Chapter 342 Encounter; This crystal will be our guide, both you and me
The gentle breeze carried the fragrance of countless blooms, painting the air with their sweet scent.
He looked around, bewildered by the unfamiliar landscape that stretched endlessly before him. The colors were vibrant and surreal, as if the entire world had been brushed with an artist's palette of the most vivid hues.
A soft, melodic voice called out to him, "Tian."
The voice was like a whisper on the wind, and Chen Tian's confusion deepened.
He turned towards the sound, straining to make out any familiar landmarks or clues about where he was.
The figure of a woman emerged from between the flowers.
She seemed ethereal, almost as if she were part of the scenery itself. Her silhouette was delicate and graceful, but her face remained hidden from view, shrouded in a halo of light that made it impossible to discern her features clearly.
Despite the obscurity, there was an undeniable presence about her.
From the way she moved and the gentle grace of her posture, Chen Tian could feel that she was a beauty beyond compare.
The aura she exuded was both enchanting and serene, a stark contrast to the bewildering landscape he found himself in.
"Where am I?" Chen Tian asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he took a hesitant step forward, his gaze fixed on the elusive figure. "Who are you?"
For some reason, Chen Tian was drawn to this woman, as if he had known her for a lifetime.
The woman smiled gently, though her features remained hidden. "Some truths are not yet meant to be revealed. For now, your heart and mind must seek their own understanding."
Chen Tian's mind raced as he tried to piece together the fragments of this strange, enchanting world.
The woman's words, though cryptic, hinted at a deeper meaning behind his presence here.
As he looked around, the field of flowers seemed to shimmer with a soft, otherworldly light, and Chen Tian couldn't help but gaze at the woman again.
Chen Tian's gaze was drawn to the pendant hanging around the woman's neck. It glowed with an otherworldly light, capturing his attention with an intensity that felt both mesmerizing and unsettling.
The pendant itself was crafted from an intricate design of delicate silver filigree, forming a lacy framework around a central crystal.
The crystal within the pendant was a radiant white, its surface shimmering with an almost holy brilliance.
It was unmistakably similar to the elemental crystals Chen Tian had seen before—but smaller!
"Is this an elemental crystal?"
Chen Tian asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. The woman smiled mysteriously, her eyes twinkling with secrets untold.
Before Chen Tian could speak or fully comprehend the significance of the pendant, the woman's voice broke the silence.
Her tone was sweet and soothing, yet tinged with a sense of finality. "This crystal will be our guide, both you and me," she said softly. Explore stories on empire
"I hope to see you again soon."
With those words, the woman began to fade, her figure dissolving into the shimmering light of the field.
Chen Tian reached out instinctively, wanting to rush after her and ask more questions, but the woman had already disappeared completely.
The surrounding scene also started to blur and then began to dissolve.
"Chen Tian!!!"
"Chen Tian, wake up!!"
"Um~?"
"Finally, you're awake!"
Wu Ye stood over him, relief evident in her expression.
Chen Tian blinked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The woman, the crystal, the fading light—it all felt like a dream.
But the urgency in Wu Ye's voice brought him back to reality.
"What happened?" Chen Tian asked, his head still spinning from the strange encounter.
Wu Ye's eyes widened, and she began to explain everything that had transpired while Chen Tian was unconscious.
As he listened, Chen Tian couldn't shake the feeling that the woman's words would stay with him for a long time.
"After being covered in that light, we appeared in this room, but you fell unconscious. I tried several times calling for you, but you wouldn't wake up," Wu Ye explained, her voice filled with concern.
"Are you alright being out of my soul sea?"
Chen Tian asked, noticing that Wu Ye was in her ghost form.
"Mm, it should be fine for now," she replied, her translucent form shimmering slightly.
"I am connected to you, so as long as you are close, I will be able to stay for a while without running out of energy."
Wu Ye nodded, reassuring him that she was fine.
"Good, now what is this place?"
Chen Tian looked around, his eyes immediately landing in the center of the room.
The room was stark and empty, save for one striking feature that drew Chen Tian's gaze.
