. Nothing strange appeared. He added a few layers of defensive formations onto the cave entrance before walking back in.

His Divine Sense was exceptional in that it could be released and retrieved at will. This ability could no longer be found in cultivators these days. In that split second earlier, however, he noticed a wisp of Divine Sense entering the cave. Like him, someone had materialized his Divine Sense as well.

That person retrieved his Divine Sense immediately, having noticed that Xiao Chen had discovered him.

He had met countless capable cultivators in his year in the Violet Manor, but never someone who could materialize his Divine Sense the way he could. This put him in unease.

Twilight gradually crept close. Suddenly, the quiet sound of a pebble tumbling down came from behind them. Xiao Chen whipped his head around, having been on high alert all along. He saw a flickering object embedded in the wall of a cliff—it appeared to be a pair of eyes.

“Watch out! Something’s inside in the wall of the cliff!”

The words had just left his mouth when an indistinctly-shaped object charged out of the wall like a bolt of lightning, frightening everyone. With his sharp Divine Sense, Xiao Chen managed to get a clear look at the object.

It was a leopard cat with a Lingzhi mushroom growing out of its head. He instantly recognized it to be a Spirited Lingzhi that had gained shape after cultivating for three thousand years!

That day, Gui Xian told him that the blood of a Spirited Lingzhi was necessary for the making of the Lark’s Serum, the antidote for the scars on Qingluan’s face that the Thousand Spiders Poison had left.

“Crush the jade note if you need me!”

Tossing a jade note over his shoulder, Xiao Chen immediately unfolded the Phoenix’s Wings of Fire and chased after the Spirited Lingzhi. Seeing this, Qingluan and Ziyun’er followed suit on their flying swords.

The Spirited Lingzhi was alarmingly quick on its feet. It abruptly grew a pair of wings and started soaring in the air like a flying cat. Even though Xiao Chen was flying at his top speed, it was all he could do to just keep up with the Spirited Lingzhi. Behind him, Qingluan and Ziyun’er were struggling to follow him.

On the ground, countless cultivators were fighting intense battles when they suddenly spotted a wing of raging flames flitting across the vast sky. They stopped fighting and exclaimed in astonishment, “What flying monster is that?!”

The group of three humans and one cat streaked the sky at a lightning-fast pace and before anyone knew it, an entire hour had passed. The sunset in the horizon was done on its last wisp of glow. The initially lovely landscape of light began to dissipate as well as boundless darkness descended upon earth. The cold darkness was pressing close.

Forest of Illusory Moon appeared stranger still at night. Qingluan was panicking. “It’s almost nighttime! Give up the chase, Master!”

Xiao Chen had long lost track of how much ground he had covered in his pursuit. Neither did he know where he was. However, the Spirited Lingzhi was such a rare creature that if he missed it today, he might never find it again. It was necessary for Lark’s Serum!

The Spirited Lingzhi must be panicking because of the approaching night as well. It flew aimlessly before the three of them managed to surround it and force it inside an expanse of woods.

Here, every tree grew tall enough to reach the clouds. The curious thing was that the trees—from the trunk, twigs, all the way to the leaves—were black. It made for a very strange sight.

“Me-meow! Who, who are you? Why do you insist on chasing after a great Immortal like me?!”

The Spirited Lingzhi stood up and began speaking human language. It placed its claws in front of its abdomen as it looked at the three of them in a mixture of alarm and timidness.

Xiao Chen’s heart stirred. Little did he imagine that this Spirited Lingzhi had cultivated long enough to be capable of human language. It would take a Lingzhi at least three thousand years to cultivate into becoming a walking Spirited Lingzhi: one thousand years to gather spirit energy, one thousand years to generate spiritual intelligence, and one thousand years to take shape. This talking Spirited Lingzhi must have lived for at least three millenniums. It wasn’t outrageous for it to call itself an Immortal Lingzhi.

The Immortal Lingzhi could tell from their gazes that they were harboring unscrupulous intentions. In a shaking voice, it said, “Y-Y-You! What are you trying to do to me?! I’ll have you know that I came to the Human Realm under the Jade Emperor’s personal orders…”

Before it could finish its sentence, it found itself suspended in the air. It turned out that Ziyun’er was lifting it up by grabbing onto the Lingzhi on its head.

