Onward they went.
Shangguan Shimingâs scalp tingled as she truly began to realize the terror of this small world. Here, every Demonic Beast was at the level of Reaching the Divine. From time to time, beasts at the peak of Reaching the Divine would even appear.
At first, only Shi Potian was injured. As time went on, both she and Morphy were also covered in wounds.
Morphy might have seemed like a clueless young girl, but her willpower astonished Shangguan Shiming. Even covered in wounds, she never uttered a sound. Whenever she was injured by a Demonic Beast, as long as Lin Mu said, "Morphy did well," she would instantly forget the pain and continue to fight.
A few hours passed. The faces of both Shi Potian and Morphy had turned deathly pale. Shangguan Shiming fared even worse; eventually, she couldnât keep up and had to retreat to Lin Muâs side for protection.
Lin Mu didnât drive her away, but he didnât spare her a single glance. This indifference made Shangguan Shiming feel even more humiliated.
As the group advanced, the scenery of the small world slowly changed. Trees grew scarce, replaced by crumbling ruins. The architectural style was completely different from the outside world, as if from another realm entirely. These ruins were ancient, possibly thousands of years old.
Shangguan Shiming suspected that there might not be any humans left alive here.
"Up ahead," the usually silent Lin Mu said, his expression suddenly changing as he quickened his pace.
Shangguan Shiming groaned inwardly but forced herself to keep up. With her strength, she would be killed by Demonic Beasts in minutes if left alone in this small world.
After they crossed a mountain peak, the view changed once more. The forest vanished completely, replaced by countless grand and magnificent palaces. But just like the previous ruins, these too had long been abandoned.
While they were still puzzled, everyone clearly sensed intense energy fluctuations nearby.
Continuing forward, a tall and majestic Divine Temple appeared before them.
"Changqing Immortal!"
Shangguan Shiming was shocked to find an old man with white hair and a white beard sitting cross-legged before the grand Divine Temple. This man was none other than Changqing, the Foundation Building Immortal who led the last group from the Ancient Land Sect into this small world!
In addition to their daily affairs, every wandering disciple of the Ancient Land Sect was tasked with finding Changqing Immortal. Shangguan Shiming had also received this task. But she had never expected to find him here, and still alive after so many years.
Shangguan Shiming instinctively wanted to rush over, but she saw Lin Mu standing perfectly still. Since Lin Mu didnât move, Shi Potian and Morphy naturally didnât either.
Just then, Changqing Immortal opened his eyes.
His gaze sent a chill down Shangguan Shimingâs spine.
What kind of eyes are those? Theyâre devoid of any immortal grace or bearing.
His eyes held only madness and bloodlust.
ROAR!
Changqing Immortal let out a chilling, inhuman roar.
"Lin Wudi, what is going on?" Shangguan Shiming whispered, retreating to his side.
Lin Mu didnât answer her. Instead, he said to Shi Potian, "Punch forward."
Shi Potian happily complied, throwing a punch.
BOOM!
The force of the punch rippled outward as True Qi radiated in all directions. The attack struck a barrier, and a black membrane of light flickered for an instant. Just like that, an attack powerful enough to kill a Reaching the Divine Demonic Beast was effortlessly nullified.
"You mentioned that several groups of cultivators from the Ancient Land Sect entered this small world and disappeared without a trace?" Lin Mu asked, looking at Shangguan Shiming.
Shangguan Shimingâs face darkened.
If I hadnât seen Lin Mu stop, I would have charged right into that barrier and been reduced to dust.
"Thatâs right. Three groups entered before, and none survived. However, this Changqing Immortal was the leader of the last group."
Immortal. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to call himself an Immortal.
Lin Mu looked on indifferently at the deranged Changqing Immortal.
"Letâs go in."
Lin Mu took the lead and strode forward.
Shangguan Shimingâs eyes widened. Lin Mu didnât collide with the barrier. Instead, he passed through without any resistance, as if it didnât exist at all.
Shi Potian and Morphy followed him, just as unimpeded.
Not understanding what was happening, Shangguan Shiming cautiously stepped forward and found that the black barrier truly seemed to be gone.
Strange.
Once inside, a puzzled Shangguan Shiming threw a probing punch backward.
HUM!
The black barrier appeared once again.
After the ripples subsided, she tried to step back out but was blocked by the energy field. She couldnât leave. She finally understood. The deranged Changqing Immortal wasnât choosing not to leaveâhe was unable to. They were all trapped by the black barrier.
"Your aura... Youâre from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion?" The madness and bloodlust in Changqing Immortalâs eyes faded considerably as he stared at Shangguan Shiming.
Shangguan Shiming said cautiously, "This junior is Shangguan Shiming from the Celestial Northern Dipper Pavilion, currently traveling the world."
"Shangguan Shiming... so youâre a descendant of that old fart Shangguan Xue?" Changqing Immortal stepped toward her.
Shangguan Shimingâs scalp tingled. She discreetly took two steps back toward Lin Mu and said, "Shangguan Xue is indeed my grandfather. Changqing Immortal, you..."
"Since youâre Shangguan Xueâs descendant, you must have Elixirs! Hand them over!" Changqing Immortal suddenly lunged, grabbing for Shangguan Shiming.
Here in the small world, a Foundation Building Immortal was not suppressed by the worldâs laws and could exert their full strength. Shangguan Shiming could not possibly resist the might of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. As Changqing Immortal reached out, an irresistible force pulled her toward his hand.
"No! Lin Wudi, save me!" Shangguan Shiming cried for help, but Lin Mu remained motionless.
THUD!
Changqing Immortalâs hand closed firmly around her neck. He also snatched her Space Ring.
CRACK.
The mark Shangguan Shiming had left on the Space Ring shattered. A Foundation Establishment Stage cultivatorâs Divine Sense had broken it with ease.
What sent a true chill down Shangguan Shimingâs spine was that the first Elixir Changqing Immortal took out was not a Healing Pill, nor one to enhance oneâs Cultivation Level, but a Fasting Pill.
Changqing Immortalâs eyes lit up as he stuffed the Fasting Pill into his mouth, his expression turning rapturous. He looked not as if he were eating a bland, tasteless Fasting Pill, but as if he were savoring a worldly delicacy.
The unthinkable scene filled Shangguan Shiming with horror.
How can this be!
Soon, she sensed something was wrong. After entering the black barrier, she had thrown a punch at it. Logically, given the dense Spiritual Energy in this small world, the True Qi she had just consumed should have recovered by now. But her spent True Qi showed no signs of returning.
Could it be?!
A quick mental check confirmed her fears: she was unable to absorb Spiritual Energy here.
This meant that once her True Qi was depleted, she would be unable to nourish her body. Without food as a supplement, she could actually starve to death.
No wonder the first thing Changqing Immortal snatched was a Fasting Pill.
"Stand aside. You still have some use." Changqing Immortal nonchalantly tossed Shangguan Shiming aside.
His last glance sent a shiver down her spine.
He wasnât looking at me as a person, but as a pile of food.
Noticing the few mangled corpses in front of the Divine Temple, Shangguan Shiming realized how Changqing Immortal had survived all this time.
Cannibalism.