Chapter 5: Jade Ring Space

Chapter 5: Jade Ring Space

This unexpected surprise stirred Chu Chuan with great excitement. He now had a place to store his resources!

The resentment in Puhe Village was so dense it verged on tangible. Chu Chuan spent an entire night absorbing it; just as dawn was breaking, he thought he had accomplished his task. However, a massive surge of miasma suddenly gushed out from the river in Puhe Village.

Startled, before Chu Chuan could meditate and circulate the "Qi" that he had yet to absorb, the jade ring on his thumb suddenly emitted a brilliant light.

In the golden glow, the jade ring gradually melted, transforming into a jade whip. One end bound Chu Chuan tightly within the thick miasma, while the other end lashed down fiercely, as if punishing him.

"Ahhhh—!"

With tremendous force, the jade whip struck. The spiritual energy that had just been converted within Chu Chuan's body dispersed partially. Countless spirit points were drawn out. As Chu Chuan rolled on the ground to avoid the blows, the whip still accurately struck him every time.

"Ugh! Puh—!"

Chu Chuan spat out a mouthful of blood. He felt his spiritual energy rapidly draining, and his gluttonous constitution instinctively drew in the resentment around him.

An endless stream of resentment seeped into his body. The excruciating pain of his skin tearing made him gasp for breath.

In a daze, he recalled the scene of his master, Ji Liuzi, placing the jade ring on his finger. Back then, his master was on the verge of death but still managed to put it on him personally, urging him to cherish it and never let it fuel his desire for killing.

Killing...

He suddenly absorbed a large amount of death energy and resentment. Could it be that this jade ring thought he was mindlessly slaughtering innocents for cultivation?

"Master! You... actually bound me with chains... You said you would always believe in me!!"

Chu Chuan's eyes turned red. How could he not understand now? The jade ring was far from being the "treasure of the sect"; it was merely a tool for his master, Ji Liuzi, to control him!

He was, after all, an outsider.

"Ahhhhhh—!!"

Chu Chuan violently released all his spiritual energy. In the midst of the dark fog, a beam of red light illuminated the area like a devouring neutron star, absorbing the poisonous mist bit by bit and expanding until it finally exploded with a loud "Boom!"

In the mountains, the women who were huddled together heard the deafening noise and were about to crane their necks for a look. However, the next second, the aftershock hit, and they were all blown away by the strong wind, flying several meters away.

"Ahh!!"

"Ahh! Help!"

The tremendous upheaval shook the entire Puhe Village, causing the river that had concealed countless corpses to rupture. The water vanished, and for the first time, the sun illuminated the stark white bones in the morning light.

The miasma dissipated.

Chu Chuan also collapsed.

Suddenly, he felt a pure "qi" guiding him. Struggling to open his eyes and prop himself up, he limped towards the mountains, driven by instinct.

Upon seeing Chu Chuan finally return, Mu Shiqi's smile froze as she noticed his blood-soaked body. A chill ran down her spine, and what terrified her even more was the expression Chu Chuan gave her, as if she were prey. Her legs turned to jelly.

"Chu... Chu Chuan... Please... Don't kill me..." Mu Shiqi instinctively pleaded for mercy. Perhaps it was a survival instinct kicking in, she knelt before Chu Chuan, begging him not to take her life.

"..." Chu Chuan was on his last legs. He pressed his lips together and raised his trembling hand, pointing at her neck. "Take off what you're wearing around your neck and give it to me."

Mu Shiqi was taken aback but quickly unbuttoned her collar, handing over an inconspicuous item to Chu Chuan.

It was a butterfly made from palm leaves, a gift from her brother. All her valuable possessions had been taken by the traffickers and that family, leaving this insignificant butterfly behind since it held no value.

She never expected Chu Chuan to desire this item.

With the butterfly in his hand, Chu Chuan sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating the meager remaining spiritual energy within him.

Although he had just released all his spiritual energy with the resolve to die, he had survived unscathed. His level hadn't dropped; only his dantian was now empty. As someone who had never "felt hunger" in this way before, he found it somewhat uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the jade ring had been destroyed in the blast.

As the spiritual energy in his body started flowing, something astonishing happened. The aura emanating from the butterfly in his hand was actually healing the wounds that had been torn open by the resentment. It was also purifying the deathly and resentful energy, allowing him to absorb it.

