Chapter 675 The First Night in Mubei Forest
“Woo woo—”
The cold wind blew up the snow foam on the ground and hit Zhao Duan's face.
Even though he was already a half-step celestial cultivator and was not afraid of cold or heat, he still shuddered subconsciously at this moment, as if he had skipped the seasons in one step and entered the depths of winter from early summer.
Before my eyes was a thick, white snowfield, so vast that it seemed to have no boundaries.
Only the forest of cold-resistant trees such as pine and cypress trees rising from the ground in the front, almost stretching across the entire road, stands in this silent world.
It seems like it has existed for countless years.
"Is this Mubei Forest?"
Tuoba Weizhi's dark eyes returned to normal, and the priestess who walked out of the golden gate looked at this world of ice and snow curiously.
Obviously, for her who had been trapped in La Garden for six hundred years, the journey during this period was truly an eye-opener.
In just a few days, he had walked into the capital, crossed the sea, and now arrived in the far north.
Zhao Duan turned around and saw a golden gate standing on the snow behind him.
But at this moment, the door is slowly fading away and disappearing into the air bit by bit.
In the blink of an eye, only a team of four was left.
The clothes worn by several people were a little thin, but fortunately their cultivation was sufficient.
The "worst" empress was now walking outside in a puppet form and was not afraid of the cold. She looked at the door closing with great curiosity and said:
"So this is how you all travel back and forth between the gate and the capital."
This was her first time passing through the underground gate, and it was also a new experience.
Zhang Yanyi, dressed as a priest, turned his head and squinted his eyes, looking at the endless snowfield behind them. He flipped his hand and a small compass appeared in his palm. He made some rough calculations and said:
"We have indeed reached the northernmost point, the edge of the Mubei Forest, and are only one step away from the 'boundary'."
"Boundary?" Zhao Duan caught this word.
Zhang Yanyi put away the compass and explained patiently:
"If cultivators simply enter the snowfield, their cultivation will suffer some damage, but it won't be too great, because strictly speaking, this snowfield also belongs to the territory of the Yu State, but it's sparsely populated.
From here to the south, you have to walk a long way to reach Jubei City and the area under the jurisdiction of King Yanshan and Tieguandao.
Of course, King Yanshan has surrendered long ago.
But if we continue north, we will cross a boundary. Once we enter, we will be affected by the mysterious power of the Mubei Forest and be suppressed."
Zhao Duan nodded:
"Like the Great Laba in Southwest Xinjiang and the Sea God in the Silence Sea? Speaking of which, what kind of gods exist in the Mubei Forest?"
"have no idea."
This time it was the Empress who answered him.
Xu Zhenguan's fingers stroked the hilt of a thin sword at her waist. She was wearing a pure white cloak, and the furry decoration set off her delicate oval face. She said seriously:
"Mubei Forest has always been a mysterious forbidden area. We know very little about its interior. Even those who have entered it in history have almost always kept it a secret."
Zhao Duan nodded and suddenly looked at Tuoba Weizhi:
"What about you? Do you remember anything?"
He did not forget that there were relics of the Great Qi Dynasty's exploration in the southwest Xinjiang and the East China Sea.
He didn't believe that the previous dynasty would have missed the opportunity to explore this forest.
Tuoba Weizhi looked at the forest in the north, her eyes filled with confusion. She shook her head:
"I don't know."
Don’t you know, or don’t want to say?
Zhao Duan has always lacked trust in this gender-changed prince.
"Let's go, we're here now, let's not waste time." Zhao Duan let out a breath and said.
The breath he exhaled quickly condensed into white frost in the cold air.
The four-member team immediately moved forward and approached the forest.
Just as everyone crossed an invisible boundary, Zhao Duan's expression suddenly changed. He stopped and his face shifted:
"Is this what you call suppression? Isn't it a bit too harsh?"
At this moment, he clearly felt that he seemed to be under some kind of seal.
The Qi in his body was circulating at an alarmingly slow speed, and the dragon soul in his Qi sea seemed to be dead. No matter how he called out, there was no response at all.
"My current internal strength, even with this body, is probably only at the mortal level!"
Zhao Duan said.
Tuoba Weizhi's dark face was just as ugly. She looked at her hands, trying to exert force, and said in a panic:
"So am I. The divine power bestowed by the Laba God is also minimal!"
Even a Half-Step Heavenly Being has been weakened to this extent? Is this still playable?
Zhao Duan ignored the empress who was just a puppet and had no fighting power, and looked at the old Taoist priest expectantly.
Zhang Yan wrapped his black priest robe tightly around him and said calmly:
"Why are you looking at me? I only have the power of the Divine Chapter Realm left."
