The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 287: Cen Sisters

After the nascent sword was forged, it spiraled in mid-air for a moment before being summoned by Yun Lie, who stretched out his hand. It flew towards him like a fledgling returning to its nest.

Yun Lie flicked his fingers, and the nascent sword emitted a clear, long sound. Then, opening his mouth again, he swallowed the nascent sword, nurturing it in his dantian.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Even though the treasure sword had not yet been fully nourished, just the nascent sword itself already contained immense power, certainly not unworthy of his Shixiong. He recalled the grand vow he made to find an extraordinary sword for his Shixiong, and now, he felt he had accomplished it.

It was a huge weight lifted off his heart.

Xu Ziqing looked at Yun Lie again and noticed that while he had ample momentum, his vital energy seemed slightly diminished. He understood that the loss of essence blood had indeed affected him, so he immediately approached and handed over the bottle he was holding, saying, “Shixiong, this is a Blood Origin Pill obtained from the palace of Luofu Zhenren. It can replenish qi and blood. Please take it.”

Yun Lie nodded slightly, flicking the bottle cap off with his finger. With another flick, a pill the size of a longan jumped out, blood-red and full of color. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pill, then closed his eyes to adjust his breathing.

The Blood Origin Pill was indeed an ancient treasure. After just this one pill, Yun Lie had finished his cultivation. At this point, upon observing his complexion, it was clear that his vitality had been restored significantly, compensating for most of the earlier depletion.

Xu Ziqing smiled, “I haven’t congratulated you yet on forging the nascent sword.”

Yun Lie stood up and wrapped an arm around him, asking, “How should you congratulate me?”

Xu Ziqing was taken aback, thinking for a moment before replying, “You’re right; merely offering verbal congratulations feels insufficient… I just can’t think of what you might still be lacking and what would make a fitting congratulatory gift.”

Yun Lie said, “Just joking; there’s no need to take it seriously.”

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Xu Ziqing was left speechless. He observed that Yun Lie’s expression remained unchanged; was he really joking? But soon after, Yun Lie’s figure flickered, and he used his teleportation technique to take Xu Ziqing straight out of the mountain.

At this moment, Yun Lie had not named the nascent sword, and Xu Ziqing did not inquire.

The true birth of the nascent sword would occur when his Shixiong’s spirit returned.

Since they already knew the way in, exiting was much easier. In just a few breaths, the two were enveloped by a swirl of black light and landed on the ground outside the mine.

However, not long after they landed, two streaks of light rushed towards them. At this point, it was too late to avoid them.

The newcomers were two graceful and delicate young women. One carried a heavy sword, and the other had a slender sword at her waist, with a faint aura of sword energy surrounding them, indicating that they were also sword cultivators. Once they landed, they quickly spotted Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie, exchanging surprised glances.

The girl in the blue dress spoke first, “I am Cen Susu from the Wanjian Immortal Sect. Greetings, fellow cultivators.”

The other girl in the yellow dress smiled as well, “I am Cen Qingqing from the Wanjian Immortal Sect. Greetings, fellow cultivators.”

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These two women were sisters with Golden Core cultivation, their appearances sharing some similarities, both exuding a heroic spirit.

In addition to the sword energy surrounding them, they also radiated an aura of fierce fire, indicating that they practiced fire-based techniques. If they unleashed their sword techniques, their destructive power would likely be considerable.

They must have come to this mine believing it was rich in fire energy. However, if they acted now, they would likely meet the same fate as the previous five cultivators.

Xu Ziqing saw that the two seemed quite reasonable, so he spoke up, “I am Xu Ziqing, and this is my Shixiong. Greetings to you, Cen Daoists.”

At this moment, Yun Lie stood with a cold demeanor, shaking hands with Xu Ziqing, appearing aloof and unapproachable.

Since entering the demonic state, he seemed even colder towards others.

