Chapter 135: The Purifying Lotus
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Jing Nan murmured quietly to herself, “There are so many people here,” her gaze sweeping over the crowd that surrounded them.
In just a fraction of the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yu Zhao and her five companions had reached the source of the radiant beam they had been following. However, what they found left them stunned. Over three hundred cultivators had already gathered at the site, and more continued to arrive, adding to the already overwhelming numbers.
Yu Zhao’s heart sank as she took in the scene before her. The sheer number of cultivators would complicate their mission, but she found some solace in the fact that there were no Nascent Soul cultivators among them. That gave her a glimmer of hope—she still had a chance to claim what she had come for.
Suddenly, a flash of red caught her eye. A figure dressed in a red robe was dragging two familiar figures behind them. Yu Zhao’s brow twitched in recognition, but she wasn’t surprised. What did puzzle her was the state of those two individuals—they looked beaten down, almost like dogs that had been dragged through the mud.
After a brief glance, Yu Zhao turned away, pretending not to know them.
Cui Jue, whose senses were dulled and whose spiritual consciousness was locked within him, was completely oblivious to the brief glance Yu Zhao had thrown his way. However, Fang Cheng Lang was not so unobservant. The moment he entered the area, his eyes instinctively sought out Yu Zhao in the crowd. When he finally spotted her, a small flicker of a smile crossed his face, but it quickly faded as he recalled the dire situation he and Cui Jue were in. A wave of regret washed over him as he realized that she might risk herself to save them, something he desperately didn’t want.
He couldn’t bear the thought of causing his Little Six any more pain.
But what hurt the most was seeing her look at them, only to turn away as if they were complete strangers.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. A sharp pain stabbed through Fang Cheng Lang’s chest, making every breath feel like torture. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Yu Zhao’s figure, and his heart silently screamed: Little Six, look at your senior brother! He misses you! Really misses you…
“Hey, why are you crying?” Yao Wuji, who stood nearby, glanced at Fang Cheng Lang with a look of disdain. “In a moment, I won’t have the energy to look after you. If you don’t want to end up as someone else’s prey, you’d better toughen up. Stop sniveling; it’s pitiful.”
Fang Cheng Lang didn’t need the reminder. He had already noticed the malicious stares aimed at him and Cui Jue. Swallowing his sorrow, he moved to shield Cui Jue behind him. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t let Cui Jue die before him.
Meanwhile, the attention of everyone present was drawn to the glowing pillar of light at the center of the marsh. The light was emanating from the middle of the black swamp, which was shrouded in a faint green miasma. Within the pillar of light, a lotus-shaped object could be faintly seen, its ethereal beauty captivating all who laid eyes on it.
Some of the more knowledgeable cultivators quickly identified the mysterious object.
“That’s a Purifying Lotus, born from filth!”
“A Purifying Lotus? The one that can produce a Purifying Pill from a single seed!”
“Born in impurity, yet pure and unstained! It’s truly a Purifying Lotus!”
The news spread like wildfire, and soon the excitement of the crowd reached a fever pitch.
A Purifying Pill was a fourth-grade pill, and each one was worth around a hundred high-grade spirit stones. A single lotus pod with nine seeds could easily fetch a thousand high-grade spirit stones when combined with its petals. For lone rogue cultivators, this was a fortune beyond imagination.
The atmosphere grew tense as the prospect of such a valuable treasure ignited a desperate greed in the hearts of the cultivators present.
Taking advantage of the distraction provided by the four female cultivators from the Hundred Flowers Valley, Ji Han Zhou slipped next to Yu Zhao and whispered, “Senior Sister Yu Zhao, why aren’t they making a move?”
The appearance of the light pillar indicated that the medicinal herb was mature, so why hadn’t the cultivators who arrived first already rushed to harvest the Purifying Lotus? Standing around the edge of the swamp, they seemed to be waiting for someone else to take the first step.
Yu Zhao was pondering the same question. Her sharp gaze swept over the cultivators in the front row, and she quickly came to a conclusion. Their eyes darted nervously, and their faces were tense—clear signs of fear. They must have witnessed something terrifying that had stopped them from moving forward.
Just as Yu Zhao was about to share her thoughts with Ji Han Zhou, several figures suddenly leaped from the crowd, shooting toward the light pillar like bolts of lightning. Their action triggered a chain reaction, with dozens of other cultivators joining the rush from different angles, all aiming for the Purifying Lotus at the swamp’s center.
But as their bodies entered the miasma’s range, something unexpected happened.
It was as if they suddenly lost control of their bodies, plunging from the sky and crashing into the swamp one after another.
What happened next shocked everyone to their core.
The moment those cultivators touched the swamp, the parts of their bodies that made contact began to dissolve at an alarming rate. Within seconds, some lost both legs, while others had half their faces eaten away, exposing bare skulls.
Their screams of agony echoed across the swamp, only to be swallowed by the eerie silence that followed.
For a long moment, the entire area was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Finally, the crowd began to stir, their emotions boiling over.
“The miasma is deadly, and the swamp devours anything that touches it! There’s no way to approach the Purifying Lotus!”
“This is terrifying! The Purifying Lotus truly isn’t something mere mortals like us can dream of obtaining.”
“Does anyone know how to disperse the miasma? Without it gone, none of us can get close to the Purifying Lotus!”
The cultivators grew increasingly anxious, their frustration mounting. Yet, knowing that everyone was in the same predicament brought them a small measure of comfort.
“Cultivator Mo Ci, your Hundred Flowers Valley frequently ventures into swamps. Have you ever encountered such a potent miasma before?” Yu Zhao asked, turning to Mo Ci.
Mo Ci sighed bitterly. “Never. If the sect had known such a powerful miasma existed here, they wouldn’t have sent us to collect nectar.”
In other words, Mo Ci and her companions had no solution for dealing with the miasma either.
Yu Zhao thought for a moment, then beckoned Ji Han Zhou closer and whispered a few instructions into his ear. He nodded and quietly made his way toward the swamp.
His movement immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd. Ignoring the pressure, Ji Han Zhou approached the edge of the swamp and began tossing various items into it—spirit stones, beast bones, and even a defensive treasure known for its durability.
But without exception, everything he threw in was swiftly corroded, disintegrating completely in less than three breaths.
Ji Han Zhou looked back at Yu Zhao, who shook her head, signaling him to return.
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Yu Zhao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. This was the first time she had encountered a situation so tricky that she couldn’t find a solution. She decided to wait and see if anyone else in the crowd might come up with an idea.
An hour passed.
The cultivators were still helpless, staring at the swamp in frustration.
Another hour went by.
People were starting to get restless.
Suddenly, a sharp, caustic voice cut through the crowd. “If we can’t go from above, why not go through the swamp?”
“If you want to be devoured without a trace, go right ahead. Don’t drag the rest of us down with you!” someone retorted angrily.
The sharp voice spoke again, “I’ve been observing. It takes five breaths for the swamp to fully consume a person. If we throw a few people into the swamp at intervals and step on them, we could reach the Purifying Lotus and make it back.”
The crowd fell silent once more, a heavy, murderous aura slowly spreading through the air.