I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chapter 2158 The Shadow Scholar
Faced with Zhou Anshi's questioning, Qu Zixian continued to defend herself.

Chen Lin didn't give him a chance.

Unleash the Aurora Sword Technique to hunt him down.

Qu Zi rolled around on the ground, dodging twice, but couldn't dodge anymore and was stabbed in the chest by a sword.

However, it did not penetrate.

The flying sword struck metal and stone, and was bounced back.

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow.

He glanced at the soft armor exposed on the other's body, then changed his thrust to a slash, the blade cutting across the other's throat.

But they still couldn't kill their opponent.

The flying sword only left a white mark on the throat, without even a trace of blood seeping out.

"Body Refinement Technique?"

Chen Lin spoke in surprise.

Qu Zi touched his neck first, didn't reply, gave Zhou Anshi a sinister look, and then fled quickly into the distance.

Zhou Anshi suddenly swayed.

With a few leaps, they caught up and blocked the other party's path.

"Are you going to betray me? Don't forget, we signed a contract!"

Qu Zi first gritted his teeth and said.

Zhou Anshi raised his dagger and said coldly, "Tell me the antidote for my brother's poisoning, or I will take your life even at the cost of the contract's backlash!"

"Want to know? Kill him and I'll tell you."

The first note is from Chen Lin.

Then he said in a deep voice, "Zhou Anshi, you need to recognize the situation. We are accomplices. If you kill me, you will die too. Without your help, can your brother still live?"

"Only if you and I join forces can we have a chance to save your brother's life!"

Zhou Anshi's expression shifted unpredictably.

Chen Lin's eyes flashed upon seeing this.

He sneered, "Zhou Anshi, you actually believe what this kind of person says? If he manages to leave alive, the first people he'll kill will be you and your brother. Don't be delusional."

There was no pause.

He immediately continued, "How about this, you kill him, and after we leave, I'll help you find an antidote. By killing him, you've essentially pledged your loyalty, and there's no way you'll leak the secret, so I won't need to kill you to silence you..."

"Don't listen to his provocations!"

Qu Zixian immediately interrupted Chen Lin.

His tone was icy as he said, "Zhou Anshi, you know my identity. If I die, the Heavenly God Palace will definitely trace it back to you. With your cultivation level, it's impossible for you to hide the truth. I advise you not to seek your own death!"

Zhou Anshi glanced at Chen Lin.

I looked at the music again first.

He brandished the dagger in his hand and charged towards Qu Zixian.

"idiot!"

Qu Zi cursed angrily and then turned and ran away.

Although he had achieved success in body tempering, without the support of energy, relying solely on his flesh and blood to withstand attacks did not provide much defensive power.

Moreover, killing does not necessarily require weapons.

Once caught, there's no way to kill him.

"Hahaha, are all the people in the Heavenly God Palace like stray dogs like you?"

Chen Lin scoffed and charged forward, flanking Zhou Anshi from both sides. In no time, they caught up with Qu.

Two fists are no match for four hands.

Qu Zi resisted for a while, but Zhou Anshi swept his leg and knocked her to the ground, pinning her down.

Chen Lin then relentlessly stabbed with his flying sword.

Yue Yingxian caught up, took off her shawl, twisted it into a rope, and tied Qu Zixian's hands together, rendering him unable to move.

"You will all die a miserable death!"

The music started with a loud, blaring cry.

He had imagined countless calamities that awaited him, but he had never imagined dying in such a way; it was simply too suffocating.

If word gets out, it will definitely become a laughing stock.

"We don't know if we'll live or die, but you definitely won't survive."

Chen Lin spoke in a cold voice.

Then he looked at Zhou Anshi.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Anshi plunged the dagger into Qu Zixian's mouth.

Fresh blood gushed out immediately.

No matter how strong one's body is, one cannot turn one's mouth into metal or stone without the support of energy. Unless one cultivates a special technique, a mouth that is too hard will be inconvenient for daily life.

The defenses have been breached.

Zhou Anshi's dagger flashed up and down, and soon the music stopped.

"Are you satisfied, fellow Daoist?"

Having determined that the music had died first, Zhou Anshi stood up and looked at Chen Lindao.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou, I keep my word."

Chen Lin replied.

Then he used his flying sword to dig a pit to bury the body on the spot.

He also casually took off his storage ring and other items.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Anshi immediately said, "If you open your storage ring after leaving and find an antidote inside, please give it to me, fellow Daoist."

"That's natural."

Chen Lin packed the items into his personal bag.

He patted the dirt off his hands.

He looked around and said, "Now that the troublemakers are gone, we should take a look at where we are. If we want to survive, we need to find a way out."

talking.

Chen Lin looked at Zhou Anshi.

He tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhou's spatial talent seems extraordinary. Is it really having no effect here at all?"

