Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

"No way! The cave's a dead end. What if we get trapped in there?"

"He has a Wind Riding Talisman, we can't outrun him! It's safer in the cave..."

Seeing the two begin to argue, the Fat Cultivator sneered to himself. With a few quick leaps, he closed the distance between them.

"Fine, then!"

Zhao Lin stomped his foot and turned, rushing toward the cave.

This act, of course, was all for the Fat Cultivator's benefit. If they had immediately ducked back into the cave, he would have grown suspicious and put his guard up, making it much harder to lure him into the Array.

However, the Fat Cultivator had no intention of letting Zhao Lin escape. His Antler Blade shot after him, and he once again unleashed a volley of flying scythe-blades.

Zhao Lin took two steps before blocking the Antler Blade with a backhanded swing of his iron ruler. He then rolled across the ground, dodging most of the flying blades, and scrambled into the cave looking completely disheveled.

"Don't run! If you've got any guts, stay and fight me!"

The Fat Cultivator bellowed, but he didn't follow them in. Instead, he meticulously scanned the cave with his Divine Sense, then commanded his Antler Blade to slash wildly around inside.

Once he was certain there was no danger, he walked in, finally feeling at ease. He soon arrived in the first spherical chamber.

The terrain in this chamber was flat and completely open, offering an unobstructed view. The Fat Cultivator spotted Zhao Lin and Wei Shi ducking into a pear-shaped opening on the far side.

'There's another chamber in here?'

The Fat Cultivator, of course, wasn't about to let them go. Employing the same caution as before, he carefully entered the second chamber.

Upon seeing the inside of this chamber, the Fat Cultivator froze for a moment. He finally understood why they had run here.

This chamber was even larger, filled with towering boulders that provided excellent cover. Furthermore, it would be difficult to unleash area-of-effect Magic like his flying scythe-blades.

"Hmph. You think you can escape death just by hiding in here?"

The Fat Cultivator scanned his surroundings. Seeing that the chamber was a dead end, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

'If I go in to find them, what if they circle back around me and escape?' he suddenly thought, just as he took a step forward.

At this thought, he took a red, gold-edged talisman out of his storage pouch.

This was an Elemental Explosion Talisman. By leaving an imprint of his Divine Sense on it, he could detonate it from anywhere within his range.

The drawback of the Elemental Explosion Talisman was its inability to fly; it had to be placed in a fixed location.

If Zhao Lin and his companion tried to run past this spot, he could detonate the talisman and seal their escape route.

He wasn't the least bit concerned about killing or maiming them. After all, this was a pocket dimension; no one would ever discover the truth.

After placing the Elemental Explosion Talisman at the mouth of the passage, the Fat Cultivator cast a Light Body Skill on himself.

He leaped onto a large boulder to survey his surroundings, then dropped back to the ground and advanced slowly.

The Light Body Skill was similar to the Divine Movement Skill. The former emphasized lightness and agility, while the latter was all about speed.

In such a complex environment, the Light Body Skill was far more suitable.

Most Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators would train a few common Magic skills to the Minor Achievement Level, then specialize in a select few, mastering them to proficiency or even Great Achievement to serve as their signature techniques.

The Fat Cultivator proceeded with extreme caution, his Antler Blade hovering over his head, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

He might be impulsive and reckless, but he wasn't a fool. Zhao Lin and Wei Shi had been in this cave for a while now; they were bound to be familiar with the conditions inside.

'Better to move slowly than to walk into a trap.'

Time ticked by...

After about an hour had passed, the Fat Cultivator suddenly saw a figure flash by in front of him.

"Filthy tricks!"

This time, the Fat Cultivator was smarter. He gathered Spiritual Power into his eyes and used the Qi Observation Skill. Discovering the figure was just an illusion, he snorted inwardly.

'If it's an illusion, then the caster must be nearby.'

He was unaware of the Yin Soul, Li Yuanyou, and simply assumed Zhao Lin was the one using an Illusion Technique.

"Let's see where you can hide!"

The Fat Cultivator used his Antler Blade to clear a path, his pace quickening unconsciously as he wove through the forest of stone, searching for Zhao Lin and Wei Shi.

BOOM...

A wave of Mana radiated from all directions!

"Damn it, it's an Array!"

The Fat Cultivator's face fell. With no time to wonder why an Array would be in such a desolate place, he leaped into the air, aiming to land on a large boulder.

Generally, Arrays extended far horizontally, but were relatively shallow vertically.

The fastest way to escape an Array was to go up.

SWISH!

Just then, a gleaming ice blade shot toward him through the air.

