parentshiftbook Chapter 71 A Fortuitous Encounter Isn't Always a Good Thing
Chapter 71 A Fortuitous Encounter Isn't Always a Good Thing
Suddenly, her gaze froze.
Deep within the cave lay a mountain of white bones. And behind this mountain of bones stood a magnificent stone palace.
The palace was built of massive stones, its surface carved with mysterious patterns that resembled ancient script or some kind of mystical totem. The palace doors were wide open, but the interior was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Only an extremely cold aura emanated from within, and even from this distance, Xuan'er could vaguely feel the chilling coldness.
"Big sister, something strange is going on inside."
Xuan'er frowned as she looked at it and told Xi'er what she had discovered.
After listening, Xi'er glanced into the depths of the cave, then looked at Yun'er who was still immersed in enlightenment, and said, "Don't worry about it. We'll talk about it after Yun'er has finished her cultivation. The most important thing right now is not to disturb her."
"Um."
Xuan'er retreated to the vicinity of the cave entrance, her eyes occasionally glancing warily into the depths of the cave.
The rain is still falling, and the thunder is still rumbling.
Yun'er sat within the light barrier, the lightning around her growing larger and brighter, like a small sun illuminating the entire cave entrance. The power of the lightning was continuously drawn from the lightning outside the cave, flowing into her body and causing her aura to rise at a visible speed.
Within its dantian, Chaos Thunder absorbed the thunder slurry from the Thunder Pool and grew rapidly.
Another dim rune on the Great Dao Heavenly Ruins Thunder Talisman lit up, and insights flowed into Yun'er's heart. The Chaos Thunder Tree trembled, and a branch slowly grew from its main trunk, with lightning patterns forming on it, like chapters of thunder magic.
After an unknown amount of time, the rain finally began to subside.
The dark clouds slowly dispersed, revealing a corner of the gray-blue sky. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, scattering across the damp mountain forest and refracting into a rainbow of colors.
The protective aura around Yun'er gradually dissipated, and the terrifying lightning aura that contained killing intent seemed like a dream. The divine eye between her brows also slowly closed, turning back into a thin, almost invisible line.
A moment later, Yun'er opened her eyes, and a flash of lightning disappeared from her pupils.
Her temperament underwent a subtle change in that instant, losing some of her quiet and obedient air and gaining a sharp, unassailable majesty, like a sword hidden in its sheath, which, when drawn, reveals its full brilliance.
"Second sister, you're awake!"
Xi'er rushed over, looked her up and down, and said, "Are you alright? Those lightning bolts on you were so scary, I didn't dare to come near you."
"fine."
Yun'er stood up, stretched her limbs, and felt an unprecedented surge of power within her. She glanced at her palm; a faint lightning pattern appeared on her palm before quickly disappearing. "I think... I've broken through."
"What level have you broken through to?" Xuan'er asked curiously.
Yun'er shook her head, somewhat bewildered: "I don't know, I just feel... that I'm much stronger than before."
Xi'er patted her shoulder, looking completely matter-of-fact: "That's right, you're amazing! How could you be my sister if you weren't amazing!"
Yun'er stumbled from the slap and almost fell to the ground, so she could only smile helplessly.
"Let's go, it's time to go home."
After packing their things, the three continued their journey. Xuan'er led the way, Yun'er pulled the wheelless trailer in the middle, and Xi'er carried the four-horned antelope at the back. Pulling the trailer, Yun'er felt much lighter than before, it seemed that her strength had indeed increased, but unfortunately she was still no match for her eldest sister.
The air outside the cave was so fresh it felt like it had been washed clean, carrying the fragrance of earth and vegetation that it was truly invigorating.
The three of them walked back the way they came, heading towards the rocky mountain.
Halfway there, Xuan'er suddenly turned back and looked towards the cave. Her gaze seemed to pierce through layers of space, revealing the mountain of white bones deep within the cave and the eerie stone palace. An inexplicable unease welled up in her heart, causing her to frown involuntarily.
"Xuan'er, what's wrong?" Yun'er noticed her unusual behavior and asked softly.
"It's nothing."
Xuan'er withdrew her gaze and shook her head. "I just feel... that thing in that cave is not simple."
Yun'er followed her gaze but saw nothing. "Whatever's inside, let's come back and take a look when we're ready."
"Um."
The three quickened their pace and hurried home.
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Inside the cave, within the palace, a figure chained to the stone wall could be seen appearing and disappearing.
"Heh, do you think you can lock me up? The ten-year period has come to an end. When my cult leader returns, he will surely imprison you and plunge you into an endless abyss, where you will neither live nor die. He will also let you taste what it's like to be locked up here."
Unfortunately, no one answered.
The giant chain suddenly tightened, and the figure cried out in pain, a pool of green liquid flowing from beneath him.
"Haha, come on! Come on! If you have the guts, kill me, kill me, kill me, hahahaha..." the figure roared madly.
No one answered, but the tightly locked chains slowly loosened.
"You think you can enslave us? Wishful thinking, wishful thinking, hahahahaha!"
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Cai Xuan stood on the platform, looking down the mountain with concern.
He forgot to make raincoats and boots for the little ones, and he doesn't know how they are doing. That downpour was really heavy; he must hope nothing bad happens.
"Brother—we're back—"
The next second, Xi'er's signature loud voice came from the mountain road, and Cai Xuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his stomach.
Before long, the three little ones came into view. Xi'er carried the four-horned antelope, walking proudly at the front, just like a general returning from a victorious battle; Yun'er followed behind, pulling a cart piled high with white mud; Xuan'er walked at the back, her eyes crinkling into crescents when she saw her brother, waving vigorously at him.
Cai Xuan stepped off the platform, took the trailer from Yun'er, and looked at the huge four-horned antelope on Xi'er's shoulder. He wondered how her small body managed to carry it.
"Where did you all go? Did you find somewhere to take shelter during that downpour?"
"They went to dig for mud paste. Didn't I tell you? I know where to find it."
After Xi'er finished speaking, she added, "The rain was incredibly heavy just now, and Xuan'er found a cave to take shelter. Yun'er is still cultivating inside; she's so powerful, her body is covered in lightning, and Xuan'er and I didn't dare go near her!"
Upon hearing this, Cai Xuan turned to look at Yun'er.
Yun'er blushed a little under his gaze, "Yes... I had a bit of a strange encounter."
"That's amazing. I've never had any lucky encounters. The more good lucky encounters like this, the better. You should never have any bad lucky encounters," Cai Xuan said.
"There are even more unpleasant encounters?" Xi'er didn't believe it.
"There are plenty."
Cai Xuan picked a few stories from the novels he had read and told them about them. For example, he found a ring and there was an old man in the story who helped him cultivate. He thought it was a wonderful encounter, but it turned out that the old man was actually helping him to strengthen his physical body so that he could possess other people's bodies. Another example is that he saved a snake and thought he was doing a good deed, but the old man said that he had ruined her purity and flooded her hometown, swallowing up her whole family.
There were far too many such stories, which Cai Xuan recounted one by one.
The innocent and naive little ones, oblivious to the world around them, were startled and exasperated.