Chapter 36: Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body

Half-Moon Gorge was a narrow, crescent-shaped deep valley between two mountains. The cliffs on both sides were extremely steep. Looking up, one saw mist coiling around the mountains; looking down, one saw lush, verdant woods. Unless passing cultivators were specifically searching for it, they would never know there were quite a few people hidden inside.

Wutong had lived in Half-Moon Gorge since the day he was born. If the gorge’s barrier had not been accidentally triggered by a cultivator, perhaps he would still be in the gorge now and never have left.

“If only we hadn’t taken the risk of letting Wutong leave back then.”

Inside Half-Moon Gorge, a woman draped in tiger skin gazed at the ripples continuously spreading across the barrier under the attacks from outside, regret showing on her face.

“Big Sister!”

A boy who was also dressed in animal hides leaped over. The wind stirred up when he landed lifted the woman’s tied-back hair. The boy looked rather anxious. “The attacks outside are getting fiercer and fiercer, and the spirit stones are being used up too quickly! Second Sister asked whether we should shrink the barrier’s range.”

Tie Di’s brows had been tightly furrowed the entire time. “No. If we shrink the barrier, Half-Moon Gorge’s secret will immediately be exposed before Wuxing Gate.”

Half-Moon Gorge’s secret was naturally that high-grade yellow-grade spiritual vein. Because of this spiritual vein, Half-Moon Gorge was like spring all year round, rich in spiritual qi, and even produced some spirit stones every year, so the people living in seclusion here never had to worry about cultivation resources.

Wuxing Gate was not among the Nine Great Immortal Gates. It was only an ordinary sect in Dongchen Continent. Right now, they were attacking the barrier because they had mistakenly assumed this place was a hidden realm left behind by a fallen cultivator. If they were allowed to know that there was a high-grade yellow-grade spiritual vein here, they would absolutely pour out in full force to attack. At that point, Half-Moon Gorge’s barrier would likely be unable to hold for even a few days.

Seeing that she refused to shrink the barrier’s range, the boy was not disappointed. Clearly, he had expected this. He said, “Second Sister also thinks we can’t shrink the barrier’s range.” Seeing Tie Di look at him suspiciously, he continued, “Maintaining the teleportation array consumes too many spirit stones. Second Sister said we might as well shut down the teleportation array.”

Tie Di’s eyes widened slightly, and then she grew angry. “Wutong still hasn’t come back.”

The boy said, “It’s been so long. Maybe Wutong died outside ages ago! Big Sister! I know you raised Wutong yourself and you feel sorry for him, but there are still so many people at home. We can’t just wait for him alone!”

Tie Di clenched her fists, her eyes faintly reddening.

Several months ago, Half-Moon Gorge’s barrier had been accidentally triggered. The person who triggered it was a Wuxing Gate cultivator who had unexpectedly fallen from the sky. Tie Di had originally wanted to set up a trap and kill that person, but she had not expected that cultivator to have fellow disciples nearby. The plan failed, and she made an immediate decision to use the teleportation array to send several children out to seek help.

Wutong was only ten years old, still much too young. Tie Di had never wanted to let him go out, but she could not withstand Wutong’s bitter pleading, so in the end she still sent him away.

Now, the other children had all returned within the teleportation time limit. Only Wutong had yet to send back any news.

Tie Di’s mind was unsettled, but a powerful intuition seized her. “Maybe Wutong found help?”

Restrictions had been placed on Half-Moon Gorge. Inside this barrier, only minors could remain. Once someone was over twenty, they would be rejected and expelled by the barrier.

At first, the eldest sister of the family had not been Tie Di. Later, those older than her walked out of the barrier one by one, and Tie Di became the leader.

This time, Half-Moon Gorge, which had hidden from the world for many years, had been discovered by Wuxing Gate. The reinforcements Tie Di had sent them to find were the brothers and sisters who had once left Half-Moon Gorge. After so many years, they must surely have become cultivators by now, but the results had been far from ideal.

Thinking of the brothers and sisters who had brought back bad news again and again, sorrow also appeared on the boy’s face. “Big Sister, Dongchen Continent is only so big. If Wutong had found help, he would have come back long ago.”

Boom!

Under the attacks from outside, the barrier once again let out an overwhelmed hum. Tie Di steeled her heart. “Shut down the teleportation array!”

