Chapter 34

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In the originally quiet cave, the sound of "splash, splash" water could be heard from time to time.

This was the sound of someone strolling in the water.

The dripping water from the stalactites gradually formed a shallow pool, but over the years, it should not have been so shallow. Sure enough, at the corner of the cave's end, the jade wall had cracked with a few faint seams, allowing the accumulated water to slowly flow in and disappear.

Wujiao paused for a moment in front of the stone wall, then turned and continued to stroll.

After a short while, he stopped again, drew the short sword given by Yujing Peak, and slashed at a protruding piece of jade on the cave wall. "Bang, bang," in a moment, several pieces of jade about a foot square were dug out. Having been digging stones all day, he was quite skilled. After two hours, more than ten pieces of stone were piled up. He moved them to the stone pillar and arranged them into a stone bed, then used the short sword to smooth and shape them, even adding a stone pillow.

The stone bed was next to the stone pillar, facing the cave entrance about twenty feet away.

Mushen, with his eyes still closed, was sitting quietly but was fully aware of the surroundings. Sensing someone busily settling in, he couldn't help but grunt. "Kid, let's see how long you can enjoy yourself!"

Wujiao looked at the stone bed with satisfaction, then lay down on it. The surroundings were filled with the glow of water, the reflection of the jade wall and stalactites, and the occasional sound of dripping water, creating a rather elegant atmosphere. However, the jade was too cold, and the chill was somewhat oppressive.

"Let's make do with it; at least I have a place to sleep and rest."

Wujiao lay on the stone bed, wriggled around a few times, and felt comfortable. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly.

In the past, digging out two pieces of jade would have left him panting. Today, he had dug out more than ten pieces in one go, seemingly without any effort. Could it be that being forced by Mushen had brought out his hidden potential? As the saying goes, when faced with a strong opponent, one becomes stronger.

Wujiao didn't think much about it and reached into his pocket to pull out a piece of dried meat. After a busy half-day and being on edge, he was already starving. He decided to eat something first.

"Trying to starve me to death, huh? Little do you know, carrying food is one of my habits. As the saying goes, with food in hand, there's no need to panic!"

Wujiao swallowed the dried meat, slightly tilted his head, and opened his mouth to catch a few drops of water from the stalactite, then glanced sideways at the cave entrance before taking out a book to read.

"Relying on heaven and earth is not as good as relying on oneself. That's the truth, but reality is harsh. I don't have a spiritual root and can't cultivate, so the best I can do is to argue with Mushen!"

There's a saying: "When disaster strikes, the blind man passes by; as long as you're still alive, you can see the new sun and moon!"

"Hmm, these four lines are quite ordinary, but they fit the situation well! Being trapped here, I can't just be scared and do nothing."

"Whether I can cultivate or not, I might as well read this 'Compilation of Immortal Dao.' If I'm going to compete with cultivators, I need to know both myself and my enemy!"

Wujiao opened the 'Compilation of Immortal Dao' given by Zongbao and started reading slowly.

Previously, he had no interest in such books, thinking they would waste time. Now, as he read carefully, his horizons broadened.

For example, he had only known a few neighboring countries besides Youxiong. The 'Compilation of Immortal Dao' provided detailed annotations. To the south of Youxiong were Nanling and Bo Fu; to the east were Huosha and Qingqiu; to the west were Guchao and Xizhou; to the north were Shizhou and Niuli. In total, there were nine countries, collectively known as Shen Zhou, a vast and boundless land.

Each of the nine countries in Shen Zhou had its own immortal sect, supporting the royal court and protecting the people. It seemed that immortals, though mysterious, were omnipresent!

Beyond Shen Zhou, there were three other distant and mysterious places: Hezhou, Buzhou, and Luzhou, but they were not described in detail.

The 'Compilation of Immortal Dao' only briefly mentioned the territories, focusing more on the origins, legends, and anecdotes of the Immortal Dao.

The ranks of immortals mentioned were similar to what Qisan had said, but more detailed and easier to understand.

Feathered Immortals, or itinerant immortals, were those who had successfully cultivated qi.

Daoists were those who had successfully built a foundation.

Human Immortals were those who had successfully formed a golden core. Their path was incomplete, their methods not fully integrated, their physical form solid, and they were mostly healthy with few illnesses. They were immune to the eight evils and had a thorough understanding of yin, yang, and the five elements.

Earth Immortals were those who had successfully formed a primordial infant. They were half of heaven and earth, with the potential to become immortals. They had not yet grasped the great Dao and were limited to minor achievements. They could not display their power but could live long and remain in the world without dying.

Flying Immortals were those who had refined their bodies into pure yang energy.

Heavenly Immortals were those who had transcended the mundane and achieved great supernatural abilities.

Ghost Immortals, on the other hand, were those who had destroyed their physical bodies and achieved a great yin spirit. They were free in the yin world, their forms unclear, their names not recorded in the ghost register, and their identities unknown in the three mountains. They had no place to go and could only be reborn.

Immortals of different ranks and cultivation levels had their own nine layers of cultivation, with varying levels of power and longevity. Feathered Immortals could live up to 150 to 200 years; foundation-building Daoists could live up to 300 to 500 years; immortals with a golden core or higher could live indefinitely as long as their primordial spirit remained.

As mentioned, only by passing the heavenly tribulation could one refine pure yang energy and achieve the body of a flying immortal, also known as a true immortal or true person.

Additionally, those at the fifth level of qi cultivation could control a flying sword, foundation-building Daoists could fly, and true immortals could ride the wind through the heavens.

