Chapter 38: The Mark
...
Only after entering the water did Lu Changfeng get a clear look at the dark shadow.
It was a massive arapaima, over ten meters long!
The arapaima is also known as the "elephant fish."
The "elephant" in its name was a testament to the fish’s immense strength.
Lu Changfeng had seen this fearsome freshwater fish on educational channels before.
But in his previous life, the largest he had ever seen were only three or four meters long!
This was the first time Lu Changfeng had ever seen an arapaima that was over ten meters long!
His body was still sinking rapidly.
Waves of pain pulsed from his waist and abdomen.
Lu Changfeng remained relatively calm.
A Martial Artist’s flesh and blood were dense and not so easily pierced. Besides, he could hold his breath for a full hour after taking one in, so he wasn’t the least bit afraid of being dragged to the bottom of the lake.
First, Lu Changfeng unstrapped the two-hundred-jin large iron saber from his back.
He had to abandon it. The thing was too heavy, and the pressure on his body multiplied in the water with it on his back.
As soon as the large saber was unstrapped, Lu Changfeng immediately felt his body lighten.
He drew his Autumn Water Long Sword and thrust it at the arapaima’s hard head.
The scales of this arapaima, which was practically a monster, were also extremely tough; ordinary blades would shatter on contact.
But the Autumn Water Sword was no pushover either.
When the two met, sparks actually flew underwater as they reached a stalemate.
A faint cyan energy manifested around Lu Changfeng.
Unable to pierce it with the first thrust, Lu Changfeng channeled his Storm Sword Intent and stabbed again!
Empowered by the Storm Sword Intent, the Autumn Water Sword easily pierced the arapaima’s head this time.
The arapaima, writhing in pain, released Lu Changfeng and turned to swim away into the distance.
"You got lucky!"
Lu Changfeng muttered under his breath.
He reached down to feel the wound on his abdomen. Fortunately, it wasn’t very large.
Still, a faint trail of blood flowed from the wound, dispersing into the surrounding water.
Fengtian Lake was bottomless; who knew what other monsters lurked within?
Using both his hands and feet, Lu Changfeng was about to swim upward.
A faint voice reached Lu Changfeng’s ears.
"Come... come..."
Lu Changfeng froze, stopping to listen carefully.
"Come... come over..."
A woman’s voice, seemingly from a distant era, continued to echo in Lu Changfeng’s mind, growing clearer and clearer!
His scalp tingling with dread, Lu Changfeng accelerated his ascent.
Suddenly, the voice in his mind grew louder.
Lu Changfeng realized that although he was trying to swim up, his body was involuntarily moving downward.
And he was using his full strength! As if possessed, he was diving down with all his might!
’I can’t control my own body. What is this bizarre power?’
For the first time since he had transmigrated four years ago, Lu Changfeng felt his worldview being turned upside down once again.
His body moved faster and faster. Lu Changfeng hadn’t even known he possessed such excellent diving skills. By the time he was starting to feel numb from it all...
His body stopped, and a faint white light appeared before him.
"Come over."
The woman’s voice sounded clearly in Lu Changfeng’s ears.
Lu Changfeng moved toward the white light. The moment his body touched it, he was sucked in.
Lu Changfeng found that the buoyancy around him had vanished. He had left the water and arrived in a dry space.
This dry space appeared to be a primordial cavern.
The center of the cavern was adorned with countless Luminous Pearls and glowing gemstones, and beneath them lay a transparent coffin...
Lu Changfeng swallowed hard and walked forward.
Inside the transparent coffin, a slender woman lay in slumber, her hands crossed over her prominent chest.
Anyone would know that a person in such a strange place was no simple character. Lu Changfeng quickly averted his gaze from where it shouldn’t linger.
A Curved Saber was imprinted between the woman’s eyebrows. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, and even in sleep, she exuded a heroic and noble aura.
"Senior, were you the one who called me here?"
