parentshiftbook Chapter 231: Strange
Chapter 231: Strange
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and a new wave of waterspouts swept across the land as expected.
The spiritual energy, so dense it was almost tangible, continuously emanated from the depths of the earth. The closer one got to the ruins, the more viscous and thick the spiritual energy became, eventually condensing into a layer of flowing milky-white mist in mid-air. A gust of wind would carry it over the crowd, and taking a breath would make even the pores of one's entire body open up.
All the cultivators present were deeply moved, and a look of satisfaction spread across their faces.
"If the spiritual energy here can maintain this concentration for a long time, even with demonic beasts surrounding us, it's worthwhile to dedicate the entire sect's resources to establishing a sect here!"
Some people gazed at the outline of the ruins deep in the mist and couldn't help but sigh softly, their voices filled with undisguised regret.
These words struck a chord with the vast majority of people present. Even the core secret realms of the three major sects might not be able to consistently surpass this level of spiritual energy concentration. For small sects and independent cultivators like them, this was an incredibly rare and precious cultivation paradise.
Unfortunately, it was all just a mirage. Once the dragon's breath subsided, the dissipated spiritual energy would return to the earth, and this precious land would disappear along with it.
"Look! There's movement at the ruins!"
A startled shout abruptly pierced the whispers of the crowd, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Countless gazes were fixed on the ruins, and the moment they saw the scene clearly, their pupils shrank and their faces showed shock.
Even as Cuttlefish mingled in the crowd, his fingertips tightened slightly. A flicker of excitement crossed his brow, but was quickly suppressed by the wariness honed from years of sailing.
The ruins, which had been firmly enveloped by layers of formations and remained motionless, were now trembling slightly with the surging power of the heavens and earth caused by the dragon sucking water. The spiritual light of the formations surrounding them flickered, like a candle in the wind, as if they could be extinguished at any moment.
At the forefront, the old man wielding the green gourd gleamed with a sharp look. He immediately seized this fleeting opportunity, channeling all his spiritual power into the magic weapon and unleashing a full-force attack on the array barrier.
Under the combined effects of the upheaval of heaven and earth and the full-force bombardment of the cultivators, the protective array of the ruins became increasingly shaky, causing subtle ripples to spread throughout the entire space.
At this moment, whether it was the human cultivators eager to fight or the demonic beasts roaring in the background, all eyes were fixed on the ruins on the verge of breaking open.
Unable to break the ancient formation, the demonic beasts could only place all their hopes on the human cultivators. The elder and his group, however, were not afraid of the demonic beasts reaping the benefits. If any fool dared to try and steal their ingredients, they would simply be adding fresh main ingredients to their alchemy furnace.
Among the crowd, greed was almost tangible, and every pair of eyes gleamed with a burning red light, as if they couldn't wait to rush in and seize all the opportunities within the ruins.
Only Moyu felt a strange, inexplicable unease and restlessness rising in her heart, like a fine needle pricking her mind.
"What's going on...?"
She thought to herself, her fingertips instinctively reaching into her storage bracelet and taking out a dark red oval stone. The moment the stone landed in her palm, a piercing heat shot through her, like holding a branding iron just pulled from a fire, making her fingertips tremble violently.
Upon feeling that familiar burning sensation, Cuttlefish's expression suddenly changed.
"A warning from the Divine Heart Stone?!"
She obtained this stone when she accidentally entered an ancient cave as a child. Its origin is unknown, but it has the miraculous effect of foreseeing danger.
Over the years, she has traveled north and south by boat. Whenever a stone becomes hot, it foretells a great calamity. She has issued dozens of warnings, and none of them have ever gone astray. She searched through ancient books and only found a similar record of "Divine Heart Stone" in ancient fragments, so she has always used this name.
Now that the ruins are about to open, and this is the perfect opportunity, the Divine Heart Stone suddenly issued a warning, and the squid's heart sank to the bottom.
She quickly scanned her surroundings. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the ruins with fervor. They had already quietly grasped their magical artifacts and started circulating their spiritual power, waiting for the formation to break so they could rush in and seize the initiative.
Duan Yu, who was beside her, had subtly moved forward half a step without her noticing, his position subtly surpassing hers. Although he had come with the group, he was a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Divine Integration Realm, and was never a subordinate. Given the opportunity, he could always break away and go his own way.
Seeing this scene, Mo Yu's hesitation deepened. She glanced up at the sky, her pupils suddenly contracting—
Before anyone knew it, the bright moon in the night sky had become full, its clear light fading away, leaving only a thick, dazzling crimson, like a bleeding eye, coldly hanging above the sky, looking down on all living beings on earth.
The moment his gaze met that crimson expanse, Cuttlefish felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Countless illusions of miraculous skills, secret techniques, and rare treasures surged wildly in his mind, and the greed in his heart, like rampant weeds, threatened to devour his reason in an instant.
"The opportunity is right in front of us, a chance to rise to the top in one step..."
"No! The Divine Heart Stone has never made a mistake; there's great danger here!"
Two thoughts were tug-of-war in her mind, almost tearing her consciousness apart.
The Divine Heart Stone in her palm grew increasingly hot, almost burning through her skin. The excruciating pain was like a bucket of ice water, abruptly waking her from her daze. Cuttlefish stiffened, suddenly regaining her senses.
Something is wrong!
There's something wrong with this red moon!
She looked around at the crowd in horror, only to find that everyone was completely oblivious, their eyes filled with genuine and fanatical greed, as if they had been completely captivated by the blood moon and had not noticed anything amiss.
"No... none of it is right..."
A chill ran down Mo Yu's spine. She snapped back to reality.
Changing course at the last minute, braving the risk of waterspouts to pilot the airship into this dangerous place, and recklessly approaching the ruins... these are things that her usually calm and cautious nature would never do!
Even if greed is at play, one should never lose one's sense of proportion to this extent!
Go! We must leave immediately!
She had just suppressed her turmoil and turned around when the array master beside her, who had previously calculated the opening time of the ruins, noticed her pale face and asked, "Fellow Daoist Mo, you look unwell. Has something happened?"
This person was also a captain in the Flying Pavilion. She had met him a few times, but they weren't close friends.
Cuttlefish gripped the burning hot Divine Heart Stone tightly with his fingertips, forcing a calm expression on his face, and gently shook his head: "It's nothing, I'll leave for a moment."
She didn't say another word; at a time like this, no one would believe her. With that, she lightly touched the ground with her toes, her figure transforming into a streak of light as she sped away towards the distance from the ruins.
"Huh? The ruins are about to open, is it time to leave..."
The formation master stood frozen in place, instinctively trying to dissuade him, but the squid's figure had already vanished into the distant mist. He could only shake his head helplessly, inwardly annoyed.
With one less person on their team, their strength will be slightly weakened when competing for the opportunity later.
The squid retreated swiftly until it had traveled thousands of miles and completely escaped the core area of the ruins before finally stopping. She calmed her mind and introspected, clearly realizing that the uncontrollable greed within her had faded by seven or eight tenths.
She looked up at the sky again, and the scarlet full moon had faded considerably, no longer as dazzling and eerie as before.
A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped her entire body.
……