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Chapter 382: Jungle and Sea of Flowers
The two Spiritual Infant cultivators seemed to have reached an agreement.
They moved apart to either side, pressing closely against the mountain wall, standing opposite each other. At the same time, they raised their hands, releasing an immense surge of spiritual power, which swiftly converged between them.
Gradually, the spiritual power condensed into a crystalline sphere, which then began expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Qin Sang could not sense any aura from the sphere, but he could see the sheer volume of spiritual power contained within it. If he had attempted the same, he wouldn’t have even been able to sustain the sphere’s formation—his Qihai would have been completely drained dry.
Yet, the two Spiritual Infant cultivators remained utterly at ease as the sphere continued its rapid expansion, showing no sign of stopping.
The vast gap between them and himself was self-evident.
In the blink of an eye, the sphere reached its limit, then began to change shape, stretching vertically. It elongated into a colossal sword of light before collapsing inward, compressing into a single sword the height of a person, its glow restrained, appearing almost tangible.
The sword hovered upside down, its tip pointing downward, then suddenly vanished from sight.
The next instant, Qin Sang felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly.
Immediately after, a dazzling burst of light erupted from the crevice between the two mountains, shooting toward the sky and engulfing the two Spiritual Infant cultivators.
To Qin Sang’s surprise, even they had to evade it.
Yet, the light intensified, appearing almost sentient. No matter how they dodged, it twisted and chased after them relentlessly, clinging to them like a malignant curse.
At that moment, one of the Spiritual Infant cultivators failed to avoid it in time and had a portion of his robe torn away by the light. Seemingly enraged by the entanglement, he suddenly spread his palm wide, and a black, circular object shot out from his hand.
The object spun rapidly, growing in size as it caught the wind.
Qin Sang and Wandering Man finally saw it clearly—it was a tortoise shell!
The shell was deep black, adorned with intricate, mysterious engravings. But since they were too far away, they couldn’t determine whether it was an astra or some kind of rare artifact.
The other Spiritual Infant cultivator merely shook his head upon seeing this and did not make a move. Instead, he leaped to his companion’s side, drawing all the light toward himself.
Suspended in mid-air, the tortoise shell emitted a profound radiance and descended upon the light below. The light resisted fiercely, but it was steadily forced back, ultimately suppressed beneath the shell and fading into nothingness.
Even as a mere spectator of this silent battle, Qin Sang found his heart gripped with tension. The sight of a Spiritual Infant cultivator effortlessly neutralizing the terrifying light with just a tortoise shell left him deeply intrigued.
The light was completely extinguished.
The cultivator retrieved his tortoise shell, while his companion descended swiftly.
Moments later, he returned from below, though it was unclear what treasure he had obtained. The two exchanged a few words before heading deeper into Endless Valley, disappearing into the distance.
An hour later...
Only after confirming that the two Spiritual Infant cultivators had long departed did Qin Sang and Wandering Man dare to emerge from their hiding spot on the hillside.
"Senior, did you recognize who those two were?" Qin Sang asked, glancing sideways.
It was unclear whether the two cultivators had intentionally concealed their identities, but they had remained completely shrouded in black robes and had not uttered a single incantation while breaking the barrier. Only at the end, when the one cultivator lost patience with the light, did he take out the tortoise shell—perhaps that could serve as a clue.
Wandering Man smiled wryly and shook his head.
"Brother Qin, you overestimate me. With my meager cultivation, I can only pick up bits and pieces of rumors. How could I possibly know the secrets of the Spiritual Infant Realm?"
"However, true Spiritual Infant experts in our Small Cold Domain are few and far between, and it's said that they don’t get along well with each other. Whatever treasure was hidden here, it must have been valuable enough to make two of them join forces..."
"But never mind. This has nothing to do with us, nor is it something we can pry into. Fortunately, their path is the opposite of ours. Let’s continue on our way."
Qin Sang nodded, casting one last glance behind him before following Wandering Man forward, still replaying the battle in his mind.
Given the constant dangers in their surroundings and their own limited strength, their pace remained slow.
Thus, more than half a day passed.
Turning past a mountain stream, Wandering Man's face lit up with a hint of joy as he halted. "Brother Qin, this is the place."
Before them lay a dense patch of jungle—an unusual sight within the shattered terrain of the inner valley.
Qin Sang, having remained tense for so long, allowed himself to relax slightly and observed the area closely.
Within the jungle, there were only a few towering ancient trees, with most of the vegetation consisting of waist-high shrubs. The end of the thicket was visible at a glance. The silence was eerie; not even the chirp of insects could be heard, as if no living creatures dwelled within. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"This place is actually an ingeniously crafted illusion. But if you fail to break it, everything you see becomes real."
Wandering Man spoke with admiration, stepping forward confidently, weaving his way through the jungle without hesitation, even brushing against the foliage without concern.
An illusion?
Qin Sang was astonished. He reached out and snapped a twig, watching as milky-white sap oozed out, carrying the fresh scent of plants. It felt completely real!
Wandering Man stopped in the middle of the jungle, his gaze sweeping around as if searching for something.
A moment later, his eyes sharpened, and he approached an ancient tree, crouching down before an unremarkable little herb growing at its base.
Raising his hand, he placed his palm over the herb, channeling spiritual power into it.
In the next instant, the jungle vanished, and the scenery transformed!
...
A mountain stood, cleaved in half, forming a valley.
The fractured surface was smooth as a mirror, making one wonder if the mountain had been split apart by a single, decisive strike.
Within the valley, countless flowers bloomed.
These flowers, varying in color and shape, all blossomed simultaneously, each in full bloom. Together, they formed a vast sea of flowers, swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze.
A figure clad in a gray robe, wearing a bamboo hat, was walking through the floral expanse.
Despite the dazzling beauty of the flowers around him, the gray-robed man showed no interest in admiring the scenery. His expression was grave, as if a ferocious beast lurked within the sea of blossoms.
Even when the petals brushed against each other and pollen scattered into the air, he swiftly dodged, not daring to let a single speck land on him.
It was unclear how long he had been in the sea of flowers, but he was well-acquainted with them, his evasive movements honed to perfection.
Just then, as he unknowingly brushed against something, a nearby flower underwent a sudden transformation. Its form twisted, morphing into a fearsome evil spirit that bared its gaping maw, razor-sharp fangs snapping toward him with vicious intent.
The gray-robed man reacted instantly, his figure retreating explosively. As he fell back, his palms unleashed waves of spiritual power.
Yet, rather than harming the evil spirit that relentlessly pursued him, the spiritual power gently suppressed it, soothing it until the spirit's fierce gaze turned vacant. Gradually, the spirit reverted to its original floral form.
Having deftly resolved the crisis, the gray-robed man was about to press forward when he suddenly sensed something. His head lifted, eyes locking onto the dazzling, multicolored sky in the distance.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
After a brief moment of contemplation, his figure dissolved into a wisp of cyan mist, darting out of the flower sea and vanishing into the depths of the layered barriers.
Only a murmured exclamation lingered in the air before fading away.
"Heart-Devouring Insect?"
