Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

"Gone?" Lin Yu was taken aback.

He walked to the window and confirmed that the figure had indeed disappeared into the horizon, his heart filled with doubt.

"Why did you suddenly run away?"

After confirming that the other party wasn't playing any tricks, Lin Yu stepped outside, frowning as he pondered.

Although he didn't understand what had happened, Lin Yu could easily guess that something more important than his "immaculate body" had occurred with that crazy woman.

Having figured this out, Lin Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.

Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, it was undoubtedly good news for him at the moment.

……

Just in case, Lin Yu didn't plan to leave the apartment for the next period of time, but stayed in the apartment to cultivate, in case that guy suddenly came back.

At the same time, he was not completely isolated from the outside world during this period.

He closely monitors various information from the outside world through chat channels and his friends panel.

To Lin Yu's surprise, during the time he was blocked by the Holy Maiden, the player channel had already exploded with activity.

Countless messages came from players all over the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Holy crap, in Yunzhou County, more than half of the residents have suddenly collapsed and died without warning. Their bodies shriveled up instantly and turned into streaks of blood, heading towards the capital."

"The same goes for Cangwu County. I just passed through a village that was completely silent; everyone there had turned into dried corpses."

"It's the same here, it's terrifying! Is this some kind of major incident?!"

"It's not just people! Monsters, even some plants, are withering away, their essence being drained!"

"What exactly happened in the capital? The energy reaction is terrifying! The chilling pressure can be felt even from hundreds of miles away."

"Any brothers around Beijing? Tell me what's going on!"

"Don't even mention it, the capital city is already covered by a huge, dark red energy shield, and it's impossible to get in."

Anyone outside who tries to get in will be drained of their life force if they get close; those inside... their chances of survival are slim.

"Damn it, I can't stay in this godforsaken place! I just finished my mission, gotta go!"

"I'm leaving too! That was terrifying!"

"Any experts want to team up and check this out? What if we find some hidden gems?"

"An opportunity? You're about to lose your life, and you still want an opportunity? Didn't you feel it? That energy was full of madness and resentment; it's definitely not a good thing!"

"Isn't this just pointless? What good things could there be in this godforsaken world?"

"Fortune favors the bold! Who knows, maybe it'll be the ultimate boss, dropping some amazing artifacts!"

"Idiot! With fluctuations above platinum level, are you going to be a lamb to the slaughter?"

The channel was in complete chaos, filled with panic, speculation, deliberation, and endless arguments.

Most players who had completed the main storyline chose to quit the game and return to the player community without hesitation after realizing that something was wrong.

However, a large number of players remained.

Some were forced to stay because they hadn't completed the main quest, while others were hoping for a lucky break or were overconfident in their abilities, wanting to take advantage of the chaos and see if they could profit from this upheaval.

Lin Yu stared silently at the messages on the channel, his brows furrowed.

"Could this be the so-called 'dragon transformation'?" Lin Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

No wonder that crazy woman left in such a hurry. It seems that the emperor had probably initiated the dragon transformation but hadn't informed her, thus disrupting her plans.

"Transformation into a dragon..." Lin Yu could imagine that once the emperor succeeded, even if the dragon transformed into a "mysterious dragon," its power would be absolutely terrifying beyond imagination.

After all, having absorbed so much energy, judging from the chat channel, that emperor had practically drained more than half of the residents of the entire Great Qian Dynasty.

Lin Yu checked his status.

The main quest has already been completed, and you can leave at any time.

To be honest, staying here is too risky.

but……

Lin Yu glanced in the direction of the Daoist study, where the statue of [Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun] was radiating a peaceful aura. [Pantianying] Jinling was preening its feathers beside the statue, and when it sensed its master's gaze, it affectionately chirped.

With an apartment and a statue of the True Lord, his safety should be assured as long as he doesn't go out on his own initiative.

Whether the emperor succeeds in transforming into a dragon or not, whether the Black Buddhism saintess returns or not, theoretically neither poses a threat to him hiding in the apartment.

