My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Since the original work did not describe how these ancient ruins appeared, it is only known that they were in a mountain stream. Now there is such a complex underwater maze, a mountain stream waterfall, and mysterious stone pillars. It is possible that this is the place where the ancient ruins appeared.

Suppressing her excitement, Lin Ran carefully retraced her steps, bypassing the sleeping giant red ape. After marking the location, she flew back towards the cave.

Back in the cave, upon seeing Meng Qing sitting cross-legged inside, Lin Ran couldn't help but have a thought pop into her mind: this woman had also entered the cave where the Red Demon Giant Ape was located, so could she have also discovered this underwater labyrinth?

Regardless, Lin Ran decided that once everything was ready, he would take this woman with him on the exploration. This woman was full of treasures, including a life-saving spatial scroll. Taking her along would give him a better chance of reaching this ancient ruin.

PS: Today's update is still 4,000 words, so it's a little late. The Sword Sect Fairy has also made her appearance, and there will be a lot of stories revolving around her later.

Thank you all for reading and giving me monthly tickets! I might get another recommendation spot in a few days, so I hope you can all like, favorite, and follow my reading. Wish me luck with the release of this novel and lots of updates! Haha, thank you so much! Thanks! (ω?)

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Cunning Smiling Tiger (Please add to your favorites)

Meng Qing opened her eyes when she heard the noise and saw Lin Ran staring at her menacingly, which gave her a strange sense of unease.

Lin Ran approached Meng Qing, sat cross-legged on the ground, and said with a bright smile, "I'll give you the rest of the spiritual medicine. After you recover quickly, come with me to the lair of the Crimson Demon Giant Ape!"

It seems that her previous lies were exposed. She was not careful enough and became greedy for the precious medicinal herbs in the Crimson Demon Giant Ape's cave, which led to her being discovered and chased relentlessly by the Crimson Demon Giant Ape. She lost half her life and ended up in the hands of such a smiling tiger.

Meng Qing remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing. If it weren't for this smiling tiger, she wouldn't have survived, but she would make this man pay the price.

Lin Ran returned all the spiritual herbs she had previously plundered to Meng Qing, and even offered to help Meng Qing recover as soon as possible, saying, "Let me help you regulate the disordered spiritual energy in your body. Our spiritual energy is from the same source. Why don't you try it?"

Meng Qing thought this was a trick by the Smiling Tiger, but to her surprise, the cyan spiritual power she was using in her palm immediately pounced on the Smiling Tiger's golden spiritual power as soon as it touched it. She even lost control, and the cyan spiritual power merged into the golden spiritual power in Lin Ran's hand.

Even though Meng Qing was well-traveled and knowledgeable, she had never seen anything so strange. Why was her spiritual power like this?

Lin Ran dissipated the spiritual energy in her palm and, seeing the surprise on Meng Qing's face, couldn't help but laugh, "Well? Do you believe me now?"

"How to do?"

Meng Qing did not refuse. She was not afraid that Lin Ran would resort to underhanded tactics, because Lin Ran still needed her life. When she had enough resources, she would make Lin Ran regret what she had done. She was not angry, but that did not mean she did not hold a grudge.

"Sit cross-legged and cultivate, hold your hands together like this, and follow this route to circulate your spiritual energy, forming a cycle..." This time, Lin Ran didn't intend to harm Meng Qing, but was genuinely helping Meng Qing adjust the disordered aura and spiritual energy in her body. There was no other way; it was too dangerous for her to walk through the underwater maze alone, so she needed someone else to help her navigate.

Meng Qing looked inward at her body. The golden spiritual power transmitted by Lin Ran was like a captain, guiding the spiritual power in her body to refine the medicinal power, heal her internal injuries, and calm the chaotic spiritual power. The disordered spiritual power was guided back to the correct path and returned to the Yuan Dan in her dantian.

Advancing to the Daoist realm requires condensing battle qi and forming a qi vortex in the dantian. Advancing from the Daoist realm to the Dao Yuan realm requires condensing the qi vortex into a Yuan Dan with a larger capacity, making it easier to use battle qi.

However, to advance from the Dao Yuan Realm to the Hua Ling Realm, one needs to continuously compress the battle qi within the body, transforming it into a higher concentration of spiritual power, and gradually filling the Yuan Dan with spiritual power, eventually transforming the Yuan Dan into a Ling Dan, thus entering the Ling Dan Realm.

