182: Chapter 184 Elephant Trunk, Crossing Boundaries (Two-in-One)

Southern border of the Great Qi, somewhere in Muzhou.

Two streaks of rainbow light descended as the figures of Chen Xianting and Chen Xianling appeared on a barren, bald mountain.

This barren mountain was surrounded by lush, leafy trees, teeming with life and vitality, forming a sharp contrast with the barren mountain itself.

Two slender, graceful figures stood atop the barren mountain looking into the distance; as far as the eye could see, there were tall trees hundreds or thousands of years old, standing like giant pillars on the ground, obscuring the view so that no trace of other mountains could be seen.

"It's this area."

"But this crappy map doesn't show the exact location, only a general area. It's so annoying."

Chen Xianting took out the map and muttered while checking and comparing it.

"Sister Lingling, how about we split up and search?"

"No, we stay together."

Chen Xianling firmly rejected Chen Xianting's suggestion.

In such a remote and desolate wilderness, splitting up was the most dangerous thing to do.

No one knew what exactly was inside.

Were there demonic Cultivators hiding within? Were there cruel and bloodthirsty Purple Mansion True Persons practicing heterodox techniques inside, and so on?

Even though they had life-saving means on them, it was better to be cautious.

"Alright then."

Chen Xianting put away the map and spread out her Foundation Establishment Divine Sense, scanning the surrounding hundred-mile area inside and out, but she didn't see any mountain shaped like an elephant's trunk.

Thus, the two selected a direction, one responsible for the front and the other for the back.

The Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivator covered roughly a hundred-mile radius; to explore this entire area thoroughly, it would take at least two and a half days.

However, as Chen Xianting said, since they were able to obtain this map, it meant they had a fated Opportunity.

It took only half a day for the two to find a mountain shaped like an elephant's trunk.

Not a single blade of grass grew near this mountain, nor were there any traces of tree growth; it was a completely barren land.

It gave off a sense of absolute silence and the total extinction of life.

"This mountain is so strange. I think calling it Elephant Trunk Mountain is very appropriate."

As Chen Xianting spoke, she took out the map to check, confirming that this was indeed the place.

"All things have spirits. This mountain is shaped like a giant elephant drinking water with its trunk; perhaps it was formed from the fall of an elephant-type Yao Beast with high cultivation."

"Whether the person who sold the treasure map did so intentionally or unintentionally, we still need to be on our guard."

Chen Xianling's skirt fluttered, and she carried an ethereal, immortal-like Aura, like a fallen immortal from the Nine Heavens stepping into the Mortal World, stunning the world.

She inherited Ruan Zhirou's beauty, even surpassing her; her whole being was nimble and elegant, as flawless as fine jade, like a green lotus rising from the mud without being stained, only to be admired from afar.

Meanwhile, Chen Xianting's father was Chen Zhuxiao, a Sword Cultivator of the Divine Thunder Path, and her mother was the Saintess of the Sacred Fire Cult.

Both were individuals with explosive personalities, and Chen Xianting, who inherited their excellent bloodlines, was even more so, acting in a blunt and fiery manner.

However, in terms of appearance, she was even three points more beautiful than Chen Xianling.

After all, Chen Zhuxiao himself was a peerlessly handsome man, and Liu Tingshu, as the Saintess of the Sacred Fire Cult, naturally had a beauty that could cause fish to sink and birds to fall.

But what made Chen Xianling stand out most was her ethereal Aura, which made her look like the Reincarnation of a fairy from the Nine Heavens, both noble and sacred.

"I understand, Sister Lingling."

Chen Xianting nodded; she seemed blunt, but she was actually meticulous and couldn't possibly be without any defense or vigilance.

Traveling for over ten years, she had seen many different kinds of people.

The Mortal World is full of variety, but people's hearts are not what they used to be; the cultivation world is full of deception.

Someone could call you brother today and backstab you tomorrow, sending you into an abyss.

"Then let's rest first, Sister Lingling."

"After all, opening an Immortal Cave will cause a huge commotion and attract 'locusts.' Dealing with them will take effort."

Chen Xianting took out a lifelike house model from her Storage Pouch, and her Supreme Fire magic power surged, continuously pouring into it.

Soon, a square, exquisitely carved house appeared on the open ground, kicking up countless clouds of dust.

