Chapter 1974: Follow Like a Shadow
The great terror between life and death!
In less than a day, Lin Xun had experienced dangers and crises far more than any time in the outside world.
For example, when he encountered the little lush green tree, it was the first time in his life that he felt so close to death!
“That tree grows below a suspended inverted crater. Its body is entirely green and it has three fruits growing on its branches, all which look like babies and seem to have their own intelligence. They sat cross-legged on the branches and mysteriously inhaled the essence of the lava.
“Throughout time, many Emperors have come to the tree but they all met with their end. Their corpses were left piled on the ground without decomposing, which means that the tree has some sort of unusual and terrifying secret…
“Because we do not know its origin and do not understand its mystery, it can’t be named.”
After leaving the area, Lin Xun recorded the characteristics of the eerie little green tree in the jade slip.
A wonderful feeling filled his mind again, becoming clearer and more transcendent than ever before.
In truth, although he had encountered many dangerous situations along the way, he also characterized many unknown mountains, rivers and organisms.
For example, the Star Guiding Flower, Jade Sword Plant, Spirit Devouring Ant and Misty Cloud Soil…Every time he recorded an unknown thing, his state of mind would gain a mysterious, unknown power, as if his mind had been sublimed.
It was not until this moment that Lin Xun had an epiphany.
The process of defining the unknown, characterizing their appearance, and detailing their essence was akin to silently training the mind!
The unknown meant that it had never been seen or heard in the outside world. Therefore, to define it was equivalent to identifying and recognizing its essence and characteristics.
This itself was also a kind of wonderful cultivation.
Lin Xun had a feeling that only in such uncharted land could he train his mind in such a unique way.
Moreover, the power of ‘defining’ was not that simple!
“In the cultivation of the great dao, the state of mind is the most mysterious. Even if one possesses heaven-defying talent, an unstable state of mind would still mean they are doomed to achieve nothing on the path of the great dao.
“If one has a strong mind, even if they are not the most talented, they will still one day achieve great success.
“Our Fangchun Mountain is named after the mind, which means the sect of Fangchun Mountain pays great attention to the cultivation of the state of mind.
“Ninth Senior Brother Ge Yupu was originally a woodcutter in the mountains and made a living from cutting firewood. He is a slow-witted person, but he created the Grand Dao Yellow Court Classic by himself, and in the Dao War of Emperors, he defeated Demon-Beast Emperor Dutian, the leader of the Primeval Seven Demon-Beast Emperors. His strength is immeasurable.
“Senior Brother Pu Zhen has a humble and honest personality. He was originally a farmer, but he created the All-Inclusive Plant Index and managed to kill Old Monk Dukong from the Earth Treasury Realm with just three punches…
“And Senior Brother Xuan Kong, who was hailed as absolutely invincible in the Saint Stage, was once a poor shepherd boy when he was young…
“It can be seen that one’s character was the most important factor to Master when deciding to accept someone as a disciple!”
Lin Xun moved forward as he pondered, and he inevitably encountered more dangers and crises along the way.
Despite that, his state of mind slowly changed.
Every danger came from the unknown, including bizarre plants and trees, vicious and terrifying birds and beasts.
If he was unable to defeat them, he would run.
If he could defeat them, he would characterize its appearance, note down its essence, and define it.
Such an experience put his mind in an ethereal and calm state, a wonderful state without any joy or sorrow.
The fluctuations in emotions were clearly felt by the heart, but it could not affect his state of mind at all.
Even when faced with deadly danger, he felt fear, anxiousness, and worry...but his mind was as cool as ice!
Before he knew it, he had been exploring the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone for three days.
He was like a fearless and simple-hearted explorer going through storms and other challenges. As he gained insights into the mountains, rivers, and everything, his state of mind also became much more stable.
Fear or joy, danger or opportunity, they were all a kind of cultivation!
On this day, not long after Lin Xun entered a mountain range, he abruptly halted because he detected a ripple of aura with his spirit sense.
Someone is here!
He deduced right away, and then he looked perturbed the next moment. This was the first time he had met another cultivator ever since he had come to the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone.
Then, Lin Xun, covered by Suanni Qi, silently moved forward.
At the foot of a rocky mountain, there was a murmuring stream.
Five people, men and women, were gathered together. Some were meditating and resting, some were chatting in low voices, and some were on the lookout.
The group was headed by a man in black. He had broad shoulders and a heroic and intimidating appearance. A snow-white sword floated above his shoulder, glinting coldly in the sun
From afar, Lin Xun was able to recognize that the five people were core disciples from the Primordial Dao Court!
The black-clothed leader was called Lei Fengque, who was ranked fourteenth on the All Heavens Saint-King Rankings and he had quite a dazzling performance in the Mythical Huang Secret Realm.
In fact, all those who were qualified to enter the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone were the best of the best and the strongest people of their cultivation stage.
