I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chen Lin looked at the woman who was speaking.

He looks very young, but from his temperament and demeanor, you can tell that he is an old cultivator who has cultivated for ten thousand years, and he carries the majesty of a superior. He should be the ruler of a major power.

Since the other party had made the offer, Chen Lin did not refuse and handed over the willow branch.

The woman didn't take it, but instead moved closer to observe it.

In this space, the items obtained from the treasure chest cannot be stolen. Even if they change hands, something might happen. She was just curious and didn't want to get involved in any trouble.

"These willow branches..."

After looking at her for a while, the woman showed a hint of hesitation.

"Fellow Daoist, do you recognize this item?"

Chen Lin immediately pressed for more information.

He was willing to show it to the other party, but he was unsure of its purpose. Even if it was a treasure, he dared not use something of such mysterious origin recklessly.

"do not know."

The woman gently shook her head.

He then looked away.

"Although I don't recognize this item, I am very interested in it. If you are willing, we can make a deal."

"What deal?"

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow.

It's common knowledge that items from treasure chests cannot be traded, and he didn't believe the other party had the ability to break the rules.

The woman smiled slightly.

Then he took out a large bottle from an embroidered pouch at his waist.

He showed it to Chen Lin and said, "I noticed that you frequently use the Variegated Crystal Marrow during your cultivation, so you must not have much left. I have a large bottle of Innate Myriad Spirit Liquid here, which is no less effective than the Variegated Crystal Marrow. If you agree, it is yours."

Chen Lin's eyes flickered.

He knew about the Innate All-Purpose Elixir; it was indeed similar in use to the Variegated Crystal Marrow, and in some areas, it was even more useful.

However, the output is extremely low.

It doesn't even have the treasure vault of the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace.

Moreover, the amount in that large bottle is equivalent to at least three bottles of Variegated Crystal Essence, making its value immeasurable. Not to mention that treasure chest items cannot be traded, even if they could, using it to exchange for a willow branch with unknown effects would be a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.

"Fellow Daoist, are you unwilling?"

The woman frowned when she saw that Chen Lin remained silent.

Chen Lin put aside his distracting thoughts.

He twirled the willow branch and said, "Whether I'm willing or not is another matter. Even if I were willing, how would you take the willow branch away? If we force a transaction, this item will disappear."

"That's easy."

The woman's gaze fell on the branches.

"Just because we can't trade here doesn't mean we can't go outside. I'll give you the spirit liquid first, and you can return it to me after we leave. I'll find you then."

Chen Lin suddenly realized.

So that's what they were planning.

He thought about it.

He laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist, do you think so highly of me that you believe I can get out of here alive? If I die here, you'll have gained nothing."

"hehe."

The woman smiled faintly.

“There is no such thing as absolute safety in this world. Since you have chosen to make a deal, you can naturally bear the corresponding consequences. However, this deal is risk-free for you, fellow Daoist. You only need to nod your head in agreement.”

Chen Lin fell silent again.

He found it hard to believe that the other party was truly unaware of Liu Zhi's origins, given that they were willing to pay in advance for such a precious spiritual liquid.

This thing is definitely extraordinary.

However, the spiritual liquid that the other party took out was also very important to him, as it allowed him to quickly sever the remaining threads of self and other. Otherwise, his own reserves of colorful crystal marrow would be far from enough.

He pondered for a long time.

Chen Lin still shook his head and refused.

"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist, but I am not one to take advantage of others. How about this, let's each keep our things for now, and if we manage to get out of here alive and have the chance to meet again, we can then proceed with the transaction."

The woman's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He then nodded.

"It seems my actions have aroused your suspicion. Very well, then let's do as you say. My name is Ruan Qingxi, and I am an elder of the Eight Trees Sect, in charge of the River of Hope branch. You can come to the headquarters to find me whenever you want to make a deal."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Chen Lin was taken aback.

This woman is actually from the Eight Trees Sect. If that's the case, she might not know the uses of willow branches. Perhaps she's just curious and wants to collect them for cultivation. As a sect that mainly cultivates spiritual plants, it's normal for them to be eager to acquire them.

Moreover, the other party is an elder, so they must have the cultivation level of a Sovereign. I was negligent just now.

"Fellow Daoist, you were able to resist the temptation of the Innate Myriad Spirits Elixir. Could you perhaps be a direct descendant of some powerful family?"

The burly man, who had been watching from the sidelines, looked at Chen Lin with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty after Ruan Qingxi had gone far away.

