Reborn with infinite panels

Chapter 274 Cultivation World 63
The Burial Thunder Forest is located 300 miles southeast of the Thunder Extreme Immortal Sect. It is a desolate area that is constantly eroded by lightning.

Legend has it that this place was once the battlefield where ancient immortals underwent tribulations, and countless cultivators perished here, leaving behind scorched earth and a gloomy atmosphere.

The old forest is shrouded in gray thunderclouds all year round, and the air is filled with the pungent smell of burnt vegetation and metal. Occasionally, blue arcs of electricity flash, emitting crackling warning sounds.

Si Lingle arrived early on her sword, dressed in a gray Taoist robe of the sect, with a jade token symbolizing an inner disciple hanging at her waist, and a mission jade slip tightly in her hand.

Her goal is to collect three "Thunder Tempering Fruits" and capture at least one "Calamity Ash Wraith"—the former being a sought-after material in the Alchemy Peak, and the latter being exchangeable for contribution points in the Weapon Forging Peak.

After landing, Si Lingle carefully walked on the scorched soil, her boots making a rustling sound.

The surrounding trees had long since turned to charcoal, their twisted branches reaching towards the sky like ghostly claws. Obsidian-like pebbles were scattered on the ground, and every step required avoiding hidden lightning traps.

The mission jade slip mentions that the Thunder Tempering Fruit only grows in the core area of ​​the lightning tribulation, that is, in the scorched earth pits blasted out by high-intensity lightning strikes.

These places often retain the power of violent lightning, making them difficult for ordinary people to approach.

Si Lingle activated the "All Things Return to One" technique, her immortal power flowing like a stream within her body, absorbing the surrounding lightning rays into her meridians and transforming them into her own energy. She took a deep breath and released her divine sense to probe her surroundings, quickly locking onto several areas with intense lightning fluctuations.

The first scorched earth pit was located at the foot of a cliff, with a diameter of more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). The bottom of the pit was covered with a layer of glistening purple moss.

Si Lingle slowly approached, and when she sensed the lightning resistance, she quickly formed a hand seal and drew a wood-type barrier with two fingers—although she now mainly cultivates immortal arts, the wood-type instincts she honed in the magic world in her early years have become her auxiliary means.

The barrier squeaked as it absorbed the electric arc, and Si Lingle seized the opportunity to jump into the pit.

Cracks crawled across the pit walls, and faint wisps of vengeful spirits flickered in and out of the crevices, like ghosts, yet they had not yet materialized. Ignoring these disturbances, she focused her gaze on several plants at the center: they were about a foot tall, with sword-like leaves, and at their tips hung fist-sized, bluish-purple fruits—these were the Lightning-Quenching Fruits. Fine crackles of electricity danced on the surface of the fruits, the power of three hundred years of lightning tribulation condensed within them.

Si Lingle took out a specially made jade bottle and softly recited the incantation to collect the essence. Just as she picked the first Thunder-Quenching Fruit, the scorched earth beneath her feet suddenly trembled!

Dozens of lightning snakes emerged from the bottom of the pit and coiled around her—this was a remnant mechanism of the guardian beast "Lightning Spider".

Yun Chu reacted extremely quickly, lightly touching the ground with her toes and leaping into the air. At the same time, her wood-elemental immortal power transformed into green vines that wrapped around the thunder snake.

The lightning snake was absorbed by the vines and vanished instantly. She successfully collected the three fruits and put them into her storage bag.

The whole process took less than half an incense stick's time, but her temples were already soaked with sweat. She thought to herself, "The lightning in this scorched earth is fierce. If I hadn't cultivated my skills to transform it, I probably wouldn't even be able to get close."

The second half of the mission is even more challenging: capturing the "Wraiths of Calamity". These wraiths are the remnants of souls of those who failed their tribulation. They float deep within the ancient forest, their forms ethereal like smoke, yet they possess intense resentment and lightning attributes, and are adept at attacking the mind.

Following the guidance of her divine sense, Si Lingle ventured deeper into the ancient forest. Here, the fog was even thicker, visibility reduced to only ten steps. Howling winds echoed in the air, mingled with the whispers of the dead: "Why didn't you save us...we'll perish together..."

