Chapter 129: The Spirit Bird and the Gale

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The world spun around them, and their heads reeled.

An unbearable sensation came from every part of their bodies, as though an invisible force were pushing, squeezing, and twisting them from every direction outside.

Even so, none of the three was willing to let this once-in-a-lifetime experience pass them by. They struggled to open their eyes and look outward.

The world beyond was shrouded in gray, the light dim, and the air filled with an aura of deathly silence.

They could see no one else. Their spiritual senses were obstructed, rendering them useless.

Their bodies spun as they flew into a darkness in which up, down, left, and right could no longer be distinguished. Aside from looking around, the only thing the three could do was clutch one another’s hands tightly, daring not to relax their grip.

…

Puff!

After an unknown length of time, the three suddenly felt as though they had passed through an invisible membrane. The mysterious force that had been pushing and squeezing them vanished at once.

When they looked down, they saw a strange world of light and shadow spread across the earth below. Clearly, this was the fabled Bottomless Radiant World.

Rich spiritual energy enveloped them, vastly denser than that of the Immortal Peachland Mountains. It was hardly surprising that such an environment could produce extraordinary spiritual roots.

“We can stabilize ourselves now,” Linghu Jinjiu said softly.

Clouds formed beneath the feet of all three at once, bringing their bodies to a halt.

They first looked toward the sky above. It was an eerie darkness, without even the faintest star. The light illuminating the land below came from crystal pillars protruding high from the ground. There were countless numbers of them, each leaning at a strange angle and radiating multicolored light. Their true nature would have to be examined up close.

Far away in the sky, other figures appeared. Without lingering, they flew toward the ground.

Looking down from above, they saw that the world below consisted almost entirely of flat, sandy wasteland. Here and there, something resembling a rooftop rose from the sand, like the remains of a colossal ancient ruin buried beneath windblown dunes.

The three swept the area with their spiritual senses but found no other cultivators from the Immortal Peachland Sword Sect.

“Let’s go!”

With a low shout, Linghu Jinjiu flew ahead, followed by Fang Junmei and Yang Xiaoman.

Yang Xiaoman possessed the highest cultivation among the three, but Linghu Jinjiu was their senior brother and had far more experience traveling through the cultivation world. After discussing the matter, they agreed that he would lead the way.

…

One month. That was how long everyone could remain in the Bottomless Radiant World. After one month, whether they wished to leave or not, some mysterious force of heaven and earth would send them out.

In other words, whatever opportunities they obtained would depend entirely on that single month.

There was no east, west, north, or south in this space, but changes in the surrounding environment still made it possible to determine a general direction of travel. Taoist Celestial Wind and the others, who had entered before them, had already given them some guidance: they were to follow the direction in which the crystal pillars leaned. That should lead to the center of this world.

As for what opportunities awaited them there, even Taoist Celestial Wind and the others could not say. They had never truly reached the center themselves.

The three simultaneously used the Art of Transforming into Rainbows, skimming across the sky a hundred feet above the ground and heading straight toward the center.

In this space, they had to guard against not only other cultivators but also the dangers inherent to the world itself. Though the place appeared barren and lifeless, it was not entirely devoid of life.

Deep beneath the earth lurked monsters resembling stone spirits. Their attacks were powerful, and their bodies extraordinarily tough. They were not to be underestimated.

With the aid of the Earth-Drilling Shuttle and the Three-Breath Divine Stone, Fang Junmei might have been able to travel faster underground. But that would have meant advancing alone. After thinking it over again and again, he temporarily abandoned the idea of traveling independently, especially since he could hardly refuse Yang Xiaoman and Linghu Jinjiu’s earnest invitations.

The sky was no safer. There were not only flying birdlike stone spirits, but also mysterious astral gales that could strike without warning. Yet if they wished to make haste, they had no choice but to fly through the air.

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This was the benefit of having those who came before blaze the trail. The older generation had passed on a great deal of experience to them.

…

Shriek—

They had not gone far when a savage birdcall suddenly rang out.

The three turned to look. Three or four hundred yards away, four rays of multicolored light suddenly shot from within a crystal pillar. As they charged toward the trio, the rays rapidly condensed into four enormous birds resembling eagles or roc. Their outstretched wings were five or six yards long. Though their forms appeared illusory, their auras were utterly real.

Creatures of such inexplicable existence were things the three had never seen in their lives.

The cultivators who had come before them had named these birds Crystal Spirit Birds. They could freely unleash spells of all seven elements. They appeared in flocks, and the farther one ventured inward, the greater their numbers became. They were among the most terrifying creatures in this world.

Nor could they be communicated with. They seemed incapable of understanding human speech and knew only to guard this place.

“Keep moving!”

Linghu Jinjiu shouted under his breath and led the other two swiftly onward. All three used the Art of Transforming into Rainbows, three sword-shaped streaks of light drawing long arcs through the air.

There were no opportunities nearby, and engaging these Crystal Spirit Birds in a drawn-out battle would be utterly pointless.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three moved swiftly, yet one Crystal Spirit Bird with the strongest aura—nearly reaching the early Dao Embryo stage—continued to close the distance. It opened its beak and spat out a stream of spells resembling arrows of flame.

