Chapter 2391: Ink Mark

The Human World

The Human World

Upon hearing Mò Yàn’s voice transmission, Qin Sang glanced at Chì Liàn and Gǔ Mèi. The two women were still fully resisting the impact of the black radiance.

Only then did they realize that this black radiance was not an invisible light, but rather something akin to ink, and its impact was far greater than anticipated.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Around them, green vines continuously burst forth from the water.

These green vines, stained with the black water, had their surfaces coated in a layer of ink, turning them black. Yet, this did not diminish their vigor; instead, it made them appear even more menacing.

Whoosh!

A purple spirit parasol flew above their heads, spinning rapidly. The power of this spiritual treasure formed an invisible barrier, flinging away any black water that approached, preventing it from touching them.

However, Gǔ Mèi’s cultivation was ultimately inferior to that of the old man in the brocade robes. Under the relentless assault of the green vines, the purple parasol’s barrier vibrated ceaselessly, and Gǔ Mèi’s expression grew increasingly strained.

Thwack!

A green vine tore through the barrier, swinging violently. Its sharp thorns were on the verge of piercing them.

Snap!

With a crack of a whip, Chì Liàn’s long whip flicked, splitting into a whip shadow that transformed into a spiritual serpent, immediately lunging at the green vine.

The green vine’s surface was tainted with black water. Unsure of the black water’s true nature, Chì Liàn dared not let her long whip make direct contact. Fortunately, the spiritual serpent conjured from the whip’s shadow possessed impressive power.

The spiritual serpent and the green vine became entangled. Its scales were immediately pierced by thorns, leaving it covered in wounds. Yet, the spiritual serpent, fearless of death, dragged the green vine outward, submerging it into the black water.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Subsequently, green vines continuously breached the barrier. The old man in the brocade robes attacked with full force, his formidable power as a late Void Refinement stage expert on full display.

Even with Qin Sang concealing his true strength, he, Gǔ Mèi, and Chì Liàn were still struggling immensely. The green vines seemed endless; they had lost count of how many they had destroyed, yet new ones ceaselessly emerged from the black water. The enemy’s assault showed no signs of abating.

Their only hope now was for the three Protectors to arrive swiftly and rescue them.

The enemy undoubtedly understood this.

Although the old man in the brocade robes only ever commanded the green vines to attack, his tactics were infinitely varied, and his assault grew increasingly relentless.

Swoosh!

A green vine breached the barrier and fiercely lashed out at Qin Sang.

Crack!

Lightning flashed.

Qin Sang gripped a feather fan, crafted from the Thunder-Bird feathers he had used previously. With a forceful wave, the fan’s surface discharged lightning, forming a shimmering silver thunderball.

Whoosh!

The thunderball shot forth. Just as it was about to strike the green vine, a flower bud suddenly sprouted on the vine and instantly bloomed. The spiritual flower, like a vast maw, swallowed the thunderball whole.

Chì Liàn, sensing something amiss, softly exclaimed, “Be careful!”

The moment the spiritual flower swallowed the thunderball, it abruptly spewed a cloud of pink mist. Only then did the thunderball explode inside the spiritual flower, blowing both it and the green vine into fragments.

Qin Sang, unable to react in time, was enveloped by the mist. The pink mist even penetrated his protective spiritual aura.

Cough, cough...

Qin Sang’s face flushed red, and he began to cough.

“Are you injured, fellow cultivator?” Chì Liàn looked over with concern. The situation was now urgent, and neither she nor Gǔ Mèi could spare attention for Qin Sang.

Swoosh!

Another green vine immediately followed. Qin Sang shook his head, not daring to cease his efforts.

The pink mist from before seemed to have planted a hidden danger within Qin Sang’s body. He gradually grew weaker, constantly facing peril.

Both Chì Liàn and Gǔ Mèi could perceive this.

Gǔ Mèi’s eyes flashed. Far from intending to provide reinforcement, she subtly urged the parasol, weakening the barrier around Qin Sang, which led to an increasing number of green vines attacking him.

And even if Chì Liàn had the will to reinforce him, she could only occasionally offer help to alleviate Qin Sang’s pressure, which was merely a drop in the ocean.

Qin Sang gradually faltered and finally panicked. “Fellow cultivators, we must find a way to change this situation, otherwise we will all perish here!”

Chì Liàn hesitated, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

Gǔ Mèi, however, said coldly, “We have all expended our full strength and can only maintain this situation. I wonder what brilliant plan you have, fellow cultivator?”

“I…” Qin Sang was speechless. He was about to argue further when he suddenly heard a “boom” behind him as several green vines simultaneously struck the barrier.

The purple parasol swayed, and the barrier shattered immediately, failing to block even a single green vine.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The green vines were like a net, and Qin Sang was already ensnared within it, like a fish.

Qin Sang’s pupils dilated, and despair colored his face. “Save me!” he cried.

“Fellow cultivator Qīng Fēng!” Chì Liàn cried out in alarm, but Gǔ Mèi stopped her with a sharp rebuke.

“What are you trying to do!” Gǔ Mèi said coldly. “He will only hold us back. Sacrificing him gives us a greater chance of survival; it’s better than all three of us dying here because of him.”

