Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

The cave was not large.

Moss covered the stone walls.

A halo of light, its source unknown, filled the entire stone chamber, making it as bright as day inside.

This must have been a Heritage Mansion from a bygone era. Someone had once lived here; a rotted, collapsed bookshelf stood to one side.

In the center, a desiccated corpse sat cross-legged on a stone platform.

The corpse’s head was bowed, its hands forming a Daoist Vajra Seal. A tattered Magical Robe was draped over its body.

In a corner.

A Stone Pillar, wide at the top and pointed at the bottom like a hanging stalactite, was encrusted with white Spirit Crystals on its surface.

A viscous, milky Spiritual Liquid slid down the Stone Pillar, dripping into a trough below.

”PLINK!”

The white Spiritual Liquid dropped into the trough, creating faint ripples as a dense Spiritual Qi suffused the entire area.

Innate Spiritual Milk!

A single drop.

It could restore a Golden Core Grandmaster’s depleted Magical Power to its peak.

Zhu Ju’s heart pounded.

The Innate Divine Milk was undoubtedly a top-grade Spiritual Medicine. Not only could it replenish True Essence Magical Power, but it could also be refined into Spirit Pills.

There were probably over a hundred drops of Innate Divine Milk in the trough. That was more than enough to trade for a Magical Treasure.

But the crucial thing was!

Zhu Ju possessed a Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo. With the help of the Innate Divine Milk, he could incubate it and refine it into an Outer Body Incarnation.

The Physical Body of a Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo could withstand the direct impact of a Magical Treasure. In terms of physical strength alone, it was a notch above even a nascent Golden Core Cultivator.

’If I can get my hands on it…’

At this thought, his breathing grew ragged.

”I found it.”

Pei Jingque’s voice trembled, her face alight with excitement.

”I really found it!”

”Be careful,” Zhu Ju said slowly, steadying himself.

”Check for traps first.”

”Right!”

Pei Jingque took a deep breath. With a wave of her sleeve, she tossed out an object, and a soft Spiritual Light instantly enveloped the entire stone chamber.

”No problems.”

She took a step forward, arriving before the desiccated corpse.

”After death, his body’s Spiritual Mechanism dispersed, yet the corpse has remained incorrupt for centuries. There’s even condensed Gang Sha Qi on the surface of the skin. This is the sign of a successfully cultivated Nine Profound Gang Sha Dao Body.”

”Hmm...”

”Elder Songx must have fought someone before he died. The fatal wound is on his chest.”

She lifted the tattered Magical Robe, revealing a fist-sized wound that pierced straight through the heart.

”Elder Songx?”

Zhu Ju’s gaze flickered.

”His surname is Songx?”

”Yes,” Pei Jingque nodded.

”This elder’s secular name was Songx Jie. He was known as the Bladeless Celestial Sword, a Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator.”

”He originally had a chance of becoming a Nascent Soul True Man, but alas...”

She shook her head gently, her face full of regret.

’Late-Stage Golden Core?’

Zhu Ju’s face showed surprise.

An expert of this caliber would be a renowned figure even among the present-day Righteous and Evil Daos.

To think he would die here.

Why he came here alone, and who killed him—these secrets would likely remain unknown forever.

”Found it!”

Pei Jingque’s voice rose as she picked up an oddly shaped Token from the dust beside the corpse.

One side of the Token was engraved with flowers, plants, Swimming Fish, and rare Exotic Beasts. The other side bore two words in ancient script: ’True Words’.

’Hm?’

Zhu Ju’s brow twitched slightly.

’I have a Token like this, too.’

On East Sea Yunjing Island, he had once encountered an opponent named Yu Lou. After killing him, he had obtained an identical Token.

Yu Lou’s Cultivation wasn’t high, but he possessed a special Divine Technique called ’Words and Laws Follow’, which could immobilize opponents of the same tier.

If not for Zhu Ju having a few tricks up his sleeve, he would have likely perished back then.

”True Words?”

As his thoughts raced, he spoke slowly.

”Senior Sister, what is this?”

”It’s a keepsake of the True Words Sect.” Pei Jingque tightened her grip on the Token, took a deep breath, and said slowly,

”A long, long time ago, besides the Jade Void Sect, there were two other great Immortal Sects in the Cultivation Realm that could rival it.”

”They were the True Words Sect and the Five Elements Sect.”

”Later, for some unknown reason, both the True Words Sect and the Five Elements Sect fell into ruin one after another, until their legacies were lost.”

”True Words Sect? Five Elements Sect?” Zhu Ju said slowly.

