Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 244 - 237 On the Way

Chapter 244: Chapter 237 On the Way

In reality, the three experts of the Mystical List were similar in strength to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. However, they relied more on their own martial arts skills rather than on magic artifacts or divine abilities. They also lacked skills in Formation Talismans. Compared to Qi Cultivators, they were more like Martial Cultivators who had advanced from martial artists.

After this great battle, the entire ox-cart caravan was completely disbanded.

Although the carriage looked structurally intact, it collapsed loudly shortly after Lin Xin disembarked, crushing and killing most of the people hiding inside. A great fire consumed many of the supplies.

The team had to slow down and proceed gradually, and with many wounded, the journey became increasingly difficult.

Fortunately, Lin Xin found two storage bags on the bodies of Phantom Demon and Furious Swordsman, filled with many essentials for survival like water and food.

Furthermore, the number of people in the caravan had decreased significantly due to the battle; those who were severely injured delayed for a while before dying. This reduced the burden of supplies significantly.

After some simple repairs, the remaining group, all of whom regarded Lin Xin as the leader, consisted of only one cart’s worth of people.

Having awakened, Ma Yuan and several team leaders dared not express any objections. If it weren’t for Lin Xin’s timely intervention, the caravan would have likely perished under the siege of the three Mystical List experts.

Passing through the cloud wall, there was a dark passageway made of grey clouds behind the murky cloud wall.

The passageway was cylindrical, with only oppressive, rolling clouds flowing inside.

As the caravan moved forward, Lin Xin took the opportunity to examine the Green Fish Lamp he had acquired.

*********************

Outside the window, strands of cloud from the black cloud channel twisted and swept past ceaselessly.

Lin Xin sat by the window, carefully examining the small object in his hand.

The Green Fish Lamp rested in his right palm, emitting a faint green glow. The symbol on its surface was still unclear.

He turned it over and over in his palm, but he couldn’t seem to memorize the form of the symbol.

"Quite interesting," Lin Xin murmured as he caressed the gem, releasing a slight amount of Spiritual Energy, attempting to probe its interior.

But it was to no avail, as the interior of the Green Fish Lamp seemed to house an immensely strong force, which, though serene, circulated continuously like a vortex.

He took out another storage bag and pulled out two thick volumes from it, one black and one light yellow, each inscribed with tiny script.

Heavenly Wings Technique and Unparalleled Staff Technique.

These two volumes were evidently the most prized martial secrets of Furious Swordsman and Phantom Demon respectively.

Recalling the earlier battle, it seemed these were the two Cultivation Decisions they had used.

"The Cultivation Techniques I’ve obtained are already numerous. Among the myriad techniques, there are almost always commonalities; they simply utilize different forces and approach these forces in different ways, but the essence is similar."

He opened the two volumes, and indeed, the contents were similar to what he had seen before. The thought processes were roughly the same.

Closing the small volumes, his gaze returned primarily to the Green Fish Lamp in his hand.

"Rumors have it that a mystery of longevity is hidden within..."

Dong dong dong...

The door was knocked.

"Come in. The door is unlocked," Lin Xin dismissed the Green Fish Lamp and the secret texts and transmitted his voice.

With a click, the door slowly opened.

Ma Qiuqiu first poked her little head in, followed by her father Ma Yuan and another male team leader.

"I apologize for the intrusion."

Ma Yuan said respectfully with a smile.

"Sir... it was my father who insisted on coming over to see you," Ma Qiuqiu said without hesitation, selling out her father with a pout of displeasure on her face.

"Mr. Ma, is there something troubling you?" Lin Xin motioned to the few chairs on the side. "Please, have a seat."

"Oh, no, no..." Ma Yuan smiled. "Mr. Lin, this... the repaired ox cart, do you think it’s alright?"

"It’s fine. After all, it’s made from combining three carts, so the quality is much better," Lin Xin joked casually.

"Ah... it’s like this..." Ma Yuan hesitated, "The path we are currently on is the second zone of the Yang Path, called the Black Cloud Channel."

"The second zone? So, the entire Yang Path is divided into several parts?" Lin Xin asked curiously.

"Exactly," Ma Yuan nodded. "I came here to ask you to be aware that this channel harbors a type of insect called the Half-Grass Insect. They gather in groups, covering the skies, and their color blends with the black clouds, making them hard to defend against. I used to have the protection of the Black Mountain Buddha, which didn’t disturb the Spiritual Energy waves, so there was no danger when passing through. But now, the Black Mountain Buddha has been destroyed..."

"You want me to protect the caravan?" Lin Xin continued his thought.

"Although I know it’s an inconvenience, sir, we have no other choice as we are caught between two difficult decisions," Ma Yuan said helplessly.

Lin Xin pondered for a moment.

"Do you have any specific information?"

"Nothing much; just hoping, sir, could you infuse a bit of your Spiritual Energy into this," Ma Yuan said with a bitter smile, handing over a black metal disc resembling a compass, intricately carved with landscape and terrain, unidentifiable as anything specific.