"There's no rush to run away. Beihe County is so far from the capital. Even if the emperor succeeds in becoming a dragon, it shouldn't affect us in the short term."

Perhaps I could explore that so-called Divine Fire Sect ruins first.

Lin Yu pondered slowly.

……

After confirming that the Black Buddhist saintess had indeed left and was unlikely to return in the short term, Lin Yu's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

But he knew all too well that the world had changed dramatically and was fraught with danger, and that he might not have much time left to be safe.

He first contacted Phantom through his friends list and learned that most of the members of the Heroes' Gathering had realized the situation was not good at the beginning of the chaos and decisively completed the main quest, choosing to leave the "Seeking Immortality" world and return to the 9527 community.

The Phantom also informed him that the Heroes' Gathering did not intend to interfere with the unexpected events that occurred in the Immortal Seeking World. At the same time, the guild leader, Xuan Cheng, reminded all the members who had not yet left that the current situation in the Great Qian Dynasty was extremely dangerous and suggested that they complete the main quest and return as soon as possible.

If you really don't want to waste the rest of your game time, then try to leave Daqian as soon as possible and run as far away as possible.

If you're trying to take advantage of the situation and pursue personal gain, then we can only wish you good luck; the guild probably can't offer much help.

As for Lin Yu, if he doesn't plan to leave, he can continue his spring water business. After all, there are still many players in the world of Seeking Immortality who haven't completed the main quest, so it's foreseeable that the price of pure spring water will skyrocket.

Therefore, as long as Lin Yu stays in this world for one more day, he can extract a lot of profits from these players.

"Even Xuancheng thinks it's dangerous...?" Lin Yu pondered for a moment, then replied to Meiying that he had no plans to leave for the time being, and if he were to leave this world, he would definitely inform her in advance.

After ending the call, Lin Yu glanced at the desolate scenery outside the window and then turned his gaze to the northwest.

According to the priest Wugu, that place is the Abyss of Death.

"Finally, I have some peace and quiet to properly explore this world." Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

It can be said that since entering this world of seeking immortality, he has basically been either fighting or being fought, and has had very little time to truly explore this world.

Now that neither Black Buddhism nor the authorities have time to cause trouble for me, it's the perfect time to explore.

Having made up his mind, Lin Yu no longer hesitated.

He first moved the apartment to a more secluded, naturally formed cave, ensuring that the apartment itself would not be easily discovered even if he left.

He then began intensive preparations.

After adjusting to their optimal state, replenishing with a large amount of spiritual spring water, checking the durability of all equipment, and sorting out some consumable items obtained from the Black Buddhism and the eunuchs of the Imperial City Bureau, such as talismans and disposable array plates, and placing them in the most easily accessible locations.

"Jin Ling, you're coming with me this time." Lin Yu stroked the increasingly hard feathers of the Soaring Eagle.

After this period of growth and nourishment from the True Lord statue, Jin Ling's strength has stabilized at the Silver level, and she finally has a certain ability to protect herself.

Its innate talents of "eagle eyesight" and "riding the wind" may be of some use when exploring unknown and dangerous places.

"Chirp!" Jin Ling affectionately nuzzled Lin Yu's hand, its sharp eagle eyes gleaming, as if it understood the weight of its responsibility.

After making all the necessary preparations, Lin Yu pushed open the apartment door and stepped once again into this desolate wasteland shrouded in gloom.

Following the instructions given by Priest Wugu and combined with Jinling's aerial reconnaissance, he sped off towards the northwest.

The further northwest you go, the harsher the environment becomes. The land is completely desertified, and strong winds whip up yellow sand, resulting in extremely low visibility.

The thin spiritual energy in the air was not only restless, but also carried a chilling and deathly stillness that penetrated to the bone.

Huge cracks began to appear on the ground, bottomless, like scars on the earth.

Occasionally, one can see huge, unnaturally formed craters and twisted metal debris.

