HLnovel Chapter 92 Burial Ground
Chapter 92 Burial Ground
The call was so familiar; it was the black-tailed guillotine that Old Master Zhao had mentioned.
Judging from its menacing appearance, this monster is quite vengeful.
Luo Sifan dared not confront it directly and turned to flee, naturally following the direction instructed by Old Master Zhao. Controlling his sword with all his might, Luo Sifan flashed across the secret swamp, his speed nearly matching that of the Wu Kui behind him.
A moment later, the swamp vegetation beneath him thinned out, and a cluster of calm, clear lakes appeared at Luo Sifan's feet.
Like a salt marshland on a high plateau, it exudes a heavy, lifeless stillness. This place must be the core of the painting realm described by Master Zhao, and Luo Sifan's characteristics match it perfectly.
However, the air was thick with deathly aura, a point that Old Master Zhao had not mentioned.
The cries of the black serpent seemed to have changed in the distance, now tinged with anger and fear.
Anyway, the guy slowed down considerably and stopped at the edge of the lake, walking around it while yelling incessantly.
Luo Sifan was somewhat surprised, and then slowed down, gliding lightly across the still lake, and began to warily look around at his feet.
"Seven stars orbiting a pearl!"
Luo Sifan finally saw his destination: seven round lakes surrounding a secluded spring.
The springhead of the secluded spring should be the core passage of this secret realm.
Holding his breath, Luo Sifan leaped into the dark spring. The spring's source was a deep blue in the distance, while the stone walls inside the cave were a ghastly white. Luo Sifan was soaked to the bone, and a bone-chilling cold emanated from the spring water enveloping his body.
As Luo Sifan swooped down on his sword, what he saw quickly darkened, changing from pale white to dark blue, and then his vision went completely black. The place where Luo Sifan stood was now pitch black.
Only the sound of gurgling water and strange noises reached my ears.
Fortunately, the power of his soul could still be utilized. Within a range of several dozen feet, Luo Sifan's soul reached nothing unusual or dangerous.
The master craftsman who created the secret realm is being overly cautious.
Luo Sifan complained as he explored the depths of the spring.
The waterways crisscrossed, expanding from one entrance into an underwater labyrinth. Following the incantation given by Old Master Zhao, Luo Sifan identified the cave entrances one by one and ventured deeper into the underwater maze.
"Choose three out of five, and you will reach the palace in the middle."
The last line of the incantation describes the state obtained through Luo Sifan's soul probe.
Five identical water eyes lay across his front; without the incantation, Luo Sifan really wouldn't know which one to choose.
Old Master Zhao probably had no intention of deceiving him, so Luo Sifan boldly slid into the central waterway.
In the pitch-black water cave, light gradually appeared, and Luo Sifan was overjoyed, realizing that he had indeed found the right place.
In just a few breaths, the water before Luo Sifan's eyes was shimmering, as bright as day.
Emerging from the water, Luo Sifan's face showed surprise. In front of him was a towering stone staircase, and on both sides was an endless expanse of water.
Such a place probably doesn't exist in reality.
Luo Sifan was speechless at the wild ideas of the person who created the secret realm, and silently walked up the stone steps.
The stone steps stretched endlessly to the heavens. Luo Sifan was numb from walking. Although his feet weren't tired, the monotonous and tedious routine made him secretly curse the creators of the secret realm. He even lost track of the passage of time.
Compared to the trials and tribulations the Dragon Slayer had endured, this place was utterly boring.
It's just walking, walking, walking, and when the end will be reached seems to be entirely up to the creator of the secret realm.
Since entering the painting realm, Luo Sifan has wasted too much energy and found it hard to give up. As if competing with someone, he kept walking on the stone steps.
I don't know how much time passed, but then I heard a detached complaint in my ear; the voice was unfamiliar.
"You silly boy, how can you be so bored?"
As soon as the sound reached his ears, Luo Sifan shifted his form, escaping from the stone steps and finding himself in a garden.