…

To the east, three thousand meters away, thirteen cultivators are attacking the barrier of a gorge. They are all wearing dark-blue robes, with seven linked stars embroidered in gold thread on their lapels. They are cultivators from Wuxing Gate.

After receiving the life-bound artifact’s reminder, Chi Yixuan slowed his wind-riding speed. He descended rapidly and stopped on a cliff. The green bamboo leaves growing by the cliffside struck Wutong’s face, and he could not help sneezing.

Wutong looked all around, then his eyes suddenly lit up. “I know this place. In the past, when I went out hunting with Big Sister, we rested right here.” He raised his hand and pointed east. There, the mountains rose and fell, white clouds and mist obscuring the view. Yet he said with absolute certainty, “My home is over there!”

Half-Moon Gorge was over there!

Wutong almost burst into tears. He should originally have been teleported to somewhere in Dongchen Continent to search for the older sisters and brothers who had once left, but for some reason, something had gone wrong with the teleportation array and sent him to Easternmost Continent instead.

After several months, he could finally go home. He was so excited his body trembled slightly.

Chi Yixuan closed his eyes briefly. He was still only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and his divine sense could not extend three thousand meters away. Right now, he was borrowing the life-bound artifact to inspect the scene three thousand meters away.

The life-bound artifact could not scout cultivators, but he could tell the cultivation levels of the dozen or so cultivators at a glance. Among them, there were a few whose cultivation he could not see, who should be above the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The other seven were in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Your Majesty, the enemies are rather powerful. They will not be easy to deal with.

Chi Yixuan said, “You’re right. But why should we deal with them?”

He told Wutong about the situation. Seeing that the boy was so anxious he was practically about to jump up, he asked him whether there was a way around. Wutong wished he could fly over immediately, and at those words, he instantly nodded like a pounding pestle.

After Chi Yixuan confirmed the direction, he picked Wutong up and flew off again.

…

“We’ve been attacking for almost a month, and this barrier still hasn’t broken! Why don’t we go back to the sect and find more people?”

In front of Half-Moon Gorge, one of Wuxing Gate’s disciples stopped to catch his breath and suddenly offered a suggestion.

At those words, another person rolled his eyes at him. “The sturdier the barrier, the more good things there must be inside this hidden realm! Are thirteen people here not enough to split them?”

“Senior Brother is right. We’ve worked hard attacking this place for a month. If we go find more people now, won’t we just be handing the advantage to others?”

“I feel like the barrier seems to have grown thinner. Looks like we’ll be able to break through it soon!” a disciple at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment suddenly said. When the others heard this, their spirits shook. After swallowing a few Spirit-Replenishing Pills, they attacked the barrier even more excitedly.

But even under these circumstances, they still noticed a cultivator approaching. Two Wuxing Gate disciples alertly stopped and watched, only to see that person merely hurriedly sweep past through the air, holding a mortal in his hand. Since he flew farther and farther away, they assumed he was only passing through and finally relaxed.

…

Chi Yixuan brought Wutong around that group of cultivators and turned to a cliff behind Half-Moon Gorge.

The cliff was covered in green moss. A clear stream slowly flowed out from the shadows at the foot of the cliff.

Excitedly, Wutong pushed aside the nearby grass, revealing a small hole. “Immortal Master, if we go in through this hole, we can reach my home.”

Chi Yixuan was a very practical person. He did not mind crawling through a small hole. Just as he was studying how to squeeze inside, he heard the life-bound artifact remind him, Your Majesty, this hole can indeed enter Half-Moon Gorge, but there is still a barrier inside. You cannot enter.

Chi Yixuan asked Wutong, “Can you open a gap in the barrier and let me in?”

The excited look on Wutong’s face vanished. Only then did he remember the restrictions of Half-Moon Gorge’s barrier. “Immortal Master, we can’t open the door, because this barrier only lets minors enter. Regardless of female or male, as long as someone is older than twenty, they can’t go in. Unless the entire barrier is shut down, or someone breaks through it from outside.”

Chi Yixuan said “ah” inwardly. This was his first time hearing of a barrier restricted only to minors. The life-bound artifact could not find a solution for the moment either, so both fell silent for a while.

But if Wutong went in alone, Chi Yixuan was worried that the child would not be able to explain things clearly. The back and forth would delay them, and if Wuxing Gate broke through the barrier during that time, things would be bad.