The golden feather emitted a warning cry in the air, and Lin Yu immediately concealed his aura, activated his [Heavenly Eye], and carefully avoided some areas with abnormally chaotic energy.

He even witnessed a bronze-level demon beast that had inadvertently stumbled into a distorted force field being instantly torn to pieces by an invisible force, its flesh and blood essence drained away, turning into ashes.

"That was close... This place is indeed fraught with danger." Lin Yu was still shaken and became even more cautious.

After several days of arduous trekking, based on Jin Ling's feedback, Lin Yu felt that he was gradually approaching the target area.

The surrounding stillness grew stronger, and even the sandstorm seemed to have stopped.

Finally, Lin Yu stopped in front of a huge fault line in the mountain range, which looked as if it had been cleaved by a giant axe.

The scene before him made him gasp.

No Golden Feather was needed to guide them; anyone could recognize it at a glance—this was the Abyss of Death.

That wasn't a canyon at all, but a terrifying chasm that was so huge it seemed to reach right to the Earth's core.

The width is so great that you can't see the other side at a glance, as if the mainland has been forcibly torn apart here.

Below the abyss lay a dense, impenetrable gray-black mist. The mist seemed to possess a life of its own, slowly writhing and devouring all light. Even Lin Yu's [Heavenly Eye] could not see through ten meters below it.

The rocks at the edge of the abyss had an ominous charred black color, as if they had been scorched by extreme heat and stained with endless death energy.

Standing on the edge, a chilling suction force and a cold resentment emanate from the bottom of the abyss, constantly trying to pull one's soul in.

The warning from the priest Wugu still echoed in my ears.

The "curse" power permeating this place is indeed terrifying. Lin Yu could feel that if he hadn't been protected by the spiritual spring and the aura of the True Lord statue, his life force would have been slowly draining away just by standing here, and his spirit would have been continuously suppressed and disturbed.

"The Divine Fire Sect... actually located in a place like this?" Lin Yu found it hard to believe that such a place could be the headquarters of a cultivation sect.

He sent Jinling to try to get closer to the edge of the abyss to scout, but Jinling only flew about a hundred meters before letting out a fearful cry and refusing to go any further. The fear that came from its life instinct made its feathers bristle.

Lin Yu recalled him and reassured him.

It seems that the aerial route is not feasible, and the force field above the abyss is probably even more dangerous.

He moved slowly along the edge of the abyss, activating his [Heavenly Eye] to its fullest extent, carefully observing every inch of the cliff face, searching for any possible entrances or anomalies.

This process is long, tedious, and extremely mentally taxing.

The oppressive feeling from the abyss was constantly eroding his will.

During his time there, he occasionally saw huge remnants of chains, broken fragments of flying artifacts, and even long-dried human skeletons dressed in clothing from different eras left behind on the cliffs. These were clearly left by previous explorers.

The eerie atmosphere here is terrifying. Even Lin Yu can only stay here permanently by relying on the purification of the pure spring water and the protection of the True Lord statue.

Anyone else who is unprepared, even a Gold-level individual, would probably be corrupted and eroded by the omnipresent eerie aura in less than half a day.

Those skeletons are the best proof.

One day, two days...

Just as Lin Yu's mental energy was almost completely depleted, the [Heavenly Eye] finally detected a faint fluctuation, different from the lifeless energy of the abyss.

The fluctuation originated from a very hidden cliff protrusion to the side and below. If it weren't for the [Heavenly Eye]'s exceptional sensitivity to energy, it would have been impossible to detect.

Lin Yu's spirits lifted, and he carefully manipulated a willow vine to extend downwards and explore.

The vines wound around the protruding rocks, and the feedback indicated that there seemed to be a cave entrance half-hidden by rubble behind it!

"Found it!"

Lin Yu carefully descended to the protrusion, cleared away the rubble, and a hole with obvious signs of artificial excavation, just wide enough for one person to pass through, appeared before him.

