Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 37 The Mysterious Treasure in the Deep Pool and the Ancient Formation's Fog

At the end of the valley, a near-vertical cliff suddenly appears, covered in moss and entwined with thick, ancient vines like giant pythons, reflecting a faint, damp light. Surprisingly, the thick fog that permeates the valley thins considerably here, and the view suddenly opens up, revealing an unusual tranquility.

"Search separately," Meng Xihong said in a deep voice, his sharp eyes sweeping across the surroundings. "The textures of the stone walls, the underwater currents, and the cracks in the stone steps must all be thoroughly investigated. Any metal or stone artifacts or unusual plants that show signs of spiritual activity should be immediately alerted and not touched without authorization. We will examine them together after we regroup."

Ji Beichuan, like a nimble ape, silently climbed up the slippery rock wall. Sometimes he held the long, narrow water-splitting dagger in his mouth, and sometimes he used it to pry open suspicious cracks in the rocks and examine every protrusion.

Zhang Xianghua then drew his short knife and began searching and digging through the soil and rubble near the remnants of the stone steps.

Meng Xihong stood at the beginning of the stone steps, closed his eyes, and fully activated his [Immortal Bone] perception. This time, he not only sensed the spiritual energy, but also attached a wisp of his mind to it, like the most precise probe, carefully scanning the "texture" of every inch of rock and every wisp of water vapor in this area.

The extraordinary memory and swift thinking granted by the first realm of literature, the "Enlightenment Realm," allowed him to capture the most subtle unusual things from a vast array of perceptions.

Time slipped away silently. Only the sounds of water and digging echoed through the valley.

Suddenly, Meng Yanqing, who was standing in the shallow water by the stream, shuddered and pointed sharply to the bottom of a huge black rock being washed by the rushing water: "Father! Under the water! There is something behind the base of that black rock. It feels... extremely heavy and solid, somewhat similar to the blue agarwood you brought back earlier."

Meng Xihong suddenly opened his eyes and flashed to the edge of the stream. Without needing to enter the water, his immortal bone senses reached into the depths like tentacles.

really!

Behind the base of that black boulder, smoothed by the water flow, close to the riverbed, a faint, extremely restrained yet exceptionally pure and refined earth-metal aura emanated. Its density and purity of spiritual energy far surpassed the scattered blue-green stones discovered earlier.

"Xianghua, Beichuan, come and help me move the stone!" Meng Xihong shouted in a deep voice.

The three of them exerted their strength at the same time, and with a low roar, spiritual light and energy burst forth, finally slowly pushing the heavy boulder aside.

As the stone shifted, an even clearer and purer spiritual energy dissipated.

On the riverbed where the boulder once stood, several irregular stones were deeply embedded. They were dark blue-black in color, with fine cloud-like patterns naturally formed on their surfaces. They were icy cold to the touch and surprisingly heavy.

“This is…” Meng Xihong stared intently. The stone resembled Qingchen stone, but its patterns were more complex and mysterious.

"No matter what it is, it's definitely not ordinary stuff, take it all!" He suppressed his excitement.

It took the group a great deal of effort to pry out these incredibly hard rocks that were buried deep underwater.

The largest piece was shaped like a millstone, while the smallest was the size of a washbasin. Ji Beichuan carried the largest piece in a sack on his back, and packed the rest into his baggage.

Then, Meng Xihong suddenly noticed that a vine on the rock wall by the stream was unusually thick and dense, as if it had been deliberately concealed. He swung his knife and cut the vine, and a milky white sap seeped out from the cut, with a unique and refreshing fragrance that instantly cleared the mind.

"This is a good thing too!" He was overjoyed and quickly cut off the piece of spirit vine and put it in his pocket. Just as he was about to cut another one...

Without warning, a twisted, dim blue rune suddenly erupted from the seemingly ordinary muddy ground beneath their feet.

Although the light was weak, it enveloped the three of them and suddenly erupted with a thick, sluggish power as thick as a mountain, like an invisible swamp abyss, instantly "welding" the three of them to the spot!

At the same time, a thick fog instantly enveloped the surroundings, roaring and surging, and in an instant condensed into three ferocious-looking monsters made entirely of fog, carrying a chilling death aura, wielding fog claws, and pouncing to kill!

"Father! Uncle Ji! Uncle Zhang! What's wrong?" Meng Yanqing, who was not far away, was about to rush over when he saw this.

"Qing'er, don't come any closer! It's a remnant of the enemy formation!" Meng Xihong shouted urgently.

Meng Yanqing abruptly stopped her charge, her face turning pale. She gripped her short blade tightly and stood guard as instructed, her eyes filled with fear and worry.

This is definitely a remnant of the ancient protective formation. Even though its power is only a fraction of what it once was, its ferocity and sinister nature is still terrifying.

The fog itself is even more effective at confusing the mind. If Meng Xihong had not already reached a state of enlightenment, with his mind protected by a clear light, he would probably have lost his senses in an instant.

Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua instantly lost their composure, their eyes bloodshot and muscles bulging as they struggled desperately, wildly swinging their weapons, but they were like being trapped in a quagmire, only able to tear open the fog monster's body with wounds that healed in an instant.

The force of the formation beneath his feet felt like an immense shackle, slowing his movements several times over. The chilling, deathly aura continuously eroded his spiritual energy and vitality, making the situation extremely critical.

