ragginovel Chapter 2423 Climbing Vine
Chapter 2423 Climbing Vine
Chapter 2423 Climbing Vine
"No! The warmth isn't real!"
Qin Sang suddenly became alert.
Guixu should be desolate, but it is too calm and peaceful here. There is only boundless water, without waves, fish, insects or aquatic plants, not even a speck of dust.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly fully activated its Heavenly Eye Divine Power, and its vision was filled with the waters of the Void.
This tranquility evokes feelings of home and warmth.
Unexpectedly, even with the help of the jade Buddha to resist the erosion of the Ruins, he was still affected by the Ruins.
After the battle of the Divine Court, Qin Sang knew that the Jade Buddha's abilities also had limits, but he should not have exceeded the Jade Buddha's limits yet, otherwise he would have already begun to be assimilated by the Void and would not have been aware of it at all.
The warmth was not an illusion, nor was it the Void assimilating him; rather, his physical body entered the Void, and his flesh and bone marrow were immersed in this tranquility, which then reached the depths of his consciousness.
What would happen if you didn't have a jade Buddha?
Qin Sang tried to deduce the result.
The moment you enter the Ruins of Return, the Ruins of Return begin to assimilate you. You take all the changes in yourself, such as calmness and warmth, for granted, and you will not actively 'awaken' yourself.
As time goes by, you will become more and more relaxed, and then you may feel sleepy and gradually overwhelm yourself. This process is also very subtle.
At this point, all vigilance vanishes, all defenses are dropped, and he seems to revert to being an infant, with sleep becoming his only instinct.
Cultivators with strong wills may be able to persevere longer, and may even have a brief moment of vigilance in their minds, but under the relentless onslaught of the Ruins of Return, they will all eventually meet this end.
Once you fall asleep, you can never wake up again unless someone pulls you out from the outside. In fact, once you begin to accept assimilation, it is irreversible.
Do you dream when you fall asleep?
Perhaps, because this is not death, one's consciousness still exists, and the dream should be warm and peaceful.
Returning to the Void is not about killing oneself, but about assimilating oneself.
This can be seen as a form of 'welcome'!
The tranquility displayed in the Ruins is actually a kind of power, which can be called the will of the Ruins, or the power of the Ruins! The power of the Ruins pervades the Ruins, and it not only does not reject intruders, but also generously and unreservedly bestows them upon them, whether the intruders want them or not. The problem is that the intruders' will is not strong enough to receive it, and this gift becomes a harm.
After a period of time, dreams should become fewer and fewer, just like one's own memories, and will slowly be 'swallowed' by the power of the Void.
Ultimately, one will lose all memories, completely lose oneself, and drift aimlessly in the void, becoming a part of the void, unaware of joy or sorrow, unaware of life or death.
These are all Qin Sang's own deductions. The ending should be correct. The real process may be far more complicated than he imagined, but Qin Sang has no desire to experience it firsthand.
It feels good to be protected by the jade Buddha.
Qin Sang looked down at the 'pearl' in his hand. After entering the Ruins of Return, he discovered that the pearl was not pointing in a straight line; it was leading him in circles.
The pearl had just led him in a large circle, and then began a second circle, slightly smaller and deeper than the first, descending in a spiral.
If this pattern continues, the route will continue to shrink until it converges to a single point deep within the Ruins.
"Is it possible to reach the end directly?"
Qin Sang thought about it for a moment and then gave up, obediently following the movement of the pearl.
Round and round it went, the shrinking speed was slower than expected, but fortunately Qin Sang had plenty of patience.
"Hopefully they won't unravel the secrets of the sea of clouds too quickly."
As the thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, a sudden realization struck her, and she made a surprising discovery.
Just now, the 'mole' on his wrist seemed to have a faint connection with something!
He was certain that the sensation he had just sensed did not come from outside. The demons like the Plague Lord should not dare to enter the Ruins of Return now. Since it wasn't because of the transparent tortoise shell in the Plague Lord's hand, could it be that the owner of the tomb had also entered and left something behind?
The tomb's owner was likely a powerful demon saint, possessing great supernatural abilities, and presumably had a way to resist the assimilation of the Ruins.
"Both tortoise shells ultimately point here? And they're on the same path guided by the pearl—is it a coincidence?"
Qin Sang did not turn back immediately, but continued to follow the route of the pearl, circled around and returned, and sensed something again near the previous location.
Next, that sensation appeared intermittently, which seemed to be a route, and it seemed to point in the same direction as the pearl.
The pearl is the key to the secret realm, and there must be an important secret hidden in the Ruins of Return ahead. The owner of the tomb found it without using the pearl, and it seems that he even opened up a shortcut.