The flames burned with such searing heat that, as they tore through the air, they scorched broad swathes of white vapor into existence.

The three dodged from side to side, but their speed slowed considerably as a result.

“Kill it. Stay away from those pillars. According to what our uncles told us, the Crystal Spirit Birds’ range of detection has grown larger than it was a thousand years ago!”

Linghu Jinjiu shouted sharply once more.

Fang Junmei and Yang Xiaoman’s pupils contracted. Without wasting a word, they searched for a somewhat more open area, abruptly turned around, and attacked the pursuing Crystal Spirit Bird.

Sword light howled.

Radiance flashed violently.

The Drunken Dragon Sword Art, Falling Star Sword Art, and Great Evolution Wind-and-Cloud Sword Art burst forth together.

First came rolling winds and clouds. Then the Drunken Dragon roared. Stars fell from the heavens. A magnificent vision of heaven and earth filled the sky, and the Crystal Spirit Bird’s form was almost instantly swallowed within it.

Boom! Boom!

At the heart of the churning clouds, multicolored spells were released amid shrill cries, shattering great swathes of sword light.

Unfortunately, two fists could never defeat four hands.

After only a dozen breaths, the Crystal Spirit Bird let out a miserable shriek and transformed into rainbow-colored mist, dispersing into the world.

After killing the bird, the three immediately grew wary of their surroundings. Only after confirming that no other Crystal Spirit Birds had been alerted did they breathe a sigh of relief.

“These Crystal Spirit Birds really do sense us through our auras,” Yang Xiaoman said. “With all that noise and commotion, the others still weren’t roused.”

Then she added, “It would be wonderful if we could take one home. They’re beautiful, and they can even help fight…”

Her expression was one of infatuation and distress.

Linghu Jinjiu and Fang Junmei exchanged amused smiles before continuing onward.

Of course, capturing one was impossible. Other cultivators had already tried.

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…

Once they resumed their journey, the three proceeded with even greater caution, testing the Crystal Spirit Birds’ range of perception and adjusting their distance accordingly.

Battles were unavoidable, and all three had already suffered minor injuries.

Yang Xiaoman, whose cultivation was the highest, had begun to display the strength of her swordsmanship perfected to the marrow. Fang Junmei, however, still had not revealed his true ability.

The farther they traveled toward the center, the more numerous the crystal pillars became. This also meant that more Crystal Spirit Birds awaited them ahead.

Unless they could outrun the birds, they had no choice but to calculate their distance from the crystal pillars as they advanced. Whenever the pillars grew dense, they had to take a detour or ascend into the higher sky to widen the gap.

But doing so meant they could be struck at any moment by mysterious astral gales.

These gales were no ordinary wind. Earlier cultivators had named them Bone-Scouring Astral Winds. They were not immediately fatal, but prolonged exposure would make one’s bones increasingly brittle. In a hard battle, they could easily snap. It was a sinister form of attack, one that ordinary protective divine abilities could not resist.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, yet the three were still within the bounds of that desolate desert.

On this day, while avoiding a dense cluster of crystal pillars, they were forced to ascend into the sky. At last, the strange Bone-Scouring Astral Wind arrived.

Whoosh—

The gale roared.

The wind was like countless needles, piercing through the protective divine abilities surrounding them and burrowing into their flesh. Its chill carried a dampness that seemed to seep into their bones, as though they had plunged into icy water. Almost instantly, their bones began to feel both cold and numb.

No one knew where the astral wind originated, and its direction was even more unpredictable. Even after pushing their Gravity Arts to the limit, the three could not fully control their bodies. They were involuntarily blown in three different directions.

“Remember this direction and our position. Once we’re separated, don’t advance for now. Gather back here first! If you don’t see the others within half a day, don’t wait. Set out on your own!”

Seeing that the situation was worsening, Linghu Jinjiu shouted through the gale, his thoughts remaining clear.

The moment his voice faded, Fang Junmei and Yang Xiaoman were already being blown into the distance. He heard them answer, but they soon vanished from sight. Their paths both led outward, as though the Bone-Scouring Astral Wind possessed a will of its own and refused to allow outsiders to approach the center.

…

Only after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea did Fang Junmei feel the pressure on his body ease. He began descending toward the ground below and, realizing that the astral wind had passed, quickly stabilized himself.

He looked down. As expected, the place was entirely unfamiliar, and the crystal pillars below were not particularly dense.

Unfortunately, the spot where he had stabilized himself was only about two hundred yards from the nearest crystal pillar.

Run!

The moment his pupils widened, Fang Junmei did not even have time to determine his direction before darting away.

Unfortunately, he was still too late. Six Crystal Spirit Birds had already flown from that pillar and were diving straight toward him. At least three of them possessed the aura of the early Dao Embryo stage.

The three with the aura of the Floating Dust stage were soon thrown off and turned back. The three at the Dao Embryo stage, however, drew closer and closer. With each cry and beat of their wings, they unleashed vast waves of spells.

Fang Junmei’s eyes flickered rapidly as his hand moved toward his waist.

“I’m not fighting you. I refuse to believe that simply entering the ground will automatically draw out some underground monster.”

At last, Fang Junmei pulled out the Earth-Drilling Shuttle and plunged underground.