Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 913: The Water Jade Body

Three figures sat cross-legged on a flying shuttle, one man and two women. From time to time, they looked behind them, their faces full of panic, as though some terrifying pursuer was at their heels.

The man was a scholar, his face pale as paper. He clutched his chest, coughing incessantly, clearly grievously injured.

One of the women was a beautiful middle-aged lady, while the other was a young girl of about fifteen, their resemblance making it obvious they were mother and daughter. Judging from their appearance, the three were family.

The shuttle was being driven by the middle-aged lady and the scholar together. Both possessed Foundation Building Realm cultivation, yet they looked utterly flustered and desperate.

The lady's state was especially poor, her spiritual power nearly exhausted, and she could only barely hold on.

The girl was only at the Qi Refining Realm, her delicate face filled with anxiety. She could do nothing to help, only hold her father gently while sobbing under her breath.

Cough, cough... The scholar suddenly coughed violently, spewing out a mouthful of blood. His complexion turned even whiter.

The shuttle shuddered and nearly plunged into the sea. The lady cried out, biting her lip as she forcibly overdrew her spiritual power, managing with difficulty to steady the shuttle.

"Father..." Terrified, the girl clung to him, pouring her meager spiritual power into his body to suppress his injuries. But her cultivation was too shallow, and her efforts were as futile as a cup of water on a burning cart.

The middle-aged woman steadied the shuttle and asked urgently, "Senior Brother, your injury..."

The scholar waved his hand repeatedly. "I am fine. Earlier I was struck in the chest. I finally managed to dissolve the clotted blood, and spitting it out makes me feel much better. But Junior Sister, you must quickly take a pill to recover your spiritual power. Hand the shuttle to me. We will still need your strength if we are to shake off that devilish monster."

He swallowed the blood in his mouth, then looked far ahead. At the edge of his vision, a small island appeared. Unlike the other barren islands, strange multicolored mists floated above it, with vague shadows moving within.

"Up ahead must be Poison Island. As expected, it is shrouded in poisonous miasma and inhabited by Corrupted-Winged Eagles!"

His face lit up with joy. He hurriedly took out a jade bottle containing three pitch-black pills. The moment he opened it, a foul stench filled the air.

Unbothered, he handed one pill each to his wife and daughter, urging, "Quickly, swallow these Yin Toad Pills. For a short time they will let you blend into the poisonous miasma and resist the poison of the Corrupted-Winged Eagles."

The woman and the girl obeyed, swallowing the pills. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Looking at them, the scholar’s eyes softened with deep affection, though he quickly forced it down. With resolve he said, "Junior Sister, once we land on Poison Island we must split up. Your Red Tassel Canopy can conceal your aura, and with miasma everywhere, even that devilish monster will struggle to find you. Look for the right opportunity and immediately take Ying’er[1] far away."

"Senior Brother, you want to—No, absolutely not!"The woman's face blanched, but before she could say more, the scholar raised his hand to silence her.

"Junior Sister!"

He looked her firmly in the eyes, his voice low and solemn, "When we fled into the Windy Archipelago, we knew this day might come. I have lived a life twice as long as any mortal, and that is enough. The Yin Toad Pill will shield us from the miasma and the poison of lesser eagles, but we have already alarmed a Core Formation devilish monster. He must also have ways to deal with poison. Only by luring out the eagle king can I entangle them. Without this, we cannot escape the pursuit. You have always been resolute, stronger than men. At this time, you must not let emotion cloud your judgment."

Before he could finish, the girl burst into uncontrollable sobs. "Father! Mother! It is all my fault. Send me back. That devilish monster only wants to take me as a disciple..."

"Nonsense."

The scholar pulled her into his arms, stroking her back gently, his face full of sorrow. Finally, he pressed his palm lightly against her back, sending her into unconsciousness, and placed her in the woman's embrace.

"Junior Sister, take care of yourself and Ying’er."

Tears streamed down the middle-aged woman's face. She hugged the girl tightly, and under the scholar’s stern gaze, she finally nodded.

The scholar’s expression softened, and he smiled faintly. "Do not worry, Junior Sister. I will preserve my life and reunite with you."

Though he said this, he did not specify a place of meeting, and the woman did not ask. A heavy silence fell upon the flying shuttle.

Soon, the shuttle neared Poison Island. With a flicker of light, the woman stored it away, and the couple exchanged a glance before flying directly into the island.

A deafening howl arose from afar. A gray-black yin wind whipped up colossal waves and surged recklessly toward the island.

"This is bad. They are indeed heading for Poison Island. The three have already entered it!"

Within the black wind, an elder’s expression changed drastically. Four other Foundation Building cultivators stood beside him, their faces darkening as fear surfaced in their eyes.

"Poison Island is swarming with Corrupted-Winged Eagles, and there may even be a king among them. Those three fools are rushing to their deaths. We will not follow them to the grave. Luckily, we suspected something was wrong and already alerted the cave master. He should be here now..."

Before he could finish, a cold snort rang in their ears. "Useless trash! You could not even stop two injured people, and I had to come myself. You almost ruined my great plan. You will come with me to seize them at once. That girl is my chosen cauldron. If anything happens to her, I will skin you alive!"

Hearing this, the cultivators blanched in terror. They turned their heads and saw a faint phantom flashing past them, rushing straight toward Poison Island.

"The cave master ordered us to follow, but if we are poisoned on the island, our lives will be at risk..."

One of them looked stricken. The others also paled.

Another cultivator sighed. "The cave master has spoken. Would you dare defy him? Compared to his wrath, I would rather die of poison on the island."

At these words, all of them shivered, as if recalling something dreadful.

The elder said grimly, "Daoist Wu is right. That girl possesses the Water Jade Body. It is said that cultivating water-elemental arts with this physique yields twice the result with half the effort. Though not a top-tier spiritual body, it is still rare. The cave master’s devilish art requires cauldrons with such constitutions. Since she has been discovered, he will not let her slip away. The fault lies with us. We never expected that couple to be dual cultivators. Their combined strike caught us off guard, and they escaped. I have several Poison-Warding Pills here. Their effect is limited, but enough to resist the poisonous clouds of the lesser Corrupted-Winged Eagles. As for the eagle king, surely the cave master will not send us to our deaths."

The others exchanged glances, helpless to object. They thanked the elder one after another, each taking a pill.

1. In Chinese culture, it is common to add the word "er" to one's name to show endearment. ☜