Will the two routes eventually lead to the same point?
Qin Sang was unsure and did not change her route, after all, pearls were still more reliable.
After going around in circles for who knows how many times, Qin Sang felt like she was walking in a whirlpool. Just as this thought arose, she suddenly realized that she might really be in the whirlpool!
The waters of Guixu were too calm. Even if there were whirlpools, they didn't show any outward signs. If it weren't for the pearl guiding the way, I might have experienced the power of the "whirlpools" firsthand.
After entering the Ruins of Return, Qin Sang's mind became even more active, with one idea after another. However, due to boredom, the Ruins of Return were so calm that not even a single enemy could be seen.
"Ok?"
Suddenly, Qin Sang felt her vision becoming somewhat blurry.
It's a Tianmu butterfly!
They have maintained their supernatural ability of seeing with their third eye.
Qin Sang looked inward and found that the Tianmu Butterfly was drowsy. The Tianmu Butterfly was his natal Gu worm. Usually, when it was exposed to the Buddha's light, it could also obtain the benefits of the Jade Buddha. He didn't expect that it couldn't hold on now.
"Oh no, what if the little Qilin also..."
Qin Sang quickly focused her mind on the small cave, where she saw the little Qilin lying on the mountaintop. The token she had obtained from the Seven Constellations of Xuanwu was placed in front of it. The little Qilin was lazy and seemed to be half asleep. When it sensed Qin Sang's presence, it only raised its eyelids slightly.
"Hiss! The Void can actually influence the Lesser Thousand Worlds!"
Qin Sang was shocked. As expected of the legendary secret realm of heaven and earth, nothing in the world could escape the fate of entering the Ruins.
And Xiao Wu too!
After Xiao Wu began refining the Black Lotus, Qin Sang placed the Five Elements Crown into the Small Cave Heaven, and Xiao Wu has not yet awakened.
Qin Sang looked at the Five Elements Crown and called out a few times, but as before, there was no response. However, the Five Elements Crown seemed even more silent than before.
Even the spirits of artifacts can be assimilated!
As for the spirit insects he kept in the small cave, they had long since fallen into a deep sleep.
Looking at the desolate little cave, Qin Sang felt a chill run down her spine, truly experiencing the terror of the Ruins of Return.
"We cannot stay here any longer!"
Even if he is not assimilated by the Void, Tianmu Butterfly and the others will not be able to hold on.
"Wake up... calm your mind..."
Qin Sang kept calling out to them to keep them from falling asleep.
The Wandering Sword is being nurtured by the primordial spirit, so Wandering Sword is the least of our worries. Furthermore, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly is in the best condition. The Little Qilin isn't as bad as we imagined, perhaps because it's inside the small grotto-heaven, which provides an extra layer of protection.
The assimilation by the Ruins is gradual and will not cause them immediate harm. Since they are still able to persevere, and since they have already come all this way, Qin Sang did not withdraw immediately, and this was also a test of their character.
'Shuh! '
Lightning crackled around the phoenix wings as Qin Sang unleashed the Azure Phoenix True Lightning, employing the full power of his lightning escape technique.
As the route gradually narrowed, Qin Sang felt she was getting closer and closer to that point. Her gaze sharpened, and for the first time in the Ruins of Return, she saw something beyond the waters of the Ruins of Return.
He saw a shadow deep within the Ruins of Return.
The shadow was gray and looked very large, like a giant mountain. Qin Sang couldn't see the shadow in its entirety, but upon closer inspection, she could see circular lines within it, some darker and some whitish.
These lines are almost parallel, forming concentric circles.
As Qin Sang got closer to the shadow and saw it more clearly, it reminded him of the shell of a river clam.
"A pearl, could it be..."
Qin Sang's heart stirred, and she activated her spiritual eye with all her might, and it really did seem to be a giant clam shell.
There are clam demons in the world. In Kanzhou and the Fog Sea, clam women are among the most sought-after commodities. Even within the demon race, the demon king likes to use clam women as slaves.
Qin Sang had never seen such a huge clam shell before. Could it be a clam demon assimilated by the Void?
This clam demon must have been asleep in the Ruins for a long time. Is it still alive? Is it still conscious?
Qin Sang remained vigilant and eventually landed on the clam shell, which was as large as a mountain, while he was like an ant at the foot of the mountain.
His landing point was precisely at the edge of the clam shell; a long line could be seen by bending down slightly. The two shells were tightly closed, seemingly leaving no gap for him to pass through. Qin Sang raised his left arm, confirming that the mole was pointing in the same direction. So, had the tomb's owner been inside?
"what?"
Qin Sang saw a faint glow emanating from the surface of the mole.