”Senior Sister.”

”This Elder Songx... he wasn’t a disciple of our Bright Void Sect, was he?”

Hm?

Pei Jingque’s expression changed slightly.

”Junior Brother...” She opened her mouth, her expression complicated.

”It’s not that I meant to deceive you, but some things can only be known by the Bright Void Sect’s Sect Leader.”

”When we get back...”

”Junior Brother, how about we talk about this in detail after we get back?”

Zhu Ju shook his head gently.

’I believe she wouldn’t harm me.’

’But the bond between them had always been muddled, and they had been separated for decades. It’s only normal for there to be some wariness now.’

”Eh?”

”There’s a Broken Sword here.”

His gaze swept across the area, and a Broken Sword embedded in the stone wall caught his attention. He stepped forward and pulled it out.

The stone wall was covered in moss, and the Broken Sword had no Spirituality. It would have been easily overlooked if he hadn’t happened to spot it.

”Divine objects conceal their own brilliance. What a treasure!”

Pei Jingque took the half-foot-long Broken Sword, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

”The blade has no edge. This must be Elder Songx’s personal Flying Sword, the Bladeless Sword. This sword was a High Grade Magical Treasure. Even though only half of it remains, after being reforged, it shouldn’t drop in Magical Treasure Tier.”

”TING...”

She flicked it with her finger. As her jade-like fingertip tapped the Broken Sword, an inexplicable Stern Slaughter Intent quietly emerged.

Pei Jingque was startled and subconsciously let go.

”SHINK...”

The Broken Sword fell, immediately plunging into the hard rock below.

”Sword Intent!”

Zhu Ju’s face was filled with shock and doubt.

”Its master has been dead for centuries, yet the broken blade still contains such a sharp Sword Intent. How formidable must he have been in life?”

”But...”

”This Sword Intent feels somewhat familiar.”

”It must be the Silent Extinction Sword Intent,” Pei Jingque said, carefully picking up the Broken Sword.

”The reason Elder Songx’s sword wasn’t sharpened wasn’t because he was kind-hearted and unwilling to kill.”

”Quite the opposite!”

”According to the Sect’s records, the Sword Technique Elder Songx cultivated was extremely murderous, taking lives at the slightest provocation. To restrain the killing intent in his heart, he specially forged a Bladeless Sword to constantly remind himself to adhere to the Righteous Dao.”

”This Sword Intent, with its restrained killing aura that annihilates all things, has some similarities with your Sword Technique, Junior Brother. Perhaps you could even comprehend a Sword Technique from it.”

She said as she handed it over.

’Silent Extinction Sword Intent?’

’Could it be related to the Netherworld Sect’s Silent Extinction Path of Evil Death?’

’No wonder it feels familiar.’

Zhu Ju took the Broken Sword, examined it for a moment, and then put it away in his storage bag.

His own Sword Dao was already set. Even if he comprehended something from this Broken Sword, he would only draw inspiration from it; he wouldn’t change his own path to follow another’s.

The two of them searched the stone chamber for a while longer and finally found a broken Treasure Pagoda.

It was impossible to know how many floors the Treasure Pagoda originally had, but now only two remained, and its surface was covered in cracks.

”Another incomplete High Grade Magical Treasure.”

Pei Jingque gently caressed the Treasure Pagoda, her voice filled with emotion.

”Even though it’s incomplete, it will still be a Magical Treasure after being reforged. These two items alone have made this trip worthwhile.”

”What’s more...”

She turned to look at the corner.

”We still have all this Innate Spiritual Milk!”

”This place should be an Earth Vein node,” Zhu Ju said, carefully observing the Stone Pillar dripping with Innate Spiritual Milk.

”The Earth Vein Spiritual Energy gathers here and is transformed by this Stone Pillar, which has existed for who knows how many years, to produce the Innate Spiritual Milk.”

”The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile is also an Earth Attribute Demon Beast. That must be why it chose to live nearby.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward, took out a Jade Bottle, and carefully collected all the Spiritual Milk from the trough.

Feeling the weight of the Jade Bottle, a smile appeared on his face.

”That must be it.” Pei Jingque nodded. With a light wave of her hand, a ribbon flew out and wrapped around the Stone Pillar.

”This thing is a Treasure too, let’s take it with us!”

”KRA-CHA!”

She exerted a little force, and the Stone Pillar immediately trembled. Cracks appeared above it, and the ground began to shake.

The disturbance at the Earth Vein node naturally caused the entire Earth Vein to become unstable.

’Hm?’

