Reborn with infinite panels

Chapter 275 Cultivation World 64
At this moment, the largest Seven-Hearted Dew Flower in the center is the most wondrous: the fist-sized bud has fully swelled and is translucent ice blue, with its petals tightly closed. The seven drops of crystal dew hanging from the calyx are like solidified crystals, emitting a refreshing coolness that is absorbing the surrounding moisture and cold air.

Clearly, only one final step remains before this treasure fully blossoms—absorbing the essence of heaven and earth at the moment of sunset to condense its seven cores.

However, just as Si Lingle had predicted, how could such a precious thing of heaven and earth not have a guardian?
Beneath the surface of the water surrounding the boulder, dozens of jet-black vines, as thin as little fingers, lurked and twisted silently in the water like water snakes.

These vines were covered with a layer of slippery mucus, and their tips gleamed with a cold, eerie green light—the miniature form of the marrow-corroding poisonous thorns that had attacked Su Wan earlier.

They are not the parent thorny vines, but rather a swarm of "marrow-corroding poisonous thorn vine" larvae attracted by the immense and pure immortal power and alluring fragrance of the Seven-Heart Dew Flower, and are equally dangerous.

Besides, in the putrid water at the edge of the bay, several ferocious corpses lurked, exuding deathly aura—powerful demonic beasts or cultivators who were attracted by the fragrance of flowers and killed by the poisonous vines.

Time was running out; sunset was imminent.

Si Lingle did not hesitate at all. She knew that once the flower bloomed, the instantaneous burst of celestial energy would inevitably alarm the terrifying beings further away.

Si Lingle did not rush directly towards the boulder, but instead lightly touched the ground with her toes and landed gracefully on a section of a huge ancient tree half-buried in the stagnant water at the edge of the bay.

Si Lingle closed her eyes slightly, her immortal power flowing calmly, concealing her aura to the extreme, almost merging with the decaying environment around her. Then, she began to form hand seals, her movements slow yet carrying a certain natural rhythm.

The "All Things Return to One" technique quietly began to operate. Si Lingle's powerful divine sense, like fine threads, precisely probed into the turbid water, enveloping the wary thorny vine larvae.

Si Lingle did not choose to attack, but instead tried to lure her.

A portion of the divine sense simulated the purest life force and the most alluring coolness released when the Seven-Petaled Dew Flower was about to bloom, guiding some of the larvae that were a little further away from the central boulder to slowly move towards the outer edge of the bay, as if attracted by an invisible delicacy.

Another part of their divine sense discreetly probed into the lurking, powerful corpses, carefully stirring the last trace of their malevolent aura.

hum!
The corpses were triggered by the strange aura, and the remaining fierce will within them suddenly erupted into a shockwave of murderous energy! Although the shockwave was not very powerful, it was like cold water being poured into boiling oil, instantly causing an explosion underwater!

The larvae, which had been somewhat confused by Si Lingle's guidance and the allure of the flowers, were startled by the sudden surge of murderous intent from this "powerful prey" and most of their attention was instantly drawn to it.

They reacted instinctively to this more threatening "fluctuation," and a subtle but intense commotion arose in the water as the poison vine larvae swarmed toward the remains, attempting to examine or attack the "residual threat" left by the intruder.

It's now!

The moment most of the larvae were successfully lured away, the sun set, and the last ray of dim light briefly pierced through the thick poisonous miasma, falling upon the center of Chenhua Stream.

On the black stone, the core seven-core dew bud instantly shone brightly!
The ice-blue petals unfold layer by layer like a beautiful woman stretching her waist, revealing seven delicate and translucent yellow stamens in the center, like icicles frozen in time!

The tip of the flower stamen flashed with light, instantly drawing in the seven drops of dew hanging from the calyx. As the light flowed, it condensed into an ice crystal core the size of a pigeon egg, shrouded in icy mist, with seven colors of light appearing and disappearing inside—the true "Dew-Condensed Flower Heart"!
At the same time, an astonishingly pure immortal energy and an incomparably cool fragrance that could directly cleanse the soul suddenly erupted!
The underwater larvae instantly erupted into a frenzy, ignoring the threat posed by the corpses, and surged wildly toward the boulder!

But Si Lingle was even faster! The moment the petals fully opened and the dew formed in the flower's heart, she moved with the force she had been waiting for!

The ancient tree beneath his feet suddenly shattered, and with the enormous recoil, Si Lingle shot through the poisonous miasma like a gray lightning bolt, heading straight for the central black stone.

While in mid-air, she held her right hand with her fingers together like a knife, and a highly refined wood-elemental magical power (which incorporated the sharp cutting properties of magic) swept precisely around the base of the flower's core!

brush!
The flower heart, radiating astonishing magical power, along with a finger-length stem below it, was perfectly cut off and placed steadily in a special jade box that she had prepared beforehand.

The jade box closed instantly, isolating the alluring aura and celestial energy.

The entire harvesting process was lightning fast and incredibly precise.

As the frenzied larvae swarmed to the black stone, Si Lingle had already used the smooth surface of the stone to propel herself backward, landing steadily back where she had been on the ancient tree remnant.

