Chapter 353 - 341: Li Zhe
Chapter 353: Chapter 341: Li Zhe
「Two days passed...」
Zhao Lin and the Yin Soul traveled to the southern region of the Yinfeng Realm.
There was no sun or moon in the sky, making it difficult for newcomers to distinguish north from south, east from west. However, one could determine direction and the approximate time by observing the stars.
The mission details had described this, and after a period of cross-referencing, Zhao Lin quickly got the hang of it.
The southern region was a land of rolling mountain ranges. There were no particularly towering peaks, but the terrain was precipitous and steep, covered in dense forests. Demon Beasts also became increasingly common.
Although the Demon Beasts had low intelligence, they possessed a natural instinct to seek fortune and avoid danger. Upon seeing Zhao Lin and the Yin Soul, most of them would flee or hide.
Zhao Lin had little interest in these Demon Beasts. They were inedible, nor could they be used as materials for talismans or Artifact Refining.
After two days of trekking through the mountains, he had only found two stalks of Yinfeng Grass and one stalk of Star Peony Grass. His harvest was meager.
"Li Zhe, we’ll rest here for the night."
Zhao Lin said to the Yin Soul as he took out his tent.
Li Zhe was the Yin Soul’s name.
The Yin Soul looked like a jellyfish, so for the sake of convenience, Zhao Lin had given it the name Bai Zhe.
But the Yin Soul had spoken up, saying, "I want my surname to be Li."
Zhao Lin found this very strange. "Why Li, and not some other surname?" he asked.
But the Yin Soul just mumbled evasively, unable to give an answer.
Seeing this, Zhao Lin grew more suspicious that it had absorbed some cultivator’s soul, causing a deviation in its self-awareness. He pressed, "Who... are you, really?"
The Yin Soul remained dazed for a long moment before replying, a trace of confusion in its voice, "I... don’t know."
Zhao Lin didn’t probe any further. After spending two days together, his relationship with the Yin Soul had eased considerably.
It was thanks to its warnings along the way that Zhao Lin had been able to avoid other cultivators. And it was precisely because of this thousand-year-old Yin Soul that other, non-sentient yin souls didn’t dare to bother them.
The Yin Soul seemed to be slowly getting used to being with Zhao Lin, and it never mentioned leaving again.
Zhao Lin became more certain that a trace of humanity existed within the Yin Soul. He was no longer as strict with it as he had been at the beginning, reducing the dose of the Three Yang Pill he fed it to a quarter.
However, when they rested, Zhao Lin still tied the Yin Soul up. Necessary precautions could not be neglected.
Dusk deepened, and the stars shifted in the sky.
Zhao Lin meditated inside the tent while "Li Zhe" stood guard at the entrance.
Yin Souls didn’t need sleep, so Zhao Lin simply put it on guard duty.
After finishing his cultivation, Zhao Lin inspected the Spirit Cultivation Map in his mind. After much deliberation, he erased the Thousand Illusion Skill and the Mind Control Skill.
These two types of Magic were miraculous and could interfere with an enemy’s mind during combat, but they were ultimately unorthodox arts. As one’s cultivation level increased, the effectiveness of such Illusion Techniques would only diminish.
There was another key point: the Spirit Cultivation Map had limited space. It wasn’t practical to use two slots to practice Illusion Techniques.
「On the fourth day, they continued south.」
"Li Zhe, this world isn’t very big. What’s at the end of it?"
Zhao Lin asked suddenly, gazing at the shifting nebulae on the horizon.
"There’s an invisible barrier. You can’t see it or touch it, but you can never break through."
Li Zhe answered.
Zhao Lin nodded slightly. He had heard a theory before: a minor world was like a walnut. The inside was the world itself, and the hard outer shell was the barrier.
A sect would use a powerful Breaking Array Skill to open a small hole in the nutshell, creating an entrance to the minor world.
’Following that logic, from the perspective of a higher-level world, the Xuanyuan Continent is probably just a walnut too.’
