Prehistoric: The female saint Shiji, brilliant and talented

"Oh no! This is a heavenly tribulation!" Qingyunzi exclaimed. "Quickly, get out of the way!"

The three hurriedly dodged the bombardment of the heavenly lightning, but they found that no matter how they moved, the lightning could always accurately lock onto their location.

"What's going on?" the junior sister exclaimed in surprise. "Why is the heavenly lightning so fixated on us?"

A flash of understanding crossed Qingyunzi's eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "So it was this spiritual herb that attracted the heavenly tribulation! It grew quietly in this mountain, silently absorbing too much spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and had already touched the boundary of the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao does not allow any existence that crosses the boundary, so it sent down a heavenly tribulation to test it. And we, because we picked this spiritual herb, were also unwittingly drawn into this heavenly tribulation."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ji gave a wry smile: "Then wouldn't we become scapegoats for this magical herb?"

Qingyunzi's gaze was firm as he shook his head and said, "Shiji, there's no use saying these things now. The heavenly tribulation is imminent, and we must do everything in our power to overcome it as soon as possible in order to save our lives."

Junior sister nodded in agreement: "Qingyunzi is right. We must work together to fight the heavenly calamity."

The three quickly adjusted their stances, joining forces to resist the successive strikes of heavenly lightning. Qingyunzi, wielding his magical weapon, chanted incantations, unleashing powerful magic to deflect the lightning. Shiji, meanwhile, wielded her longsword, using exquisite swordplay to disperse the lightning bolts one by one. Her junior sister moved nimbly, weaving through the lightning strikes, skillfully guiding the lightning's power to lessen its threat to the three.

After a fierce battle, the three were exhausted, but their eyes remained resolute. Finally, after the last bolt of lightning dissipated, they were panting heavily, their clothes soaked with sweat, but a relieved smile appeared on their faces.

Qingyunzi sighed, "We've finally survived this heavenly tribulation; it was truly a perilous journey."

Shi Ji wiped her sweat and laughed, "Fortunately, we made it through safely without any real danger."

The junior sister gazed at the spiritual herb in her hand, her eyes gleaming with joy: "This spiritual herb is indeed extraordinary; it can actually trigger a heavenly tribulation. Once we return, we'll make good use of this herb, and it will surely greatly enhance our cultivation!"

The three sat around the summit of Lingyun Peak. Shiji carefully held the thousand-year-old spiritual herb that had attracted the heavenly tribulation, her face beaming with undisguised joy. The herb's leaves were emerald green like jade, and its stem shimmered with a faint fluorescent light; it was clearly a rare treasure.
"This herb is called 'Heavenly Thunder Jade Dew Grass,' an extremely rare immortal herb." Qingyunzi stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. "Consuming this herb can help us break through cultivation bottlenecks, and may even allow us to comprehend the Dao of Heavenly Thunder."

The junior sister nodded slightly, her eyes also filled with expectation: "We went through so many hardships, but it wasn't all for nothing."

Shi Ji excitedly put the Heavenly Thunder Jade Dew Grass into her storage bag, stood up and stretched: "Shouldn't we celebrate properly next?"

Qingyunzi smiled and shook his head: "We can discuss the celebration later. There are still many unknown places in Penglai Wonderland waiting for us to explore. How can we be complacent because of a small achievement?"

The junior sister also stood up, patting the dust off her skirt: "Senior Qingyunzi is right, we should continue on our way."

After a short rest, the three resumed their exploration. They traversed ethereal forests shrouded in mist, crossed numerous crystal-clear streams, and encountered many exotic flowers, rare herbs, and wondrous beasts along the way. Each discovery filled them with immense excitement.

On this day, they arrived at a majestic mountain range. The mountain range stretched endlessly, shrouded in clouds and mist, as if it held endless mysteries.

"This is the 'Yunmeng Mountains'," Qingyunzi said, pointing ahead. "Legend has it that ancient divine beasts roam the depths of these mountains, along with many rare medicinal herbs. Shall we venture deeper to explore?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ji's eyes lit up: "An ancient divine beast? Doesn't that mean it's full of treasures? Of course we have to explore it!"

The junior sister, however, appeared more cautious: "We need to proceed with caution, after all, divine beasts are no ordinary creatures."

Qingyunzi nodded: "That's right. Then let's split up and act separately. If there is any danger, contact each other immediately with the sound transmission talisman."

After the three of them reached an agreement, Qingyunzi, Shiji, and their junior sister each chose a direction and ventured deep into the Yunmeng Mountains.

"Shiji, which way are you going?" Qingyunzi asked with a smile.

