Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Sure enough, as the strange fire appeared, the black strands of hair surrounding the ship began to slide away, retreating rapidly as if they desperately wanted to distance themselves from the strange fire on the ship.

Looking at the eyes in the lake, they no longer looked smug; instead, they all showed signs of fear.

Although these eyes were not the most important demon eyes of the Thousand-Eyed Demon, they still represented its thoughts and feelings, making it easy to gauge the demon's mood.

Ning Yuzhou flicked a wisp of dark blue strange fire towards the wall of hair that had been surrounding them.

He had not yet tamed the Heart Flame Fire, so he could only harness one to two percent of the strange fire's power. However, this was more than enough to deal with the Thousand-Eyed Demon.

As the sparks of strange fire touched the black strands of hair, those once smooth and slippery strands burst into flames. The wall of black hair, like a lifeless withered tree, collapsed with a loud crash, while the other strands that hadn't caught fire quickly retreated back into the lake.

The black hair in the lake visibly receded, and the black curtain that had spread across the lake due to the Thousand-Eyed Demon's presence also vanished instantly.

In an instant, the lake water became clear again, revealing the underwater grass clearly, and the eyes and hair were nowhere to be seen.

Qiao Leshui stared in amazement, "How fast did that Thousand-Eyed Demon run away?"

This clearly demonstrated that strange fire was indeed the nemesis of the Thousand-Eyed Demon, causing it to flee swiftly upon encountering it, never daring to show itself again.

Ning Yuzhou then put away the strange fire.

Wen Qiao looked at the strange fire that had disappeared from his hand and then shifted her gaze to Su Wangling, finding him peculiar, as if he could see through everything.

Whether it was the Thousand-Eyed Demon in the lake or its weakness, he had been the one to remind them, as if he could "see" it all.

After the Thousand-Eyed Demon retreated, the boat continued forward.

Without the threat of the Thousand-Eyed Demon, the lake surface returned to calm, though still eerie and gloomy.

Qiao Leshui glanced at Su Wangling and then at Ning Yuzhou, feeling that among the five people on their boat, although Wu Qijie had the highest cultivation, the ones who seemed the most unfathomable were Ning Yuzhou and Su Wangling.

Having spent months with Ning Yuzhou, he still couldn't figure out his true capabilities, sensing that there was nothing he couldn't do, making it impossible to measure him solely by his cultivation.

As for Su Wangling, as the young master of Linglong Fort, although he was well-known, people mostly praised his excellent aptitude and his late-stage Yuanzong realm at a young age, without mentioning any specific techniques he specialized in.

It was unclear whether Linglong Fort kept it a secret or if Su Wangling's cultivation methods were particularly mysterious and unknown to outsiders.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Qiao Leshui asked, "Young Master Su, how did you know the Thousand-Eyed Demon would appear earlier?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou both turned to look at Su Wangling.

They had all witnessed his earlier performance, and it would be hard not to be curious.

Su Wangling opened his eyes and looked at Qiao Leshui.

Meeting those dark, calm eyes, Qiao Leshui suddenly felt intimidated, thinking he might have asked something inappropriate, but then he heard Su Wangling say, "This is the technique I practice—the Lingxin Eye, which allows me to see."

Lingxin Eye?

Wen Qiao and Qiao Leshui looked confused, completely unfamiliar with it.

However, Su Wangling didn't seem inclined to explain further, and they didn't want to press him. From his reaction, it seemed that every time he used the Lingxin Eye to "see," it caused him significant harm.

Could his condition be due to using the Lingxin Eye?

Seeing Su Wangling close his eyes to rest again, Wen Qiao secretly transmitted sound to Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, do you know what kind of technique the Lingxin Eye is?"

Ning Yuzhou replied, "It's not the Lingxin Eye, it should be the Lingxin Body!"

Wen Qiao looked at him in surprise, what did he mean? Wasn't Su Wangling practicing the Lingxin Eye? Then why did he say it was the Lingxin Eye?

Ning Yuzhou continued, "Chui, the Lingxin Body is not a technique but a type of divine bloodline. Su Wangling must have awakened the divine bloodline of the Lingxin Body. The Lingxin Body can communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, using spirit as an eye to see through all truths in the world. There's nothing that can hide from the Lingxin Body. When Su Wangling said he uses the 'Lingxin Eye' to see, he wasn't wrong; the Lingxin Eye is a manifestation of the Lingxin Body's innate ability."

Wen Qiao was startled. No wonder Su Wangling knew about the strange fire in Ning Yuzhou.

With the Lingxin Body, wouldn't everything be exposed before him? Could he even see their divine bloodlines?

Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Ning Yuzhou reassured her, "Don't worry, Chui. Su Wangling's Lingxin Body hasn't fully matured. As long as we don't use our divine bloodline abilities in front of him, he won't discover anything."