Si Lingle didn't stop, ignoring the frenzied larvae that had lost their target, nor did she care to pick the other slightly less valuable Dewdrop Flowers. Without hesitation, she turned around and flew towards the outer edge of the swamp at an even faster speed.

Si Lingle knew that the unusual movement of the Dewdrop Flower's heart and the burst of energy would soon attract the true ruler of this swamp.

Behind them, from the direction of Chenhua Stream, came the angry hissing of poisonous vine larvae and the splashing of water. Further away, a deep, ferocious growl, seemingly startled, faintly drifted over.

Si Lingle moved even faster, merging into the thick poisonous miasma as if she had never existed.

The "Bone-Eating Grass" recorded in the mission jade slip has already been harvested ten times, and now an unexpected "Seven-Core Dew Flower Heart" has been obtained, which is considered to be of the highest quality. The harvest of this trip has far exceeded expectations.

Once the objective is achieved, extrication is the priority.

Si Lingle's figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the lead-gray, eroded swamp, leaving behind only the enraged poisonous vines and the disturbed, silent pool.

After more than a month, Si Lingle had accumulated a large number of contribution points, now exceeding ten thousand. (She completed a sect mission with extremely high difficulty, earning over six thousand contribution points.)
With contribution points in hand, Si Lingle's goal was exceptionally clear—the Library Peak!

The Cloud Mist Sect's Library Peak is not a "mountain" in the true sense of the word; rather, it is more like a massive magical artifact refined by spatial folding, and is incomparably magnificent.

The entire building is constructed from a peculiar "hidden immortal jade," resembling both a tower and a mountain, with nine layers in total. The space on each layer is far more expansive and profound than it appears from the outside.

Inside the peak, the light is soft, and the air is filled with the unique scent of ink from books and the ethereal atmosphere that comes with the passage of time.

With the newly acquired generous contribution points, Si Lingle was able to enter the third level of the Library Peak, which was previously inaccessible.

What's displayed here is no longer basic cultivation techniques, but rather more profound alchemical formulas, artifact manuals, essentials of talisman drawing, and obscure and ancient magic array diagrams.

Compared to the bustling crowds on the first two floors, the third floor is exceptionally quiet.

The enormous wooden bookshelf stood like a silent giant, densely packed with jade slips, silk scrolls, and even bone fragments inscribed with runes.

Light filters through special crystals embedded in the dome, creating tranquil pillars of light.

Si Lingle walked among the rows of tall bookshelves, her divine sense like nimble tentacles, quickly and accurately scanning the items on the shelves.

Most jade slips and silk manuscripts have clear labels and introductory plaques to facilitate disciples' reference.

However, there are also some items that are obviously old, made of special materials, and whose labels are blurred or even gone, scattered deep inside the bookshelves.

The "catalog" that had caught her attention lay quietly in a corner at the bottom of a bookshelf, slightly obscured by several thick volumes of "A Brief Account of the Insects and Creatures of the Underworld." It was neither a jade slip nor a silk scroll, but a thin, dark-colored piece about half a foot square, neither gold nor jade, cool and smooth to the touch.

The surface of the thin sheet was dull and covered with a barely perceptible layer of dust, and there was a noticeable irregular crack at the edge, which resulted in a small portion being lost.

The damage itself was inconspicuous, but what made Si Lingle stop was the extremely faint yet exceptionally pure spatial fluctuation aura remaining on the thin slice, as well as the chilling, engulfing ink-colored texture on the surface of the slice.

These textures are particularly noticeable at the cracks, presenting an eerie, profound sense that seems to distort light.

Si Lingle carefully brushed away the dust and gently picked it up.

The thin slice was slightly heavier than expected. Under the warmth of my palm, the dark patterns seemed to flow subtly, slowly absorbing the extremely weak immortal energy around them.

The feeling was extremely mysterious, as if this fragmented piece itself was an extremely tiny and dying core.

The thin slice has no name or description; only on one relatively intact corner are a few ancient seal characters engraved:

"The Three Enclosures, the Void, and the Fragments"

Si Lingle recognized these three seal characters, but the meaning implied by their combination remained obscure.

The "Three Enclosures" refer to the Ziwei Enclosure, Taiwei Enclosure, and Tianshi Enclosure in astrology, representing the core of the celestial sphere. But with the addition of "Void" and "Fragment," does it point to some kind of formation?
Si Lingle's heartbeat quickened slightly involuntarily.

The residual spatial fluctuations and the ink patterns that devoured light pointed to a profound array far beyond her current understanding, possibly involving the origin of space or even the cosmic star system.

The value of this fragment alone, given its material and the Dao traces it contains, is probably immeasurable, not to mention the complete formation it represents.
Why is it broken?
Why did it end up here, buried in dust?
It lay quietly in Si Lingle's hand, like a frozen fragment of the night sky, exuding a mysterious and deadly attraction.

The mysterious fluctuations and the deep, soul-absorbing black array patterns silently told her about antiquity and mystery.