Lu Changfeng asked tentatively as he stood before the coffin.
The woman inside the coffin gave no reply. She remained with her eyes closed, as if she were dead.
However, Lu Changfeng’s interface reacted, letting him know that the woman was not dead.
Name: ??? (Mysterious woman in the cavern’s Crystal Coffin)
Root Bone: Earth Spirit
Talent: Bloodline Talent [Ancient Demon Elephant] 45%, Martial Arts Supreme Talent [Unrivaled Saber Prison].
Lu Changfeng sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
’Holy hell,’ he exclaimed inwardly.
’This woman’s Root Bone and Talents are terrifying.’
An Earth Spirit Level Root Bone.
A Supreme Saber Talent.
And a never-before-seen [Ancient Demon Elephant] Bloodline Talent.
’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have copied Zhao Xingtian’s Upper A Root Bone this morning!’
’Then again, that’s not right. This woman is enclosed in a Crystal Coffin. Even if I wanted to copy her, I couldn’t.’
’As for breaking the Crystal Coffin...’
Lu Changfeng shook his head. ’Forget it. It was better when I didn’t know. Now that I know this woman is alive, there’s no way I’d dare to provoke such a terrifying existence.’
Lu Changfeng suspected this woman was likely a figure who had lived since the Ancient Era.
Realizing he couldn’t copy these mouth-watering Root Bone and Talents, Lu Changfeng gradually calmed down.
Lu Changfeng turned to look back at the source of the light, which seemed to be dimming.
’If the light goes out completely, will I be trapped here?’
’Spend the rest of my life with the woman in this coffin?’ Lu Changfeng shook his head.
’No way.’
The woman could slumber on in her Crystal Coffin.
If he couldn’t get out, he would definitely starve to death here.
Lu Changfeng subconsciously moved toward the light, wanting to leave this place.
"Sigh..."
A sigh echoed through the cavern.
Lu Changfeng froze in place.
Suddenly, a beam of white light shot out from the coffin.
It enveloped Lu Changfeng’s body.
Lu Changfeng had no time to dodge before the white light hit him.
After his initial panic, Lu Changfeng discovered that his body was unharmed.
Instead, a stream of information flooded into his mind.
"This is..."
"The subsequent Cultivation Technique and Martial Arts for the Seven Fengtian Techniques’ Tendon Transformation Realm, a Technique for rapid Bone Refining, and what comes after... Hiss."
Lu Changfeng felt a sharp pain in his mind. It was feedback from the ball of white light, indicating his strength was insufficient to view the rest.
"So, Senior is the founder of the Seven Fengtian Techniques!"
The realization dawned on Lu Changfeng.
In that case, it was indeed possible this woman had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
In gratitude for being taught the technique, Lu Changfeng bowed respectfully toward the coffin.
"Hm?"
In the reflection on the Crystal Coffin, Lu Changfeng saw a flash of white light on his forehead. It transformed into a miniature knife before sinking into his skin and disappearing.
Lu Changfeng touched his forehead. There was no change.
"Senior? I’m leaving now?" Lu Changfeng asked tentatively.
There was no reaction from within the Crystal Coffin.
Seeing that the distant white light was about to disappear, Lu Changfeng gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you for the gift of this technique, Senior! If I get the chance, I’ll come back and burn some paper money for you!"
After saying his piece, Lu Changfeng leaped toward the white light.
Again, he felt the sensation of passing through something.
Lu Changfeng found himself back at the bottom of the lake, enveloped by the current.
He turned his head. The ball of white light was rapidly dissipating, and soon it vanished completely, leaving only the rugged rocks of the lakebed.
The oppressive darkness of the lake bottom closed in. Lu Changfeng shot upward!
Heaven knows how far down that arapaima had dragged him.
Lu Changfeng swam for a full ten minutes before he finally broke the surface and saw the azure sky.
"HUFF..." Lu Changfeng took several long, deep breaths.
This whole experience had been truly incredible.