Zhao Lin pondered for a moment, feeling the question was too profound for him to grasp at his current level. He shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle and continued onward.
As they passed the foot of a mountain, the roar of a magical battle echoed from below.
"Brat, why’d you stop running? Hand over the Yinfeng Grass right now!"
A coarse voice boomed, accompanied by a loud laugh.
Zhao Lin had no intention of getting involved in such matters and was about to leave immediately, but he froze at the sound of that voice.
’Why does that voice sound so familiar?’
After a moment of thought, he realized the owner of the voice was the same Fat Cultivator he had met on the Spiritual Vessel.
There was no doubt about it. The guy was using his high cultivation to rob others of their harvest.
Zhao Lin wasn’t powerful enough to interfere in this kind of affair. The only thing he could do was leave as quickly as possible to avoid trouble.
"Screw you! I’m not giving you a damn thing!"
A voice full of defiance rang out.
Wei Shi!
Zhao Lin froze. ’This is bad,’ he thought. ’Younger Brother Wei has been cornered.’
"Fine. Let’s see how long you can act tough! I’ll say it again: hand over your storage pouch and obediently go pick Seven-Day Spirit Grass for me..."
Zhao Lin hesitated for a moment, then began moving down the slope, gesturing for Li Zhe to follow.
Reaching the edge of the slope, he looked down.
The Fat Cultivator was controlling a small magical artifact, the "Antler Blade," which darted back and forth through the air, relentlessly attacking Wei Shi.
Wei Shi was in a sorry state. His clothes were torn in several places, and blood seeped from multiple wounds on his exposed skin.
Logically, even if a Body Cultivator was outmatched, he should at least be able to escape.
But the Fat Cultivator was prepared. He had cast a Thorn Skill.
Countless thorns erupted wildly from the ground, lashing out at Wei Shi like a frenzy of writhing snakes.
The thorns were covered in sharp spikes, and Wei Shi was clearly wary of them. He expended a great deal of effort to break a patch of them, only for new ones to sprout in their place.
The Fat Cultivator calmly controlled his magic, occasionally launching a sneak attack when Wei Shi was distracted. He wore a smile, looking like a cat playing with a mouse.
Zhao Lin could tell that while the Fat Cultivator was a despicable person, he was an expert in combat and knew exactly how to deal with a Body Cultivator.
"Hurry up and surrender! After I’m done with you, I’ll go catch that Martial Cultivator and deal with you two slowly!"
Hearing this, Zhao Lin’s expression darkened. He finally made up his mind and turned to Li Zhe. "That person is my friend. Help me create a distraction with an illusion, and I’ll go rescue him."
"Friend?"
Li Zhe paused, startled, then asked, "What should I create an illusion of?"
An idea quickly flashed through Zhao Lin’s mind. "Make it look like two cultivators to scare him."
Li Zhe agreed, "Alright. I’ll circle around from the side. It’s a bit far from here."
Zhao Lin didn’t stop it. Watching the Yin Soul’s retreating form, he suddenly asked, "You’re not going to use this chance to run away, are you?"
Before it could answer, he added, "Even if you do leave, cast the Illusion Technique first."
He made up his mind. If the Yin Soul ran, he would just have to charge in himself.
"Who’s there?"
Zhao Lin was quietly moving down, and when he was about seventy or eighty zhang away, the Fat Cultivator suddenly looked over and barked coldly.
"Which friend is it? Are you trying to meddle in other people’s business?"
The Fat Cultivator recalled his magical artifact, his face full of vigilance. However, he kept Wei Shi entangled with the Thorn Skill.
’It seems it’s not one of my kind after all. I’m afraid it’s already run off...’
Zhao Lin let out a soft sigh. Just as he was about to rush out, he suddenly saw the Spiritual Qi around the Fat Cultivator fluctuate, and two cultivators appeared out of thin air!
Each of the two cultivators wielded a flying sword. Without a word, they sent their swords soaring through the air to strike at the Fat Cultivator!