Chapter 7: A Bet

Naturally, that little Martial Saint, although the red-haired boy has gained the recognition of the spiritual treasure, he is only at the fifth level of the "Great Martial Scripture" and it is almost impossible for him to become a Martial Saint in just one year. The woman in white has high hopes for Guo Lu, believing he has more potential than Guo Yi

Guo Yi : `` ... ... ''

The woman in red spoke, her voice still as cold as frost: "Let us make a bet. We each choose one of these two young men, and one year from now, they will compete against each other. The outcome of their match will determine the ownership of the divine palace deep within this bamboo forest."

"What? The speed of the nine serpents actually stacks, so doesn't that mean one could travel three million miles in a day?" This is completely contrary to theory, but being on the ancient vessel of the nine serpents, I indeed feel that it is much faster than on the blind man's white serpent flying boat.

A woman in white floated down from the sky, her long cloud-like sleeves dancing with the wind, resembling a celestial maiden. Beneath her, she rode a radiant blue phoenix, glowing with flames.

Thus, a pair of master and servant were taken away by two ethereal women, destined to travel to regions separated by billions of miles

Both individuals were stunned by the breathtaking beauty of the woman in red, as if they were gazing upon a celestial being. At that moment, Guo Yi completely forgot about Su E.

The woman in red, however, had high hopes for Guo Yi, believing that he would surely achieve greatness later in life, possessing the innate talent to transcend the ordinary and attain saintly enlightenment. She thought he might, in the future, stand proudly in the "Martial Rankings," outshining all competitors.

In the bamboo forest, the white mist creates an atmosphere of boundless imagination. Strange hissing sounds emanate from within the mist, obscuring what lies inside, as if countless ghosts are rushing toward this direction

The woman in red and the woman in white stood side by side, one exuding a cold elegance, the other a ethereal grace. The aura surrounding both was immensely powerful, as if a mere smile or frown could reduce the world to ashes, resembling two goddesses descending to the mortal realm

It turns out that the Burial of Heaven Spirit Technique is actually contained within this small sword. In Guo Yi's mind, over one hundred characters suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Except for the very first sentence, the rest were bitter and difficult to comprehend

Unless one's cultivation is higher than hers, it is impossible to see through the mist and discern how many palaces she has actually cultivated

Guo Yi felt a sharp pain in his eyes from not blinking for a long time, and he was filled with emotion. "Could it be that all the women in the world are so beautiful that just two of them could make me, Guo Er Shao, fall in love with someone else? Bah! Bah! I am absolutely devoted to Su E... ... devoted... ... one... ... two... ... three... ..."

A vast and boundless wave of spiritual energy surged forth from the depths of the bamboo forest. Guo Yi had a palm-sized sword, the Burial Heaven Sword, hanging from his chest. Countless blood vessels appeared on the sword's body, greedily absorbing the droplets of blood that continuously oozed from his chest. The Burial Heaven Sword emitted a faint red glow, within which characters flickered, constantly rising and falling on the sword's surface

The beauty of the woman in white surpasses that of the woman in red, to the point that it seems almost unreal

Through the exchanges over the past few days, Guo Yi has also learned the name of the woman in red; her name is Ji Youran, and that is all there is to it

In the bamboo forest, it seems that endless wails of ghosts echo, accompanied by the sound of bones grinding against each other, as if countless spectral soldiers are rushing this way. The white mist gradually transforms, becoming an eerie black, deepening like it intends to turn the entire world into hell

The dragon's speed is incredibly swift, having traveled thousands of miles in just the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and soon it emerged from the bamboo forest

This is the summit of the Phantom Mountains; once crossed, one will truly enter the vast world of the Ancient Mysterious Domain

Dressed in white, with delicate brows and light eyes, she resembles a bend of autumn water like the waves of the Ganges, and a strand of long hair that captivates all. She appears to be merely sixteen or seventeen years old, her slender figure akin to a butterfly in the rain, or grass in the wind. Her fair skin seems capable of washing away all the filth of the world, so pure that a single glance can intoxicate one, leaving them forever entranced, unable to awaken.

In the white mist, two soft exclamations sounded simultaneously: "A spiritual artifact."

The woman in red raised her hand lightly, and Guo Yi was propelled onto the back of the dragon. The dragon seemed to be frightened by the things behind it, darting across the ground like an arrow, breaking a pillar that was as thick as a book, leaving a trench a foot deep in the earth.

