Chapter 477: Forbidden Zone of the Martial Continent (2)

Upon entering the Purple Bamboo Mountain Range, Yu Changsheng descended from the sky and slowly set foot on the ground. He extended his Divine Sense, constantly vigilant of any movement. As he took in the faint, purple glow around him, a sigh of contemplation escaped him.

The Purple Bamboo Mountain spanned a thousand li. Although it was a forbidden zone, danger didn’t lurk at every corner. In the outer regions, as long as he was careful, Yu Changsheng’s Cultivation was more than enough to keep him out of trouble.

‘But… the Purple Bamboo here seems a little strange?’

Yu Changsheng walked onward, observing the stalks of Purple Bamboo all around him. An idea struck him, and after a moment’s thought, he slowly placed his hand upon a stalk and closed his eyes, sensing it carefully.

‘Ten Thousand Spirits Technique…’

Using Spirit Attachment, his Divine Sense spread out, climbing along the Purple Bamboo. In an instant, every rustle of wind and grass in the vicinity flooded into his mind.

After an incense stick’s time, Yu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

‘So that’s how it is. All the Purple Bamboo on the entire Purple Bamboo Mountain… they seem scattered, but they are actually interconnected, forming a single, unified entity…’

‘If the need arose, they could erupt in an instant with their full might, destroying everything. It’s like a single, massive Array, operating with perfect precision…’

Through the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique, Yu Changsheng had gathered some information.

‘Throughout the Purple Bamboo Mountain, these bamboo stalks aren’t ordinary plants. Many of them have birthed faint spirits, but they usually remain dormant.’

‘And this Purple Bamboo… I don’t know if it’s their natural material or something else, but they give off a sense of faint, restrained Sword Qi. This is all excellent material for forging Treasure Swords…’

Yu Changsheng’s brow relaxed. Feeling the faint stinging sensation in his Divine Sense, he smiled faintly.

‘Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique conceals my aura, so the Purple Bamboo doesn’t seem to bear me any ill will. With that, the greatest danger should be averted.’

The greatest feature of the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique was its affinity with all living things. This trait had helped Yu Changsheng immensely back on Huishui Mountain, and it proved useful once again on Purple Bamboo Mountain.

With these thoughts in mind, Yu Changsheng sighed softly and tapped the Purple Bamboo stalk in front of him. It made a crisp, hollow sound as it swayed gently.

‘The Ten Thousand Spirits Technique is truly a fine Cultivation Technique, but the version I have is incomplete. It only allows me to cultivate up to the Purple Mansion realm. For that reason alone, coming here to Purple Bamboo Mountain, to Cao Jinxian’s legacy cave, was an absolute must…’

‘The rest of the Cultivation Technique should be here…’

With this in mind, Yu Changsheng proceeded slowly, avoiding the Spirit Beasts in the area. Two hours later, he had finally passed through the outer region.

He reached the inner circle. Compared to the outer region, it didn’t look markedly different, except that the Purple Bamboo grew denser, taller, and straighter. Beneath the swaying purple light, the hazy aura was even more intense.

“Hmm…”

Yu Changsheng’s expression flickered as he halted. A light flashed in his hand, and an ancient Beast Hide abruptly unfurled before him.

‘The map? Looks like it can give me some guidance.’

As Yu Changsheng watched intently, a crimson dot of light suddenly appeared on the once-still surface of the ancient, dark-yellow Beast Hide Map. It flickered continuously as dense purple lines spread across it.

‘This is the location of the legacy cave?’

Yu Changsheng’s expression flickered. He wasn’t surprised by the red dot on the Beast Hide Map; it had formed from the drop of Wen Longyu’s blood.

The purple lines, meanwhile, clearly depicted the surrounding terrain, pointing toward the cave’s location.

The Beast Hide Map hovered in the air. The crimson dot upon it was strikingly clear and faintly emanated an unparalleled, domineering will. It released a faint red halo that enveloped Yu Changsheng.

