Several decades ago, numerous cultivators from the renowned factions - the Purple Heaven Holy Land, the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace, and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple, boldly embarked on a journey to explore the mysterious Bottomless Abyss.
In those early days, some naïve individuals succumbed to the corruption of the Bottomless Abyss Spiritual Qi!
Inevitably, without any exceptions, these hapless souls transformed into ravenous killers and were ruthlessly annihilated.
Even individuals with influential backers found themselves powerless to reverse their conditions!
In essence, it appeared that there was no remedy once a cultivator was tainted by the spiritual Qi of the Bottomless Abyss!
In due time, the daring explorations into the Bottomless Abyss ceased altogether.
Although Ji Mingxiu had existed through many epochs and attained the Dao Palace realm, he never fully ventured into the Bottomless Abyss, merely extending his divine sense from the periphery to conduct preliminary explorations, which yielded no insights.
Subsequently, after a comprehensive examination of Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing's conditions, he recognized that the symptoms plaguing both women bore a striking resemblance to those detailed in ancient scripts concerning cultivators corrupted by the spiritual Qi of the Bottomless Abyss!
In plain terms, Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing were all but certain to be condemned as vicious, blood-crazed lunatics!
If that were to transpire, would their fate be any different from meeting death!?
"No! No!!"
"Why, why has this occurred!"
"I have but this one daughter! Oh Heavens, why!!"
Silence ensued.
Ji Mingxiu trembled as if thunderstruck, his countenance instantly marred by the trails of age-old tears!
"Master!!"
"Is it possible that even you cannot heal Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing!?"
"What, what, what is transpiring here!"
Stillness permeated the air.
Jiang Chen's expression embodied a combination of incomparable horror and disbelief, as he cried out in sheer panic.
"No!"
Still submerged in his grief, Ji Mingxiu's entire aura was in tumult, his eyes brimming with a wild desperation.
"Master!"
"Please regain your composure!"
Jiang Chen, with an affectation of terror, implored, "With your formidable abilities, combined with the might of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, you surely possess the power to cure Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing!"
"Difficult... exceedingly difficult, bordering on impossibility..."
Ji Mingxiu's body abruptly slackened, radiating an aura of defeat and the glow in his eyes rapidly dimmed.
Replacing it was a dawning sense of despair.
"How can this be!"
"Even with the rich heritage of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, we are unable to cure them!?"
Jiang Chen exclaimed in utter disbelief, "We have esteemed elders like Mo Yu within our Holy Land, and I've heard from Miss Ruxue that our Holy Land possesses legacies reaching the Transcendence realm."
"This cannot be."
"We can't even halt the deterioration of their conditions!"
"Even in the epoch when the Holy Land was graced by the presence of Transcendence realm powerhouses, there was no remedy for such symptoms."
The desolation in Ji Mingxiu's eyes deepened even further.
"No!"
"How could such a thing transpire!"
"This was merely a routine trial!"
Jiang Chen's body convulsed, his visage abruptly morphing into a countenance of torment, "It's my fault, the blame is entirely mine..."
"Don't berate yourself..."
Ji Mingxiu's voice was raspy and frail, as though he had abruptly been aged by many years.
Ji Ruxue was his precious daughter, born to him in his later years.
Moreover, to optimize Ji Ruxue's cultivation aptitude, Ji Ruxue's mother had bravely chosen to employ ancient secret arts, an act that led to her untimely demise when Ji Ruxue was but eight years old...
For Ji Mingxiu, his world orbited around Ji Ruxue, the person he held dearest.
Yet now, fate sought to rob him of his sole family!
Just then!
"Master!"
"I have a solution!!"
Jiang Chen's countenance transformed dramatically, his eyes shimmering with an extraordinarily brilliant radiance, akin to dual beacons of hope.
"Impossible."
"What possible solution could you have..."
A wry smile tugged at the corners of Ji Mingxiu's mouth.
If even a Transcendence realm powerhouse could not remedy the situation, how could Jiang Chen, a humble cultivator capable of confronting only those at the Inquiring Journey realm, offer any feasible solution?
"Truly!"
"Master, you must trust in me!"
Jiang Chen implored sincerely, "In truth, I am acquainted with two seniors who are at the Third Step of the Cultivation Path, teetering on the precipice of advancing into the Fourth Step!"
"What!?"
"A Transcendence realm senior powerhouse on the cusp of transitioning from the Third Step of the Cultivation Path to the Fourth Step?"
"How could that possibly be? Such a formidable figure doesn't exist, not only in the Everflowing Truth Domain, but across the entirety of the Immortal Martial Continent!"
"Jiang Chen, cease your jesting!"
Ji Mingxiu's expression was a mélange of incredulity and shock, followed by a resigned chuckle as he shook his head.
As the Holy Lord of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, he possessed a comprehensive understanding of the broader scenario on the Immortal Martial Continent.
Even the existence of a powerhouse on the brink of stepping into the Fourth Step was dubious, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding the continued presence of any Transcendence realm cultivators on the Immortal Martial Continent.
"Master!"
"Since there's no one available to rescue Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing, why not place your faith in me this once?"
