Chapter 839: Chapter 838 Entering the Mirage Mountain Range_1
Bai Ruiting’s words caused Shi Xiaole’s expression to change slightly.
The Enlightenment Fruit, though not one of the top ten exotic fruits in the world, wasn’t considered so because of its limitations. Its actual efficacy was not only not inferior but rather astonishing.
Enlightenment, enlightenment, it was a kind of odd fruit that could enhance one’s martial path, just like the Enlightenment Seeds that could dramatically increase the depth of one’s intent.
Of course, the Enlightenment Seed couldn’t hold a candle to the Enlightenment Fruit—the former could at least be mass-produced and was said to grow on a mysterious island near the East Sea, closest to the sun, and some would drift over every year. (Chapter 271)
But the Enlightenment Fruit was different; for hundreds of years, countless Martial World folks had only heard of its name and never seen the actual fruit, especially the Terrestrial Immortals who had been longing for it for a long time.
After all, improving one’s martial path was exponentially more difficult than enhancing one’s intent—relying on oneself ultimately was too time-consuming and energy-consuming, and there were also limits. If one could obtain an Enlightenment Fruit, perhaps one could surpass those limits and reach new heights.
Of course, the Enlightenment Fruit could only enhance the martial path; it couldn’t help one give birth to a martial path. Moreover, it was said that the higher one’s comprehension, the greater the benefits. Otherwise, no one would oppose ranking it among the top ten exotic fruits in the world.
Upon learning the news of the Enlightenment Fruit, even if they couldn’t discern its authenticity, and despite it being in the mysterious Mirage Mountain Range, it still aroused infinite curiosity in the three women.
No wonder they were curious—Shi Xiaole himself couldn’t remain completely calm.
Under the candlelight, Bai Ruiting spread out the map for Shi Xiaole to examine closely.
"This belongs to you and your senior sisters; it’s not right to show it like this."
Shi Xiaole didn’t approach.
"Fool, do you really think I would betray them without my Senior Sister’s consent?"
Bai Ruiting rolled her eyes in protest at Shi Xiaole’s mistrust.
"Young Master Shi, don’t take it to heart. Indeed, this is my intention. You saved our lives and are entitled to know the situation,"
Pei Qiuyan and Qu Ni also walked in.
To say Shi Xiaole wasn’t curious would be a lie. Hearing this and seeing the inviting look in the eyes of the three women, Shi Xiaole didn’t play coy and immediately walked over.
The map was inscribed with some words around its borders, and at the center was a single lonely line with no markers or hints, as if it were casually sketched.
Anyone seeing the map for the first time would think it was someone’s prank.
However, according to Pei Qiuyan, some of the information on the map wasn’t forged, for Illusion Orchid Tower had some related records!
"I still advise against delving too deeply into it."
Shi Xiaole shook his head.
No Earth Immortal could resist the temptation of the Enlightenment Fruit, and Shi Xiaole wasn’t lacking in the spirit of adventure, but it depended on the situation. To rush in without the slightest confidence was like a moth to the flame, sooner or later one would pay the price.
"I understand Young Master Shi’s concern. In fact, we came here just to inquire about the news, and we weren’t thinking of going in for real,"
Pei Qiuyan couldn’t help but give Shi Xiaole a second look.
He was indeed a dragon among men, not only endowed with exceptional talent but also with such a resilient mind.
"If you’re not interested, then just give it to me. I have nothing to do recently, so I might as well treat it as leisure."
Bai Ruiting huffed and put away the map.
She had wanted to surprise Shi Xiaole, but he reacted so calmly, so aloof, she was determined to catch him off balance one day; just you wait and see.
In the following days, Shi Xiaole was either practicing in his room or chatting with Pei Qiuyan, Sun Wei, and others, but he didn’t see Bai Ruiting. According to Qu Ni, she had been coming and going all day as if determined to study the map thoroughly.
This night was as calm as usual.
But in the latter half of the night, the hidden Mirage Mountain Range suddenly burst forth a beam of light that pierced the heavens. The light was fleeting; many Martial World folks still up drinking were startled, witnessing an unforgettable scene.
They saw a purple streak connecting the peaks of Mirage Mountain Range, extending towards the sky, meeting precisely in mid-air with the gentle luminance at the center of the full moon.
In an instant, purple mist filled all directions, covering much of the sky. The purple streak even expanded sideways, forming a staircase that was half-hidden and half-visible, leading to an enigmatic distance.
"How is this happening?"
"There are great secrets hidden within Mirage Mountain Range, could it be that the secrets are about to unravel?"
Within Shen City, countless people looked up, their eyes filled with shock.
"Purple qi coming from the east, what has been long in deficit is now in surplus; we have waited too long for this day, and it has finally come."
An old man with white hair, laughing heartily, leaped up and was the first to enter the purple staircase, disappearing from view and causing a stir among many bystanders.
Many watched to see what would unfold, but there were also opportunists sure that a great change was imminent in the Mirage Mountain Range, and with pioneers ahead, they gritted their teeth and rushed in.
That night, countless people in the Martial World lay awake.
By sunrise, the purple staircase was still there. Moreover, people discovered that apart from the purple staircase, there was a strange force in various parts of the mountain range, repelling outsiders.
"Could it be related to the map?"
Bai Ruiting trembled with excitement.
Pei Qiuyan and Qu Ni’s hearts came alive once more; the direction of the purple staircase, upon closer inspection, was very similar to the line on the map.
If their conjecture stood correct, it meant they had an innate advantage. To let go of such a tremendous opportunity would be hard to do without regret.
"Senior Sister, let’s wait and see for a few more days,"
Qu Ni said to Pei Qiuyan, glancing at Shi Xiaole.