Extremely faint fragments of the restriction remained at the cave entrance, seemingly having lost most of their effectiveness over the long years and the erosion of the abyss's power. However, a trace of its remaining, intensely pure essence could still be felt, completely out of place with the deathly silence of the abyss.

"This restriction... feels much purer than the 'True Law' of this world!" Lin Yu was excited; this was very likely the work of an ancient cultivator.

He did not rush in. He first summoned the apartment in a relatively open area above the cliff, then meditated in the apartment for a period of time. After his physical condition returned to its peak, he came to the statue of the True Lord.

After offering prayers, Lin Yu received a Baff that would last for one hour.

After doing all that, he returned to that place, and the first thing he naturally did was to send his shadow clone to scout ahead.

Shortly after the shadow clone entered, it did not trigger any danger. Instead, it sent back a message: there was a narrow stone staircase at the cave entrance that sloped downwards into the mountain, seemingly leading to the depths.

Lin Yu took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

The moment he entered the cave, a faint, clear light emanated from around him, dispelling the trace of abyssal death energy clinging to him.

The faint remaining restriction at the cave entrance seemed to resonate subtly with the True Monarch's aura, flickering briefly before completely dissipating.

"It seems that the statue of the True Lord is indeed the nemesis of these evil spirits." With the protection of Baff working, Lin Yu felt more at ease.

The passageway was pitch black, the air was stuffy and dry, and filled with the smell of dust.

The stone steps are severely worn, clearly indicating their age.

A faint wisp of lightning ignited at Lin Yu's fingertip, while his [Heavenly Eye] remained constantly active, vigilantly observing his surroundings.

The passage descends all the way down into the heart of the mountain.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a clearing appeared in the distance.

However, before Lin Yu could see clearly, a teeth-grinding "snap" sound suddenly rang out!

Suddenly, the stone walls on both sides of the passage ahead cracked open, and several skeletons with eerie blue flames burning on their bodies and scarlet soul fire flickering in their eye sockets, wielding rusty swords that contained eerie heat, lunged out.

"As expected, there are guards!" Lin Yu had anticipated this, and [Azure Rose] opened fire instantly.

boom! boom! boom!

The demonic bullet, imbued with the power of lightning, struck the head of a fiery skull with pinpoint accuracy. Lightning and demonic power exploded, instantly shattering the skull, extinguishing its soul fire, and scattering it across the ground.

But more fire skeletons poured out from the stone walls in front, behind, left, and right, and some even crawled out from underground, instantly blocking the passage.

They brandished burning weapons, slashing down with scorching winds, the blue flames causing a stinging pain to Lin Yu's very soul.

"Willow vines! Tie them up!"

Lin Yu gave a low shout, and countless emerald green vines burst forth from the ground, frantically coiling around the skeletons.

However, the eerie blue flames seemed to cause additional damage to the vines; once ignited, the vines would quickly wither and turn black.

"Trouble!" Lin Yu fought and retreated, drawing his [Demon Sword], the moonlight sword energy intertwined with lightning, shattering the approaching skeleton.

[Spatial Leap] was activated intermittently, dodging dense attacks and blue fireballs spewing out.

The battle was extremely fierce. These skeletons were not individually top-tier in strength, but their numbers were vast, and they were fearless of death. Their attack methods were bizarre, and they were further amplified by the abyss environment, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Meanwhile, the blue flames on these skeletons were like a persistent, intractable disease, constantly eroding his magical shield.

He had to drink the sacred spring water frequently to dispel this negative effect.

At the same time, these fire skeletons were not all trash; there were a few silver-level and even gold-level ones among them, which caused Lin Yu more trouble.

"We can't waste time here!" Lin Yu's eyes flashed, and he suddenly activated the [Heavenly Cloak].

"Covering up the sky and the sun!"

The cloak detached from the body, instantly enlarging, and crimson light surged through the passage like a tide, enveloping, compressing, and binding large numbers of fiery skeletons.

