Chapter 62

Listening to the tales of the sea travelers about the mystic isle of Yingzhou, where the misty waves make it hard to find.

In this world, there is no Yingzhou beyond the sea, but there is Qingxuan.

Shen Lian has already set sail, reaching a place very, very far away. To return to the land of the Great Wei Dynasty, it would be no less than thousands of miles away.

Without the sea chart given by Ye Liuyun and finding a familiar ship, it would be very difficult to reach here.

Even with his preparations, it was still so hard to get here, let alone accidentally stumbling upon Qingxuan, which would require some extraordinary good fortune.

To perfectly meet the conditions for entering Qingxuan as described by Ye Liuyun, it is not just one in ten thousand.

But this world is vast and boundless, and the Great Wei Dynasty is merely a small part of it. The immortals have a long lifespan and will not break their lineage, so the rules for entry have been passed down from generation to generation.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun also pointed out that there are other immortal sects in the world, but those as orthodox as Qingxuan are far away.

As for places like the Southern Sea Flying Immortal Island, although they belong to the cultivation world, in thousands of years, no one has ever heard of anyone achieving immortality there.

They just live a hundred or two hundred years longer.

These semi-immortal sects, to varying degrees, have some connection with Qingxuan. Some are even the legacies left by disciples of Qingxuan who failed in their cultivation, which can also be called outer sects, though Qingxuan has never officially recognized them.

Therefore, the children of these families are more familiar with how to enter Qingxuan than others.

Just like how Yunshen Manor has a close relationship with the Southern Sea Flying Immortal Island, Mingjian Manor also has its own sources of information.

These immortal sects, though they seem to have great names, the most powerful among them are only slightly more formidable than Ling Chongxiao and his ilk.

They have only mastered a few immortal techniques, which naturally makes their status much higher than ordinary martial arts sects, placing them between the realms of immortals and mortals.

Due to the information asymmetry, the chances for these lineages to enter Qingxuan are indeed much greater than for others.

Unfortunately, the path to immortality is lined with many bones, and most of them never have the chance to return home, their fates unknown.

This place is a large island, with a mountain in the distance.

The clouds are deep, and the place is ethereal.

Based on the circulation of his qi and blood, Shen Lian deduced that it is already July, about two months before the Chongyang Festival as mentioned by the old fox spirit Xin Qubing.

To be precise, he came too early.

He came here alone, secretly taking a small boat from a large ship, because the large ship could not enter this island, and Shen Lian did not want to reveal the location of Qingxuan.

Now, standing on solid ground, the scene before him matches the descriptions in Ling Chongxiao's story and the map given by Ye Liuyun.

Shen Lian had no doubts.

However, arriving early, he was unsure if he could find the true location of Qingxuan.

Before him was a small river, with green grass growing on both banks. The only strange thing was the absence of birdsong and insect chirping.

Apart from the rustling of the wind through the grass and the slow flow of the river, there were no other sounds.

The sun was scorching, and even though Shen Lian's internal qi cultivation was increasingly profound, he still felt a bit restless.

He did not play in the water but proceeded cautiously. According to Ye Liuyun, there is a small town at the foot of Qingxuan's true entrance, and at the end of the town lies the path to enter Qingxuan, known as the 'Heart-Questioning Path.'

This path was created by a great immortal to embody the principle of 'cultivating one's heart before one's actions.'

Even if the island is large, two months is enough time for Shen Lian to find that town.

Shen Lian was not worried.

The direction of the town should be to the south, which is consistent with the direction of the river's upstream. Generally, most villages and homes are built near rivers.

The river is very deep, and nothing can be seen in the water. It is not like the polluted rivers of modern times, which have a foul smell.

Shen Lian followed the river upstream, walking for about three days. He carried dry rations and water, and with his cultivation reaching a level where he no longer needed to eat or drink, he did not consume any food or water from this place.

He traveled during the day and found a place to meditate at night.

Apart from the grass and trees, he saw no other living creatures.

The entire river was shrouded in a sense of death.

On this morning, Shen Lian continued his steady pace and finally saw a living being, more precisely, a living person.

On the opposite bank, a woman stood quietly.

She wore a purple silk robe, which perfectly accentuated her almost flawless figure.

Shen Lian's eyesight was excellent, and he could see that she was truly ethereal and refined.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow, causing the purple bells at her slender waist to tinkle melodiously.

Shen Lian was somewhat excited, not because the woman was extremely beautiful, but because he had finally encountered someone.

He tried to greet her, but the woman only glanced at him briefly before suddenly disappearing.

There was no trace left, as if what Shen Lian had seen was just an illusion.

However, the wind still seemed to carry the sound of the bells, clear and pleasant.

Shen Lian thought that since he had encountered the first person, this place was not desolate, and he might soon encounter a second person.

Indeed, he encountered the second person, and it happened faster than he expected.

As night fell, the moon was almost full.

The night sky was sparsely dotted with stars, and the moonlight was particularly enchanting.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged beside a rock, waiting quietly for dawn as usual.

A thin mist had risen over the river, and the enchanting moonlight scattered through it, creating a mysterious and melancholic atmosphere.

A faint light emanated from upstream, mingling with the moonlight, about thirty yards away from him.

Shen Lian was suddenly startled, remembering that today was the 15th of July, the 'Ghost Festival' in folklore.

The reason he suddenly thought of this was because he saw that the light was actually a lantern, and the lantern was on a boat.

The boat was entirely white, and a person in white stood on it. Due to the mist and the light, the figure was not clearly visible.

The person in white held a banner, similar to the soul-summoning banner used in funerals.

The river flowed very slowly, and the small boat, without oars, drifted downstream at a leisurely pace.

Shen Lian heard a sound, which could be either crying or singing.

It was the song of the dead, sending chills down one's spine.

In the silent night, with no birdsong or insect chirping by the river, hearing such a mournful song would likely scare a person with a weak heart into fainting.

Shen Lian did not faint, but the song seemed to have a magical effect, and he suddenly felt his body become light.

He turned his head slightly and saw himself.

This was the first time he had experienced his soul leaving his body without his will.

The person in white waved the banner, and suddenly, faint light orbs appeared on both banks, drifting toward the solitary boat.

Shen Lian suddenly understood why he had not noticed any other living creatures along the river.

Their souls had already been summoned by the banner of the person in white.

These faint light orbs might have recently arrived at the river.

He had not noticed them before because he had not carefully perceived them.

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