Chapter 2: The Mysterious and Wonderful Fate of the Immortals in the Mountain Cave Heaven

  Time flies like water in the east wind, fleeting and easily passing by.

  The sky was just bright, a pleasant mobile phone ringtone sounded, eight people turned over and sat up, dressed and washed, packed up, each carrying a bag, stuffed some food and drinks, facing the cold wind, rushed out of the dormitory door.

  Arriving at the girls' dormitory entrance, I saw eight girls, each dressed brightly, with long clothes fitting closely to their bodies, rising and falling in a rhythmic motion, outlining beautiful figures, exuding a youthful aura.

  Ruan Qiuhua smiled and came forward, "If you don't come out now, we'll have to make a phone call!"

  "Let's go for a walk! On such a cold day, if we don't get some exercise, it's really unbearable!"

  A dozen people walked out of the school gate, stopped four taxis and rushed straight to Qianfo Mountain.

  Qianfo Mountain was formerly known as Lishan, also known as Shun'geng Mountain. According to legend, it was named after the Buddhist monks who carved stone Buddhas on the cliffs during the Sui Dynasty and built the Thousand Buddha Temple. It is said that although its history is long, it is not a famous mountain or river, and compared with the Five Great Mountains and Huangshan, it is far inferior, but it can also be considered passable.

  A dozen or so people were all first-year students, none older than twenty, in the prime of their youth. Although they couldn't be described as having grand ambitions, they were absolutely full of energy and vitality. On the way up the mountain, they moved at an extremely fast pace, arriving at the summit in less than half an hour, laughing and joking along the way.

  At that time, the sky was gradually brightening, although the strong wind was still howling, but several people were climbing all the way, and the heat was steaming, so they didn't feel it.

  Upon reaching the summit, I felt the force of the strong wind in my face. Looking down at the city below, although the mountain wasn't extremely steep, it was by no means flat either. Chu Ping only felt dizzy spells, his whole body went limp, and his legs trembled violently. He picked a large rock with a smooth surface to sit on and didn't move again.

  Ruan Qiuhua leaned in and pulled Chu Ping, "Chu Ping, come take a photo together!"

  Chu Ping shook her head, her face pale and her lips dry. "You go ahead, I'm a bit acrophobic, I don't dare move!"

  A girl behind Ruan Qiuhua heard Chu Ping's words and also leaned over, giggling and saying, "Come on, you're a man and you're afraid of this little height?"

  Saying so, he also reached out his hand to pull Chu Ping over.

  Chu Ping waved her hands and refused to get up no matter what.

  Liu Qiang also came over and looked at Chu Ping's pale face. "Xiao Ping, you're not really acrophobic, are you?"

  Chu Ping nodded reluctantly, looking at a few people standing on the edge of the cliff in various poses. The strong wind blew over, and their clothes fluttered loudly. She felt a wave of dizziness and turned her head back, not daring to look again. "You guys go have fun, don't worry about me!"

  Liu Qiang nodded, "Then we'll go first and come back to find you later!"

  Chu Ping murmured "Hmm" and closed her eyes, no longer speaking. Her hands still clutched the stone beneath her with great force.

  Ruan Qiuhua seemed to want to stay, but seeing Chu Ping close her eyes, she didn't say anything and followed Liu Qiang and another girl to leave.

  Chu Ping let out a long sigh, his body stiff, but his heart racing wildly. His whole body seemed to be beyond control, his legs trembling and shaking uncontrollably. He couldn't help but lament in his heart, "What suffering! I still fantasize about being able to fly over rooftops and traverse the skies like those people, what a ridiculous notion!"

  Sitting upright on a rock, facing the cold wind of a clear winter morning, the heat from climbing up the mountain had long since dissipated. The thick coat seemed like thin silk, and Chu Ping couldn't help but feel a chill, with goosebumps all over her body. Looking out into the distance, she saw her classmates standing at the edge of the cliff, either leaning against trees or half-suspended in mid-air, and she felt dizzy again.

  Cold, dizzy, body seems out of control, head feels like it's being stirred by countless sharp needles, as if about to faint at any moment.

  Taking a deep breath of cold air, his spirits slightly lifted, and he was about to swing his arms and stand up to warm himself, when suddenly a great force surged from beneath him, and it seemed as if the sound of countless thunderclaps was ringing in his ears. Chu Ping instantly fell into boundless darkness.

  "Haha..."

  A loud burst of laughter came over and Chu Ping finally woke up.

  Regaining consciousness, she saw the scene in front of her and it seemed like Chu Ping was about to faint again.

  What appeared before me was no longer a scene of high mountains and distant skies, but rather a pale blue glow, like ripples on water, spreading out in circles. As it expanded to about three meters, it was blocked by a ring of golden light. The blue light immediately dissolved into a watery sheen, like snow that had been splashed with hot water, and shot upwards, rushing into the interior of a nine-story pagoda above.

  "This is..."

  Chu Ping was somewhat stunned.

  "After waiting for so many years, I finally see a young person who seems to have some talent!"

  A loud noise rang out, breaking Chu Ping's astonishment and shock. In the center of that ball of green light, a fist-sized ball of light suddenly condensed into a three-inch-tall human figure with eyes like lightning, sharp and piercing, staring straight at Chu Ping.

