Painting of the Nine Immortals - Chapter 110

The Vast Mountains was a place that was widely known for its dangerousness.
The mountain range rises and falls endlessly. It is covered with ancient trees that were sky high, occupied by countless monstrous beings, and coated with strange and unidentifiable plants and flowers. It was a treacherous place, but at the same time, it was a precious place.
The Sun was hanging high in the sky and scattering soft lights down on Earth. The light peeked through the leaves and the trees, adding warmth to the dark and shadowy mountains.
In the middle of the jungle, a shadow in white dashed forward at full speed. With the agility of a monkey and the grace of a butterfly, he was heading straight toward the pillar of purple light.
It was Ling Xian.
Even though he was fully aware of the fact that he could not compete with those super ferocious monsters, he would’ve hated himself if he didn’t go and check out the treasure The Untainted told him about.
The endless towering hills and mountain ranges flashed before his eyes. Ling Xian’s feet never stopped running at full speed, and his facial expression was darker than usual. He could feel the growing eeriness of the mountains as he stepped closer. His heart was veiled with gloominess.
Heavy, depressed, bloody.
These were the most distinct emotions Ling Xian felt after the purple light appeared. Even though on a regular day, the atmosphere in the mountains was nowhere near pleasant, today, the distress it gave off was absolutely horrifying.
During his entire journey, he did not encounter a single beast. If this were any other day, he would’ve engaged in at least 10 battles before getting this far in the forest. Today, there has been none.
Every single beast in the Vast Mountains was now in hiding. It seems like they were afraid of something and did not want to show their faces.
"Something big is going to happen."
Watching the purple light that pierced through the cloud and shot up to the sky, Ling Xian mumbled to himself. He knew that even though the mountains appear to be quiet and serene, it was the calm before the storm.
A bloody rainstorm was brewing behind the curtain of clouds.
Suddenly, a series of crisp and light footsteps came from afar.
Ling Xian frowned. Tiptoeing, he jumped onto an old tree branch and stealthily hid behind tree leaves.
He recognized that it was a human’s footstep. For it to be so light, it must be a slender female.
...
Shui Lian Yi walked out of the bundles of trees and started marching on a little trail. Her dewy eyes glanced around and sought after her long-lost companion.
Her skin was powdery, her brows were perfectly shaped, and her long black hair draped straight down her back. She was wearing a light blue palace gown that hugged her body tightly, accenting her tiny waist and curvy hips. Like a female heroine that just marched out of a painting, her temperament was extraordinary.
Shui Lian Yi’s footsteps were feather-like. Her eyes never stopped scanning around for that familiar silhouette. However, it has been a day since she started searching, and she could not find her companion.
"Thirteen, when will you change this playful personality of yours? Goofing around at home is fine, but you just had to run around in the Vast Mountains as well. It’s been a day… were you eaten by a beast?" Shui Lian Yi raised her brows and sighed slightly. She appeared troubled, but not worried.
It appears that she was not that worried about the companion of hers. It wasn’t because their relationship wasn’t strong, it was more because she believed that with her companion’s capabilities, unless the beast were abnormally vicious, they would not be threats to her companion.
Picturing her companion holding a giant hammer and slamming down each beast, Shui Lian Yi couldn’t help it but to burst into a fit of giggles. She muttered to herself, "I sure hope the monsters here run away when they see you. If they piss you off, you will end up destroying all the low leveled beasts here."
As she spoke, her expressed changed into a troublesome one again. She moaned, "You are having fun playing around without worrying about our Clan’s mission. You ditched me here, so I have to do the mission myself."
In Yunzhou, there were as many Clans here as there were stars in a galaxy. However, there were only a few Clans that were worth mentioning.
The Shui Clan was one of them.
With a hundred thousand years of family history, it was considered to be one of the best clans in Yunzhou, unreachable like the clouds and resilient like deeply rooted trees. It was a giant Clan and did not pale next to the 10 dynasties and the nine houses!
Shui Lian Yi was one of the Heaven’s Favorites from the Shui Clan!
In prominent Clans like the Shui’s, there weren’t many Heaven’s Favorites. However, those who were talented were very magnificent. Because of a large number of members of the Clan, everyone has very noble blood that runs through their veins, and thus, all direct and collateral descendants were gifted and brilliant. Every year, everyone fight for the title of being the Heaven’s Favorite!
That title, however, is not easy to obtain. Only those with natural talent, potential, as well as perseverance could earn that title. Those who win the title after fiercely competing with others are guaranteed a bright future!