“Wow, this kitty can fly and talk!”

The Immortal Lingzhi was so frightened that it began struggling against her hold. It glared at her and said indignantly, “Let go! Little girl, how dare you disrespect a Great Immortal like me! Trust me when I say I’ll inflict the Divine Punishment of the Ninth Heaven on you and exterminate your body and soul!”

Ziyun’er clasped a hand over her chest, feigning fear. “Oh my, I’m terrified!”

“Meow! Let go! Hurry up and let go of me!”

Qingluan chimed in, “This isn’t a leopard cat. It’s likely the Spirited Lingzhi mentioned in the legends.”

The Immortal Lingzhi instantly withdrew all of its limbs and pointed to her. In a trembling voice, it said, “I’ll… have you know that legends are all lies. It’s a lie that you can live forever after eating a Spirited Lingzhi! I’m a true immortal that had survived nine cycles of life. If you dare disrespect me…”

Qingluan looked at Xiao Chen. “This Spirited Lingzhi is so noisy. Master, do you need me to kill it?”

The Immortal Lingzhi was so terrified that even its hair stood on its end. Xiao Chen shook his head and approached the Lingzhi. “Speak. Why did you lure us here? Where is this?”

Since the moment his feet touched the ground, his heightened senses alerted him to the oddness of this place. This was no ordinary place, with its thick smell of death. This must be beyond the Grade 6 district. Perhaps they had even gone beyond the districts known to the Daoist League of the Five Continents.

“Meow! I’m the one who should be asking that! Oh, and why are you badgering me?”

Xiao Chen frowned after hearing that the leopard cat didn’t know where this was either. That meant they were in deep trouble. Suddenly, a strange howl erupted from under the ground.

Frightened, the Immortal Lingzhi trembled all over. It threw itself on Ziyun’er and buried itself deep within her chest. She yelped, “Hey, d*mn cat! Where do you think you’re burying yourself in?!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose…”

“Shh!” Xiao Chen signaled them to keep quiet. “Be quiet. What was that sound earlier?”

The Immortal Lingzhi grabbed tight onto Ziyun’er’s arm as it cautiously scanned its surroundings. “Meow! Did no one tell you not to roam around the Forest of Illusory Moon at night?”

Of course, Xiao Chen knew this. Yu Yifeng had repeatedly warned them to find a cave-like area to hide before nightfall. It was impossible for them to go back now, seeing as they had trouble just determining directions. They must find a cave immediately and try again at dawn.

Suddenly, a low and terrifying voice came from underground. “The living who encroach on the Forbidden Land must leave their soul behind!”

The voice caused their scalp to feel numb. Xiao Chen knew they were in trouble. “We must leave this place immediately!” He was about to unfold his Phoenix’s Wings when he realized that he couldn’t summon the pair of wings.

Qingluan and Ziyun’er were no exception as they realized that they couldn’t control their flying swords. Even the Immortal Lingzhi couldn’t regrow its wings.

“Me-meow! What’s going on?!”

Before its voice faded, the earth began shaking. Xiao Chen yelled, “Watch that leopard cat! Let’s run!” Using his Immortal-override Steps, he took the lead in running back in the direction they had come in.

Qingluan and Ziyun’er swiftly followed suit with their Sky Treader technique. The Immortal Lingzhi held tight onto Ziyun’er’s arm, refusing to let go. “Meow! I’m not some leopard cat…”

The mountains and ground continue to quake. No matter how far they ran, the voice from underground chased them like a shadow. “You won’t be able to outrun me. The living who encroach on the Forbidden Land must leave their soul behind…”

One hour later, the three of them were left gasping for breath. Ziyun’er yelped. “Oh no! It looks like we’re back at where we started!”

The woods around them were filled with black trees that soared high into the sky. This was where the three of them had caught the Immortal Lingzhi earlier. Xiao Chen and Qingluan exchanged glances. “This is the Abyss of the Nether Spirits!”