Although the attack from the Nightmare of Mist wasn't instantly fatal, its chilling, deathly aura clung to them like maggots, constantly eroding their protective spiritual power and life force. Its sluggish effect rapidly drained the three's physical and spiritual energy, leaving them in a precarious situation. Meng Xihong, however, remained calm in the face of danger, suddenly recalling the divination text: "Cleanse your mind and purify your delusions, face the enemy with righteous indignation." Unlike the two who struggled in vain, he closed his eyes slightly, his mind as still and serene as a deep well.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the "Literary Spirit and Integrity" trembled with unprecedented intensity. The righteous energy cultivated through the arduous practice of the Mingxin Realm surged like subterranean fire, yet it was firmly restrained within his meridians.

Currently, Wen Dao has not yet reached the Qi Nourishing Realm; his righteous Qi can only protect himself and cannot be released outside the body. That faint protective light is his only barrier at this moment.
However, this pure and righteous energy is the nemesis of evil. Although it cannot leave the body to attack enemies, its burgeoning energy still causes unusual phenomena throughout the body.

Meng Xihong's eyes shone brightly, like two lamps piercing through the fog. The faint, clear light clinging to his body suddenly blazed brightly, forcibly pushing back the invading chilling death aura by a foot, barely protecting his vital points.

He knew he couldn't break the formation with his qi, so all his hopes rested on the instinct of "enlightened mind" to see through illusion.

His mind sank into a deep trance, all external disturbances faded away, and his eyes were only focused on the few flickering blue runes on the ground, their energy flow trajectory and the nodes of their birth and death clearly reflected in his clear mind.

"That's it!" In a flash, he grasped the most crucial pivot point of the formation's operation. There was no need to project it outwards; breaking the formation didn't necessarily require brute force!
"Kitagawa! Three feet to the left and forward, where the ground has sunk three inches, fire with full force!"

"Xianghua! Five feet to the right and behind, smash that protruding black rock!"

Meng Xihong's words were like thunder, his voice carrying a hint of awe and righteousness, instantly piercing the minds of Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua, who were almost lost in despair.

The two were then startled awake from the chaotic illusion.

He suddenly staggered, seemingly dragged off balance by the formation, but in reality, he channeled all his strength into his right foot and stomped precisely and hard on a seemingly ordinary patch of mud beside him.

That was precisely the hidden interface through which the formation absorbed the yin energy from the earth's veins!
Although Ji Beichuan and Zhang Xianghua were physically and mentally injured and their pain had not subsided, the trust they had developed from fighting side by side for days had long been ingrained in their instincts.

Upon hearing the sound, he almost reflexively reversed his attack, unleashing all his accumulated power without reservation towards the direction Meng Xihong pointed.

“Bang!” “Crack!”

The water-splitting dagger pierced deep into the designated spot, the short blade shattering the black stone! Almost simultaneously, Meng Xihong's foot, imbued with the power of his physical body and a meager amount of righteous energy, stomped down heavily!

The three forces did not directly attack the Mist Nightmare or the Runes, but instead struck precisely at the three weakest supporting nodes of the ancient ruined formation.

It was as if the spine of a ferocious beast had been broken! The dark blue runes on the ground suddenly stopped, then the light flickered wildly, as if out of control, and the sticky force that was like a mountain pressing down suddenly became chaotic and weakened.

Although their feet were not completely freed, the fatal feeling of restraint had been mostly gone.

"Attack its lower left three inches! The core is where the fog is as thick as ink!" Meng Xihong shouted again, enduring the excruciating pain in his head as he pushed his Mingxin Realm perception to its limit to guide his companions to the most fatal weakness of the Fog Nightmare.

He flipped his wrist, drawing his longsword. The faint protective light flowed onto the blade, though it couldn't detach from his body to form sword energy, it imbued the ordinary iron with a faint, evil-dispelling glow. He lunged forward, using himself as bait, his sword flashing like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for the core of the nearest Nightmare of Mist.

With the pressure on Ji and Zhang greatly reduced and clear guidance provided, their eyes regained their clarity, and their fighting spirit instantly overcame their fear.

"kill!"

With a roar, the blade, carrying the momentum of a do-or-die situation, stabbed precisely and ruthlessly into the deep, swirling mist core within the Mist Nightmare's body!

puff!puff!puff!
Three muffled thuds! The core exploded! The Mist Nightmare howled and dissipated!

The remaining runes faded completely, turning into marks on the mortal world.

The three stood back to back, panting heavily. Meng Xihong was swaying precariously, his face ashen, clearly indicating that the extreme mental exertion he had just suffered far exceeded the loss of his spiritual energy.

"Master, this place is extremely dangerous and we should not stay here for long!" Ji Beichuan suppressed his churning blood and qi, and warily scanned the still thick and impenetrable fog.

Meng Xihong nodded, about to order a retreat. Just then!
call out--

From the shadow of a huge rock half-hidden by slippery vines on the side, a faint rustling sound came out abruptly, almost imperceptibly.

The three men felt their hair stand on end, their weapons instantly pointing at each other, their fierce killing intent locking onto the source of the sound! Meng Xihong even pulled his son back behind him.

(End of this chapter)