Han Shuo whizzed all the way back and suddenly realised that Gene hadn't gone to bed yet when he returned to the campground. Instead, he was sitting in front of his tent, bored to death.
"Eh, Bryan. Have you seen Fanny or Lisa?" Gene stood up immediately and asked when he heard Han Shuo's footsteps.
Nodding, Han Shuo said weakly, "I have. Master Fanny and Lisa will be back soon. Master Gene, why haven't you gone to bed yet?"
"Oh, because Clark suddenly left for some business. He asked me to apologise to Fanny. Hah, that Clark left without giving a reason. How puzzling."
Han Shuo's thoughts raced after hearing Gene's words and he immediately understood that Clark must have left abruptly because he knew that he would not be able to explain his actions for bumping into Fanny and Lisa at the pool and upsetting them.
"I see. Master Gene, I need to collect a few things from nearby. When Master Fanny and Lisa return, please tell them that I'll be back at dawn." Han Shuo quickly headed south after speaking, not caring if Gene had agreed to pass on his message or not. He disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Although Han Shuo's body wasn't stiff and drained of energy, he still felt the effects of the python's tail whip. His body was truly injured and he knew that Fanny and Lisa would nag him for a while when they returned. That way, he wouldn't be able to use his magic yuan to repair his body. So he decided to avoid the situation temporarily and wait until morning. By then, their tempers should have calmed down and there shouldn't be any major problems.
To the south, there was a towering tree with a thick branch covered in twigs and leaves about ten metres above the ground. Han Shuo sat down in Indian style, deep in concentration, gathering the magical yuan to strengthen his body over and over again.
Time flew by unnoticed and the slight pain in Han Shuo's body faded away under the circulation of the magic yuan. Every inch of skin, flesh, sinew and bone in his body felt as if it were filled with surging power.
Han Shuo had sunk into the passive demonic mental state when a faint ripple of pain began to emanate from his mind and gradually spread throughout his entire body. It was accompanied by a sudden onslaught of pain as a tens of times stronger agony roared to life, causing Han Shuo to instantly scream.
Explosive pilipala sounds rang out from within his body, accompanying his pain-filled roar. Along with these sounds, faint, murky strands of air began to rise from Han Shuo's pores, and layers of ripples swam along the surface of his body, as if someone had thrown a stone into the water. When his pores had finished expelling the murky air and harmful matter inside his body, a misty cloud of black splendour faintly surrounded his body.
This situation continued for who knew how long. Han Shuo just felt the pain all over his body suddenly vanish without a trace and he fell from the ten metre high branch with a sharp crack. His body was terrifyingly agile and nimble.
Success! He had finally broken through the first demonic 'solid' realm. From now on, his body was reborn. Whether it was strength, flexibility, or toughness, his body now far surpassed that of ordinary humans. After surpassing the most basic solid realm, Han Shuo's future training would require half the effort, but would be twice as effective.
A sudden thought struck him and his magical yuan circulated freely, encountering no obstacles. Not only could it travel effortlessly through his four limbs, chest and stomach, but the magical yuan could also easily circulate to his head. Han Shuo glanced at his bare skin and saw that not a single scar remained from his previously scarred body. His skin and flesh were clean and smooth, and he could clearly feel that his height had increased by another inch or two when he moved his body.
He lifted his head to look at the sky and saw that it was still deep night. Han Shuo revelled in the joy of new life as he continuously circulated the magic yuan all over his body, excitedly feeling out every inch of the change.
Suddenly, Han Shuo's mind raced as he remembered the purse and jade box he carried with him. The last time he'd used the bizarre object in the jade box to mediate and train his mental energy, he'd had almost all of his mental energy sucked away instead. It was only when the magical yuan had flowed into his brain that he had found a way out of danger and instead emerged with great rewards.
Now that he had broken through the 'solid' realm, Han Shuo could freely use the magic yuan as he pleased and command it to flow to any part of his body, including the most difficult to reach part, his brain. Remembering the enormous rewards he'd received before, Han Shuo found it hard to suppress the desires in his heart. He immediately sat down, crossed his legs and took out the bag he always carried with him.