“I’ve chosen this mountain path.” Shi Ji pointed to a winding mountain road on the map and said confidently, “This road may seem remote, but I have a feeling that it might bring unexpected rewards.”

“Then I’ll go this way.” Qingyunzi chose a direction different from Shiji’s. “We’ll split up and keep in touch if anything happens.”

"I've made my choice too," the junior sister said softly, selecting a more secluded valley. "Everyone, please be careful and stay in touch."

The three nodded to each other and then set off separately.

Shi Ji walked along the chosen mountain path, taking in the surroundings as he went. Ancient trees towered along the path, their dense foliage casting dappled sunlight through the treetops, creating a mysterious and secluded atmosphere. He took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air of the forest, and his mood became increasingly cheerful.

Soon, he arrived at a wide valley. In the valley, a pool of clear water was as bright as a mirror, and several blooming, colorful lotus flowers floated on the surface, their vibrant colors and fragrant aroma filling the air.

"My God, a seven-colored lotus!" Shi Ji exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. "This is an excellent material for refining high-grade pills. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it fall into my lap without any effort."

Just as he was about to step forward to pick them, a furious roar suddenly came from the depths of the valley. Immediately afterwards, a huge golden Qilin appeared in his sight. The beast resembled a Qilin, its body covered with crimson-gold scales that shone brightly in the sunlight, and its eyes stared intently at Shiji.

Shi Ji was startled, thinking to herself, "Is this a Golden Qilin? Such a divine beast is incredibly powerful; I'm afraid I'm no match for it."

The golden unicorn roared and pounced on Shi Ji. Shi Ji dodged the attack with a nimble movement. He secretly rejoiced, then pulled out a communication talisman and urgently called for help from Qing Yunzi and his junior sister: "Qing Yunzi, junior sister, I've encountered a golden unicorn! Come quickly and help me!"

However, the communication talisman went unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea. Shi Ji thought to herself, "Oh no! They might be in trouble too."

Left with no other choice, Shi Ji had to face the Golden Kirin alone. He wielded his longsword and engaged in a fierce battle with the Golden Kirin. Sword energy crisscrossed, clashing with the Golden Kirin's scales and armor, producing a metallic clang. Each clash made Shi Ji's arm go numb, but he was fearless, gritting his teeth and stubbornly refusing to retreat.

Meanwhile, Qingyunzi and his junior sister also found themselves in trouble. Qingyunzi had lost his way in the dense forest and was being besieged by demonic beasts. Wielding his longsword, he charged left and right, trying to break through the encirclement. At the same time, he also tried to contact Shiji and his junior sister using communication talismans, but received no response.

"These demonic beasts are too ferocious; I can't handle them alone," Qingyunzi thought to himself. "I hope I can reunite with Shiji and the others as soon as possible." Meanwhile, his junior sister had stumbled into a valley shrouded in poisonous fog. She covered her mouth and nose, cautiously probing her way. The swirling fog made her dizzy. She tried to protect herself with her spiritual energy, but with little effect.

"Where exactly is this place?" the junior sister wondered to herself. "I need to find a way out quickly."

She also tried to contact Qingyunzi and Shiji using the sound transmission talisman, but the talisman disappeared without a trace.

Deep within the Yunmeng Mountains, the three found themselves in their own perilous situations. Whether they could successfully escape and reunite remained to be seen.

On the other side of the mountain range, a mysterious man in black was quietly observing everything. A strange smile curled at the corner of his lips, as if everything was under his control.

"Hmph, finding treasure won't be that easy," the man in black muttered to himself. "Let you have some fun in these mountains."

The fierce battle between Shi Ji and the Golden Qilin continued. He skillfully dodged the Qilin's attacks with agile movements, while simultaneously searching for an opportunity to break through its defenses. He understood that to defeat this powerful divine beast, he had to outsmart it.

After a fierce struggle, Shi Ji finally discovered the Golden Kirin's weakness. Taking advantage of the Golden Kirin's unpreparedness, he thrust his sword into its ribs. The Golden Kirin roared in pain and turned to pounce on Shi Ji. However, Shi Ji had already seized the opportunity to leap onto its back and slashed at the Golden Kirin's neck with his sword.

The golden unicorn collapsed to the ground, and Shi Ji was also panting heavily. He sat on the ground, looking at the fallen divine beast, his heart filled with many emotions. He understood that his victory over the golden unicorn was purely by chance.

Just then, the communication talisman suddenly lit up. Shi Ji quickly answered it, and Qing Yunzi's voice came through: "Shi Ji, are you alright? We've escaped our predicament and are on our way to you."

