Prehistoric: The female saint Shiji, brilliant and talented

Shi Ji did not want to get entangled with him too much. He used his agile movements to maneuver around while activating "Star Guidance".

The jade pendant shone brightly, and the starlight it projected suddenly became dazzling, as if it possessed some kind of tangible impact force, crashing heavily into the monster.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the enormous monster was sent flying by the power of starlight, crashing heavily onto the scorching ground, causing the entire valley to tremble slightly.

Having repelled the monster blocking his path, Shi Ji remained vigilant. He strode forward and soon discovered a stone tablet half-buried in scorching rocks behind the place where the monster had been hiding.

The stone tablet is made of a special material that remains intact despite being baked at high temperatures, and it is covered with ancient characters.

Shi Ji approached and examined it carefully.

He happened to recognize these characters; they were inscriptions from ancient times.

The inscription on the stone tablet mainly describes the core auxiliary materials required for forging top-tier Netherworld-type magical artifacts and their processing methods, and subtly mentions the connection between these materials and a certain powerful being.

"The accompanying divine material of the Nine Netherworld Iron... and there's this method of purification..."

Shi Ji seemed to be deep in thought.

He continued exploring and soon discovered a hidden cave entrance in the rock face of the valley.

Unlike the scorching heat outside, the cave walls were cool and shady. The rock walls were carved with a large number of more complex and ancient symbols, which seemed to contain some kind of mystery about the essence of life.

Shi Ji calmed her mind and spent a lot of time and effort to decipher these obscure symbols one by one.

The core message conveyed by the symbols revolves around three concepts: bloodline, physical body, and lifespan.

They depict an extreme cultivation path that involves purifying one's own bloodline, strengthening one's physical body, and even plundering lifespan by devouring the essence of other powerful beings.

After deciphering these symbols, Shi Ji was overwhelmed with shock.

This information undoubtedly further confirmed his previous guess—that the sleeping evil spirit was likely a terrifying being who followed this path of plunder.

This valley may have once been where it "hunted".

It may be a place where some kind of ritual is held, where countless powerful beings who were devoured by it are buried.

Shi Ji then detailed the horrifying information revealed by the stone tablet and the symbols on the rock wall to Gongsun Linglong, who was following closely behind.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Linglong's pretty face was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Devouring bloodline and lifespan... This... This is simply defying the heavens!"

If so many powerful individuals truly perished here, then the value and danger of these ruins are immense…

She murmured to herself, feeling a pang of heartache.

Shi Ji's sharp gaze swept across the depths of the cave, and she said in a deep voice, "Risk often coexists with opportunity."

The secrets hidden here may be far beyond our imagination.

Now that we're here, let's delve deeper and see what lies at the end of this unsolved mystery.

The two reached a consensus to continue along the "Star Guide".

Follow the direction indicated.

The road became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse, and the temperature reached an appalling level. The surrounding rock walls were a dark red, as if they might melt at any moment.

Finally, they reached the deepest part of the valley.

The scene before me suddenly opened up, yet it was also terrifying.

They stood on the edge of a massive cliff, below which lay a churning, boiling ocean of lava, radiating terrifying heat. The intense red light illuminated this vast underground space in a fiery glow.

On the opposite side of the cliff, near the center of the lava, there is a strange platform.

The platform is teeming with life, a stark contrast to the surrounding devastation.

There grow many rare and exotic flowers and plants that are hard to find elsewhere. Each plant contains a powerful life force, and its branches and leaves are as clear as jade and shimmer with light.

The most eye-catching feature is a strange plant in the center of the platform.

Its entire body is pure gold, and its shape is like a blooming lotus flower, but it is rooted in an enormous, bright red lotus seedpod that looks like a gemstone.

The golden petals unfurled, releasing an indescribable, refreshing, and rich medicinal fragrance. The aroma seemed to act directly on the soul, instantly invigorating the spirit and bringing comfort to the whole body.

"What amazing potency!"
What kind of rare and precious treasure is this golden lotus?

Shi Ji gazed at the golden lotus from afar, a look of astonishment in her eyes.

He had never seen or even heard of such a peculiar spiritual plant.

"I've never seen it before either..."

Gongsun Linglong took a deep breath of the alluring medicinal fragrance, and a charming blush appeared on her beautiful face, whether due to the effects of the medicine or her excitement, it was hard to tell.

Her gaze was fixed on the golden lotus, revealing longing, but she did not move her feet.

