Chapter 81

Li Nianfan looked at Nuan Nuan, surprised, and said, "Nuan Nuan wants to cultivate and become an immortal?"

"Uh-huh."

Nuan Nuan nodded seriously, clenched her little fists, and said, "I want to fight monsters! To protect everyone!"

"Ha ha ha, that's the spirit! If you can join a cultivation sect, your big brother will give you a gift." Li Nianfan laughed heartily.

This little girl had been captured by a monster not long ago, and it was clearly still on her mind.

"Really?" Nuan Nuan's eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded firmly, extending her finger, "Let's pinky promise."

Li Nianfan couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, pinky promise!"

"Big Brother Nianfan, I also want to cultivate and become an immortal."

"Me too, I want to go too!"

The other children also chimed in.

"Oh? What for?" Li Nianfan asked curiously.

"I want to see Sun Wukong!"

"I want to fly."

"I want to cause a ruckus in Heaven!"

The children chattered away, and their words were both amusing and exasperating.

Li Nianfan couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that the story of "Journey to the West" he had told them had a significant impact, turning the children into cultivation enthusiasts.

It was like in his previous life, where various martial arts novels made everyone have a martial arts dream.

However, such dreams were accompanied by great setbacks and challenges, and it was unknown how many would ultimately achieve their goals.

Li Nianfan smiled and said, "Then you all need to work hard! Try to join a sect as soon as possible and become cultivators."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Li Nianfan headed straight to the market in Luoxian City, familiarly making his way to the fish vendor's stall.

"Master Li." The vendor greeted him warmly, "It's been a while since you came to buy fish."

Li Nianfan replied, "I've been hunting recently, eating wild game for a while."

"Great!"

The vendor gave Li Nianfan a thumbs up and continued, "Master Li, which fish do you want?"

"Vendor, your fish aren't as good as before." Li Nianfan shook his head and said, "The fish are smaller, and there are fewer varieties."

"Ah, don't mention it."

The vendor sighed, "Jingyue Lake is infested with monsters, so I have to fish in other places. The quality naturally can't compare to Jingyue Lake."

Li Nianfan asked curiously, "There are monsters, and no one is dealing with them?"

"Can't be helped. There are too many monsters lately, and things are chaotic. It feels like a time of many troubles." The vendor sighed, as if he was worried about the world.

Li Nianfan couldn't help but think about the recent unrest in the mountains.

"I wonder when things will calm down. This situation is really unsettling." Li Nianfan couldn't help but sigh.

Living in a world of cultivation, the only downside was having to constantly be on guard against monsters.

Life as a mortal is tough!

Daji, who was with Li Nianfan, showed a slight change in expression and silently made up her mind, "It seems I need to hurry and urge my sister to resolve this matter as soon as possible to ease my master's worries."

Li Nianfan specially asked the vendor to pick out a few large fish to serve as their meals for the next few days. He didn't plan to go out before the Shengyuan Festival.

With monsters rampant recently, and both he and Daji being mortals, it was better to stay indoors for their safety.

...

The Yunchen Mountains stretched for thousands of miles.

Here, there were many cliffs and steep slopes, with thick undergrowth but sparse trees, so it was rarely visited by people, only inhabited by some mountain spirits and monsters.

However, the Yunchen Mountains were unusually bustling today.

In the sky, one after another, figures darted towards the depths of the mountains.

Their targets were clearly the same, and they all stopped at a certain cliff mouth.

The terrain here was somewhat peculiar, with undulating hills forming a wavy pattern. Numerous cliffs lined up, with protruding rocks resembling a giant monster's mouth ready to devour someone.

Among these cliffs, one stood out.

The rocks below this cliff had already fallen away, revealing a smooth inner wall that occasionally shimmered with a faint light, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

If it were a mortal, they wouldn't even have the right to approach, but for cultivators, this cliff was no obstacle.

They leaped down directly, hovering in mid-air, and carefully examined the smooth stone wall.

Old Sun and Lin Mufeng were also among them.

"This should be a door!" Old Sun speculated.

"Indeed, it's likely the entrance to the secret realm." Lin Mufeng nodded, his gaze solemn as he surveyed the surroundings.

Although the news of the secret realm was known to few, through word of mouth, more than ten people had gathered, and they were all quite powerful.

A white-haired old man spoke up, "Fellow cultivators, cultivation is not easy. This time, entering the secret realm will depend on each person's luck. Please don't let it affect our harmony. What do you think?"

"I agree!"

"Agreed!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Old Sun introduced Lin Mufeng, "He is Qingyang Elder, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator with considerable influence in the area. He was the first to discover this secret realm."

Lin Mufeng nodded, "If it can be like this, it will save a lot of trouble."

Qingyang Elder nodded friendly at everyone and then made a hand seal, pointing at the stone wall.

Buzz!

To everyone's surprise, the stone wall emitted a misty light and began to tremble.

The light grew brighter, but it didn't open. Instead, it formed a special pattern on the stone wall, with various lines crisscrossing and small dots scattered at the intersections, clearly a chessboard.

Everyone's eyes narrowed, staring intently at the stone door, their eyes gleaming with thought.

Lin Mufeng's expression was relatively normal, but when he saw the chessboard, his face changed dramatically.

His pupils contracted to pinpricks, his blood almost stopped flowing, and a tingling sensation rose from his heart, rushing to his brain, making him feel cold all over!

This, this, this is...

The incomplete chessboard in Master Li's inner courtyard?

At that moment, he felt his scalp tingle, as if it might burst.

But... how is this possible?

His heart was overwhelmed with shock, almost unable to believe what he saw.

If this is true, then seeing that incomplete chessboard was not a coincidence but something Master Li deliberately showed him!

Terrifying!

Unbelievable!

It turns out Master Li had already paved the way for me!

He felt immensely relieved.

Thank goodness I understood Master Li's hints and followed Old Sun to this secret realm. Otherwise, if I had disappointed Master Li, I might never have a chance to succeed in life!

At this moment, one of the cultivators chuckled and teased Qingyang Elder, "Qingyang Elder, no wonder you spread the news. You wanted everyone to help you solve this chessboard, right?"

"Indeed, that's true." Qingyang Elder nodded calmly, "I have tried to solve this chessboard, but to no avail. The person who set up this chessboard has a profound understanding of chess, blending the Dao into the game, and the technique is truly astonishing."

His frank admission made it hard for the others to say anything. If they were in his position, they would have done the same.

Everyone's expressions turned serious, staring at the chessboard with suspicion and uncertainty.

Even Qingyang Elder found it profound, so this chessboard must be extraordinary.

At this moment, Lin Mufeng had already composed himself, his expression calm as he observed from the side.

Qingyang Elder doesn't seem as friendly as he appears. The ten or so people he invited are all less powerful than him!

Is this a coincidence? Probably not!