"This is my uniquely crafted Landscape Disc. It can automatically blend our essence with the environment and even record the terrain," Ma Yuan noted with a hint of pride.

"A fine piece," Lin Xin received it and quickly observed it, indeed noting a tiny red line on the black disc, strikingly noticeable and slowly advancing like a living insect.

"This red line is our trajectory, and as you can see, I have also marked the destination. We’ve walked less than one-tenth of the way," Ma Yuan explained, approaching to discuss the insights of the Landscape Disc.

"Mr. Ma is truly a skilled craftsman," Lin Xin complimented. "The craftsmanship here, combined with this peculiar insect, is simple in principle, but very effective."

"You’re too kind, sir," Ma Yuan said with a smile as he began to recount his experience of making the landscape tray.

Lin Xin listened with a smile, occasionally glancing down at the landscape tray for comparison. This thing was indeed remarkable, functioning like a real-life automatic mini-map.

Crack.

Suddenly, a faint noise came from outside the carriage.

Although the sound was soft, it clearly interrupted Ma Yuan’s speech.

He was speaking when he suddenly stopped abruptly and listened intently.

Crack crack... crack crack crack...

Following that, a series of faint impacts became more frequent and dense.

"It’s the half-grass insects!" Ma Yuan’s expression changed drastically.

"Could the caravan catch one for me to take a look?" Lin Xin, however, was unhurried.

"That’s no problem!" Ma Yuan immediately calmed down, "Qiuqiu, come with me."

The three of them excused themselves temporarily and soon returned, bringing with them a small porcelain bottle containing a little something.

The thing was alive; Lin Xin felt it as soon as they entered the door.

He took the porcelain bottle and gently pulled out the stopper. Inside, a black insect resembling a fly—only much larger, about the size of a thumb—lay barely alive. Its tail was swollen and pale yellow, seemingly filled with lots of fluid, and now it seemed to be knocked out.

Casually drawing a few runes in mid-air, Lin Xin gently tore open the insect’s body to closely observe its internal structure.

Before long, he stopped his movements and placed the insect’s corpse back in the porcelain bottle, setting it aside.

"This is just right. If it were something else, it might be more troublesome, but this insect is simple," he said with a smile.

"Please, sir, take action!" Ma Yuan immediately bowed happily in gratitude. He didn’t even mention infusing the landscape tray with Spiritual Energy anymore; that was merely a temporary measure.

Qiuqiu was also forced to bow her head along with the leader who had come in.

Having spent more time with Lin Xin, Qiuqiu seemed to now regard him with a subtle reverence—a mix of respect and the instinctive fear of a small animal afraid of getting hurt.

Lin Xin observed this and sighed inwardly, "The gap is too great after all. Not everyone can be indifferent to the disparities in strength and life levels."

It was alright not knowing, but once known, a distance naturally formed. It wasn’t about willingness but simply about what naturally occurred.

"You all go back to your posts. Do not stay here, for it might harm you."

Lin Xin said calmly.

"Remember to have everyone stuff their ears with something."

"Understood." Ma Yuan led his daughter and others out, Qiuqiu seemed like she wanted to say something more, but she didn’t speak up, perhaps because there wasn’t a right moment, or maybe for some other reason.

The door slowly closed.

Lin Xin sighed, stood up,

and took down the Red Flower Sword from the wall.

"No wonder cultivators, as they attain higher proficiency, travel less in worldly affairs—perhaps this is what they mean by ’the higher you climb, the colder it gets’?"

He reflected for a moment, then slowly drew the Red Flower Sword, holding it in front of him.

The blade, glowing red as if stained with blood, reflected his current expression.

With a flick of his finger.

Ding.....!

A long, piercing sound of the sword ringing suddenly spread, the sword blade trembling violently, accompanied by a buzzing vibration.

The sound, with great penetrative force, moved through the room’s wooden panels, across the cattle cart corridor, penetrating the outer walls of the carriage.

Everyone hiding and praying inside the carriages heard it.

Ma Yuan and the others who had just left also heard it, and they turned back simultaneously.

"Quick, find something to plug your ears!" Ma Yuan immediately realized.

Everyone hurriedly informed others, stuffing rags or clothes into their ears.

Ding!!!

The second sword chime spread out again.

Inside the dark passageway, the giant white cattle cart trudged along, with swarms of black flying insects surrounding the white cattle and the carriages, enveloping them like a big dark cloud.

But with the first sound of the sword chime, all the densely packed thousands of insects suddenly shuddered, slowing their movements significantly.

After the second sound, a portion of the insects began to fall off vaguely.

Ding!!

The third sound was the most crisp and sharp.

Everyone felt a pain in their ears, extremely uncomfortable.

The insects outside the carriage, however, shuddered again, stiffened for a moment,

and then started to fall crazily like raindrops, densely hitting the ground and the carriages, with many falling on and around the white cattle.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)