Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 248 - 241: Central Prefecture - Part 1

Chapter 248: Chapter 241: Central Prefecture - Part 1

"I was a hair’s breadth away from turning into a complete living dead...."

Lin Xin touched his face, his heart still filled with some emotion.

Suddenly, the sound of faint, delicate footsteps came from outside the door.

"Qiuqiu, you’ve come to see Master again."

"Yes, it’s been several days since I last came. Maybe Master has already woken up, who knows," a gentle and mature female voice came through. It sounded somewhat like Ma Qiuqiu, but a bit older.

Lin Xin was slightly taken aback and glanced around the room, noticing that some corners had gathered dust that hadn’t been cleaned away.

The books on the bookshelf were also somewhat yellowed at the edges, as though a long time had passed.

"Could it be that this round of cultivation practice took a very long time?" He furrowed his brows slightly.

Soon the footsteps approached the door and gently nudged it.

Creak...

The door opened.

Standing at the door was a young woman in a pink dress, looking astonished at her hand. It seemed she didn’t expect to be able to push the door open so easily.

She lifted her head, took another look inside the room, and then her gaze locked with Lin Xin’s instantly.

"The door...it can be opened...?" She seemed unable to believe it.

Looking up, she locked eyes with Lin Xin for a few seconds.

Suddenly, the woman’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted with a ’thud’ on the ground.

The last thing Lin Xin could see was the full panic in her eyes.

This girl has been scared into fainting.....

He looked at his arm.

"Does it look that scary?"

There was not a bit of flesh on his arm, it was merely skin tightly clinging to the bones of a skeleton.

"It does seem a bit...," he touched his chin, murmuring.

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

The steam from the hot tea billowed and dispersed slowly between the two.

Lin Xin and the young woman who had just fainted were sitting together.

"So you’re saying, I’ve been out of touch for three years?" Lin Xin frowned.

"Yes." The woman was indeed Ma Qiuqiu. But now, she had matured into a slightly more mature young woman.

"Since that incident, Master has been completely in a coma, no matter how we pushed, we could not open the door. We could only move forward relying on our own strength. Along the way, we faced incessant challenges, and the number of people dwindled constantly. Now, there are only more than ten people still alive."

As she spoke, Ma Qiuqiu’s eyes reddened slightly, obviously, she had endured many hardships over these three years.

"There’s just one more stretch before we reach Central Prefecture, but it’s also the most difficult part of the journey. My father was also seriously injured and has been left disabled...."

"You’ve worked hard...." Lin Xin sighed too, the once naïve and adorable kid was now mature, no longer as innocent as before, one could only imagine the trials she had gone through these past three years.

"It’s fortunate that Master has woken up, otherwise we really wouldn’t know what to do. We’ve already been stuck in this desert for over a month and can’t find a way out."

"Desert?" Lin Xin only then noticed that outside the window was a stretch of purple sand dunes, devoid of any other color, as if countless pieces of purple sand were piled up together.

"This is the Yang Path on the edge of Central Prefecture, still within the Great Plains, just a part of it.

But the Landscape Map has lost its Spiritual Energy, and the Mage... after an accident last year...without direction, we’ve faced several Blood Beast attacks and only dared to stay put. We made camp right here and searched for sustenance in the surrounding area," Ma Qiuqiu explained softly.

"Now that’s better, fortunately, Master finally woke up. We will definitely be able to reach Central Prefecture safely."

A relaxed expression re-emerged on her face.

"Do you have any plans after reaching Central Prefecture, Master?"

"Plans?" This question caught Lin Xin off guard.

He had embarked on this direction alone, seeking a way to dispel the Illusion, following the advice of the Red Leaf Sword Master.

But as for plans, he genuinely had no special ideas or goals. To discern his intentions, he would have to ponder carefully,

Why the Red Leaf Sword Master wanted him to come to the Western Extreme Land. Central Prefecture was not really considered the Western Extreme Land. Perhaps he needed to continue westward.

"As for plans...." Just as he was about to speak, suddenly he felt the pocket of his shirt over his chest grow burning hot.

He reached into his pocket, which seemed to be the one containing the Qilin Lamp.

"If you don’t have any other plans, why not allow my daughter and me to host you for a while? What do you say? We’ve been to Central Prefecture several times and are rather familiar with it," the voice of Ma Yuan appeared at the door.

"Ma Yuan seeks an audience with Master," he added at the end.

"Come in," Lin Xin turned his head toward the door.

The door slowly opened, revealing a somewhat aged face, which was more haggard and graying compared to Ma Yuan from a few years back, with one leg lame, walking unevenly.

"Ma Yuan, pays his respects to Master." Behind him, many people were waiting at the door, and on the faces that briefly flashed by, there were also expressions of excitement and relief, clearly, everyone was very optimistic about Lin Xin’s awakening.

"It really is regrettable... Ma troop." Lin Xin sighed, "A mishap with my Cultivation Technique has delayed me for years, leading the team to this state."

"Please, don’t say that..." Ma Yuan gave a bitter smile, "After all, it was my own carelessness that led to the calamity of the Azure Fish Lantern. If it were not for the Master’s intervention, we would likely have met with more misfortune than good fortune, possibly dying in the wilderness long ago."

