Immortality and Immortality: Liver Experience Begins in the Desert

After returning to the cave, Jiang Qiong threw the last piece of blood-stained cloth into the copper basin. Tiny scales of monsters were floating in the steaming water mist.

He looked at the slowly rotating spirit stone in the spirit gathering array, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the Soul-Devouring Knife at his waist - the blade still retained a faint smell of blood, and glowed an eerie blue under the illumination of the night pearl.

"Knock Knock-"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, which startled Jiang Qiong's fingertips and caused ripples in the spiritual energy in the spirit gathering array.

The moment Jiang Qiong activated her spiritual consciousness, her pupils shrank slightly, and she noticed that the neighbor next door was waiting quietly behind the stone door, with a faint scent of medicine in his coldness.

"Please come in."

The moment the stone door slid open, Jiang Qiong's breathing paused slightly.

The female neighbor took off her moon-white long skirt that she had worn during the day, and was now wearing a light blue wide-sleeved skirt that made her figure even more graceful. The silver bells hanging from the white jade hairpin in her hair rang lightly with her steps, and were particularly clear in the silent cave.

The carved food box in her arms was carved with a crane spreading its wings, ready to fly. The aroma oozing out from the gaps made one's throat tighten - it was a unique aroma mixed with the fragrance of magical herbs and the aroma of burnt meat, which reminded Jiang Qiong of the meals her mother cooked when she was a child.

"Mr. Jiang saved my life, Yun Shu will never forget it."

The woman gently placed the food box on the stone table, and as her sleeves slipped down, she revealed the jade bracelet on her wrist. "Although these spiritual meals are not a token of respect, I hope you will show me your kindness."

The moment she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows under her eyes, and her voice was a little softer than during the day, "My name is Yunshu, and you don't have to call me Miss anymore."

Jiang Qiong's throat rolled as she watched Yun Shu raise her white hand slightly, revealing the scenes in the food box one by one.

In the white jade dish on the top layer, the golden silk rice cake was emitting a soft golden light, and every strand of gold was clearly visible, flowing with a silky luster under the light;

The Emerald Spirit Soup was served in a green jade bowl. The leaves floating on the surface expanded with the heat, and the spiritual energy could be vaguely seen flowing between the leaf veins.
The barbecued meat at the bottom was sizzling with oil, and beneath the condensed golden fat on the surface, the unique dark patterns of the demon bull could be vaguely seen.

"This barbecue..." Jiang Qiong's fingertips trembled slightly. He clearly remembered that the fur of the demon bull was as tough as iron, and ordinary knives could not cut it at all.

"It's marinated with the juice of the Ice Orchid." Yun Shu seemed to see his confusion and tapped the edge of the bowl with her fingertips. "First, use the cold air to paralyze the hide, then use a slow fire to roast it, so that its essence can be preserved."

She handed over a pair of jade chopsticks, and when her sleeve brushed across the back of Jiang Qiong's hand, there was a slight coolness.

Jiang Qiong took a bite of the barbecue. The crispy outside and tender inside made the meat taste delicious. Rich spiritual energy surged into her meridians like a surging tide.

What’s even more amazing is that there is a hint of special medicinal fragrance mixed in the barbecue, which can transform demonic power into gentle spiritual power.

He raised his eyes to look at Yun Shu, only to see that the other party was concentrating on pouring tea for him. The tea in the celadon cup had an amber glow and tiny stars were floating on the water.

"This is..." "Starfall Tea, produced in the Cold Star Cliff in the far north of Wanbao Island." Yun Shu pushed the teacup over. "It has the effect of calming the mind and improving eyesight. It is most suitable for drinking after training."

As she spoke, her hair rang with the sound of silver bells. Jiang Qiong noticed that there was a cinnabar mole behind her ear, which looked like a drop of solidified blood under the candlelight.

During the conversation, Yun Shu suddenly took out a brocade box.

The moment it opened, the dazzling light almost dazzled Jiang Qiong's eyes - hundreds of medium-grade spirit stones piled up into a small hill, and the top-grade spirit stone on the top exuded a heart-pounding pressure.

Jade bottles and jade boxes were neatly placed on the lower layer of the brocade box, containing rejuvenation pills, energy-gathering pills, and several hundred-year-old elixirs with runes flowing on their leaves.

"These." Jiang Qiong subconsciously took a half step back, but Yun Shu held her wrist.

Her palms were cold, yet contained an irresistible force.

"If you don't accept it, it means you think Yunshu's thank you gift is too small."

She stroked the edge of the brocade box with her fingertips and said calmly, "These thieves came for what I have in my hands. Sharing it with you is the only way Yun Shu can think of to repay you."

Jiang Qiong stared into her eyes. In those cold eyes, there was a barely perceptible hint of pleading.

He suddenly remembered how Yun Shu calmly swung his sword in the face of the poisonous knife during the battle, and a soft spot in his heart was touched.