However, this realm is also extremely dangerous. Although spiritual power is at a higher level than battle qi, it is also more uncontrollable. Only after advancing to the Spirit Pill Realm can one truly control spiritual power at will.

It is precisely this transitional realm that has blocked many people who want to reach the Spirit Pill Realm.

Last night, Meng Qing used a secret technique to forcibly advance to the Spirit Core Realm, but her control over spiritual power was still very unfamiliar. Despite having the strength of the Spirit Core Realm, she could not exert much skill and even made a mess of her body.

Moreover, he was still in the extremely dangerous Spirit Transformation Realm. If he didn't control his spiritual power and battle qi properly and they exploded, he would be completely ruined and would have to start his life over.

Therefore, Meng Qing was surprised that Lin Ran could help her cultivate and calm her disordered internal energy. However, she also noticed that Lin Ran had obviously kept something in reserve last night. If he hadn't discovered the secret of the Crimson Demon Giant Ape's nest, he probably wouldn't have been in such a hurry to make a move.

"A cunning smiling tiger..." Meng Qing thought to himself.

With Lin Ran's help, Meng Qing's injuries were basically healed, and her spiritual power recovered to about 50-60%. It was impossible for her to return to her peak for the time being, but at least she had the ability to fight.

"Give me some spirit stones to replenish my spiritual power. Wouldn't that make it more likely that I can accompany you to the Crimson Demon Giant Ape's lair?" Meng Qing looked at Lin Ran, wanting to ask for some spirit stones. In fact, she also wanted to have some protection for herself. If she encountered a crisis, she could rely on absorbing the spiritual power of the spirit stones to save herself.

Lin Ran was still very wary of Meng Qing, but what Meng Qing said made some sense, so Lin Ran eventually gave Meng Qing a small bag of spirit stones.

After taking the bag of spirit stones, Meng Qing counted them and couldn't help but want to add another label to Lin Ran: not only was she a cunning and smiling ghost, but she was also a miser. Her spatial ring must have tens of thousands of spirit stones, including quite a few high-grade ones. This was just a small bag, with only a dozen or so stones in total, and they were only mid-to-low grade.

"Put your clothes on, I'll fly you there. Behave yourself, okay? If we find anything good, you'll get a share." Lin Ran ignored Meng Qing's murderous glare and checked the contents of her spatial ring to see what might come in handy later.

"Oh, is that good? You don't have all of them, do you?" Meng Qing took out a set of plain white dress from her spatial ring and put it on, while also mocking Lin Ran.

"No, I'll take 99%, and you'll take the remaining little bit. It's fair, isn't it?" Lin Ran said with a smile.

"You've made me understand the meaning of fairness anew!" Meng Qing's understanding of Lin Ran's shamelessness has reached a new level.

Wearing a light-colored long dress, Meng Qing's exquisite and graceful figure and elegant and refined temperament were on full display. Of course, if you could ignore her plain and icy face, she would be quite a beauty.

"Let's go!"

Lin Ran held Meng Qing on her right and, under the cover of night, sped through the skies above the Southern Wilderness Mountains.

Unlike the past few days, the moon tonight was not completely obscured by dark clouds; its light cast a veil over the rolling mountains.

Arriving above the Red Demon Giant Ape's lair, this beautiful place reveals a different side at night. The shimmering lake and flowing white ribbons, bathed in moonlight, make the area even more serene and beautiful.

Of course, you have to learn to ignore some of the less pleasant things, such as the giant red ape sitting outside the cave, devouring chunks of meat. Its mountain-like size blocks the entrance to the cave.

"Miss Meng Qing, if I throw you down, would you help me distract that silly monkey?" Lin Ran lowered her head and looked at Meng Qing with a smile.

"As long as you like it!"

Meng Qing took a deep breath; she really couldn't handle this shameless person.

"Oh, young lady, you're too kind of me. I feel sorry for you. Don't worry, I won't let anyone else hurt you in the slightest." Lin Ran said righteously, exuding a righteous aura, as if he were a true gentleman.

"I won't let anyone hurt a hair on my head, but that doesn't include you, right?" Meng Qing had become immune to Lin Ran's nonsense and even knew how to refute it.

