Chapter 2963

Chapter 2963: The Oddity in the Painting

Although the Yan family currently consisted only of Yan Tieniu and Wang Suyu, with the others pursuing their own careers, it was the eleventh day of the month. Yan Xiwan could not understand why she did not see them upon returning home.

"Perhaps they went for a walk nearby or visited a neighbor," Ouyang Tianyun said calmly.

It was not strange for people to be absent, as everyone had their own schedule. However, the absence itself was not the issue; rather, the house felt suffused with a dead silence.

Others might not have noticed, but Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun were cultivators, highly sensitive to such atmospheres.

"This feeling is not good," Yan Xiwan said, closing her eyes to scan the house with her spiritual sense.

Ouyang Tianyun nodded and began his own inspection.

"There are no traces. The rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and storage areas are all normal," Yan Xiwan said, opening her eyes. "And there is no sense of dead silence there."

"Then this dead silence is confined to this main hall," Ouyang Tianyun observed. "It is likely that something unexpected is here."

Yan Xiwan began to check as well.

As they searched slowly, they found a scroll lying on the floor in a corner.

"What do you think of this?" Yan Xiwan asked Ouyang Tianyun.

Ouyang Tianyun smiled. "My father-in-law and mother-in-law are not intellectuals. They do not care much for appreciating paintings."

"It is strange that a painting is in the main hall. My parents are not cultured people, so its presence here is improper," Yan Xiwan smiled slightly. "Shall we burn it?"

Ouyang Tianyun laughed. "Sure, let's burn it."

As soon as he spoke, the scroll floated into the air automatically, unrolled, and wrapped around Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun. Then, the scroll dropped back to the floor.

Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun were no longer in the main hall.

They realized the painting had become a spirit.

Yan Xiwan smiled. "I wondered where my parents were. It seems this painting pulled them in. I wonder why it pulled us in too?"

The world inside the painting was beautiful, possessing everything one could desire. A person with weak will would surely be overjoyed.

Inside, there were mountains of gold, silver, and jewels—wealth beyond imagination.

Ouyang Tianyun said calmly, "I once heard that some paintings are works of immortals, used to confuse people for their own purposes. This scroll seems similar."

"Immortal work? Are you sure?" Yan Xiwan asked directly. "Given its behavior of silently pulling people in, I do not believe it is an immortal's creation."

Ouyang Tianyun agreed. "Yes. So, what do you plan to do?"

Since they were inside, they were not in a hurry to leave. They needed to understand why the painting appeared in the Yan family and what its purpose was.

Yan Xiwan said calmly, "Since we are here, let us treat it as a trip."

Ouyang Tianyun nodded slightly. Leaving would take some time, but it was possible.

Neither Ouyang Tianyun nor Yan Xiwan worried about themselves. Their main concern was for Yan Tieniu and the others. Therefore, Yan Xiwan decided to find the people first.

Ouyang Tianyun and Yan Xiwan chose a direction and walked slowly. They were not anxious because they knew the painting’s appearance in their home was suspicious. It had pulled them in for a reason, so there was no need to rush. While others might panic, they would not.

So, Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun walked slowly, looking around as if the scenery was quite nice.

"Look at those rice fields over there. They are yellow, and the ears are full. Really nice," Yan Xiwan pointed to the side.

Ouyang Tianyun nodded. "The people living here seem much happier than those outside."

Yan Xiwan smiled lightly. "Every place has its pros and cons. I think this is quite good."

"That is true. A virtual world is a virtual world. It must be distinguished from the real world," Ouyang Tianyun understood Yan Xiwan’s meaning and continued her thought.

These two seemed to care little about their location. Their leisurely attitude left the hidden observer speechless.

What kind of people had it brought in? These two were too bold. It had to make them afraid.

Thinking of this, the beautiful scenery vanished. A dark sky appeared, and the sounds of ghosts wailing swept through everything.

In an instant, it felt like falling from heaven to hell.

