Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 25: Knowing that the past is different, danger is approaching and the desire to fight is strong

Lin Fan, surrounded by the crowd, couldn't help but let his thoughts drift away. Looking back over the past six months, he'd inquired among the sect's disciples about information and finally gained a general understanding of the current timeline of the immortal cultivation world. The result shocked him greatly—he'd actually traveled over a hundred years too early!
The famous character Li Huayuan in the original novel emerged in his mind. In his memory, Li Huayuan was an ancestor in the Jindan period, and later became Han Li's master.

But now, as far as he knew, Li Huayuan was only in the middle stage of foundation building. He still had a long way to go in terms of accumulating mana and a difficult road of tempering before he could break through to the Jindan stage.

What made Lin Fan even more emotional was that the famous protagonist, Han Li, had not yet been born. According to Lin Fan's speculation, it would take at least another hundred years for Han Li to enter the Yellow Maple Valley.

When Lin Fan thought about this, he felt mixed emotions. The stories and characters that he was familiar with were now in completely different stages. Everything had become both strange and familiar.

However, this also means that in the days to come, he will face a completely unknown development trajectory. Without the original plot as a reference, he will have to carefully explore and venture out every step on his own.

Fortunately, he now had a certain level of strength and had prepared many means to deal with danger. Take the Blood Forbidden Land he was about to enter, for example. As long as he was cautious enough, he would surely be able to find many opportunities there to help him further improve his strength.

Lin Fan secretly clenched his fists, pulling his thoughts back to the present. Looking at the crowd in front of him preparing to enter the Blood Forbidden Land, his fighting spirit rekindled. No matter what the road ahead held, he had to overcome this hurdle first. After all, it was a crucial step in determining his ability to gain a firm foothold in the world of immortal cultivation and continue his progress.

After a while, the noisy conversations in the hall gradually died down, and everyone looked towards the entrance of the hall.

Chen Minghui, the patriarch of the Chen family, walked in with steady steps, dressed in a magnificent garment. The spiritual patterns embroidered on the hem appeared and disappeared as he moved, emitting a faint aura, fully demonstrating his extraordinary status and position. The patriarch's face remained majestic, his eyes deep and sharp, as if he could see through everyone's inner thoughts.

Behind Chen Minghui followed several Foundation Establishment Elders, all of them with solemn expressions and upright postures. Although the fluctuations of their spiritual energy were restrained, one could still clearly feel their profound cultivation foundation.

These elders usually have a very high prestige in the sect and are in charge of many affairs. At this moment, they followed behind the ancestor, and their flattering appearance surprised the disciples.

Lin Fan was slightly surprised to find Sect Leader Li Xuan among them. He was middle-aged, with a refined appearance, yet exuded an air of authority without even anger. He wore a plain robe, devoid of ornamentation, yet conveying a sense of simplicity and grandeur.

The Sect Master's gaze slowly swept over the group, his eyes filled with both hope and a hint of worry. After all, the bloody forbidden land these twenty-five people were about to enter was extremely dangerous, and no one could guarantee that any of them would return safely.

Chen Minghui's gaze, as if tangible, slowly swept over the crowd. It seemed to contain a strange power. Wherever it passed, everyone felt as if they were instantly stripped naked, with nothing covering them. Their internal organs were clearly visible, and their hidden thoughts were exposed.

Some monks turned pale in an instant, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat continued to emerge from their foreheads and backs, soaking their clothes.

Although they had seen the ancestor's majesty on a daily basis, this was the first time they had felt so directly seen through. They were filled with horror, as if all their secrets and little thoughts were exposed in this glance.

Some, their legs weakening, nearly collapsed to the ground. If their fellow disciples hadn't supported them in time, they would have made a complete fool of themselves. No one dared to breathe, and the entire meeting hall instantly fell silent. The only sound was the rapid, nervous breathing and the pounding of their hearts in fear.

Lin Fan's heart shuddered. As that gaze swept over him, a chill ran up his spine. But he forced himself to remain calm, trying to steady his mind and secretly channeling his spiritual energy to resist the invisible pressure.

He felt even more in awe of the Chen family ancestor's strength, secretly thinking that he didn't know when he would be able to reach such unfathomable strength. For now, he should first safely survive the trip to the Blood Forbidden Land and then plan for future development.

Chen Minghui seemed quite satisfied with the crowd's reaction, nodding slightly. The suffocating feeling of oppression gradually dissipated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the tense atmosphere still lingered in the hall for a long time.

Elder Chen Minghui looked at the crowd with a dignified expression, not offering any further lengthy instructions. After all, the Foundation Establishment elders had already given them all the instructions clearly. Soon, several Foundation Establishment elders became busy, stepping forward one by one, each carrying piles of items.

