My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 466 What to do...

"The scales of Mother Earth..."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the introduction of the game text, then took the thing out to take a look in reality. It looked to be only the size of a palm, dark brown in color, shaped like fish scales, with some complex patterns on the surface.

"A dragon?"

Jiang Xinghuo didn't know what kind of creature this Earth Mother was, but he felt that this piece of scales was very similar to those on a dragon.

But he was not sure. After all, there were many aquatic creatures with scales on their bodies. Maybe it was a big fish, or a water snake or something.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Will you choose to leave this Earth Mother Cave and come back when you have a higher level of cultivation, or will you use a scapegoat and continue exploring here?"

There are two options: leave the Earth Mother Cave and continue exploring.

After a brief thought, Jiang Xinghuo made his own choice and continued exploring here.

"You chose to continue exploring."

"You activated the effect of the scapegoat and successfully resurrected at the entrance of the Earth Mother Cave. Looking at the mud spreading to who knows where, what are you going to do?"

"Would you choose to try to wade through the mud, or think of other ways to see if you can avoid the mud?"

Jiang Xinghuo thought about it and did not rush into the cave. Instead, he opened the niche of the teahouse and walked around it.

The mud in the cave is too horrible. If you go in without preparation, you will probably die.

He searched around in the niche and finally found a prop that might be useful in the next exploration.

"Item: Crossing the River with a Reed."

"Consignor: River Drifter."

"Selling price: 300 incense sticks."

"Function: Straw sandals made from riverside reeds mixed with secret medicine. They have the effect of not sinking or drowning when crossing a river."

"Number of uses: 3 times."

When Jiang Xinghuo saw this, he felt that this pair of straw sandals just met his needs and the price was reasonable, so he directly paid 300 incense sticks to buy the item. He would first see if it worked, and if not, he would think of another way.

"You have obtained, a reed to cross the river."

"A Reed Crossing the River (Ordinary Item), a special item forged by the exile 'River Drifter'. It is made of reeds from the riverside mixed with secret medicine. After wearing it, you can walk on the water with your feet, even lighter than reed catkins."

"Do you want to equip this item?"

Jiang Xinghuo chose yes without hesitation and equipped the Reed Crossing the River on his game character.

"You have come to the entrance of the Earth Mother Cave again. Do you want to try to explore deeper into it?"

"You walked into the Earth Mother Cave, and your feet sank slightly. But after the mud reached your ankles, you triggered the effect of your reed sandals talent. You felt a magical buoyancy coming from under your feet, lifting your body upwards. At most, it only reached your ankles."

"You stepped on the mud and began to move forward. The oil-sealed lamp reappeared in your palm. You discovered that although this cave was covered with mud, it was built with great care. The bricks on all sides of the corridor were polished and the seams were matched."

"These silts have been stored underground for who knows how many years, so they have collapsed into various weird and terrifying shapes in the cave."

"It's gloomy and terrifying at first glance. I don't know where the end of this cave extends to. Anyway, as far as the eye can see, it's endless mud. Do you still want to continue moving forward?"

"You chose to move on..."

Jiang Xinghuo did not use the function of Risui to transmit the projection of his own consciousness.

Because it is still unclear what is inside the cave. If you see something that makes you lose SAN like crazy, wouldn’t that be asking for trouble? ?

"You walked deeper into the cave through the mud. Along the way, you saw a lot of broken steel cables, various strange-looking bones, and broken scales and membranes in the cracks of the mud."

"Have you used the limb-joining technique to gather and fuse those broken bones together?"

Jiang Xinghuo's heart was slightly moved. He didn't expect that the Dharma Image could be used in this way? ?
"You unfolded your limb-joining form, and countless decayed remains swept out, devouring and fusing the broken bones."

"Your limb splicing method has been slightly improved."

"You keep going..."

"The number of broken bones we see along the way is getting smaller and smaller, but the power contained in them is getting stronger and stronger. Your limb splicing form is too low in level to devour and fuse those bones."