The whispers of vengeful spirits could erode her Dao heart, so Si Lingle silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to resist the tremors of her mind. She had faced her inner demons directly during the Thunder Extreme Immortal Sect's assessment, so these kinds of illusions had little effect on her.

Beside an abandoned altar, Si Lingle finally encountered her target: a vengeful spirit formed from ashes.

It resembled a gray shadowy humanoid, its body wreathed in blue-black arcs of electricity, its hollow eye sockets flashing red light, and it was devouring the surrounding fragments of lightning.

Upon seeing her, the vengeful spirit let out a shrill cry and pounced, carrying a chilling shockwave of resentment.

Instead of retreating, Si Lingle advanced, circulating her cultivation technique to accelerate the flow of immortal energy. She formed hand seals and summoned nine wooden spikes—a skill originating from the magical world, which she had now modified into the immortal technique "Ten Thousand Forest Array." The wooden spikes shot through the air, weaving into a net that trapped the vengeful spirit.

The vengeful spirit struggled and roared, unleashing lightning strikes, but the wooden net absorbed the power of the lightning, becoming even stronger.

Seeing that it was no match for the enemy, the vengeful spirit suddenly split into three separate entities in an attempt to escape.

Si Lingle was prepared. She took out a white jade gourd from her storage bag, which was her prepared "soul-suppressing magic artifact".

Si Lingle shouted, "Seal!" The gourd shone brightly, and a suction force pulled the clone back to the main body.

The vengeful spirit was sucked into the gourd, and the runes at the mouth of the bottle flickered, indicating that the seal was complete. Si Lingle breathed a sigh of relief: "It was more troublesome than I expected. If it weren't for its lack of intelligence, it would have taken much more effort."

However, the process was not smooth sailing—during the capture, another lurking vengeful spirit attacked from behind. Si Lingle dodged to the side, but was still grazed on the right arm by an arc of electricity, leaving a scorch mark.

Yun Chu circulated his cultivation technique for a moment to regulate his breathing, and his immortal power nourished his wounds, causing the scorch marks to gradually fade.

After achieving her mission objective, Si Lingle quickly withdrew from the Zang Lei Ancient Forest. Along the way, she sensed more disturbances from the vengeful spirits, and a heavier thunderous roar came from the depths of the ancient forest—it seemed that a high-level vengeful spirit had been disturbed.

Without pausing, Yun Chu unleashed his flying sword, soaring straight into the sky.

As we left the border of the ancient forest, dusk had fallen, and the raindrops falling from the thunderclouds carried tiny electric currents, crackling as they hit our Taoist robes.

Si Lingle calculated her gains: the three Thunder-Quenching Fruits were full of immortal energy, and the Vengeful Spirit Gourd had been sealed. She could exchange them for at least twenty contribution points. With the other tasks she had taken on, she was one step closer to her goal of entering the Library Peak.

When she returned to the Thunder Extreme Immortal Sect to hand in the mission, the elder of the Refining Peak took the Vengeful Spirit Gourd and looked at her with slight surprise: "Among the new disciples, you are the only one who dares to venture deep into the Burial Thunder Ancient Forest? This item is of great benefit to weapon refining."

Si Lingyue bowed calmly, without mentioning her personal experiences, only saying, "I'm just doing my best for the sect." She turned and left, already planning her next mission—the immortal arts manuals on the Library Peak were waiting for her to unlock.

Without a moment's rest, Si Lingle followed the guidance of the mission jade slip the next day and stepped into the "Yin Erosion Swamp" seven hundred miles southwest of the sect. This place was filled with miasma and teeming with poisonous insects and monsters. The mission required her to collect ten "Bone-Eroding Grasses," which were the main ingredients for the Poison Scripture lineage to refine the Barrier-Breaking Pill.

Lead-gray poisonous miasma swirls year-round above the swamp, withered giant trees pierce the water's surface like ferocious bone claws, and putrid bubbles constantly rise from the dark green mud, releasing a sweet, fishy stench when they burst open.

Si Lingle stood on a half-submerged piece of rotten wood, and the "All Things Return to One" technique flowed silently within her body, decomposing and refining the poisonous miasma she had inhaled.

