A powerful suction pulled Zhang Er Gou, his advancing body abruptly stopped.
Suddenly, Zhang Er Gou's body began to retreat.
Ah…
Accompanied by a pig-slaughtering scream, Zhang Er Gou plummeted straight down the cliff.
His body fell rapidly, the whistling wind by his ears stinging his skin.
Then, Zhang Er Gou felt a wave of dizziness, his rapidly descending body falling into a bottomless abyss.
His eyes could only see pitch-blackness, the falling speed increasing, Zhang Er Gou still had not hit the bottom.
Suddenly, Zhang Er Gou felt a quietness in his ears, the entire surroundings silent.
Then he found his falling speed slowing down, gradually leveling out, and finally, he landed safely on the ground.
His feet on solid ground, Zhang Er Gou still found it hard to believe.
Because the binding force he had felt before had also disappeared, the bottom of the cliff was eerily quiet, yet Zhang Er Gou could move freely.
Clang!
Zhang Er Gou flipped his hand and drew the Ghost Spear Tian Wen from his back. Having regained his freedom, he naturally had to ensure his safety, then he took out a giant luminous pearl from his storage ring to illuminate the area.
The giant luminous pearl shone, a mere spark in the vastness of the cliff bottom. Zhang Er Gou felt a chill run down his spine, as if a pair of eyes were staring at him from the darkness.
Using the light of the luminous pearl, Zhang Er Gou cautiously moved his feet, observing his surroundings.
The place was lush and green, with unknown plants growing exceptionally vigorously, but one area seemed out of place. That area was as if it had been flattened by a sharp weapon.
Spanning nearly ten zhang, not a single plant grew on the ground. It was covered in withered bones, the entire ground appearing ancient, and a strong stench of decay emanated from it.
The sand and soil on the ground were very soft, comfortable to step on. Zhang Er Gou dared not move his body lightly, fearing that the next step would trigger a trap, and he'd be screwed.
Then Zhang Er Gou also found corroded withered bones at the base of the dense vegetation. It turned out that with these withered bones as nutrients, the vegetation grew so vigorously.
Holding the luminous pearl, Zhang Er Gou moved forward cautiously, step by step. Turning a corner, Zhang Er Gou saw an even vaster area.
In the middle of this area, there was a dilapidated altar. The altar was filled with the marks of time, covered with densely packed runes he couldn't understand.
Traces of blood had long since dried, adding to the mystery of the altar.
Zhang Er Gou quietly moved his steps, approaching the altar more closely, carefully observing this mysterious altar filled with the vicissitudes of time.
Huh?
Upon closer inspection, he found that on the dilapidated altar, there was a human-shaped statue. Looking at its appearance, it should be an old man.
The old man was still in a seated posture.
Holding the luminous pearl, Zhang Er Gou circled again, but found nothing else, only some withered bones and vegetation, nothing more.
Unable to find an exit, he could only helplessly return to the side of the altar, intending to see if he could find any clues.
Staring at the human-shaped statue in the center of the altar, Zhang Er Gou muttered to himself, "What is it that brought me here?"
"There's nothing unusual here, just some withered bones?"
Zhang Er Gou couldn't figure it out. Now that he had free time, he realized his spiritual fire seemed to have gone dormant. No matter how he prodded it, it didn't react.
"What?"
"Little brother!" Suddenly, a jarring voice sounded. Zhang Er Gou felt as if it were thunder.
"Who is it? Stop playing tricks, come out!" Tightly gripping the iron spear in his hand, Zhang Er Gou nervously scanned his surroundings.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, hitting the ground. His heart pounded like a drum.
After looking around, Zhang Er Gou couldn't find where the voice was coming from.
"Little brother, do not fear!" The ethereal voice sounded again.
"Who is there? Stop being mysterious. I see you, come out quickly." Gripping the iron spear Tian Wen tightly, Zhang Er Gou widened his eyes, looking forward.
"Little brother, please turn around. I am behind you."
Although the voice was still ethereal, it was filled with the feeling of ancient times.
Zhang Er Gou quickly turned around and found that the speaker was the human-shaped statue behind him.
The human-shaped statue was still sitting there, motionless.
"Could it be you?" Zhang Er Gou quickly retreated, putting some distance between himself and the altar.
"Haha, little brat, you're quite interesting." The human-shaped statue burst into laughter. Zhang Er Gou then realized that the seated figure was not a statue at all, but an old man.
It was only because the surface of the old man's body was covered with a thick layer of soil that he looked like a human-shaped statue sitting there.
Zhang Er Gou looked closely, and the old man opened his eyes at the same time.
What kind of eyes were they? Instinctively, Zhang Er Gou took a few more steps back.
There were no pupils, no irises, no eyeballs, just a dark abyss, as if they could swallow everything.
"Esteemed senior, this disciple was impolite. May I ask what divine being you are?" Zhang Er Gou clasped his hands in a salute, not daring to show any disrespect.
Courtesy often smooths things over. He didn't know the old man's temperament, so it was better to leave himself some room to maneuver.
"This old man's name is Tai Xu. Little brother, you can call me Old Man Tai Xu." The old man spoke softly, his voice low but clearly reaching Zhang Er Gou's ears.
"Old Man Tai Xu?" Zhang Er Gou searched his memory but had never heard of this person. Clearly, there was no such prominent figure among the famous figures of the Yin Zhou Continent.
Thinking this, Zhang Er Gou carefully observed the old man before him. Although the old man had opened his eyes, he remained motionless, sitting in place.
His entire body was covered in thick soil, and a layer of moss had grown on the surface. The old man showed no sign of life, as if he didn't exist in this world.
"Senior, why are you at the bottom of our Misty Sect's cliff?" Zhang Er Gou's eyes were fixed on Old Man Tai Xu, trying to discern something from him.
But he found nothing.
"Haha, little brother, you jest." Old Man Tai Xu grinned. "This old man has been meditating here for over five thousand years. What is the Misty Sect? This old man truly has never heard of it?"
"What? Five thousand years…?"
Zhang Er Gou was greatly astonished. Five thousand years, what a long period of time. With his knowledge, he clearly couldn't comprehend such a duration.
Zhang Er Gou only knew that mortals generally didn't live past a hundred years. Foundation Establishment cultivators could live for at most two to three hundred years, and Golden Core cultivators would have their lifespan extended to five hundred years.
And those Nascent Soul stage mighty figures were said to be able to live for a thousand years!
And this human-shaped statue, who called himself Old Man Tai Xu, had been meditating here for over five thousand years!
What did this mean?