*****

Drip!

Drip!!

Meng Lin opened her eyes to find herself in a dimly lit cave. The air was heavy with a musty scent, and the sound of dripping water echoed throughout the cavern. She tried to move, but her body felt heavy and unresponsive.

Hiss

That’s when she noticed the large serpent lying right next to her. Purple seeing her awake hissed in joy as it slowly nudged her with its head.

Meng Lin smiled weakly as she felt the familiar presence of Purple, her loyal companion. Despite her confusion and physical weakness, the sight of Purple brought her a sense of comfort and reassurance. She reached out her hand and gently stroked Purple's smooth scales, feeling a surge of connection between them.

As the serpent nudged her with its head, Meng Lin couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up in this cave and what had happened.

Her memories were hazy, but she remembered what happened, she just doesn’t know the events that transpired after she called out to Purple.

"Purple," Meng Lin whispered, her voice barely audible in the cavern. "What happened to us? How did we end up here?"

The serpent raised its head, its mesmerizing purple eyes fixated on Meng Lin. It seemed to understand her words, its gaze filled with a mix of concern and determination. Purple began to coil itself around Meng Lin, providing a sense of security and protection.

In a soft, soothing sigh, Meng Lin turned her attention elsewhere, having finally become fully aware, she noticed that she was unable to release her spiritual consciousness.

Circulating her cultivation method she realized something new, her skin was beginning to itch, as she focused on her body she became surprised to see swirls of energy signatures going across her body, she hadn’t noticed that before.

She could feel that the itching was a healing process and it was somehow unique. In every area that heals, she would feel the energy strands be absorbed into her muscles and bones, nourishing and revitalizing them.

It made her quite surprised, as she was merely circulating her qi according to the Black Tortoise Essence Art.

Meng Lin smiled slightly as she realized what was happening, it was the 2nd Layer of the Black Tortoise Essence Art, and her body was absorbing the energy signatures corroding her body.

The warmth that pulsed through her body intensified, comforting and invigorating her. With each passing moment, she felt her gold core, the essence of her spiritual power, grew stronger.

However, Meng Lin noticed that something was amiss. She tried to send her energy outside her body, as she had done countless times before, but to her surprise, it was as if a barrier had been erected, preventing her from doing so. It was as if the absorbed energies were contained within her, fueling her inner strength but unable to be released.

A mixture of curiosity and concern filled Meng Lin's heart. She wondered what had caused this change within her. Was it a temporary effect of the primeval sea energies? Or was it a permanent alteration to her spiritual abilities? Questions swirled in her mind, but she remained determined to find answers.

Despite the frustration of being unable to unleash her energy, Meng Lin recognized the potential in this situation. She resolved to continue the healing process and use it to her advantage.

She focused all her attention on circulating her cultivation method, channeling the absorbed energies to enhance her healing capabilities.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness began to pour within Meng Lin’s mind, and she couldn’t help but curse as her vision turned black.

****

A few thousand meters away from the dim cave, an old man was walking through the dense forest.

The old man, Old Liu followed a trail that led him deeper into the forest, he walked through countless twists and turns to finally arrive at the entrance of a cave.

As Old Liu stood at the entrance he couldn’t help but sweat as he gulped the saliva down his throat.

The air coming from the cave was heavy with an eerie aura, causing a shiver to run down his spine. He cautiously stepped inside, his senses on high alert.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Old Liu saw the silhouette of a figure lying on the ground. It was a young woman, her body adorned with intricate patterns and glowing with a golden light. Next to her, he noticed the large serpent, its purple scales shimmering in the darkness.

Liu approached the woman and the serpent, his footsteps silent against the cave floor.

He could sense powerful energy emanating from both of them, as soon as he was within 10 meters of the two, the snake turned its head towards him, as if warning him to not approach.

“Sigh, are you not gonna trust me, even though I lead you here, right now the whole Yi provinces is in a mess thanks to you,” Liu said with a grumpy voice.

The serpent hissed in response, its purple eyes fixed on Old Liu. It seemed to be able to understand his words.

“Right now, only I know about you but because of what you did the Yun Clan is searching everywhere for me, they think I killed him” The serpent's eyes narrowed, and it let out a low, rumbling hiss.

“Yes yes, I will wait for her to wake up”. Said Old Liu as he regarded the serpent with both respect and fear.

He remembered the confusion and fear he felt when the snake came out of nowhere to swallow the young master of the Yun clan whole.

Old Liu sat down on a nearby rock, his eyes never leaving the woman and the serpent.

As he waited for the woman to wake up, memories of their encounter flashed through his mind. He recalled the moment when the woman's aura had stopped the lightning chain in its tracks, the chaos and power that emanated from her. He couldn't help but feel a mix of fascination and fear.

But despite the fear, Old Liu couldn't ignore the sense of responsibility that weighed on his shoulders. He had brought the woman here, seeking a way to heal her and for his own selfish reasons.

He believed that this woman was something extraordinary, something that would change the fate of the entire Qiankun world.

Drip

Drip!

And so time slowly passed, Old Liu sat in one corner, occasionally changing his position and the serpent kept a keen gaze, occasionally moving its body.