With a slight flick of her wrist, Si Lingle unleashed a condensed stream of wood immortal power that transformed into a slender vine whip, precisely wrapping around a bone-corroding grass in the mud whose leaf edges gleamed with a ghastly green light.

On the left, a seemingly dead "tree burl" suddenly split open, spewing out a sky full of purple-black poison needles!

The needle tip carried a chilling aura that corroded immortal power, accompanied by a sharp mental shriek that pierced straight into the sea of ​​consciousness—it was actually a "thorny demonic vine" mother disguised as rotten wood!
Si Lingle retreated swiftly, her vine whip dancing in front of her, forming a green light screen. The poisonous needles struck the light screen with a hissing sound, releasing pungent white smoke, and the light screen quickly dimmed.

The mud at the base of the mother plant churned, and seven or eight black vines covered in barbs burst forth from the water, like giant pythons coiling and blocking all escape routes. Even more dangerous was the piercing mental shriek, which, like a malignant tumor, tried to shake her Dao heart.

Just as the rotten wood beneath Si Lingle's feet was violently shattered by a vine, and her body was about to fall into the poisonous pool—

"Junior sister, be careful! Hold your breath and close your mind!" A clear, melodious female voice rang out urgently.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling crimson-gold ring of fire descended from the sky!

boom!
The fire ring precisely encircled the mother tree burl, and the intensely yang flames suddenly erupted, incinerating the sprayed poison needles into blue smoke.

A scorching wave swept out, briefly dispersing even the thick, poisonous miasma and revealing the dim light of day.

A figure dressed in a fiery red flowing fairy dress rushed down on a burning golden feather fan, her hands flashing with spells, and three fist-sized, molten "Blazing Sun Pearls" slammed down on the strangling vines.

puff!puff!
The Fiery Sun Pearl exploded the moment it touched the vine, its contained fire poison clashing violently with the vine's own venom, producing a sizzling sound like a branding iron being quenched in water. The black vine convulsed and retracted violently.

The person who made the move was none other than an inner disciple of the Thunder Extreme Immortal Sect. Judging from the fluctuations in his aura, he was a late-stage Earth Immortal. His face was handsome but pale, as if he had a hidden injury.

She forcefully activated her fire magic, let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.

Taking advantage of the opening created by her opponent, Si Lingle's eyes flashed with a cold light. She used a retracted vine for leverage, quickly leaping into the air while her hands rapidly formed hand seals!
"Bind!"

No longer a defensive Wood Spirit Light Barrier, but a brilliant killing move that blends magical concepts with immortal manipulation—the Myriad Forest Prison!
Countless celestial vines, shrouded in emerald green and infused with golden runes, grew wildly from the swamp mud, not by entwining but by instantly piercing and tearing through!
The tips of the vines hardened like the edge of a black iron spear, precisely piercing the core nodes of the mother vine and the vital joints of each branch vine.

The mother let out a shrill, inhuman howl as her massive body was pinned to the swamp, struggling frantically but unable to break free.

Si Lingle landed, lightly tapping the last Bone-Corroding Grass with her jade-like fingers to collect it. Then she looked at the female immortal who had saved her, cupping her hands and saying, "Thank you for your help, Senior Sister! I am Nan Chu from Wanghai Peak (Si Lingle did not reveal her real name when she entered the sect)." (Actually, Si Lingle could have easily killed her even without this female cultivator's intervention.)
The red-clad fairy recalled her golden feather fan, regulated her breathing to suppress her surging blood and qi, and said with a wry smile, "Wanghai Peak? I've never heard of your name before, Junior Sister. You must have just joined the sect."

"My name is Su Wan, from the Ziyang Pavilion on the Alchemy Peak. No need for thanks. If it weren't for my junior sister luring this beast, I wouldn't have discovered its whereabouts. The 'Marrow-Corroding Poison Thorns' of this demonic vine are precisely the main healing ingredient I've been searching for..."

Su Wan's eyes were filled with lingering fear. "Just now, I forcibly activated the true fire, which aggravated the source that was injured by the evil spirit. I was not careful and almost let this demonic vine take advantage of my weakness. Instead, you saved me."

"Senior Sister Su forcibly intervened to save me, aggravating her injuries. How could Ling Le stand idly by?"