Each palace's ethereal shadow seems to embody a certain essence of the Dao: one filled with lethal intent, one encompassing the universe, one ancient and mystical in its communication with the spirit

A hundred-meter-long dragon emerged from the bamboo forest, its majesty shaking the heavens, with eyes resembling two fireballs

Some countries span only a thousand square miles, while others extend to millions of square miles. The Nine Dragons flying boats have traveled for eight days, traversing over a thousand large and small nations. No one knows exactly how many countries exist in the Phantom Mountain Range or how many people inhabit them

Guo Lu's eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, "My goodness, is there anyone in the world more beautiful than her?"

The black scorpion, for some unknown reason, was extremely afraid of the cold, trembling all over as it desperately squeezed into Guo Yi's embrace. Guo Yi tightly grasped its incredibly poisonous pincers with both hands, fearing that even a slight touch would lead to his demise. In this way, the heads of both the person and the scorpion were almost touching, their positions quite "ambiguous".

The girl in red could not understand why her ever-familiar "Heavenly Poison Nine-Tailed Scorpion" would become so close to Guo Yi. Could it be because of that spirit-communicating little sword? With her beautiful eyes, she cast a deep glance at Guo Yi's index finger before returning to her cultivation.

Nine dragon-like creatures pulled an ancient boat, weaving through the scenery above, leaving only fleeting shadows and the resounding cries of the dragons. The vast lake, stretching for a thousand miles, passed by in just a few breaths, with each scene hurrying past.

It truly lingers like a haunting spirit

To the south of the Ghost Mountains, there are continuous wonders: ancient forests towering at a height of 1,000 meters, a crimson sea of stones, lakes stretching for a thousand miles, resembling an ocean, cloud chasms reaching heights of 10,000 meters, and deserts extending for thousands of miles.

"The Burial of the Heavenly Spirit", Volume of the Burial of Heaven: The sword divides the nine heavens, with no heaven as king, and the burial of heaven as supreme

Three small characters are clearly visible on the hilt: Burial Sword!

The speed of a snake is three hundred thirty thousand miles per day. Therefore, the speed of a flying boat pulled by nine snakes should be the same. However, the current situation is completely different.

The Nine Dragons Flying Boat soars through the clouds and mist, traversing vast rivers and fertile fields. The northern region of the Ghost Mountain Range is even more expansive than the south, with a more complex topography. Plains, mountains, and deserts—all of these are part of the territory of the Ghost Mountain Range, covering hundreds of millions of miles; it is not merely a single range of mountains.

The place that Guo Yi is going to is known as the "Forbidden City of Shadows"

Guo Yi felt as if his chest were on fire, suffering immensely, as the blood within his body was uncontrollably drawn out. The small sword of Burial Heaven became increasingly red, its brilliance growing ever more intense. The inscriptions on the sword suddenly transformed into a flowing script, which streamed into Guo Yi's body and then flowed towards his brain

The number of palaces should reflect the height of her cultivation, but I wonder just how high her cultivation is

The woman in red sits cross-legged at the bow of the ancient boat, cultivating the supreme spiritual classic. A layer of misty light envelops her body, and within the mist, the ethereal images of palaces emerge. Each palace seems to correspond to a specific part of her body, some above her head, some at her heart, some below her navel, and some even within her eyes

"Who are you?" The woman in red is cold and frosty, yet possesses an unparalleled beauty, making her seem like a celestial being descended from the heavens.

"That small sword has absorbed your blood and has already parasitized within your body. Whether you will be controlled by it or you will control it in the future depends on your fate. Of course, as long as you transcend your mortal form and cultivate spiritual power, you will be able to communicate with it at a preliminary level." A voice of an ethereal woman resonated from the white mist

Guo Yiyi was taken aback, pinching and squeezing his index finger, but there was no response. He wished he could tear the entire finger off and anxiously said, "Brother, stop playing with me and come out quickly. Otherwise, you can find Luzi; he is sturdier than I am."

This is merely a formation, nothing to be surprised about! Ten thousand dragons soar together, traversing ninety million miles a day; I have seen it all.

The scorpion seemed to have made up its mind about him, even wrapping its tail around Guo Yi, clinging tightly and refusing to let go

Guo Yi is anxious about the book and the picture, as they are heirlooms of the Guo family

Guo Yi felt a strong sense of oppression. Since she could achieve such a level of cultivation, why couldn't he? He did not seek to surpass her; he would be content as long as he could contend with someone like the Grand Ancestor Tai Ling.