The three of them settled down, and Lin Xin started inquiring about their current location. He also asked for a lot of food and drinks to be brought up. While discussing the situation, they ate and drank heartily to replenish their food supply.

Having not eaten in several years, even with his robust physique, he had had no choice but to consume until he became skeletal, barely sustaining himself up until now.

After finishing the food, Ma Yuan and his daughter could clearly see his skin regaining fullness like a water-filled bag, gradually replenishing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Stunned to speechlessness, the two then showed Lin Xin their current location.

"The place we are in now is called the Amethyst Road, about five hundred miles from the Central Prefecture. However, there’s a giant chameleon that roams around looking for food. We’ve tried several times to sprint past; nevertheless, our efforts always end in vain. Even the Giant White Ox was eaten by it... We’ve lost many people, too."

"So, how far are we from the Southern Prefecture now?" Lin Xin casually asked.

"How far..."

Ma Yuan took out the Landscape Map, "Master, if you infuse some Spiritual Energy into it, you will be able to see."

Lin Xin took the plate, rapidly channeling a strand of Spiritual Energy into it.

The red line on the Landscape Map suddenly extended swiftly, transforming from just half its course to four-fifths, and settling on a faint red dot. Obviously, it had been halted for quite a while due to a lack of Spiritual Energy.

"Are we almost there?" he noted the entire Landscape Map carefully and returned it to Ma Yuan.

"Take me to see that creature blocking the path."

Ma Yuan and Ma Qiuqiu visibly rejoiced, their faces flush with eager anticipation.

"Now?"

"Now."

"Mister is indeed forthright!" Ma Qiuqiu could not help but laugh.

The three got up, stepped out the door, and saw a large crowd all with scars on their bodies, some even disabled, eagerly waiting outside the room.

The conversation the three had just had was obviously overheard by everyone.

Ma Yuan went to report to each one in turn, instantly sparking an uproar. All had their eyes ardently fixed on Lin Xin.

"Let’s go." Not concerned with how Ma Yuan would handle the crowd’s emotions, Lin Xin was more intent on resolving the situation and proceeding to the Central Prefecture. It had been dragged out for so long that probably nothing was left for food and drink in the team. They had only self-sought supplies from the surroundings to rely on.

A quick glance around and many already showed signs of malnutrition. If they delayed any further, the ones who would die might not be the ones before but nearly everyone present could fall ill.

The three led a small troop of people down from the ox cart.

The Giant White Ox was gone, leaving only a huge white skeletal frame on the sandy ground behind the massive, twisted carriage.

Lin Xin descended from the cart, looking all around.

The area was entirely a boundless expanse of rolling sand dunes, with the purple sand reflecting the sunlight as far as the eye could see, like the most delicate and smooth piece of art, flawless and breathtakingly beautiful.

"The only Spirit Devouring Monster and Blood Beast nearby is that chameleon. Sir only needs to release a bit of Spiritual Energy fluctuation to draw it here," whispered Ma Yuan.

Lin Xin nodded.

"You all retreat and prepare to evacuate at any moment. I alone am sufficient."

Knowing they couldn’t be of help, Ma Yuan and others, including Ma Qiuqiu, moved away from Lin Xin, back to the carriage.

Lin Xin moved forward along the dunes, climbing the soft sands methodically. With each step up the dune, his feet sank into the sand.

Standing on the peak of the dune, he gently gripped the hilt of the Red Flower Sword.

His other hand rose, and from the palm, a wisp of extremely faint red Spiritual Energy slowly ascended.

This Spiritual Energy subtly hinted at an evolving vivacity.

Lin Xin’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Ever since I invented the Qilin technique, it seems that all the Spiritual Sword Qi in my body has somewhat changed in quality. It’s as if it can activate on its own, quite peculiar."

At this moment, he didn’t dwell too much on it and gently released his control.

The strand of Spiritual Energy rose from his palm, suspended like smoke before him.

Hissss...!

Suddenly, he sensed a vast and somewhat mixed aura from the east. After a brief pause, it quickly surged in his direction.

Moments later, in the distance of the desert, he could faintly see a giant chameleon, the size of an elephant, rapidly crawling towards him with a forked tongue flicking in and out.

Its crawling was peculiar, swaying from side to side, and its enormous purple tail also swung in coordination, whipping up a powerful gust of wind. As it exhaled, one could glimpse droplets of sticky saliva, evidently laden with deadly poison.

"It seems like an existence akin to a Blood Beast, undying and indestructible, yet devoid of consciousness," Lin Xin carefully sensed the giant chameleon and after a moment, understood the composition of its structure.

Boom! Thump thump thump thump!!.....

The purple chameleon ferociously charged at Lin Xin, its every step leaving large palm imprints in the desert. Its huge body rocked from side to side, stirring up a hefty breeze.

Boom!

When it was dozens of meters away from Lin Xin, the chameleon abruptly pressed its forelimbs into the ground, propelling its body into a flying leap.

Hissss!!

Its enormous red tongue curled towards Lin Xin like lightning, surprisingly sprouting an enchantingly beautiful woman’s upper body at the tip. The woman’s clawed hands were sharp, her mouth curved into a smile, her bare upper body and purple hair billowing as she lunged. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)