  As she gazed out at this scene, Chu Ping suddenly fell silent and still, unaware of why herself. She looked around, but it was endless darkness that stretched out to unknown distances without edge or boundary, and she herself was just a faint, dim glow.

  "What are you?!"

  Chu Ping was surprised at his own calmness and asked aloud.

  "Me, haha..."

  A three-inch-tall figure suddenly burst out laughing again, "What I am is unimportant, what's important is how you will react!"

  "What will happen to me then?"

  Chu Ping became more and more calm, only asking.

  That person didn't respond, but muttered to himself, "Not bad, not bad. Although his qi and blood are weak, and his spirit is insufficient, he's still quite pure, and not very old either. Finally, I've found him!"

  Chu Ping didn't show any doubt, and if he still had a physical body now, he would have furrowed his brow again. He calmly asked, "Immortal?"

  "Have you ever seen such a wretched immortal?!"

  She smiled faintly, "Although I've never seen a fairy, it shouldn't be like this! Then who are you?"

  "Who am I? What does it matter who I am? Like a fleeting cloud, all past things are like smoke and clouds, changing and impermanent. Human life is vague and indistinct. Even if you know who I am, what's the point? As long as you know what I can give you, that's enough!"

  Chu Ping furrowed his brow again, he was already out of place on a normal day, and unexpectedly today he encountered someone even more unreasonable!

  "Kid, get to the point. Right now you're just a mortal body, and your own qi, blood, and spirit are extremely weak. If this goes on for long, I'm afraid you'll even lose your soul and won't be able to reincarnate in the next life!"

  "Alright then, you tell me!"

  "Good, good, good", the other side said three "good"s in a row. "Now I'm being suppressed by this precious pagoda, those monks are just wasting their efforts, thinking that adding a few ancient Buddha relics on top would make my soul scatter, but they don't know it's just a dog's tail added to a sable coat, all for nothing. If I'm not mistaken, this pagoda seems to have some connection with my sect!"

  Chu listened quietly and didn't say anything.

  Chu Ping is normally taciturn and inarticulate, all the more so now that he finds himself in a world he completely fails to understand.

  "Later, I will exhaust all my strength to break through the seal and erase the marks of these monks in this pagoda. At that time, even if my soul is scattered and disappears without a trace, this treasure will still be an ownerless divine object, you can take it for yourself!"

  In the midst of the emerald halo, a ring suddenly emerged, its green hue intertwining with the light, radiating a kaleidoscope of colors, clearly not an ordinary object.

  "This is a storage ring I used in my early years, but unfortunately the magical artifacts and divine weapons inside were all damaged in that war back then, and they all broke under this treasure pagoda, leaving only one divine sword. And there are also some ancient books I collected when I traveled around the world!"

  "Our sect's secret methods are also within it, and the annotations of our predecessors' experiences are all laid out in it. You can ponder and comprehend them yourself!"

  "Is that all?"

  That person seemed surprised too, but smiled and said "It's all over!"

  "Why me?"

  "Good question!" The man's tone was somewhat appreciative, "My magical powers are restricted by this treasure, not even one in a thousand can be effective, I can only capture some people with weak souls. Over the years, I've seen quite a few, but unfortunately, they're either old and frail or their spirits are polluted. You're not bad, you'll do."

  Although the other party's words were only eight or nine, Chu Ping was able to guess roughly based on his countless experiences. It was nothing more than a Yuan Shen who had been sealed by his opponent, taking himself in and passing on his teachings before he died.

  It was just such a huge blow to his own head, and Chu Ping still couldn't believe it. After all, myths and legends were still far away from the real world, and in his daily life, he only listened to them casually.

  "Even if I cultivate now, I'm afraid I'll still be far inferior to those who have been practicing since childhood in the sect. I'm afraid I won't be able to achieve great accomplishments and won't be able to help you avenge!"

  After a moment's deliberation, Chu Ping carefully considered the tone of the imitation and said slowly.

  "'Achievement?' The man's tone was somewhat mocking. 'Hard work is important, but it's not the only way. Ancient cultivators didn't all start practicing from a young age. As for accumulating thickly and bursting forth thinly, if one has a deep understanding of the 'Way', then taking a step to ascend to heaven isn't a difficult matter!'"

  "I have achieved a complete body, but I haven't wasted anything. All of it has been absorbed by this tower and transformed into the primordial energy of heaven and earth. As long as your Dao realm is sufficient, you can refine it and surpass those disciples from sects who use heavenly pills to wash their marrow!"

  Chu Ping wanted to ask again, but the man waved his hand, "Time is limited, the foundation of cultivation is still in oneself, others can only point out, but cannot replace your own cultivation. I will now break through the seal, and the future will depend on yourself!"

  Suddenly, the three-inch-tall figure's entire body was covered with countless intersecting lines of muscles and veins, and the surrounding swirling green light suddenly converged to a point like a whale taking in water, before bursting out.

  The heavens shook, golden light shattered like a mirror, dazzling rays scattered and danced, mighty energy surged and roared like a fierce tiger or dragon. Chu Ping felt as if he was being pierced by billions of sharp needles, the pain unbearable, and involuntarily let out a cry of agony. Suddenly, a green light appeared, followed by several white lights, mixed with a few-inch-high square pagoda, which burst into his soul, sending him flying high.