Looking down, the ground was fiery red, and occasional凄切 (pitiful) screams came from the sides.

"What is this place?" Yan Xiwan felt her imagination was insufficient to identify it. "But the visual impact is strong."

"If I am not mistaken, this is the hell created by that boring spirit that pulled us in," Ouyang Tianyun said, still smiling. "Wife, what if I get scared? You must help me."

"Be good. Do not be afraid. It is just hell," Yan Xiwan said calmly, patting Ouyang Tianyun’s back. "As the little princess of the Yanluo Realm, this place has no effect on me. I might as well absorb the Yin energy here. Once the Yin energy is absorbed, you will not need to be afraid."

"Can it be absorbed?" Ouyang Tianyun asked with concern.

After all, this was inside a painting. He did not know if the energy here was useful.

"Try it and see," Yan Xiwan waved her hand, unconcerned. "My technique can absorb all energies in the world, whether spiritual or Yin. I believe the energy in this painting, whatever it is called, can also be absorbed."

Yan Xiwan did not choose a specific spot and sat directly on the ground.

There was little choice anyway, as the ground was entirely fiery red.

"I wonder what the painter was thinking. Although red is nice, a sea of red is very glaring," Yan Xiwan muttered.

Ouyang Tianyun laughed at her muttering. "Alright, hurry up and absorb. I will guard you."

Yan Xiwan nodded, sat down, closed her eyes, and began to absorb.

While absorbing, Yan Xiwan discovered that the energy here was very unique, at least for her.

It was not that it could not be absorbed; rather, it could be absorbed, and the energy was very dense.

This dense energy was not spiritual energy, nor Yin energy, nor vitality. Yan Xiwan had never encountered such energy before, but it was pleasant. She felt comfortable absorbing it, with no sense of discord.

Thus, she entered a deep meditation.

Seeing Yan Xiwan in meditation, Ouyang Tianyun said nothing. He observed the terrain, and when he had seen enough, he also sat on the ground to regulate his breath.

These two seemed to completely ignore their surroundings.

This made the hidden creature anxious.

How could there be such people? When given beautiful scenery, they appreciated it without caring about the outside. When the scenery changed to the underworld, they began to meditate.

Why did these two not follow the normal path? The hidden creature felt this was unacceptable. It had to make them afraid or anxious.

As it thought this, it noticed something: the essence of the painting seemed to be dissipating.

No, it was not dissipating; it was being absorbed. The absorber was the woman meditating in front of it.

Seeing her satisfied expression, the spirit in the painting panicked. It had pulled people in to use them. Now, that person could absorb the myriad essences of the painting without needing it. Keeping her would only create a disaster for itself.

It had to drive them away.

At this moment, Ouyang Tianyun opened his eyes, looked at Yan Xiwan, and raised his eyebrows slightly. He understood.

Yan Xiwan was absorbing the myriad essences of the painting.

Every painting has its own essence. However, ordinary paintings have little essence. Only scrolls with consciousness or spirits possess their own essence.

This essence powers the world within the painting. Once the essence is gone, the painting becomes a dead scroll, worthless.

Of course, for ordinary people, such a painting might have historical research value. But for cultivators, a scroll without essence is useless.

Ouyang Tianyun raised her eyebrows, formed a hand seal, and set up a protective array around Yan Xiwan. Since Yan Xiwan could absorb it, let her absorb it.

After all, the essence in the painting was free. Besides, if it did not provoke them, they would not have this opportunity.

"No, you cannot absorb anymore. If you continue, my world will collapse," a loli voice appeared. A small spirit, like a cartoon character, appeared in the air.

Yan Xiwan frowned slightly. Her absorption was interrupted, and she was displeased.

Seeing his wife displeased, Ouyang Tianyun was also displeased. "What does the collapse of your world have to do with us?"

The small spirit shrank back at Ouyang Tianyun’s cold expression and said, "If the world collapses, I cannot live."

"What does your life or death have to do with us?" Ouyang Tianyun asked directly.