However, the number of human immortals was few, and the number of earth immortals was even fewer. As for flying immortals and heavenly immortals, they were legendary figures. The difficulty of cultivation was truly beyond imagination!

As for the origin of immortals, a nursery rhyme said: "In ancient times, there was a rainbow; immortals came from the sky, scattered a grain of seed, and transformed the land and sea." This meant that a long, long time ago, immortals came riding on a rainbow, and with a casual gesture, they transformed the land and sea, lasting for thousands of years...

The thin book, though only a few pages, covered everything from heaven to earth. Unfortunately, it did not include cultivation techniques, or he could have tried sitting in meditation. Without a spiritual root, one could not cultivate, which was really unfair. The last recorded nursery rhyme was quite interesting: "Scattering a grain of seed, transforming the land and sea." If I had such power, I would create a rainbow bridge and go in search of Ziyun, hehe...

" Splash—"

In a daze, it felt like a rainbow had fallen and he had stumbled into the sea. "Ouch, help!"

Wujiao, lying on the stone bed, suddenly sat up, still half-asleep.

Did I fall asleep? It turned out his arm had slipped into the water, causing a false alarm!

Wujiao picked up the leather-bound book, put it in his pocket, rubbed his eyes, and splashed water on his face. He saw that the figure sitting at the cave entrance was still there, looking at him coldly. He said dejectedly, "Manager Mu, you're still here?"

Mushen replied grimly, "If I leave, who will collect your body..."

Wujiao retorted, "I'm still young; I don't need anyone to take care of me in my old age!"

Mushen rolled his eyes and snorted.

Wujiao rubbed his growling stomach. "Ah, in the cave, there's no sun or moon, and time seems endless; a long dream, and I wake up to an unknown day..." He looked around and said to himself, "I must have slept through the night, or it's already morning!"

In the cave, there was no way to tell the time. Human needs and daily routines were the only indicators. Based on this, his guess was probably not far off.

Wujiao stood up, waded through the cold water, and walked to the end of the cave. He found a corner without water and a small pit, undid his clothes, and urinated. Then he slowly returned to the stone bed, sat down, and reached into his pocket, grimacing.

He didn't have much dried meat to begin with, and he had thrown one piece away. Now he had nothing to eat. What should he do?

Wujiao sat for a while with a pained expression, then lay down, tilted his head, and opened his mouth to catch the dripping water from the stalactite, consoling himself. "At least I won't be thirsty, and I can drink my fill." After a while, he took out the leather-bound book and started reading again.

Since Mushen was unwilling to leave, he had no choice but to wait it out. He remembered that the guy only had the fourth level of qi cultivation and couldn't control magical artifacts. With the protective short sword and the stone pillar for defense, he had nothing to fear!

Regarding magical artifacts, the 'Compilation of Immortal Dao' said: "Weapons refined by cultivators can carry spiritual energy, magical arrays, and supernatural abilities, making them more than ordinary weapons, known as magical artifacts. The power of magical artifacts varies depending on the refinement method. Weapons used by human immortals and above are called magical treasures, which are more powerful and can change form."

In addition to magical artifacts and magical treasures, there were also alchemy, talismans, and array formations, among other things.

Now, thinking about it, cultivation wasn't bad. At least one wouldn't go hungry, wouldn't fear the cold or heat, and could even fly! If one day, he could fly with Ziyun, see the vastness of the world, and enjoy the beauty of the clouds and skies, hmm...

......

Estimating that two days had passed, the situation in the cave remained the same. One person sat at the cave entrance, as quiet as ever; the other sat on the stone bed, listless.

Cultivators could go without food for ten days or more, but for ordinary people, going without food for three to five days could be fatal.

Wujiao sat on the stone bed, hugging his knees, looking lazy and helpless. He had no interest in reading the 'Compilation of Immortal Dao' anymore.

The world was vast and inspiring; the Immortal Dao was legendary and dream-inducing. But all of that couldn't be eaten. He was really hungry!

If this continued, the outcome was predictable. Moreover, there was someone waiting to collect his body. He couldn't let that happen!

Wujiao couldn't sit still anymore. He got up, left the stone bed, and walked to the end of the cave, looking down at the direction of the water flow. After a short while, he raised his unsheathed short sword and started slashing at the stone wall, causing "crack, crack" sounds and jade fragments to fly.

Mushen noticed and watched closely.

In a short time, a cave-like opening had been dug into the stone wall near the ground.

Wujiao caught his breath, held the sword with both hands, and continued working. His intention was simple: to leave this place.

The direction of the water flow must be connected to a tunnel or crack. If he followed it, he might find a way out. He had noticed this before but hadn't acted, fearing that Mushen would see through his plan and ruin his last chance. Now, with the guy like a guard dog, not moving an inch, if he waited any longer, he would be too weak to work and truly regret it.

There was no other way; he was forced to do this!

After an hour, a half-person-high opening had taken shape and was several feet deep, a promising start!

However, Wujiao was so angry that he threw the short sword and plopped down in the water.

He had dug so deep, but there were still no obvious cracks in the stone wall. Who knew how long it would take, or if this path was even viable...

He was disappointed and hungry, and his frustration was understandable. Just as he was feeling depressed, he suddenly grabbed the short sword and rolled backward.

At the same time, a familiar figure was quietly approaching along the edge of the cave wall.

Wujiao returned to the stone pillar, climbed out of the water, still shaken, and said angrily, "Even a dog would bark before biting, but you just pounce without a word, how unreasonable!"

Mushen had already moved to the newly dug opening, his face uncertain. After waiting for two days, he had finally managed to get close. But his efforts were in vain, and he had been tricked.

If he was going to ambush, did he need to announce it?

No, he was scolding him... Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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