ImmortalCockroach
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129 Hi, big brother!
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 17:05:08 +0000 UTCAs they stepped into the fortress, they were greeted by a massive, empty hall. Towering stone pillars stood scattered throughout, their immense height dominating the space. The floor's stone tiles, the surrounding walls, the lofty ceiling, and the intricately carved stone pillars all shared the same bluish-black hue, exuding an ancient smell and aura.
At the end of the hall, the surrounding walls had stone doors spaced every sixty meters. Some were open, revealing paths to unknown destinations, while others were closed. A massive round stone stage stood at the end, thirty meters tall and three hundred meters wide.
To the right of the stage, tall stone stairs led up to the second level of the fortress.
"So big!" Hei Xiaolian exclaimed in astonishment, covering her small mouth with her palm.
"...Wording, mind your wording, please," Yun Wuji chided her, black lines appearing on his forehead.
Jasmine completely ignored Hei Xiaolian's mischief and observed the hall with her narrowed beautiful eyes.
"There's something over there," she said, noticing something. She placed her palm on Yun Wuji's shoulder, and before he could react, her body flashed. In the next moment, they were above the stage.
"..." Yun Wuji blinked his eyes and gave Jasmine a casual glance. A Divine Master's speed was so fast that even with his own speed, it was as if they'd teleported, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of the path they crossed.
"Did you see that red light?" Jasmine pointed toward the end of the stage and asked.
Yun Wuji followed her gaze, and a faint red glow seemed to flash past his eyes once more. He quickly walked over, bent down to touch the bluish-black rock, and said, "It's here, under this stage."
"Move aside, I'll open it," Jasmine told him as she pushed him aside. Aiming her finger at the tiles on the floor, a red light appeared, and she fired a thin crimson beam at it.
Yun Wuji raised an eyebrow at her. Wasn't she a bit too 'eager'? Normally, she wouldn't lift a finger even if she were curious about something. So why was she acting so differently this time?
What he didn't know was that Jasmine thought he was angry at her, and thought that if she acted helpful, Yun Wuji might forgive her for the prank.
The red beam faced almost no resistance, easily cutting open a hole. Jasmine then turned to Yun Wuji and said, "Let's go."
Yun Wuji nodded, and they both jumped down. After descending about 20 or 30 meters, they landed on the ground. Looking around, the space here wasn't large, no more than thirty meters wide. It was completely empty and clean, except for a ball of red light hovering in the center of the area.
The ball was about Yun Wuji's height, appearing perfectly round. The red light it emitted fluctuated, growing stronger and weaker, but overall, the light was soft and lacked any offensive power.
"Sky...Poison...Pearl."
"Save...save...her."
At that moment, a very faint voice suddenly echoed through the area.
"Who is it?!" Jasmine spread her senses, scanning the entire space.
As Jasmine's voice fell, a dim white shadow slowly emerged beside the ball of red light. It was the silhouette of a woman dressed in white. Her body was small and slightly hunched, and half of her hair had turned white. All of this suggested that she was an elder, long past her prime.
"Who are you?" Jasmine asked coldly, her gaze fixed on the white shadow.
"I am a guardian... I am guarding my little mistress..." The old woman spoke in a soft, yet incredibly ancient-sounding voice. Her gaze locked onto Yun Wuji. "I have always been searching for you... and I've been searching for you... for so long... so long..."
"Looking for me?" Yun Wuji pretended to be surprised, pointing at himself as he asked, "Or are you looking for the Sky Poison Pearl?"
"Correct... I controlled this profound ark... jumping from dimension to dimension... all for the sake of finding the Sky Poison Pearl..."
Jasmine's eyes widened slightly. She turned to the old woman and asked, "This profound ark is under your control?"
"In the beginning... it was indeed under my control... but... at that time, I had also been poisoned with a devilish poison... and every breath eroded my life and my very soul... In order to preserve my awareness and continue guarding my little mistress... I gave up my body and eighty percent of my soul... what remains is only a lingering spirit... powerless to pilot this profound ark... But the ark still follows the memory imprint I left behind, relentlessly traveling through a cycle of dimensions... endlessly repeating... each cycle lasting three hundred years... The profound ark's energy... has been steadily depleting... and now... its energy source... is nearly gone..."
"Thank the heavens for their mercy... before my lingering spirit is extinguished... and before the ark's destruction... you have finally arrived..."
Listening to her, Jasmine turned to look at Yun Wuji, her eyes barely concealing her astonishment. She guessed that he must have used his 'Prediction' skill to find this place.
