Chapter 58: Pang Jians Decision

Chapter 58: Pang Jian's Decision

Luo Hongyan stood by the window on the fifth floor of the Divine Spirit Pagoda, watching angrily as Pang Jian disappeared into the darkness.

In Ning Yao's sea of consciousness, the real Ning Yao was overwhelmed with grief and resentment. She glared at Luo Hongyan and asked, "Are you trying to humiliate me to death?"

Luo Hongyan's lips curled in disdain. "Do you actually believe I was trying to humiliate you by allowing Pang Jian to make contact with your body?"

"Weren't you?" Ning Yao exclaimed indignantly.

Luo Hongyan softly snorted, once again gathering the energy in the Profound Yin stones to refine her ethereal form.

She impassively said, "You've lost your sense of touch. So, when I made skin contact with him, you felt nothing. However, I still granted you the ability to see through your own eyes. Therefore, you should already know that he opened up four meridians upon entering the Meridian Opening Realm.

"Ning Yao, let me ask you this. When you entered the Meridian Opening Realm, how many meridians did you open?"

Luo Hongyan's eyes were filled with mockery.

Ning Yao hesitated before responding, "I didn't manage to open a single one."

"So, why do you feel that I was humiliating you when I used your body to approach Pang Jian?" Luo Hongyan continued to pull on strands of Profound Yin energy as she brashly scorned Ning Yao. "Are you still clinging to the belief that being born into one of the seven major clans grants you a higher status than Pang Jian?"

Ning Yao was stunned.

"What a foolish woman. Even in the Third World, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone with Pang Jian's level of cultivation talent." With a cold expression, Luo Hongyan shook her head and sarcastically remarked, "Just based on this fact alone, he has surpassed your Ning Clan's lineage by several levels.

"You still haven't realized it, have you? You, Ning Yao, are the toad, while Pang Jian is the swan you should be admiring." [1]

Those words seemed to deal a heavy blow to Ning Yao, enveloping her in a cloud of dismay.

"Take some time to consider my words carefully. Stop living in your fantasies."

***

The next morning, Pang Jian woke up from his drunken stupor slightly dizzy. He noticed that he had been lying in the island's bushes, covered by a fur blanket.

His bamboo basket and Dragonwood Spear rested on the grass beside him.

He vaguely recalled that the blanket belonged to the deceased He Rong.

Confused, he guessed that Su Meng had seen him drunk and asleep, and brought a blanket to keep him warm through the night.

She's indeed a kind-hearted girl, Pang Jian nodded silently to himself. Pushing aside the blanket, he glanced at the nearby bushes. Noticing the absence of dew, he realized it was very late.

Pang Jian had not expected the alcohol to hit him that hard and leave him in such a state of drunkenness.

He silently reminded himself to drink in moderation in the future. If the evil woman from last night had tried to attack him while he was drunk, or if he had encountered someone like Dong Tianze, he would not have known what hit him.

After scanning the surroundings and finding no one in sight, Pang Jian climbed toward the summit of the small hill.

On top of the small hill, he spotted the evil woman guiding Su Meng through the lush greenery, teaching her how to harvest the exotic plants.

Su Meng nodded repeatedly, showing earnest dedication to her learning and occasionally asking a question or two in a soft voice.

"She's still here!" Pang Jian snorted. He had not expected the evil woman to linger and continue masquerading as Ning Yao after last night's incident.

"We've already explored the mysteries of the Solitary Mountain Range. It's time for us to return and relay our findings to our respective clans," Zhou Qingchen said.

"Young Master Zhou, if I walk out from the Solitary Mountain Range alive, I will go to the Zhou Clan to find you," Pang Jian softly said.

Zhou Qingchen was so taken aback that he started anxiously pacing back and forth as he took in the meaning of Pang Jian's words. "Pang Jian, do you really intend on exploring the bizarre mist?!"

Pang Jian nodded.

He had a lingering suspicion that the bizarre mist was where his father had disappeared. Countless tales from other cultivators had painted the bizarre mist as the biggest restricted area in this world.

However, he resolved to take the risk to venture inside and see for himself.

Zhou Qingchen glared at him and asked in a low growl, "Pang Jian, are you even aware of the dangers involved?!"

"I can imagine," Pang Jian answered.

'No, you can't!" Zhou Qingchen violently shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he explained, "Ever since I can remember, every story I've heard about the bizarre mist has been filled with death, unknown terror, and mysterious disappearances. Forget cultivators like you and me, even cultivators with abilities hundreds or thousands of times greater than ours have perished within its depths!"

Han Duping and Luo Hongyan said nothing, but their expressions were equally grave. They were clearly reluctant to broach the subject of the bizarre mist.

Meanwhile, Su Meng stared blankly at the mountain peaks in the far north.

Pang Jian remained silent.

Looking at him, Luo Hongyan knew no one could dissuade him once he had made up his mind. She suggested, "How about this? We still have some time, so why don't we all take this time to carefully consider the situation at hand?"

"Zhou Qingchen. Su Meng and I have gathered some valuable spirit plants, but we lack storage-type spirit artifacts. We need to borrow your spatial bracelet to store our harvests. We should also discuss how to distribute them among us. I want to make it clear that I won't take any of the spiritual stones obtained from the sale of the spirit plants, but Pang Jian must have the lion's share!"

Last night, on the fifth floor of the white pagoda, she and Zhou Qingchen had argued over the ownership of the Profound Yin stones.

This time, however, she took the initiative to fight for Pang Jian to ensure he would obtain the largest share.

Zhou Qingchen sighed and nodded. He then turned to Pang Jian and said, "Please think over the matter of the bizarre mist again."

Pang Jian looked at Luo Hongyan with a peculiar expression and nodded. "Okay."

Over the next few days, Luo Hongyan continued to direct Su Meng in harvesting the spirit plants around the island.

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping, on the other hand, wandered around Black Orchid Lake, occasionally exploring the surrounding area in hopes of finding traces of Dong Tianze.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian used the spiritual stones he had on hand to tirelessly gather spiritual power.

As time passed, the pure spiritual qi of the island also showed signs of contamination.

As everyone gathered one evening, Luo Hongyan said, "There used to be a barrier on the island that restricted the departure of ghostly apparitions and purified spiritual qi. Now, with the death of the black turtle and the departure of its beast soul, the barrier has also disappeared. With the barrier gone, the spiritual qi has become increasingly polluted and there are no more spirit plants worth collecting anymore."

She and Su Meng had nothing else to do now.

Han Duping suddenly screamed, "The bizarre mist has crossed the mountain peak!"

Pang Jian turned to look at the north side of Black Orchid Lake. A hazy mist steadily crept over the closely clustered mountain peaks.

1. In Chinese mythology, the toad (蛤蟆) and the swan (天鹅) are often used as symbols to represent different qualities or statuses. The toad is typically associated with lower status or unattractiveness, while the swan represents elegance, beauty, and higher status. This imagery is often used metaphorically to illustrate the stark contrast between two individuals or situations. ☜