Chapter 13: Mysterious Space, Empty Valley

(A mysterious space has appeared. The setting of this mysterious space in this text is not of a particularly perverted nature; it is simply a "cheat" provided to cultivators. The path to immortality is perilous, and it is truly difficult to survive without a cheat.)

Within a misty expanse of space, a void-like consciousness drifted about like a headless fly. Everything was shrouded in a faint mist, stretching out endlessly.

"Who am I?"

"Where is this? How did I end up here?"

The void consciousness drifted through the mist. It was unknown how long it had been floating; there was nothing to be seen except for the white fog.

It felt profoundly lonely and instinctively made a motion to scream, only to find that it could not produce any sound at all.

A bolt of golden lightning, as thick as a water bucket, flashed across the void, followed by a shockwave that felt as if the mountains were shaking and the earth was trembling, as if the thick mist had been sliced open by that massive bolt of lightning.

It finally saw something other than the mist, which brought an inexplicable sense of joy. However, the golden lightning also carried a sense of solemnity and an boundless, world-destroying power. It felt that if it were to approach and be struck by that golden lightning, it would be reduced to ashes, leaving nothing behind. This was an instinctive fear.

The earth-shattering vibrations continued, and the consciousness was left dazed by the massive, strange noises and the shockwaves.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Xiaotian woke from his blurriness. He looked in amazement at the clear world before him, which was somewhat similar to the previous canyon, except that the ground was uneven and lacked vegetation, consisting only of stones and soil.

A layer of faint, thin mist enveloped the surroundings; although not as thick as before, one still could not see very far.

How had he suddenly returned to the canyon? Wasn't he on the small platform on the cliff? Lu Xiaotian suddenly recalled this question and found it utterly inconceivable. But looking down, he suddenly realized he was actually several yards above the ground. He had been floating the entire time.

*Am I dead? Am I currently in a soul state?* Lu Xiaotian was astonished. With a thought, he drifted several dozen yards away, moving quite rapidly.

He made up his mind to investigate what kind of place this was. However, after floating for a while, he hit a barrier that felt like a transparent thin film. It offered no real resistance, and he passed through it instantly. But just as he crossed that barrier, Lu Xiaotian felt a massive pulling force tugging at him. A bone-deep pain caused him to cry out in agony, as if his body were about to be torn to shreds by this pulling force. Yet, the force was too great, leaving Lu Xiaotian no room to resist.

"Am I really going to die?" Despair welled up in Lu Xiaotian's heart. At that moment, the surrounding mist began to churn, swirling toward him in wisps and enveloping his primordial spirit, forming a circular mist shroud. Only then did Lu Xiaotian feel the pulling force vanish completely.

"What terrifying power," Lu Xiaotian thought, filled with horror. After the initial shock, he was somewhat puzzled by what this mist shroud was—it had actually protected him. Where did it come from? Lu Xiaotian racked his brains but could not find an answer. Since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it; being able to survive was a good thing in any case.

"Achoo!" After an unknown amount of time, Lu Xiaotian shuddered and instinctively opened his eyes, only to find that his clothes were soaked through.

"What was that mysterious space just now? I was floating the whole time."

Lu Xiaotian scratched his head and thought for a while, but he couldn't make sense of it. He could only remember eating a green fruit before falling into a stupor, feeling as though his body was about to burst, and then losing consciousness. He must have fainted and then fallen asleep, so he attributed everything that just happened to a dream.

The wet clothes clinging to his body were uncomfortable. With no one around, Lu Xiaotian quickly stripped off his clothes, intending to hang them on a vine to dry in the mountain wind. Only then did he realize that the vines on the cliff wall had all turned yellow and withered, showing no sign of life. Looking up toward the top of the cliff, the canyon that was once shrouded in clouds and mist was now clear and bright; where was there even a trace of mist?

"What on earth happened to this valley? Truly strange," Lu Xiaotian muttered.

After about half an hour, his clothes were dry. He hurriedly put them on; although there was no one around, he was not used to being naked.

His stomach began to growl again. Lu Xiaotian rubbed his belly and looked up at the cliff top, thinking to himself that he must have slept for at least an entire night. There was no food here, and if he waited any longer, even if the wolves above left, he might be too hungry to have the strength to climb up.

After all, this small platform was still nearly twenty yards away from the top. And the area where the vines grew was still five or six yards from the summit. Climbing up would not be an easy task.

Having thought this through, he decided to take a risk. He tucked his short sword into his waist, tied one end of the previous broken rope to his waist, and coiled the rest around his arm.

Having prepared, he pulled on the vines with both hands to test their sturdiness, then used both his hands and feet to climb up along the vines.

Some of these vines had withered and broken some time ago, but a significant portion had been green only yesterday. For some unknown reason, they had all turned yellow and withered overnight. Even the few trees on the cliff had lost their vitality, withering in a single night.

After practicing the *Hunyuan Sutra*, Lu Xiaotian's constitution was several times better than before; even after climbing dozens of yards, he did not feel tired.

He clamped his legs around a sturdy vine, then used the rope to tie one end to his short sword. Grabbing the sword, he threw it toward the nearest withered tree on the cliff. He tried several times without success, until the fifth attempt, when the sword, attached to the rope, caught on a branch of the large tree and spun. Lu Xiaotian gave it a hard tug; the sword remained lodged in the branch and did not fall. Overjoyed, he climbed up the rope and leaped nimbly onto the ground. He saw no wolves, but what lay before his eyes left him stunned.

Having stayed in this canyon for nearly a year, he was already familiar with everything within it. It was usually shrouded in mist, filled with the constant roars of tigers and cries of apes, and overgrown with weeds and trees.

But now, the sun was high in the sky, shining directly down. There was not a trace of mist to be found, and all the flowers, grass, and trees in the valley had withered, showing no sign of life. Everything seemed so eerie and foreign.

Since he couldn't figure out what had happened, Lu Xiaotian didn't bother thinking about it anymore. Since this valley had turned into a wasteland, he would leave first.

He unfastened the short sword from the rope and, carrying his only weapon, quickly set off. It had been several dozen miles since he left the valley entrance the day before; relying solely on his legs, it would likely take some time to walk it. That day, when he applied his primordial qi to his eyes, his vision had increased significantly. If he applied his magic power to his feet, would it have a similar effect?

With this question in mind, Lu Xiaotian attempted to circulate the magic power in his dantian to his feet. Suddenly, his leg strength seemed to increase several times over; with a single stride, he actually covered nearly half a yard. He was overjoyed; even among the disciples of the Thunder Blade Sect, not many could achieve such speed.

Discovering another use for primordial qi left Lu Xiaotian quite invigorated. His successive successes filled his heart with ambition; even if that black-robed elder was unwilling to teach him, he could figure out the uses of primordial qi on his own. This must be what was called "immortal arts."

Lu Xiaotian thought to himself that since he hadn't returned for nearly two days, there probably weren't many Little Green Ants left. He might as well take the chance to flee the valley before the black-robed elder returned. Otherwise, if the elder came back, he would surely be beaten to death.

However, when he was only three or four miles away from the cave dwelling and about to exert himself to escape the canyon, Lu Xiaotian's movement suddenly halted.

(End of Chapter)