Chapter 267: A Journey Through Time?
As the sun set, the deserted plain was bathed in the glow of a fiery red sunset. The sand dunes stretched out in melancholy curves, and the dry grass rustled in the wind.
A caravan happened to stop for a rest. Three wealthy-looking young men and women alighted from the carriages. The moment they stepped out, they began bustling around, setting up campfires and cooking pots. Their faces were filled with smiles, but within those smiles lay a hint of sadness.
One of the girls looked up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh. "Ah, I wonder where these demons are wreaking havoc."
They were a group of "aspiring cultivators" who set off to seek immortality and enlightenment. Their destination was Buping College.
Qiao Wan looked at the setting sun before her with a sense of weariness. Although her expression remained unchanged, she couldn't help but silently complain about her current predicament.
Just now, something strange happened. It was as if she took a few extra steps after her evening study session, and in the blink of an eye, her dormitory disappeared and she found herself in this open plain.
The current situation seemed to be that she had somehow traveled to another soul's body. The original owner of this body was probably long gone, and she took over just in time.
As Qiao Wan looked at the vast plain and listened to the conversations of the young men and women around her, she felt a sense of unease and even a slightly bitter feeling.
When it came to the original owner of this body, she knew nothing at all. All she knew was that the original owner seemed to have a fondness for pink. They wore a pink dress with multiple bows on their head and a red Bodhi seed inside their sleeve.
And it seemed that the environment of this world she traveled to was not very favorable.
The world of cultivation is a dangerous place, and it seems to be on the brink of war. The demon realm in the north is attacking the realm with full force.
These were the few useful pieces of information that Qiao Wan heard from passing travelers, and she didn't hear any more.
Qiao Wan also tried to figure out who the owner of this body was, whether they were a normal person or a cultivator, but unfortunately she had no experience and couldn't figure it out even after thinking for a long time.
Thinking about this, Qiao Wan couldn't help but sigh deeply, looking at the sky with sadness.
Isn't this just too frustrating?! She doesn't have a boyfriend, and her boyfriend didn't cheat on her with her best friend! She just took a few extra steps after her elective class!
Now the problem is, as an ordinary, lazy girl in college, Qiao Wan thought expressionlessly, how could she survive in this cruel world of cultivation and luckily find a way back to her own time?
Sitting alone on a tree stump, this lonely young girl attracted the attention of a group of young men and women.
At this moment, they had already lit a fire and were sitting around it.
The group of young men and women glanced at each other, and eventually a surprised girl whispered, "At this hour, how is there still a mortal?"
Another young man glanced casually and said, "Perhaps they are also going to seek enlightenment and cultivate immortality."
"During this time, only Buping College is accepting disciples. Could it be that they are also going to Buping College?"
The leader among these young men and women is called Shi Jinyi, and he frowned and said, "Maybe. Nowadays, the world is in chaos and this place is dangerous. There are often monsters roaming around. With just this girl alone, I'm afraid she won't be able to reach Buping College."
The young man blinked and asked, "So, Brother Shi, are you going to take her along?"
Take along a stranger they met by chance?
Shi Jinyi didn't answer "yes" or "no". He pondered for a moment and said, "First, let's ask Ling. If she is a fellow cultivator, having one more person on the journey will provide extra support."
Ji Ling sighed and stood up, walking towards Qiao Wan.
At this moment, Qiao Wan was still pondering in her heart. After accepting the reality that she had traveled through time, her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how to survive in the current situation.
Should she find a safe place to hide or adapt to the customs and join a sect to cultivate immortality?
However, she immediately dismissed the first idea.
No.
This world is already in chaos, comparable to the chaos of World War I and II. There is no such thing as a "safe" place. Who knows when the war between the cultivation realm and the demon realm will end? If it lasts for one or two hundred years, will she even live to be one or two hundred years old?
With this in mind, Qiao Wan clenched her lips.
It's dangerous to join a sect for cultivation, but at least she can learn how to protect herself. Besides, aren't there often mentions of "shattering the void" in cultivation books? The closer she gets to these cultivators, the more she can learn about strange and mysterious things. Maybe she can even find a way back home. If she finds a safe place to hide, she might never encounter these things again.
Qiao Wan was thinking about this with great difficulty when suddenly a large shadow cast over her. Then, a sweet voice came from above.
"Miss, it's getting dark and cold. Would you like to come and sit here?"
Qiao Wan looked up and saw a radiant face. She was startled for a moment, then instinctively glanced towards the group of young men and women.
They were sitting around a bonfire, whispering to each other. But in that instant when Qiao Wan's gaze met theirs, they keenly sensed it and all looked up, showing friendly smiles.
Qiao Wan blinked, unsure, and wondered if these people were the so-called cultivators.
