Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 27: Go deep into the forbidden cave and encounter a wave of monsters, and use clever tricks to seize the spiritual seedlings

Lin Fan took a deep breath, clenched two primary and high-level defensive talismans in his hands, followed the crowd, and plunged into the dark and inky passage.

As soon as he stepped inside, a powerful and strange force instantly enveloped him, as if he were being captured by an invisible giant hand. Immediately afterwards, a dizzying sensation overwhelmed him, as if his entire world had been turned upside down and thrown into chaos. Lin Fan felt his head spinning, as if his soul was being thrown from his body. His body tumbled uncontrollably through the air, his internal organs churning painfully as if they were being placed in a powerful blender.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Fan's feet landed on the ground with a "bang". He looked alert and his eyes were like lightning. He looked around and after confirming that there was no danger, he slowly dropped the two defensive talismans he was holding in his hands.

Before stepping into this place, he had heard that due to the special way of entering the forbidden area, people would appear in various corners of the forbidden area in an irregular manner.

Those with bad luck would find themselves in desperate situations as soon as they appeared, and would be torn into pieces by the claws of ferocious monsters in an instant; those with extremely good luck would appear directly in the core area of ​​the forbidden land, where rare elixirs would be within their reach. They could complete the picking tasks assigned by the sect without any effort, and exchange them for the coveted Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, most people, like Lin Fan, appear in relatively safe areas. Although there is no fatal danger, it is difficult to find rare spiritual medicines around.

After stabilizing himself, Lin Fan looked up and saw he was in an ancient forest. All around him were towering, ancient trees that blocked out the sun. Their trunks were so thick they required several people to wrap their arms around them. The bark was covered with the mottled marks of time, and the lines on it resembled mysterious runes, seemingly telling stories from long ago.

The branches and leaves of the ancient trees are extremely lush, layer upon layer, intertwined together, blocking the sky completely. Only a few scattered rays of sunlight struggle to shine through the gaps between the leaves, forming patches of light on the ground, like scattered gold.

The woods were filled with a damp and decaying smell, with the occasional chirping of unknown insects and birds echoing in the silent woods, adding a sense of depth and mystery.

Lin Fan stood still, slowly closing his eyes and carefully releasing his spiritual awareness. Like an invisible net, it spread outward in all directions. Under the divine awareness, the roots and veins of towering ancient trees, the rocks hidden under fallen leaves, and even the tiny insects and ants in the soil were all clearly visible.

After his spiritual sense extended to more than ten feet away, confirming that there were no other figures nearby and no aggressive aura from the monsters, he breathed a sigh of relief. But he dared not slack off in the slightest. After all, the Blood Forbidden Land was full of strange things, and danger could strike at any time.

Afterward, Lin Fan pulled out the sect's map of the Blood Forbidden Land from his storage bag. The map, drawn on specially made animal hide, felt warm to the touch. Lines and markings traced with spiritual energy shimmered in the dim light, revealing the terrain, including mountains, valleys, and rivers. However, the forest was incredibly vast on the map, making it difficult to accurately locate his position.

Lin Fan carefully compared the landmark landform features on the map, observed the distribution of ancient trees, the direction of sunlight, and combined factors such as wind direction and soil moisture. After some thought and comparison, he finally roughly determined his position.

He knew in his heart that his primary task in entering the forbidden area this time was to help the ancestor Chen Minghui collect spiritual herbs. In the process of picking, he could also collect some spiritual herb seedlings. After returning, he would use the Taiqing Jade Bottle to ripen them. Perhaps he would get unexpected surprises.

But there was no time to think about it at the moment. Lin Fan firmly memorized the route and the spiritual medicine growth point in the jade slip, and then carefully stepped forward according to the instructions.

As he walked, he pricked up his ears to pay attention to the movements around him. His spiritual power was quietly circulating in his meridians, ready to deal with monsters or other emergencies at any time, and he steadily approached the area where a spiritual creature was located.

Time passed slowly as Lin Fan, using the Wind Control Technique, flew through the forest at high speed. About an hour later, he quietly appeared near a cave. A unique spiritual energy was faintly emanating from this place, and it was there that a spiritual object that Lin Fan urgently needed to collect was found.

His expression froze, and without hesitation, he slapped the storage bag at his waist. A flash of light appeared, and the defensive magical weapon, the Hunyuan Shield, hovered steadily in front of him. Then, Lin Fan mobilized his internal mana, continuously injecting it into the Hunyuan Shield. A light blue mana shield quickly unfolded, tightly enveloping him.

