Painting of the Nine Immortals

Chapter 116: The Opening

Translator: Tatienne Editor: Rundi

The sun was scorching hot, and the sky was crystal clear.

In the very center of the Vast Mountains, the purple pillar of light that pierced through the cloud steadily stood there in an eerie manner.

Around the pillar were pools of fresh blood that entrenched all other organisms. The redness of the blood was flirtatious, was intimidating, and was infernal.

Shadows of groups of three to five converged around the pillar. They were eyeing each other up and down as they waited for the opening of the ancient ruin’s entrance.

Everyone here was prominent cultivators from all around Yunzhou. Without a doubt, each one of them was powerful, and even the weakest one had a Qi level of seven.

So many Heaven’s Favorites!

The tenth level of Taoism was not easy to achieve. In the entire Yunzhou, only those with natural talent and those who stood out from the rest could reach such high level. Most of the time, these cultivators were identified to be gifted at birth and were specifically trained so they can reach their potential. As a result, the undefeatable realm was a measurement used to determine who qualifies to be titled Heaven’s Favorite.

When Ling Xian’s group of three arrived, a burst of excitement weaved through the crowd.

"Quick, look! Isn’t that Shui Lian Yi? Heaven’s Favorite from the Shui Clan."

"Fairy Shui! My goddess really did come…"

"Not only her, look, the little devil from the Tang Clan is here as well."

"Wait a minute, who is the young man walking in front of them? How dare he walk before Fairy Shui and Daredevil Tang?"

"He doesn’t look familiar to me. Based on what I know, he does not belong to our generation’s Heaven’s Favorites!"

Numerous people exclaimed in shock. The way they looked at Ling Xian was full of curiosity and jealousy.

Shui Lian Yi was one of Yunzhou’s strongest Heaven’s Favorites, and she was undeniably beautiful. Many young men made the oath that they would not marry if the bride were not her. Tang Thirteen, on the other hand, was also a prominent character. She was born with astounding talent and had a tough background. Despite her young age, it was easy to see that in a few years, she will bloom into a stunning flower.

For Ling Xian to be with them and for him to be walking in front of them was a scene that nobody foresaw and could accept. Thus, this entrance of theirs garnered much attention.

When they saw Ling Xian’s face, most people there frowned and fell into a deep ponder. None of them could identify his visage even after they dug into their buried memories.

"I guess we aren’t early. There are so many people already. There are even a few level 10 cultivators." Ling Xian could feel the overpowering atmosphere. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"This is normal. Because this ancient ruin only allows cultivators who are below the foundational level to enter. Therefore, every clan sends several clan members to increase their chances of getting the good fortune. Yunzhou is a continent with many geniuses, of course, everyone who came is very capable," Shui Lian Yi responded under her breath as she checked out the other Heaven’s Favorites. She couldn’t help but frown at the sight. "It sure is competitive this time. The entrance has yet to open, and there are already four Heaven’s Favorites here. With this many people, the ‘good fortune’ must be inside."

"So what? I am here. Who cares how many Heaven’s Favorites are here. I will kill them all with my hammer!" Tang Thirteen sneered disapprovingly. She brandished around her hammer as her eyes burned with the desire to fight.

"Thirteen, being confident is good, but being cocky is not cool. You are still young, when you enter later, remember to run away if you cannot win the battle. Do not be reckless." Ling Xian smiled kindly and stretched out his arm to pinch her chubby cheek.

Tang Thirteen frowned and dodged his hand. She mumbled, "Who are you? Why do you keep calling me by my first name? Are we friends?"

"No, not yet, we aren’t. But you said you were going to take me in as your junior brother didn’t you?" Ling Xian grinned, never mind the fact that she just dodged his touch. Feelings and emotions are things that need time to nurture and mature.

Hearing this, Tang Thirteen became interested. Her big eyes sparkled. "You are willing to be my junior brother?"

"Of course. To become the junior brother of a future female immortal is my honor." Ling Xian said exactly what she wanted to hear and just seeing her smile cheered him up as well.

"Not bad, not bad." Tang Thirteen nodded in satisfaction. She tiptoed and patted his shoulder, "Young man, you have good eyes. Not only did you recognize my extraordinariness, but you also realized how good of a decision it is to become a junior of mine. Don’t worry, as long as you faithfully follow me around, I will not let you down. If anyone wrongs you, let me know, and I will avenge you!"

The corner of Ling Xian’s mouth curved up. "Alright, then I am now a follower of yours. You have to take me around eating the best food and having the most fun."

"Haha, no problem. I finally have a junior brother now." Tang Thirteen was conceited and let it slip that she only has one junior brother. Realizing this, she covered her mouth with her tiny hand. Her cuteness made Ling Xian chuckle.

Beside them, Shui Lian Yi laughed as well. The way she gazed at Ling Xian was complicated. Tang Thirteen was naïve at heart and did not question why he was treating her so well. However, Shui Lian Yi could clearly see that whenever Ling Xian glanced at Tang Thirteen, his eyes were gentle, loving, and somewhat apologetic.