'This skill is way too overpowered, it defies the heavens! But this bastard is using it recklessly. Who knows what he's lost this time! Damn it! Someday he's going to get himself killed!'
The old lady's eyes fixed on the light profound energy covering Yun Wuji's body, sensing that he was a good person. She spoke slowly, her tone filled with pleading desperation. "Please... help... my little mistress... her body has been inflicted with a terrible devilish poison... In the whole universe... only the Sky Poison Pearl can cure her... In order to stop the invasion of this poison... our little mistress was sealed into the Coffin of Eternity."
"Coffin of Eternity?" Jasmine's curiosity was piqued, so she asked.
"In the battle between the gods and devils..." The old lady's voice grew more and more ethereal as she recounted the past. In the war between the gods and devils, her clan was the first to be wiped out by the poison the devils used. Her clan's master sealed her little mistress in the Coffin of Eternity and sent her away with the Primordial Ark.
"If I can help, then I am more than willing to do so," Yun Wuji stepped forward and said earnestly.
"As expected, you are indeed a good person. Anyone who can cultivate Light Profound Energy has the heart of a saint. I am truly relieved to leave my little mistress with you,"
"Thank you..." The elderly woman's voice grew weaker, and slower, her figure fading away as if it were being dispersed by the wind.
'Why did she disappear now? That doesn't add up. She should have been able to hold on for a few more years,' Yun Wuji frowned. In the novel, this old woman stayed until Yun Che helped Hong'er. Why did she disappear so early?
'Well, it doesn't matter. With Jasmine around, nothing can go wrong,' Yun Wuji quickly shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the red ball. With a Divine Master by his side, Yun Wuji felt an unmatched sense of reliance and safety. He didn't have to waste time practicing dialogue beforehand to bullshit ancient divine spirits, or scheme against them, he could just blast them all.
When Yun Wuji approached the ball, it suddenly stopped flickering and froze in place, emitting a soft ping, like the sound of glass shattering.
In an instant, a vertical crack appeared on the ball of light. Soon after, the ball evaporated as if pierced by an unseen force, breaking apart into numerous red shards that scattered in the air before vanishing completely.
Though the red protective ball of light dissipated, not all of the red glow disappeared. As the ball vanished, a crystal coffin, faintly glowing with a red hue, appeared before Yun Wuji.
Inside the crystal coffin lay a petite girl, her hands crossed gently in front of her chest. She had long vermillion red hair, flowing naturally behind her.
'Finally, I found you, my weapon,' Yun Wuji thought to himself. He placed a hand on top of the crystal coffin and pushed open the lid. The moment he did, a black shroud of fog began to emanate from the red-haired girl's body, growing thicker at an alarming speed.
"What a dreadful poison! It's almost as terrifying as the Absolute God Slaying Poison!" Jasmine frowned, her expression tense as she drew in a sharp breath, a chill running through her.
Yun Wuji quickly raised his left hand and placed it on Hong'er's chest. A jade-green glow flared to life, enveloping her completely. Under the cleansing power of the Sky Poison Pearl, the devilish poison within the red-haired girl began to subside. Gradually, the ominous black fog dissipated, consumed and purified by the Sky Poison Pearl, until it vanished entirely.
The jade-green glow of the Sky Poison Pearl faded as Yun Wuji retracted his hand.
The girl remained in peaceful slumber, her serene expression almost making one hesitate to make any noise, as though the slightest sound might disturb her. Jasmine frowned deeply and asked, "No signs of life? Could she already be dead?"
Yun Wuji didn't respond. Instead, he extended his hand once more, this time emitting a pure white light. The radiant glow spread out, gently enveloping the girl's delicate figure.
As the Light Profound Energy washed over her, the girl's long red lashes fluttered gently. Moments later, her eyes, closed for what felt like an eternity, slowly opened as she murmured softly, "So warm~!"
Her eyes were like rubies, stunning and radiant. When they opened, it felt as if the dark sky was illuminated by starlight. Unlike Jasmine's bloodthirsty red, this red was pure and divine, as if formed from the essence of heaven and earth, breathtakingly beautiful.
As Yun Wuji gazed at her, the girl's red eyes met his. After a moment, she blinked, then slowly sat up within the crystal coffin. Her delicate eyebrows arched slightly, forming thin, charming crescents above her vibrant eyes. With an unbearably cute smile lighting up her face, she cheerfully greeted, "Hi, big brother!"
"Hi, what's your name, little girl?" Yun Wuji smiled warmly at her, extending his hand, still glowing with white light, to gently pat her head.