Although it couldn't trap the gold-level skeleton for long, it bought Lin Yu valuable time.

He seized the opportunity and frantically poured his magical power into the [Demon Sword].

The sword burst forth with blinding lightning, and countless ghostly phantoms, imbued with the power of thunder, swept forward like a storm.

Rumble! ...

Thunderous roars and ghostly howls echoed throughout the passage. Countless fiery skeletons shattered under the attack of this supremely yang and powerful force, which was also specifically designed to extinguish demons and monsters, and their soul flames were extinguished in large numbers.

After clearing a small section of the passage, Lin Yu didn't stop. His figure was like lightning as he rushed forward along the passage.

Scattered skeletons continued to crawl out along the way, but he casually killed them all.

After rushing for an unknown amount of time, the narrow passage ahead finally gave way to a relatively open natural grotto.

Lin Yu rushed into the cave and used several [Sealing Talismans] he had traded from other players to stick them at the entrance, temporarily forming a barrier to prevent the skeletons from following.

He leaned against the stone wall, breathing slightly heavily. The continuous high-intensity battles and the oppressive abyss environment had taken a heavy toll on him.

He quickly checked himself and found that he had only minor injuries. The main problem was the depletion of his magical and mental energy.

After taking the elixir and drinking the spiritual spring water, Lin Yu finally began to examine the grotto.

The cave was small, with some decayed prayer mats and broken pieces of alchemy furnaces scattered in the corners, suggesting it was a simple place for rest or alchemy.

Some blurry murals can be vaguely seen on the walls, but most of them have been eroded and their contents are no longer discernible.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the grotto, there is a large stone door, which seems to be the exit of the grotto.

Lin Yu glanced at the large door and frowned slightly.

Lin Yu didn't even need to think; the danger behind this stone door must be even more terrifying, after all, he had just entered the door and encountered so many fire skeletons.

Based on the weapons they carried and the remaining equipment on their bodies, Lin Yu could easily guess that these guys were most likely disciples of the Divine Fire Sect from back then.

"Fortune favors the bold. Now that we're here, it would be a shame not to explore. Besides, I have an apartment as a backup plan; if things go wrong, I can retreat immediately."

Ultimately, the desire for adventure prevailed.

Of course, Lin Yu couldn't directly put himself in danger, so he summoned a shadow clone and then sent the shadow clone through the gate.

Soon after, Lin Yu sensed that the shadow clone had died, and at the same time, a memory entered Lin Yu's mind.

It was the fate of the shadow clone.

It's actually quite simple. Not long after the shadow clone stepped out of the gate, it saw the outlines of numerous palaces. At first, it wasn't too dangerous, but soon the shadow clone encountered a fire skeleton.

Weaker ones are easier to deal with, but perhaps due to a chain reaction, after the shadow clone dealt with one skeleton, more skeletons came to chase after it. After killing some of them, the shadow clone was surrounded and killed.

Feeling the pain in his body and the memories in his mind, Lin Yu summoned another shadow clone.

……

About an hour later, Lin Yu had used his shadow clone to explore a relatively safe route.

Taking a deep breath and getting himself into peak condition, Lin Yu entered the gate.

The outlines of dilapidated palaces began to appear on both sides of the passage, with huge stone pillars collapsing and decaying fragments of magical artifacts and more skeletons of various shapes scattered on the ground.

The air was scorching and foul, and the eerie blue flames leaped among the ruins like will-o'-the-wisps, bringing light but also a deeper sense of death.

Lin Yu pushed the [Heavenly Eye] to its limit, using the routes planned by his shadow clones to carefully avoid areas with particularly chaotic energy and hordes of skeletons.

The journey was relatively smooth at first. He even found several pieces of material in a corner of a half-collapsed side hall. Although they had lost much of their spiritual power, their material was still extraordinary. He quickly put them away.

However, as they went deeper, the danger suddenly escalated.