‘It has this function, too? So that’s how the drop of blood works,’

Yu Changsheng’s mouth fell slightly open as he stared in surprise at the faint red glow enveloping him. A flicker of joy crossed his face.

This faint red glow seemed to have been manifested by the drop of blood. The aura it exuded was the perfect deterrent. With this protection, Yu Changsheng could avoid many of the dangers on Purple Bamboo Mountain, allowing him to pass through unimpeded.

‘This makes things much easier.’

Yu Changsheng chuckled softly. He prodded at the faint red glow surrounding him, then consulted the map to confirm his location before heading off in the direction of the cave.

Along the way, the faint purple light permeating the forest would strangely shrink back the moment it touched the red glow around him, automatically parting to clear a path.

RUSTLE… RUSTLE… RUSTLE…

The Purple Bamboo swayed gracefully. Their segments were as translucent as purple crystals, a lovely sight. Purple bamboo leaves drooped, and dewdrops trickling down them refracted a purple brilliance. Scenes like this were common all over Purple Bamboo Mountain.

Indistinct murmurs echoed through the Purple Bamboo Forest. The towering stalks of Purple Bamboo were densely packed, their tops intertwining to obscure the sky and block out the light. In the silence, the scene took on an eerie atmosphere.

The air suddenly fell still. Yu Changsheng’s heart tightened, and he unconsciously clenched his fists. His brow furrowed, but he let out a soft breath, maintained his composure, and kept walking forward.

He could feel malicious gazes from within the surrounding bamboo, all fixed upon him. And though he couldn’t tell if it was an illusion, the surrounding Purple Bamboo seemed to be slowly drooping and moving in his direction.

However, after lingering on him for a long moment, the malicious gazes vanished as if wary of something.

The faint, surrounding whispers also gradually faded away.

‘An illusion…?’

After a long while, he finally walked out of that area. A ray of daylight slanted down through the bamboo, and only then did Yu Changsheng let out a long sigh of relief. His clenched fists slowly relaxed, and the heart-pounding sensation gradually faded.

His back was soaked through with sweat.

Just a moment ago, the feeling of being watched had been exceptionally clear. Yu Changsheng didn’t know what it was, but he could sense its power. It was definitely not something he could fight. Fortunately, it had withdrawn its gaze and hadn’t attacked.

Clearly, the drop of blood had saved his life; it was the very thing the entity had been wary of.

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Yu Changsheng shook his head with a wry smile.

‘Looks like the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique isn’t omnipotent after all. A forbidden zone like this is naturally filled with unimaginable dangers.’

When faced with a creature that possessed such a powerful sense of self, even the great affinity of the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique had its limits; the other being would not be significantly affected.

‘I need to find the cave quickly and stop wasting time. The red glow from the blood is already incredibly faint; it won’t last much longer.’

After taking a deep breath, Yu Changsheng coughed twice, glanced at the significantly faded red glow surrounding him, and quickened his pace.

Long after Yu Changsheng was gone, he failed to notice something appear in the Purple Bamboo Forest behind him. Amidst the hazy purple light, a pair of enormous, beastly eyes, each more than a meter wide and glowing red, had materialized. They stared in the direction he had left, unmoving for a long, long time.

Vaguely, within the hazy purple light, the flickering outline of a colossal body could be seen.

The surrounding Purple Bamboo swayed gently, yet they all bent in unison towards the creature, like subjects bowing before their king. For an instant, the entire bamboo forest fell silent, with only the slow sigh of the wind remaining.

“He carries that person’s aura… It’s not just because of that drop of Essence Blood. The Cultivation Technique he practices… it’s from the same source…”

An indistinct, pervasive voice echoed out, yet it boomed like Celestial Thunder. It was like a sacred decree, carrying an unstoppable pressure that bore down upon all the surrounding Purple Bamboo.

And so, as the Purple Bamboo swayed, they bent even lower…