Ventures Beyond the Seas — The Seven Iris Flower

Chapter 429: Ventures Beyond the Seas — The Seven Iris Flower

The so-called “Sealing Spirit Pillar” was nothing less than a massive magical artifact used by ancient cultivators to seal the spiritual energy of a specific area, completely isolating it from the outside world.

Such a rare artifact was typically employed for one of two purposes.

The first was to seal some exceedingly rare spiritual medicine or herb, preventing the loss of its spiritual nature through energy leakage—a scale of investment so great it was not lightly undertaken.

The second was to suppress powerful ghost-type or demonic entities, preventing them from transforming or escaping their prison.

Whichever of these two purposes was the case, it meant that what Han Li and his companions had discovered was of no small importance.

If it was a spiritual herb, that went without saying. But even if the Sealing Spirit Pillar was holding down some ferocious ghost or demon, such a creature, once subdued and sealed within a magic treasure, would be the finest material for enhancing that treasure’s power.

Yet they also understood that any demon suppressed by a Sealing Spirit Pillar was undoubtedly no ordinary foe. It was entirely possible that they would enter, fail to subdue the demon, and instead be devoured by it in turn.

Thus, after exchanging glances, though expressions of delight flickered across their faces, no one rashly proposed pushing the pillar aside just yet.

After a long silence, it was Jin Qing who let out a wry laugh and murmured to himself.

“This... is a bit of a headache! But since we’ve already put in so much effort, I don’t suppose anyone here plans to just turn back?”

“If you want to leave, you can leave. I’m certainly not going anywhere!” The cultivator surnamed Jian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking coldly. “Even if there’s no demon inside, and even if there is, I’ll still attempt to subdue it.”

“And what about you, Fellow Daoist Hu?” Jin Qing offered a faint smile without commenting further, turning instead to Hu Yue.

“As you know, Fellow Daoist,” Hu Yue replied after a moment of deliberation, his resolve hardening, “we rogue cultivators dislike being restrained by others. Though we live fairly free and unrestrained lives, compared to our fellow cultivators of the same rank, we are far poorer. For an opportunity as rare as this, I have to take the gamble.”

Having heard this, Jin Qing showed no sign of surprise. He then turned his gaze to Han Li.

“I have no objection,” Han Li said with a raised eyebrow, his tone indifferent. “If the majority wishes to investigate, I’ll take a look as well.”

With seventy-two “Green Bamboo Cloud-Sword Flies” refined from Divine Thunder Bamboo in his possession, what ghost or demon had he to fear?

“Don’t bother asking me,” Shi Die interrupted, tilting her head before Jin Qing could address her. “Though I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage, I happen to have a demon-repelling magic treasure gifted by my father. Even if I can’t defeat whatever’s in there, I’m more than capable of protecting myself.”

“Very well!” Jin Qing said with a light sigh, his expression growing cautious. “Since none of you are willing to leave empty-handed, let’s push the pillar aside. But everyone, be on your guard!”

“Heh, you don’t need to tell us that, Fellow Daoist Jin. None of us are about to gamble with our own lives,” the cultivator surnamed Jian said, a strange light flickering in his eyes as he spoke slowly. “But let me make one thing clear: if there is truly some fierce ghost or demon, whoever subdues it gets to keep it. No squabbling.”

“That goes without saying. If such a thing exists, we’ll each rely on our own abilities to subdue it,” Jin Qing immediately stated, voicing his agreement.

Naturally, the others had no objections either.

Seeing this, the cultivator surnamed Jian’s spirits lifted, and a hint of joy crept onto his face.

“Oh? Does Fellow Daoist Jian possess some special technique for subduing demons? You seem awfully confident,” Shi Die asked, slanting a glance at him with a half-smile.

“I won’t hide it from you all,” Jian replied after a moment’s hesitation, nodding decisively. “The cultivation method I practice does indeed contain a specific divine ability for dealing with ghosts and demons. I had thought I would never have use for it in my lifetime, but it seems today I may get the chance to try it.”

“Earlier, when you were dealing with that demonic cultivator Han Li destroyed, the black skull he used seemed to be refined from some kind of demonic entity. You seemed to have quite a bit of trouble handling it,” Shi Die pressed, her expression turning skeptical.

“Cough! You flatter me, Fairy Shi,” Jian scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “This divine ability of mine requires some preparation before it can be used. I was caught off guard when I faced that demonic cultivator, which is why I ended up in such a sorry state.”

Hearing this, Shi Die nodded slightly and said no more, turning back to look at the Sealing Spirit Pillar.

“Since none of you wish to give up, then let’s get to work! Knocking over this Sealing Spirit Pillar is a bit troublesome. It has to be rotated several times by brute force before it can be laid flat,” Shi Die explained, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.