"You're quite the sharp-tongued girl!" Lin Ran chuckled, his gaze fixed on the Crimson Demon Giant Ape not far away. To lure this creature away, he'd need to give the ape a little something extra.

After finding a quiet spot, Lin Ran put Meng Qing down, patted Meng Qing's head, and said with a smile, "Stand here obediently and don't move. I'll be right back."

Lin Ran didn't take any restrictive measures and left directly, seemingly very relieved that Meng Qing would stay put and behave herself.

Before long, the forest was filled with commotion again. The roar of the Crimson Demon Giant Ape broke the tranquility of the mountain. The sound of its footsteps was like an earthquake. From Meng Qing's position, he could see the Crimson Demon Giant Ape crashing into the forest. Its massive body smashed the trees that blocked its path, leaving them in a mess.

Meng Qing was surprised that Lin Ran would personally lure away the red demon giant ape. She had already prepared herself to be used as bait and step on a landmine.

"Aren't you afraid I'll run away?" Meng Qing sneered. Seeing the Crimson Demon Giant Ape's figure getting further and further away, she crawled into the Crimson Demon Giant Ape's cave.

She had already explored the area beforehand; there were many forks in the road and a mysterious underwater maze. She knew how to use the terrain to shake off this shameless scoundrel.

About half an hour after Meng Qing went into the nest, Lin Ran leisurely returned to the big tree where Meng Qing had been placed. When she saw that Meng Qing was not obediently waiting in the same spot, she was actually quite happy.

"I hope you won't let me down, Navigator Meng Qing!"

……

P.S.: I'm updating early today to see if I can add another chapter or write more. I have some business to attend to at the relevant department in a few days, and I'm worried it might affect my updates.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Mystery of the Underground River Tunnel and the Ancient Palace

When Lin Ran was helping Meng Qing restore and calm the disordered spiritual energy in her body, she did something a little trick. It didn't have any impact, except that it could track Meng Qing's location. That's why he felt at ease leaving Meng Qing alone there, and even hoped that Meng Qing would sneak in as soon as possible.

Before the Crimson Demon Giant Ape returned, Lin Ran took the luminous stone and slipped into the cave. She walked and stopped along the way. In order to sense Meng Qing's location, Lin Ran came to the dark pool. After the golden spiritual energy barrier covered her, she submerged in the water and swam straight towards the entrance of the tunnel.

In this complex underwater maze, Lin Ran could only hope that "Meng Qing's navigation" would be reliable. Following the traces left by Meng Qing, Lin Ran turned left and right in this waterway, sometimes even going the wrong way and encountering dead ends. Lin Ran even began to wonder if Meng Qing was also wandering around randomly.

But after about ten minutes, the space in front of Lin Ran suddenly opened up. This place was hundreds of meters high and vast. Looking down, the dark river water seemed to be bottomless.

"How can I find the right path in such a vast and complex underwater river?" Lin Ran wondered. But as she was thinking, a yellow-green fluorescent light suddenly appeared in the water and rushed to Lin Ran's barrier.

Lin Ran couldn't help but look at the fluorescent light. It was a ferocious fish that emitted a yellowish-green glow, had sharp teeth, and was extremely ugly. But that wasn't the most surprising thing. Lin Ran discovered that this ferocious fish, which looked to be only the size of a palm, was actually gnawing at the spiritual energy on his barrier, and the speed at which it was gnawing was astonishing.

"Oops!"

When Lin Ran saw the yellow-green fluorescent light in the water lighting up one after another and rapidly moving towards her, she knew something was wrong. She found the water hole that Meng Qing had entered and quickly swam over there.

Upon entering yet another new water cave, Lin Ran discovered numerous white bones scattered across the ground at the entrance. When she turned around and saw the large swaths of yellowish-green light surging towards her, she broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly swam faster into the cave.

He was now a little worried about Meng Qing's navigation. She only had 50-60% of her spiritual power. If she were caught by these ferocious fish, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After turning several corners, they arrived at another strange place. This place was not as open as before, but the glowing stones could not provide enough light, so Lin Ran could not notice what was on the stone walls.

Having found the cave Meng Qing had gone to, Lin Ran was about to swim over when he heard a series of sounds, like something gliding at high speed in the water.

