Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 602 From Mulberry Fields to Vast Oceans, the Cataclysmic Calamity

The members of the salvage advance team were still immersed in their own fantasy worlds and did not react at all to Shang Lu's arrival.

Shang Lu squinted at them, pondering whether he should take this opportunity to eliminate them all.

The moment the thought of killing arose, his heart began to stir again.

Countless sharp, delirious murmurs exploded in his mind:

"Kill them all! Slaughter them all! Kill, kill, kill!"

"Everyone in this world deserves to be killed! The more people you kill, the stronger you become!"

"Prove your path through killing, slaughter all living beings in the world, and you will become the supreme god!"

"What are you hesitating for? If you don't act now, when will you? Kill! Kill them all!"

These voices were extremely seductive, frantically assaulting Shang Lu's consciousness.

If it weren't for the Kidney God statue constantly urging the "Supreme Goodness is Like Water" mental cultivation method to protect his mind from chaos, and the Heart God statue also timely spewing out raging heart fire to burn away all these murderous thoughts, he would probably have been devoured by this overwhelming murderous intent even if he hadn't fallen into the illusion, and turned into a monster who only knew how to kill!

"This place is truly eerie!"

Having suppressed his murderous intent and regained his composure, Shang Lu dared not entertain any other thoughts.

Even if these people wanted to kill, they couldn't do it by the Delusion Pool.

Otherwise, Wangxintan would surely seize the opportunity to plant twisted and treacherous thoughts deep within his Dao heart.

Once this thought is planted, it will gnaw at his will and distort his mind like a maggot clinging to his bone.

In the future, with each person he killed, this sinister thought would grow stronger... eventually leading him into an irreversible descent into a bloodlust from which there was no escape.

"Let's pick the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus first. As for this group of people... we'll deal with them later."

Shang Lu made up his mind instantly.

If these people cannot break free from the illusion, they will naturally turn into withered bones by the pool, saving him the trouble of taking action.

If they can break free, all the better! This Water Mansion Secret Realm is full of eeriness and evil, and it needs these experienced people to go ahead and blaze a trail!

Shang Lu ignored the group of living dead, flicked his finger, and sent a condensed stream of energy flying toward the ice crystal blue lotus in the center of the pool, intending to pluck it from a distance.

However, as soon as the essence flew above the pool, it was grabbed by a powerful suction force and pulled into the pool. In an instant, it was swallowed up by the Pool of Delusions, just like a mud ox entering the sea!
"Ok?"

Shang Lu frowned, not expecting that the Pool of Delusions could not only confuse people's minds, but also have such strange abilities.

He immediately tried several other methods, but no matter whether it was paper figures or copper ants, none of them could get close to the blue ice crystal lotus in the center of the pool. They all sank as soon as they entered the water and disappeared without a trace.

Damaged paper figures are no big deal to Shang Lu; he can draw or tear out many more.

But the loss of a single copper ant caused him immense heartache.

Shang Lu looked up at the cave ceiling and wondered whether he should climb up and use a rope to retrieve the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus from above.

The thought had barely formed in her mind, and before she could even utter it, she heard Third Sister say, "No."

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Shang Lu turned his head in surprise.

"I can tell just by looking up at you."

Third Sister shook her head and said, "This trick won't work. Anything that enters the range of the Delusional Mind Pool will be pulled to the bottom of the pool."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Shang Lu asked with a bitter face.

If Third Sister had told him about the strangeness of the Delusional Heart Pool earlier, he wouldn't have lost a copper ant for nothing.

Third Sister said calmly, "I just figured this out based on your several failed attempts."

Shang Lu asked in despair, "Can we still pick the icy blue lotus in the center of this pool?"

"Yes, I can," Third Sister said with certainty, "but you need to go down into the Pool of Delusions yourself to pick them."

"Is it dangerous?" Shang Lu asked again.

This Pool of Delusions, which both confuses and corrupts people's minds and submerges their essence, magical power, and artifacts, will definitely not allow anyone to easily obtain the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus.

"there is."

Third Sister nodded, "Once you enter the Pool of Delusions, the temptations of desire, the threats of terror, and other illusions you will have to endure will be even greater than outside the pool. You must guard your mind and stay true to yourself, without wavering in the slightest."

Once shaken, it will be submerged in the pool and become part of the illusion!

Furthermore, the Pool of Delusions is bitterly cold; you must be able to withstand it… Also, while the Pool of Delusions appears calm and undisturbed, it actually contains numerous and chaotic undercurrents. If you do not know the art of water manipulation, you will be trapped in the pool forever, and after exhausting yourself, you will fall to the bottom and be 'assimilated' by it.”

"Controlling water... Strengthening the heart..."

Shang Lu keenly noticed a few key points and asked in surprise, "Was the Waterway Map in front prepared specifically for this Pool of Delusions?"

The skills I learned from the Water Classic Map can be used to overcome the various mysteries and dangers in the Pool of Delusions!