Shit… The peak of the Heavenly Man Realm was reduced to a Divine Chapter… Zhao Duan felt a chill in his heart.
At this moment, I finally understood why the Mubei Forest was a "forbidden zone" that no strong person could enter.
He clearly remembered that he had seen countless ferocious beasts in this forest in the "Picture of the God of War".
If someone from the Divine Chapter Realm enters there, he might be bitten to death by wild beasts if he is not careful.
Zhang Yanyi continued calmly:
"Also, from now on, my mana will be extremely precious. I cannot use it casually, otherwise, once it is depleted, it will be difficult to replenish."
It's getting worse...
Zhao Duan suddenly looked at Lao Zhang intently:
"Are you really not afraid of death?"
Zhang Yanyi met his gaze, suddenly smiled, looked ahead and sighed:
"Afraid? Of course I am. Emperors of all dynasties were afraid of death. How can I be any better? That's why I have come here many times over the years, but never really stepped into it. However, there is no way to retreat now."
Yes.
Due to the great hatred caused by Tianshou's destruction of Buddhism six hundred years ago, once the Xuanyin and the Dharma King are successfully integrated and truly impact the human immortal, that will be the time when the Tianshi Mansion will be destroyed.
It was also the time when the State of Yu was destroyed.
"I will go ahead, and you will follow behind."
Zhang Yanyi actually took the lead and used his black robe to block the cold wind for several people.
Zhao Duan and others stood where they were, staring intently at the dark figure of the old Taoist priest who was fighting a desperate battle, which gradually faded away, like a lone wolf on the snowy field.
"Why don't you follow?" Zhang Yan turned around and looked at them in a daze.
Zhao Duan said expressionlessly:
"Do you know the way? Do you know which way to go?"
The empress and Tuoba Weizhi nodded at the same time, expressing the same doubt.
“…” Zhang Yan was silent for a moment and shook his head.
"Then you're leading the way!"
Zhao Duan complained unhappily:
"It's such a big forest, and you're wandering around aimlessly? You won't even know how you died!"
Zhang Yan opened his mouth but fell silent. He waved his sleeves in displeasure and said:
"You haven't been here before, how could you possibly know?"
Zhao Duan smiled faintly:
"Just because we haven't been here before doesn't mean we don't have guides."
When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
Immediately, Zhao Duan raised his finger, tapped his brow lightly, and said in a low voice:
"Senior, please come out."
His eyes instantly reflected silver, and illusory red lines emerged in the air, outlining a figure wearing a wedding dress and a dark golden mask.
As soon as Pei Niannu appeared, he looked ahead blankly, and under his visor, his eyes revealed a look of nostalgia!
She murmured, "Mubei Forest... I'm here again..."
Xu Zhenguan's eyes lit up. Yes, Pei Niannu was an ancient who witnessed the casting of the golden gate. With the ancestor's meticulous planning, how could he not arrange a guide?
Allow them to take the risk and enter?
Now it seems that Pei Niannu, who is hidden in the royal practice method, is the "guide" of this final journey.
"Senior, what did you remember?" Zhao Duan asked.
He discovered that although his cultivation was suppressed and could not be used, his internal force was only sealed in the sea of qi, and could still be used to maintain Pei Niannu's existence, but he could not call upon it.
"I... have been here."
Pei Niannu held his head with both hands, as if recalling something, and murmured:
"I can't remember clearly, I only remember one road."
The eyes of the king and his minister lit up: "Please lead the way, senior."
Pei Niannu did not refuse this time. She seemed to realize that this was the "mission" of her existence. She naturally passed Zhang Yanyi and floated forward.
Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment. The old Taoist priest didn't say anything, but he was feeling relieved.
Fortunately, I chose to ally with the royal family, otherwise, without a guide, I would have been dead.
…
“Rustle, rustle—”
The boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the snow.
After the group entered the forest, the cold wind around them suddenly became much weaker and the snow on the ground was not as thick.
As we continued to move forward, the tree species around us became more diverse, and there were more footprints left by wild animals on the ground.
The forest was extremely quiet. Occasionally, one could hear strange "screams" coming from overhead, but these were the sounds of wind blowing through branches.
The group was extremely vigilant, fearing that they would be attacked by wild beasts.
Fortunately, not only was the outskirts of the forest safe, but also because of the path guided by Pei Niannu, we were able to travel safely along the way.
Although they encountered some ferocious beasts like wild bears in the forest several times, the beasts did not seem to recognize creatures like "humans" and avoided them peacefully from a distance.
"It seems that this place is not that dangerous." Zhao Duan couldn't help but say after walking for a few hours.
