Chapter 1873: Stone Spirit and Ancient Altar

There were multiple spatial nodes here. Dozens of high-level cultivators flew into them one after another, but several nodes collapsed directly, resulting in an extremely low survival rate for the cultivators who entered them.

"I hope we can find Fellow Daoist Wang this time," Guang Dongren sighed deeply. Under Wang Changsheng's instruction, they had never given up searching for Wang Qingshan, but it was all in vain; they couldn't find him at all.

"As long as Seventh Brother is alive, we won't give up," Wang Qingjing sighed. "Meng Bin, Fellow Daoist Cheng, and Fellow Daoist Zheng have all gone missing, but unfortunately, we don't know how they disappeared." At least they knew Wang Qingshan had disappeared after entering the Gale Secret Realm, but Wang Mengbin and the other two were nowhere to be found; if they wanted to search, they wouldn't even know where to look. Fortunately, the soul lamps of Wang Qingshan, Wang Mengbin, Cheng Zhenyu, and Zheng Nan had not extinguished, indicating they were still alive.

A dense, verdant forest stretched out. As far as the eye could see, there were towering trees over a thousand zhang tall, lush with branches and leaves. Their enormous canopies blocked out much of the sunlight, and the fallen leaves on the ground were several feet thick.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger strolled through the verdant forest. Large amounts of brown bloodstains could be seen on Wang Qingshan's clothes, and his cyan sword scabbard, which he carried on his back, was also stained with quite a bit of brown blood. His expression remained indifferent.

Bai Linger wore a long white dress, unadorned by makeup, and a crown woven from weeds sat upon her head. Her face was beaming with joy. After she cast a secret technique, her true essence was severely depleted, and she reverted to her beast form. Wang Qingshan meticulously cared for her, finding many high-grade spiritual medicines and feeding them to her. Only then did Bai Linger recover her vitality and transform back into human form. Adversity had revealed true character, and Bai Linger grew much closer to Wang Qingshan. However, Wang Qingshan remained indifferent, neither warm nor cold.

"What is this place, Fellow Daoist Wang? Haven't you explored it before?" Bai Linger asked curiously, her voice sweet.

"You haven't recovered yet, so I naturally wouldn't be reckless enough to explore alone," Wang Qingshan replied calmly. "Now that you've recovered, we can cooperate in exploring. Hopefully, we can find a way out!"

Bai Linger's beautiful eyes shifted as she asked, "What if we can't get out, then what should we do?"

"Then just cultivate peacefully," Wang Qingshan said indifferently. "The spiritual energy here is quite abundant; it wouldn't be bad to attempt to break through to the Soul Transformation stage here."

Hearing this, Bai Linger showed a hint of disappointment.

"I noticed Liu Meier cares about you quite a bit," Bai Linger pressed on, "have you not considered making her your dual cultivation partner?" Having gone through adversity together, the barrier between her and Wang Qingshan had disappeared, and she understood him better. Wang Qingshan seemed cold, unwilling to bother with people, like a block of wood.

"I haven't thought about it," Wang Qingshan said calmly. "Emotions are too troublesome. I don't want to follow in my master's footsteps. I just want to become stronger to protect my clansmen. That's enough." He wasn't a block of wood; Bai Linger had a good impression of him, and Wang Qingshan was well aware of this. However, with Sword Sovereign Xiaoyao as a cautionary tale, Wang Qingshan didn't consider romantic entanglements and was solely focused on seeking the Dao. He cultivated the Way of the Sword to protect his clansmen, diligently striving to improve his strength and safeguard them. This was his sole objective; as for other matters, Wang Qingshan hadn't given them a thought.

"To be honest, my grandfather injured you," Bai Linger asked cautiously, her expression uneasy. "Do you regret saving me?"

"Let's keep things separate; the two cannot be confused," Wang Qingshan said with some impatience. "Your grandfather injuring me is one matter, and my saving you is another. Alright, you're talking too much nonsense. If there's nothing important, then don't speak."

Bai Linger nodded and didn't press further.

Wang Qingshan suddenly stopped, his expression solemn.

Ahead was a vast, boundless black bamboo forest, stretching as far as the eye could see. Two massive skeletons lay within the bamboo forest. Judging by their appearance, they were clearly the remains of demon beasts.

Wang Qingshan released two ape puppet beasts and controlled them to walk forward. The ape puppet beasts strode towards the black bamboo forest, and there was no abnormality. Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger fully extended their spiritual senses, quickly sweeping over the black bamboo forest, but found no fluctuations from restrictions or the aura of demon beasts.

"Be careful," Wang Qingshan warned. "There might be fifth-tier demon beasts here." Wang Qingshan warned, walking cautiously forward, with Bai Linger following closely behind.

