Inside the painted world, this place was like a secluded grotto-heaven paradise isolated from the world, complete unto itself, possessing a vast space of nearly ten thousand li in circumference.
There was no alternation of day and night here. The sky was not the ordinary blue either, but a majestic gold.
He Shu walked aimlessly through the wooded forest, casually snapping off a tree branch and inserting it into the ground to serve as a landmark.
She had already been walking without purpose for nearly an hour.
From the moment she entered this strange space, she had lost contact with the other four.
Along the way He Shu had also encountered many ordinary people and cultivators who, like her, had been inexplicably transmitted inside.
“I must find them and regroup as quickly as possible. Although I can still cast spells here, I am unable to recover true essence, and I cannot even convert spirit stones.”
He Shu had already tried.
No matter how many spirit stones she attempted to refine, they would not transform into true essence and enter her artificial golden core.
Instead they turned into spiritual qi and were absorbed by this space.
In such an unfamiliar environment, banding together for warmth was clearly safer than fighting alone.
Shen Qingci and He Qingyuan were veteran undercover agents with rich experience.
Bai Liuli was at the peak of Golden Core and possessed powerful strength.
Excluding herself, among the group of five the one He Shu worried about most was Mu Xinlian.
Because Mu Xinlian was the only one among the five who had no wilderness survival experience.
While hurrying along, He Shu recalled the memories from before being drawn into the painted world.
“The Grief Valley City Lord originally should have intended to gather the entire city’s population into the painting for protection, yet a mistake occurred and he also drew Hen Xiu inside. He clearly has not yet fully refined this painting.”
This point was very easy to judge. If the Grief Valley City Lord had completely mastered this painting, it would have been impossible for him not to use it during the battle.
Cultivators retaining hidden cards also depended on timing.
When completely at a disadvantage in a life-and-death struggle, still wishing to retain a hidden card was simply seeking death.
After walking another half day, He Shu found a small stream and stopped to rest.
The stream was not deep, reaching only to He Shu’s calves.
The water was clear; with a single glance one could see the swimming fish within.
“These are fry of the Variegated Silver Fish. It seems the Grief Valley City Lord has been managing this painted world for quite a number of years.”
The Variegated Silver Fish was a Light Path creature.
Adult individuals produced fry only once every twenty years, and not long after giving birth they would die.
This type of fish was covered in a layer of hard, iron-like silver scales.
Its flesh was firm and chewy, yet extremely unpalatable, and eating it easily caused nausea.
The ordinary method of handling Variegated Silver Fish was to peel off the scales for use as forging materials and then directly discard the fish meat.
Nature possessed its own mysterious wonders.
It was precisely by being extremely unpalatable that the Variegated Silver Fish was able to expand its population under a twenty-year breeding cycle.
After resting for only a brief moment, He Shu continued hurrying toward the Five-Colored Mountain at the very center of the painted world.
Outside, above Grief Valley Immortal City, the Thousand-Li Flourishing Landscape Chart radiated a soft halo of nearly a hundred zhang from the inside outward.
It floated there quietly, as if within easy reach, yet the three Void Refinement great powers all dared not act rashly.
The reason was none other than this: although the halo radiating from the painting scroll appeared unremarkable, it contained extreme killing intent.
Quite a number of cultivators had already lost their lives beneath the halo, and their manners of death were extremely uniform.
Upon a white cloud that blotted out the sky and sun stood a glazed palace.
Lin Bufan resided within it.
The glazed palace shone brilliantly under the sunlight, as if its entire body were made of crystal. Upon the main hall were written three large characters: “True Yang Palace.”
The True Yang Palace was in essence a massive immortal-crafted construct, a heavy treasure that stabilized the Lin clan, a symbol of their foundation.
Without question, among the three Void Refinement cultivators present, Lin Bufan possessed the greatest prestige, standing a full head taller than the other two.
Helan Tian wore black-and-gold battle armor of extreme thickness.
His features were firm and rugged, with a broad face, high bridge of the nose, and a pair of golden pupils in which sharp light flashed repeatedly.
Others called him the “Tiger King.”