In fact, these people couldn't be considered true cultivators. Some of them have only practiced martial arts, while others have just reached the stage of cultivating Qi. Only Shi Jinyi is a bit better, having reached the first level of Qi cultivation.
Qiao Wan was actually hoping for a chance to meet cultivators, so when the girl in front of her took the initiative to invite her, Qiao Wan didn't refuse and simply agreed, saying, "Thank you."
She truly felt grateful.
As night fell, she could clearly feel the temperature dropping. Sitting by the campfire, Qiao Wan felt her frozen face starting to warm up a bit, allowing her to finally make a few expressions.
The boys and girls made room for her to sit, and a boy named Hu Yue even poured some hot water from a pot into a bowl and handed it to her.
Ji Ling casually played with the campfire in front of him and asked kindly, "Why are you alone here, miss?"
"Are you also going to join Buping College?"
Buping College?
Without showing any reaction, Ji Ling noticed the confusion on Qiao Wan's face. The young men and women glanced at each other, their intentions clear in their eyes.
Ah, it seems like you're truly just a passing mortal.
Since you're just a passing mortal, Ji Ling's desire to chat suddenly cooled down. He sighed with a worried expression.
"It's understandable in today's world. There aren't many cultivators left, let alone those who actively seek to join a sect."
After taking a sip of hot water, Qiao Wan felt a warmth melting the icy residue in her stomach. She finally relaxed a little and asked with curiosity and politeness, holding her bowl, "Um... may I ask something?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you mean by not many cultivators left?"
"Huh?" The girl froze. "You don't know?"
"It's like this," under the watchful gaze of so many eyes, Qiao Wan coughed awkwardly, her face turning red. "I... I'm not from here, I come from overseas, and I just happened to end up here."
This wasn't really a lie, she truly wasn't from here, just passing through.
As soon as Qiao Wan finished speaking, Shi Jinyi and Hu Yue exchanged a silent glance.
Ji Ling widened his eyes in surprise. "I see now," he said, looking at her sympathetically. "You're in for some bad luck. The demon realm is currently at war with the realm of cultivation."
Qiao Wan furrowed her brows and asked, "Can you explain that a bit more clearly? I'm... new here and still a bit confused."
The girl nodded understandingly. "You are unaware. a long time ago, there was a great battle between the realm of cultivation and the demon realm. Our cultivators here gave it their all and finally sealed away the Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan of the demon realm."
This Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan sounds oddly like Thanos, Qiao Wan quietly thought to herself.
"The seal is a powerful array made up of four different seals. After Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan was sealed, the Prime Minister Mei of the demon realm, Mei Kangping, who is now the demon lord Pei Chunzheng's advisor, has always wanted to break the seal."
Ji Ling sighed and said, "Over the years, little by little, he has managed to break three of the seals, and now only the one in the northern realm is left. Although there were conflicts between the demon realm and the cultivation world before, they were just small arguments. But now, Mei Kangping is determined to break this last seal. With the demon realm's full force attack, the defenses of the cultivation world are crumbling. We don't know what will happen when that day really comes."
Qiao Wan held the bowl tightly and asked curiously, "Is there a bad relationship between this demon lord Pei Chunzheng and Mei Kangping?"
"How do you know?" Ji Ling asked in surprise.
Qiao Wan cautiously replied, "Pei Chunzheng is the current demon lord of the demon realm. Once Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan's seal is broken, doesn't that mean he will be replaced?"
"No one wants to bother themselves with breaking the seal," Qiao Wan thought silently.
"It's said to be dangerous," Ji Ling said, "but who really knows what's happening inside the demon realm?"
"We thought you were a cultivator," the young girl chuckled apologetically. "But you know, with the constant wars and countless cultivators sacrificing their lives, not many people are willing to join sects anymore."
Qiao Wan paused for a moment and said, "Are you all planning to become disciples?"
"Yes," another young boy interjected, "we want to become disciples of Buping College."
"The Xia family has defected, the Cen family is guarding the south, Kunshan is closed off, and the Lu family in the north is too busy with their own matters. Buping College, which has risen in recent years, is the best option for us. Although I've heard that the Sect Leader of Buping College, Qiao Wan, has been missing for years, and now the affairs of the college are being handled by Elder Li Pan."
"Qiao... Qiao Wan?!" Qiao Wan became terrified in an instant, almost dropping the bowl in her hand.
"What's wrong?"
"It's... It's nothing..." Qiao Wan lowered her eyes and replied casually, silently tidying up her extremely terrifying mood, tears streaming down her face.
The head of Buping College sounded like a big shot. Is she really named after this big shot? Could it be that she's dressed like him too?
Qiao Wan was at a loss.
Of course, this was just a random thought. The probability of having the same name is much greater than the probability of dressing like this big shot, right?
"So... what happened to this Qiao Wan ?"