A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples.
The anomaly in Mirage Mountain Range quickly spread throughout Rainbow State. In no time, all major powers sent their people, and figures from all walks of the Martial World came one after another, converging like rivers flowing into the sea.
Within just a few days, Mirage Mountain Range became the center of the Martial World, gathering a host of elite individuals. Even people from the Floating Blood Palace and Four Directions City had arrived.
As for Illusion Orchid Tower and Ghost King Ruins, they were still on their way due to the distance.
Bai Ruiting was active within Shen City and swiftly gathered lots of information.
"That purple line that appeared at sunrise had not been very noticeable hundreds of years ago. It’s highly possible that it was absorbing some kind of power. When it reached a certain level, that’s when the transformation occurred."
"Days ago," it was said that the old man from Wuyuan Palace stepped out and cast a glance in this direction, leaving behind a sentence, ’This is the prelude to the battle of Wuyuan Palace. Whoever misses this will regret it for life.’"
As time went on, more and more people entered the Mirage Mountain Range. In the end, at almost every moment, there were countless throngs of people streaming in.
Boom!
The heavens and earth roared, blood rained down, and a mass of red light surged from a distance. All those who got too close along its path exploded into a mist of blood and merged with the red light.
"Floating Blood Palace Master!"
Someone screamed like they’d seen a ghost.
Elsewhere, a beam of aurora pierced the heavens and earth. Its peaceful and grand aura eradicated the killing intent left by the Floating Blood Palace Master and timely dispelled the red light, saving many people ahead.
Those people, without exception, turned pale and scrambled off in panic, only sitting down on the ground with a thud, almost fainting, once they were sure they were safe.
The two auras suddenly collided, entering the Mirage Mountain Range at the same time.
In the inn, Sword Qi filled the air. Bai Ruiting and the others stared at Shi Xiaole, puzzled as to why he had suddenly lost his composure.
Though they were too far away just now, Shi Xiaole knew that the one who contended with the Floating Blood Palace Master must be the City Lord of Four Directions City. Was it him?
"Big brother Shi, are you going in?"
Bai Ruiting asked.
Reason told Shi Xiaole that he shouldn’t go in, but there was an odd impulse in him. Well, if life was always governed by reason, that would be too dull.
This was probably his first blind adventure.
"Let’s go!"
Bai Ruiting was overjoyed. At the critical moment, Pei Qiuyan decided to stay behind and took a rubbing of the map, planning to wait for the people from Illusion Orchid Tower to arrive and move together.
And so, Shi Xiaole, Bai Ruiting, Qu Ni, and Sun Wei, were the first group to enter the Mirage Mountain Range.
...
The purple stairway didn’t seem very broad, but the stream of people walking on it managed easily. Shi Xiaole and his companions activated their Flying Skill and effortlessly surpassed countless others.
Gradually, the number of people dwindled.
After all, Terrestrial Immortals are the minority, especially the high-tier Earth Immortals.
"The map is changing."
Bai Ruiting suddenly exclaimed.
It turned out that, taking advantage of the absence of people around, she had taken out the map. Under the illumination of the purple stairway’s light, the straight line at the beginning of the map showed a three-way fork, with only the middle path connecting the entire line.
Sure enough, the path on the purple stairway ahead branched into three directions. The group chose the middle one to proceed.
"Ah..."
Soon after, at the same fork, two Earth Immortals chose the left path and were immediately incinerated to ashes.
After half a 2-hour period, the purple stairway was no longer visible, and a lake appeared in front of Shi Xiaole and his companions. Wooden planks floated in the lake, with fish and prawns swimming underneath, and not far away lay a crooked wooden bridge.
Bai Ruiting continuously experimented, and under the reflection of the lake light, a fish-shaped pattern appeared on the map.
"It must be that one."
Bai Ruiting pointed at a strange fish that emerged halfway from the water, its front end with sharp fangs and an extraordinarily ferocious aura.
"I’ll go first; you guys follow me."
Without further discussion, Shi Xiaole glided out.
Swish, swish, swish.
Countless droplets of rain fell from the sky into the lake, stirring up pillars of water that made hissing noises where they met the void.
This was a third-class deadly poison.
By the time Shi Xiaole landed on the back of the strange fish, Bai Ruiting and the others were still somewhat shocked. With their strength, they could not withstand such an attack.
"Don’t worry, I’ll take you across."
Flicking his fingers, Shi Xiaole used his Sword Qi as threads to bind the four people together. Whenever the mist approached, it was repelled by the Sword Qi, easily bringing the three over.
"It’s so good to have strength."
Bai Ruiting’s eyes shone.
She had long been a top Seventh Tier Earth Immortal, with many resources at her disposal, but she had yet to reach the first wellspring of potential. However, she had a premonition that the day wasn’t far, and hoped she wouldn’t fall too far behind Shi Xiaole when it came.
"These fellows seem to know the way, what a stroke of luck for me."
In the shadows, a pair of eyes narrowed, flickering with a sly gleam.
Beyond the lake lay a silent desert.
As the sunlight and the map created different angles, occasionally a path would form on the ground. Shi Xiaole and his companions slowly made their way. Out of curiosity, Qu Ni threw a small stone outwards.
Bang!
The stone exploded on the spot.
"That was close."
Qu Ni stuck out her tongue.
A single explosion wasn’t enough to rattle her, but successive blasts could cause serious trouble. It was easy to imagine that without a map, it would be nearly impossible for her to safely make her way deeper into the area.
Probably only Shi Xiaole could.
After the desert, the group passed through a mudflat, a grassland, ice mountains, and more, finally arriving at a mountaintop blooming with flowers. And the map showed no further changes.