While the Lingxin Body is powerful, it isn't omnipotent. For example, Ning Yuzhou's Di Xi bloodline is one of the Five Emperors' bloodlines, not easily discernible by ordinary people, and the Lingxin Body cannot see through it either.

What the Lingxin Body can detect are things that manifest spiritually, like the strange fire he carries and the true forms of Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun.

Moreover, using the Lingxin Body is highly taxing. Each time he communicates with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and uses spirit as an eye to see through something, it takes a great toll on the user.

That's why Su Wangling can't easily use the innate abilities of the Lingxin Body.

Therefore, he refrains from speaking unless necessary. Coupled with his poor health, forcing himself to use the Lingxin Body's abilities would be unsustainable.

Wen Qiao sighed in relief, "That's good."

Thus, she understood why Su Wangling referred to the innate skill of the Lingxin Body as the technique "Lingxin Eye." It was a way to avoid suspicion and prevent others from coveting his divine bloodline.

Though it's rare to meet someone with a divine bloodline, she had no intention of "recognizing kinship" with him. Su Wangling probably wouldn't want anyone irrelevant to know about his divine bloodline either, so it's better to pretend ignorance.

It seemed like no time had passed when the boat approached the giant tree in the center of the lake.

Qiao Leshui exclaimed in surprise, "Earlier, we couldn't get here at all, but now we've arrived so quickly. Did the Thousand-Eyed Demon do something?"

Wu Qijie affirmed, "It must be related to it."

This lake is the domain of the Thousand-Eyed Demon, and the giant tree stands in the middle of the lake. They weren't sure what the demon had done.

Among them, only Su Wangling could "see" and understand the reason, but given his poor health, he often found it difficult to speak, so he didn't bother explaining.

Soon, the boat reached the giant tree.

When viewed up close, the giant tree suspended in the lake appeared even more majestic and towering. Its trunk was thick and its bark rough and cracked, as if it had endured countless years, giving off a sense of heaviness and simplicity. The robust roots seemed to be deeply embedded in the water, with only a small part exposed above the surface. Even so, it was still an impressive sight, with the exposed roots tightly intertwined, forming a platform floating on the water.

In summary, the entire tree and its roots had become an island in the middle of the lake.

The tree was lush and verdant, with dense dark green leaves that spread like a canopy.

However, after looking at it for a while, one felt a lack of vitality. Neither the aged trunk nor the flourishing branches and leaves showed any signs of life.

They stood on the boat, gazing up at the giant tree in the lake without rashly stepping onto the tree island.

The lake was formed from extremely yin water, and the giant tree grew within this yin water, drawing nourishment from it. Clearly, it was not an ordinary tree.

After observing for some time, Wu Qijie turned to Su Wangling and asked, "Young Master, should we go in?"

Su Wangling's gaze remained calm as he said, "Let's go. There should be something inside."

Hearing his words, Wu Qijie did not question further. He steered the boat closer to the tree island and then leaped onto the exposed roots above the lake. After checking the surroundings and finding no abnormalities, he called the others over.

One by one, they stepped onto the tree island.

As soon as they set foot on the tree island, they felt a chill rising from their feet, seeping into their bones and making them shiver.

They quickly circulated their spiritual energy to expel the coldness creeping into their bodies, which made them feel somewhat better.

Despite this, the pervasive coldness stubbornly tried to penetrate their bodies. They had to maintain the circulation of spiritual energy, forming a thin protective layer around themselves.

Wen Qiao, while circulating her spiritual energy to resist the cold, also probed around and soon discovered that the coldness clearly emanated from the lake water beneath their feet.

The giant tree grew directly in the lake, having merged with the water. By stepping onto the tree island, they were in direct contact with it. No wonder Su Wangling had earlier suggested not leaving the boat; such a chilling aura could easily erode the body of cultivators.

The ground, formed by the roots, was uneven, and the dense branches overhead required extreme caution when walking. The group proceeded rather uneasily.

As they circled the giant tree, examining it, they quickly found what Su Wangling had mentioned.

It was a jade stone tightly wrapped by twisted roots. The surface of the jade was smooth and covered with marks, as if it had endured countless years. Through these marks, one could faintly see the runes etched on the jade.

Everyone gathered around the jade stone to examine it.

The jade was large, covered with runes, as if embedded within the roots.

"Is this a talisman?" Wu Qijie asked, puzzled. As a sword cultivator, he disliked using talismans in battle and knew little about them.

Su Wangling studied it intently and said, "The runes on it appear to be ancient characters."

"What is the use of this thing?" Qiao Leshan asked, equally puzzled.

This time, Su Wangling remained silent. Although he could tell the runes were ancient, he did not understand their meaning and thus could not deduce its purpose.

