Chapter 00297: Another Top Grade Immortal Spirit Vein
# Another Top-Grade Immortal Spirit Vein
Chapter 297
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 297: Another Top-Grade Immortal Spirit Vein
"What's the matter? Don't worry, take your time and explain," Lan Xiaobu said with a smile.
"Back then, I even managed to break you out of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau's prison. What could possibly be a big deal now?"
Seemingly reassured by Lan Xiaobu's calm demeanor, Ju Xiuruo also settled down a bit.
"Brother Xiaobu, this isn't a good place to talk. Let's head into the city first."
Lan Xiaobu had assumed Ju Xiuruo wanted to leave the city quickly to discuss matters, but to his surprise, she suggested going into the city instead.
"The inns in the city are packed. There are plenty of temporary rest pavilions in this square. Let's just find one and sit down," Lan Xiaobu said, pointing to a row of temporary rest pavilions in the distance.
Ju Xiuruo knew that as long as they didn't leave the vicinity of Xingdao Immortal City, they would be safe.
The three of them found a rest pavilion and booked a private room.
Lan Xiaobu set up a barrier and said, "Now, speak. No one can hear us."
Ju Xiuruo began, "After I escaped from the Star Ascension Immortal Court, I wandered around for a while. Later, with the help of Brother Zhong Ling and Sister Luo Yu, we came to the Mo Xuan Xingdao Immortal City. Since the city is close to the Black Pottery Forest Range, we managed to survive there. Brother Zhong Ling and Sister Luo Yu were very kind and helped me a lot. But three months ago, everything changed..."
Ju Xiuruo's voice trailed off as she was pulled into her memories...
---
"Boom!" A deep, rumbling sound echoed, accompanied by the roar of a beast in the distance.
Ju Xiuruo was the first to stop.
She turned to the others nervously and said, "Brother Zhong Ling, Sister Luo Yu, there's a fight between humans and a beast over there. Maybe we should take a detour."
Luo Yu, who was easygoing, agreed with Ju Xiuruo.
Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment before saying, "Xiuruo is right. The Black Pottery Forest Range is full of powerful beasts. If we get caught up in a fight with one, we won't stand a chance."
The three of them decided to avoid the direction of the fight and take a detour.
However, after walking for a while, they realized they were lost.
It felt like they had entered a maze.
"I know where we are," Luo Yu said, her face pale.
"This is the Black Bone Swamp. We've entered the Black Bone Swamp."
The Black Bone Swamp was infamous in Mo Xuan Xingdao Immortal City.
Almost everyone who entered it never came out alive.
It was said that even a sixth-level Immortal Venerable, who was also a grand array master, had once entered the swamp out of curiosity and never returned.
Since then, everyone avoided the swamp at all costs.
Yet, here they were, having stumbled into it.
"So many bones..."
Luo Yu's voice trembled as she pointed ahead.
Piles of blackened bones were scattered everywhere, along with fragments of broken magical artifacts.
"So this is why it's called the Black Bone Swamp," Zhong Ling sighed as he looked at the piles of black bones.
Ju Xiuruo, however, had a different thought.
"Brother Zhong Ling, if the name 'Black Bone Swamp' has spread, it means someone must have come here and left alive."
"You're right," Zhong Ling and Luo Yu both perked up.
If others had escaped, there was hope for them too.
Just as Zhong Ling finished speaking, a black water tendril shot out from the swamp and wrapped around his legs, dragging him into the mire.
Despite being a mid-stage Great Yi Immortal, Zhong Ling couldn't resist the pull at all.
In a panic, Ju Xiuruo slashed at the tendrils with two wind blades, severing Zhong Ling's legs.
She then used a silk ribbon to pull him out of the swamp.
Zhong Ling collapsed to the ground, his face pale.
He swallowed a few pills and said shakily, "Thank you, Xiuruo. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead."
Ju Xiuruo felt guilty.
"Brother Zhong Ling, your legs..."
"It's fine. I'll regenerate them eventually. It'll just take some time. Better than losing my life," Zhong Ling waved it off and quickly consumed an immortal fruit.
His legs began to regrow, but everyone knew they wouldn't be as strong as before.
After Zhong Ling's close call, the three of them became even more cautious.
They wandered around the Black Bone Swamp for five or six days, narrowly avoiding being swallowed by the swamp multiple times.
But the more they wandered, the more hopeless they felt.
Not only were they unable to find a way out, but the dangers also seemed to increase.
Just as they were about to give up, they encountered someone—a woman standing in the middle of the most dangerous part of the swamp.
"It's dangerous in there. You should come out," Luo Yu called out kindly, urging the woman to leave the swamp.
The woman, hearing Luo Yu's voice, actually stepped out of the swamp.
"You can enter the swamp and come back out?" Zhong Ling asked in amazement.
The woman bowed slightly and introduced herself, "My name is Cheng Yin Yao. Greetings to you all."