It was an experience he had never encountered before.

So novel and miraculous.

"Where did this come from?"

Chu Chuan opened his eyes. His blood-red irises shimmered in the dawn light as if they were drops of blood freshly spilled from a blade, their hue stirring a tremor deep in one's heart.

Mu Shiqi shuddered and lowered her head.

"It's... My brother made it for me."

"Is your brother also from Imperial Capital?"

Mu Shiqi nodded eagerly.

"My brother studies at Imperial Capital University, so our whole family moved here."

"What's his name?"

"Muzhilin."

"Muzhi-Lin." Chu Chuan repeated the name, his fingers gripping the butterfly tighter.

He needed to find this person.

Closing his eyes, he tried to channel his spiritual energy again. Unexpectedly, he felt a burning sensation on his thumb. Before he could open his eyes to investigate, he sensed something new in his sea of consciousness. Holding his breath, he focused and found that it was the jade ring!

Chu Chuan's breathing quickened abruptly.

This object hadn't been destroyed by the explosion!

It was even bound to some kind of contract with him!

His master never mentioned that such an object could be bonded! Could it be that this was indeed the "sect's ultimate treasure," and he had unwittingly unlocked it?

As he experimented cautiously, Chu Chuan inadvertently activated his mental energy, unexpectedly unlocking an unknown realm within the jade ring. It was an immense, boundless space, somewhat resembling the storage ring that Ji Liuzi had once described to him.

This unexpected delight stirred Chu Chuan's excitement.

He finally had a place to store his supplies!

"Master, I misunderstood you," he muttered, continuing to probe the functions of the jade ring with his mental energy. Under the concentration of his immense mental power, the interior space became increasingly vivid in Chu Chuan's vision.

It was a place where time seemed to stand still. At its center stood a golden tower, around which the expanse appeared to have no end.

Chu Chuan's consciousness drifted toward the golden tower. The sealed doors, as if sensing his presence, slowly opened, revealing their glistening, true nature inside.

Chu Chuan cautiously surveyed the surroundings before cautiously extending his consciousness into the artifact.

The instant his consciousness entered, three calligraphic characters slowly materialized on the golden tower: Bi Luo Sect.

Unaware of this, Chu Chuan was stunned upon entering the golden tower's interior. It was filled with various cultivation techniques, as well as body tempering and wind manipulation formulas!

This jade ring finger truly was a treasure!

...

Half an hour later.

After recovering, Chu Chuan opened his eyes, first glancing at the heat emanating from his thumb. He rubbed it twice before turning his attention to the drowsy women.

These women had accompanied him up the mountain since the previous evening. Not only were they hungry, but the sweltering heat had also drained them of energy.

If they waited until the sun fully rose, they might all suffer from heatstroke right here.

Estimating his father's rescue time, if he came from a nearby city, he should be arriving soon after a night's travel. With that in mind, Chu Chuan set out to scavenge for food in the village while acquainting himself with the space within the jade ring finger.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The cicadas resumed their symphony, and Chu Chuan sensed the temperature soaring rapidly, nearing the scorching forty degrees Celsius.

The roadside weeds had withered and died, while the fields were parched and cracked under the relentless sun.

All these signs pointed to an impending drought.

Back in the mountains, he tossed the food to the group.

"Eat up, someone will be coming to pick us up soon."

Mu Shiqi and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.

Someone was... coming to fetch them?

Was it really true!?

After the initial shock, everyone began devouring their food. They hadn't had a full meal since arriving at this village. The villagers, fearing they might escape, usually didn't let them eat their fill. However, to keep them working, they wouldn't deny them food entirely.

With a hard and scorching bread in hand, Mu Shiqi stole glances at Chu Chuan, endlessly wondering what kind of person he was to have arranged for someone to meet them in such a remote place.

The car arrived after about ten minutes.

A group of girls, long estranged from their hometowns, had finally escaped their hell and returned to where they belonged.

As Mu Shiqi was also heading back to the Imperial Capital like Chu Chuan, they shared the same vehicle.

Eager to return as soon as possible, the off-road vehicle headed straight for the nearest airport, from where they took a flight to the Imperial Capital.

...

"Author's Note"