He tried to win them over not only to counter Qu Zixian, but also because he valued their spatial talent. Even if they could only use a little bit of it, it would still be useful for them to find a way out.

Zhou Anshi paused for a moment.

Then he truthfully said, "Under normal circumstances, it definitely won't work. It needs to be forcibly activated, and even if it succeeds, the power won't be too great, so it won't have any practical significance."

Chen Lin's eyes lit up.

He smiled and said, "In this kind of environment, any extraordinary ability will definitely come in handy. It seems that joining forces with Fellow Daoist Zhou was the right thing to do."

There was a pause.

He then looked at Yue Yingxian.

Before she could be asked, Yue Yingxian shook her head.

"I'm unable to use any of my methods and have become an ordinary person, but I can still move around and won't hold you back."

"Then let's go."

Hearing Yue Yingxian's answer, Chen Lin stopped dwelling on it and looked at the distant mountains.

After some discussion.

The three of them randomly chose a direction and left their location.

Without their superhuman strength, the three moved very slowly. Although cultivators have physiques far superior to ordinary people, it still took them a long time to cross a mountain.

Fortunately, we did not encounter any wild beasts along the way.

Not only were there no wild beasts, but they didn't even see a single insect, which made them uneasy.

The absence of life indicates that this place is unsuitable for survival, which is not a good sign for them.

"Look!"

After climbing an even higher mountain peak, Yue Yingxian pointed into the distance and exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Lin's pupils contracted.

The place the other party was pointing to was a dilapidated group of buildings, among which a hexagonal tower stood out conspicuously—the very one that appeared in the light and shadow!

"The secret realm... it really is this secret realm!"

Zhou Anshi's voice was filled with excitement.

He accepted Qu Zixian's job to find this legendary secret realm. Unexpectedly, although he found the realm, Qu Zixian never got to see it.

"Does Fellow Daoist Zhou know about this place?"

Seeing Zhou Anshi's reaction, Chen Lin immediately asked.

He knew that there was a terrifying vine inside that hexagonal tower, which they couldn't possibly handle in their current state. They needed to learn more about the situation.

Zhou Anshi pondered for a moment.

He said uncertainly, "I heard it from the song first. It said that this secret realm is related to the Shadow Scholar, hides important secrets, and also contains unimaginable opportunities."

Who is the Shadow Scholar?

Chen Lin asked, puzzled.

He had never heard of the name before, but when he thought of the books in that hexagonal tower, it really did match the word "scholar."

"It is a legendary existence."

Yue Yingxian continued, “According to legend, this Shadow Scholar has existed since the most ancient times, perhaps even before the appearance of the Primordial Monument, and belongs to a figure from before the creation of the world.”

"Before creation?"

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat.

If the figures are from before the creation of the Primordial Monument, then they are related to the Abandoned Land.

"That's what the legend says."

Yue Yingxian nodded slightly.

He continued, "This shadow scholar is very mysterious. No one has ever seen his true face, and there is not even any record of him."

"But the other side left behind many relics."

"Anyone who obtains the inheritance in the ruins will see the figure of a scholar reading by candlelight at night. This is the origin of the name 'Shadow Scholar'."

Do you have any specific information about this type of secret realm?

Chen Lin pressed for an answer.

Since there are many similar ruins, after learning the information, we should be able to find some clues.

Yue Yingxian shook her head.

"It seems that the situation in each secret realm is different, so there is no point in learning from it."

"But there is one thing."

"As long as one can obtain the inheritance, one can master extremely profound supernatural powers, and even fight against enemies across major realms. It is said to be an opportunity comparable to the inheritance of the Primordial Monument."

Chen Lin frowned.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Have you ever heard of a powerful individual in the Star Ruins who simultaneously obtained both of these inheritances?"

Zhou Anshi and Yue Yingxian exchanged a glance.

They shook their heads together.

Yue Yingxian said, "Whether it is the Primordial Stele or the Shadow Scholar, they are things that can only be encountered by chance. Some powerful people may not encounter them even once in millions of years of cultivation, and even if they do, they may not be able to obtain the inheritance."

"To have both at the same time would require an immense amount of good fortune; it's simply unrealistic."

Done.

Her gaze fell upon the dilapidated buildings below.

"Regardless of whether this is the Shadow Scholar's ruins, the existence of buildings indicates the presence of intelligent beings or cultivators with special cultivation systems. Should we go and take a look?"

"Not urgent."

Chen Lin immediately spoke up to stop him.

He said in a low voice, "Let's first investigate the surrounding area and then decide what to do. We don't have much fighting power right now, and we could easily lose our lives if we encounter anything unusual. It's better to be careful."

"Then I'll listen to you, fellow Daoist."

Zhou Anshi and Chen Lin had no objections, showing that they followed Chen Lin's lead.

Yue Yingxian's eyes flickered.

