Seeing Ming Qi decisively change the subject, the gray-robed young man's face lit up with joy. He quickly walked to a corner of the cave and, after groping for a while on the jagged stone wall, heard a loud bang as a door suddenly opened in the nearby rock face.
"This is the secret passage. After exiting, continue west for five hundred miles. There's a stone forest. Inside the stone forest is a small, inconspicuous pit. Go down into the pit and you'll find it."
Perhaps realizing Ming Qi wouldn't pursue the matter of his brutal murder of the girl, the gray-robed young man pointed out the path in one breath.
"You lied to me!"
Ming Qi shouted coldly without warning, his spear suddenly raised.
"No, no, absolutely true. There are only a few small mortal villages around there, and no cultivators would ever notice it."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Ming Qi's tone still betrayed a hint of skepticism, and he didn't lower his spear.
"If you truly don't believe me, I'll take you to see it right now."
The gray-robed young man was at his wit's end. Seeing that he'd talked himself dry, yet the other party still refused to believe him, he could only take one last step.
As he spoke, Ming Qi replied, "I'll find the way myself. No need to bother you."
"Uh."
The gray-robed young man suddenly sensed something was amiss, but before he could think, he saw a flash of red light before him.
He opened his eyes wide, but never had the chance to close them again.
Ming Qi's spear had completely pierced his head, and blood and saliva spurted out, spilling onto the ground.
"Demon, that's all."
Ming Qi muttered to himself, pulling out his spear and wiping the blood off the tip with a handkerchief.
At sunset, Ming Qi reappeared at the entrance of Tianshui Village.
Beside him stood the rescued girl, wearing Ming Qi's clothes.
The girl's face was pale, as if she hadn't fully adjusted to the sudden change. However, her mind was clear, and it was clear that she, like Qin Luo, was a strong girl.
"Go home! That man is dead, and he won't harm the villagers anymore."
Ming Qi said calmly, looking at the unknown girl.
The girl stood there, gazing at Ming Qi for a long moment, then suddenly knelt and bowed solemnly several times.
"If I meet you again in my next life, Xiaoyu will definitely be your woman."
Ming Qi said nothing, simply waving his hand, signaling her to go home.
Tianshui Village was a thing of the past for Ming Qi. He couldn't stay there forever. So, he didn't even enter the village. After sending the girl back, he turned and left.
The ten-thousand-year-old crimson pearl vine, if true, would surely be Ming Qi's greatest opportunity to reach the innate realm!
For this very reason, Ming Qi was determined to find out!
Using the leaves of the sacred tree, Ming Qi returned to the Soul-Breaking Cliff.
The gray fog still lingered above the Soul-Breaking Cliff, but Ming Qi ignored it. After crossing the ridge, he arrived at the cave he had been in. The gray-clothed man's body was still there. Ming Qi examined it, then bent down to peel off the man's gray robe and put it away. He also casually took his storage bag and then entered the secret passage on the side of the cave.
After entering the secret passage, Ming Qi lit a flame at his fingertips to illuminate the way and walked forward cautiously.
The secret passage wasn't long, but Ming Qi walked very carefully. By the time he emerged, the sky was already filled with stars.
According to the gray-clothed young man, Ming Qi headed directly west.
Five hundred miles isn't something you can easily cover. Ming Qi's constant consumption of the spiritual power from the sacred tree leaves had left little, so he was probably very lucky to have completed the five hundred miles.
Late into the night, Ming Qi found a quiet spot to rest and recuperate. After a day of travel, rest and recovery were necessary.
Acquired cultivators are different from those born after birth. While innate cultivators can maintain abundant physical and mental strength through constant sleep and the nourishment of Yuan Jing, the situation is different for acquired cultivators. The source of their strength ultimately comes from their most basic physical strength.
A person stands beneath a tree, while the wind blows through the treetops.
It was already chilly in the late winter night.
Ming Qi longed to find someone to talk to, but he didn't wake Meng Ling. Meng Ling needed rest, especially without blood.
Furthermore, the upcoming adventure was likely to be an unprecedentedly fierce battle. In the event of danger, Meng Ling would be needed to save the day. Therefore, Meng Ling's good condition was an added layer of security for Ming Qi.
The next day, they continued westward. Since they had to observe the surrounding terrain as they went, Ming Qi didn't move fast.
Two days later, at noon, Ming Qi finally saw the stone forest the gray-robed youth had mentioned.
This stone forest was over ten times larger than the one atop Soul-Breaking Cliff. A rough estimate suggested its circumference was nearly a hundred miles. It was hard to imagine how such a vast forest could have formed.