The reason why Lin Xun stopped was because the snow-white sword floating above Lei Fengque’s shoulder produced ripples of aura that spread and covered the surrounding area.
He would be discovered right away if he approached carelessly.
“Senior Brother Lei, our goal this time is to obtain the chaos treasure, but Senior Brother Kong Zhao has ordered us to capture cultivators from Cloud State alive if we run into them.” A woman in colorful clothes suddenly asked, “Could it be that getting revenge on Jin Duyi is more important to Senior Brother Kong Zhao than getting the chaos treasure?”
Lei Fengque smiled. “Junior Sister, you might not know this. It’s not just our Primordial Dao Court disciples who will be targeting him. Instead, the disciples from the Heaven and Earth Dao Court and Panwu Dao Court will unite with us to deal with Jin Duyi in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone.”
The woman in colorful clothes couldn’t help but question, “Why are we mobilizing so many people? Jin Duyi is a disciple from Absolute Origin Dao Court and his sect is terrifyingly strong. Have you forgotten how Emperor Fire Spirit was effortlessly suppressed and had embarrassed herself?”
Lei Fengque said in a low voice, “Things have changed now. Although I don’t fully understand, I know that our Primordial Dao Court has agreed to deal with Jin Duyi together with the Heaven and Earth Dao Court and the Panwu Dao Court.”
The woman was about to ask something else, when Lei Fengque interrupted, “Junior Sister, this is an order from our sect. As for what they have planned, who knows? We just need to follow their orders.”
In the distance, Lin Xun’s dark eyes flashed.
The disciples of three great dao courts, Primordial Dao Court, Heaven and Earth Dao Court and Panwu Dao Court, plan to work together to deal with me?
This is very strange!
Could it be that when Senior Sister Ruo Su showed up as a part of the Absolute Origin Dao Court, it was not enough to deter or scare them?
No!
Lin Xun realized something. Lei Fengque said that they are acting on the orders of the sect, which means it is not an act of revenge for Kong Zhao’s own selfish reasons.
Then the Heaven and Earth Dao Court and the Panwu Dao Court also are likely targeting me on orders of their sects!
But why are three of the Great Six Courts targeting me?
A dark cloud of gloom hovered over Lin Xun’s heart. He found it very abnormal.
He could not figure out the real reason yet, but he was certain that it was not just a simple case of revenge!
“Could it be that they realized that Senior Sister Ruo Su and I are not really from the Absolute Origin Dao Court?
“If that was the case, then why would they allow me to enter the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone?”
The more Lin Xun thought about it, the more he felt that this trip to the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone was not as simple as just competing for a chaos treasure.
Clang!
In the distance, the snow-white sword suddenly buzzed above Lei Fengque’s shoulder.
“Finally got in touch with Senior Brother Kong Zhao. Let’s go, it’s time to take action.” Lei Fengque perked up.
Immediately, the group got up and left in a hurry.
Neither Lei Fengque nor the others noticed that a figure was secretly following them.
Lin Xun originally planned to search for Mount Heedless by himself, but now he had to change his plan.
Not to mention anything else, if what Lei Fengque said was true, then Jintian Xuanyue, Lu Dubu, Xie Yuhua, and the others would be treated as prey by people from the Heaven and Earth Dao Court, Primordial Dao Court and Panwu Dao Court.
It was easy to guess their reason for doing so: To use Jintian Xuanyue and the others as hostages!
It was also from this moment that killing intent was ignited in Lin Xun’s heart.
Of course, he would fight for the chaos treasure.
However, enemies that deserved to be killed must also be dealt with!
Lin Xun suddenly thought of what his Senior Sister Ruo Su had told him before she left. Even if his identity was exposed in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone, it did not matter.
At that time, Lin Xun thought it was just a word of encouragement to him.
Now, after thinking about it, he realized that if his identity was exposed, wouldn’t that mean everyone would know that Senior Sister Ruo Su was from Fangchun Mountain?
Despite that, Senior Sister Ruo Su was not worried about that…
Could it be that she...had already sensed something in advance?
If that was the case, given her ability and power, she should be able to guard against and prepare for it, right?
Along the way, Lin Xun noticed that Lei Fengque and his group deliberately went a long and roundabout route several times and did not travel directly.
It was as though they were very familiar with this world!
In fact, Lei Fengque and the others did not run into any danger along the way.
“I see…”
Soon, Lin Xun noticed something. In the hands of the woman in colorful clothing was a black tortoise-shell-like plate.
The light and shadow parts of the plate altered while the compass needle swung around and pointed the way for Lei Fengque and others.
At this moment, Lin Xun had to admit that the Great Six Courts were indeed colossi with unimaginably powerful foundations.
This was the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone that was full of unknowns and unpredictable dangers.
Even so, disciples from the Great Six Courts were clearly able to come well prepared!