Xu Zhenguan's face turned red from the cold, and he shook his head and said:
"Don't be careless. This is just the outer perimeter. The depths are definitely dangerous. If you encounter danger, I will attack first, and you hide behind.
After all, I am just a puppet. Even if my body is crippled and only my head remains, I can still maintain the existence of this spirit. When the time comes, you can carry my head on your back and move forward together."
No...Zhenbao, your description is a bit gloomy, isn't it?
Are you carrying your avatar?
What's more, only the head is left. Are you sure you can still "survive"?
At least keep the "solar charging" part of the puppet... Zhao Duan complained in his heart.
Tuoba Weizhi heard this and whispered:
"I will stand at the forefront. If this body rots, I will replace it with another one."
Okay, so in our team, Lao Zhang and I are the only ones who are squishy, right?
Zhao Duan was deeply moved. Of the three female team members, one was a spirit, and the other two were not real bodies...
He took two steps back and looked at the old Taoist priest who was leaning on a picked-up stick as a "staff" and was dressed a bit like Gandalf the Black in the movie. He sighed and said:
"Master, you and I are more like living people. We are afraid of death."
Zhang Yanyi's eyebrows and beard were covered with frost in the cold air. Hearing this, he walked forward with his staff, glanced at him sideways, and said:
"I have been preparing for this day for many years, so I naturally have ways to protect myself. If you encounter danger, you will be on your own."
After saying that, the old man accelerated forward and caught up with the three women.
Only the weak, pitiful and helpless Zhao Duan was left, leaning on a knife, standing at the end with a dazed look on his face, about to cry.
Chatting and joking all the way.
There was no fighting on the first day of the journey, but as they went deeper, everyone felt that the danger around them was increasing.
It was as if there were pairs of invisible eyes staring at them in the dark of this forest. The vague sense of danger made them dare not relax.
Until the sun went down and night fell in Mubei Forest, the five-member team decided to stop and rest.
After finding a place sheltered from the wind, Zhao Duan took out the silver scroll and took out a tent, an iron pot and other items from it.
He also ordered Tuoba Weizhi to pick up dry branches, make a fire, melt the snow to get water, and cook the dry food he brought with him.
Soon, the forest was completely dark, with only a cluster of fire burning here.
Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment, considering that the animals here were probably afraid of fire and that wild beasts were dominant at night, so he found more firewood and prepared to burn it all night.
…
at night.
Pei Niannu disappeared temporarily.
The four people in the team sat around in the tent, unable to sleep, so they lit a candle and started their first night talk with the help of the flame.
"This is our route for today."
Zhao Duan placed a newly drawn "map" in the center of the four people. The map only had a large outline. It was a map of the entire forest drawn by the State of Yu along the outer perimeter of the Mubei Forest.
Using this world's unscientific compass, grids similar to "longitude and latitude" were drawn to separate the areas.
During the day, Zhao Duan asked Zhang Yanyi to calculate the direction and barely drew a map with questionable accuracy. He pointed to the lines on the paper and said:
“Although our cultivation has been severely suppressed, we are all very strong after all, and our legs are very strong. In the past ten hours, our speed has been very fast.
According to my calculations, we have now left the periphery and entered the central area of the Mubei Forest. And according to the direction led by Pei Niannu, it is obvious that my target should be the core area. "
Xu Zhen nodded and said:
"If that's the case, we'll have to walk for at least five or six days."
Zhang Yanyi calmly analyzed:
"I'm afraid it will take longer, because the further we go in, the slower we will be. We need to avoid danger, and if we encounter a battle, we will need to rest."
Zhao Duan agreed:
"That means it might take ten days to arrive."
At this time, the dark-skinned female priestess sitting beside her stared at the map with lifeless eyes for a while. As if stimulated by some broken and dusty memories, she suddenly shook her head and said:
"No, it won't take that long. There's a shortcut. I... I think I've seen a map of this forest."
brush--
In an instant, the eyes of the three people fell on Tuoba Weizhi's face at the same time.
Tuoba Weizhi was startled and explained carefully:
"But I can't remember it clearly. It's very vague and lacks details..."
Zhao Duan stared at her:
"You mean, Qiguo once drew a map of this place?"
Tuoba Weizhi was silent for a moment, then said slowly:
"Maybe. But it must have been a long, long time ago, about a thousand years ago."
After a pause, she added:
"Because... a thousand years ago, the Mubei Forest didn't seem to be anything special, so it could be easily explored. But after that time a thousand years ago, the entire forest suddenly became different, and no one could set foot in it anymore."
(End of this chapter)
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