In his view.

The contents of a medium-to-high-grade treasure chest are unlikely to be worth as much as a large bottle of spirit liquid, let alone just a tree branch.

Chen Lin also felt a sense of loss.

I stopped thinking about it.

He nodded to the big man, did not continue the conversation, returned to his seat, and then planned to put the branch into the Jade Pendant.

But after thinking about it for a while...

He changed his mind again and put the branch into the Duke of Black Armor's gourd cave, planting it next to the spring.

The Jade Pendant from the Grotto was one of his most important treasures. It was an essential item for his life, and anything that wasn't guaranteed to be safe couldn't be placed inside it casually.

After processing.

Chen Lin ignored everything else and continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

This day.

Chen Lin, who was cultivating, suddenly changed his expression and his gaze fell on the crack.

At this moment, gusts of air blew out from inside. Unlike when it appeared as a treasure chest, this time the airflow was not localized, but spread throughout the entire crack. Moreover, the sense of order was stronger and more chaotic than before.

"The tide has begun!"

Someone gasped in surprise.

immediately.

All the creatures on the cliffs on both sides stood up, their faces tense, and some of them were even pale.

Chen Lin activated his Heavenly Eyes and strained his eyes to peer into the depths of the crack.

But I can't see anything.

I could only feel the airflow in the crack growing stronger and stronger, wave after wave, even making a whistling sound.

In the blink of an eye.

An energy storm erupted suddenly, bursting out of the crack and engulfing the entire space.

Chen Lin felt like a clay figure being washed by wave after wave of tides. With each wash, he would shrink and become incredibly soft.

It looks like it could collapse at any moment.

Only the portion of the soul's origin containing forbidden power was less affected, but it was still greatly agitated.

Such powerful rules!
Chen Lin was deeply shocked.

Not daring to continue the experiment, he immediately took out a small knife and began weaving straw.

immediately.

The unchanging straw weaving shimmered under the cover of violent energy, then took flight on its own, performing an impenetrable sword technique that kept the energy waves at bay.

Seeing this, Chen Lin showed a look of surprise.

He had thought that the way straw weaving resolved the energy tides was by forming a protective shield or by directly eliminating the power of the rules, but he never expected it to be such a defensive method.

In that case...

The energy in the crack was most likely from outside, rather than originating from the tattered straw sandal itself.

Thinking about this...

Chen Lin separated a wisp of his soul, empowered by forbidden power, and flew through the defense of the straw knife to check on the others and test the forbidden power's resistance to tidal energy.

The tidal energy is black, making the entire space pitch black and severely suppressing perception.

You can't see anything unless you get close. I went around in a circle.

He basically determined that the forbidden power would also be depleted here. With the strength he had mastered, he could probably withstand it for about ten breaths before his origin would suffer substantial damage.

But that's enough.

Ten breaths is a long time for a high-level cultivator, enough time to do many things. If used to collect treasure chests, they can always escape unscathed.

even.

Chen Lin glanced at the crack.

Given the length of time, it's not impossible to go inside and explore, but there's no need to rush now. We can do that if we really have to get out. There's no need to risk our lives if we can leave normally.

He also saw other people's straw weaving.

They're all the same.

Different shapes of straw weaving employ different 'moves,' but they all use this method to help users resist the erosion of energy tides, without exception.

Chen Lin retrieved the divided soul.

His eyes flickered, and with a thought, he entered a state of childlike innocence, observing the knife technique of the straw weaving.

He gradually discovered...

This set of sword techniques is very profound. Although it looks like simple slashing, it forms a unique force field. It is this force field that can resist tidal energy.

In other words.

Such swordsmanship can also counter forbidden forces.

However, Chen Lin felt that this was not necessarily due to the knife skills. The straw weaving itself must contain high-level energy, and the black straw used for weaving must be no ordinary material.

Even the weaving method must be special.

To fully understand its mysteries, we need to dig deeper step by step.

Time passed little by little.

About two incense sticks later, the energy tide weakened and slowly receded back into the crack.

The space brightened again and returned to calm.

at the same time.

The knife-making technique with the straw knife was finished, and it returned to its original state, falling to the ground.

Chen Lin reached out and picked it up, only to find that the originally black grass had turned yellow and was emitting a rotten smell, clearly rendering it useless.

He then extended his senses to probe deeper into the crack.

It was immediately bounced back.