Without any hesitation, Si Lingle immediately took the incomplete scroll and went to the office in charge of making the replica.

"This disciple wishes to reproduce this illustrated scroll." Si Lingyue handed over the dark-colored thin sheet.

The deacon in charge of recording was a stern-faced immortal. He glanced at the tattered piece of paper, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, and even a subtle, almost imperceptible, disdain.

He casually picked up the record book next to him and scanned it at Si Lingle's identity jade token. His expression softened slightly when he saw the number in the "contribution points" column.

"Hmm, enough contribution points." The butler nodded routinely, no longer glancing at the fragment as if it were just an ordinary rock. "Third-level fragments can be exchanged for basic imprints with general basic contribution points."

He quickly carved several runes on a blank jade slip with a carving knife, then picked up the dark-colored thin piece and placed it together with the blank jade slip in the center of a stone platform covered with complex array patterns.

hum!
The stone platform glowed with a soft white light, and a beam of light enveloped the thin sheet and the jade slip.

The steward channeled a wisp of immortal power into another small array nearby as a activation trigger. He clearly had no interest in this tattered and incomplete replica; his operation was extremely fast, with a formulaic perfunctory air.

However, just as the array was activated, and the white light attempted to touch and imprint the mysterious patterns on the thin surface—

A sudden change occurred!

The dormant ink-colored patterns on the thin sheet suddenly seemed to come alive!

From the depths of the originally dim array patterns, a tiny, pure purple starlight, no bigger than a pinhead, suddenly burst forth!

An indescribable, immense will, neither divine power nor divine consciousness, seemed to be awakened from its slumber, bursting forth with a chilling sense of being offended and an ancient majesty!

boom!
An invisible, violent repulsive force, seemingly capable of crushing space, exploded outwards from that point of purple light!
The wisp of guiding immortal power that the deacon input was instantly shattered like thin ice!
The white light enveloping the thin sheet twisted violently and flickered erratically, causing the entire stone platform, along with the replica array on it, to creak under the strain! A powerful backlash surged towards the deacon!

"puff--!"

The steward felt as if a cold, heavy hammer had struck his dantian. He groaned, his face turning deathly pale, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He staggered backward and crashed into the bookshelf behind him, causing a loud clatter.

His eyes were filled with disbelief, horror, and fear as he stared intently at the seemingly insignificant, broken piece of paper on the stone platform, as if he had seen a ghost.

In the center of the stone platform, the white light dissipated.

The blank jade slip used for replication was riddled with spiderweb-like cracks and was clearly unusable.

The dark, tattered fragments lay there quietly, as if the earth-shattering explosion had been nothing but an illusion.

However, the flowing ink on its surface seemed to be a bit deeper, and the purple light had disappeared.

The entire third floor of the library fell into a deathly silence. The few disciples who were selecting books nearby looked over in astonishment, completely bewildered by what had happened.

Si Lingle's pupils contracted slightly, her heart churning with turmoil, but her reaction was far calmer than that of the horrified deacon. She clearly perceived the will that had erupted so briefly—cold, supreme, containing the mysteries of the boundless starry sky! This was no ordinary being!
Si Lingyue took a deep breath and quickly stepped forward to help the disheveled and still shaken deacon up: "Senior Deacon, are you alright?" Her tone was cool but carried a perfectly appropriate hint of concern.

The steward, panting, looked into Si Lingle's calm and unwavering eyes, then at the broken piece on the stone platform, and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He pushed away Si Lingle's hand, struggled to stand up straight, his face no longer showing any of the previous contempt or impatience, only fear and lingering pain. He said in a hoarse voice, "This...this evil thing! You..."

“It seems this item has some connection with me,” Si Lingle interrupted him, her voice clear and calm, but her gaze remained fixed on the tattered fragment. “It can’t be replicated today?”

The deacon shook his head vigorously, still shaken: "Replica? It...it backfired and destroyed the jade slip! This thing is too dangerous! No! This fragment already has an owner! Or rather...its 'power' is too strong, rejecting everything! It can't be replicated at all! You must put it back!" He just wanted to get away from this hot potato as soon as possible.

"I see." Si Lingle responded softly, as if she had only confirmed a trivial matter.

Si Lingle ignored the pale-faced deacon and, under the gazes of the surrounding people—some surprised, some curious, and some gloating—extended her slender, jade-like hand and, with utmost naturalness and even a strange reverence, picked up once again the dark fragment of the map, which felt cold to the touch and contained profound mysteries.

Si Lingle's fingertips brushed across the cracked opening, feeling a trace of cold tremor remaining in the deeper ink-colored texture beneath, as well as a desire that was awakened but quickly subsided, almost like... "hunger".

"The Three Enclosures, the Void, the Fragment..." she murmured to herself, and for the first time, a blazing flame ignited in the depths of her clear eyes, as if piercing through the ancient mists and seeking the truth of the universe.

Without hesitation, she turned and headed towards the contribution point exchange area, clutching the tattered array diagram—worth far more than the contribution points required for its exchange, yet enough to make even ordinary deacons tremble with fear. As for the discarded jade slip, she didn't even glance at it again.