Looking at the description in the game text and based on the currently known clues, Jiang Xinghuo gradually deduced what happened here that year.

Judging from the broken steel cables, this old secular relic must have been used to build something, perhaps laying underground projects, or researching something related.

Then, during the construction process, the so-called Mother Earth was discovered or alarmed, and the builders used the method of driving piles to appease the Mother Earth and complete the project.

But the result was obviously not as expected, so the people who built the underground project wanted to forcibly strangle the Earth Mother, which is also the source of those broken bones.

However, this is just a conclusion that Jiang Xinghuo deduced based on the existing information. It could be true, or it could be completely wrong.

While thinking about these things, Jiang Xinghuo continued to push the plot forward.

"As you go deeper, you feel the mud under your feet gradually decrease, and finally the mud around you disappears completely, replaced by an extremely clean corridor without any trace of mud, only a thin layer of dust, which is like a completely different world from the mud behind."

"Go up the corridor and continue forward. With the help of the light in your hand, you can vaguely see many murals on the dusty walls on both sides. Do you want to go forward and take a closer look?"

Jiang Xinghuo looked at this and thought that the highlight was finally here. Otherwise, he would just wander around in the corridor and wouldn't get any good results.

"You walked to the wall with a lamp in hand, wiped off the dust, and carefully identified the content of the murals on the wall. Only then did you discover that the murals carved on the wall were actually the way to enter the Three Ghost Temple."

"There are nine pictures carved on the wall, which record in detail how to find the Three Ghost Temple and enter it smoothly."

"According to the records on the murals, if you want to enter the Three Ghost Temple, you must find the Eight Treasures Ruyi Incense in Buddhism, and then light the Eight Treasures Ruyi Incense on a windless and moonless night. Follow the smoke of the incense and candles and walk in front of you, and you will successfully find the path to the Three Ghost Temple." Looking at the prompts given in the game text, Jiang Xinghuo couldn't help but grin.

It only says here that the Eight Treasures Ruyi Incense can lead to the path to the Three Ghost Temple. So, why don't you tell me where to look for the Eight Treasures Ruyi Incense?

But having clues is better than having none. I will go back and ask the storyteller, and then ask the mob to see if I can find some relevant clues.

Jiang Xinghuo thought to himself that if he failed to complete this mission, it might be related to Shifang Zen Temple.

"You walked forward along the corridor and soon came to the end of the corridor. It turned out to be a bottomless cliff with the remains of a broken bridge on the cliff. In the distant past, there should have been a stone bridge across it, connecting the cliffs on both sides. But now, for some reason, the stone bridge has broken and collapsed, turning into an insurmountable chasm."

"How are you going to deal with this situation next?"

The game text also stopped abruptly, and no interactive options popped up, as if leaving Jiang Xinghuo to make the decision himself.

This is still a rare situation in game exploration. In the past, several interactive options would pop up and Jiang Xinghuo would have to choose one from them, and he could not control the direction of the plot himself.

But now it is different. Perhaps because it is in the ruins of the old secular world, the influence of the game on that world has been greatly reduced. Of course, there may also be some reasons that Jiang Xinghuo does not know.

Jiang Xinghuo replayed the text, read the description again, thought for a moment, and then took out a substitute paper figure from the magic bag.

"You used it, the paper substitute."

"Use blood to open the eyes of the paper man, and the man will take shape. You control the man to hold the oil-sealed lamp and fly towards the other side of the cliff."

"The paper man's body was weightless, so it could easily fly with the wind as long as it was pushed by the air current. However, just when the paper man flew to the middle of the cliff, a huge black monster suddenly jumped out from the bottom of the cliff and tore the paper man into pieces in an instant, and even the little ghost in the oil-sealed lamp was turned into ashes."

"You have triggered the Tathagata's talent."

"Although the huge creature only appeared for a brief moment, your Tathagata was able to see through its true colors during that brief gap."

"You have discovered it, Mother Earth."

