Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 32: Exploring the Ancient Temple and Encountering Linglian, a Monster Appears and Escapes

After more than half an hour of searching, Lin Fan finally arrived at a mysterious palace. While the palace looked magnificent, the passage of time had left its mark on it. Moss and vines covered the walls, giving off an air of age and age.

Lin Fan knew that this place held the elixir coveted by his ancestor, Chen Minghui. This was a crucial mission on this forbidden ground, and no carelessness was allowed. He dared not be careless and quickly pulled out a defensive artifact from his storage bag, first summoning the Hunyuan Shield. The Hunyuan Shield hovered before him, its surface shimmering with a faint light, like a solid shield.

Lin Fan cautiously entered the hall, a vast, bright space coming into view. The hall's dome was incredibly high, painted with ancient, mysterious runic patterns that seemed to speak of a distant history. The surrounding walls were built of massive stones, each carved with exquisite reliefs. They depicted bizarre beasts and majestic immortals, each so lifelike that it seemed ready to burst forth at any moment.

In the center of the hall sat a pool emitting a soft glow. The pool was circular, approximately three meters in diameter, its walls constructed of jade-white stone, faintly emanating a gentle, spiritual energy. Lin Fan's gaze was instantly drawn to the sight within the pool—a bizarre lotus, the Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Lotus.

This Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Lotus resembles the most perfect work of art in the universe. Its rhizome, rooted at the pond's bottom, has branched into two lotus flowers: one, as white as snow, seemingly sculpted from pure ice and snow, shrouded in a chilling aura; the other, a fiery crimson, its petals like blazing flames, radiating intense heat. The two lotus flowers nestle together, yet remain distinctly separate, creating a unique and wondrous beauty.

The pool of water was actually thousand-year-old stalactites, a treasure coveted by countless cultivators. Even a single drop contained rich spiritual energy, capable of significantly boosting the average cultivator's cultivation. At this moment, a pool full of thousand-year-old stalactites was being used to nourish this Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Lotus—a truly luxurious feat.

Lin Fan suppressed his excitement and slowly approached the pond. He glanced back and forth between the pond and the Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Lotus, trying to find a way to pick the elixir, while at the same time being alert to the potential dangers around him. After all, such a precious treasure must be protected by powerful measures.

The pool suddenly rippled, its tranquil surface instantly broken, waves spreading outward. Then, a massive monster slowly emerged from the bottom of the pool. Upon closer inspection, it was a Level 2 monster, remarkably similar to the legendary Jiao.

Its body was slender, more than three feet long, and covered in dark blue scales that gleamed like frost and snow in the sunlight. Each scale was diamond-shaped and tightly connected, like a solid armor, protecting it from attack while reducing resistance in the water, allowing it to swim with lightning speed.

The monster has a broad and flat head, a slightly raised forehead, and a pair of small but sharp horns. The tips of the horns flash with a cold light, as if they can easily penetrate all obstacles.

Its eyes were like two giant rubies, emitting a bloodthirsty light, and its pupils revealed an innate ferocity and brutality. Below its eyes was a wide, ferocious mouth. A slight opening revealed a dense network of sharp fangs, each as long as a dagger and dripping with sickening green venom. A single bite could rip its prey into pieces.

Its neck is thick and powerful, connected to broad shoulders, the shoulder muscles bulge high and are full of explosive power.

Although the limbs are not long, they are extremely strong. Each claw is as big as a palm fan, and sharp claws protrude from the pads, like sharp steel knives that can easily tear rocks and flesh.

The beast's tail was particularly striking, comprising nearly a third of its body length, thick and long, like a giant python. It tapered to a sharp stinger, covered in barbs and laced with deadly venom. When it whipped its tail, the air around it seemed to rip, creating a whirring sound, a force of immense power.

As soon as it emerged from the water, it shook its head violently, shaking off all the water droplets on its body with a crackling sound. Then, it scanned its surroundings with vigilance with its blood-red eyes, opened its bloody mouth, and let out a deafening roar that echoed throughout the palace, as if to shatter the entire world.

Lin Fan saw the huge and ferocious-looking second-level monster breaking out of the water. Its dark blue scales were flashing with cold light, and its blood-red vertical pupils showed endless ferocity. He suddenly felt a chill rushing from the soles of his feet to his forehead, and was instantly frightened.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest, as if it was about to burst through his chest, and his legs felt slightly weak. However, the survival instinct accumulated from years of struggling in the world of immortal cultivation allowed him to react quickly in extreme fear.

Without a second thought, Lin Fan slapped the storage bag at his waist with his right hand like lightning. A flash of light flashed from the bag's opening, and the "Swift Wind Talisman"—his trump card for saving his life in a critical moment—instantly appeared in his palm. With swift movements, he pressed the "Swift Wind Talisman" firmly against his chest. As soon as the talisman touched his clothes, it transformed into a pale green light and sank into his body.

