Chapter 65

Initially, the group from the Hengyue Sect flew until they were a thousand miles away from Mount Hengyue before stopping. Sikong Nan then took Wang Lin and flew a great distance away. After Lin Feng determined the direction, he raised the Black Cloud Banner and, with Wang Lin and the Yellow Spring Pearl, returned in the direction of Mount Hengyue. Lin Feng’s three disciples were still waiting for him in a small town at the foot of Mount Hengyue. However, before meeting up with his disciples, Lin Feng first needed to find a quiet place to deal with the issues concerning Wang Lin and Sikong Nan. He found a secluded valley less than a hundred miles east of Mount Hengyue, unfurled the Black Cloud Banner to seal off the valley, and then crushed a sound-transmitting crystal. The fragments of the crystal emitted a faint white light, from which Xiao Yan’s voice came: “Master, what’s the matter?” Lin Feng said, “I have recently gained new insights into the great Dao of heaven and earth, and my Daoist arts have advanced. However, I need to enter seclusion for a period of time, the duration of which is uncertain. During this time, you must take care of yourselves and wait for me patiently in the town.” After a pause, Lin Feng continued, “The place where I will be in seclusion is a small valley a hundred miles east of Mount Hengyue. If you encounter any insurmountable difficulties, you can come to find me there.” Xiao Yan smiled and said, “Master, rest assured, we will wait for you patiently.” Lin Feng responded with a “hmm,” and the white light on the crystal dissipated, ending the communication. After properly arranging Wang Lin’s physical body, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, with the Yellow Spring Pearl resting on his palm. Despite his cultivation level being only at the Qi Condensation stage, the Heavenly Cage Seal he had previously set up was almost destroyed by Sikong Nan. Lin Feng connected his mind to the Yellow Spring Pearl, and his consciousness seemed to enter a dim, yellowish space. In this space, visible ripples continuously flowed, as if he were underwater, with everything appearing dim and yellow. Deep within the space, Sikong Nan was confined in a cage of light, surrounded by black mist, continuously colliding with the bars of the light cage. The light cage formed by the Heavenly Cage Seal was on the verge of collapse, and at any moment, this old ghost could break through. Seeing Lin Feng, Sikong Nan cackled, “Do you think that by trapping me with the Heavenly Cage Seal, everything is fine? On the contrary, this seal has revealed your true cultivation level to me. You’re just a little brat at the Qi Condensation stage. Once I break this seal, I will use your soul to accompany my wine!” Lin Feng smiled indifferently, “Before that happens, I will cool you down first.” Golden Buddhist light instantly illuminated the dim, yellowish space. Seeing the massive figure in the Buddhist light, Sikong Nan’s face turned green, “What kind of magical tool is this, capable of penetrating the power into the Yellow Spring Pearl? This… this is a relic, you have refined a Buddhist relic into a magical tool?” Amidst the sky full of Buddhist light, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, his hands forming a Buddhist seal, and smiled, “Old ghost, today I will use this great array of Buddhist light to refine and transcend you.” …… Little Bit looked at Xiao Yan with eager eyes, “Big Brother, isn’t Master coming back?” Xiao Yan nodded, “Master needs to break through his cultivation level, so he has decided to enter seclusion for a period of time. The duration is uncertain, and the place is a small valley a hundred miles east of here.” “Seclusion requires undisturbed peace, so my suggestion is that we stay here and wait for Master.” Little Bit lowered his head. Xiao Yan and Zhu Yi exchanged glances, and Zhu Yi said, “Little Brother, if you really miss Master, we can go to the valley now. We won’t disturb him, just guard nearby…” Before he could finish, Little Bit looked up in surprise, “I didn’t say I wanted to find Master.” Zhu Yi was puzzled, “I thought you were upset and not speaking.” Little Bit pouted, “I was thinking about where to play later. Master is finally not around, so even if I cause some trouble, no one will scold me.” Xiao Yan and Zhu Yi, as senior brothers, were speechless and exchanged glances, both shaking their