"The fragrance of this herb is so enchanting. For a moment just now, I almost couldn't resist flying over to pick it right away... but I restrained myself."

Shi Ji gazed at the lotus flower that floated in mid-air, surrounded by a golden halo, then turned to Gongsun Linglong beside her and slowly said, "You didn't pick this golden lotus flower, probably because you were afraid it was poisonous, right?"

His tone was somewhat probing, his gaze fixed on Gongsun Linglong's changing expression, trying to confirm his guess from her reaction.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Linglong was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes, as if she hadn't expected Shiji to see through her concerns.

She paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness: "You guessed right, that is indeed the reason."

This golden lotus grows in the deepest part of the forbidden area, and the surrounding space is eerie. When I tried to approach it before, I always felt that there was an invisible force spying on me. In addition, the aura it emitted was too special, so I dared not make a move rashly. Shi Ji's heart sank suddenly. He subconsciously circulated his spiritual power, but found that the flow of spiritual power had slowed down significantly, and his limbs began to feel a slight numbness.

His expression changed slightly, and his voice became somewhat solemn: "If my guess is correct, then I may have already been poisoned."

From the moment we entered this area, a very faint, strange fragrance permeated the air. We didn't pay attention to it at the time, but now that I think about it, it was probably the poisonous gas released by these lotus flowers.

Gongsun Linglong looked at Shi Ji's solemn expression and gave a bitter smile: "Actually, it's not just you, I'm afraid I wasn't spared either."

She raised her hand to press her temples, her voice tinged with weariness, "I recently broke through to the Emperor Realm, and my physical body has undergone a transformation, making it far stronger than that of ordinary Great Emperor Realm experts. I thought I could resist ordinary toxins, but I didn't expect the poisonous gas from this lotus to be so domineering."

As she spoke, the dizziness in her head grew stronger, as if countless tiny needles were pricking her temples, and her vision began to blur.

The medicinal fragrance emanating from the golden lotus grew stronger and stronger. At first, it was refreshing and pleasant, but now it seemed to possess a bewitching magic, causing her consciousness to gradually dissipate and making it extremely difficult for her to even circulate her spiritual energy.

"What's going on? Why am I getting more and more dizzy?"

Gongsun Linglong gritted her teeth, trying to fight the toxins in her body with her willpower, but her body became heavier and heavier, and her legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to support her weight at all.

Before she could finish speaking, everything went black, and her body lurched forward uncontrollably with a "thud."

He collapsed onto the cold ground with a thud, completely losing consciousness.

"Miss Gongsun!"
"Miss Gongsun!"

Upon seeing this, Shi Ji was greatly alarmed and quickly rushed forward, squatting down beside Gongsun Linglong.

He reached out and gently patted her cheek, then shook her shoulders forcefully, calling her name urgently: "Little girl, wake up, don't sleep!"
Wake up!
It's dangerous here, you can't sleep!

No matter what method Shi Ji used, Gongsun Linglong did not react at all. Her face grew paler and paler, her breathing became weaker and weaker, and her lips even turned a faint bluish-purple. It was clear that the poison had begun to invade her internal organs.

Looking at her lifeless appearance, Shi Ji grew increasingly anxious. Her brows furrowed, and her gaze returned to the golden lotus. She muttered to herself, "Could it be that this golden lotus is truly poisonous? But it looks so pure and holy, how could it harbor such a vicious method?"

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to move Gongsun Linglong to a place far away from the lotus flowers before trying to find a way to detoxify her.

But just as he reached out to support Gongsun Linglong's arm, a strong numbing sensation suddenly spread from his fingertips throughout his body, as if an electric current was coursing through his limbs.

Shi Ji's body suddenly stiffened, her fingers stopped in mid-air, unable to move an inch.

Immediately afterwards, his legs gave way and he collapsed heavily to the ground, his entire body frozen as if frozen in place, so stiff that he couldn't even move a finger.

Just as Shi Ji was in despair, Gongsun Linglong, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes slowly.

Her eyes were clear and sharp, showing no trace of her previous weakness and dizziness. She slowly stood up from the ground, dusted off her clothes, and a sly smile appeared on her lips. She looked down at the immobilized Shi Ji and said with a hint of mockery, "Finally, I lured you out. It wasn't for nothing that I put on this show."