Both of their expressions changed.

An unstable Earth Vein would trigger a tide of Primordial Energy that could be sensed even a thousand li away.

”We can’t stay here any longer. Let’s go!”

Pei Jingque put her strength into it, violently yanking the Stone Pillar free and storing it in her storage bag. She grabbed Zhu Ju, ready to leave.

Just then.

”Something’s wrong!”

Zhu Ju’s heart suddenly began to pound, his expression grim.

”It’s here!”

Who was here?

The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile, of course!

”How can that be?” Pei Jingque’s face paled dramatically.

”I only just made a move.”

”Considering the distance and time, it must have already started heading back when we first entered the cave,” Zhu Ju said, his expression grave.

”We’re in trouble!”

”BOOM!”

Before his words had even faded, a deafening roar echoed from above, and the earth trembled violently.

”SWISH!”

Pei Jingque grabbed his hand, and the two of them instantly entered the Realm of Profound Void, their auras completely concealed.

”This won’t work.”

Zhu Ju shook his head.

”I’ve dealt with Tier Three Demon Beasts before. Senior Sister, your Realm of Profound Void is wondrous, but it might not be enough to fool it.”

”At this point, we can only take the risk!” Pei Jingque clenched her jaw, her eyes darting around in search of an escape route.

Leaving the way they came was out of the question; they would almost certainly run into the returning Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

”Down.”

Zhu Ju said.

”Underneath Elder Songx’s corpse.”

Pei Jingque’s eyes lit up. She formed a hand seal for a Spell, and in a flash, the two of them vanished into the stone platform.

They had just hidden themselves inside the stone platform when an enraged roar came from outside.

”BOOM!”

Rock shattered as a crocodile head the size of a house smashed through the stone wall and into the chamber.

”ROAR!”

Seeing the state of the chamber, especially the missing Stone Pillar and Innate Spiritual Milk, fury blazed in the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s enormous eyes. It let out a furious roar, sending visible shockwaves blasting in all directions, and the surrounding rock walls crumbled violently.

Fortunately, it intentionally avoided Elder Songx’s remains, allowing the two people hiding in the stone platform below to escape disaster.

Otherwise,

even if they weren’t injured, they would have been forced out of their concealed state.

”ROAR!”

”ROAR!!!”

The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile roared again and again. Its thirty-meter-long body thrashed wildly within the cavern, sending countless boulders tumbling down only to be smashed into dust. The earth shook without end, causing the faces of the two hiding in the stone platform to turn deathly pale.

It was like having a crazed tiger rampaging and roaring right next to them. If they were discovered, they would die without a burial place.

Tier Three!

A being of this level already possessed a hint of heavenly might.

Pei Jingque’s beautiful eyes narrowed, her face pale. Her grip on Zhu Ju’s hand grew tighter and tighter.

”Senior Sister.”

Zhu Ju, however, breathed a sigh of relief and whispered,

”It hasn’t found us.”

”...No,” Pei Jingque said, a bitter look on her face.

”This is the limit of the Realm of Profound Void. If we move even an inch, it will discover us.”

’Hm?’

Zhu Ju’s heart sank.

”It’s okay,” he said slowly after a moment of thought.

”It will have to leave eventually. We can go then.”

”...” Despair filled Pei Jingque’s eyes.

”I can only hold on for one more hour at most.”

”Maintaining the Realm of Profound Void consumes not only my True Essence Magical Power but also my Divine Soul Power. Taking medicine won’t extend it for much longer.”

How could a Divine Technique like the Realm of Profound Void not have a cost?

With the Innate Divine Milk, they didn’t have to worry about a lack of True Essence Magical Power, but Divine Soul Power was difficult to replenish.

Silence fell between them.

Zhu Ju closed his eyes, his mind racing.

「A moment later.」

He spoke slowly.

”The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile is injured, and it’s not light. Its rampage just now was terrifying, but its power wasn’t as exaggerated as one might imagine. Its strength is probably equivalent to a newly advanced Golden Core.”

In their senses, a huge gash extended from the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s head to its abdomen, nearly splitting it in two.

The bleeding had stopped, but the wound remained, and a mysterious power was preventing it from healing.

”Mm.”

Pei Jingque nodded slowly, as if she understood something. A look of hesitation and disbelief appeared in her eyes.

”Senior Sister.”

Zhu Ju looked her in the eye and said grimly,

”We have no other choice.”

”...” Pei Jingque gave a bitter smile and shook her head gently.

”A one in ten chance of survival.”

”That’s better than no chance at all.”