The green grass was hazy under the mist, dotted with weeds of various colors. If you ignore the disgusting cries in the distance, it looks like being in a paradise.
Fifteen wizard apprentices, most of whom were wearing black robes, rode through the jungle on horseback. One wizard apprentice took out the water bag on his back and drank a sip, muttering,
"That disgusting beast-faced bird, its cry is really disgusting."
The air temperature is a bit high and the jungle is very humid. When riding a horse through the forest, the clothes will quickly become wet, which is extremely uncomfortable in this humid environment.
The team slowly accelerated here. According to the map, this was already the deepest part of the Ghost Mist Forest, not far from the ruins of the underground palace in the jungle. The instructor had already arrived with his apprentice ahead of them.
"This place is far away from the underground palace ruins. Occasionally some monsters from the ruins will escape. Be careful."
An experienced wizard apprentice looked around and loudly warned his companions.
Lin Xiao untied his black robe and shook off the dewdrops condensed on the waterproof robe. A wizard apprentice who was also shaking off his black robe came over and whispered:
"I heard that the underground palace ruins have three floors, but they have not been fully explored. From time to time, I hear that someone has discovered a new enclosed underground chamber and gained huge benefits. Should we take the time to take a look?"
Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows. His rich experience made him immediately understand what the man was planning. He smiled and said:
"No, this is my first time going out and I don't have enough experience, so I'd better do some simple tasks."
This was considered a refusal. The man did not force it. He shrugged and stepped aside, then started chatting with another unfamiliar wizard apprentice.
He sneered and said nothing. Only a newcomer would fall for such an obvious trick.
Although he is considered a newcomer among wizards, he is not a seasoned wizard. He can see through this little trick at a glance.
The team stopped here for a moment, then slowed down and continued forward.
Not long after walking, Lin Xiao suddenly sniffed the air. In addition to the strange smell unique to the jungle, there was also a hint of blood in the air. It was not strong but very fresh, indicating that there had been a killing here not long ago, but no signs of fighting were found nearby.
He was just wondering when suddenly a slight groan was heard from the back of the team. Most of the dozen or so people reacted and turned their heads quickly, only to see that there was nothing unusual.
Everyone's eyes turned to the last person in the team, but he looked at everyone expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened.
After a few seconds, everyone began to look away. When Lin Xiao was about to look away as well, he suddenly paused. His eyes immediately became serious. He drew out his sword with a 'clang' sound, startling the others so much that they turned around reflexively. He pointed at the last person and said,
"He's dead!"
As soon as the words fell, a white shadow flew out from behind the man. Everyone could tell at a glance that it was a transparent ghost grabbing a man's soul and flying out. The wizard apprentice who was riding on the horse fell off the horse when his soul was taken away.
"kill!"
An invisible force bound it and made it unable to move. Two transparent wind blades about one foot long, three fireballs, and several invisible forces flew out at the same time and hit the white shadow. With a bang and a piercing scream, the transparent ghost exploded into pieces. The soul of another wizard apprentice was also exploded, but there was an invisible force that bound it and would not break apart. The floating flying body merged into it.
The wizard apprentice whose soul was trapped woke up with a groan of pain, and thanked everyone with great difficulty.
Lin Xiao accepted his salute seriously. He did save his life. As for the injury to his soul, that was not his concern. If he didn't act decisively in this situation, he would be dead once his soul was taken away.
After this encounter, everyone became extra vigilant.
The third-level wizard apprentices were quite powerful. Even formal wizards would be unable to deal with a dozen of them. However, they made it safely to the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest. From afar, they saw a tall tower covered with countless vines and mosses standing in the lush forest, with many gaps on it.
That is the location of the ruins of the underground palace. It is said that this was the residence of a school a long time ago. But nobody knows what happened later and the school collapsed overnight. The empire sent experts to check but they found nothing. They just announced that the place was abandoned and did not allow later comers to occupy the residence. As time went by, it became deserted.
The surface of the underground palace has been completely abandoned and covered by lush jungle. If it weren't for the tall tower that has not collapsed, it would be difficult for outsiders to find this place.
They moved forward using the tower as a coordinate and soon arrived at the ruins, which should be the original gate of the school. A small camp was built in front of the ruins of the gate, and several apprentice wizards were clearing the surrounding vines and weeds.
Seeing them coming, several apprentices waved their hands happily. A tall and curvy female apprentice with a charming face came in front of them. Everyone dismounted and she said:
"I am Ailian, the mentor's apprentice. You have come at the right time. Please clean up the area around the camp and expand it."
This domineering attitude instantly makes people feel unfavorable.
However, she was the mentor's disciple, and the mentor was in the tent in the camp, so they naturally did not dare to refuse. They tied up the horses and started working in a divided manner.