Jiang Chen drew a deep breath, stating solemnly, "I genuinely do know two senior powerhouses. They may well be our salvation!"
His words were humble.
In truth, it wasn't merely a potentiality.
Should Nangong Wan or Shangguan Ning intervene, they would certainly restore Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing to health.
Otherwise, how could Fang Yuan take center stage in the 'original narrative'?
The moment Jiang Chen concluded his statement, Ji Mingxiu's visage lit up instantly, a beacon of hope igniting within his eyes, akin to a drowning man clutching at a lifeline!
Indeed!
He had incessantly emphasized that no one could heal Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing.
He had also reiterated numerous times the improbability of there being any Transcendence realm or higher cultivators across the vast expanse of the Immortal Martial Continent.
Yet, Jiang Chen remained unyielding in his assertion.
Was Jiang Chen devoid of intellect?
Certainly not!
Thus, did Jiang Chen genuinely possess knowledge of two senior powerhouses teetering on the brink of the Fourth Step?
"Are you speaking the truth?!"
Ji Mingxiu's eyes widened in anticipation, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chen.
"Indeed, it is the truth!"
"However, those two seniors find themselves in an extraordinary predicament. I cannot disclose their identities, nor can they likely intervene personally."
Jiang Chen nodded gravely before his expression softened into an apologetic smile, "I can merely seek their guidance, and request them to assist me in restoring Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing."
"Excellent!"
"Most excellent!!"
"Where can these two seniors be located? I'll escort you there posthaste!!"
Ji Mingxiu swiftly grasped Jiang Chen's shoulders, his words tumbling out in a rapid torrent.
"Master, you must simply proceed towards the Purple Heaven Holy Land!"
"Try to stabilize the conditions of Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing, in collaboration with Supreme Elder Mo Yu and the others, for the time being."
Jiang Chen commenced, "I shall depart without delay to locate those two seniors, seeking their assistance to formulate a solution!"
"Excellent!"
"Embark on your journey with haste!"
"Also, accept this Inquiring Journey realm magic treasure, use it and hurry!!"
Ji Mingxiu concurred before passing a magic treasure to Jiang Chen.
Upon ascending to the Inquiring Journey realm, the might of artifacts had amplified significantly, thus they earned the designation of Magic Treasures!
At the Dao Comprehension realm, they were renamed Dao Tools!
And at the Dao Palace realm, they were known as Dao Treasures!
This indicated that the chasm separating the Second and First Step of the Cultivation Path was indeed vast; each major realm symbolizing a colossal milestone.
Several decades ago, numerous cultivators from the renowned factions - the Purple Heaven Holy Land, the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace, and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple, boldly embarked on a journey to explore the mysterious Bottomless Abyss.
In those early days, some naïve individuals succumbed to the corruption of the Bottomless Abyss Spiritual Qi!
Inevitably, without any exceptions, these hapless souls transformed into ravenous killers and were ruthlessly annihilated.
Even individuals with influential backers found themselves powerless to reverse their conditions!
In essence, it appeared that there was no remedy once a cultivator was tainted by the spiritual Qi of the Bottomless Abyss!
In due time, the daring explorations into the Bottomless Abyss ceased altogether.
Although Ji Mingxiu had existed through many epochs and attained the Dao Palace realm, he never fully ventured into the Bottomless Abyss, merely extending his divine sense from the periphery to conduct preliminary explorations, which yielded no insights.
Subsequently, after a comprehensive examination of Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing's conditions, he recognized that the symptoms plaguing both women bore a striking resemblance to those detailed in ancient scripts concerning cultivators corrupted by the spiritual Qi of the Bottomless Abyss!
In plain terms, Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing were all but certain to be condemned as vicious, blood-crazed lunatics!
If that were to transpire, would their fate be any different from meeting death!?
"No! No!!"
"Why, why has this occurred!"
"I have but this one daughter! Oh Heavens, why!!"
Silence ensued.
Ji Mingxiu trembled as if thunderstruck, his countenance instantly marred by the trails of age-old tears!
"Master!!"
"Is it possible that even you cannot heal Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing!?"
"What, what, what is transpiring here!"
Stillness permeated the air.
Jiang Chen's expression embodied a combination of incomparable horror and disbelief, as he cried out in sheer panic.
"No!"
Still submerged in his grief, Ji Mingxiu's entire aura was in tumult, his eyes brimming with a wild desperation.
"Master!"
"Please regain your composure!"
Jiang Chen, with an affectation of terror, implored, "With your formidable abilities, combined with the might of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, you surely possess the power to cure Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing!"
"Difficult... exceedingly difficult, bordering on impossibility..."
Ji Mingxiu's body abruptly slackened, radiating an aura of defeat and the glow in his eyes rapidly dimmed.
Replacing it was a dawning sense of despair.
"How can this be!"
"Even with the rich heritage of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, we are unable to cure them!?"
Jiang Chen exclaimed in utter disbelief, "We have esteemed elders like Mo Yu within our Holy Land, and I've heard from Miss Ruxue that our Holy Land possesses legacies reaching the Transcendence realm."
"This cannot be."