Upon hearing this, the others exchanged somewhat bewildered glances.

They were cultivators, after all, and their physical strength wasn’t particularly remarkable. Even with a Strength Talisman, they doubted they could move a stone pillar several arm-spans thick.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly and issued a silent command.

“Let me handle it. I happen to have a bit of strength,” Qu Hun said, stepping forward with a deep voice, then walking toward the stone pillar.

Hu Yue and the others looked somewhat surprised.

Qu Hun had rarely spoken since their arrival. For him to step forward and take on this task was a bit unexpected.

“Then we’ll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Qu!” Shi Die said curiously.

Qu Hun, acting as if he hadn’t heard, strode over to the pillar in a few large steps. A yellow light flickered over his body as he activated a Strength Talisman.

Then, rolling up his sleeves, he let out a loud shout and wrapped his arms around the pillar, one above and one below.

The pillar, about two zhang tall, began to rumble and slowly turn.

Seeing this, the others were overjoyed.

Qu Hun’s arms bulged with corded veins, a faint red glow enveloping them. After rotating the pillar three full turns, he heaved it to one side with all his might, then suddenly leaped backward.

With a thunderous roar, the pillar crashed to the ground, the impact making the earth tremble slightly and gouging a deep groove into the stone floor.

But none of them paid the pillar any mind. Their gazes were fixed on the large hole that had been revealed where the pillar once stood.

The hole was pitch-black, with a chill wind blowing out from its depths. A narrow white stone staircase led deep underground.

“Let’s go!” The cultivator surnamed Jian stared at the hole for a moment, then, without another word, led the way down.

The others hesitated briefly, then followed closely behind. After coming this far, no one was about to back out now.

Han Li watched the cultivators descend one by one, their faces faintly lit with excitement, but he did not immediately move. Instead, he stood where he was, propping his chin in his hand, a contemplative look on his face.

After a moment, he flipped his hand over and produced the faintly glowing red scroll, turning it over in his palm as he considered it.

Finally, with a look of dawning realization in his eyes, he put the scroll away and walked toward the entrance of the cave. Qu Hun followed close behind.

The cave was deep, and it took a full quarter of an hour before Han Li reached the end of the stone steps.

His vision brightened as he entered a square hall about twenty zhang across.

Apart from the entrance he had just come through, the hall had two semicircular side doors, one on the left and one on the right, leading to unknown places. The ceiling was inlaid with several fist-sized night pearls, casting a milky-white glow over the entire chamber. The surrounding walls were covered in tiny, sparkling points of light, as if some spell had been cast upon them, creating an exceptionally beautiful effect.

Hu Yue and the others, who had descended first, stood motionless in the middle of the hall, their eyes fixed intently on the same direction, occasionally murmuring to one another as if studying some object.

Han Li’s curiosity was piqued, and he walked over.

“This is...?” As soon as he got a clear look at what everyone was staring at, a trace of surprise crossed his face.

Lying half-reclined beside a modestly sized pool, bathed in a crystalline white light, was a skeleton. A foot-long, emerald-green arrow was buried deep in its skull, pinning its head firmly to the ground—an eerie and bizarre sight.

But the others’ gazes barely lingered on the skeleton. Instead, they were all staring, their faces flushed with excitement, at a three-colored lotus flower floating in the pool.

Though the lotus had not yet bloomed and was still a bud, it was already the size of a bowl. It radiated a soft, three-colored aura of azure, red, and yellow.

What was most astonishing was that, a few inches above the lotus, a small, delicate seven-colored rainbow had appeared, shimmering with a dazzling, ethereal light.

Even the water that cradled the lotus was not the clear water one might expect but a thick, viscous white liquid that gave off an intoxicating, rare fragrance.

“The Seven Iris Flower! No mistake about it; that has to be it. I thought this was something from legends, an exaggeration... but it actually exists. And that water... could it be the legendary Thousand-Year Stone Milk?” Hu Yue murmured, his gaze fixed and dazed.

“No wonder so many formations and restrictions were set up above, and a Sealing Spirit Pillar was used,” Shi Die said, her eyes locked onto the lotus without blinking, a look of utter infatuation on her face. “If I had these two items, I wouldn’t think even a dozen layers of restrictions were too many.”

“But who does this skeleton belong to? Could it be the master of this cave dwelling?” Jin Qing seemed to have recovered from his initial shock. Glancing at the skeleton, he asked with some curiosity.

“Who cares about that? We’ve hit the jackpot this time! Even though this Seven Iris Flower is only three-colored, it would fetch an astronomical price at an auction house!” the cultivator surnamed Jian replied without turning his head, his eyes filled with naked greed.