After the strange vine was incinerated, the dim yellow mist that filled the space also quickly dissipated. It seemed the danger had been averted.
Zhang Ling calmed his mind slightly and walked towards the two sections of vine that had been burned to charcoal.
This vine was indeed unusual. The twin-tailed cat's demon fire was much fiercer than a Golden Core cultivator's core fire, yet it hadn't reduced the vine to ashes.
Huh!
Suddenly, his divine sense twitched, and he discovered a green light flickering inside the vine.
Zhang Ling quickly stopped and waved his hand. A gust of wind swept up the vine, shook it, and tossed out a ball.
It was a ball woven from emerald green vines, with some spiritual patterns imprinted on it. Surprisingly, a small command flag was also entangled within.
These two items seemed to be magical treasures.
Because they both had man-made spiritual patterns, Zhang Ling beckoned, intending to bring the vine ball closer for a closer look.
However, the command flag inside the vine ball suddenly lit up with an eerie spiritual light.
The small flag inside the vine ball was very exquisite. Although it was only a foot long, it was covered with dense spiritual patterns, and the flag surface was also printed with some mysterious flower, bird, and beast patterns. It was clearly not an ordinary treasure.
At this moment, the small flag shook violently, and the entire flag surface released a layer of gray-yellow mist. Zhang Ling immediately felt a powerful spiritual force emanating from it.
Judging by its style, this small flag might be an ancient treasure.
Suddenly, the mist transformed into a vague phantom of a demonic beast, appearing to be a giant snake.
But before Zhang Ling could see it clearly, the vine ball flashed with spiritual light, shooting out emerald green rays.
These rays were only the size of hair strands, like emerald green thin lines, or emerald green arcs of electricity, instantly shattering the demonic beast phantom.
Zhang Ling faintly heard a resentful beast roar. After a few breaths, the vine ball returned to its original state, and the small flag inside calmed down.
Watching this strange scene, Zhang Ling pondered. This situation clearly indicated that the vine ball was suppressing the small flag inside.
He didn't rashly take the vine ball. Instead, with a wave of his hand, he conjured a large hand of spiritual light to grab it.
The vine ball flashed with green light, and the vines on it quickly flowed, transforming into strands of tendrils, instantly shattering the hand of spiritual light.
Zhang Ling snorted and conjured two more hands of spiritual light to grab at the object.
After some experimentation, this treasure was not an ordinary magical instrument or treasure, and it could not be activated. As soon as spiritual power was injected into it, it was instantly shattered.
He thought for a moment and roughly guessed that the vine ball might not be a treasure in the ordinary sense. It might be a special object specifically refined to seal the small flag inside.
Using his divine sense to carefully examine these two items, the vine ball showed no resistance as long as spiritual power was not activated. The small flag inside was even stranger, and divine sense was swallowed as soon as it approached it.
Usually, treasures that can devour divine sense are not ordinary things. What's even stranger is, how could these two things be sealed in the vine?
Were they relics left behind by ancient cultivators, or was there some other secret?
Zhang Ling couldn't guess for a moment, but after thinking about it, he decided to put these two things away. For safety's sake, he glanced at the motionless Corpse Bear beside him.
This Fiend Corpse avatar raised its left claw and extended a thick black vine, instantly wrapping the vine ball inside.
The vine ball flashed with green light, seemingly trying to resist. However, the black vine shot out strands of gray-black silk, all of which were Fiend Soul Silk, densely wrapping around it, turning the vine ball into a black-gray sphere.
The spiritual light on the vine ball dimmed, and it was directly pulled into the Corpse Bear's arm by the black vine.
Finally, Zhang Ling pinched a magic seal with his hand, and several blood-red magic imprints struck the Corpse Bear's arm, and the wire ball inside calmed down.
After doing all this, Zhang Ling put the Corpse Bear into the spirit beast bag.
These two items were quite strange. Fortunately, the Fiend Soul Silk had a restraining effect. For now, they would be temporarily sealed in the Corpse Bear's arm, and he would study them after going out.
This could be considered not a waste of effort, and he finally gained something.
Then he looked at the two broken vines. This vine was so strange. Although it was cut off and burned into charcoal by the twin-tailed cat's demon fire.
Now, upon closer inspection, the inside of the vine was still emerald green, not completely burned, and he could still sense a rich spiritual energy contained within.
Zhang Ling beckoned with one hand, and the two sections of vine were also put into the storage bag. Then he left the place with the twin-tailed cat.
Sure enough, the road ahead was smooth. After solving the strange vine, the surroundings returned to their original appearance. Soon after, he left the stone mountain.
Not only did he not find the teleportation array to the third level in this mountain, but he also encountered so many dangers.
Zhang Ling looked back at the small hundred-zhang stone mountain, shook his head with a wry smile, and began searching for the teleportation array again.
Half a day later, in a volcanic mountain in the south, he found another dilapidated ancient cultivator relic.
This time, he didn't encounter any danger, and he easily found the teleportation array inside. He used the teleportation array to leave the lava valley.
...
The sound of the wind constantly poured into his ears, and Zhang Ling was walking in a white desert.
Countless wind clusters constantly gathered and dispersed before his eyes, and sand filled the sky.
In the more distant places, countless sand and stone tornadoes, covering an area of tens of miles, connected the sky and the earth, making this place extremely gray. A rumbling sound constantly echoed above the sky, and the momentum was extremely frightening.
The power of such heaven and earth would cause trouble even if a Golden Core cultivator was caught in it.
Zhang Ling pursed his lips, put on two layers of fourth-order defensive spirit talismans to prevent his body from being blown away, and carefully detoured around the outermost part of the tornado.
After reaching dozens of miles away, he reduced his escape speed a bit after moving away from the tornado.
Deserts are generally extremely hot, but this place is quite cold. Strong winds constantly blew past his eyes, blowing up the white desert under his feet, forming a white wind cluster.
This is the third level of the Heavenly Abyss, called the "White Wind Desert" by cultivators. Strong winds are blowing every moment, with no sign of stopping.
In this way, he flew at a low altitude all the way towards the west.
According to the jade slip given by Zhou Tai, there is a ruin of Wind and Sand City in the westernmost part of this desert, where there is a teleportation array to the fourth level.
Reaching the fourth level can be said to be truly entering the interior of the Heavenly Abyss. His agreement with the Qinghu King to obtain the Rootless Lotus is also on the fourth level.
Even without the agreement with the Qinghu King, he was originally going to break into the fourth level.