The garden's flowers and trees are unfamiliar, the secluded canopy blocks out the sun, and the traces of careful design can be easily seen even in its wildness.
A middle-aged man dressed in unusual colors sat motionless on a wooden chair by the pond, his eyes vacant as he stared at Luo Sifan, who had fallen into the garden.
This must be the person who complained to Luo Sifan.
There were actually living people inside the secret artifact, which was beyond Luo Sifan's expectations.
"senior!"
Luo Sifan knew that this person had a close relationship with the treasures in the painting, so he politely stepped forward to greet him.
After introducing himself, he recounted to the silent middle-aged man how the Painting Realm Wu Kui attacked them and how Old Master Zhao of Fangyuan City taught him to collect the Painting Realm.
The middle-aged man's previously unmoved expression gradually softened.
"That Zhao Jingtian actually used my painting as a favor?"
The middle-aged man muttered to himself, his gaze towards Luo Sifan becoming more serious.
He glanced at the jade pendant with the image of a woman on Luo Sifan's waist and was momentarily stunned.
"Boy, where did you get that jade pendant on your waist?"
The middle-aged man asked casually.
Luo Sifan had no choice but to tell Shi Zhen about meeting her and receiving the jade from her.
The middle-aged man shook his head in confusion, as if he couldn't understand.
“I’m sorry, young man. In principle, you could have taken this painting, but some things happened along the way. I wish to be buried here, and this painting will also vanish into thin air. It’s impossible for you to have your wish.”
The middle-aged man looked dejected, but his tone was still quite gentle and polite.
Luo Sifan pondered the meaning behind his words, as if he intended to use this painting as a sacrifice.
"Senior, you are in high spirits and full of energy, in the prime of your life. Why would you say such a thing?"
As an alchemist, Luo Sifan was quite perceptive and reliable, so he couldn't help but ask a question.
"You do not believe?"
The middle-aged man's expression changed, and he stood up.
"Come with me!"
The middle-aged man waved to Luo Sifan and turned to walk straight ahead.
Luo Sifan, not understanding why, obediently followed in silence.
Following an arched stone bridge, the two entered the garden maze in the pond, which was made of artificial rocks and lake stones.
The middle-aged man showed no anger or murderous intent whatsoever. Although Luo Sifan was somewhat uneasy, he still followed closely behind, navigating the maze of stone paths with the middle-aged man.
"This place is the heart of the painting."
The middle-aged man suddenly stopped, paused outside a stone room, and sighed softly.
Outside the stone chamber, there were no more forks in the road; this must be the end of the stone path.
The middle-aged man stood there for a long time, then stepped forward with heavy steps and slowly pushed open the door to the stone chamber.
Then he glanced at Luo Sifan:
"Come in with me!"
Luo Sifan followed him into the stone chamber, her eyes suddenly widening.
The stone chamber is square on the outside and round on the inside, and the sunlight shines in, making it exceptionally bright. A jade bed is suspended in the center of the chamber. On the stone surface beneath the bed, five-colored light moves with the runes, and the power of the five elements transforms into abundant vitality, pouring into the jade bed.
On the jade bed, a beautiful woman with white hair reaching her shoulders and a face as clear as jade, but with a bluish deathly aura, lay supine.
The woman was dressed in a white dress, tall and slender, with an air of authority about her.
The middle-aged man felt as if he had a thousand pounds under his feet, and he moved step by step toward the beautiful woman on the jade bed.
Luo Sifan, standing behind him, could also feel the overwhelming surge of emotion he couldn't contain.
Beside the jade bed, the middle-aged man gazed down for an unknown amount of time, then suddenly looked up at Luo Sifan, his eyes filled with a deep, unfathomable light:
"As you can see, the life force of this painting has been drawn here to sustain my wife's life, as faint as a candle flame, about to be extinguished in an instant. If she is gone, I do not wish to live alone either. This place is just right to be the burial place for my wife and me."