Shui Lian Yi could not figure this out. Based on Tang Thirteen’s behavior, it was clear that she has never encountered Ling Xian in her life. Why is this youth treating her so well?

[Whatever. Why waste brain cells on something I cannot understand. I can, however, use their relationship to my advantage.] Shui Lian Yi’s eyes gleamed as she thought of a plan.

All of a sudden, the purple pillar finished absorbing the spirits of the slaughtered beasts and began to emanate a blinding ray of light. Everyone there sub-consciously covered their eyes with their spiritual energy, even Ling Xian, the powerful Heaven’s Favorites, could not fight off his reflexes.

Crack crack!

After two crisp sounds, the pillar of light started to crack open. Numerous rays of light extended from the cracks and formed into many giant paths. Around the paths of light, gold lotuses grew and bloomed. A faint and pleasant fragrance filled the air.

The light paths were around ten feet wide and thousands of feet in length. There were four paths in total, constructed neatly from left to right. Compared to the other three paths, the last path on the right was abnormally luminous. Dazzling and blinding.

"It opened! The entrance to the ruin opened!"

"There are four paths in total. Does this mean it has been opened four times before?"

"Thanks for stating the obvious. The first three paths are dark, and the last one is glowing. This means this is the fourth time the ruin has been opened!"

"It seems like the ruin wants us to pick a path. What’s there to think about? Of course, I am picking the fourth path!"

Heated gazes focused on the fourth path. It was obvious that most people thought highly of this path.

Watching the huge amount of people who eagerly stepped onto the fourth path, Shui Lian Yi hesitated. In a low voice, she turned to Ling Xian and asked, "Which path do you want to choose?"

Ling Xian didn’t answer right way. Instead, he looked at Tang Thirteen, "I will listen to Thirteen. I am her junior brother now after all."

"Yes, that’s right. Junior brother really should follow the elder sister."

Hearing Ling Xian admits that he was her junior brother, Tang Thirteen was ecstatic. Her watery eyes were full of happiness. She waved her hand around and said, "Let’s go. We will choose the third path. My choice is always right."

Hearing this, Ling Xian nodded and followed Tang Thirteen.

Shui Lian Yi shook her head helplessly and walked behind the two.

The three of them speedily stepped onto the third path and marched forward. After a long while, there was still no end in sight. Just as they were getting impatient, the world suddenly spun and in a flash, they were separated and were transported to different parts of a different dimension.

"Space transfer array… It seems like I am alone again," Ling Xian mumbled to himself. He then slowly opened his eyes and a brand-new world formed before his eyes.

Underneath the fog, tall mountains stood. There were strange flowers and towering trees. Everything was the same as how things would look in the Immortal world. Serene, tranquil, and stunning.

When Ling Xian inhaled, he felt his body rejuvenated with spiritual energy. The energy was exponentially higher than the outside world. It was so thick it tasted almost like water.

"This ancient ruin sure is a good place," Ling Xian bobbled his head. He identified his whereabouts and started to walk in the south west direction.

After a few minutes of walking, he saw a clear, blue lake. The lake was so clear it was transparent, and so pure it was brimming with spiritual energy. Surrounding the lake were third-realm spiritual herbs that gave up medicinal fragrances.

"Third-realm spiritual medicines that are in the seventh rank," Ling Xian was a little surprised. He didn’t expect to find something so valuable so fast. Seventh ranked spiritual medicine was expensive. As an alchemist, he needed a lot of these.

"I guess I am lucky," Ling Xian faintly smiled and marched on slowly. He carried the spiritual medicine in one hand. Then, abruptly, his hand formed a fist, and he smashed forward!

Dong!

Level 10 Qi swarmed out of his body. The cultivator who was holding onto a long sword and was planning to ambush Ling Xian collapsed to the ground without a whimper. Ling Xian’s punch physically broke the man’s heart.

Ling Xian’s eyes glistened as he flapped around his long sleeve. With a terrifying stance, he lunged at another shadow that was trying to run away.

Bam!

The strange shadow spat out a mouthful of blood upon impact. His eyes were full of disbelief because he did not think that with his level seven training, he couldn’t even handle one punch from the opponent!

Could this person… be a tenth level Heaven’s Favorite?

The shadow recollected his thought and immediately tried to run away again. He regretted trying to ambush someone so powerful. He dashed forward like his life was depending on it.

"Since you were here to attack me, then don’t run away."

Ling Xian ordered coldly before flickering his finger, summoning the silver Flame of Purity and engulfing the stranger.

"AHH!"

After a loud scream, the stranger used his spiritual energy to protect himself. Despite his best efforts, he could not defend himself against the high temperature and screamed in agony until he was rolling around on the ground. After a few short seconds, he was completely charred and burned to a black paste.

On the other side of the lake, a few other cultivators witnessed this event and fell into a deadly silence. Two level seven cultivators died just like that?

This person sure is merciless!

Horrified, the same phrase entered all of their minds

A cultivator in the undefeatable realm of the meditational level!

Truly a Heaven’s Favorite!

Ling Xian turned his body in slow motion until he was facing the group of youths. Calmly he spoke out the words that sent chills to their bones.

"Now, do any of you still dare to ambush me?"