Third Sister nodded: "Exactly. As long as it's not an inauspicious or deadly place, many of the traps and mysteries in the secret realms can be countered by finding a way to counter them nearby."

"Is this what they call 'the antidote will be available within three steps'?" Shang Lu exclaimed in amazement.

Since the skills he learned from the Water Classic Map were just enough to overcome the strangeness and danger in the Delusion Pool, he no longer hesitated and immediately jumped into the Delusion Pool.

The moment he entered the water, a bone-chilling cold swept over his entire body, as if to freeze all of his blood and essence into ice.

At the same time, all sorts of illusions related to desire and fear appeared directly in Shang Lu's mind.

It is not only more authentic, but also more direct in revealing the various secrets hidden deep within his heart.

Shang Lu even saw his parents and friends on Earth before he transmigrated... They were incredibly real, and their joy and excitement upon seeing Shang Lu came from the bottom of their hearts.

His parents, their temples now streaked with gray, burst into tears upon seeing him, repeatedly asking where he had been all this time and why they hadn't heard from him. They couldn't reach him by phone, nor did he reply to their messages.

His friend, while joking, subtly showed concern, asking if he'd been tricked into going to Southeast Asia, and whether he still had his kidneys...

The scenes were incredibly vivid, and the emotions were genuine and intense... Compared to these scenes, the illusions I encountered outside the Pool of Delusions were utterly insignificant.

Shang Lu stayed in this illusion, cooked a meal with his parents, and then drank with a few close friends.

At the same time, his physical body was gradually sinking to the bottom of the pool during this process.

At the edge of the pool, Third Sister stared intently at Shang Lu's sinking figure. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes were full of concern and worry.

If Shang Lu becomes truly immersed in the illusion and cannot escape, and is about to fall to the bottom of the pool, she will risk her soul to save him.

Although Shang Lu could not see what was happening outside in the illusion, he seemed to be able to sense it.

"I should go now," he said to his parents and friends in the illusion.

"Where are you going?" the parents in the illusion asked.

“This is your home, you should stay,” a friend advised.

Shang Lu shook his head: "I am very grateful to you for letting me have a good dream, but I can still distinguish between the illusion and the reality... It's time to wake up from this dream."

"You have to stay!" "You're not leaving!"

In the illusion, his parents and friends suddenly transformed into ferocious demons and pounced on him, trying to entangle him, hold him back, and keep him trapped in the illusion forever.

The pokeweed neither struggled nor resisted; it smiled and let them do as they pleased.

"boom--"

These illusions that could not shake Shang Lu's mind collapsed in an instant, turning into smoke and disappearing without a trace.

The scenery around Shanglu changed accordingly, returning to the dark and chilling Pond of Delusions.

At this point, he had already sunk to the bottom of the icy pool.

There seemed to be a suction force underwater, pulling him down into the depths of the pool.

If the pokeweed hadn't been inside the Water Map and hadn't learned the skill of water control, it might have lost its composure at this moment, struggling desperately in the water, and as a result, it might have sank deeper and deeper.

Ultimately, they sink to the bottom of the pool, with little chance of survival.

However, having learned the Heart Sutra of "The Highest Good is Like Water" and mastered the ability to control water, Shanglu remained calm in the face of this situation and did not rashly resist or struggle against this suction force.

He visualized the water spirit in his mind, imagining himself as one of the water spirits. At the same time, he used the water manipulation technique he had learned to guide the power released from the bottom of the pool, turning it from suction to lifting force, which lifted him to the surface.

The pokeweed was successful.

The Heart Sutra, which he had learned, and the art of water manipulation were extremely useful in the Pool of Delusions. He seemed to transform into a nimble fish, using the power of the water to swim upstream!

With a splash, he broke through the water and resurfaced on the surface of the pool.

Back on the water, Shang Lu waved to Third Sister by the pool, indicating that he was alright and there was no need to worry.

Third Sister visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then raised her hand, pointing to a cluster of lotus leaves by the pool.

At that moment, Shang Lu also felt the bone-chilling cold from the Pool of Delusions—his blood, meridians, and even his vital energy were frozen.

It was truly frozen solid.

If he hadn't mastered the art of water manipulation, using the water power within the Delusion Pool for his own purposes, even if he had enough strength to counteract the power emanating from the bottom of the pool, he wouldn't have been able to unleash it.

Third Sister saw Shang Lu's predicament, which is why she guided him to find that cluster of lotus leaves.

Without hesitation, Shanglu used the water in the pool to swim nimbly to the lotus leaves and found a lotus seedpod.

"go--"

Pokeweed used his water manipulation technique to send a water arrow towards the lotus pod, and with a "plop," a lotus seed fell from the pod. Pokeweed opened his mouth and sucked the lotus seed straight into his mouth, without pinching off the lotus heart; the taste was extremely bitter.

