FRGNM -Chapter 266 Journey to Lake Sala

“Thank you, everyone.” Koda exhaled deeply. He had witnessed the entire scene and had carefully observed Silver Wolf’s technique. It seemed that he had only relied on speed—there was no Dou Qi involved.

So his worries had been unnecessary. These people weren’t Dou Qi practitioners at all.

“No problem, no problem. Before this, you took us in. If there’s ever a chance, I’d really like to see that legendary goddess.” Qingyi smiled lightly, curling the corner of his lips.

Miya thought it was her words that sparked his interest, and her cheeks flushed. She whispered, “Coincidentally, since Dou Qi practitioners might enter, we were planning to relocate anyway. Koda, why don’t we just return to Lake Sala and have a look?”

“No. Lake Sala isn’t a place just anyone can go. Tomorrow, I’ll take you away.” Koda’s face darkened, and he shouted angrily. Even if these few people had saved them, he would never take them to Lake Sala.

Pouting slightly, Silver Wolf watched the group leaving. They had been sent back to their tents. Looking at Qingyi, who seemed dejected, he spread his hands helplessly. “Look at you. After all that chatter, you still can’t get to that Lake Sala. In the end, you’re being sent away anyway.”

“What do you mean chatter? At least we learned that the goddess’s sigh is at Lake Sala, didn’t we? And… you heard that story too, don’t you find it strange? Could a Dou Qi practitioner really have the power to create natural disasters?” Qingyi rolled his eyes at Silver Wolf, dragging his chin with one hand. They had never experienced anything like this, so they had no idea how much of the story was true.

Ling Ruoxi nodded and frowned. “And what about that woman called Xue? How did she turn into stone? I feel like there’s something between her and that Dou Qi practitioner—otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened this way.”

“Still, we should check around Lake Sala. But we need to leave quietly—cannot let them notice.” Qingyi nodded, quickly taking out pen and paper. He wrote a message explaining that they were leaving on their own, no need for an escort. They also left some pearls as gifts.

The next day, Miya practically ran into Koda’s tent, holding the letter. “They’ve left!”

“They left?” Koda froze. Impossible—they had no idea how to leave, how could they have gone? He quickly took the letter from Miya and trembled.

Koda, Miya, thank you for taking care of us. Forgive us for leaving without notice. If any Dou Qi practitioners enter the grasslands, prioritize your safety. We do not want to hold you back, so we left first. Please take care, until we meet again.

They… had just left like that!

Miya clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. “They must really regret not seeing the goddess’s sigh. Koda, I don’t understand—why can’t outsiders go there to see it?”

“Miya!” Koda roared, ripping the letter into pieces. “Have you forgotten our ancestors’ rule? No outsider may approach the goddess’s sigh!”

“Why? I’ve always wondered—why can we go, but outsiders cannot? Isn’t that unfair?” Miya sneered, surprised that Koda still followed that ancestral rule.

Koda drew a deep breath, locking eyes with her. “Because if outsiders approach, the goddess’s sigh will lose its effect. The Xue sealed inside will appear, and the disaster will happen again. Do you think I’d let them in?”

“What…”

A gentle breeze rose, flowing across the land in the direction stirred by the purple bamboo. No tribes blocked their path, no bandits remained. The vast world seemed to shrink until it felt like only their group remained, teasing and bickering happily.

Buzz! The Demon-Slaying Zither in Ling Ruoxi’s hand trembled. She raised her head, looking toward the grasslands ahead. “We’ve arrived. This is where the purple bamboo grows—within ten li, very close.”

With a wave of her right hand, the zither was stored in her storage ring. She checked the compass, but its needle swung left and right wildly, unable to pinpoint the location. Yet the zither confirmed that the bamboo was here.

Ten li of grassland… were they expected to search it all? Ling Ruoxi felt frustrated. The withered grass grew quietly, filled with a rotting smell. Finding one purple bamboo in this endless expanse seemed like finding a needle in the ocean.