Young master, it has burrowed into your finger

"If you don't speak, I will kill you all." The woman in red lightly waved her jade hand, and a brilliance filled the sky like a myriad of swords being drawn. Dozens of bamboo poles, each about one meter in diameter, shattered one after another, and streams of sword energy formed from the air sliced away a layer of the ground.

After a glance, a layer of frost enveloped my eyes, and I felt as if my entire being had been frozen, no longer daring to take a second look

On the seventh day, the snowflakes in the sky had grown as large as mats, transforming the entire world into a realm of ice and snow. The howling cold wind was so loud that it could cause pain to the eardrums, capable of extinguishing all life. Nine dragon-like creatures descended in flight, almost weaving through the deep gorges of the towering peaks, their speed also slowing down

The woman in red asked, "Whom do you choose?"

The land is gradually becoming flat, and one human kingdom after another is continuously receding beneath the flying vessel. Standing atop the vessel, one can even see countless armies engaged in battle, with human cities scattered across the land like stars in the sky

Senior Sister, these are two exceptional talents; can you really bear to kill them? Hehe! At such a young age, one has already reached the realm of Martial Saint, and the other has even gained the recognition of a spiritual treasure. They are both individuals of great potential. If guided by a renowned master, both have the possibility of entering the "Martial Rankings"

Guo Lu : `` ... ... ''

On this day, the Enchanted Prison City has finally arrived, marking the beginning of a long journey of cultivation.

Get lost, don't crowd me over here

The red light vanished, and everything returned to calm. Guo Yi still did not understand what had happened. He reached towards his chest; the injury from the snake's tail had disappeared, leaving not even a scar. However, the Burial Sky Sword was nowhere to be found.

From beyond the bamboo forest and distant mountains, a ten-zhang long black scorpion flew down. The scorpion raised its two large pincers high above its head and the ground, with its large head buried in the earth, while its tail stood straight up, resembling a small mountain in motion

In a single day, without knowing how many regions I have traversed, I have not encountered a single human figure; I can only see flocks of strange birds circling and herds of wild beasts running. The girl in red informed Guo Yi that to the south of the Ghost Mountain Range, there are no signs of human habitation, while to the north is where a large population resides.

"Who is it?" Guo Yiyi was taken aback; there was indeed someone nearby. This was the first person he had encountered since arriving in the Ancient Mysterious Domain

Guo Lu has already been taken away by the woman in white, and Guo Yi said: "There are spiritual herbs deep in this bamboo forest, we can go and fetch them."

The rapid sound of the wind howled by the ears, creating a buzzing noise, and it was so fierce that one could hardly open their eyes; it felt as if one's face were being cut by a knife. Had it not been for his firm grip on the dragon crown, Guo Yi would have been thrown out long ago

A girl in a red dress stood upright atop a dragon. Her eyes were cold as ice, her nose was high and her chin pointed. Her long hair nearly reached her heels. Her skin was extremely fair, resembling someone who had just emerged from milk. Although her face appeared icy, it was breathtakingly beautiful. She had a tall and slender figure, and even Guo Yi was a head shorter than her now.

The peaks rise majestically, with layers of mountains stacked upon one another

The girl in the red dress coldly snorted: "My junior sister Lan and I have already been there. This bamboo forest contains a peerless spiritual herb, but the entire forest is shrouded in an ancient killing formation. Venturing deep inside is extremely perilous, with dangers lurking everywhere; even I nearly lost my life within. There is also an unnamed divine palace inside, housing extraordinary treasures, but unfortunately, we cannot approach it. We can only wait until our cultivation reaches a peak to retrieve them."

The woman in white smiled like a flower and said, "Good!"

The sky is perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, devoid of sunlight, with heavy snow falling throughout the four seasons. The ice here has remained frozen for hundreds of thousands of years, making it nearly impossible for human beings to traverse.

The girl in the red dress said to Guo Yi: "There is no need to worry, this nine-tailed heavenly poisonous scorpion is one I raised; it is a king among spirit beasts, specifically here to assist me outside."

The small sword of the heavens shot out with a whoosh, wrapping around Guo Yi's right index finger, and then vanished without a trace