“Dao Seeker, are you going to challenge the level?”
While Lin Xun was in shock, the ice-cold voice rang again.
“Elder, is there a time limit for this level?” asked Lin Xun after taking a deep breath.
No one answered.
Lin Xun looked a little disappointed. He was certain that the other party possessed intelligence and consciousness, but for some reason, it was unwilling to converse with him.
Shaking his head, Lin Xun said calmly. “I will take the challenge.”
Whoosh—
A strange wave of energy suddenly rippled at his feet, engulfing his body and pulling him into a place of nothingness.
Lin Xun felt everything blur in front of him like he was traveling through time and space and even his consciousness was becoming hazy.Boom!
An unknown amount of time had passed, but he felt his body shake before his feet touched the ground and his consciousness became clear.
He glanced around and saw vast mountains and an infinite sky. It was a primitive wilderness-like scene.
A clear cry rang in the sky before a tremendous shadow was cast over Lin Xun’s body.
Startled, he hurriedly looked up, and his body went stiff.
A tremendous beast that was a thousand feet long and with a body like a floating continent was whizzing across the boundless sky.
It looked like a giant fish, but a pair of large brown-blue wings extended out of its back and its eyes reflected the sky like lakes!
As it opened its mouth and roared, it looked like it could devour the sun and moon and produce a noise that could shake the sky, pierce the ears, and terrify one’s soul.
That…
Lin Xun felt a chill run down his spine. The beast is so tremendous and so terrifying. Its body obscures the sky, and it bears a resemblance to the legendary ancient beast Kunpeng!
In contrast, I am like a tiny ant, as insignificant as a speck of dust!
Fortunately, the fierce beast soared beyond the ninth heaven and vanished into the vast void.
Lin Xun breathed a sigh of relief, but he still felt uneasy. Where the hell am I?
Was the fierce beast that looks like a giant fish with huge wings just now the legendary Kunpeng?
“You have entered the Ancient Spirit World. The challenge starts!”
An ice-cold voice resounded in his mind-sea. “Dao Seeker, during the challenge, if you’re in critical danger, crush the jade plate and you can return to the real world.”
“Remember, in the Ancient Spirit World, if you are killed you will die in real life!”
Before the voice faded, a jade plate suddenly emerged in Lin Xun’s palm. The jade plate was pure white and marked with peculiar rune patterns.
Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to have guessed something as he brought out the Violet Soul Blade from the Little Xumi Ring.
As he glanced around, he found that he was situated in the depths of an ancient mountain covered with towering trees.
A damp earthy smell lingered in the air, mingled with the aroma of wild plants and flowers.
He lifted his head and saw dense clouds rolling across the sky, the scorching sun hanging high, and wisps of aeth qi spiraling between heaven and earth!
Such a discovery surprised him again. In the Ziyao Empire, aeth qi was only found in aeth veins.
However, aeth qi was everywhere in the Ancient Spirit World!
“Could it be...that I have come to another world?”
Lin Xun suddenly remembered that the cold voice mentioned the place was called the Ancient Spirit World. His speculation was very likely to be true!
Lin Xun stood there, stunned. He had never imagined that the fourth level of the Great Azure Cloud Conquering Domain wasn’t an illusion but instead a real world.
It was such a surprise!
After a long moment, he drew a deep breath and carefully put away the mysterious jade plate.
It was his only hope of leaving the place alive!
“It’s impossible to fail this level, but if I die here, I will die in real life.”
“However, according to the mysterious voice, many opportunities are hidden here. I wonder how much I can grasp…”
Lin Xun tried his best to maintain a calm state of mind as he quickly formulated a plan.
Boom!
At that moment, a dark shadow darted out from the bushes. Its giant sharp claws glinted with silvery light before it slashed towards Lin Xun.
Danger struck!
Instinctively, Lin Xun brought his blade up, and the violet blade released a fierce beam of light.
Bang!
An ear-splitting clang rang in his ear. Lin Xun felt his right arm go numb before he stumbled back three steps.
His expression suddenly changed. What strong power!
It was also at that moment when Lin Xun saw his attacker’s face. It was a green-spotted leopard. Its fur was a vibrant green as the grass, its eyes were blood-red, and its body exuded a bloodthirsty aura.
Lin Xun had seen a green-spotted leopard before, but it was the first time he had encountered one as fierce as the one before him.
It released a power similar to that of a Spirit Sea cultivator!
It was unbelievable!
