With the Mysterious Stone in hand, Ye Chu fled madly. He held his breath tightly, not allowing his aura to leak out. Although the desiccated corpses were initially drawn to the Mysterious Stone, they were soon attracted by Shangguan Min Da and his group instead. Taking advantage of this brief opening, Ye Chu dashed swiftly deeper into the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land.
Though utterly horrified by the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land, Ye Chu had no choice but to venture further inside. He clutched the Mysterious Stone tightly. Its spiritual energy seeped into his body. Ye Chu felt the spiritual energy in his qi sea growing stronger.
He ran wildly, avoiding the desiccated corpses. He had no idea how far he had gone. Only when he was gasping for breath and utterly exhausted did he finally stop. His gaze fell on the Mysterious Stone.
The Mysterious Stone shimmered with flowing light. Spiritual energy flowed naturally along Ye Chu’s arm into his body. It felt warm and gentle. Ye Chu focused his mind on the stone. Using his primordial spirit to guide the spiritual energy, he drew it into himself.
With his primordial spirit directing it, the Mysterious Stone’s radiance exploded. Spiritual energy poured in like a rushing stream, flooding into Ye Chu’s body at a visible speed. The spiritual energy was astonishing. The influx made even Ye Chu feel a painful swelling sensation. This left him stunned.
Ye Chu knew very well how strong his endurance was—several times greater than that of ordinary cultivators. Yet even with his capacity, he felt pain from the swelling. If it were any other cultivator enduring such a surge of spiritual energy, they would likely suffer injuries.
The spiritual energy from the Mysterious Stone flowed into Ye Chu’s body like a continuous stream. In a short time, the stone’s radiance dimmed. Eventually it turned into an ordinary black rock, indistinguishable from common ore. It was as though the dazzling light earlier had never belonged to it.
But at this moment, Ye Chu could clearly feel that the spiritual energy in his body had increased by several folds. He had only recently reached the seventh layer of the Innate Realm. Yet thanks to this single Mysterious Stone, he had faintly stepped into the mid-stage of the seventh layer. It had propelled him forward by a massive margin.
Such astonishing effects left Ye Chu staring at the Mysterious Stone in his hand, deeply shaken. No wonder everyone coveted such a heavenly treasure. With enough Mysterious Stones, the path of cultivation would become far smoother. One could cultivate dozens of times more easily than others.
No wonder the major powers produced so many terrifying powerhouses. With sufficient cultivation resources, they could simply pile up experts. Even this single piece of Mysterious Stone—though not of the highest grade—had saved Ye Chu months of cultivation. That alone was heaven-defying. Moreover, if given to someone with average talent, it could easily nurture them to the Innate Realm.
Ye Chu’s heart burned with desire. If he had enough Mysterious Stones for cultivation, he was confident he could break through repeatedly in a short time.
“Unfortunately, Mysterious Stones are far too precious. Obtaining even one is already great luck. To use them endlessly for cultivation is a cost most great families cannot afford.”
Ye Chu sighed softly and pushed the thought aside.
He looked around. The place where he stood remained deathly silent and filled with yin energy. Beneath his feet lay bones of unknown age. Since he had already entered, the only way to find an exit was to go deeper.
Ye Chu gritted his teeth and continued stepping forward.
He moved with extreme caution. Along the way, he occasionally encountered desiccated corpses. But having witnessed their savage and terrifying nature, he naturally avoided confrontation. He carefully skirted around them and pressed deeper.
Occasionally, strands of murderous qi drifted through the air, but they posed no threat to Ye Chu. He continued onward, crossing one mountain peak after another.
Of course, along the way Ye Chu also encountered other cultivators who had come seeking treasures. Some had indeed gained greatly. Ye Chu saw them dig up Mysterious Stones. He saw them obtain Sun-Moon artifacts. He saw them acquire various heavenly materials and earthly treasures. One cultivator even passed by Ye Chu carrying a Heaven-Earth artifact.
This left Ye Chu speechless. He sighed inwardly—no wonder so many people kept rushing into this forbidden land despite knowing its dangers.
Just as Ye Chu was shaken by all this, a figure appeared in the distance ahead. The back was tall and straight. Long hair cascaded down to the waist. The person was impeccably groomed. Most noticeably, several mirrors hung at his waist.
“Ou Yi! How is he here?” Ye Chu was stunned. He could not possibly be mistaken. No one except Ou Yi was this narcissistic, carrying mirrors on his person at all times.
Though surprised, Ye Chu felt immense joy in his heart. With Ou Yi here, what was there to fear from Shangguan Min Da? In this forbidden land, he would be safe.
“Ou Yi…” Ye Chu called out.
Ou Yi seemed not to hear. His speed was lightning-fast. He shot towards one direction and quickly vanished into a cave in the mountain ahead.
“Damn it!” Ye Chu cursed under his breath. He knew he was too far away. With Ou Yi’s personality—caring only about his own appearance—he would not have paid attention to such a faint voice.
Ye Chu hurried after him. He quickly descended his current mountain peak and arrived at the spot where Ou Yi had just appeared. Before Ye Chu stood an enormous cave. Its entrance was dozens of metres high. Standing at the mouth, Ye Chu felt like an ant. He stepped inside. The yin energy was even thicker than outside. But what truly made this place feel like the realm of the dead was the fact that the ground beneath his feet was covered entirely in bones.
These bones lay scattered everywhere across the floor. Ye Chu stepped on them, producing crisp cracking sounds. A few more steps forward, and a pungent smell surged out. Ye Chu took one breath and immediately recognised it as murderous qi.
Fortunately, this murderous qi was not very strong. Ordinary Innate Realm cultivators could withstand it. For Ye Chu, it posed even less pressure.
Rounding a bend, Ye Chu once again caught sight of Ou Yi’s back. Ou Yi moved extremely fast, stepping across the bones. His body whistled forward like the wind.
Ye Chu followed the footprints. This cave was enormous. Yet Ou Yi navigated it as though he knew every inch. His speed was incredible. Ye Chu could not even see him clearly. He could only rely on the footprints to know how familiar Ou Yi was with this place.
Ye Chu pressed deeper and deeper. He had long lost track of the way back. Yet Ou Yi’s footprints continued onward. This made Ye Chu frown. Suspicion rose in his heart. “How is this guy so familiar with this place? And why did he head straight here the moment he descended the mountain? What exactly is he after?”
Ou Yi, Jin Wa Wa, and Shui Gu were all extremely mysterious figures, each with their own stories. Ye Chu knew very little about the three of them. What he had heard from the old madman was only the surface. The only thing he knew for certain was that, aside from Shui Gu and the old madman allowing free entry and exit from Heartless Peak, neither Ou Yi nor Jin Wa Wa was permitted to descend. In the old madman’s words, it was to prevent them from stirring up big trouble or provoking existences they could not afford to offend.
This time, if not for Ye Chu pulling out the sword from Heartless Peak, Ou Yi and Jin Wa Wa would still be unable to leave the mountain.
Recalling how Ou Yi had once spoken of the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land with disdain and contempt back at Heartless Peak, Ye Chu felt there must be a great secret here. Following the footprints, he hurried forward.