Chapter 55: Spirit Spring |
He stood in place and raised his hand.
The surrounding spiritual energy began to surge, gathering toward his palm.
The invisible currents condensed and compressed, ultimately forming an intangible sword at his fingertips.
The battle puppet seemed to sense the danger.
It raised its fist and smashed it toward him.
The fist drew closer and closer, yet Lu Fengmian did not dodge.
At the instant the fist was about to crush his head, he moved aside.
The invisible sword shot out from his hand!
Like a rainbow, the streak of sword light pierced straight toward the eerie glow at the puppet’s chest!
A thunderous boom erupted.
The fist halted three inches above Lu Fengmian’s head and could descend no further.
The battle puppet froze.
It lowered its head and looked at its own chest.
The thick layers of armor split apart, revealing a fist-sized core inside, emitting a strange blue light.
The invisible sword had pierced through it precisely.
Boom!
The battle puppet collapsed.
Its enormous body crashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the entire hall.
The Stone Spear Soldiers that had still been attacking suddenly shattered all at once.
The two Stone Hammer Warriors also turned into broken stones, scattering across the floor.
The ground was littered with fragments. Silence fell.
Lu Fengmian stood where he was, breathing heavily.
He lowered his hand; his fingertips trembled slightly.
Behind him, there was a moment of stillness.
“We won!”
Someone shouted.
“We won! We won!”
Cheers exploded instantly.
Hearing the noise, Lu Fengmian turned to look at the young disciples.
Some sat on the ground, panting. Some hugged each other, laughing and jumping. Others were so exhausted they could only lie flat.
But every face wore a smile.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at the fallen war puppet.
Within the crack in its chest, the shattered core still emitted a faint glow.
He walked over, bent down, and picked up the core.
***
Three to five days later.
During that time, they overcame countless obstacles—passing through corridors filled with traps, dodging falling rocks, fending off groups of berserk mechanical beasts, and wandering half a day through a maze before finally finding the exit.
When they eventually climbed out of the labyrinth, everyone let out a long breath.
Ahead lay a valley.
Once they crossed into it, the oppressive stone halls and corridors vanished from sight.
Instead, the scene before them was vibrant with life.
Spiritual plants grew wildly; tall stalks reached past the knees, while shorter ones spread like an emerald carpet.
Wildflowers bloomed—red, purple, yellow—scattered among the greenery.
In the distance stood several ancient trees, their branches heavy with spirit fruits. Occasionally, small birds flitted past and landed among the foliage.
At the center of the valley was a spring.
The water was crystal clear, shimmering with a faint spiritual glow. Merely standing nearby, one could feel pure spiritual energy flowing toward them.
Everyone froze, momentarily at a loss.
“Charge!”
Someone shouted, and a group howled as they rushed in.
“Spiritual plants! Five-hundred-year spiritual plants!”
“Can these fruits be eaten? Let me try one!”
“Hahahaha, we made it out alive!”
Lu Fengmian stood still, watching the group run, roll, and leap across the grass like monkeys released from a cage.
The Baicao Peak disciples were the most exaggerated.
Qi Heyang squatted amid a patch of spiritual herbs, eyes sparkling as his hands rapidly stuffed them one by one into his storage bag.
As he kept stuffing things inside, he let out a “heh heh heh” laugh that made the nearby disciples instinctively step away.
Lu Fengmian could not help but curl his lips slightly.
Yet once the laughter subsided, that faint trace of doubt surfaced again in his heart.
Was this truly the end?
Where was the Chaos Sky Crystal?
His gaze swept across the entire valley—spiritual plants, spirit fruits, the spiritual spring, ancient trees, flowers, birds.
Everything looked like a carefully arranged paradise.
But the more it resembled one, the more something felt off.
The depths of a secret realm should not be this simple.
Lu Fengmian did not voice his suspicions.
The group was in high spirits, faces lit with joy as if celebrating the New Year.
