Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

As you step into the miasma, the gray-green fog seems to have caught the scent of living beings and suddenly presses down on you.

Although the pressure wasn't tangible, it still made one's heart tighten.

The mist churned and gathered, gradually condensing into a deep green, then subtly turning black. Yu Yan glanced down at the miasma-repelling talisman in his hand; the runes were being filled with miasma little by little, faster than he had expected.

At this rate, one talisman won't last three hours.

At most two hours.

Tsk, this wasn't the case when Brother Rabbit came in just now. Are you treating him differently?

Yu Yan quickened his pace.

The soil underfoot was very soft, and with each step, I would sink a little and leave deep footprints.

In some places, the mud was ankle-deep, and it took considerable effort to pull one's feet out. Yu Yan had to divert some of his spiritual energy to the soles of his feet to lighten the weight, which made walking easier.

There was dead silence all around.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirping, not even the sound of wind.

Only Yu Yan's own footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.

The sunlight was completely obscured by the miasma, and everything overhead was shrouded in a gray haze, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night. Yu Yan could only rely on his divine sense to determine his direction and location.

The map Gu Cheng gave me appeared in my mind, and I compared it with the surrounding terrain.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yu Yan suddenly stopped.

Not far ahead, there is a skeleton.

It was a complete skeleton, slumped over beside a dead tree.

His clothes had long been corroded by the miasma into tattered strips, with only a few strips hanging from his ribs and crotch, barely preserving his last shred of dignity.

It still held a rusty iron sword in its hand bones, the tip of which was stuck in the ground, as if supporting it so that it wouldn't fall over.

Yu Yan didn't walk over, but just looked at it from a distance.

Seeing skeletons in a place like this is perfectly normal. The miasma swamp has a notorious reputation, and countless cultivators have died here over the years. But the posture of this skeleton... it just feels a little strange.

It tilted in the direction that Yu Yanlai was going.

It's as if it's watching everyone who passes by.

Yu Yan frowned, extending his divine sense to scan the skeleton.

No exception.

It was just a pile of ordinary bones.

But Yu Yan did not let his guard down.

This place looked rather eerie, and it was best not to provoke anything he didn't know. He slightly bypassed the skeleton and continued on his way from a distance of about ten feet to the side.

Even after walking a long way, he could still feel the empty eye sockets of the skull, as if it were watching him go.

After walking for another half hour, the terrain ahead suddenly rose.

Yu Yan stopped and looked up.

It was a raised slope, several dozen feet higher than the surrounding swamp, like an isolated island standing in a sea of ​​miasma.

There were no twisted, dead trees on the slope, only some low shrubs and wild grasses, growing tenaciously.

According to the map, this is the high ground in the center of the miasma swamp.

The place with the most abundant spiritual energy.

Yu Yan took a deep breath and began climbing the hill.

The slope wasn't steep, but the soil was loose, and each step required some effort. Yu Yan used both his hands and feet, and after about half an hour, he finally reached the top of the slope.

At the top of the slope, there is a cave.

The entrance to the cave was small, about the height of a person and two feet wide, and it was so dark that the bottom could not be seen.

Next to the cave entrance stood a stone tablet, now eroded beyond recognition by the miasma, its surface pitted and the inscriptions blurred.

Yu Yan squinted and tried to make out the outlines of two characters.

"Flat top".

What is Pingding? Pingdingdong? Pingdingfu? Or something else?

Yu Yan did not know.

He turned his gaze toward the cave entrance.

A transparent wing was faintly visible at the cave entrance, opening and closing rhythmically, like a living creature breathing.

Yu Yan felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously took a half-step back.

The wings were about the size of a palm, as thin as cicada wings, and so transparent that they were almost invisible; their outlines could only be caught when they trembled slightly.

It clung to the cave wall inside the entrance, and with each flap of its wings, a faint mist emanated from their edges.

Sure enough, no matter how harsh the environment, there are always demonic beasts that can survive. Their adaptability is far superior to that of human cultivators, and judging from its appearance, it seems to have become accustomed to the miasma, and has even used it for cultivation.

Yu Yan squinted and carefully examined the transparent wing in the cave.

This creature didn't conceal its cultivation level. Judging from the extent of its spiritual power and the miasma it was exhaling, it should still be a late-stage first-tier demon beast, equivalent to a human cultivator at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. Moreover, with the miasma's enhancement, its strength could increase by at least 30% within this gray-green mist.

Yu Yan quickly calculated in his mind.

Although he is at the sixth level of Qi Refining, he has the Yin-Yang Harmony Talisman to accelerate the recovery of spiritual power, the Sword Array Talisman for attack, and the Mysterious Turtle Array Plate for defense. However, in this miasma-filled place, it is hard to say how much of his strength he can exert.

We can't beat them.

Really can't beat it.

Even if they could barely manage a draw, they wouldn't fare well on the monster's home turf. And if it had accomplices or attracted something even more powerful, things would be even more troublesome.

Yu Yan sighed.

What can I do if my planned training location has been taken and I can't defeat the enemy?

It seems I'll have to find another one.

Unfortunately, this cave is the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy in the area, clearly carved out specifically for cultivation. The flat-topped stone tablet at the cave entrance might have been left by the Foundation Establishment cultivator who wanted to occupy this place back then. It's just unknown whether he gave up in the end or died inside.

Now it can only be used by demonic beasts.

Yu Yan shook his head and slowly backed away.

Since we can't afford to offend them, we can at least avoid them. The world is vast; there's always a suitable place for seclusion. At worst, we can travel further south, find a remote valley, set up an array, and cultivate just as well.

As he retreated, he kept an eye out for any movement inside the cave.

The wings continued to open and close rhythmically, as if the bird was asleep or cultivating itself.

Yu Yan stepped back three paces.

Five steps.

Ten steps.

We were about to reach the edge of the slope, and it was time to turn around and go down the mountain.

Just then, the flapping of the wings inside the cave suddenly stopped.

Yu Yan's heart tightened, and without thinking, he turned and ran.

A sharp screech came from behind.

The sound was extremely piercing, like fingernails scratching a stone slab, making one's scalp tingle.

Immediately afterwards, a gust of wind surged out of the cave, carrying thick miasma, and swept towards Yu Yan.

Is it really necessary? I only saw you from afar. If you're so shy and don't want others to see you, then don't expose your wings.

That's way too domineering.

Yu Yan sighed inwardly, then pushed off with his feet, shooting down the slope like an arrow.

Behind me, the sound of flapping wings grew closer and closer.

That monster chased after us.