He was one of the rare Strength Path Void Refinement cultivators in the world.
His combat power was extremely fierce, a powerhouse of long-standing fame.
From his appearance alone one could easily tell that he was not a person of the southern region, but a pure-blooded man of the Northern Plains.
“Tiger King, Master of the Wind-Rain Pavilion, this heavy treasure is something my Lin Bufan is determined to obtain. Even if you two join forces you will not succeed.”
Lin Bufan’s voice was resonant.
Falling upon the ears of the Tiger King and the Master of the Wind-Rain Pavilion, it was full of provocative meaning.
“Lin Bufan, you are a bit too arrogant. You have your True Yang Palace. Do you think I do not have my Wind-Rain Pavilion?”
The Master of the Wind-Rain Pavilion’s brows were tightly furrowed.
Facing Lin Bufan’s provocation, he chose to confront it head-on.
His words carried full momentum, yet his body unconsciously drew a little closer to the “Tiger King” Helan Tian.
The three Void Refinement great powers engaged in verbal combat, their words extremely fierce.
None were willing to yield.
Just at this moment, an aura not the least bit weaker than that of the “Tiger King” Helan Tian appeared within the senses of the three immortals from the horizon.
Accompanying it was a lingering female voice.
“Hehehehe~ So the three fellow daoists are all here. It seems I have arrived a little late.”
“Bai Shuilian!”
The instant they heard the voice, the three Void Refinement great powers spoke in unison, naming the newcomer’s identity.
Helan Tian’s brows furrowed tightly. Unconsciously he gripped the long spear in his hand a little harder.
The Master of the Wind-Rain Pavilion’s expression also turned ugly.
A miniature form of the Wind-Rain Pavilion appeared in his left hand.
Bai Shuilian’s appearance was bewitching. She wore a pure-white long skirt that floated with immortal air, satin ribbons fluttering.
Her black hair hung like an inky waterfall to her waist.
The waves before her chest were magnificent. She was barefoot, stepping upon the empty air.
Who could have imagined that such a beauty actually belonged to the demonic path camp and was an out-and-out female demoness?
The moment she joined, the original three-way standoff was instantly broken, becoming even more perplexing.
At this very moment, surrounding the struggle for the Thousand-Li Flourishing Landscape Chart, the orthodox path, rogue cultivators, and demonic path all had Void Refinement cultivators stepping onto the field.
“Bai Shuilian, why are you not properly remaining at your Chaotic Star Cliff? What are you doing running here? This seat still remembers that you only recently crossed a tribulation, does it not?”
At the Void Refinement level, one either advanced or retreated.
For every so often the Heavenly Dao would send down calamities, each more terrifying in might than the last.
Lin Bufan’s words were correct.
Bai Shuilian had indeed only recently crossed a tribulation and was precisely in a period of weakness.
Bai Shuilian behaved quite magnanimously. She gave a charming laugh and actually admitted it directly.
“Yes. Fellow Daoist Lin’s words are correct. I did indeed only recently cross a tribulation. Yet that does not mean I fear fellow daoist.”
As she spoke, Bai Shuilian directly summoned her own Dharma Manifestation.
Her powerful divine sense pressed upon the three great Void Refinement cultivators until their hearts trembled with fear.
“Such powerful divine sense…!”
“She successfully crossed the tribulation, and her strength has risen another notch!”
Helan Tian was astonished. The Master of the Wind-Rain Pavilion’s expression grew heavy. Even Lin Bufan fell silent.
Seeing this and knowing that her establishment of authority had succeeded, Bai Shuilian covered her mouth and laughed lightly, withdrawing the phantom of her Dharma Manifestation.
After the scene remained silent for a while, the countless demonic path cultivators below began calling out Bai Shuilian’s name.
“Senior Bai is mighty! I have long found the Lin family people unbearable!”
“Senior Bai is not only a beauty who can topple nations and cities, her strength is also quite powerful…”
“Three Void Refinement cultivators were actually scared into becoming grandsons by a single person. Truly shameful enough to reach grandmother’s house.”
“The orthodox declines and the demonic rises! The orthodox declines and the demonic rises!”