Chapter 00213: Awakening the Land
# Awakening the Land
Chapter 213
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 213 Awakening the Land
Audel had mentioned not long ago that the plane she lived on was created by the Demon God, but the world did not consist of just one plane, nor was there only one deity.
What was connected to Earth was not multiple otherworlds.
To be precise, there was only one otherworld connected to Earth, but this world had countless planes, which was why the transmigrators who arrived on Earth were so vastly different.
And precisely because it was the same world, things like magic were more or less the same in different planes; the basic principles were in fact identical.
That was why Audel could offer her opinions on the instruments manufactured by Section Nine, which were based on magic technology.
However, Li Chengxi didn't really care about this.
To him, it was just an observation from behind a computer screen anyway.
After a full meal and a short rest, the group changed into light sneakers and began to climb the mountain along a small path.
Though it was called mountain climbing, it was actually closer to hiking, since Golden Bull Mountain could hardly be considered tall, especially when compared to truly famous mountains and great rivers.
The path along the way had been newly renovated, paved with flat stone slabs and sturdy railings.
After walking uphill for more than half an hour, they arrived at a viewing platform on the mountainside.
This place had also been specially built; it hadn't been there originally.
Standing here, one could see the faint silhouette of the city in the distance, and occasionally an airplane passing through the sky.
Large signs were erected around the viewing platform, stating that stargazing here at midnight would be a very good experience.
But Li Chengxi wasn't interested.
Coming to this place in the middle of the night to watch the stars was just asking to be fed to the mosquitoes.
Dammit, it was already October, and these little bitches hadn't died off yet.
It was truly annoying.
From the back of the viewing platform, one could actually continue upward, but there was no path further ahead, and a large, conspicuous sign read 'Construction Ahead, Entry Prohibited'.
Perhaps because of the National Day holiday, no work was being done here.
Qian Sen said they had to keep going up to get to the ancient tomb.
Speaking of the ancient tomb, Li Chengxi was a little curious about the profound master who had helped resolve the supernatural incident, or more accurately, he was more interested in flying on a sword.
He asked Lei Lei, and she said:
"Flying on a sword? You've been reading too many novels, haven't you? Why would you fly on a sword when there are airliners?"
A truly irrefutable reason...
It was like insisting on using a flying sword message when you had a phone, completely unnecessary.
Cultivators weren't stupid.
If there was a more convenient method, why use the old one? Were they bored out of their minds?
"Just tell me if it's possible to fly on a sword or not."
"It is possible, but those who can are all Great Cultivators."
"You can't fly yet?"
"Of course not. My master probably can, but my cultivation level is still too shallow."
"Then can your master fly on a sword and follow an airliner to South Sea Island?"
Lei Lei looked at Li Chengxi with an expression that said, 'Are you sick?'
"Even if he could fly there, he wouldn't be able to keep up with an airliner's speed."
"But I heard from Qian Sen that the cultivator who helped solve the problem at Golden Bull Mountain could."
"There's such a master?"
Flying on a sword was not as convenient as Li Chengxi imagined, and its speed and range were definitely no match for an airliner.
"I've never heard of anyone who could keep up with an airliner, but China is so big, it's normal for there to be a few secluded Great Cultivators. I can only say that Section Nine is very good at finding people. Such Great Cultivators usually won't act so easily."
In Lei Lei's eyes, Li Chengxi also seemed very much like such a Great Cultivator.
The amount of spiritual energy emanating from him was simply too much; he was like a humanoid spiritual vein.
It would be more than enough to establish a sect in his vicinity.
But if he were truly a Great Cultivator, it would be impossible for him not to control the leakage of his spiritual energy.
Many Great Cultivators appeared on the surface to be ordinary people with no cultivation at all.
As they were speaking, Qian Sen, who was leading the way, said:
"We can see it now, it's just ahead."
At this time, the group was walking on a small path trodden by villagers heading up the mountain.
There were no longer any traces of human activity nearby, only trees and stones everywhere.
Qian Sen led the group through a row of dense bushes, and a bald clearing immediately appeared before their eyes.