A jade-like crystal was floating in the center of the room.
The crystal, hovering effortlessly in mid-air, was identical in color to the one in the pendant he had seen earlier.
'Elemental crystal!!'
Chen Tian cried inwardly as he recognized the crystal in front of him.
'But why is it only half the size of the other two?' Chen Tian wondered, feeling a surge of curiosity and excitement.
He had finally found a new elemental crystal, but this one was half the size of the Fire and Lightning crystals that Chen Tian had found earlier.
However, despite its smaller size, Chen Tian could sense a powerful energy emanating from the crystal.
Its surface was a soft, radiant white with a subtle iridescence, reminiscent of moonlight reflected on still water.
The crystal's edges were smooth and slightly rounded, giving it an ethereal, almost otherworldly quality.
It seemed to pulsate gently with an inner light, casting a faint, shimmering glow around the room. The light it emitted danced off the walls and floor, creating an intricate play of shadows and highlights that added to the room's surreal atmosphere.
The crystal gave off a holy and sacred vibe, as if it held immense power and wisdom within its core.
"Uh! That thing!"
Wu Ye's reaction upon seeing that crystal was immediate and instinctual. It was as if she saw a great nemesis and just wanted to stay away from the mysterious crystal.
"Since you're awake, I will return to your soul sea. I don't want to approach that thing," she said, before turning into smoke that entered Chen Tian's body.
Chen Tian smiled slightly as he felt Wu Ye entering his soul sea. For someone like her to be afraid of the crystal, it must truly be something to be wary of.
As Wu Ye settled back into his soul sea, Chen Tian couldn't help but approach the crystal cautiously, feeling a magnetic pull towards it.
The closer he got, the more he could sense an almost tangible energy emanating from it, similar to the aura of the woman from his vision.
The crystal seemed to resonate with a soothing hum, its light growing warmer as Chen Tian neared it.
The moment Chen Tian was one step away from the crystal, its glow intensified, casting a brilliant, almost blinding light throughout the room.
The ethereal white light surged and pulsed with increasing intensity, resonating with a deep, harmonic hum that filled the space with an almost palpable vibration.
Without warning, the crystal emitted a sharp, whooshing sound as if it were tearing through the very fabric of reality. The light expanded rapidly, engulfing Chen Tian in a cocoon of radiant energy.
He felt a powerful force pulling him inward, and before he could react, the crystal seemed to dissolve into the light.
The blinding brilliance converged on Chen Tian's chest, where his Chaos Dantian was located. The white light penetrated his body, flowing seamlessly into his core.
Inside his Chaos Dantian, the light from the crystal moved directly to the Creation Altar.
The altar, which had previously been dimly lit, now began to resonate with the new energy. The crystal's light merged with the altar, causing a significant transformation.
The Creation Altar started to glow with a half-bright, half-dim luminescence. The glow was not just a simple illumination, but an intricate play of light and shadow that seemed to breathe with the rhythm of the cosmos.
The white light from the crystal wove itself into the altar, causing the word "Creation" etched into it to flicker and pulse with a divine, holy aura.
The word "Creation" was now half-glowing with the power of the crystal, revealing intricate symbols and patterns that had not been visible before.
Chen Tian's cultivation seemed to be influenced by the altar's transformation, as he felt a surge of energy rush through his body.
In no time, Chen Tian was already at the Peak of the 2nd stage of the Foundation Establishment realm.
As Chen Tian's cultivation advanced to the third stage, Wu Ye, who was nestled inside his soul sea, was stunned.
The intensity of the energy shift left her visibly flabbergasted.
"Oh, come on! I've seen people break through before, but this is like watching a toddler stumble into a treasure chest full of gold and saying, 'Oops, I guess I'm rich now,'" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
Wu Ye's voice echoed with a mix of admiration and annoyance.
"Seriously, if he continues to advance at this rate, he will soon catch up to me. Even when I had many resources, I wasn't that fast!"
Wu Ye thought to herself, but she was also delighted since the more Chen Tian's cultivation advanced, the more he would be able to help her, and the faster she could achieve her goals.