heads and smiling bitterly, defeated by this rascal. Little Bit smiled, “Big Brothers, let’s go out for a walk together. Sitting here waiting is too boring.” Zhu Yi frowned slightly, while Xiao Yan was quite interested. He was a person with a bold personality and was never one to follow rigid rules. Seeing that Zhu Yi seemed somewhat unconvinced, Xiao Yan smiled, “Second Brother, let’s go together. Don’t you often say that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles?” “What does traveling ten thousand miles mean? It means experiencing various things and people. It’s not just about rushing from place to place.” Zhu Yi thought, “The ancient scholars traveled through various countries, spreading knowledge and educating the people, while also broadening their horizons and honing their knowledge and principles. Sitting and reading is a form of cultivation, and observing the myriad phenomena of the world is also a form of cultivation. The great Dao exists in the world, and it also exists among the common people. Both are principles that should be understood.” Thinking about this, Zhu Yi nodded happily. He had read many books and had a rational and steady personality, which made him more composed than most people his age. However, he was still young and had a curious and lively side. The three young men decided to go, leaving the town and heading towards Chuzhou City, which was a hundred miles away. Chuzhou City was a major southern border town of the Great Qin Dynasty, with a dense population and thriving commerce, making it a bustling place. After wandering around for a while, the three of them arrived at the market in the city. The outer part of the market was filled with ordinary items for daily use, but as they moved inward, the core area of the market was a world of various cultivation materials. The southern border of the Great Qin Dynasty bordered the territory of the demon race, making it both chaotic and dangerous, yet it was also a place of various rare treasures. Chuzhou was the largest distribution center for all kinds of rarities in the southern border of the Great Qin Dynasty. As they walked through the market, the three of them looked around, mostly just browsing. The things they liked were too expensive, and the cheap things were not appealing. “Hmm? This thing…” Xiao Yan suddenly stopped, looking at an item in a shop. It was a large, completely black object, almost as tall as he was. Zhu Yi and Little Bit noticed his unusual behavior and also stopped. Little Bit smiled, “What did Big Brother see? You’re so engrossed, let me take a look too.” Upon seeing it, he was speechless. Zhu Yi, intrigued by their reactions, also came over and, like Little Bit, was speechless after seeing the item. The item that caught Xiao Yan’s attention was an extremely large black giant sword. Or rather, it was more like a thick, blunt iron ruler, with no edge or tip. At the end, it looked as if it had been cut in half by something, revealing a smooth, mirror-like cross-section. On the surface of the black giant sword, there were faint, strange patterns, which spread almost entirely over the blade, from the hilt to the tip. The ancient, black color gave it a mysterious appearance. Zhu Yi chuckled, “Big Brother, you, you like this thing?” Xiao Yan looked puzzled, “I always feel that this thing has some connection to me… using Master’s words, could it be that I have a connection with this object?” Little Bit’s face was strange, and he couldn’t hold back a laugh. Zhu Yi also smiled, and Xiao Yan’s face turned red, “You two brats, what are you laughing at?” “Not laughing, not laughing,” Little Bit quickly waved his hands, but couldn’t stop smiling. Xiao Yan, somewhat embarrassed, patted his head, and Little Bit quickly covered his head, “Don’t pat, Master already pats me so much that I’m almost stupid. If you pat me again, I’ll really be stupid.” Xiao Yan scolded, “Stupid to death.” Zhu Yi laughed, “Since Big Brother likes it, why not buy it?” Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and slowly nodded. None of them noticed that outside the shop, a gray-clothed man wearing a large hood, who had been half-closed his eyes, suddenly opened them, his eyes glowing brightly as he turned to stare at the shop where Xiao Yan and the others were. “This power fluctuation, it’s the power of the Thunder Shock Zen! Blessed by the Buddha, I have finally found a clue!”