When he opened the pouch, the ball that looked like an eyeball was still as strange and sinister as he remembered it. As he focused his mental power and slowly began to coalesce it into the round ball, the same thing that happened last time happened again. The ball instantly emitted a hazy light green aura, and the drop of blood inside gave him a heavy, uncomfortable feeling.
Han Shuo's mental strength was sucked away like a whale drinking water, and it quickly flowed into the round ball inside the jade box. The pain in Han Shuo's mind increased as his mental energy continued to be sucked away.
Finally, just as he thought his mind was about to explode, his thoughts moved and the magical yuan that had been accumulating in his lower abdomen suddenly flew up into his mind. There was a loud roar in his mind as the increased pain caused him to scream in pain. At the same time, his surging mental strength returned with the power of levelling mountains and draining seas, instantly filling Han Shuo's mind.
Suddenly, Han Shuo sank to the ground bonelessly, panting heavily. His entire mind felt groggy and stuffy, and it remained that way for a while. He slowly returned to normal and only felt that his mental strength had indeed increased significantly. Han Shuo involuntarily stared at the round ball with joy.
Suddenly, Han Shuo saw that strands of green light had begun to ripple through the orb. These strands of light intertwined continuously, as if a pen was tracing a drawing. After a short time, an image formed in the centre - a strange, grey Castle
Briefly revealed by the green lines, it suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving only the red drop in the centre, which flashed continuously as it actually formed the shape of a red arrow. It froze for a moment, then pointed south.
What did that mean? What did it mean that the arrow was pointing south?
Han Shuo was momentarily stunned as he stared at the red dot in the centre, lost in thought. His mind raced madly and finally confirmed one thing. The red arrow within the round ball had indicated a direction, like a destination to travel to.
He hesitated and looked at the sky, his curiosity piqued. Finally, he grabbed the jade box and quickly ventured south, in the direction the jade box was pointing.
Throughout the entire process, Han Shuo could sense that the further south he travelled, the more he heard the sounds of large magical creatures. There were many dangers along the way and he was very cautious. Occasionally, his eyes flicked to the round ball and he noticed that the arrow kept changing direction, as if to show Han Shuo the right way to go.
He continued in this manner for quite a while when the red arrow in the ball he was holding finally disappeared. The red blood-like drop reappeared and the green light emanating from the ball grew stronger. Strong magical impulses emanated from the ball.
Han Shuo stopped and surveyed his surroundings, realising that this was a common area filled with weeds, bushes and towering trees. Not far away, there was an unknown, huge tree with twisted, intertwined branches, and its strange shadow, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared to be that of a monstrous creature on the ground.
Han Shuo focused his attention and suddenly noticed something strange. In other parts of the Dark Forest, the sounds of insects would continue no matter how quiet it was, but upon reaching this place, Han Shuo realised that this place was almost desperately quiet. There wasn't a single insect call and not a single sign of life to be found.
Bizarre. Han Shuo sensed that the entire area was filled with a strange aura hidden beneath an ordinary exterior. This aura felt familiar and friendly to Han Shuo, as if he'd gotten used to some things a long time ago, but upon closer inspection, Han Shuo realised that he had no idea what was going on.
Just as Han Shuo was completely lost in thought, the round ball inside the jade box suddenly floated into the air as the ball used the green light on its surface to draw beams of magical lines through the air. Han Shuo could feel the strong magical impulses through the air, and that they grew stronger the more the green light from the ball shone.
After noticing this, Han Shuo suddenly realised that the area bathed in the green light was undergoing changes that made his eyes bug out and his tongue tingle. The weeds and shrubs on the ground suddenly vanished without a trace whenever the green light touched it, turning into dry, grey and dusty earth with piles of stark white bones piled on top.
The leafy, towering trees on the side also underwent eerie changes under the green light, turning into the skeletons of monstrous, dead creatures. If Han Shuo's memory served him correctly, these giant skeletons were the legendary Bone Dragons, the most terrifying of all dark creatures.
Death. An empty, desolate wilderness turned into an eternal land of death under the rays of the green light.
There was a huge grey castle, half floating in the air, half buried underground. A few strange, sharp spikes surrounded the castle, while numerous images of dark creatures were carved into the castle walls.
Han Shuo watched for a while, completely dumbfounded. Finally, he muttered to himself in amazement. "This... is this the legendary Cemetery of death?"
Report Chapter Comments