Startled, the Fat Cultivator hastily threw up a Spiritual Energy Shield to protect himself.

A Spiritual Energy Shield offered limited protection, but its advantage was speed of casting. It also moved with his body. A dedicated defensive Magic would offer far greater protection, but it would also immobilize him.

With a sharp CRACK, the ice blade shattered into a cloud of icy mist. The Spiritual Energy Shield trembled violently as dozens of cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

The backlash sent a jolt through him, making his chest tighten. He could barely catch his breath.

He was shocked. 'An Ice Blade Skill that powerful... it must be at the proficiency level. Could there be someone else in this cave?'

At this thought, the Fat Cultivator began to feel a little unnerved.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Seven or eight ice blades came shooting at him from different directions.

The Fat Cultivator was about to form a hand seal for a defensive Magic when he suddenly realized something. 'Even at the Perfection level, the Ice Blade Skill can only produce three blades at most. Where are all these coming from?'

Taking a closer look, he saw they were all illusions.

He was so furious he nearly burst out cursing. He quickly dismissed the spell and continued his upward leap.

Time was running out. If he didn't get out now, he'd be trapped inside the Array!

In that moment of hesitation, a tall, sturdy figure dropped from above, crashing toward him with immense force.

The Fat Cultivator saw it was Wei Shi. A tremor of fear ran through him, and he had no choice but to throw up another Spiritual Energy Shield.

BAM!

Wei Shi and the Fat Cultivator slammed into each other in mid-air and fell together into the Array.

BOOM!

The Three Yin Illusionary Killing Array finished activating.

"You whelp! You're courting death!"

The Fat Cultivator scrambled up from the ground, seething. He was just about to unleash his magic treasure to attack Wei Shi when the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

He was surrounded by towering mountains, a bottomless abyss yawning at his feet. Wei Shi was gone.

'An Illusion Array?'

The Fat Cultivator's heart tightened. He knew Wei Shi was actually only a few yards away, but the Array was blocking his senses and Divine Sense, making them invisible to each other.

The Array whirred to life and began to exert pressure. Boulders rained down, and Demon Beasts leaped from the abyss.

The Fat Cultivator, after all, had decades of experience. After his initial panic, he gradually calmed down. While fending off the Array's attacks, he began to think.

'Who set up this Array? And who used that Ice Blade Skill?'

'It couldn't have been those two rookies. Could an old enemy have laid a trap for me here?'

Meanwhile, Wei Shi was also fighting against the Array. Knowing that Zhao Lin held the Array Plate, he wasn't worried, he just hoped Zhao Lin would rescue him soon.

'Why hasn't Brother Zhao come yet?'

The moment he had this thought, the world shifted. The illusion vanished, and Zhao Lin appeared in front of him.

"Younger Brother Wei."

Zhao Lin walked over with a smile.

"Who are you?"

Remembering Zhao Lin's warning, Wei Shi asked the question.

"It's me, your Brother Zhao. Come on, I'll lead you out of the Array."

"Zhao Lin" chuckled at his words and reached out to grab him.

Wei Shi opened his palm, revealing four words written there: "Brother Wei, it's me!"

Zhao Lin had considered the possibility that Wei Shi might get trapped in the Array, so he had arranged a countersign with him in advance.

He couldn't tell Wei Shi the countersign directly, as the Illusion Array could perceive the thoughts of anyone caught inside. He could only write it on his hand for Wei Shi to look at when the moment came.

"Okay!"

Wei Shi agreed, then suddenly threw a powerful punch.

His fist shone with a dense, solid cyan light, as if it were covered in a layer of scales.

Cyan Scale Fist!

"Agh!"

"Zhao Lin" cried out, his face a mask of disappointment.

BAM!

The image of Zhao Lin vanished, and the scene before him transformed into a stagnant, lifeless swamp.

'That was close!'

Wei Shi's heart pounded in his chest. It took him a long moment to calm down.

"Younger Brother Wei, follow me out of the Array."

Zhao Lin appeared once more.

"Who are you?"

Wei Shi asked nervously.

"Brother Wei, it's me!"

Zhao Lin replied solemnly.

Wei Shi swallowed hard. 'Is this one real or fake?' he wondered.

'I know the countersign now, which means the Illusion Array knows it too. If it creates another fake Zhao Lin...'

'I'll just have to take my chances, even if he's fake!'

Wei Shi gritted his teeth and circulated his energy to protect himself. 'Even if this one's a fake too,' he thought, 'I'll just have to take the hit.'

Zhao Lin laughed, grabbed Wei Shi's wrist, and pulled him out of the Array.