"In that case, I'll accept it." Jiang Qiong took the brocade box and saw Yun Shu's tense shoulders relax quietly out of the corner of his eye.

Just then, he noticed that there was half a piece of yellowed animal skin pressed on the bottom of the brocade box, and there seemed to be a flame-shaped totem on the edge.

Yun Shu followed his gaze and her expression instantly became solemn. She hesitated for a moment, took out a torn parchment scroll from her storage bag, and spread it out on the stone table.

The surface of the parchment was covered with obscure runes, and the charred marks on the edges were obviously caused by fire. Only the outline of the map in the middle was vaguely visible - it was a valley shrouded in red mist, with seven spires standing in the valley, and the tops of the towers flashing strange purple light.

“This is…” “A fragment of the Tianxu Secret Realm.” Yun Shu’s fingertips passed over the purple light on the map, “Three months ago, I accidentally found it in an ancient ruin.

I originally thought it was just an ordinary treasure map, until half a month ago, when I heard someone was buying similar fragments at a high price on the black market."

She suddenly clenched the parchment scroll tightly, her knuckles turning white. "The descriptions given by the thieves are exactly the same as the marks on the fragment in my hand."

Jiang Qiong took a closer look and found a line of very small words engraved in the corner of the map: "Whoever obtains the seven towers will have the power to burn the sky."

He was shocked. If such a secret treasure appeared in the world, it would definitely trigger a fight among various forces. "Master Jiang."

Yun Shu suddenly grabbed his sleeve, with a rare eagerness in his eyes, "I have heard that you have a strange skill and a treasure like the Thunder Talisman."

She took a deep breath and said, "If I can join forces with you, maybe I can unlock the restrictions on the fragments. After that, I would like to share the opportunities in the secret realm with you."

"I promise you."

Jiang Qiong interrupted her, his eyes falling on her cheeks that were flushed with excitement, "But before that, we have to find out the origins of those thieves."

He picked up a jade slip from the brocade box. There was a familiar aura lingering on the surface of the jade slip - exactly the same demonic aura as the Demonic Bull King.

Yun Shu looked at Jiang Qiong's thoughtful face, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips. She quietly injected a wisp of spiritual power into the teacup, and faint runes suddenly appeared in the tea.

This encounter, perhaps as she expected, was a gift from fate.

When Yun Shu said goodbye and left, Jiang Qiong stood at the entrance of the cave, watching her disappear into the night. The mountain breeze blew by, bringing with it a faint scent of the Ice Orchid.

He clenched the fragment in his hand, and suddenly remembered the moment when the spirit puppet attacked the thieves during the battle, and the half red token exposed on the waist of one of them - it was exactly the same as what he saw on that bloody night deep in his memory.

Inside the cave, the candle flame suddenly flickered violently, and the spirit stones in the spirit gathering array began to hum.

Jiang Qiong turned and walked towards the stone table, picked up the Star-Falling Tea left by Yun Shu, and his furrowed brows were reflected on the surface of the tea.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

The morning mist on Wanbao Island enveloped the mountains like a veil, and Jiang Qiong was awakened from her practice by the sound of a clear and pleasant silver bell.

The sound seemed to be there and not there, but it penetrated into his ears accurately, like the sound of a clear spring in the mountains.

He slowly opened his eyes, used his spiritual power to dispel the fog surrounding his body, and pushed open the stone door of the cave.

Yun Shu was seen wearing a navy blue suit, with cloud patterns embroidered on his sleeves that appeared and disappeared with his movements. He had a soft sword on his waist, and the red silk wrapped around the hilt fluttered gently in the breeze.

The white jade hairpin in her hair has been replaced by an antique bronze hair crown, which is carved with a phoenix spreading its wings as if ready to fly, making her look even more heroic.

At this time, Yun Shu was holding an ancient animal skin scroll in her hand. The edge of the scroll was badly worn, but she had carefully repaired it with gold thread. The route map was densely marked on it, and every mark showed the traces of time.

"Mr. Jiang, it's getting late."

Yun Shu unfolded the scroll, and gently tapped a spot marked with a flame totem with his slender fingers, his eyes focused and determined, "Lingzhou Mountain is the nearest transit station to Tianxu Secret Realm. We need to arrive before noon to catch the last spiritual boat to Misty Valley.

If you miss this one, the next boat will have to wait three days, by which time the spiritual energy fluctuations at the entrance to the secret realm may attract more forces."

Her voice was calm and steady, completely different from the gentle voice she had used when she thanked him last night. It was as if she had instantly transformed from a weak woman into a resolute female monk.

When Jiang Qiong heard this, his eyes narrowed and he secretly thought about the urgency of this trip.

He nodded and tucked the Soul-Devouring Sword firmly around his waist. The ancient patterns on the scabbard fit his palm perfectly, as if transmitting strength.