Slowly entering the stone forest, Ming Qi began searching for the large pit the gray-clothed man had mentioned.
However, finding a deep pit leading to a hidden underground cave within this hundred-mile stone forest was incredibly difficult.
Thankfully, Ming Qi's search was methodical. Near nightfall, he finally found a large pit in an inconspicuous corner. It was bottomless, and a faint, eerie wind seeped from it.
After finding the location, Ming Qi didn't jump in immediately. Instead, he rested nearby for an hour, aligning himself, before cautiously exploring.
Soon, Ming Qi discovered that the pit wasn't vertically deep. A dozen meters below, the tunnel began to slope, gradually flattening out. This prevented a fatal fall.
Ming Qi continued to light a small flame as he cautiously advanced along the inky black, damp passage.
According to the gray-robed youth's words, finding this location meant they were not far from the thousand-year-old crimson pearl vine and had likely entered the territory of the guardian demonic beast. This demonic beast possessed a remarkable ability to sense demons, but it was not particularly sensitive to ordinary cultivators. Ming Qi was already approaching the rumored thousand-year-old crimson pearl vine, but the guardian demonic beast seemed to be completely silent.
Of course, that presumed the gray-robed youth's words were true and not a lie.
The dark cavernous passage was damp and rotten, emitting a thick, unpleasant odor. Ming Qi had to cover his nose with his sleeve almost the entire way through.
Thankfully, the dark cavernous passage wasn't long, and after walking for a while, Ming Qi suddenly noticed a faint light filtering through from the front. It seemed there was something truly mysterious going on.
The path ahead was filled with uncertainty. Ming Qi took each step with extreme caution, making absolutely no sound. The road was winding, and he walked with aplomb.
Gradually, before Ming Qi could pinpoint the source of the light ahead, he heard the crisp sound of a spring.
There's actually a spring here?
Ming Qi, intrigued, continued forward. As he rounded another abrupt bend, his vision suddenly lit up.
What unfolded before Ming Qi was a scene that would astonish anyone.
The space before him was no longer as narrow as the previous passageway. The narrow passageway had reached its end here. The space here was vast, and several springs oozed from the ceiling of the cavern, dripping onto the ground, forming a small circular lake. The gurgling sound Ming Qi had heard earlier was the result of the water seeping down from above and dripping into the lake.
This small lake was indeed small, only about a hundred meters in circumference. Strictly speaking, it couldn't be considered a lake, but at best a larger puddle.
However, Ming Qi didn't dwell on that, simply treating it as a natural lake.
The water was clear and transparent, a delight to the eye. In the very center of the lake stood a protruding black square stone platform, upon which grew a strange vine, approximately one meter tall.
This peculiar vine, rooted in the black stone platform, was incredibly impressive. Its branches and tender leaves emitted a soft white glow, illuminating the entire dark cave with remarkable brightness.
The light Ming Qi had seen earlier was the same aura emitted by this strange vine.
Could this be the thousand-year-old crimson pearl vine?
A thought struck Ming Qi, and he took a few steps forward to observe it more closely.
The vine stood about a meter tall. Upon closer inspection, Ming Qi immediately noticed hints of pink amidst its tender green, and the branches and leaves were covered in glistening dewdrops.
Reflecting on his memory, Ming Qi finally felt a surge of excitement. This vine was the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine!
A legendary rare treasure, a precious spiritual herb of ten thousand years.
After confirming it was the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine, Ming Qi wasn't foolish enough to rush in and claim it for himself.
He was already standing right in front of the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine, so why hadn't the guardian demon beast appeared?
Ming Qi didn't rush forward to dig up the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine. Instead, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
But everything was quiet, silent, and he couldn't sense any threat.
Could it be that the guardian demon beast had left?
Ming Qi cherished a hope. If that was the case, he would be incredibly lucky today.
However, just when he thought there truly weren't any powerful demonic beasts guarding the area, the tranquil atmosphere was shattered.
The once tranquil and clear lake suddenly seemed to boil, bubbles bubbling up!
Hmm?
Ming Qi reacted incredibly quickly. Upon noticing the unusual movement on the water's surface, he retreated in a flash, retreating directly to the passage's exit.
The water surface began to simmer, and then a palm-sized flag rose from a corner of the lake. This small flag emanated an eerie, overwhelming pressure, and in the blink of an eye, Ming Qi felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead!
Such pressure! A single palm-sized flag could unleash such a powerful pressure. Who on earth could this person be?