Chapter Thirty-Two: A Small World Within the Cave

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Small World Within the Cave

Wu Hong traversed layer upon layer of darkness. Even with his keen eyesight, he could not see in this pitch-black cave, and a sense of panic welled up in his heart. Yet the stone path beneath his feet was undeniably real.

He strode forward hastily, occasionally hearing a few anguished screams from behind—likely those who entered after him, their bodies invaded by the mysterious, multicolored energies.

He did not know how long he walked before a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead. Wu Hong’s body leapt forward like a monkey, soaring more than ten zhang in a single bound. Suddenly, a dazzling light stabbed at his eyes, making it difficult to open them.

After a short while, his eyes adjusted to the intense brightness, and the sight before him left him dumbfounded: he was staring at an endless, primeval forest.

Within this boundless woodland stood towering mountains, their peaks lost in the clouds, reaching heights unknown. From a distance, he could see clearly that each mountainside held a gigantic cave, like the gaping maw of some great beast.

His entire body surged with the energy of the Great Sun Tathagata, swelling in size in an instant—startling him greatly, though he could not fathom the reason.

Examining himself, he felt thin wisps of white mist, almost tangible, seeping through his skin deep into his muscles. This shocked him profoundly.

For martial artists, cultivation is a contest with the very heavens, a struggle to seize the spiritual energy of the world. This is the foundational doctrine for all martial cultivation.

Yet in the Great Qian Dynasty, few paid this doctrine any heed. Who would have guessed that this mysterious place would be so rich in spiritual energy?

Wu Hong felt as though he possessed boundless strength.

This was no mere cave—it was an entirely different world. Wu Hong could never have believed that the Celestial Tome Cavern contained such a vast space, not even on pain of death.

Before entering the cave, Wu Hong had wondered whether the legendary Mirror of Rebirth truly existed. But seeing this microcosm before him, he believed—perhaps the legends were true.

Nature is forever cloaked in unfathomable mystery, and the existence of this world defied all explanation.

Wu Hong noted that the sunlight here was especially abundant. Looking skyward, he gasped in shock.

“Three suns!” he shouted involuntarily. This small world had three blazing suns.

Glancing around, he discovered he stood on a broad plain. The cave opening behind him had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

“This is bad,” he thought. “With the cave mouth gone, how will I return to my world?”

The same fate befell others in this strange realm; each person who entered had been transported to a different, not overly wide location. All those who had entered together had vanished from each other’s sight. The unknown always breeds fear.

Across the plains of this small world, cries and wails echoed, while a few with steely resolve began to explore the land.

The first to enter, however, was Dongfang Invincible, who now lingered in a mountainside cave, gazing at a glowing manual in hand, lost in inscrutable thoughts.

This was the eleventh cave Dongfang Invincible had searched before finally finding a reward. Just as she turned to leave, she paused after a few steps.

From her pocket, Dongfang Invincible retrieved a manual and reverently returned it to its place upon the stone altar within the cave.

She glanced at the manual she had been cultivating from for so long, a strange smile curling her lips.

“Hmph—how hypocritical, these humans,” she muttered coldly to herself, then, after a moment’s thought, picked up the manual again.

Flipping to the final page, she sent a surge of true energy from her fingertips, inscribing in barely visible characters: “To the one who completes my ultimate art—may you return to the source.”

After his initial shock, Wu Hong ventured alone into the forest. The trees here were frighteningly massive—the thinnest would require more than ten men arm-in-arm to encircle.

Ancient vines, thick as a man’s arm, coiled around every trunk, bearing testimony to countless years.

“Help!” As Wu Hong moved through the forest, a cry for help reached his ears.

His heart leapt—first with alarm, then with joy. Clearly, those who had entered before him were not dead, but had also been transported elsewhere, just as he had.

The voice was filled with terror. Wu Hong sped toward it, darting through the tangle of trees, and soon beheld an astonishing sight.

A vine, as thick as a human leg, was coiling around a man, binding him like a dumpling and dragging him away. At the end of the vine sat a bizarre plant, its maw agape, exuding purple smoke.

A strange scent assaulted Wu Hong’s senses, and a numbness spread through his body, alarming him greatly. He swiftly circulated his inner energy.

Fortunately, after a cycle of his true energy, the paralyzing sensation vanished.

Just as he began to feel better, a chill wind swept overhead. Without hesitation, Wu Hong raised his hammer to block above him.

With a heavy, muffled boom, the forest trembled. Above him, a vine several meters thick was struck flying by Wu Hong’s hammer, but its resilience was astonishing—it suffered no damage at all.

“What kind of monster is this?” Wu Hong knew well that when his hammer had reached the Muscle-Refining Realm, it already weighed nearly two thousand jin, and likely even more now. Yet all he had done was send the massive vine flying, without harming it.

The man bound tightly in vines was dragged several more meters, but seemed to slow down considerably.

Wu Hong wondered if this strange plant was actually intelligent.

He did not dwell on it. With a leap, he landed beside the bound man, raising his left hand high and bringing his blade down in a flash.

A metallic clang rang out in the forest—the blade failed to slice through the vine. Instead, the sound of metal striking metal echoed eerily.

Yet if one looked closely, one could see fresh, red blood seeping from the spot where the blade struck the vine.

Suddenly, Wu Hong noticed the sunlight filtering through the treetops dim abruptly. Looking up, he was stunned to see thousands of thick, black vines descending upon him.

Before he could even cry out, he thrust both arms upward and immediately felt an immense weight—no less than tens of thousands of jin—bearing down upon him.

If it was merely weight, Wu Hong would not have minded. The trouble was, while he was holding them at bay, other vines wound themselves around his body.

Wu Hong felt his whole body constrict. With a wry smile, he muttered, “Brother, we’re doomed. I just wanted to save you, but now I can’t even save myself…”

His words trailed off as every inch of his body was enveloped, even his voice stifled.

Darkness closed in around him, impenetrable. Wu Hong realized this monster possessed remarkable intelligence.

At that critical moment, Wu Hong recalled the principle of the five elements—plant-type creatures were most vulnerable to fire.

He desperately gathered his true energy, and his body blazed with golden light. The vines sizzled and smoked, recoiling as though encountering their nemesis.

In an instant, every vine released him, slipping away without a trace.

Wu Hong breathed a sigh of relief. This forest is full of unknown dangers—next time, he must be more cautious.

“Help!” The man, still bound like a dumpling, was about to be shoved into the monster’s mouth.

Without hesitation, Wu Hong leapt to the creature’s head, channeling all his energy into the Great Sun Tathagata Vajra Palms. From a distance, his hands looked like twin meteors, blazing with fire, scorching everything around them.

With a thunderous boom, fragments of vine flew in all directions, each burning with flame. The surrounding trees actually shifted away, clearing a vast space.

Wu Hong felt weak; that last strike had nearly drained his true energy. The power was astonishing, but so was the cost—he resolved to use it sparingly in the future.

The man, once bound by vines, was now completely free.

“It’s not safe here! Let’s go!” Wu Hong scooped up the portly man—whose tattered clothes suggested a person of some status—hoisted him onto his shoulder as if he weighed nothing, and carefully made his way toward the nearest mountain.

The man, gradually regaining feeling, glanced at his savior, about to offer his thanks. But as he got a good look at Wu Hong’s face, his expression twisted with madness and malice, turning vicious as he stealthily drew a dagger.

Wu Hong, fully focused on their escape, was oblivious to the man’s intentions.

Meanwhile, he noticed that, just like the plain before, the forest was rich with spiritual energy. The true energy he’d nearly exhausted was now restored in less than half an hour—and he felt his cultivation had improved as well.