“This is terrifying… why is this compass always malfunctioning? No magnetic field yet it swings back and forth. At most, the bamboo’s aura covers the grassland—does it need to be this complicated?” Silver Wolf rolled his eyes, clutching the compass, wanting to smash it.

Luo Mingyu’s face darkened. This place felt off. “Purple bamboo grows in areas rich in spiritual energy. How can it grow here, in such barren land? Don’t you find that strange?”

“You mean… an ‘outsider space,’ a space within space, a technique within technique? The place we’re standing in contains another hidden layer, rich in spiritual energy?” A light sparked in Ling Ruoxi’s eyes. No wonder she couldn’t find the bamboo—it was in another hidden space.

Silver Wolf still didn’t get it, blinking at Luo Mingyu. “Boss Mingyu, explain. I don’t understand.”

“You really don’t understand the world of magical beasts?” Qingyi helped Silver Wolf up. Pointing ahead, he spread his hand. Purple Dou Qi surged over a small patch of land. With a thought, the space above the ground filled with grass, thick spiritual energy, before he waved and the Dou Qi disappeared.

Silver Wolf’s eyes widened. “Amazing… the space just vanished?”

“Not vanished—hidden. On the surface we walk, another space exists, hidden. If we break through this layer, we can reach the purple bamboo. It only survives with spiritual energy. That’s why the grass outside is dead—it’s affected by the hidden space above. Only where the bamboo’s aura covers, does the land revive.”

Ling Ruoxi sighed, rubbing her temples. Finding the entrance would be difficult. Just because the space exists above, doesn’t mean the entrance is here—it could be a teleportation array elsewhere.

“So, we find the entrance now!” she decided. Raising her hand, she struck forward. The Dou Qi in front of her pulsed, making the space tremble.

Buzz! It felt like something had appeared in her mind. Two stalks of purple bamboo hovered in the air, moving as if excited, their aura interweaving. Grass on the ground sprouted rapidly.

Suddenly, the space ahead quivered. A massive reflection appeared before them. Blue sky above, like underwater, showing the image of a beautiful woman. The stone statue was lifelike, arms open as if releasing something. The other purple bamboo was at the statue’s feet, radiating a faint aura.

“This is…” Silver Wolf gasped, eyes wide. Could this be the goddess’s sigh that Miya mentioned? Was the purple bamboo they sought here—beneath the goddess’s sigh?

The two purple bamboos circled, their aura intersecting. The space trembled again, and a visible fissure opened, even through the clear lake water.

This land… was Lake Sala—the place of the goddess’s sigh!

Ling Ruoxi inhaled sharply. “Qingyi, Xiaobai, you two go first. Mingyu, third. I’ll go last, to retrieve the bamboo.”

“Got it!” Silver Wolf dashed toward the fissure. He wouldn’t waste such an opportunity.

Qingyi flashed forward quickly. The fissure trembled, the bamboo’s aura weakening. Ling Ruoxi grabbed Luo Mingyu’s wrist, leaping into the space together. The fissure closed behind them, but the leaked spiritual energy spread across the ground. Green grass rapidly sprouted, reviving the land with just a trace of spiritual energy—it was miraculous.

Splash! Lake water surged around them. Those unprepared swallowed it and nearly choked. They quickly expanded their Dou Qi to form protective shields.

“Mingyu, Qingyi, Xiaobai?” Ling Ruoxi called, scanning the dark lake bottom. Rising with her Dou Qi shield, she emerged from the water, coughing, and moved to shore.

It was a huge lake, embraced by towering trees. In the center, a ten-meter-high statue stood in the water, smiling, skirt spread, arms extended, frozen in time.

The statue was imposing, but Ling Ruoxi felt something wrong—eyes seemed to watch her. She instinctively looked up, meeting the statue’s gaze.

The eyes held a hint of mischief. The statue stood silently, arms outstretched as if toward her. Combined with the faint smile on its lips, it was eerie and spine-chilling.