“Protector Huáng’s cloaks...” Chì Liàn hesitated. Her initial interaction with Qin Sang had not been pleasant, but he had since joined the Heavenly Cloud Pier and made significant contributions. To abandon him now would be utterly merciless.

The cloaks Protector Huáng had given them were meant for times of crisis. Calling for help from Protector Huáng now might indeed save Qin Sang.

“We don’t know the situation above. Protector Huáng likely has only one opportunity to intervene and save us. Do you truly want to waste that chance on him?” Gǔ Mèi’s words were truly cutting.

Chì Liàn hesitated, watching helplessly as Qin Sang was increasingly entwined by the green vines, finally being pulled down into the depths.

A look of satisfaction flashed in Gǔ Mèi’s eyes. She then retracted some of the parasol’s power; with one less person to protect, the required shielded area became smaller.

Splash!

A wave surged over them.

Just as Qin Sang and the green vines were about to sink into the black water, muffled thuds suddenly echoed from its depths.

Hearing this unusual sound, both women and the old man in the brocade robes grew wary.

The old man in the brocade robes’ gaze sharpened. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly sensed something, his expression changing dramatically as he hastily formed a hand seal.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A tremor resonated all around. The two women were surprised to discover that all the green vines tensed up, and the surrounding vines surged out of the black water, not to attack them, but seemingly to evade something.

Boom!

The muffled thud sounded again, this time clearer.

At that moment, Qin Sang, entangled by the green vines, appeared panicked, yet his mind remained remarkably calm. He glanced towards the source of the sound, witnessing surges of black tides erupting from the depths of the abyss.

Rumble!

These black tides advanced with astonishing momentum, reaching their feet in the blink of an eye.

Qin Sang vaguely perceived that each surge of black tide enveloped a rounded black stone.

Dozens, even hundreds, of black stones shot forth simultaneously. The black tides surged, bringing immense chaos.

“This way…” Mò Yàn’s voice echoed in his ear.

Qin Sang happened to be directly above one of the black stones. The black tide slammed into the green vines entwining him. The immense impact caused the vines to shake, but Qin Sang, as if long prepared, flung out the feather fan in his hand.

The feather fan ignited, transforming into a ball of thunder-fire that suddenly erupted. Under simultaneous internal and external impacts, some green vines instantly snapped. Qin Sang seized the opportunity to burst free, shedding the cloak from his body, and swam in the direction Mò Yàn had indicated.

He and Mò Yàn had just discussed their escape plan, and Mò Yàn had told him what to do, making it clear that Mò Yàn had somehow attracted these black stones and black tides.

The black tides plunged the battlefield into disarray.

Many green vines were swept away by the black tides, countless of them snapping. The old man in the brocade robes seemed to know the origin of these black stones, appearing startled and uncertain, hesitating to advance.

The two women were in an even more desperate state, but they too recognized this as an opportunity to escape. Exerting all their strength, they seized the chance to flee.

Only Qin Sang, following Mò Yàn’s guidance, navigated the black tides with ease.

Finally, bursting free from the black tide’s range, Qin Sang saw a figure ahead: Mò Yàn.

Wú Xián and Duàn Qiào were nowhere in sight; only Mò Yàn remained.

Mò Yàn came forward and asked with concern, “How are you?”

“That should be enough to deceive them,” Qin Sang said, glancing at the black tide with admiration. “How did you manage that, fellow cultivator? If I hadn’t been concealing my true strength, I might genuinely have perished in there.”

“Only by doing this could they believe you had perished. While this was a minor trick I employed, it is merely the tip of the iceberg here. You will soon discover just how perilous this place truly is…”

Mò Yàn pointed downwards.

Qin Sang was about to ask more questions when he noticed Mò Yàn’s expression subtly change.

“This is bad! They’re really here!”

The next moment, Qin Sang saw the familiar black tide gushing forth from even deeper within the abyss. Its momentum and power far surpassed what they had witnessed earlier.

“Follow me closely, fellow cultivator!” The situation was urgent, and Mò Yàn had no time to explain to Qin Sang. His figure flickered, and he surprisingly charged directly into the black tide.

Qin Sang no longer needed to conceal his strength. He immediately activated his Lightning Evasion Technique and flashed forward to keep pace.

Two streaks of escape light, one black and one green, pierced the black tide like sharp arrows.

Boom!

It was as if they had been struck by a colossal wave. The speed of both escape lights plummeted, and Mò Yàn and Qin Sang both felt a moment of suffocation.

Qin Sang was secretly alarmed; the true black tide’s power was indeed far superior to what they had experienced moments before.

Simultaneously, a powerful warning surged in Qin Sang’s heart. He felt an intense threat, and its source was not far from him.

Qin Sang hastily focused his gaze, only to behold a peculiar object.

It was not like the black stones they had seen earlier, but a long, strip-shaped black object. No matter how Qin Sang looked at it, it resembled a ‘piě’ – a left-falling stroke in Chinese calligraphy.

