Death… And Me

3021  One Question

Sister Orb couldnʼt help but complain. [Do you know how small is our Dimensional Realm at the moment?]

ʼJust do it,ʼ Roan urged. ʼIt will be beneficial in the future. This Cleansing Pond is actually made of Pristine Elemental Liquid. It is very good for the raising of medicinal herbs. Of course, it is also good for cleansing oneʼs body of impurities and reinforcing oneʼs foundation. Rean and I donʼt need it, but we will definitely need it for the herbs in the future.ʼ

[Fine...]

Immediately, the Dimensional Realm opened a small gap between the inside and the outside while the Pondʼs water filled a space Sister Orb prepared for it. Even if the Dimensional Realm wasnʼt that big, Sister Orb was able to get quite a lot of that while compressing it as much as possible. Meanwhile, Rean dove downwards into the pond, quickly finding the caves a moment later. He could see traces of other cultivators who already made their way inside, not that he cared too much. He just selected a path and followed it.

The caves extended for a long distance but were still filled with the Pristine Elemental Liquid everywhere. The quality didnʼt change, though. *Zush!*

Suddenly, something came flying in Reanʼs direction, forcing him to dodge to the side. Then, several more attacks came from various other sides.

ʼDeath Style, Reversive Arcs!ʼ Rean immediately retaliated. Those projectiles hit the threads of Dark and Light Elements, being forced to stop or sent back. Finally, Rean was able to see what attacked him. They werenʼt projectiles but some kind of fish with long and sharp horns. ʼLooks a little bit with the swordfish from Earth,ʼ he thought for a moment.

The swordfish werenʼt that strong... for Rean, of course. Rean was pretty sure any normal Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would have a hard time defending against them, especially due to their big numbers. It was then that he saw a body full of holes floating not too far from him. Various swordfish were eating at it, and the body didnʼt seem like it would last much longer. ʼI wonder why these Demon Beasts stay in this cave. If they had gone out, they could have got a feast with the cultivators in the pond.ʼ

The fish continued to attack Rean, just to be easily dealt with by Reanʼs Reversive Arcs. At some point, they stopped coming, seeming to have understood they couldnʼt get to Rean. As for Rean, he eventually understood why the swordfish demon beasts didnʼt leave the caves. Just now, he saw one of these fish had a little piece of the Algae Roan was looking for holding at the corner of its mouth. ʼI see... they feed out of the Spirit Cleansing Algae, and the pond near the surface doesnʼt have any. Naturally, they donʼt go out of the caves since there is no food.ʼ

That also explained why they were so aggressive now that Rean was here. They werenʼt attacking for the sake of killing. They just wanted to protect their territory and the Algae that grows here. Rean continued down the caves, taking a few turns and following his instincts.

Finally, he found a place with some of that Spirit Cleansing Algae, which was obviously being protected by several more of those swordfish demon beasts. ʼLife Style, Flash!ʼ

Different from the pond near the surface, this place was more or less dark. There was still some light provided by the interaction of the pond water and the Spiritual Energy that gathered in this Canyon, but at this depth, it wasnʼt much. The swordfish obviously evolved to live in this ambient of low light. The moment Rean used his Flash Skill, it was like those swordfish fell inside a sun and immediately scattered. It truly hurt their eyes.

Rean faintly smiled and collected a few of the Algae. He didnʼt take it all, though. Roan was very annoying when it came to the collection of herbs. ʼAs the ice block always says, if there are two, take one. If there are three, take two. If there are five, take three. Try to always leave around 30% behind so it can grow again.ʼ

ʼGet some of the earth around the Algae, Rean,ʼ Roan asked.

Rean nodded and sent it into the Dimensional Realm, where Sister Orb prepared the small pond. The Algae Rean sent inside was then planted on that dirt. The Dimensional Realm was small, but she still had full control over it, so it wasnʼt hard to simulate the same ambient as outside for the Algae.

His friend was taken aback. ”What?! What do you mea-”

11:35

Lins pointed at Rean. ”Canʼt you see where he is? He came into the cave with us, and there were quite a lot of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators near the surface. How come no one attacked him to rob him of his Spiritual Stones or to fulfill their eldersʼ secret requests? Do you think that is possible?”

After collecting the Algae, Rean made his way back and took another path. There werenʼt many Algae where he just collected, so he had to look for more.

ʼHum?ʼ Rean noticed a small group of cultivators making their way in his direction. They had a terrible expression, although it didnʼt seem they were in any danger at that moment.

The cultivators also noticed Rean, who wasnʼt trying to hide anyway. ”Hey, arenʼt you the festival guy who won one of the twelve wishes?” One of them quickly asked, having heard about before entering the Canyon.

Rean nodded. ”That would be me.”

”Lins,” another one took his weapon out. ”He might still have his prize of Rank Five Spiritual Stones. And he is alone. How about-”

Rean snorted. Obviously, these guys hadnʼt seen what happened outside. However, before he taught them a lesson, the guy called Lins stopped his companion. ”If you wish to die, then by all means, go ahead. Just donʼt get me into your mess.”

His friend was taken aback. ”What?! What do you mea-”

Lins pointed at Rean. ”Canʼt you see where he is? He came into the cave with us, and there were quite a lot of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators near the surface. How come no one attacked him to rob him of his Spiritual Stones or to fulfill their eldersʼ secret requests? Do you think that is possible?”

”This...” Linsʼ friend had no answer. ”Perhaps he used some concealing technique?”

”Perhaps,” Lins nodded. However, he went around Rean, showing no intention of starting any battle. ”I have no intention of finding out, though. Friend Asterix... no, your name is actually Rean, right? Anyway, see you around.”

Rean smiled after seeing that. ”Smart. But before you go, answer one question for me.”

And as always, any Golden Tickets and Stones are welcome. ;)