But Shang Lu was a ruthless person. He would eat delicacies every now and then to satisfy his hunger, so a little bit of bitterness was nothing to him.

Moreover, the bitter taste entering the heart is of great help in resisting the wicked illusions in the pool of delusions.

As soon as Shang Lu ate the bitter lotus, it was placed in the Five Internal Organs Temple and offered on the table of the Spleen God statue.

The spleen spirit was also able to distinguish between priorities and urgency, and immediately prioritized transferring the bitter lotus.

Logically speaking, bitterness should reduce internal heat.

However, this bitter lotus contains pure yang fire. As the spleen spirit image transports and absorbs it, the pure yang fire first warms the five internal organs, and then dispels the yin coldness throughout the body.

The body was no longer frozen, and the pokeweed moved more nimbly and quickly.

This time, he encountered no obstacles and swam smoothly to the center of the pool, where he reached out and grabbed the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus.

The moment he plucked the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus, the center of the Delusion Pool stirred, and the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus surged wildly into it.

Although the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus appears to be only the size of a book, at this moment it is like a bottomless pit, able to hold any amount of water that flows in.

"If this thing can swallow water, can it also flood people?"

As Shang Lu was thinking, he saw a faint blue light emanating from the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus.

Immediately afterwards, Shang Lu's consciousness fell into the illusion once again.

However, this time the illusion was neither a manifestation of desire or fear, nor a secret hidden deep within his heart.

It is a thing of the past.

It is the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus, and the past experiences of this water palace.

In the illusion, Shang Lu saw that thousands of years ago, this cave was not buried deep underwater, but was located on a beautiful hill filled with spiritual energy. It was a sacred place used by an ancient cultivation sect to "forge the mind and refine the will".

At that time, the Water Classic Map and the Pool of Delusions, though challenging, were not fatally dangerous. Those who entered the illusion were at most teleported out and had to start over.

However, one day, the situation changed dramatically.

The illusionary perspective prevented him from leaving the cave, but Shang Lu could clearly sense that all the cultivators in the mountains outside were looking up at the sky at the same moment, filled with horror and despair!

Shang Lu's consciousness was drawn by a force, his gaze piercing through the cave and turning towards the sky—

In the sky, a huge, twisted, dark red hole with constantly writhing edges appeared.

Deep within the void lies an endless chaos, churning with ominous, blood-red light!

Just one glance at the empty space and Shang Lu felt waves of intense pain from being contaminated and an indescribable suffocation!
In the next instant, a vast expanse of dark red malevolent mist, as powerful as a celestial river pouring down, surged out from the terrifying void, instantly engulfing this world and rushing into the cave!
Where the ominous fog passed, the sight was shocking!
Those with high cultivation levels have their spiritual energy and essence drained instantly, turning them into withered, dried-up corpses in the blink of an eye!

A few with low cultivation levels managed to escape the calamity, but they lost all their spiritual energy, collapsed to the ground, and trembled with fear.

Similarly, the various formations, mechanisms, and even treasures inside the cave were drained of their spiritual energy by the evil mist, either becoming ordinary objects or disintegrating into ashes.

The alchemy room that Shang Lu had seen earlier was originally the place in this Heart Refining Cave where pills such as Heart Nourishing Pills and Heart Tranquilizing Powder were refined. With the appearance of the evil mist, all the pills inside were reduced to ashes, not a single one was left...

The appearance of the eerie and malevolent mist not only plundered all the spiritual energy in the Refining Heart Cave, but also left behind all sorts of pollution, turning this place into a distorted and chaotic place!
This is the situation inside the cave; it's even worse outside.

After plundering the spiritual energy, the eerie and malevolent mist also severed the spiritual roots and earth veins, resulting in a sinkhole.

Mountains collapsed, and rivers overflowed!

A boundless, devastating flood, carrying the power to destroy the world, surged in from all directions. It swallowed the hills and submerged the plains…

Over thousands of years, the once rolling hills have transformed into the vast Yunmeng Marsh, spanning tens of thousands of miles.

The original Heart Refining Cave was completely submerged at the bottom of the swamp and remained unknown to anyone.

The Water Scripture Map, the Pool of Delusions, and the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus in the cave had all had their spiritual energy drained by the evil mist. For thousands of years, they remained unrestored, just useless mundane objects.

Until a thousand years ago, the water in the Refining Heart Cave suddenly receded.

Immediately afterwards, spiritual energy began to emerge.

However, this newly generated spiritual energy was filled with chaos and distortion.

As a result, the Heart-Refining Cave has become bizarre and strange, transforming from a precious place that originally trained people's will and tempered their souls into a terrifying and eerie realm that tempts souls to fall into depravity and breeds bizarre monsters!
Just as Shang Lu was watching the changes in the Refining Heart Cave.

At the edge of the Pool of Delusions, the wizards and cultivators of the advance salvage team, as the pool water was absorbed by the icy blue lotus, all broke free from the illusion and regained their senses...

(End of this chapter)