The two sisters were quite open-minded and did not take Yun Lie’s attitude to heart. Since Yun Lie exuded a dangerously strong aura, they had no desire to engage with him unless necessary. Thus, they only looked at Xu Ziqing and asked with a smile, “We came here in search of a fire attribute spirit herb. It seems you two arrived quite early. Would you be able to share some information about the situation here, so that we can be prepared?” Since they were more powerful than Xu Ziqing, they naturally had to make concessions, initiating the conversation themselves. Furthermore, neither of them was a fire attribute cultivator, so there was unlikely to be much competition for interests.

Xu Ziqing pondered for a moment upon hearing this. Earlier, the five cultivators mentioned hearing that there was a ten-thousand-year-old fire fungus in this location. It seemed the sisters were also seeking a fire attribute spirit herb, yet they appeared unaware that this place was infested with swallowing flame magic insects… Could it be that someone was deliberately misleading them, trying to lead these cultivators astray? However, since they had inquired, Xu Ziqing couldn’t let them walk into danger. He immediately replied, “Please look over there.”

Upon seeing the situation, the older sister, Cen Susu, exclaimed in shock, “Why are there so many vile insects?”

Cen Qingqing pondered for a moment before saying, “Sister, this creature seems somewhat familiar, but I can’t recall where I’ve seen it.”

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Cen Susu collected her thoughts and asked urgently, “Do you know what it is?”

Xu Ziqing nodded and said, “These are Flame-Eating Demon Worms. Any fire attribute cultivator using fire attribute techniques will find it hard to escape death. My Shixiong and I arrived not long ago and saw several fire attribute cultivators coming here. They released their fire techniques, and afterward…” He sighed, “So we had to hide, waiting for these vile insects to return before we could come out.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cen Qingqing gasped, “So it’s actually Flame-Eating Demon Worms! Fortunately, you are not a fire attribute cultivator; otherwise, you would have faced terrible misfortune.”

After being reminded, Cen Susu recalled something and immediately raised her brows in anger. “Those scoundrels actually dared to deceive us so brazenly! It’s truly despicable! The previous cultivators must have been misled as well, which led to their demise here.” She then looked at Xu Ziqing and his Shixiong, cupping her fists solemnly, “We are fortunate to have encountered you two; otherwise, we could have easily met with disaster.”

Xu Ziqing quickly replied humbly, “It was just a small matter, nothing worth mentioning.”

At this moment, the sisters felt a surge of goodwill towards Xu Ziqing, and their initial wariness diminished even more.

Cen Susu then asked, “So what brings you two to this place?”

Xu Ziqing had already prepared his response, smiling as he said, “My Shixiong and I accidentally entered a forbidden area and somehow got transported here. This mountain peak is quite conspicuous, so we came over. As for what happened afterward… it’s as I mentioned earlier.”

The Cen sisters nodded in understanding. Cen Qingqing commented, “Indeed, this secret realm is full of tricks; one misstep can lead to disaster. If we hadn’t traveled together with cultivators from the same sect, we too might have found ourselves in the same predicament.”

Xu Ziqing sighed, “I just don’t know how to explore the way forward.” Noticing that both of them were sword cultivators, a thought crossed his mind. “Originally, my Shixiong and I had an appointment with someone to seek sword-shaped wood. We’ve been lost for over ten days and don’t know if we’ve missed our chance…”

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Upon hearing this, both sisters showed a hint of surprise in their expressions. They exchanged a glance, as if having made a decision.

Cen Susu said, “You could be considered as having saved our lives. Since that’s the case, we can’t hide anything from you. The sword-shaped wood grows in the Absolute Sword Heaven Manor, which is located somewhere in this secret realm. However, the Absolute Sword Heaven Manor won’t open for another fifty days; otherwise, we wouldn’t have ventured out to seek treasures.”