To douse them with cold water now would be too spoiling.
Just then, one disciple had already run to the edge of the spirit spring, excitedly removing his outer robe, preparing to jump in.
“Stop.”
Lu Fengmian’s voice came from behind.
The disciple froze and turned around, confusion on his face.
“Senior Brother?”
Several others nearby also looked over.
The disciple blinked, then suddenly showed a look of realization and hurriedly stepped aside.
“Senior Brother, you first! You first!”
He made a polite “please” gesture, his expression practically saying, “I understand, I understand.”
Lu Fengmian: “…”
He walked over and flicked the disciple’s forehead.
“Ow!” The disciple covered his head, aggrieved.
Lu Fengmian looked at him, lips moving slightly.
What he had wanted to say was, “I have no intention of going first.”
But he held back.
He sighed and pointed to the side.
The disciple followed his gesture.
Not far away stood several female cultivators, holding the spiritual herbs they had just gathered, half-smiling as they looked this way.
The disciple froze, then flushed red.
“Ah… this… I…”
Lu Fengmian ignored him and beckoned to several disciples of Tianyan Peak.
“Come here. Time to work.”
The Tianyan Peak disciples immediately understood.
They gathered by the spirit spring, discussed briefly in low voices, then began.
Spiritual light flickered as formation patterns spread.
In an instant, a solid barrier rose like a wall from the center of the spring, dividing the water into two halves.
Those on one side could not see the other, and vice versa.
Lu Fengmian looked at it and nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright.” He turned to the eagerly waiting disciples. “Men on one side, women on the other. Everyone go soak.”
“Got it!”
Cheers rang out as they rushed into the spirit spring.
Water splashed, laughter echoing.
Lu Fengmian stood at the shore, watching the young disciples play in the water.
Fortunately, the spring was large enough.
Otherwise, it truly could not have accommodated more than a hundred people.
“Senior Brother! Come down too!”
Someone shouted, and the water erupted in chaos.
“Yes, yes! Senior Brother, hurry!”
“You’ve worked the hardest these past days—you should soak first!”
“If you don’t come down, we’ll drag you in!”
A group yelled noisily, several already splashing water toward the bank.
Watching them flounder in the water like dumplings tossed into a pot, Lu Fengmian smiled helplessly.
“Alright, alright, stop shouting.”
He removed his outer robe and stepped into the spring.
The water rose to his chest, carrying ripples of spiritual energy.
Spiritual qi seeped into his skin, nourishing the meridians that had grown weary from days of exertion. His fatigue gradually dissipated.
He leaned against the shore and closed his eyes.
The chirping and laughter of the disciples filled his ears.
“Hey, don’t splash me!”
“I’m going to splash you!”
“Senior Brother, look at him!”
Lu Fengmian did not open his eyes, only letting the corners of his lips lift faintly.
These past days, he had felt like a kindergarten teacher.
Worrying about this one, worrying about that one, afraid someone might trip or scrape themselves.
A hundred people—each one precious; not a single one could be missing.
Now he could finally rest for a moment.
He relaxed, letting the spring water envelop him.
Spiritual energy churned, and his mind gradually calmed.
From the moment Xiao Jin stepped into the valley, he had felt something was off.
As though something were tugging at him.
The sensation was faint, like someone in the distance calling his name.
At first, he thought it was an illusion and shook his head to dispel it.
But the feeling did not fade.
Instead, it grew stronger.
Unconsciously, he looked toward that direction.
Deep within the valley, something seemed to be there.
He should tell Senior Brother.
But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
It felt as if a thin layer of mist had covered his mind, leaving him hazy and drowsy.
He only knew that something was waiting for him in that direction.
He had to go and see.
So he stood up and quietly left the spirit spring, walking toward the depths of the valley.
No one noticed.
Everyone was immersed in the nourishment of the spirit spring, eyes closed, enjoying this rare relaxation.
Xiao Jin’s figure disappeared among the shadows of the trees.