Chapter 1125: Ru'er
Translator: CKtalon Editor: - -
"You just said that you were stuck in this land of peril, ‘And if we don’t return with treasure, the Red Cauldron Sect will also fall into decline. With Sect Leader unconscious, it would be meaningless even if we had the Soul Nurturing Wood.’ Isn't that right?
Yi Yun looked at a red-dressed girl who appeared to be in her twenties. She had a full figure and her face was pale. Yi Yun recalled that Ru'er called her Senior Sister Luo.
Senior Sister Luo was stupefied by Yi Yun's questions. She had indeed said that to Ru'er, but that was nearly ten minutes ago.
The youth had managed to repeat her words ad verbatim despite the wanton heat toxins and spewing lava in the underground world.
His perception was way too terrifying.
That also meant that he heard their chatter lamenting the tragic death of the youth that was none other than him.
Instantly, the middle-aged man and company felt horrified. This youth had soaked himself in the lava pool like he was having a bubble bath. The dark gold lava flowed down his body, revealing muscles that had a jade-like quality to them, without any blemishes.
And at that moment, the reason why the youth asked about the Soul Nurturing Wood was that he had plans for it!
The Soul Nurturing Wood was a cornerstone treasure of their Red Cauldron Sect. Now, it determined the life of their sect leader and it was also their sect's secret. If not for them being trapped in this hidden land with little hope of escaping, Senior Sister Luo would not have brought it up so casually.
At that moment, the middle-aged man took a step forward and blocked the young disciples behind him. He bit the bullet and bowed. "Senior…"
A person that could soak in such a lava pool was definitely not the same age as Ru'er and company. Many old monsters could maintain a youthful appearance, so it was nothing odd.
"We chanced upon this place inadvertently. Senior, we truly had no intention to disturb you in your cultivation. For this, I seek your understanding," said the middle-aged man.
The black-dressed woman hesitated for a moment before explaining, "We were actually sucked in by the Sun Burial Sandsea's phenomenon. About three or four days ago, there was a muffled thunder that suddenly came from the ground. Next, the sand depressed and manifested a vortex that sucked all of us in. As a result, we were trapped here underground and have been seeking a path out. Senior, we truly had no intention to disturb you."
Yi Yun pondered for a moment and surmised that, when he ended his cultivation some time ago, he had caused quite a commotion. Indeed, it matched the period that this group of people was sucked into the phenomenon.
Yi Yun also realized that these people were trapped underground because of him. This area gathered the last bits of pure Yang gases in the Sun Burial Sandsea. It was extremely beneficial to himself and Ling Xie'er, who had been born out of the Heretical God Fire Seed. However, to these warriors, it was definitely an insufferable heat toxin.
Yi Yun got up and walked out of the lava pool. His naked upper body and firm muscles exuded a beauty of strength. Combined with his massive Yuan Qi, he gave off a domineering pressure that made no one dare to look at him straight.
He walked forward casually but beneath his feet, pure Yang laws naturally condensed together. The wisps of pure Yang gases formed tiny Golden Crows, fire birds that seemed to prostrate themselves at Yi Yun.
Such a scene left the Red Cauldron Sect disciples dumbstruck. What sort of person was this? The nomological insight and the Dao he cultivated far exceeded their imaginations.
"You haven't answered my question. What is this Soul Nurturing Wood that you mentioned?"
The middle-aged man was placed in a dilemma. The Soul Nurturing Wood was obviously important to his sect but if he did not answer honestly, the disciples would probably die here.
After he arranged his thoughts, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and answered, "My Red Cauldron Sect is actually very poor, but we were once fortuitous enough to obtain a slab of divine wood in a mystic land. It's completely black in color and can be used to nourish one's soul. Those who have suffered serious injuries to their soul can use it to recover, but it's useless for cultivation."
As the middle-aged man spoke, he constantly watched Yi Yun's reaction. He hoped that his words would cause Yi Yun to rid his thoughts of the Soul Nurturing Wood.