Protected by the shield, Lin Fan took a deep breath and tiptoed into the cave. The cave was dimly lit and filled with a pungent smell of dampness and decay. Lin Fan's steps were extremely light, each one like treading on a knife's edge, fearing to disturb the danger lurking in the shadows. His eyes were sharp as a torch, and he scanned his surroundings vigilantly, not missing any corner that might harbor danger. The ground beneath his feet was uneven, and occasionally he stepped on loose stones, making a slight "rustling" sound. The sound was particularly clear in the silent cave, and each sound made Lin Fan's heart beat slightly faster. From time to time, water dripped from the cave wall, hitting the ground with a crisp dripping sound, as if the mysterious existence hidden in the cave was whispering.

Lin Fan slowly advanced along the cave passage, his mana shield occasionally flickering with a faint glow, as it came into contact with impurities of free spiritual energy in the air. As he walked, he came to a corner. Lin Fan stopped and listened for a long moment, confirming nothing unusual. Then, he slowly emerged and continued his journey deeper into the cave.

As he went deeper, the spiritual energy in the air became more intense. Lin Fan was secretly delighted, knowing that he was not far from his target spiritual object. However, he knew that at this time, he had to remain vigilant, because the moment of harvest was often accompanied by danger.

Finally, at the end of the cave, Lin Fan saw a faint light. He knew it might be the spiritual object he'd been searching for. However, before he could examine it more closely, a slight rustling sound echoed from all around. Lin Fan's nerves tensed instantly, and he watched his surroundings warily. An unknown challenge was about to begin.

The rustling sound gradually became clearer, as if something was darting through the darkness. Lin Fan gripped his magical weapon tightly, his gaze sharp as a torch, trying to pierce the darkness to discern the incoming force. Suddenly, several dark shadows shot out from all directions. Lin Fan looked closely and saw that they were a group of bat-like monsters emitting an eerie red light—blood bat demons.

These blood bat monsters were incredibly fast, each one's sharp fangs and claws flashing with a chilling cold light. Lin Fan swiftly brandished the Hunyuan Shield, and the mana shield glowed brightly, blocking the blood bat monster's first attack. With a series of "ding-ding-dang-dang" sounds, the blood bat monster's claws grasped the shield, sending out bursts of sparks.

Lin Fan took advantage of this moment to pull out several offensive talismans from his storage bag, muttering something, and flung them towards the blood bat monsters. The talismans instantly transformed into several beams of light, exploding among the blood bat monsters. For a moment, the cave was filled with a blazing light, accompanied by bursts of shrill screams from the blood bat monsters.

However, the blood bat demons were so numerous that this attack only slowed their advance. Immediately afterwards, they swarmed forward again. Lin Fan constantly manipulated the Hunyuan Shield to change its position, while simultaneously forming hand seals, preparing to unleash a counterattack.

He danced his hands quickly, and an ice-blue vortex of spiritual power slowly formed in front of him. With a low shout, the vortex of spiritual power pounced towards the group of blood bat monsters. Wherever it went, the air seemed to be frozen. Several blood bat monsters that were unable to dodge were instantly frozen into ice sculptures and fell to the ground.

But this didn't make the blood bat demons retreat; instead, it aroused their ferocity. The remaining blood bat demons circled Lin Fan rapidly, emitting sharp, piercing cries, as if searching for a flaw in their defenses. Beads of sweat formed on Lin Fan's forehead. He knew this wasn't going to work; he had to find the blood bat demons' weakness as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, he had an idea and remembered that he had read a record about blood bat monsters in a book. Their eyes were sharp in the dark, but they were afraid of strong light.

Without hesitation, Lin Fan pulled a fluorescent stone from his storage bag. After infusing it with mana, the stone instantly erupted with an intense light, illuminating the entire cave. The blood bat demons were blinded by the bright light and fled in panic, their formation in disarray.

Lin Fan seized the opportunity and dashed like an arrow towards the spiritual object at the end of the cave. What came into view was a swaying spiritual herb, surrounded by a soft and strange light, like the shattered sunset glow on the horizon. It was one of the key items required for this mission - the Purple Sun Grass.

He held his breath, concentrated, and slowly crouched down. His hands reached out as gently as flowing water, his fingertips touching the roots of the spiritual herb with almost reverent devotion. His movements were gentle yet revealing an unquestionable resolve, as if he were performing a solemn ritual. After some careful manipulation, he finally succeeded in plucking it.

Then, he took out a warm, specially made jade box from his bosom. The box was engraved with ancient and complex patterns, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

Opening the box, a faint aura of spiritual energy washed over him. He gently placed the Purple Yang Grass inside, his movements as careful as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world. With a soft click, the lid closed, tightly sealing in the Yuan Yang Grass's spiritual energy. After completing this, Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stowed the jade box in his storage bag, and prepared to embark on his next adventure.

After defeating the blood bat demon and successfully obtaining the spiritual object, Lin Fan didn't dare linger any longer and turned to rush out of the cave. He knew that the forbidden area was full of dangers and that time to enter was limited. He had to move on to the next area as quickly as possible to complete the difficult task assigned by Patriarch Chen Minghui and the sect within the limited time.

(End of this chapter)