I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 348 Meeting Again (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Deep inside a mine in Qianzhou.

A biting wind rushed in from the cave entrance, carrying tiny ice crystals that rustled through the dark mine tunnel.

Shen Puning huddled in a recess in the rock wall, her thin clothes already frozen stiff. The runic iron ring around her neck gleamed coldly, tightening around her meridians like a venomous snake, imprisoning her true energy.

More than a month of hard labor had left her knuckles raw and her palms cracked, and her once chubby face had become much thinner, but her eyes still shone with a stubborn light.

Fortunately, after Baozhu merged with the Tanuki spine to advance, she did not need to form a core and could still merge with her using the Shen family's secret technique.

It was thanks to the power of the pearl that she was able to keep going; otherwise, she wouldn't even have enough to eat here. If she lost control and went berserk, her barbarian bones would be exposed, and she would surely die.

"What kind of righteous sect is this? I've never seen a demonic cultivator this despicable."

As the footsteps approached, Shen Puning immediately tensed up, picked up a pickaxe and pretended to dig, keeping a watchful eye on those behind him.

Seeing that it was the Shang Dynasty, Shen Puning let out a long breath and sat down again against the cold rock wall.

"Senior Brother Shang."

Shang Shixu crouched down, cautiously scanning his surroundings. After confirming that no one was around, he took out a few cleaned root plants from his pocket and stuffed them into Shen Puning's hand.

"It doesn't smell like much, but it's not poisonous either. Let's use some to tide us over." Shang Shixu lowered his voice; he had a similar iron ring around his neck.

The roots were still warm. Shen Puning was stunned for a moment, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She lowered her head and took a bite. The rough fibers scraped her throat, bringing an earthy taste and a faint sweetness. Shen Puning kept her head down and didn't say anything, tears streaming down her face.

Shang Shixu asked in a panic, "Why are you crying? Is it too awful?"

“No…” Shen Puning shook her head, but her tears fell even more fiercely. She clutched the piece of root tightly. “I was just thinking about the food I couldn’t finish and threw away before…”

Memories are like knives, cutting into the heart with pain. Back then, she was a favored child, pampered and cherished by her family since childhood. Before today, the greatest suffering she had ever endured was running away from home from the Shen family to the Cangling Sect.

Even then, she wasn't so hungry as to eat sweet potatoes that tasted all earthy.

Seeing this, Shang Shixu chuckled and said, "I also want to. When we escape in the future, you must make me another pot of braised pork with osmanthus. I really crave that taste."

After their cultivation was restricted, they were no different from ordinary Qi Refining cultivators; they would feel cold, tired, and hungry.

From deep within the mine came the foreman's shouts and curses. Shang Shixu lowered his voice even further, "I have basically figured out the terrain here these days. Besides the two of us, there are also Chu Qianji and a few others in this mine. Half of the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cangling Sect are here, but they are separated into different mines."

The Wuxiang Gu within Shang Shixu's body is special; it is not restricted by the iron ring around his neck, and he can still control the small insects that can be found everywhere in the mine to act as his spies.

“Master Huiyuan and the others escaped successfully and will definitely come back to save us, so no matter what, we must persevere. If you have any difficulties, tell me and don’t try to bear them alone.”

Shen Puning nodded vigorously. So far, only her master, True Monarch Huiyuan, who escaped with the inheritance of Cangling Sect and Wushuang, a mid-stage Nascent Soul Sword Monarch from Xuanying Sword Sect who escaped with the inheritance of Xuanying Sword Sect, Liu Taozhi, and Luo Qingsi escaped.

The rest were all captured by the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Qian Tian Sect. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were thrown into the mines to work, and the whereabouts of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators are still unknown.

The situation was urgent at the time. It wasn't that True Lord Huiyuan didn't want to take Shen Puning with him, but rather that Shen Puning pushed Xin Wushuang and volunteered to stay. Otherwise, Xin Wushuang wouldn't have been able to escape either.

In the eyes of the cultivators of the Eastern Continent, the cultivators of the Northern Profound Realm were all easy prey, enemies who came to compete with them for cultivation resources, and outsiders. The cultivators of the Eastern Continent had no reason to accept them or show them any mercy.