"I'm fine." Shi Ji breathed a sigh of relief. "Come quickly, I've found the Seven-Colored Lotus."

Soon after, Qingyunzi and the woman in white also rushed to the valley. Seeing that Zhou Yuan was unharmed and had already defeated the Golden Kirin, both of them smiled with relief.

"Zhou Yuan, you are truly remarkable!" Qingyunzi patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder, his tone full of praise.

The woman in white smiled and nodded, "We never expected that you could defeat the Golden Kirin all by yourself. It's truly beyond our expectations."

Zhou Yuan scratched his head sheepishly and replied with a smile, "Actually, it was all luck, thanks to this longsword." As he spoke, he slightly raised the longsword in his hand.

“Alright, now that we’ve met up, let’s continue on our way.” Qingyunzi interrupted, his gaze resolute as he looked into the depths of the mountains. “There are still many rare treasures waiting for us to explore within the Yunmeng Mountains.”

After a short rest, the three resumed their exploration. They walked along the valley and soon came to a dense bamboo forest. The forest was shrouded in mist, as if concealing endless mysteries.

"This is the 'Illusory Mist Bamboo Forest'," Qingyunzi said, pointing ahead. "Legend has it that a rare material called 'Illusory Mist Spirit Bamboo' is hidden in the bamboo forest, which can be used to refine illusion-type magical artifacts. Shall we go in and explore?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up immediately: "An illusionary magic treasure? Doesn't that allow people to fall into an illusion? Of course, I have to go in and take a look!"

The woman in white appeared even more cautious: "We still need to proceed with caution, after all, this Illusionary Mist Bamboo Forest is no ordinary place."

“Well said.” Qingyunzi nodded. “Then let’s travel together. If we encounter any danger, we can use our spiritual energy to protect ourselves.”

The three cautiously entered the Illusionary Mist Bamboo Forest. The forest was shrouded in mist, making it seem as if they were in a dreamlike, enchanted realm. They slowly made their way along the bamboo path, occasionally using the spiritual energy in their palms to part the surrounding mist, diligently searching for traces of the Illusionary Mist Bamboo.

Suddenly, a strange fragrance wafted over, invigorating all three. Following the scent, they saw a vibrant green bamboo not far ahead, its leaves faintly glowing – it was the Illusionary Mist Bamboo!

"Found it!" Zhou Yuan exclaimed happily, and was about to step forward to pick it.

But at that moment, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the depths of the bamboo forest. Immediately afterward, a dark figure darted out from the bamboo grove and pounced straight at the three of them.

"Watch out!" Qingyunzi shouted, drawing his sword to meet the attack.

The shadowy figure and Qingyunzi were locked in combat, their sword energies crisscrossing and the clang of metal on metal ringing out incessantly. Zhou Yuan and the woman in white quickly rushed forward to assist, and the three of them joined forces to engage the shadowy figure in a fierce battle.

After a long and fierce battle, the three finally managed to drive back the dark figure. The dark figure turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated into the air, leaving behind only a shimmering, fluorescent bead.

"This is... the Illusionary Mist Spirit Pearl?" Qingyunzi bent down to pick up the pearl and examined it carefully. "I never expected to obtain such a treasure after defeating this shadowy figure."

"What is the use of this Illusionary Mist Spirit Orb?" Zhou Yuan asked curiously.

"The Illusionary Mist Orb contains a rich power of illusion, which can be used to refine illusionary magic weapons or to enhance the power of existing magic weapons," Qingyunzi explained. "We have made quite a harvest this time."

The three exchanged smiles, their hearts filled with joy. They continued their journey, exploring deeper into the Yunmeng Mountains. Before long, they encountered another mysterious lake. In the center of the lake lay a small island, upon which grew a large, leafy tree, its branches laden with golden fruit.

"That's... a Golden Spirit Fruit?" Zhou Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "This fruit contains abundant spiritual energy, which can be used to enhance cultivation!"

“That’s right.” Qingyunzi nodded. “However, it won’t be easy to harvest the Golden Spirit Fruit—we must first pass the trial in the lake.”

The woman in white frowned slightly: "There seems to be some kind of mysterious power lurking in the lake. We must be careful."

The three exchanged a glance, each reading a resolute determination in the other's eyes. They cautiously approached the lake, its waters shimmering in the sunlight, both beautiful and profound, as if concealing endless mysteries. Zhou Yuan tried stepping into the lake, immediately feeling an immense resistance pressing down on him, like a thousand-pound burden weighing him down.

He exclaimed in disbelief, "This is... a gravity field? I never imagined that such a powerful gravity field was hidden within this lake!" (End of Chapter)