Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

At first, Xu Ming had also assumed that the red-dressed woman was a ghost cultivator.

However, when his Tenfold Lightning Heart Technique failed to affect her, Xu Ming realized that she was something else entirely.

After all, even if she were a Nascent Soul-level ghost cultivator, it would be impossible for her to remain unscathed against a technique specifically designed to counter her kind.

As the fight progressed, Xu Ming sensed the overwhelming sword aura emanating from her and noticed the metallic clang when his sword struck her body.

Gradually, Xu Ming came to a conclusion: she was a sword spirit.

What puzzled him, though, was why this sword spirit had suddenly gone on a killing spree.

Even more confusing was why such a powerful sword spirit was here in the first place.

“Clang!”

The sound of swords clashing rang out once again as both Xu Ming and the red-dressed woman took a few steps back.

Her eyes, too, carried a trace of surprise.

Perhaps even she hadn’t expected that someone at his cultivation level could fight her to a standstill.

“Interesting. At your current stage, there are very few who can face me to this extent,” she said with a seductive smile, her tone filled with intrigue as she gazed at Xu Ming. “So, what’s your name?”

Hearing her speak, Xu Ming froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected her to talk.

Holding his sword steady before him, he replied calmly, “Xu Ming.”

“Xu Ming,” the woman repeated, nodding slightly. “You’re quite skilled—better than most sword cultivators I’ve come across. You actually make this entertaining.”

Xu Ming chuckled. “My skills are average, nowhere near as good as yours.”

“Ha ha ha.”

As soon as her laughter faded, she suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Xu Ming’s pupils contracted, a sense of dread welling up in his heart.

But the woman only extended her hand, gently placing it in front of his chest before lightly tapping him.

“You’re pretty good,” she said. “I’ll spare you this time. But next time… well, who knows? You’d better be prepared~.”

With that, her figure slowly dissolved into thin air, as if she had never been there at all.

“Damn, looks like I can’t afford to be careless in the future. I’ll need to keep my Dao Pattern Eyes open,” Xu Ming muttered as he smacked his lips.

He hadn’t used his Dao Pattern Eyes earlier, which allowed her to get so close to him. Next time he faced this red-dressed woman, he wouldn’t let his guard down.

Xu Ming wasn’t too concerned about their next meeting.

After all, he still hadn’t used many of his trump cards. Next time, who would kill whom was still uncertain.

“You okay?”

Shi Xin jogged over to Xu Ming.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Xu Ming patted his chest. “Come on, let’s keep going. Looks like this Samadhi Cave is more interesting than I thought.”

“Alright.” Shi Xin nodded.

Xu Ming and Shi Xin continued deeper into the cave.

Along the way, they encountered other people.

These people were all on edge, nervously glancing around, afraid that the red-dressed woman might suddenly appear.

Xu Ming asked around and found that many had seen her.

Anyone who had seen her was clearly terrified.

Only the newcomers, unaware of what was happening in the Samadhi Cave, were still lying in ambush, robbing and killing others.

But once they learned what had been happening inside the cave, those same people lost all thoughts of ambushing others. All they wanted was to get out.

That said, the Samadhi Cave was indeed filled with many rare treasures.

Inside the cave were numerous fire beasts.

“Fire beasts” was a general term for magical creatures capable of wielding fire-based spells. This included creatures like fire serpents, fire-armored lizards, fire bats, and more.

The fire beasts within the Samadhi Cave were all of high rank. Their entire bodies were considered treasures, and some fire beasts were unique to this cave.

Xu Ming hunted a few of these unique fire beasts, just in case he needed rare materials for alchemy or crafting artifacts in the future. He didn’t want to have to go through great trouble later to obtain them.

As they walked deeper into the cave, they would occasionally stumble upon corpses with their hearts gouged out—a rather unsettling sight.

“Boom, boom, boom.”

Xu Ming wasn’t sure how long he had been in the cave. Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

The tremors grew stronger and more violent, as if an earthquake had struck.

“Lava! Lava is surging in!”

Someone suddenly shouted.

Everyone turned around, and sure enough, they saw a flood of lava rushing toward them like a tidal wave.

The scorching heat seared their skin.

While cultivators could regulate their body temperatures, making the heat bearable, the real problem was that those at the Dragon Gate Stage wouldn’t be able to withstand the lava. Even if they used their spiritual energy to block it, it wouldn’t last long.

And this wasn’t just ordinary lava—it was likely Samadhi Lava!

Desperate to survive, everyone flew forward at full speed, their survival instincts kicking into overdrive.

“Be careful! Don’t let the lava touch you!”

In the chaos, Xu Ming grabbed Shi Xin’s wrist and pulled her forward as they fled.

Shi Xin, flying alongside Xu Ming, glanced down at her own wrist.

Xu Ming’s broad hand tightly gripped Shi Xin’s slender wrist. For Shi Xin, this was the first time a man had ever held her wrist, and the sensation felt… strange.

Meanwhile, more and more people were swallowed by the lava.

They didn’t even have time to resist before being completely incinerated, reduced to ashes in an instant.

At that moment, whatever sliver of hope remained in everyone’s hearts vanished entirely.

This wasn’t just ordinary lava—it was Samadhi Lava!

As the lava closed in on Xu Ming, he slashed his sword behind him. The sword energy formed a long barrier that held the lava back for two breaths’ time.

That brief moment allowed Xu Ming to gain some distance, but the lava behind him only grew fiercer and more menacing, piling up as it surged forward.

“There’s light ahead! It’s the exit!”

Someone flying at the front shouted in joy, their voice filled with excitement.

They thought they were finally escaping this accursed place.

But as they rushed out of the “exit,” what greeted them was an entirely new kind of despair.