Almost at the same time, a gentle breeze blew up from the bottom of the crevice, and then eight figures flew up and landed on the cliffs on both sides.

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat.

This should be the normal way they get in. I don't know how these people were sucked in, whether it was voluntary or involuntary. I didn't get any detailed information before.

He had planned to ask someone.

But seeing that everyone else seemed unfazed and went about their business as if nothing had happened, he didn't take any action. How others got in wasn't really his concern; he would find out eventually.

"Hey, where's Old Yang?"

Just as Chen Lin was about to have his body checked, someone four people away made a surprised sound.

immediately.

The voice of Ruan Qingxi from before appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Yang didn't even have time to take out the straw weaving before it was swallowed up by the tidal power, leaving nothing behind."

A moment of silence fell over everyone.

We've lived next to each other for over a hundred years. Although we haven't had much contact, we're quite familiar with each other. It's hard not to feel a sense of sorrow when a near-dominant powerhouse falls like this.

Chen Lin glanced at him sideways.

really.

The white-haired old man at that spot had vanished without a trace. Not only him, but the crowd on the cliff opposite the crevice also seemed to have gaps, indicating that some had been swallowed up as well.

This wave of tide carried away more than one person.

New people come, old people go.

There seemed to be a lot of people present, but it was unknown how many cycles had passed before they were left, and who knew who else would die.

This made Chen Lin's heart sink.

Straw weaving is indeed a necessity. Next, we must do our best to seize the treasure chest. Relying solely on our forbidden power, we cannot withstand the attack for that long.

He glanced at it again.

The Hulk was still there, staring at him coldly.

Chen Lin ignored him.

He put aside his distracting thoughts, sat down, and continued to study the straw weaving knife technique.

suddenly.

A thought suddenly occurred to him: if he could use this sword technique with a double-headed rune sword, would the power to sever the bond between self and others be enhanced?

Do it when you think of it.

Chen Lin held the last Spilling Bird Talisman in his hand, and the Myriad Forms Shield was also ready. Combined with his own Nine-Layer Armor, his defensive power was sufficient.

Then enter a state of cultivation.

Months passed.

Aside from vying for treasure chests, Chen Lin spent the rest of his time studying sword techniques. With the blessing of a pure heart, he finally mastered the sword techniques.

They also managed to snag a treasure chest during the trip.

But there was only a straw woven bag inside; there were no other treasures.

He could have grabbed two more, but he didn't make a big fuss to avoid attracting attention.

There are over two hundred cultivators in the entire space, of all races, including many ruler-level beings. There may be others like him who can suppress the rules of this place.

His main objective was the exquisite treasure chest, and since this place was also a treasure trove for cultivation, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Being too conspicuous would easily disrupt his plans.

After mastering the knife skills.

Chen Lin then conjured the rune blade and attempted to use its illusory energy to perform sword techniques.

But it's not easy.

Let alone forming a special force field, it took a month just to complete the sword technique.

However, he had severed many of the bonds between himself and others, and his mastery and control over the rune blade had reached an extremely high level. After practicing many times, he was able to put his swordsmanship into practice.

And it does indeed carry a slightly peculiar force field.

Although it is far less powerful than when the grass weaving technique is used, it still adds some extra power to the rune blade.

"cut!"

Chen Lin mentally shouted.

The sword light merged into one, standing on the line between self and other that had been manifested.

"Buzz..."

The lines trembled a few times, then abruptly broke.

The familiar feeling of relaxation returned, much to Chen Lin's delight. The remaining lines were thicker, which previously required slow, painstaking work, but now they could be cut off with a single stroke.

The knife skills are useful!
In addition, Chen Lin also discovered...

The backlash from severing the bond between self and others using this sword technique was much lighter than before, as if it had been blocked by that special force field.

This level of physical injury will recover in a short time.

The demand for variegated chalcedony has also decreased significantly.

"It truly is a blessed land."

Chen Lin muttered something to himself.

The previous fate correction was effective, and the results were quite good. With this sword technique, he is expected to sever all the manifested lines between self and other within ten years.

However, sufficient variegated crystals are required.

Thinking about this...

He looked at the crowds on both sides, pondering what valuable items he had that he could exchange with these people.

If all else fails...

We still need to get our hands on Ruan Qingxi's spiritual liquid.

No rush, let's use up our reserves first. We can continue to collect treasure chests in the meantime, and maybe we'll find similar treasures.

Next.

Chen Lin then began frantically severing the lines between himself and others. (End of Chapter)