"We can't even halt the deterioration of their conditions!"
"Even in the epoch when the Holy Land was graced by the presence of Transcendence realm powerhouses, there was no remedy for such symptoms."
The desolation in Ji Mingxiu's eyes deepened even further.
"No!"
"How could such a thing transpire!"
"This was merely a routine trial!"
Jiang Chen's body convulsed, his visage abruptly morphing into a countenance of torment, "It's my fault, the blame is entirely mine..."
"Don't berate yourself..."
Ji Mingxiu's voice was raspy and frail, as though he had abruptly been aged by many years.
Ji Ruxue was his precious daughter, born to him in his later years.
Moreover, to optimize Ji Ruxue's cultivation aptitude, Ji Ruxue's mother had bravely chosen to employ ancient secret arts, an act that led to her untimely demise when Ji Ruxue was but eight years old...
For Ji Mingxiu, his world orbited around Ji Ruxue, the person he held dearest.
Yet now, fate sought to rob him of his sole family!
Just then!
"Master!"
"I have a solution!!"
Jiang Chen's countenance transformed dramatically, his eyes shimmering with an extraordinarily brilliant radiance, akin to dual beacons of hope.
"Impossible."
"What possible solution could you have..."
A wry smile tugged at the corners of Ji Mingxiu's mouth.
If even a Transcendence realm powerhouse could not remedy the situation, how could Jiang Chen, a humble cultivator capable of confronting only those at the Inquiring Journey realm, offer any feasible solution?
"Truly!"
"Master, you must trust in me!"
Jiang Chen implored sincerely, "In truth, I am acquainted with two seniors who are at the Third Step of the Cultivation Path, teetering on the precipice of advancing into the Fourth Step!"
"What!?"
"A Transcendence realm senior powerhouse on the cusp of transitioning from the Third Step of the Cultivation Path to the Fourth Step?"
"How could that possibly be? Such a formidable figure doesn't exist, not only in the Everflowing Truth Domain, but across the entirety of the Immortal Martial Continent!"
"Jiang Chen, cease your jesting!"
Ji Mingxiu's expression was a mélange of incredulity and shock, followed by a resigned chuckle as he shook his head.
As the Holy Lord of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, he possessed a comprehensive understanding of the broader scenario on the Immortal Martial Continent.
Even the existence of a powerhouse on the brink of stepping into the Fourth Step was dubious, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding the continued presence of any Transcendence realm cultivators on the Immortal Martial Continent.
"Master!"
"Since there's no one available to rescue Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing, why not place your faith in me this once?"
Jiang Chen drew a deep breath, stating solemnly, "I genuinely do know two senior powerhouses. They may well be our salvation!"
His words were humble.
In truth, it wasn't merely a potentiality.
Should Nangong Wan or Shangguan Ning intervene, they would certainly restore Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing to health.
Otherwise, how could Fang Yuan take center stage in the 'original narrative'?
The moment Jiang Chen concluded his statement, Ji Mingxiu's visage lit up instantly, a beacon of hope igniting within his eyes, akin to a drowning man clutching at a lifeline!
Indeed!
He had incessantly emphasized that no one could heal Ji Ruxue and Xie Xiaojing.
He had also reiterated numerous times the improbability of there being any Transcendence realm or higher cultivators across the vast expanse of the Immortal Martial Continent.
Yet, Jiang Chen remained unyielding in his assertion.
Was Jiang Chen devoid of intellect?
Certainly not!
Thus, did Jiang Chen genuinely possess knowledge of two senior powerhouses teetering on the brink of the Fourth Step?
"Are you speaking the truth?!"
Ji Mingxiu's eyes widened in anticipation, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chen.
"Indeed, it is the truth!"
"However, those two seniors find themselves in an extraordinary predicament. I cannot disclose their identities, nor can they likely intervene personally."
Jiang Chen nodded gravely before his expression softened into an apologetic smile, "I can merely seek their guidance, and request them to assist me in restoring Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing."
"Excellent!"
"Most excellent!!"
"Where can these two seniors be located? I'll escort you there posthaste!!"
Ji Mingxiu swiftly grasped Jiang Chen's shoulders, his words tumbling out in a rapid torrent.
"Master, you must simply proceed towards the Purple Heaven Holy Land!"
"Try to stabilize the conditions of Miss Ruxue and Miss Xiaojing, in collaboration with Supreme Elder Mo Yu and the others, for the time being."
Jiang Chen commenced, "I shall depart without delay to locate those two seniors, seeking their assistance to formulate a solution!"
"Excellent!"
"Embark on your journey with haste!"
"Also, accept this Inquiring Journey realm magic treasure, use it and hurry!!"
Ji Mingxiu concurred before passing a magic treasure to Jiang Chen.
Upon ascending to the Inquiring Journey realm, the might of artifacts had amplified significantly, thus they earned the designation of Magic Treasures!
At the Dao Comprehension realm, they were renamed Dao Tools!
And at the Dao Palace realm, they were known as Dao Treasures!
This indicated that the chasm separating the Second and First Step of the Cultivation Path was indeed vast; each major realm symbolizing a colossal milestone.