"Cough, cough."

With a wave of her hand, Chen Xianting's Supreme Fire magic power gushed out, whipping up a gale that cleared away all the incoming dust.

That night, the two lay on the roof, looking at the starry night sky and chatting about their various experiences over the years.

"I wonder how my dad and Aunt Mo are doing?"

Chen Xianting's voice was low and her mood was a bit down; she was homesick.

"Don't worry, Second Uncle and the others are all fine. We just need to take care of ourselves."

Chen Xianling turned on her side and gently patted Chen Xianting's shoulder.

"Sister Lingling, do you think my mother has ever thought of me?"

Chen Xianting stood up and looked toward the west, as if she wanted to see through the vast space to the Sacred Fire Cult, to that figure locked in the Sacred Fire Cult's Forbidden Ground.

"Silly girl, what mother in the world wouldn't miss or worry about her daughter? She must miss you very much, every moment of every day."

Chen Xianling also stood up, gently took Chen Xianting into her arms, and comforted her softly.

"I want to achieve the Purple Mansion, I want to master the sub-fire of the Immortal Fire within my body, and then go to the Sacred Fire Cult to become the Saintess and give all those guys who bullied my mother a good beating."

Chen Xianting waved her small fist, full of fighting spirit.

"Then I'll wait for that day."

Chen Xianling pursed her lips and chuckled.

The next day.

As dawn broke, the two girls walked out of the house.

After shrinking and putting away the house, Chen Xianting looked at the nearby Elephant Trunk Mountain.

"Sister Lingling, how are we going to open this ancient Immortal Cave? I don't seem to see anything like a door."

"Let's go over and take a look first."

Chen Xianling moved with light steps, appearing like she was teleporting; in just a few breaths, she arrived at the foot of Elephant Trunk Mountain, where the trunk arched.

"This is?!"

Chen Xianting followed behind her and couldn't help but cry out in surprise, as if she had seen something astonishing.

On the arched part of the elephant's trunk, a mural had appeared.

When they arrived here yesterday, they had done a preliminary investigation but hadn't seen any mural, only a smooth mountain wall.

"It should be related to time; perhaps this mural only appears at dawn."

Chen Xianling stretched out her right hand, covered in a red jade luster, and gently brushed over the mural on the mountain wall.

It was smooth and cool, like touching a translucent piece of jade.

Rumble!

At that moment, the entire Elephant Trunk Mountain began to shake, as if an earth dragon were turning over; the trees around the open space snapped and fell one after another, startling countless birds.

Under the surprised gazes of the two girls, the mural moved to the left like a self-retracting door, and a dark cave entrance appeared.

"It's open just like that?!"

On the barren mountain in the distance, a voice spoke in surprise.

"Good, very good. These two little girls have some skill; no wonder they dared to buy the map."

A scarred man said fiercely.

"We must not be careless. Their identities are not simple, and both are at the Foundation Establishment Peak. If we face them head-on, we might not gain the upper hand."

Beside him, a handsome Cultivator who looked like a scholar spoke.

"What's there to fear? It's not like we, the Lingnan Seven Heroes, haven't killed a Foundation Establishment Peak Great Cultivator before. We've even killed several from major Sects. Why should we fear these two women?"

A short, wretched-looking Cultivator retorted.

"No, I have a bad feeling. We might have already been exposed."

Just as the scholar Cultivator was speaking.

Chen Xianting, standing in front of the Immortal Cave entrance, suddenly turned around. The Supreme Fire magic power within her surged like a river, and the scent of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter mixed together filled the air.

A Crimson Glazed Jade Bottle appeared above her head, its surface covered in magma-like patterns. The mouth of the bottle was aimed at a certain spot, and terrifying fluctuations were dissipating, ready to deliver an earth-shattering blow at any moment.

"Come out!"

Her shout echoed through the forest, making the Lingnan Seven Heroes tremble. They could feel the power contained within the Crimson Glazed Jade Bottle; if they took a hit, they wouldn't even have a chance to be heavily injured—they would be turned to ashes in an instant.

A Supreme Fire Cultivator's lethality ranks first among the five fires; that wasn't just talk.

"If you don't come out, I'm going to take action."