He took out a few talismans and several bottles of pills from the storage bag and put them in his arms. He carefully checked the seal of each talisman and confirmed the label on each bottle of pills.

Before leaving, he deliberately glanced at the slowly rotating spirit stone in the spirit gathering array. The light emitted by the spirit stone seemed particularly soft in the morning light. He silently calculated in his heart that if he could get an opportunity from the secret realm, perhaps he could break through the current bottleneck of his cultivation and have more self-protection power in this crisis-ridden world of cultivation.

The two walked quickly along the winding mountain path, and the morning scenery of Wanbao Island gradually appeared before their eyes.

The mountains in the distance are shrouded in clouds and mist, which are like flexible white silk, constantly changing their shapes among the mountains, just like a fairyland;
A magical spring flows in the mountain stream, and the spring water emits a faint fluorescence. Under the sunlight, the fluorescence flickers like stars falling into the water.

From time to time, spirit fish jumped out of the water, and the splashing water formed a gorgeous light curtain in the air. Some mysterious runes could be vaguely seen in the light curtain, but they disappeared in a flash.

As Yun Shu hurried on, she introduced Jiang Qiong to the terrain and possible dangers along the way. Her voice was clear and powerful, and every word revealed her familiarity with this land:

"There is a stone forest three miles ahead. There are often Swift Wind Wolves there. They are good at fighting in groups. Once they find their prey, they will chase it relentlessly. Five miles ahead is a spiritual plant garden. Most of the spiritual plants in the garden are aggressive. Do not touch them casually."

At noon, the sun was high in the sky and the sunlight was shining on the sea, making the waves sparkle.

A huge island appeared before our eyes, that was Lingzhou Mountain.

Lingzhou Mountain towers into the clouds, and its surface is covered with strange patterns. From a distance, it looks like a sleeping dragon that may wake up at any time.

At the foot of the mountain is a bustling pier with spirit boats of various colors docked at the shore. The monks on the boats are busy carrying goods. The shouts and the roar of the spirit boats when they start are intertwined, forming a busy picture.

The air was filled with the fragrance of spiritual herbs, the fishy smell of monster flesh and blood, and the mixed scent of various exotic materials.

Yun Shu brought Jiang Qiong to a simple-looking spiritual boat. The boat was carved with a phoenix with its wings spread. The phoenix's feathers were lifelike, as if it would flap its wings and fly high in the next moment.

The bow of the ship is inlaid with a gem that emits a faint blue light. Mysterious runes flow on the surface of the gem, and each rune is flashing a faint light.

The ship owner was a one-eyed middle-aged man with a burly build, and a hideous scar on his face that extended from his forehead to his chin. He wore a worn but majestic black iron armor, and a rusty long sword hung around his waist.

He looked the two up and down, his eyes full of vigilance, and asked in a rough voice: "Are you going to Misty Valley?
It's not a good place. People who go in there are unlikely to come out. A few days ago, a Jindan cultivator went in there and hasn't been seen since. You two kids, don't go there to die."

"We have urgent business." Yun Shu's expression remained unchanged. He calmly took out a medium-grade spirit stone and handed it over. The spirit stone emitted a soft light in the sun. "This is the boat fare. Please give us some convenience. Although our cultivation is not high, we still have some ability to protect ourselves."

Her voice was neither humble nor arrogant, and her eyes met the one-eyed man's firm gaze.

The one-eyed man took the spirit stone, weighed it in his hand, and bit it gently with his teeth. After confirming the authenticity of the spirit stone, he nodded with satisfaction:
"Let's get on board, but I'll be frank with you. If you encounter any danger on the way, don't blame me for not warning you. Thunderstorms, sirens, and other monks with ill intentions are not to be trifled with."

As he spoke, he waved his hand to signal the two to get on board, and shouted to the crew to get ready to set off. The spiritual boat slowly started, and the gem on the bow shone brightly, and the light turned into a huge phoenix phantom, spreading its wings and soaring, pushing the spiritual boat towards the distance like an arrow from a string.

Jiang Qiong stood at the bow, feeling the strong wind blowing towards him. The strong wind carried the salty smell of sea water, making his clothes rustle.

I saw the surrounding scenery rapidly receding, and other spirit boats occasionally flew by in the distant sky. Some of the spirit boats had strange shapes, like huge flying birds, and their bodies were decorated with colorful feathers, shining brightly in the sun.

Some of them exude a strange aura, the boat is shrouded in black fog, and eerie laughter can be heard faintly, making people afraid to approach.

During the voyage, the sky suddenly became gloomy, dark clouds gathered quickly like a tide, and the spirit boat suddenly shook violently.

Jiang Qiong looked up and saw that the sky ahead was covered with dark clouds. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder roared, as if a giant beast was roaring in the clouds. (End of this chapter)