"I'm giving you two choices: either you voluntarily reveal your origins and purpose, or I'll use my soul-searching technique to personally extract the answers from your mind. Which do you choose?"

Looking at the completely different Gongsun Linglong, Shi Ji suddenly realized that her fainting just now was all an act, her purpose was to make her lower her guard and take the opportunity to poison her as well.

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head, never expecting that he would be so easily fooled by a woman's acting skills, ending up in such a predicament.

Shi Ji knew better than anyone the dangers of the Soul Searching Technique.

If an ordinary cultivator were to have their soul searched by a high-level expert, not only would all their memories be forcibly read, but their soul essence would also suffer irreversible damage. In the end, they would either become a mad idiot or their soul would be completely destroyed, with no chance of survival.

However, Shi Ji was not too flustered. His soul essence was not comparable to that of ordinary cultivators. It was formed by more than a dozen Immortal Kings in the Three Thousand Great Worlds, who spent hundreds of millions of years refining ninety-eight kinds of innate ancient stones and fusing countless divine soul essences. Its toughness far exceeded that of cultivators of the same level, and even Emperor-level powerhouses could hardly shake it.

Furthermore, he also possesses the soul defense divine power inherited from his descendants, which allows him to set up layers of restrictions in his sea of ​​consciousness. Even if Gongsun Linglong is a powerful expert at the Emperor level, she will not be able to easily break through his soul defense.

"I will neither confess voluntarily nor allow you to search my soul."

Shi Ji's eyes gradually turned cold, and she said firmly, "If we really reach a dead end, I will choose to commit suicide."

Rather than be manipulated like a puppet, it's better to end it all; at least then, one can retain a shred of dignity.

He was now stiff all over, like a lamb to the slaughter. Rather than sit and wait to die, he would rather use suicide to intimidate the other party and buy himself a chance to catch his breath.

Upon hearing that Shi Ji would rather commit suicide than submit, a hint of disdain flashed in Gongsun Linglong's eyes. She snorted coldly and said in an icy tone, "Since you want to die so badly, then I'll grant your wish!"
But before you die, you should at least leave some 'toll', right?

As soon as she finished speaking, a pale blue light shone from the storage ring on Shi Ji's waist.

Under Gongsun Linglong's spiritual power, the storage ring slowly detached from Shiji's finger and flew into her palm as if it had a life of its own.

Gongsun Linglong held the ring, her fingertips swirling with faint purple spiritual energy, carefully examining the restrictions on the ring.

A moment later, a smug smile appeared on her lips—the restrictions on this ring, though ingenious, were no match for her, a powerful Emperor-level expert.

With a soft "click"

With a sound, the restriction on the storage ring was successfully broken.

Gongsun Linglong put the ring on her finger and scanned the inside of the ring with her divine sense. When she saw the various treasures stored inside, a greedy glint flashed in her eyes.

She dangled the ring on her finger and said to Shi Ji with a sneer, "Kid, I didn't expect you to have so many good things hidden in your storage ring. But now, they all belong to me."

Shi Ji watched as her storage ring was taken away. Although she was furious, she was helpless. She could only suppress her anger, put on a fawning expression, and said with a bitter smile, "Grandma, please spare my life!"
I know you are incredibly powerful; I am nothing more than an ant in your presence.

"As long as you don't kill me, I'm willing to acknowledge you as my master, and serve you wholeheartedly from now on. I'd even treat you like an ancestor!"

He deliberately feigned a cowardly appearance in an attempt to lull Gongsun Linglong into a false sense of security and create an opportunity for a subsequent counterattack.

"I bother!
Who would want a piece of trash like you as a subordinate?

Gongsun Linglong shouted, her disdain deepening. She stomped her foot on the ground in front of Shiji and said coldly, "Don't try that with me. Hand over all the treasures you've hidden right now, and don't even think about playing tricks!"

Shi Ji's smile became even more bitter. He spread his hands, pretending to be helpless, and said, "As you can see, my whole body is stiff right now, and I can't even move. How can I possibly hide any treasures? The contents of this ring are all my possessions."

As you can see, here is a Concentration Pearl that can stabilize one's cultivation level, a piece of Xuan Iron Armor with decent defensive capabilities, a tortoise shell shield that can withstand attacks from a Great Emperor realm cultivator, a sharp Qingfeng longsword, a bottle of Qi-restoring pills to recover spiritual energy, and a jade talisman inscribed with basic cultivation techniques. (End of Chapter)