Chen Xianting's hair danced wildly, and the mouth of the jade bottle above her head glowed with a crimson light, a destructive Aura billowing out.

Suddenly, sand and stones flew, the wind and clouds changed, and even the Void Realm trembled.

The Lingnan Seven Heroes looked at each other, and the other six all looked at the scholar Cultivator.

"We're coming ou—"

The latter's face was grave, but he was interrupted halfway through his sentence.

"Don't attack, we're coming out now."

Two figures appeared in the air. They were two young male Cultivators who looked to be in their twenties. Their appearances were quite good, and they carried a... special Aura belonging to Disciples of major powers.

"You've been here for half a day. Why were you hiding? Could it be you wanted to play the oriole behind the mantis?"

Chen Xianting questioned them, the mouth of the jade bottle aimed at the two. A terrifying energy gathered, and even from a hundred miles away, one could feel that destructive Aura.

"Young lady, you misunderstand. We two brothers mean no harm."

The male Cultivator on the left hurriedly raised his hands in fear.

"How did you find this place?"

Chen Xianling spoke, her voice cold.

"If I say we bought a map and found this place by following its guidance, would you believe us?"

The male Cultivator on the right said with a bitter smile.

"I believe you, but your secretive behavior makes me very uneasy."

As her voice fell, Chen Xianling's eyes turned golden-red, and a hundred-zhang-tall phantom appeared behind her.

It had three eyes on its forehead, wore golden armor, and held a three-pointed double-edged blade. A Blood Qi as majestic as a great mountain soared into the sky, scattering the clouds on the horizon.

"An orthodox Blood Qi Cultivator?!"

"Did you come out from the Jade Blood Grotto-Heaven?!"

Shock flashed in the eyes of the two male Cultivators.

"Ladies, my Senior Brother and I really mean no harm."

"The reason we didn't show ourselves was precisely because we feared this situation. There's absolutely no need for us to fight."

The male Cultivator on the right reacted quickly and hurriedly explained.

"No, you must leave. We're taking this Immortal Cave."

Chen Xianling's words were sharp, and a sound like crashing waves erupted from her small body—that was her Blood Qi surging.

Both she and Chen Xianlin had received the Legacy of the Jade Blood Heavenly Sect and followed the orthodox Blood Qi path.

"The ones who truly have ill intentions toward you aren't us, but them."

At this point, the male Cultivator on the left spoke.

He looked toward a distant barren mountain, and two suns appeared in his eyes. Immediately after, two solar beams shot out, intertwining like dragons and transforming into a Three-Legged Golden Crow that swept across the sky.

"Damn it!"

The scholar Cultivator's face turned ashen as he hurriedly retreated.

The other six were a bit slower to react. The Three-Legged Golden Crow dove down, its Solar True Fire capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas. The terrifying heat scorched everything, directly destroying the barren mountain beneath the six men's feet.

Rumble!

The ground shook and the mountains swayed. Three wretched figures escaped from the smoke-filled ruins of the barren mountain.

But a crimson pillar of light swept past, and before these three could even speak, they were blasted into dust.

"Leave the one who's running to me."

Before the male Cultivator on the right could finish his sentence, Chen Xianting's figure had already charged out.

The jade bottle above her head vanished, and she held a halberd wrapped in Supreme Fire. Like a goddess of war, she streaked across the sky, closing in on the fleeing scholar Cultivator.

"It's you, huh? You clearly took so much money, so why did you have to play this 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' act?"

Chen Xianting swung her halberd, the blade flashing brightly. A blade light like a sea of fire slashed out, turning the space ahead into a world of flames.

Boom!

The Supreme Fire exploded like a cannonball, making the heavens rumble.

A charred figure fell from the sky, smashing a large crater into the ground, barely breathing.

Chen Xianting returned with her halberd and landed beside Chen Xianling, confronting the two male Cultivators.

"Cultivators of the Solar Path?"

Chen Xianling's tone was slightly grave.

Within the Luotian Realm, the most famous figure of the Solar Path was the Xuan Yang Divine Emperor, who had established the Yao Kingdom on earth.

Upon his birth, he occupied the Solar position, equal in rank to an Immortal Lord.

Later, he went a step further, ascending to the Solar dao position and attaining the body of a Dao Lord, reigning over Luo Tian.

That era was the darkest time for the Human Race.