First, a map of the Blood Forbidden Land was distributed, drawn on special animal skins. After it was unfolded, the lines and marks drawn by spiritual power were clearly presented, and the mountains, valleys, rivers and other terrains were clearly visible. Suspected spiritual objects or dangerous places were also specially marked.

Although it is impossible to show the entire picture of the forbidden area in detail, with this map, everyone at least has a general understanding of the place they are about to step into, so they don't rush in blindly.

Next, jade slips were distributed, recording the spiritual objects to be collected. Everyone took the slips and inserted their spiritual senses into them, revealing a series of spiritual object names and features.

These spiritual objects are what the sect requires its disciples to collect from forbidden areas. Some are rare spiritual herbs, crucial for refining high-level elixirs; others are ores imbued with unique spiritual power, useful for crafting powerful magical instruments. Completing these collection missions not only benefits the sect, but also personally, if you bring back enough spiritual objects, the sect will reward you handsomely.

Afterward, the elders handed each person a high-level magical weapon. These instruments, meticulously selected and refined by the sect, shone with aura, swirled with runes, and emanated powerful spiritual energy. Some were sleek flying swords, capable of soaring through the air and striking down enemies in crucial moments; others were exquisite shields, capable of warding off numerous attacks when danger arose.

Everyone took the magic weapon with expressions of joy and anticipation on their faces. After all, they had an extra powerful self-defense item, which increased their safety in the forbidden area.

Finally, each cultivator received a mid-level spirit stone. Mid-level spirit stones are quite precious in the world of immortal cultivation, containing far more powerful spiritual energy than lower-level spirit stones. They are very useful for replenishing spiritual energy in emergencies or activating special magical instruments and formations.

After everything was distributed, Patriarch Chen Minghui once again glanced at everyone with dignity and said in a deep voice, "Let's go." Everyone followed him out of the meeting hall in an orderly manner and came to the square outside.

I saw that the old man Chen Minghui quickly formed seals with his hands, muttered something, and then suddenly waved his hand. A flying magic weapon flew out from the storage bag and hovered in the air.

As the flying magic weapon appeared, it shone brilliantly, then slowly grew larger, soon reaching a size of more than ten feet. It had a rather strange appearance, resembling a gigantic spiritual boat, its hull covered in mysterious runes that shimmered faintly, as if continuously infusing it with spiritual energy, keeping it steadily suspended in the air.

The ancestor raised his hand, pointing at the flying magic weapon, and said in a loud voice, "All of you, come aboard." Upon hearing this, the disciples all used their light body techniques, leaping into the air and nimbly boarding the spirit boat. Lin Fan was no exception, tapping the ground with his toes and landing on the spirit boat as steadily as a nimble bird.

After everyone boarded the Spirit Boat, Patriarch Chen Minghui also stepped onto the bow and once again formed hand seals to control it. The Spirit Boat trembled slightly, then slowly rose into the air, speeding off into the distance. As it flew, the Spirit Boat broke through the air currents, causing a whistling sound.

Everyone stood on the spirit boat, looking at the mountains, rivers, towns and villages passing by below, and their hearts were full of anticipation but also nervousness about this trip to the bloody forbidden land.

After several days of flight, the Spirit Boat finally descended one day, finally landing on a loess slope. Standing there, everyone looked around, seeing nothing but desolation. Not a single weed grew on the vast loess slope. The wind blew the loess beneath their feet, stirring up gusts of dust that stung their faces slightly.

The surroundings were terribly quiet, with no other sound except the whistling wind, as if this was a corner forgotten by the world, filled with unspeakable desolation and loneliness.

Indeed, at first glance, this unassuming place is hard to imagine, but beneath this seemingly ordinary loess lies a hidden realm teeming with mystery and danger. Within this secret realm, countless opportunities await exploration, but it's also fraught with danger. A single misstep could lead to death, forever buried beneath this unknown loess.

Lin Fan frowned, channeling his spiritual energy to form a thin layer of protection around his body, blocking the wind and sand. He carefully surveyed his surroundings. He knew that the more ordinary a place seemed, the more hidden its mysteries, the more vigilant he had to be. Perhaps there were hidden restrictions or dangers nearby, unnoticed.

The other disciples also wore solemn expressions. They were no longer chatting and laughing as they had been on the Spirit Boat. Instead, they quietly checked their belongings, prepared their magical instruments, and adjusted their states, waiting for the moment to enter the Blood Forbidden Land. After all, what they were about to face was a challenge that would determine their survival.

(End of this chapter)