RIIDMDR chapter 144

Except for the central volcano, the surrounding area was extremely open. Logically, it should have been easy to find Yun Yi’s trapped soul. However, Nan Xu didn’t notice anything unusual and began to wonder if he had misunderstood Zhixing.

But he couldn’t just stop and go back to consult Zhixing. He could only search to the best of his ability. He circled the crater and finally stared at the churning lava inside.

Yun Yi…could he have jumped down?

Yun Yi’s spiritual space was unique, prompting Nan Xu to marvel at the incredible power of the spiritual spaces of these demons, who evolved from ancient divine beasts. He wondered if, with his bloodline, Yun Yi would find entering magma as easy as a normal person taking a warm bath.

As these thoughts raced through Nan Xu’s mind, his search for Yun Yi continued unabated. He made the pungent magma his last destination and began his descent. The volcano wasn’t particularly high, and its spiritual space wasn’t vast. However, the churning magma in the crater seemed poised to erupt at any moment, making every second spent within its confines extremely dangerous.

Nan Xu hurried down the mountain, gazing into the distance as he walked. After about ten minutes, when his feet touched the ground again, he suddenly realized that something was different.

Although the soil here was generally soft, it shouldn’t be this soft. Nan Xu looked down, then lifted his foot to investigate. Beneath the black ash, a small section of an arm, barely white enough to be considered clean, was visible.

Nan Xu: …

It really looked like a crime scene.

He bent down, grabbed the arm, and forcefully dragged the person buried under the ash out. Yun Yi’s eyes were tightly closed. His clothes were covered in stolen goods, and his handsome face had become a dark, repulsive sight.

“Yunyi, wake up.” Nan Xu patted him a few times, kicking up a cloud of dust that made him sneeze.

When Yunyi still didn’t respond, Nan Xu grabbed the flesh on the inside of his arm and twisted it hard a couple of times, as if he were a ruthless villain.

Yunyi frowned, his eyes still closed, and threatened, “Anyone who dares disturb my sleep will definitely be beaten up later!”

Nan Xu increased the pressure on his arm, saying, “Want to beat me up? Looking at you, I don’t know if you have the strength.”

Yun Yi finally woke up in pain. Just as his eyes were about to open, he swung his arm out. Nan Xu reacted quickly, jumping aside to narrowly avoid the attack.

Had this not been a spiritual space, Yun Yi’s attack would have probably summoned a massive hurricane. Nan Xu knew this and, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, suddenly realized something and turned to look at the mountaintop.

The churning lava in the crater showed signs of erupting. The next second, the sound of an approaching earthquake grew louder, and a column of smoke rose into the sky. Lava spewed forth and fire dragons shot out in all directions. Nan Xu’s pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively wanted to run away.

But, remembering that Yun Yi had kindly given him a ride not long ago, he couldn’t let him suffer the same fate a second time. He immediately grabbed one of Yun Yi’s legs and ran. His spiritual power within the formation far surpassed his power outside of it, and Nan Xu was incredibly fast. Yun Yi’s dragged body left a trail behind them. Even faster was the churning lava.

Nan Xu could feel the air behind him heating up rapidly, and the pungent smell of sulfur was constantly approaching. Just a second before the lava was about to engulf them, Nan Xu successfully concentrated his mental energy and pulled himself out of Yun Yi’s spiritual space.

Upon emerging, Nan Xu was momentarily dazed; the feeling of his heart racing was still fresh in his mind. He rarely encountered such a thrilling situation, and the feeling was truly novel. However, after thinking about the oppressive volcanic eruption, he decided it was best not to experience it again.

About two or three minutes later, he finally regained his composure. He still held Yun Yi’s arm, maintaining the same posture he had used to enter his spiritual space. He looked at Yun Yi. When he came out, he had diverted some of his spiritual energy to bind Yun Yi’s soul to his own; otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken so long to emerge. He wondered if he had succeeded.

Yun Yi’s eyes were open, as if he were in a daze. However, he no longer felt like a statue. Nan Xu wasn’t sure if he had regained his senses, so he waved his hand in front of Yun Yi’s eyes.

Yun Yi’s eyes followed the movement, and Nan Xu was relieved. He had probably regained his senses.

Yun Yi fully regained his senses a quarter of an hour later. At that time, Nan Xu was examining the painting on the stone wall. He could sense that the painting had a captivating power. Although he wasn’t bewitched, he was mentally and physically affected. For example, he was unable to concentrate on his surroundings.

Yun Yi, who had been standing to the side for a long time, shook his head, touched the back of his head, and looked at Nan Xu.

Nan Xu noticed him out of the corner of his eye and turned to meet his gaze. Yun Yi’s expression was still somewhat dazed. “I think I just dreamt that I was buried in volcanic ash.”

Nan Xu: …

“I also dreamed that someone was dragging my legs, trying to bury me somewhere else,” he continued.

Nan Xu couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Do you remember how you were buried?”

Yun Yi thought for a moment. “I dug the hole myself. No, why would I dig a hole to bury myself?”

Nan Xu pursed his lips and remained silent for a long while. Finally, he told Yun Yi everything that had just happened, from the moment he was captivated by the painting to the unexpected eruption of the volcano in his spiritual space.