Ever since this black mole appeared on my body, it's been like a persistent ailment, impossible to get rid of. But now it seems to be leaving.
A ghostly light flickered, the black mole gradually blurred, and a familiar tortoise shell suddenly appeared above the arm.
The tortoise shell floated in the air and slowly rotated.
Then, a flash of inspiration struck, and the tortoise shell pressed tightly against the seam of the clam shell, like a divine tortoise lying there.
"So, it was actually able to guide me here and help me get in?"
Qin Sang stared at the tortoise shell, vaguely feeling that it was different from the rest, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what the difference was. She guessed it must be the work of the tomb's owner.
It now seems that both this tortoise shell and the transparent tortoise shell of the Plague God are tokens. Perhaps because some conditions could not be met for the tortoise shell to decipher its secrets, Qin Sang was unable to obtain guidance.
The Plague Lord clearly failed to gain the approval of the tortoise shell, and was even less so than him.
The two tortoise shells are likely of different importance, with the one from Qin Sang, which came from the tomb of the tomb's owner, being significantly more important.
Unexpectedly, by some twist of fate, he still came, and with even more useful treasures!
The tomb's occupant was an intruder, and the tortoise shell was clearly inferior to the pearl. However, the tomb's occupant might have left something inside, so Qin Sang still picked up the tortoise shell.
Next, Qin Sang tried to sense the pearl through the clam shell, and after a moment, she reached one arm into the crevice of the shell.
"As expected, pearls made from oyster shells are the true source!"
Qin Sang did not sense any danger. As long as she was enveloped in the spiritual light of the pearl, it seemed easy for her to enter.
In addition, Qin Sang also discovered a connection between the pearl and the shell, but he was not yet able to determine what this connection meant.
The pearl emitted a faint spiritual light, which spread to Qin Sang's body and eventually enveloped him. Qin Sang carefully stepped into the crevice of the pearl shell, but when he passed through the crevice, he was met with darkness.
There is no water here, it is very empty and pitch black, but the power of the Void is still there, and it is even more concentrated than outside.
Whether it was Qin Sang's imagination or not, there seemed to be an added sense of gloom in the darkness, and there was no sign of life either.
If this were a clam demon, Qin Sang should be able to sense its presence inside it, unless it was already dead.
Looking out, there was nothing. The inside of the clam shell looked much wider than the outside. If one were to explore it carefully, it would surely take a long time.
Qin Sang had to consider the Tianmu butterflies, so she couldn't stay too long. It seemed she could only explore a part of the area first.
Having randomly chosen a direction, Qin Sang mounted her escape light and was about to set off when she suddenly looked up, her expression changed, and she quickly retreated to the entrance of the clam shell, staring intently at the sky above.
There were no boundaries here, and an unusual fluctuation emanated from the void above Qin Sang's head. The fluctuation grew clearer, as if something was about to emerge.
Qin Sang was on high alert. He secretly activated his Taoist magic, summoning the Mingshan Armor to protect his body, and then summoned the Daiyu Immortal Mountain, holding it in his palm.
However, the first thought that came to his mind was actually to retreat.
Immediately afterwards, a faint light flashed in the void, and Qin Sang sensed a rich vitality from it, which was completely out of place with the surroundings.
The faint green light was extremely dazzling in the darkness, and the green glow became even more conspicuous, flickering slightly, and a tender green vine stretched out!
The green vine appeared out of nowhere, growing little by little, with pairs of leaves growing parallel to each other on both sides of the vine, like a ladder.
The next moment, Qin Sang's eyes widened suddenly as she stared in disbelief at the figure that appeared on the vine ladder.
"Why are you here!"
Qin Sang and the figure spoke in unison, their tones identical, both filled with astonishment.
A fiery red spirit bird descended from the vine ladder, its brows filled with arrogance, its gaze sweeping over everyone with a haughty look that was incredibly irritating—it was the Vermilion Bird!
Qin Sang never expected to see Zhuque here. Wasn't this guy on the north bank of the Lotus Ferry Marsh? How come he's here?
And how did this guy get in?
"You...ah!"
Zhuque yawned widely, looking sleepy, and complained, "What a lousy place this is!"
"How did you get in?"
Qin Sang's gaze shifted to the vine ladder beneath Zhuque, and a thought struck her: "This green vine, is it from that seed?"
"I couldn't hide it from you for long after all!"
Zhuque sighed deeply. She had originally planned to give Qin Sang a big 'surprise' once it grew up.
"You still haven't answered me! Where exactly is this place?!"
Zhuque kept complaining, "This dead climbing vine, is it fake? How did it bring me to this godforsaken place! I almost got lost. If I hadn't suddenly sensed you, I would have fallen asleep."