Zhong Ling was still puzzled.
"How can you enter the Black Bone Swamp and come back out?"
Cheng Yin Yao replied naturally, "I seem to know how to navigate this swamp. To leave, you have to enter it first. But I was too scared to go all the way alone, so I stopped halfway."
"You know the way out?" Zhong Ling, Ju Xiuruo, and Luo Yu were overjoyed.
After being lost for so long, hearing that someone knew the way out felt like a dream.
"Yes, I do," Cheng Yin Yao said matter-of-factly.
"Can you take us out?" Luo Yu asked eagerly.
She didn't want to stay in the swamp a moment longer.
Cheng Yin Yao nodded.
"Of course. I want to leave too. Follow me."
With that, Cheng Yin Yao stepped back into the swamp.
The three of them followed her nervously, but to their surprise, this time, they encountered no problems.
Cheng Yin Yao seemed to know the swamp like the back of her hand, moving swiftly and confidently.
They followed closely behind, not daring to fall behind.
In less than an hour, they stopped.
When they looked back, the Black Bone Swamp was nowhere to be seen.
"We're really out of the Black Bone Swamp! Thank you, Yin Yao!" Luo Yu exclaimed gratefully.
Cheng Yin Yao shook her head.
"It's nothing. I just seem to know how to navigate it. By the way, there's a top-grade earth-attribute immortal spirit vein inside the swamp. But I didn't have a place to store it, so I left it there."
"What?!" The three of them were stunned.
A top-grade earth-attribute immortal spirit vein? That was something even an Immortal Court King would covet.
"Where's your storage ring?" Ju Xiuruo asked, noticing that Cheng Yin Yao didn't have one.
Cheng Yin Yao shook her head again.
"When I first became aware of things, I was already inside the Black Bone Swamp. I didn't have a ring or anything else."
Before Ju Xiuruo could say more, a loud laugh echoed through the air.
"Hahaha! Excellent! My luck is truly great today. Not only did I find someone who knows how to navigate the Black Bone Swamp, but I also learned about a top-grade earth-attribute immortal spirit vein inside. Wonderful!"
Hearing this, both Zhong Ling and Ju Xiuruo turned pale.
They had just escaped the swamp and let their guard down.
They hadn't expected Cheng Yin Yao to reveal the existence of the spirit vein so casually, nor had they anticipated someone eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Are you... Lu Zhenmu?" Zhong Ling recognized the man, and his heart sank.
Lu Zhenmu grinned.
"Didn't I just say my name was Lu Zhenmu?"
Lu Zhenmu was a member of the Black Hammer Immortal Squad, known for their ruthless and cruel methods.
Those who fell into their hands rarely survived.
Not only was Lu Zhenmu a Great Luo Golden Immortal, but the entire Black Hammer Immortal Squad was infamous throughout the Black Pottery Forest Range.
The squad consisted of six members, with their leader, Ji Qianshan, being a late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal.
They were known for their greed and would stop at nothing to get their hands on valuable treasures.
---
At this point in her story, Ju Xiuruo's eyes were red with tears.
Cheng Yin Yao continued, "Lu Zhenmu killed Brother Zhong Ling and Sister Luo Yu. He said he would wait for the next time the Black Bone Swamp appeared and force me to lead him to the top-grade earth-attribute immortal spirit vein. It's my fault that Brother Zhong Ling and Sister Luo Yu died."
Lan Xiaobu frowned.
"Isn't the Black Bone Swamp accessible at any time?"
Ju Xiuruo shook her head.
"No, the swamp appears at irregular intervals. Sometimes it appears once every few years, and other times it appears multiple times in a single month."
Lan Xiaobu nodded.
"If that's the case, why didn't he kill you too?"
Ju Xiuruo replied, "I don't know. When Lu Zhenmu killed Brother Zhong Ling and Sister Luo Yu, I thought I was next. After all, to enter the swamp and find the spirit vein, he only needed Yin Yao. But for some reason, he let me live."
"Then why are you two allowed to move around freely?" Lan Xiaobu asked.
Ju Xiuruo explained, "It was Yin Yao's idea. She told Lu Zhenmu that if he imprisoned us, she wouldn't be able to sense the swamp. To sense it, she needed to be out and about constantly. Yin Yao also said she was afraid to be alone, so he couldn't lock me up either. For some reason, Lu Zhenmu was lenient with me. He didn't imprison us but placed restrictions and marks on us. These restrictions only allow us to move within a certain range of the city. If we leave that range, the restrictions will activate, and he'll come after us immediately."
Lan Xiaobu began to understand.
"So, earlier, you two had already sensed the Black Bone Swamp and were planning to escape into it. But then you ran into me, which delayed you?"
Ju Xiuruo nodded.
"Not only that, but there's another reason. Lu Zhenmu spends a certain time each day cultivating. That window is enough for us to escape into the swamp."
(Note: Due to poor planning, the second update will be delayed.)
(End of Chapter)