After pondering for a moment, Chi Yixuan asked, “This barrier of yours only restricts humans, not ghosts, right?”

Wutong made an uncertain sound. “I-I don’t know.”

A moment later, a shadow followed Wutong’s steps and slipped into the small hole like a swimming snake.

Chi Yixuan stood at the mouth of the hole, borrowing the shadow guard’s eyes to observe everything inside Half-Moon Gorge.

Speaking of which, it was also luck. The shadow guard summoned by the original Skill One did not have this function, but the shadow guard Chi Yixuan had summoned just so happened to be the original owner of this body. In this world, nothing was more powerfully connected than a physical body and a soul.

Using the original body to sense everything experienced by the soul had an effect equivalent to a miniature version of a primordial spirit leaving the body.

Thus, when Wutong brought the shadow guard into Half-Moon Gorge, the family members inside were all stunned.

Several children a little older than Wutong rushed up and embraced him excitedly. Immediately afterward, they looked toward the pitch-black figure following behind Wutong with both vigilance and curiosity. Because Wutong had brought it, they did not develop any hostility.

Wutong affectionately hugged the family members beside him, then heard the Immortal Master’s voice come from the shadow guard behind him. “Hurry and find your big sister.”

At those words, the children in Half-Moon Gorge, including Wutong himself, were all startled.

A moment later, the shadow guard met the people in charge of Half-Moon Gorge: Big Sister Tie Di and Second Sister Gang Qin.

Gang Qin… When Chi Yixuan first heard this name from Wutong, he had been shocked. He had thought there might be another transmigrator in this world. It was only later that he discovered the people of Half-Moon Gorge were all named after things related to metal. Gold, silver, copper, iron, and the like all had to be involved somehow. The gorge did not only have Gang Qin, but also Tong Qin, Jin Qin, Yin Qin, and so on.

Tie Di and the others were extremely excited. They had long since given up hope. Their bitter efforts to maintain the barrier were nothing more than stubborn resistance. They had not expected Wutong to truly be able to bring reinforcements.

After learning that Wutong had been delayed so long because he was teleported to Easternmost Continent, Tie Di was both shocked and hesitant. She was shocked because the rescuer Wutong had found was a complete outsider, and hesitant because she wondered whether such an outsider was truly helping them, or whether he was after Half-Moon Gorge’s property.

Because they no longer needed to maintain the teleportation array, Half-Moon Gorge’s barrier could still hold for another two days. Therefore, Tie Di brought Wutong aside to learn about the situation, while Gang Qin stayed in place to entertain this pitch-black senior with his strange aura.

And when Tie Di learned from Wutong where Zhaoge in Easternmost Continent was, her shock did not subside for a very long time.

There was actually a cultivator who, for the sake of rescuing a group of human sacrifices, had built a village beside the Sea of Suffering Path, helped them make a living, built houses for them, and had even come to rescue Half-Moon Gorge this time only because he wanted a spiritual vein to take back and solve a water source problem!

Even when she met back up with Gang Qin, Tie Di still looked somewhat dazed. She could not believe that such a good person existed in this world. But Wutong would not lie to them.

“Gang Qin, when you entertained that senior earlier, what did you think of his temperament?”

Gang Qin said, “Very gentle. He wasn’t quite like an elder. He was more like the older sisters and brothers who left in the past. Not arrogant.”

Tie Di nodded. “Wutong said the same. Then should we… believe him?”

Gang Qin said, “Adults cannot enter this barrier, and Wutong said that black shadow is the Immortal Master’s ghost. Tie Di, do you know what a ghost is?”

Tie Di said, “It is said to be formed from a person’s soul after death.”

But the souls of living people would not turn into ghosts. She was more inclined to think that this was that senior’s joke. That black shadow was actually most likely that senior’s primordial spirit.

“A primordial spirit leaving the body…” Gang Qin murmured. “That is an ability only a Golden Core Perfected One possesses.”

Tie Di’s expression sharpened. “Indeed. If a Golden Core Perfected One wished us harm, he could simply break this barrier directly. Why would he need to put on an act in front of us?” For a Golden Core Perfected One, this would undoubtedly be a waste of time.

Gang Qin looked at the barrier swaying unsteadily under the attacks of the cultivators outside and gripped Tie Di’s hand tightly. “Big Sister, let’s gamble on this! We’ve been cowering here for too many years, too many years…”

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