The bamboo forest was very quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Half an hour later, they suddenly stopped. Several hundred zhang ahead, there was a pale cyan spiritual ganoderma. The ganoderma was oval-shaped, with nine golden patterns on its surface, emitting a strange fragrance.

"A Golden Ghost Ganoderma! It must be at least five thousand years old!" Bai Linger gasped, her eyes becoming fervent.

Wang Qingshan fully extended his spiritual sense, carefully scanning a ten-mile radius, but found no abnormalities. He swung his right hand towards the void, and over a dozen misty cyan sword energies swept out, striking the ground.

RUMBLE!

Several large pits appeared on the ground, but there was no sign of any demon beasts. The two ape puppet beasts strode towards the Golden Ghost Ganoderma, moving quite fast. As soon as they approached it, countless fist-thick yellow ropes suddenly shot out from the ground, coiling around their bodies. With a muffled sound, the two ape puppet beasts were crushed by the thick yellow ropes, turning into a pile of scrap metal. At the same time, countless black ropes suddenly shot out from the ground, striking towards Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger.

Wang Qingshan reacted quickly. With a shrug of his shoulders, a piercing sword cry emanated from his sword scabbard. Nine Azure Glaze Swords shot out, spinning rapidly around Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger. As soon as the black ropes approached within ten zhang, they were immediately shattered by the Azure Glaze Swords, turning into a cloud of dust. The ground began to shake violently, and cracks appeared, as if something was about to emerge from underground.

"Playing tricks!"

In less than three breaths, thousands of identical Azure Glaze Swords suddenly appeared around Wang Qingshan.

"Go!"

Following Wang Qingshan's low shout, the dense Azure Glaze Swords struck out in all directions. A tremendous roar resounded. Black bamboo stalks fell, broken in half, and where the Azure Glaze Swords struck the ground, a large pit immediately formed, sending dust flying everywhere.

Just then, Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger felt their bodies tighten, as if by a magnet, fixing them in place. Wang Qingshan felt as if a million-jin heavy towering peak had landed on his shoulders. His legs trembled, and he seemed about to kneel.

Bai Linger opened her mouth, and a white light flew out, striking the ground. A muffled sound, and sparks flew. Two large yellow hands burst from the ground, grasping at Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger, as if to crush their bodies. An astonishing sword intent surged from Wang Qingshan. The nine Azure Glaze Swords suddenly burst forth with dazzling cyan light, releasing countless extremely sharp cyan sword energies that hacked down upon the two large yellow hands. The two large yellow hands were like paper, shattered by the dense cyan sword energies, and dust billowed.

The escaping light around Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger intensified greatly as they flew towards the sky. Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation, and the void vibrated and distorted. Countless cyan lights appeared out of thin air, and amidst piercing sword cries, transformed into streams of cyan sword energy. After a flash of cyan light, the cyan sword energies instantly solidified, circling unstably in the sky and condensing into a fearsome cyan sword flood dragon.

"Go!"

With a low shout from Wang Qingshan, the cyan sword flood dragon swooped towards the ground. With a colossal roar, the ground was torn apart by the cyan sword flood dragon. Large numbers of black spiritual bamboos were crushed by the sword flood dragon's massive body, breaking in half. A yellow light shot out from underground, accurately striking the sword flood dragon. The sword flood dragon petrified at a visible speed, turning into a greyish-white stone sculpture.

RUMBLE!

The ground shattered, and a yellow giant over ten zhang tall emerged from underground. The yellow giant had thick limbs and clear contours, but it only had a single vertical eye on its head, which was earthy yellow. As soon as the yellow giant appeared, it stomped its right foot heavily on the ground. The ground shook violently, and countless shattered stones flew up, hurtling directly towards Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger. It raised its right hand, and dazzling yellow light shone from its palm. With a flash of yellow light, a yellow stone appeared in its hand. The stone glowed with constant yellow light and grew visibly larger. In less than five breaths, it transformed into a yellow hill several tens of zhang high. The yellow giant flicked its wrist, and the yellow hill flew out of its hand with a whistling sound, smashing towards Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger.

Bai Linger quickly summoned a shimmering white shield and cast an incantation into it. The white shield instantly grew larger, spinning unstably around them. Dense stones struck the white shield, producing muffled sounds. As the yellow hill smashed down, nine Azure Glaze Swords transformed into nine cyan long rainbows and met it head-on. With a tremendous crash, the large yellow mountain was shattered by the nine cyan long rainbows, and dust filled the sky. The yellow giant's vertical eye lit up with a yellow light, and a beam shot out, instantly arriving before them and striking the white shield. The white shield petrified at a visible speed, rapidly falling towards the ground. With a muffled sound, the petrified shield shattered.