It wasn't until the rise of the Human Sovereign, who occupied the Earth dao position and fought the Xuan Yang Divine Emperor outside the heavens, eventually slaying this Yao Race God Emperor in the starry sky of the outer realms.

From then on, the Human Race rose and became the overlords of the Luotian Realm.

Even though the Xuan Yang Divine Emperor was slain by the Human Sovereign, the power of the Solar Path could not be denied.

The Human Sovereign was only stronger than the Xuan Yang Divine Emperor, who occupied the Solar dao position, because he possessed the complete Earth dao position.

If this God Emperor had occupied the entirety of the Solar and Lesser Yang—the complete Yang dao position—the Human Sovereign would certainly not have been his match.

But there are no "ifs" in the world; defeat is defeat.

"I am Ming Changzhi, and this is my Junior Brother, Hao Wujiu."

The male Cultivator on the right bowed and greeted them.

Hao Wujiu also bowed to Chen Xianling and the other, his Aura restrained, with no intention of fighting them.

"Opportunities belong to those who arrive first. You two should please return."

Chen Xianling said forcefully.

"Miss, I..."

Ming Changzhi wanted to say something more, but a sudden change interrupted him.

A suction force suddenly erupted from the opened Immortal Cave, and the air currents swirled backward, visible to the naked eye.

An Aura thousands of times more terrifying than a Purple Mansion appeared, binding the four of them and sucking them all into the Immortal Cave.

When Chen Xianting and the other opened their eyes again, they had already appeared on a teleportation platform.

Opposite them, Ming Changzhi and his Junior Brother were looking around with bewildered expressions.

"This teleportation platform beneath our feet... it shouldn't activate, right?"

Chen Xianting said worriedly.

"Not good!"

Chen Xianling's heart suddenly tightened, and she hurriedly sacrificed a Talismanic Incantation.

The Aura of a Five Methods Purple Mansion billowed, transforming into a protective shield that shielded her and Chen Xianting.

Ming Changzhi and the other also reacted, using their life-saving means one after another.

The patterns on the teleportation platform beneath their feet lit up one by one, and a brilliant, dazzling light filled the space, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

"This is a Cross-Realm Teleportation Platform! Ladies, quickly use your trump cards, or else we'll be teleported to another world."

Ming Changzhi's tone was anxious as he took out a jade pendant engraved with a pattern of a great sun rising in the sky.

The next moment, he crushed the jade pendant, and a Golden Core level Aura burst forth. A brilliant sun manifested, enveloping the two brothers as they tried to rush out of the teleportation platform.

But an unparalleled force emerged, and that brilliant sun was frozen in mid-air, unable to escape the range of the teleportation platform.

Seeing this, Chen Xianting took out a Hair Strand and activated it by pouring in her magic power.

Yuan Feng, who was countless miles away, opened his eyes. The six Golden Natures within his body fully revived as he traced the location of the fur, tore through the Great Void, and arrived outside Elephant Trunk Mountain.

At this time, the mural on Elephant Trunk Mountain had disappeared, and the cave entrance had turned back into a mountain wall, as if it had never existed.

"Open!"

Yuan Feng pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed toward the location of the mural.

Clang!

It was as if he had struck a top-grade Magic Treasure; countless sparks flew, but the mountain wall remained undamaged.

"?!"

"Gui Li, lend me a hand!"

As the words fell, the immortal artifact was in his hand, and the laws of the immortal path bloomed, forcibly breaking open the mountain wall.

Yuan Feng took a step forward and arrived outside the teleportation jade platform.

All around, strands of Dao principles appeared, translucent and brilliant, carrying an Aura weaker than a Nascent Soul but stronger than a Golden Core, lashing out at Yuan Feng.

Fortunately, with the immortal artifact present, these Laws could not harm Yuan Feng.

"Ancestor Yuan!"

Seeing Yuan Feng's figure breaking into the Immortal Cave, Chen Xianting hurriedly waved her arms and shouted.

"Break for me!"

Yuan Feng went all out, reaching out a giant hand intertwined with Gui Water Immortal Law, grabbing toward the teleportation platform, wanting to pull the two girls out.

"Swish!"

Just as he broke through the teleportation platform's shield, the light flashed, his hand grabbed nothing, and the figures of the four vanished.