"Soul Nurturing Wood…completely black in color. Indeed, that is the treasured herb recorded in the divine alchemist's notes—Soul Returning Root! This Red Cauldron Sect probably doesn't recognize the Soul Returning Root and calls it the Soul Nurturing Wood. It's rather apt in any case."
Yi Yun looked at Ling Xie'er, who was lying on a boulder. After a year of being injected with pure Yang energy, Ling Xie'er's body had turned a lot more corporeal; however, she showed no signs of awakening.
Damage of the soul was not something that could be remedied simply by the use of pure Yang energy. However, the Soul Returning Root had given Yi Yun a glimmer of hope.
"Where is your sect?" asked Yi Yun.
The middle-aged man's heart sank as he gritted his teeth and said honestly, "It's in the Myriad Divine Territory. We are just a tiny sect…"
The middle-aged man lamented inwardly. As long as one knew the Red Cauldron Sect's name, then finding its location would be a simple task. There was usually no reason to conceal it. All he could do was emphasize how poor the Red Cauldron Sect was in hopes that the senior would spare them.
However, the chance of that happening was too minute. In the world of warriors, strength was everything. As long as one had strength, they could take whatever they desired. Killing a person for property was a trivial matter. The value of the Soul Nurturing Wood was something the middle-aged man knew very well. With the Red Cauldron Sect's strength, it had no way of protecting it.
Once the news was known to others, they would come charging up to the Red Cauldron Sect and take away the Soul Nurturing Wood. It wouldn't even be strange if the person wiped out the entire sect in order to prevent word from getting out!
"Myriad Divine Territory…"
Yi Yun knew of this place. In the notes left behind by the divine alchemist, there was a scroll named 'Various Divine Compendium'. It recorded the places that the divine alchemist had stayed in for extended periods of time. These places were mainly the Sinkhole and the Yang God Empyrean Heaven, but one of them was the Myriad Divine Territory.
For various reasons, the divine alchemist had gone to the Myriad Divine Territory several times. He had even stayed there for decades once.
Yi Yun pondered over the matter when, suddenly, a fifteen-year-old girl briskly walked out of the Red Cauldron Sect group. She plopped to the ground and knelt in front of Yi Yun.
Her petite body was prostrated against the hot boulders, but even though the heat was unbearable, she remained motionless.
"Ru'er, what are you doing?" The black-dressed woman's expression turned to one of panic.
"Ru'er! Don't be rude!"
The middle-aged man hurriedly rushed to drag Ru'er away but she refused to get up. She said, "Senior, the Soul Nurturing Wood is our Red Cauldron Sect's only hope. If you take it away, my father’s soul will be obliterated in less than three days! In order to save my mother and me, my father has embroiled himself in a battle with the Jade Blood Way's wretches. They did great damage to his soul, and now he remains comatose."
By the time Ru'er said that, she was already biting down on her lips tightly. There was tears welling up in her eyes. And, as she had rushed out of the middle-aged man’s protective barrier, her fair arms had been severely burned by the heat toxins.
"My father is the Red Cauldron Sect's sect leader. In order to save me, he has been in a coma for ten years. He is the strongest person in the Red Cauldron Sect. If my father doesn't wake up, and our enemies learn of his state, the Red Cauldron Sect might not be able to retain our ancestral grounds. We came here to the Sun Burial Sandsea in search of medicine for Father. However, we have found nothing to date and ended up entering your cultivation spot inadvertently. We have been trapped here for three days without finding a path out, and have no more options!"
"Senior, I know that you have an extraordinary cultivation level and my Red Cauldron Sect only has a tiny slab of Soul Nurturing Wood. It's worth nothing to you, but, to my Red Cauldron Sect, it's an item that can save the entire sect. Senior, please take pity on us! If you are willing to let us leave this land of peril, then I am willing to be your slave to repay your kindness."
Ru'er had spoken in one breath while tears streamed down her face. It truly endeared others to her.
She seemed bent on punishing herself for she refused to get up despite the burning wounds on her arms turning increasingly worse.