To have beaten so many talented descendants and winning the title, it was obvious Shui Lian Yi possessed horrifying capabilities!
She has been famous in Yunzhou for three years, and since gaining the title, she has not lost a battle. Considered to be one of the best geniuses in Yunzhou, she was held above the entire generation.
"The purple light is getting richer and richer. According to the family history book, once the pillar absorbs enough energy, the light will solidify. When that happens, the legendary ancient ruins will appear."
Watching the thick pillar of light that shot up the sky, Shui Lian Yi’s face flushed in excitement. At that moment, she reached the tree Ling Xian was hiding behind, and immediately she became alert.
"Someone’s here."

Her brows locked together as she lifted her heels. Gracefully, she stepped back.
"Who’s up there? Come out!"
The beautiful lady’s face turned white as she yelled out coldly. An overbearing amount of Qi poured out of her body, creating a twirling tornado.
"Such sharp senses."
A bright and clear laughter came from above. Then, Shui Lian Yi saw a young boy similar to her age hop off the tree beside her.
His brows straight, lips red, teeth pearly, and his robe was white as snow and hair black as ink. As if he was an immortal who descended to the mortal world, he had a refined handsomeness about him that made him stand out wonderfully.
Why is there such a youth in the Vast Mountains?
Shui Lian Yi’s brows were tightly locked together as she stared at the good-looking young man. She was skeptical. Could it be… he was also here for the ancient ruins?
As she checked out Ling Xian, Ling Xian was checking her out as well. Her visage was, of course, beautiful without a doubt. Her figure as well was very sexy with a perky chest and a tiny waist. She developed well. Her curvy breasts and hips made her not seem like a young girl at all.
But, of course, Ling Xian wasn’t most concerned about this. He cared more about the girl's capabilities.
With the Qi that was spilling out of her, this girl’s capabilities definitely did not lack compared to Ling Xian's. She too was also at the undefeatable stage!
[The undefeatable stage… This girl has skills.]
Watching the beautiful woman before him, Ling Xian had a heavy heart. He silently summoned his mana in preparation for battle. It was his first time running into a level 10 cultivator, he had to be on guard and defend himself if the opponent attacks.
Though he was strong, he was a little pressured by the girl’s abilities.
At the same time, Shui Lian Yi got the same feeling from Ling Xian. Her face changed, and Ling Xian’s defensive posture solidified her guess. She was certain that Ling Xian, like her, was sent by some powerful Clan to try and explore the ancient ruins.
Sadly, she guessed wrong.
Ling Xian didn’t even know about the ancient ruins. It was purely coincidental that he showed up when the ruins were about to appear. Running into someone like Shui Lian Yi was also by chance.
This misunderstanding made Shui Lian Yi aggressive. Horrifying demeanor like tidal waves gushed out of her body as she sharpened her killer instinct!
She was determined to slaughter the opponent here and now!
"Lady, did I do something to upset you?"
Sensing her intentions, Ling Xian frowned. After eavesdropping on the girl talking to herself, he quickly realized that she came from outside the mountains. He didn’t want to anger her because he wanted to find information about how she came into the mountains, and from there, figure out how to get out.
"You being here is what’s wrong."
Shui Lian Yi’s face was still frigid. Her toes tapped the ground and instantly, she flung off the floor, and her open palm was heading directly toward Ling Xian!
Frightening demeanor continued to flood the place. The wind blew, and the ground shook!
This was one of the reasons why she was named the Heaven’s Favorites by the Shui Clan!
Normally elegant and beautiful, yet during battles, she behaves like an angry dragon!
"You really are in the level 10 undefeatable stage."
Ling Xian was a little startled, yet he showed no fear. Like her, he put out a palm and concentrated his mana.
Boom!
The two palms clashed each other and caused an air bubble that erupted the sky. An infinite amount of strength dissipated the air. The scary amount of force made them stumble back three steps each.
Stalemate!
[A tie… this person is strong. Which Clan is he from? How come I’ve never met him?] Shui Lian Yi’s brows rose again as shock washed across her eyes. Even though she knew Ling Xian had a Qi level of 10, to so easily block her attack still surprised her.
The shock was short-lived though, as Shui Lian Yi never doubted herself. No matter how strong this person is, he is not worthy enough to be her opponent.
Because she was one of the Heaven’s Favorites in the Shui Clan, one of the strongest in Yunzhou!
Since earning the title, she has yet to lose a battle!
"Not bad. Out of everyone in the entire young generation in Yunzhou, very few can block my attack. I will take some time out of my day to deal with you. To die in my hands is nothing to be ashamed of."