Roar—
The green-spotted leopard unleashed a roar before it kicked its rear legs against the ground and soared into the air. Its body shone a silvery light before it charged toward Lin Xun again.
The void couldn’t bear the terror of the green-spotted leopard and set off a blast of wind that pulverized everything within a radius of several dozen meters.
The leopard was terrifying even when it was merely pouncing forward!
How would Lin Xun dare to let his guard down? He swung his blade and fought with all his strength.
Rumble—
Divine light suffused the area, and roars echoed endlessly. The two were locked in a fierce battle. Cobweb-like cracks split the nearby ground and whirled up dust and smoke.
A moment later.
Following a clear and resounding blade cry, the Violet Soul Blade drew across the air in a mysterious arc and slashed the throat of the green-spotted leopard.
Immediately, scarlet-red blood jetted out, dyeing the void red. The green-spotted leopard’s ten-foot-long body collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Immediately, Lin Xun sheathed his blade and stepped forward toward the leopard corpse.
Although the fierce beast had died, Lin Xun didn’t lower his guard since it was very abnormal that a green-spotted leopard possessed a power comparable to the advanced Spirit Sea Stage!
Lin Xun wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.
Pu!
Without hesitation, Lin Xun unsheathed his blade and started to dissect the leopard corpse. He was curious to find out how such a beast possessed such terrifying power.
Before long, Lin Xun made a discovery.
A sparkling bead in the leopard’s heart caught his eyes. It was round, bright, and beautiful like a pearl. Wisps of incredibly concentrated aeth power circulated the surface of the bead.
Monster Core!
Lin Xun drew a deep breath. As I thought, the green-spotted leopard has already developed spiritual intelligence and knows how to cultivate. It shouldn’t be called a beast but instead a monster beast!
Many rumors regarding monster beasts had circulated in the Ziyao Empire. They were said to exist in some dangerous places, but they were extremely rare and almost extinct.
Lin Xun had never expected to encounter a monster beast the moment he arrived in the Ancient Spirit World, let alone one with strength comparable to an advanced Spirit Sea cultivator!
It was a danger-ridden world.
Soon, a thought struck Lin Xun’s mind. His eyes blazed with excitement, and he carefully stored away the green-spotted leopard’s monster core.
It was a rare treasure that could be refined into a first-class elixir or directly consumed for significant improvements to one’s cultivation base!
It was considered an invaluable treasure in the Ziyao Empire.
Suddenly, some rustling in a distant place caught Lin Xun’s attention. It was as though a fierce creature was heading his way.
Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed. He had no time to speculate and just darted into the ancient forest.
As soon as he disappeared, a golden figure rushed across the ground like a tidal wave.
It was an army of ants!
Unlike usual, each one was around half a foot long and seemed to be cast from gold. Their limbs resembled sharp blades as they moved.
Where the army of golden ants passed, the trees collapsed, the grass crumbled, and the ground became scorched.
They caused complete destruction.
Soon, they came to the green-spotted leopard’s corpse and started to devour it. Within seconds, the corpse had vanished without a trace.
Lin Xun shuddered from the treetop of a giant tree. Golden ants!
It was a monster beast species that had long disappeared from the Ziyao Empire!
They traveled in groups and could devour metals, crystals, and rocks. Once fully grown, they could possess power capable of slaughtering Heaven Ascension cultivators.
It wasn’t until the golden ants disappeared that Lin Xun retracted his gaze. He leaned against the tree, falling into contemplation.
The Ancient Spirit World is no doubt extremely dangerous and inhabited by unimaginably terrifying monster beasts. Average cultivators wouldn’t dare to come here because of the unpredictable dangers.
However, at the same time, many opportunities are concealed in this world.
For example, the green-spotted leopard monster core was an astonishing harvest for Lin Xun.
“It seems like I have to be extremely careful if I want to survive here…”
Lin Xun exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He indeed felt an unprecedented sense of danger that he couldn’t shake away.
However, it only made him excited for what was ahead. He believed that there were more opportunities!
Quickly, Lin Xun chose a direction and started walking forward.
He had to familiarize himself with the environment as much as possible. The sooner he adapted, the safer he would be.
However, in less than an hour, Lin Xun came to an abrupt stop and his face became overcast.
This doesn’t feel right!
It’s so quiet in this ancient forest like there is no life inside.
I haven’t seen an insect, let alone a monster beast ever since I entered the forest.
The unusual situation made his heart tremble, and a chill ran down his back.
It was at that moment when whimpering and sobbing-like noises rang out from the dark and quiet forest.