The vegetation on Golden Bull Mountain was quite lush.
Although it wasn't tall or large, one could still get lost if they wandered around aimlessly inside.
But on a mountain with such dense vegetation, to have such a conspicuous clearing was truly a bit incredible.
In particular, one could see that the surrounding grass formed a very distinct boundary line, as if an invisible force was preventing the vegetation from growing any further.
The soil in this clearing looked somewhat sandy, a clear difference from the fertile land around it.
Walking a little further, they could see a square hole in the ground, with a staircase leading down to the entrance.
The entrance to the cave showed obvious signs of human construction; one could even make out the patterns on the blue bricks.
However, the entrance was currently sealed with wooden planks, and a large sign stood at the entrance, reading 'Danger of Collapse, No Entry'.
"This is the ancient tomb that was once haunted. I heard it was surrounded by a formation array at the time, and ordinary people couldn't find it at all."
"There are traces of a barrier having been set up nearby, but it has already been destroyed."
"There are also remnants of a formation array, but it's been cleaned up very thoroughly."
Audel and Lei Lei looked around and agreed with this assessment.
Li Chengxi didn't know how they could tell.
All he felt was that it was a bit chilly nearby and the growth of the vegetation was a bit strange.
Other than that, he didn't see any major problems.
"The profound master Section Nine found is truly remarkable. No wonder the Li Family deliberately quoted a high price and didn't dare to take the job. Judging by the scale of this formation array, it definitely wasn't an easy ghost to deal with. Even if our Lei Family were to act, it would probably take a lot of effort."
Lei Lei, who had initially shown little interest, was now quite curious.
She asked:
"Who exactly is this profound master?"
Qian Sen shrugged.
"That I don't know. This isn't my jurisdiction. I've only heard about it."
To be precise, Golden Bull Mountain was right next to Qian Sen's jurisdiction, located right on the boundary line, but just outside his area of responsibility.
Section Nine operated by zones.
Matters outside one's own jurisdiction were not their business, and they wouldn't know the specific details.
To find out, one would have to file a report with the head office.
Li Chengxi peered toward the cave entrance.
It was dark inside, and he could hardly see anything.
Qian Sen had said it was best not to go in, as it hadn't been reinforced yet and might collapse.
So, Li Chengxi could only look from the outside.
He took a few steps forward and squatted down, trying to get a clearer view.
"You won't see anything. The contents inside have all been cleared out. It's just a passage and a stone chamber."
"Cleared out? Cleared out by Section Nine?"
"Of course. What if something harmful was left behind and picked up by someone? All suspicious items were loaded onto a truck and taken away. There would definitely be appraisal personnel who repeatedly confirmed everything at least five times before withdrawing."
After explaining, Qian Sen called out:
"There's nothing much to see around here. I know of a waterfall over there, let's go take some pictures."
Li Chengxi realized he really couldn't see anything and lost interest.
He stood up to follow Qian Sen.
Gan Xiaoyan saw that Lei Lei hadn't moved and asked strangely:
"Lei Lei? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Let's catch up."
No one else had noticed, but on the patch of land Li Chengxi had just touched with his hand, a small sprout of weed had now grown.
It was very small and could be easily overlooked if one wasn't paying attention.
As a cultivator, Lei Lei immediately thought of the records about Earth Deities in her sect's classics.
Earth Deities were different from the Earth God in myths and legends.
Earth Deities were mostly in beast form, such as wolves, foxes, weasels, snakes, and birds.
Occasionally, mythical creatures like the Qilin or Luan Bird would also appear.
Earth Deities were born of heaven and earth, with the responsibility of guarding a piece of land.
The touch of an Earth Deity could awaken a piece of dead land.
Lei Lei had seen it very clearly just now.
It was only after Li Chengxi touched it that the patch of land sprouted weeds.
The land nearby, which had died due to the influence of ghostly qi, would also be revitalized by his touch.
Not long ago, Lei Lei had suspected that Li Chengxi had some connection with the local Li Family.
Now, looking at this, she was even more confused.
Was he really a humanoid Earth Deity?
(End of this chapter)