Lin Xiao was assigned the task of clearing weeds. He took out a sharp-edged shovel from the package and used it as a knife to cut and sweep aside the weeds that were spreading from the edge.
The roots of these weeds are as thick as chopsticks and are extremely tough. If you cut them hard with a shovel, not only will they ooze out a foul-smelling juice like blood, but they will also twist back and forth like snakes, feeling like living things.
But this is definitely not a living thing. This kind of weed is everywhere in the world, or it could be said that many plants in this world are so strange.
It took more than ten times the strength of an ordinary person to clear the weeds in the area they were responsible for in a few strokes, clearing a large area. Then someone took a spray and sprayed it into the soil to kill the insects and weeds hidden in the grass. For the next few months, no grass would grow in this area and no small insects would pass through.
It is easier to get things done with more people, and the camp was set up quickly. Several bonfires were set up around the camp. When they finished, it was already dark. The tent door opened and a figure walked out.
The camp was silent for a moment. Everyone looked over, a trace of respect on their faces, and called out "Instructor Julian" in unison.
This is a senior official wizard. It is said that his mental power has been crystallized a long time ago and he is about to be promoted to a second-level wizard. Once promoted, he will immediately become a top-level powerful person in the academy.
Mentor Julian is tall and very handsome, looking like a nobleman. Both his appearance and habits are very different from the ordinary people's impression of a wizard.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but Lin Xiao always feels that this style is familiar, as if he has seen it before.
When the female apprentice named Zhu Lian saw her mentor coming out, she quickly stepped forward and called him "mentor" in a delicate voice, then leaned into the man's arms without caring about other people's eyes. Julian put his arms around her snake-like waist and squeezed it a few times.
No one's expression changed at all. This situation is quite common in this world.
Many beautiful women or men from ordinary backgrounds will depend on the strong. They are mentor and disciple during the day and lovers at night.
Julian pinched his apprentice a few times, then looked up and said to the new apprentice:
"You have already understood the mission. At the end of this trip, each person will receive five magic stones. If you collect a piece of ancient moss and hand it in, you will receive one magic stone. In addition, if the total amount of ancient moss collected this time exceeds 100, each person will receive an additional three magic stones after the trip."
"Thank you for your generosity, mentor!"
Everyone immediately became excited and looked full of energy.
Julian smiled with satisfaction, hugged the female disciple and returned to the tent. Soon the candlelight inside flickered, and there were subtle groans and collision sounds, which became louder and louder as time passed.
Many apprentices moved away from the tent with envy on their faces. As I said, it was nothing strange.
Early the next morning, several apprentices who seemed to have not slept well were called together to assign tasks and then announced their departure. As for the mentor, he did not show up.
Most of the ancient moss grows in the underground palace, but it can occasionally be found in the ruins on the surface of the underground palace. Compared to the dangerous underground palace, the surface is safer, so this side will definitely be searched first.
Everyone dispersed to search their own areas. After all, they were all third-level wizard apprentices and had certain strength. If they really encountered danger, they would be able to hold on until their mentor came to rescue them.
There were few people in the ruins, and the vegetation was quite lush. There were vines everywhere, entwined around the trees and ruins like snakes. Occasionally, there were real snakes hanging there, which would suddenly bite them when they passed by.
Before Lin Xiao set off, he applied insect and snake repellent medicine on his body. With his strong agility and sensitivity, he could usually detect hidden snakes and insects in advance.
But the most dangerous things here are not snakes or insects, but various monsters hidden in the ruins.
When passing a big tree, countless vines hanging on the tree suddenly moved without wind. Vines as thick as fingers jumped up like snakes and wrapped him up and dragged him under the tree.
"Bang, bang, bang"
There were a series of breaking sounds. Lin Xiao used brute force to break more than a dozen vines and rushed out. He then cut off several vines with a sword. He chopped them down with his sword, and soon the vines and the tree were cut down. He found the roots of the vines at the bottom of the tree which was full of bones and continued to dig down. He soon dug out a meat knot as big as a head and covered with roots. He cut off the thick roots underneath and carried it out.
This thing is the core root of this huge vine. It can be used to make potions, or it can be sold to wizards who use the plant system to cultivate combat plant pets. It is worth 6 magic stones.
Wrapping the things in layers of cloth like a dumpling and stuffing them into the backpack is worth the money alone. This trip is worth it.
He continued searching, but his good luck seemed to have ended. He searched the entire surface of the underground palace ruins until night, but did not dig up a piece of ancient moss.
If someone hadn't dug it up, he would have thought it didn't exist on the surface.
After returning to the camp, everyone sold the ancient moss to the instructor, and Lin Xiao also sold the rhizome for six magic stones.
After a night's rest and washing up early the next morning, everyone waited at the entrance of the underground palace. After a while, wizard Julien came with several disciples, and he would enter the underground palace with everyone.
(End of this chapter)