On the Flying Star Continent, talismans were prevalent. Even if one was not a Talisman Master, they would have some knowledge of them.

Talisman Masters typically drew runes on talisman paper or carved them into special jade stones to create talisman tokens, stones, or monuments for various uses.

This was the first time Su Wangling had seen such a large talisman stone. The runes on the entire jade were few but intricate, each rune seeming to have a specific purpose, creating a peculiar rhythm that made one feel dazed after prolonged viewing.

Wen Qiao and the two furry balls on her shoulders also looked closely but saw nothing unusual.

Wu Qijie remarked, "These ancient runes, who can understand them?"

Su Wangling sighed, "I heard that the ancestor of the Heavenly Talisman Sect understands some ancient runes. If he were here, he might be able to decipher them."

The problem was that the ancestor of the Heavenly Talisman Sect who understood ancient runes was not present, and they could not rashly remove the jade stone.

The jade stone was clearly intertwined with the roots of the giant tree. To remove it would likely require destroying the roots, and this lake was not ordinary. Who knew what might happen if they destroyed the tree?

Everyone who came to the Heavenly Plains had a deep understanding: never touch anything strange-looking in the Heavenly Plains!

To them, this talisman stone seemed quite strange.

Suddenly, Qiao Leshan turned to Ning Yuzhou and asked, "Young Master Ning, aren't you a Talisman Master? Can you understand it?"

Indeed, among the five present, only Ning Yuzhou claimed to be a Talisman Master. Although Su Wangling also knew about talismans, he could only draw simple ones, which all cultivators on the Flying Star Continent could do.

But to say he was proficient was impossible.

Wu Qijie's lips twitched, thinking Qiao Leshan was truly naive, no wonder he had been successfully schemed against by the disciples of the Qiao family.

Ning Yuzhou stood next to Wen Qiao, studying the runes on the jade for a while before calmly saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this is a talisman stone used to suppress evil spirits."

Hearing his words, Wu Qijie and Su Wangling looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to actually understand.

Only Qiao Leshan and Wen Qiao remained calm, as if it was natural for Ning Yuzhou to understand.

"Can you really understand it?" Su Wangling asked.

Ning Yuzhou nodded, "The runes on it are indeed very ancient characters, but they are easy to understand."

Su Wangling and Wu Qijie: "……"

How could they be easy to understand? They were far from easy!

Although they were both struck by Ning Yuzhou's words, at least they now understood the purpose of the talisman stone—it was used to suppress evil spirits, presumably those in the lake.

"Could it be suppressing the Thousand-Eyed Demon?" Qiao Leshan guessed.

"It shouldn't be," Su Wangling said calmly. "The Thousand-Eyed Demon is a creature born from the yin energy of the Heavenly Plains. It is not strong enough to require suppression."

Since it wasn't suppressing the Thousand-Eyed Demon, what was it suppressing?

Everyone couldn't help but look around. In the distance was the still, dead-like lake, and nearby was the giant tree beneath their feet. The pervasive coldness made them uneasy.

Su Wangling suddenly looked at Ning Yuzhou and politely asked, "Young Master Ning, could you help take a look at the runes on this talisman stone?"

Ning Yuzhou glanced at him and nodded, saying, "Of course I can."

With his agreement, Su Wangling had Wu Qijie clean the mottled marks on the talisman stone, and he instructed, "Remember, don't damage the tree roots on it."

The tree roots entwined around the talisman stone, making it difficult to clean, but Wu Qijie still followed the young master's words and carefully cleared the marks, finally leaving the entire talisman stone spotless.

The talisman stone looked very old, having endured countless storms and rains. Some of the runes were already blurred, and without needing a detailed examination, it was clear that the stone’s power was weakening.

Su Wangling couldn’t help but look at the lake outside the tree island and suddenly understood why such a monster as the Thousand-Eyed Demon could be born in this lake.

The power of the talisman stone was weakening, allowing the aura of the suppressed evil spirit to seep out, affecting the environment in the lake. The Thousand-Eyed Demon, nourished by this, was gradually gaining strength. If left unchecked, it would eventually become a formidable monster.

Seeing the talisman stone, Ning Yuzhou said in an admiring tone, "This stone talisman is still quite well-preserved."

Su Wangling nodded, a pleased expression on his face, "Indeed, I heard that carving runes into jade can make them last longer than those drawn on talisman paper."

Talismans also have a time limit; as time passes, their contained spiritual energy and power gradually dissipate, eventually turning into useless scraps. For higher-level talismans, if one wants them to last longer, Talisman Masters choose to inscribe them on materials of better quality, using these as a medium to pass down to future generations.

Ning Yuzhou looked at the talisman stone and slowly deciphered the ancient runes on it.