"Mother Earth is a monster born from the Yin Veins underground. She is not a specific race. As long as she can withstand the power of the Yin Veins, all things in the world have the opportunity to become Mother Earth."

"Once you become the Earth Mother, as long as the Yin Meridians deep in the Earth's core are not exhausted, even if you suffer irreparable injuries, you can recover through the Yin Meridians."

"The Earth Mother you found was originally a small water snake. By chance, it came here along the cracks in the ground and endured the power of the Yin energy of the earth veins, thus evolving into an Earth Mother."

Jiang Xinghuo finally understood what was going on. It turned out that this was how the Earth Mother came about. He didn't know if it was the same one that the Dayan Immortal saw.

But Jiang Xinghuo estimated that the possibility was not high, because the game text at that time said very clearly that the Earth Mother that the Dayan Immortal met was about to reach the end of her life.

Moreover, a very long time has passed since the present mortal world, so the Earth Mother might have died long ago.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Will you try to cross the cliff yourself, or go back home and leave this strange earth mother cave?"

There are two options, either continue forward or leave the Earth Mother Cave.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and chose to move on. He had come this far, and he would feel unwilling if he didn't go on.

"You chose to move on..."

"You displayed the Limb-Joining Dharma Form, and countless broken limbs and arms gathered behind you like a pair of broken wings filled with corpse qi, enveloping your body and quickly flying towards the other side of the cliff."

"At the same time, the eight metal arms behind you also formed different hand seals. Silver-white arcs flashed, and countless blazing and brilliant lightning intertwined and spread, transforming into a thunder and lightning angry dragon circling around, and just collided with the Earth Mother who was rushing up."

"Boom!"

"There was a loud noise. The powerful force in the opponent's body was far beyond your imagination. It smashed the Thunder Dragon in an instant. The powerful impact force rushed into your body, shattering your internal organs."

"You are dead."

"Fortunately, your body was also knocked to the edge of the cliff by the impact, and did not fall into the bottomless tiankeng. The Earth Mother did not seem to pursue you relentlessly, but returned to the mud under the cliff on her own."

Jiang Xinghuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the body fell on the cliff opposite. Although he lost his life, at least his goal was achieved.

"You activated the effect of the scapegoat and resurrected on the corridor opposite the cliff. Looking at the tattered scarecrow on the ground, you set it on fire with the stove and threw it under the cliff."

"The faint light was quickly swallowed by darkness, but before the fire disappeared, you saw some ancient text on the cliff next to you. Those words did not belong to the culture of any race, and you could only barely remember some of them."

“When you encounter related text in the future, the game will automatically give you a prompt to guide you to the past to search and explore.”

"You look back at the dark corridor ahead. Do you want to explore deeper into it?"

"You chose to continue exploring."

"Take a piece of firewood from your magic bag, light it with the stove fire, and walk deeper into the tunnel with the torch in hand."

"This tunnel is different from the one you came through before. Although there is no mud, the temperature has become much colder, as if you have fallen into an ice cave."

"In the deep darkness ahead, there are faint cries coming from the room. The voices sound miserable and sinister. There are voices of both old and young, men and women. They keep echoing in the corridor, making people tremble all over. Do you still want to continue moving forward?"

"You still stick to your choice and continue to move forward along the corridor."

"You walked a little further, and suddenly the view in front of you opened up to a wide circular space. Although it was empty, you could vaguely see the remains of steel cables and a broken stone tablet standing at an angle next to it. On it were two large characters, 'Naihe', engraved in red cinnabar. The rest of the space had already disappeared."

What?

Naihe Bridge? ?

Jiang Xinghuo suddenly remembered the holographic projection message he saw in the Guimenguan laboratory. According to the researchers in the projection, there are thirteen laboratories like Guimenguan, each named after the folk legends of the previous era.

There seems to be a laboratory among them, called Naihe Bridge.

Then, Jiang Xinghuo thought of the broken bridge between the cliffs. Could it be that Naihe Bridge refers to that stone bridge?
(End of this chapter)