"A Stone Spirit! This is a wondrous stone that has gained sentience." Bai Linger exclaimed in surprise, her expression becoming solemn. All things have spirits, and anything can gain sentience. Among the five elements, it's common for flames to gain sentience, known as Spirit Fire. Besides that, there are also Tree Demons and Stone Spirits. Stone Spirits are particularly rare, sought after but hard to find.

"A Stone Spirit!" Wang Qingshan's face showed an expression of interest. He had read records of Stone Spirits in ancient texts; typically, only certain wondrous stones could gain sentience, as ordinary stones would easily weather away and simply couldn't exist for too long. Even for wondrous stones, it wasn't easy to gain sentience. The East Fence Realm had developed for so many years, yet Wang Qingshan had never seen any record in ancient texts of someone subduing a Stone Spirit. If one could subdue a Stone Spirit, it would indeed be a good helper in such a dangerous place.

The Stone Spirit stomped its right foot heavily on the ground again. Centered around the Stone Spirit, the ground within a ten-mile radius suddenly caved in, forming a massive sand pit. Black bamboo stalks sank into the sand pit, disappearing without a trace. A strong gust of wind blew past, raising countless yellow sand grains that transformed into foot-long yellow sand blades, striking towards Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger. Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation, and nine Azure Glaze Swords spun rapidly around them, forming an impenetrable cyan sword net that protected the two of them. The dense yellow sand blades struck the cyan sword net, shattering instantly and turning into a large expanse of yellow sand. Dust billowed, and strong winds raged.

"Why the big fuss!" Bai Linger said in a gentle tone, her eyes glowing with dazzling white light. "You are very sleepy now, close your eyes and go to sleep! Have a good sleep."

The Stone Spirit looked at Bai Linger, its vertical eye becoming dull, and it stood motionless. Bai Linger was skilled in illusion techniques; even the Stone Spirit couldn't resist her illusions. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation, and the nine Azure Glaze Swords quickly rotated, transforming into nine cyan lotus flowers that headed straight for the Stone Spirit. Soon, the nine cyan lotus flowers surrounded the Stone Spirit, which had not yet regained consciousness. Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation, and the nine cyan lotus flowers began to spin rapidly. Dense cyan sword energies shot out, striking the Stone Spirit one after another. With muffled clanging sounds, dust billowed. The Stone Spirit's body visibly shrank. After shrinking to about ten feet tall, dense flying swords struck its body, producing a piercing muffled sound, and sparks flew. The Stone Spirit also regained consciousness, but it was indeed too late.

Wang Qingshan changed his sword incantation. Tens of thousands of fine cyan threads flew out from the nine cyan lotus flowers, weaving into a massive sword net that covered the Stone Spirit, dragging it into mid-air and lifting it off the ground. Sword Qi transformed into threads!

Wang Qingshan opened his mouth, and the Azure Lotus Karmic Fire flew out, landing on the Stone Spirit's body. The Stone Spirit's massive body twisted continuously, trying to tear open the cyan sword net, but the net was incredibly tough, and it couldn't tear it at all. It tried to use its petrification ability to attack the sword net, but Bai Linger immediately cast an illusion to interfere with it. Half an hour later, the Stone Spirit was on its last breath, its entire body scorched black.

"If you are sensible," Wang Qingshan said coldly, "let me plant a restriction, to spare me from having to kill you."

The Stone Spirit seemed to vaguely understand, and its body curled up into a ball. After a dazzling yellow light illuminated it, the Stone Spirit transformed into a crystal-clear yellow crystal. Wang Qingshan planted five restrictions in one go, and the Stone Spirit did not resist. Wang Qingshan performed a sword incantation, and the cyan sword net dispersed. The yellow crystal fell to the ground, and with a flash of yellow light, it suddenly transformed into a yellow giant about ten feet tall. As soon as it appeared, it tried to escape, but Wang Qingshan quickly activated the restrictions. The yellow stone figure couldn't speak. It clutched its head with both hands and twisted continuously. After several repetitions, the Stone Spirit finally settled down.

"You should be familiar with this place," Wang Qingshan ordered the Stone Spirit. "Take us to find a way out." He and Bai Linger flew and landed on the Stone Spirit's shoulders. The Stone Spirit strode into the distance, no longer daring to disobey.

Two days later, the Stone Spirit appeared in a valley with pathways in all directions. Inside the valley was an ancient altar several hundred zhang in size, and behind it stood a peculiar statue, which looked like some kind of demon beast. A nine-colored light barrier enveloped the entire altar. Its surface was covered with countless profound runes, shimmering continuously.

"An ancient altar! Who built this altar? Is it used to communicate with the upper realm?" Bai Linger exclaimed in surprise. Even in the East Fence Realm, altars were rarely seen. Generally speaking, ancient altars were only set up to communicate with the upper realm, though communication with parallel planes couldn't be ruled out.