At the same time, he quickly crossed his arms, his fingers moving swiftly as he swiftly executed the complex "Wind Controlling Technique." As the technique was completed, a gentle breeze gathered beneath his feet, steadily lifting him up. At this moment, Lin Fan's mind was filled with a single thought: escape! He forgot all about rare elixirs and the instructions of his sect's ancestors. He turned and broke into a run. Fueled by the combined power of the "Swift Wind Talisman" and the "Wind Controlling Technique," he moved with ghostly speed, leaving behind a whirring sound.

While he was desperately running away, he prayed secretly in his heart, hoping that this second-level monster would not catch up with him, otherwise he would probably lose his life here.

The demonic beast had just spotted Lin Fan, and seeing its prey attempting to escape, its ferocity was instantly aroused. Its originally dark green pupils instantly widened, a blazing fire burning within them. The dark green light grew even brighter, like two will-o'-the-wisp flames.

It suddenly raised its head, and the scales on its neck stood up in anger, rubbing against each other, making a rustling sound, as if a taut bowstring was about to break.

Instantly, from its bottomless, endless black hole-like throat, erupted a thunderous roar. Like rolling thunder, it carried immense force, surging back and forth through the vast palace, crashing unimpeded. Dust rustled from the surrounding walls, and even the heavy bronze beast tripod within the hall hummed and resonated dully, as if unable to bear the weight of the terrifying sound waves.

Before the roar faded, the monster's sturdy limbs suddenly exerted force, its sharp claws digging deep into the ground, scraping up large swathes of dirt and rocks. Like a streak of black lightning, it swiftly pursued Lin Fan.

Every step it took blew a gust of wind. Its muscular body darted through the forest, its thick tail like a flexible steel whip, lashing left and right, severing shrubs and small trees in its path. As it pursued, a foul, murderous breath emanated from its mouth, nearly tainting the air with a murky, foul smell. In its eyes, Lin Fan was a ready prey, destined to be captured and torn to pieces, venting its anger at being provoked.

Lin Fan's feet were like the wind, and he ran at full speed. Without even turning back, he could feel the wind whistling behind him. His heart was in his throat, and cold sweat streamed down his spine. He had only one thought in his mind: "Run, run like hell!"

Hastily, he reached into his storage bag, his fingers fumbling among the pile of items before grabbing the stack of talismans. Without a second thought, he pulled them out. He unfolded his palm and saw, wow, there were at least twenty or thirty of them. These talismans were the product of his painstaking efforts, meticulously crafted, and each one had been poured with immense effort.

Most of them were elementary and intermediate-level talismans, with smooth rune lines and faint spiritual fluctuations. The five or six elementary and high-level talismans were even more precious, with the runes on them gleaming with dazzling light, as if containing the power to destroy heaven and earth.

At this moment, he couldn't care less about the pain. Lin Fan gritted his teeth, swung his arm, and fiercely threw the talismans behind him. The talismans scattered in the air like a flock of dancing butterflies. At the same time, he muttered something and rapidly injected spiritual energy into them to activate them.

In an instant, these talismans unleashed astonishing power. The primary and intermediate "Fire Talismans" transformed into blazing fireballs the size of washbasins, carrying billowing heat waves as they roared towards the monster. The "Ice Spike Talismans" condensed into sharp icy spikes that flashed with cold light and shot towards the monster like a rain of pear blossoms. The primary and high-level talismans were even more powerful. The "Thunderstorm Talisman" instantly summoned thunder from the sky, and a thick lightning bolt struck down from the sky with a deafening roar, heading straight for the monster. The "Tracing Talisman" released a vast, thick fog that enveloped the surrounding area for dozens of feet, and the fog was filled with a dizzying aura.

Lin Fan took advantage of this moment and hurried his pace with all his might. He knew these talismans might be able to hold off the monster for a while, and with a bit of luck, they might even injure it. But the monster's strength was too great to be easily dealt with by a few talismans. Right now, saving his life was paramount, and nothing else mattered. Without even turning back, he flashed by like lightning, sprinting out of the underground palace in the blink of an eye and disappearing from sight.

After more than ten or twenty breaths, the monster finally rushed out of the underground palace like a gust of black wind, swearing to tear Lin Fan into pieces. At this moment, its body was charred black, its fur curled up, and it exuded the smell of burnt barbecue.

Its eyes were like two burning blood-red flames, completely red with anger. With every breath, a strong smell of blood spurted out of its mouth, as if it could ignite the air.

It stood outside the palace, breathing heavily and scanning its surroundings warily. Its nose twitched violently, trying to catch any lingering scent of Lin Fan. But Lin Fan had already fled, the breeze through the mountain forest blowing away his presence. The monster roared angrily to the sky, its voice echoing through the empty valley, venting its deep resentment.

(End of this chapter)