“What exactly is this thing?” Qin Sang was baffled. He looked elsewhere and saw a ‘héng’ – a horizontal stroke – or perhaps it was a vertical one.

Looking elsewhere, he saw ‘piě’ strokes, ‘nà’ strokes (right-falling), and even complex strokes like horizontal bends and left-falling bends – every type imaginable.

In that case, what he had seen earlier was not a black stone, but a simple dot.

These strokes were scattered haphazardly, as if a text had been completely scrambled, all the strokes mixed together, making it impossible to discern the original writing.

Suddenly, Qin Sang noticed a ‘nà’ stroke flying towards them.

“Be careful, fellow cultivator, whatever you do, don’t get hit by these ink traces!” Mò Yàn warned via voice transmission.

“Ink traces…” Qin Sang’s heart stirred. He looked at Mò Yàn’s right hand, where he held an inkstone.

Mò Yàn aimed this treasure forward. The inkstone pulsed with spiritual light, emitting a suction force that completely swallowed the surrounding black tides.

The force of the impact greatly diminished, and their escape speed returned to full power. They then fully focused on dodging that ‘nà’ stroke.

Swoosh!

That ‘nà’ stroke swept diagonally towards them.

Mò Yàn’s designation of them as ‘ink traces’ was fitting; they were incredibly thin, like ink peeled directly from paper.

Yet, these seemingly delicate ink traces sent shivers down their spines.

In that instant, Qin Sang felt as though he was witnessing a black long blade cleaving through darkness and void.

Whose hands had forged these ink traces? Each stroke possessed such terrifying power!

If struck by this blade, Qin Sang greatly doubted he could withstand it; even a graze would likely cause injury. And he seemed to be locked onto by the ink trace, making it nearly impossible to evade this attack, no matter which direction he moved.

This blade not only struck at the physical body but also at the mind!

If one’s resolve were not firm enough, under such despair, even the thought of evasion would likely be extinguished.

Fortunately, both Qin Sang and Mò Yàn possessed strong wills. Moreover, Mò Yàn seemed intimately familiar with the ink traces’ patterns, guiding Qin Sang along an arc to precisely evade that particular strike.

Swoosh!

The ink trace brushed past them, not turning back to continue its assault.

But this was only the beginning. Having just averted one danger, they immediately encountered another ink trace.

This one was a horizontal bend, like a scythe, intending to cleave them in two.

Qin Sang and Mò Yàn could only continue to dodge.

Above the Abyss.

The Black and Yellow Protectors were besieged by four experts of the same cultivation level.

Because the Miasma Plague Lord had already laid traps, the Black and Yellow Protectors’ repeated counterattacks were thwarted, and they gradually found themselves in increasing peril.

At this moment, the Miasma Plague Lord and the other three demons stood in four directions, their expressions exceptionally grave as they observed the ball of white light in the center.

Moments ago, when Protector Black uttered that phrase, he unleashed a treasure of unknown origin, and that’s when this happened.

Within the white light, besides the Black and Yellow Protectors, there were three other unfamiliar auras.

“Are the Fox Immortal, Willow Immortal, and White Immortal of the Five Immortals Pavilion also nearby?” One of the three elders looked skyward, his face etched with worry.

The Miasma Plague Lord also hesitated. If all five immortals of the Five Immortals Pavilion were to arrive, their strength would be on par with their own.

Unfortunately, to conceal their true whereabouts and deceive all, they had brought no subordinates with them.

They had believed that with just the two of them and the three elders, it would be foolproof. They never expected to have reeled in the Five Immortals Pavilion.

“Don’t let them bluff you; they’re surely just posturing!” screamed Old Gu Witch.

Old Gu Witch shrieked, and a seven-colored long banner appeared before her.

The other three demons no longer hesitated. Each displayed their divine abilities, and streaks of spiritual light and treasure light engulfed the Black and Yellow Protectors.

Boom!

The white light, like a cocoon, finally succumbed under the terrifying assault, cracking with a snap. A ribbon of light shot out from within the white light, sweeping across all directions and causing the four demons’ expressions to change.

“Beware their desperate struggle!” warned the Miasma Plague Lord.

The four demons retreated in unison, choosing to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.

Simultaneously, in the abyss below, the black tide erupted, and both Chì Liàn and Gǔ Mèi were swept out by the torrent.

Having escaped the green vines, the two women’s figures had barely emerged when their vision blurred, and they found their path blocked by the old man in the brocade robes.

The two women were greatly alarmed. Just then, they suddenly felt their cloaks tighten, and an unfamiliar yet familiar power, seemingly from nowhere, surged into their bodies.

“Could it be…?”

The two women vaguely understood what was happening. They relaxed their minds, allowing this power to take over their physical forms.

Concurrently, Protector Black’s wild laughter echoed from above.

“Haha… Did you truly think I was deceiving you?”

The old man in the brocade robes inwardly cursed, but it was already too late to intervene.

Boom!

The two women’s auras surged dramatically. Behind them, the illusory forms of a fox and a snake appeared, radiating terrifying divine might.

The Fox Immortal and Willow Immortal of the Five Immortals Pavilion were still en route but were already able to remotely unleash their divine abilities and possess the two women!