"bump!"

Lin Ran felt a chill on his calf. Looking down, he saw that the barrier on his calf had been pierced by a huge, sharp arrow, which even left some minor cuts on his calf.

"There's something like this in the water!"

Lin Ran reconstituted the barrier, her figure transforming into a golden streak of light as she rushed into the water cave where Meng Qing had previously entered.

In the waterway that followed, bizarre and terrifying water ghosts appeared, flying out from a bend. Their large faces, resembling some kind of biochemical mutation, pressed against Lin Ran's barrier, revealing long and sharp claws that easily tore through it as effortlessly as tearing paper.

In desperation, Lin Ran condensed golden spiritual power into her right fist, and a long dragon roar was uttered. The huge golden dragon head opened its sharp fangs and instantly devoured the water ghost of unknown origin.

After rebuilding the barrier, Lin Ran continued to delve deeper inside. He still hadn't seen Meng Qing. With her strength, she was able to explore so deeply in the face of such a bizarre situation. Her methods were truly remarkable!

After several waves of water ghost attacks, Lin Ran used his fists to clear a path, but he had to control his strength so as not to destroy the path, otherwise he would block himself.

Rushing headlong along, Lin Ran saw a faint light ahead, quickened his pace, and surfaced. He let out a long breath, walked ashore soaking wet, and looked around.

At the end of this underwater maze was a huge plaza. In the center of the plaza, a staircase led directly to a massive, heavy stone gate. On either side of the gate were altars, both lit with bonfires, which brightened the plaza.

Lin Ran noticed wet footprints that didn't belong to him. The footprints were still wet, indicating that he had just arrived. Upon closer inspection, Lin Ran realized that even the huge, heavy stone door seemed to have had its seal broken by Meng Qing, leaving a gap large enough for two or three people to pass through.

Upon arriving at the plaza, Lin Ran noticed that there seemed to be little danger. She looked at the towering, over ten-zhang-high blue stone in the center of the plaza, which stood majestically and imposingly.

The dust covering the large rock had been cleaned away, and the words "Azure Spirit Sword Tomb" were clearly visible, engraved from top to bottom.

Judging from the brushstrokes, these four large characters are vigorous and powerful, and looking at them makes one feel as if they are a humble gentleman with proud integrity.

Upon seeing the ancient characters on the bluestone, Lin Ran knew that she had indeed come to the right place.

This blue stone also appears in the original work. These four large characters were carved on this boulder by the Azure Spirit Sword Saint with sharp sword energy in one go, penetrating the stone three-tenths of an inch. Even now, one can still feel the sword path that the Azure Spirit Sword Saint comprehended on it, and its spirit and character are vividly displayed before our eyes.

"No wonder he is the Azure Spirit Sword Saint, a renowned swordsman among the ancient powerhouses. I wish I had such unparalleled talent." Lin Ran stroked the blue stone, feeling envious. His talent, as stubborn as a rock, always made her feel sad.

If he had been more capable back then, his wife might not have run away, and he might have been able to lead the Lin family to great heights.

Unfortunately, over the years, he has been content with the status quo, trapped in this Linshan City, finding some fun in his boring life and using smiles to cover up his incompetence.

After a moment of reflection, Lin Ran came to his senses and turned his gaze to the stone door that had opened a crack. The Azure Spirit Sword Tomb was the place where the Azure Spirit Sword Saint's legacy was kept. He wondered if there were any suitable opportunities inside. If he could get his hands on one, it should be able to improve his strength.

Lin Ran lit a torch and entered the Azure Spirit Sword Tomb. After walking a few steps, she arrived at a spacious hall. The hall was brightly lit, with all the lighting platforms illuminated and more than a dozen passageways.

There are strange patterns on the ground, and each passage has a different pattern, seemingly following a set order. Even the walls have strange images, making this place seem like a puzzle to solve.

To be honest, he couldn't understand it at all. The fact that he could understand the ancient characters on the bluestone at the entrance just now was a testament to his cultural prowess.

So he chose to copy the homework directly. He found the passage that Meng Qing had gone through and went straight in. Lin Ran felt that the passage seemed to have undergone some changes. The originally pitch-black passage, which seemed to have no end, became bright with the light of the exit after walking a distance.