"These Small Medicine King Cauldrons contain their own self-contained spaces and are abundant in spiritual energy."
"Since they can be used to cultivate spiritual plants, staying inside one for a short while shouldn't be much of a problem for a person."
Zhang Haobo caught on immediately. "You mean that by using the cauldron as a vessel, we might be able to breach this invisible boundary?"
Xiao Heng nodded.
"Then let's test it out right away!"
As soon as Su Xiaomei spoke, she retrieved a Small Medicine King Cauldron from her storage ring.
"Be careful!" Xiao Heng called out, but before he could even finish, Su Xiaomei had already transformed into a streak of light and darted into the small cauldron.
"Hurry up and come inside, both of you!" Su Xiaomei's voice echoed from within.
Seeing this, Zhang Haobo and Xiao Heng had no choice but to slip inside as well.
After spinning in the air for a brief moment, the archaic cauldron wobbled and surged forward.
The instant it struck the transparent boundary, a wall of cyan light flared into existence.
The small cauldron looked poised to slip right through.
Then, an unexpected turn occurred.
The wall of light abruptly vanished, and the Small Medicine King Cauldron lunged into empty air.
Having failed to enter the Medicine King Cauldron, the three had no choice but to fly back out.
"Strange. Why couldn't we get in?" Su Xiaomei grumbled, somewhat dejected.
"The key... Could it be because there are too many of us?" Xiao Heng guessed.
"Senior Skull prepared four of them for us, so there probably aren't any shortcuts," Zhang Haobo agreed.
"Then let's try again!" Resolute as ever, Su Xiaomei immediately reentered the cauldron and steered it toward the barrier once more.
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo remained outside, their eyes glued to the transparent boundary to observe what happened.
Sure enough, as the Small Medicine King Cauldron flew ahead and made contact with the barrier, it neither passed straight through as before nor was repelled like an attack.
Instead, its form rippled like melting ice entering water, and it vanished into thin air before their very eyes.
"It really works!"
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo exchanged a look, unable to hide their excitement.
"Let's go!"
To prevent any unforeseen complications, the two promptly followed suit, each steering a small cauldron and rushing forward.
***
At the same time.
In Lanlin Province, Li Fan and Huangfu Song had just concluded their inspection and acceptance of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation.
Having bidden farewell to Guan Xingxiu, they were now en route to Qinghuang Province in the west.
It had to be said that these remote regions in the south were truly fellows in misfortune, virtually bringing up the rear for the entire Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
Yet the fact that they were all completed together at the final deadline spared Li Fan and his companion the hassle of running all over the place; they needed only to inspect them one by one.
The instant Xiao Heng's group of three entered the Medicine King Cauldron, the imagery detected through the Formless Killing Intent abruptly vanished.
Even though Xiao Heng and the others carried sensing formations with them for amplification, not a single scene could be transmitted to Li Fan.
However, Li Fan was not in the least panicked.
*Fortunately, I made other preparations.*
To avoid a repeat of what had happened when they entered Chaoyuan Sect—losing contact instantly and knowing nothing of their fate—Li Fan had not only placed a sensing array within that necklace, but had also discreetly engraved a hidden image-recording formation.
It would faithfully record their surroundings.
Once contact was reestablished, the images could be transmitted to Li Fan via the sensing formation.
*All I need to do now is wait patiently.*
Li Fan closed his eyes slightly, immersing his mind once more into contemplating his divine abilities.
***
Cangwu Abyss.
Medicine King Cauldron.
The surrounding scenery shifted in a blur.
A moment later, a burst of force suddenly welled up from the Small Medicine King Cauldron, spitting out Xiao Heng from inside.
Caught completely off guard, Xiao Heng looked somewhat disheveled.
Once he steadied himself, he found Zhang Haobo in the exact same state.
They stood in a vacant, enclosed area.
Above their heads and at the borders of the space were metallic walls faintly gleaming with an eerie cyan light.
As for the Small Medicine King Cauldrons that had carried them here, there was no longer any sign of them.
"Xiao Heng, hurry over here!"
Su Xiaomei's voice called out from not far ahead. Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo swiftly flew over to catch up.
A colossal bronze gate stood upright before them.
Carved upon the gate was the image of a round, three-legged, two-eared cauldron.
From its appearance, it looked identical to the small cauldrons they carried.
*What is carved on this must be the legendary Medicine King Cauldron itself,* Xiao Heng mused.
Su Xiaomei said, "I just scouted around. Aside from this bronze gate, there's no other exit."
"The problem is, this door won't budge."
Hearing this, Zhang Haobo channeled his strength and placed both hands against the bronze gate.
He pushed with immense force.
The bronze gate remained completely motionless.
"How about trying to attack it?" Xiao Heng suggested.
Zhang Haobo pondered for a moment and slowly nodded.
Stepping back slightly, an illusory manifestation of a blood-red sea suddenly materialized above Zhang Haobo's head.
*The Sea of Blood Grotto-Heaven... To think that someone with such a mild temper would possess such a terrifying Nascent Soul grotto-heaven.* Xiao Heng drew in a deep breath.
Even though this was not the first time he had witnessed it, facing the overwhelming baleful aura surging from that boundless blood sea still made his heart race with apprehension.
Blood-colored waves churned, and countless crimson longswords soared out from the water.
With a flick of Zhang Haobo's finger, they whistled through the air and crashed furiously against the massive bronze gate.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Deafening explosions rang out continuously, causing the bronze gate and the very space around them to tremble.
After a short while, Zhang Haobo retracted the Sea of Blood Grotto-Heaven.
Glancing at the completely unscathed bronze gate, he frowned. "It's useless. The defensive power here is clearly not something a Nascent Soul cultivator can breach."
Even Su Xiaomei, who was usually short-tempered, surprisingly did not argue this time.
Instead, she stared blankly, lost in thought.
Xiao Heng was also wracking his brain for a solution.
For a moment, the surroundings fell into an uncanny silence.
"I've got it!" Su Xiaomei suddenly exclaimed in realization.
"What have you got?" Xiao Heng asked, looking at her with curiosity.
"The cauldron! The cauldron!" Su Xiaomei urged, looking at Xiao Heng.
"Don't you still have one small cauldron left? Look at this gate—it must be a mechanism. Just like the boundary outside, it definitely has a way to distinguish friend from foe."
"Back in the day, disciples of the Medicine King Sect only needed to circulate their sect's cultivation methods to enter."
"We obviously can't do that. But just like what we did outside, we can use the Small Medicine King Cauldron to trick it!"
Su Xiaomei explained with utter seriousness.
Hearing her words, Xiao Heng initially nodded.
Then, his face twisted in shock. He flickered backward, instantly putting distance between them.
With a dark expression, he barked, "You're not Su Xiaomei! Who on earth are you?"
Su Xiaomei froze for a moment.
Then, her small face flushed crimson with rage.
"Xiao Heng! Are you asking for a beating?!"
A blazing crimson sun suddenly erupted over her head.
A few moments later.
Black-and-blue and thoroughly battered, Xiao Heng solemnly apologized to Su Xiaomei.
"Xiaomei, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what? Do you really think I'm that stupid?!" Su Xiaomei huffed, turning her head away to ignore him.
"Uh..." Knowing he was completely in the wrong, Xiao Heng felt thoroughly embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
Chapter 399