As Si Lingle approached, she keenly sensed a stubborn, chilling death aura lingering in Su Wan's meridians and lungs, incompatible with fire-attribute immortal power, constantly eroding her essence, and was by no means a short-term problem.

Si Lingyue hesitated for a moment, then took out a warm, smooth jade bottle from her storage bag.

"This is the 'Purifying Thunder Flower Dew' that comes with the Thunder-Quenching Fruit. It contains the purest and most refined thunder and fire vitality, which may have a slight help in cleansing away evil and stabilizing one's origin."

Si Lingle handed over the jade bottle. Competition within the Thunder Extreme Immortal Sect was fierce, but Si Lingle acted with her own methods. The person before her was in a hurry to rescue her and was seriously injured, so this item would be of great use to Su Wan.

Su Wan took the jade bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it. A scorching aura of thunder, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, entered her nostrils. The dormant flame immortal power within her body became slightly more active, suppressing the bone-chilling cold!

A glint of light flashed in Su Wan's eyes, revealing a look of delight: "Pure Thunder Flower Dew! This is extremely difficult to preserve; it can only be obtained by those who are proficient in thunder magic and the art of nurturing wood spirits! Junior Sister is actually willing to part with it..."

Su Wan put away the jade bottle and said solemnly, "I will remember this kindness. If you need to refine pills in the future, or if you have any clues about this Yin-Eroded Swamp or even the 'Silent Cold Death Zone', you can come to Ziyang Pavilion to find me!"

Su Wan quickly took out a fire-patterned token and handed it to Si Lingle. "I need to return as soon as possible to suppress my injuries and refine this flower dew. There are still seven 'Seven-Core Dew Flowers' that will bloom in 'Sinking Flower Stream' ahead around sunset. Consider this a small token of my gratitude to my junior sister for guiding me."

After saying this, he smiled gratefully at Si Lingle, then raised his feather fan and transformed into a streak of fire before fleeing.

Si Lingle put away the token and looked towards the direction of Chenhua Ravine, where the poisonous miasma was gradually thickening.

Beyond the mission, the "Seven-Core Dew Flower" is an excellent item for calming the mind, stabilizing the soul, and nourishing the spirit, which is exactly what is needed for the next plan to explore the sect's dangerous areas.

An unexpected act of kindness and reciprocation not only averted a crisis but also quietly fostered a bond of kinship within the sect.

Si Lingle straightened her gray robe, which was slightly stained with mud, her eyes calm as still water, and stepped once again into the depths of the swamp where danger and opportunity coexisted.

Si Lingle turned her gaze toward the "Chenhua Stream" that Su Wan had pointed to.

The lead-gray miasma, like a heavy curtain, shrouded the entire swamp, making the place appear even more profound and dark.

The sweet, fishy smell mixed with the stench of decaying vegetation in the air wafted straight into my nostrils.

Si Lingyue activated the "All Things Return to One" technique, and the all-encompassing power of the technique gradually refined the poisonous miasma that was eroding her lungs and internal organs, greatly reducing the pressure.

With her feet resting on the rotten wood that occasionally floated up and down or on the relatively hard meadow, Si Lingle's figure appeared exceptionally agile and swift in the swamp filled with mud and poisonous water, like a gray streak of light, silently sweeping towards Chenhua Ravine.

As the distance closed, Si Lingle's keen divine sense detected the abnormal fluctuations in the immortal energy ahead.

An extremely pure, yet intensely alluring, cool floral fragrance stubbornly emanated from the thick, poisonous miasma, striving to spread like a guiding light in the darkness.

"It seems that Senior Sister Su's words were true; the Seven-Core Dew Flower is about to mature." Si Lingle thought to herself, quickening her pace.

After passing a muddy pool covered with dark green duckweed and bubbling with bubbles, the terrain begins to rise slightly, forming a relatively dry wetland platform.

This is the core area of ​​Chenhuajian.

At the edge of the platform, several murky, slowly flowing streams converge to form a small bay.

Right in the middle of this bay, on a black boulder about ten feet in diameter with a smooth, mirror-like surface, grows a clump of strange plants.

That is the Seven-Core Dew-Gathering Flower!

Six similar-looking plants are distributed around the central plant.