Unable to resist, he tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist is Xing Jun, yet you are unaware of the Shadow Scholar's matter. You must not be a cultivator from the Star Ruins. May I ask your name?"

"Chen Lin".

Chen Lin answered truthfully.

He switched identities hastily without changing his appearance, so using a pseudonym would be pointless.

Moreover, even if you change your appearance, it won't work on the high-level experts in the Star Ruins, especially the Sovereign-level beings, who have plenty of ways to find out your origins.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Chen."

Yue Yingxian gave a slight bow.

Zhou Anshi, who was standing next to him, also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Now the three of them knew each other, and the atmosphere eased considerably.

Yue Yingxian wanted to ask about the tribulation, but considering that Zhou Anshi was nearby and she couldn't use the telepathic technique, she suppressed the thought.

And she also discovered...

After entering this place, because the extraordinary energy 'disappeared,' the feeling of being eroded by the invisible calamity also disappeared, and the physical condition was actually better than outside.

Chen Lin also sensed it.

So he put the matter aside for the time being and decided to find out the situation first.

A consensus was reached.

They retreated back down the mountain and continued their exploration from a different direction.

More than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The three of them returned to the vicinity of the building complex and stood on a hilltop to look down.

Chen Lin's expression was not good.

After several days of exploration, they received some bad news: the mountain was actually an island surrounded by an endless sea.

There are no living organisms in the sea.

Moreover, the pressure in the water was even stronger, and it gave them an extremely dangerous feeling, so they didn't dare to go any deeper.

Besides.

They had explored most of the island but found nothing unusual.

We didn't encounter any living beings.

It seems that the only way to find a way out is through these ruins.

But it's not all bad news.

Over the past few days, Chen Lin has been experimenting repeatedly and discovered an ability that he had overlooked, which can actually be used here.

The Realm of Spirit Empowerment!

Since acquiring higher-dimensional power, he has basically used this ability exclusively for making his mother's steamed buns, and has never used it in battle.

Therefore, I did not try it immediately.

But it gave him a pleasant surprise.

pity.

The power of the spirit-infused energy wasn't very strong; it was passable against low-level cultivators, but definitely not enough to deal with those vines.

The two are not even on the same level.

"Fellow Daoist Chen seems to have some concerns?"

Seeing that Chen Lin was reluctant to explore the ruins, Zhou Anshi couldn't help but ask him directly.

Chen Lin no longer hid it.

He said in a deep voice, "I previously used a secret method to peek into the real-world projection of this secret realm. Inside that hexagonal tower, there is a giant dark red vine."

Zhou Anshi's expression changed upon hearing this.

He knew Chen Lin wouldn't speak without reason; since he had brought up this matter, the vines must be extraordinary.

So he asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, do you mean that the vines possess extraordinary power?"

Chen Lin nodded.

"It not only possesses extraordinary power, but it is also very powerful, capable of attacking me across realms, which I barely managed to withstand."

This answer silenced Zhou Anshi and the other man.

They had all witnessed Chen Lin's methods. In a one-on-one fight, he was able to suppress Qu Zi, indicating that he possessed at least the combat strength of the early Eternal Realm.

The vines that could cross realms and fight against it were probably also at the Eternal Realm.

And what about them.

They were unable to use their supernatural powers.

Three ordinary people going to fight against the Eternal Demon Vine would be more like suicide than this.

a long time.

Zhou Anshi pondered and said, "The vine that Fellow Daoist Chen mentioned is probably limited and may not be able to go too far from that hexagonal tower. Otherwise, the other side would have discovered us long ago when we came to observe twice."

"Well said."

Chen Lin echoed in agreement.

He thought so too.

He had cut those vines before. If he could leave the hexagonal tower, he would be attacked as soon as he entered through the spatial passage.

The opponent was able to launch cross-border attacks because Lin Xinyi was the medium.

Lin Xinyi is currently in the Fruit Core Cave, which suppresses all extraordinary items. The cave is now sealed, so the other party probably can no longer use it.

"How about this, I'll go down and check first. If there's no danger, then you can go down."

Zhou Anshi offered his suggestions.

He knew his own situation. He had previously fought against Chen Lin with Qu Zixian and others, but even if they resolved their grudges, he still couldn't gain their trust. So, he was the only one who could scout ahead.

Chen Lin waved his hand.

“If we’re going, we should go together. There’s no reason for Fellow Daoist Zhou to risk his life alone.”

There was a pause.

He added, "But we can't go this way; it's too close to the hexagonal tower. We need to go around to the other side and explore that place first."

Chen Lin pointed into the distance.

There was an inconspicuous wooden hut, the most dilapidated of all the buildings, and the furthest from the hexagonal tower.

With the blessing of the Spirit-Enriching Realm, it won't be completely powerless against some low-level demons.

"it is good."

Zhou Anshi and Yue Yingxian agreed.

The three of them then made a large detour and quickly made their way toward their target.