Yun Yi found it unbelievable and protested immediately, saying, “This painting didn’t depict any cultivation techniques. How could my soul be captivated? My will is so strong; I don’t believe it.”

Seeing that he was about to try a second time, Nan Xu rubbed his forehead. He didn’t want to enter Yun Yi’s spiritual space again and stopped him immediately.

“We’re here to find the pond water. Why are you so fixated on the painting? If you don’t get the water soon, your grandfather will scold you again if you go back late!”

Nan Xu’s earnest persuasion finally convinced Yun Yi. This time, he was more cautious and tried not to look at the painting. He observed the situation inside the cave, searching for a path to the pond. However, after searching for a long time, he only found a few strange pieces of broken stone. Yun Yi wasn’t patient, and after working for a while without finding anything, he became lazy. He sat in a corner and tapped the broken stone pieces.

“Why don’t we go out? I don’t think there’s any mystery here. Besides, my elders have never mentioned this place, so they must have never been here before. That means there must be another way to the pond,” Yun Yi said.

Nan Xu shook his head. “I can sense it’s correct. Give me some more time to think about it.”

In a way, Tingchuan’s comment about Nan Xu’s stubbornness wasn’t influenced by subjective emotions.

Nan Xu wasn’t captivated by the painting, and appeared more unrestrained. He examined every detail of the mural and found several inconsistencies. An answer was almost forming in his mind, but he was just one step away from completing it.

Time ticked by, and Nan Xu lost track of time. Finally, he sensed a faint beam of light illuminating a spot on the stone wall. Though it was only a thin line, it caught his attention despite his keen observation.

This beam of light was different from the glowing pearls inside the room in both color and temperature. Looking up, Nan Xu saw the light filtering through a small crack in the stone that he hadn’t noticed before. The spot where the light fell was the incongruity he had noticed. In that instant, Nan Xu had a sudden realization. He looked toward Yun Yi and called out, “Quickly, bring the stone fragment!’

Yun Yi, bewildered, got up from the ground and approached somewhat nonchalantly. Nan Xu held the stone fragments in his hand and rubbed them for a few seconds. His gaze fell on another part of the stone wall. After making a few simple strokes, he used his spiritual power to hold one of the fragments in the air. He repeated the process, fixing the other fragments in different positions. Yun Yi watched silently. When Nan Xu placed the last fragment in the air, Yun Yi saw a thin ray of light refract across it before landing on another part of the stone wall. He seemed to understand.

As Nan Xu rearranged the stone fragments, Yun Yi asked, “Where’s the next spot?”

Nan Xu pointed to another location on the stone wall. Time was short, and Nan Xu couldn’t explain much. Fortunately, Yunyi was quick-witted. Without Nan Xu’s prompting, he helped place the fragments. In just two minutes, the ray of light traveled through the fragments to at least ten different locations.

When the last spot was illuminated, a sound came from the bottom of the stone chamber. The stone sculpture with the huge luminous bead in its center began to rotate. Nanxu felt that he would soon leave this place. He looked again at the spot where the ray of light had entered, but this time, the light had disappeared. Apparently, it only shone through the stone walls at specific times when the sun was in the perfect position.

Just as Nan Xu had guessed, after the stone carving spun several times, a huge rock shifted, revealing a doorway about half a person’s width wide. Nan Xu was about to move when Yun Yi rushed in ahead of him. “It’s pitch black in there. Let me go first!”

He remembered the elders of his clan saying that the cave was fraught with danger and traps and that he could fall into one at any moment. Even though Nan Xu hadn’t been possessed by the stone wall and he had, Yun Yi firmly believed that his abilities were superior to Nan Xu’s. After all, Nan Xu was just a little demon who couldn’t even transform into his true form.

Nan Xu followed closely behind Yun Yi, slipping sideways into the dark passageway. The path was a series of steps leading downwards. Nan Xu felt shielded by the stone walls again, but he could still make out some of the cave’s structure. With Yun Yi leading the way, they made relatively steady progress.

After walking for another half hour, the two finally reached the last stone step. A faint light shone in the distance—the shimmering reflection of dim stones on the water’s surface.

“We’re here,” said Yun Yi.

Nan Xu saw it, too, and felt a surge of joy. He hadn’t gone the wrong way after all.

“It seems to be in a different location than what our elders told me.” Yun Yi was somewhat puzzled but still stepped forward and dipped his hand into the pond. Feeling the cool, refreshing water, he cupped his hands to his lips.

After tasting the water, Yun Yi’s eyes lit up. “This water is much better than what they brought back. They must have found the wrong location!”

His smug expression, as if he were about to fill a large container to take back and brag about it, made Nan Xu chuckle.

Yun Yi had already untied the water pouch from his waist and begun filling it. Nan Xu stepped forward, squatted down, and scooped up some water with his palms. He was about to put it in his mouth when a wave of dizziness washed over him and he passed out.

When he opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight, and Tingchuan’s face was before him.

Author’s Note:

Nan Xu: I… haven’t… drunk… the… water… of… my… pond… yet…!

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