Cen Qingqing added, “You haven’t missed your chance. If you don’t mind, we could take you both along.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but feel delighted. He had originally just been probing, but he unexpectedly received such valuable information. Observing the sisters’ sincere expressions, he could tell they were speaking earnestly, and he felt justified in having shared the information about the swallowing flame magic insects out of good intentions. However, while he was happy, he turned to Yun Lie, waiting for his Shixiong’s decision.

Yun Lie had initially felt a slight displeasure at seeing Xu Ziqing chatting with the sisters, but Xu Ziqing’s current demeanor eased his expression somewhat. “You want me to go?” he asked.

Xu Ziqing smiled and said, “The sword-shaped wood is an ancient marvel; any sword cultivator who seeks it will gain tremendous benefits. Shixiong, your current level seems to have hit a bottleneck. If you want to progress further, it might be worth a try.”

Moreover, he had another thought. Although his Shixiong had been affectionate with him since falling into madness, he had initially enjoyed it, but over time, he began to worry for him. While his Shixiong had not lost his rationality yet, who could say what might happen if he fell deeper into madness?

Xu Ziqing feared that the longer they delayed, the more unfavorable it would be for his Shixiong. Thus, he became vigilant, determined not to let his momentary selfishness harm him. His Shixiong was a sword cultivator with a righteous heart and lofty sword intent. If he were to encounter the sword-shaped wood, it could potentially serve as a means of recovery!

Such an opportunity was something he couldn’t allow his Shixiong to miss.

Yun Lie, being sharp-witted, quickly sensed Xu Ziqing’s deep concern for him. He nodded slightly and said, “As you say.”

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Xu Ziqing’s gaze softened, and he felt a surge of joy in his heart.

The Cen sisters, seeing the communication between the two brothers, sensed an ambiguous connection between them, creating a kind of unspoken intimacy that seemed untouchable. Having spent years solely focused on their pursuit of swords, their hearts were still untainted by romantic feelings, causing a blush to rise to their cheeks. They didn’t dare to look over at the brothers anymore.

Once Xu Ziqing had settled the matter with his Shixiong, he noticed the sisters’ flustered expressions and felt a bit awkward himself. He had been alone with his Shixiong for so long, and their affectionate interactions had become second nature. He had reminded his brother not to act too intimately, but he hadn’t expected that even without any inappropriate actions, the atmosphere between them would still be unusual, causing the sisters to shy away.

However, Xu Ziqing was ultimately an open-minded man. Once his feelings were briefly exposed, he quickly reined them in and said seriously, “Then my Shixiong and I will accompany you two… I apologize for any trouble.”

The Cen sisters relaxed and replied, “No problem at all. We are all fellow cultivators, helping each other out.”

Then, Cen Susu lightly raised her jade hand, conjuring a copper plate inscribed with countless dense runes, exuding a very ancient aura.

Cen Qingqing continuously formed hand seals, sending beams of colorful light towards the copper plate.

Soon, the copper plate began to grow larger in mid-air before suddenly descending, embedding itself into the surface of the desolate land.

A white pillar of light shot up from above the copper plate, rising into the sky and creating waves of attractive force.

Xu Ziqing recognized this object; it was a valuable teleportation array. If it was properly positioned, one could come and go freely. However, activating it required some effort, and it could only be used three to five times before becoming unusable.

It was clear that the sisters were well-prepared, which eased Xu Ziqing’s mind considerably.

Cen Susu stepped onto the copper plate first, waving to everyone.

Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing followed suit, and Cen Qingqing landed last, also stepping on.

Afterward, the pillar of light surged upward, and ripples spread around the copper plate.

The people on the copper plate instantly vanished from sight.

Xu Ziqing held onto Yun Lie tightly, listening to the rushing sound in his ears as they involuntarily moved through a sea of runes. It felt as though a long time had passed, yet also as if only a moment had gone by. After a sensation of weightlessness, they quickly stabilized.

At that moment, a female voice chanted, “Rise!”

Xu Ziqing looked over and saw it was indeed Cen Qingqing, who had come up last.

She was now reciting the gathering treasure spell, preparing to retrieve the copper plate.