"And there's Ayi!" Shen Puning's eyes brightened again when she thought of Jiang Yi. "Fortunately, she didn't travel with us. She must have successfully formed her core by now. Knowing what we've been through, she'll definitely try to rescue us."

Just as Shang Shixu was about to say something, he suddenly shuddered, and then a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "Junior Sister Shen, um, I want to take a nap, could you keep watch for me?"

Shen Puning, biting on the stem, widened her eyes and asked, "How did you also pick up A-Yi's bad habits?"

Shang Shixu smiled, "Senior Sister Jiang, she's arrived."

……

In a hazy dream, Shang Shixu returned to the dense forest in the mountains where he and Gu Lou had lived in seclusion as children. Halfway up the mountain were several stilted houses where Gu Lou's children lived.

But at this moment, the stilted house in his dream was empty, with only the cold mountain wind blowing, chilling Shang Shixu to the bone.

This coldness might also be due to sleeping in the frigid mine.

Shang Shixu searched everywhere and suddenly saw Jiang Yi on a stilted building in the distance. He was still the same as he remembered, dressed in a blue robe, with his black hair flowing down, sitting on the edge of the platform, looking lazy and unrestrained.

"Senior Sister Jiang." Shang Shixu walked over.

Jiang Yi raised her hand, in which was a crystal-clear weevil.

“I was just trying it out, but I didn’t expect to actually be able to enter your dream with the help of this Dream Gu Mother Gu. It seems that what the Insect Emperor left you is quite extraordinary.”

Shang Shixu and Jiang Yi are both very fortunate now, because the changes in Beixuan happened too suddenly, and Jiang Yi didn't have the chance to return the Dream Gu Mother Gu.

The Dream Gu Mother Gu has been bound to the Formless Gu. As long as it is nearby, the Formless Gu can activate the Dream Gu Mother Gu.

The Wuxiang Gu probably knew that Shang Shixu was in a bad situation and that it was a small insect that had not yet fully evolved, so even though it was the master and Shang Shixu was the servant, it was willing to listen to Shang Shixu's requests and help him make connections.

“The situation is urgent, and you must be having a hard time too. Tell me about your situation first,” Jiang Yi asked.

After considering his words for a moment, Shang Shixu said succinctly, “This mine is not large, but it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. They have placed our Cangling Sect’s important elite disciples in this mine, scattered in different mines. The guards seem to be lax, with only three Golden Core cultivators in charge. But I think this is a trap, designed to lure True Monarch Huiyuan to come and rescue us.”

Jiang Yi nodded, "It's the same as what I found out and analyzed, so you'll have to suffer for a while. I need to plan carefully and see if the help I found will arrive. At most, it will be a month. If the help doesn't come, I will take matters into my own hands."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Jiang, I will take good care of everyone. I will draw you a detailed topographical map of the mine and the distribution of guards."

Shang Shixu went into the stilted house to get paper and pen to draw. Jiang Yi also told Shang Shixu the news she had heard outside. When asked about his master and mother, Shang Shixu said he had never seen them.

When Zhao Cangyun was mentioned, Shang Shixu said that as long as he could get out, he had a way to use Gu to pinpoint Zhao Cangyun's location.

Shang Shixu handed the completed drawing to Jiang Yi, "There's one more thing. We all have iron rings around our necks that restrain us. If we can't remove the rings first, and if Senior Sister leads people to attack, those Golden Core cultivators from the Tai Xuan Sect can kill us all with a single thought."

What kind of iron ring is it?

As Shang Shixu recalled, an identical iron ring immediately appeared around his neck.

Jiang Yi frowned in thought. Her Clear Mirror Heart Flame was born from the obsessions of countless dreams, a flame belonging to a special existence. Since that's the case...

Jiang Yi reached out and pinched the iron ring around Shang Shixu's neck, carefully activating the Bright Mirror Heart Fire, leaving a faint burn mark on it.

"After you wake up, look at the iron ring around your neck. If you dream again tomorrow at midnight, tell me the result."

(End of this chapter)