Ling Han felt strange, and said, “Has anyone crossed the river before?”
“Yes, according to ancestors’ written accounts, there certainly have been such people, but as to how they did it… no one ever returned, so there is no way to know,” Liu Yu Tong said.
Ling Han nodded. According to the logbook Xiao Ding left, somewhere in this thunder river were hidden stumps that would appear each day at a certain time, allowing people to cross; however, each time interval when they appeared would be very short.
But many people came in every time, so there were always some who encountered it by chance, and there definitely were courageous people who wanted to go to the other side of the river to find opportunities who never returned.
Ling Han was now searching for the place where the hidden stump appeared.
They walked along the river and looked for spirit grasses and spirit trees in passing, reaping a decent profit. Although they were all low level, a mosquito’s leg was still meat; besides, the Black Tower’s space was almost infinitely large, so why waste it?
Seeing Ling Han make grass and trees disappear as he walked, Li Si Chan naturally looked like she saw a ghost, whereas Liu Yu Tong showed a smug satisfaction. Though a few days ago, her expression wasn’t much better, she could now laugh at Li Si Chan who was like a country bumpkin making a fuss over nothing.
Ling Han revealed the spatial ring’s secret to the two girls, and simply said that he had an even better spatial vessel, so naturally there was no need to explain the Black Tower’s secret. And now, he no longer had any use for this spatial ring since the Black Tower replaced it with infinitely larger space and functions.
The two girls were curious of the novel stuff, looking at the spatial ring with a blazing gaze.
On one hand, the spatial ring certainly was a good thing, but besides that, rings represented another sort of meaning.
“It’s Niu’s!” The two girls were still waiting for Ling Han to choose whom to give it to, but someone who didn’t play by the rules caught them off guard, snatching it and putting it on her finger while laughing.
Hu Niu was only so mature, and when she put the ring on her finger, she found it was empty, making her bawl out in anger.
Ling Han laughed aloud, and took out a red rope to string it, turning it into a pendant and hanging it on Hu Niu’s neck. This instantly made the little girl turn from angry to happy, kissing Ling Han on the cheek as a reward.
Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chang looked at each other as a strange sense of crisis arose within them.
Chapter 237
Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu
Ling Han gave the spatial ring to Hu Niu with something in mind—Hu Niu had too big an appetite, so even if she got lost by accident, she wouldn’t have to worry about hunger when having a spatial ring filled with food.
Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chan could only accept it and nod, but at the same time, they sighed in relief; there was only one ring, so if it were gifted to either one, the other would be inevitably dejected.
…Could they not contend against even a little girl?
The next few days, Ling Han always felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. The times Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chan argued were less and less, making him feel as if the sun rose from the west—it was simply unbelievable.
After yet another day, Ling Han finally found the place as told in the logbook. On the riverside were two stone columns that unexpectedly reached 330 meters tall, their features very distinct—here was where the hidden stump was.
They waited—after five hours, black poles suddenly surfaced continuously. They definitely didn’t come from the bottom of the river—it was like at the central hall, they were appearing out of thin air.
Ling Han was not hesitant, and said, “You guys go in first!” His large hand curled, bringing the three girls into the Black Tower while he leapt out. Shua, shua, shua, he was like a dragonfly dotting on water as the tips of his toes tapped on each stump, swiftly sweeping over and towards the other side of the river.
Shua , at this moment, a graceful figure flew out, following tightly behind Ling Han.
Ling Han took a sudden stride forward, and arrived at the opposite bank. Taking a look back, he saw a lady was also crossing the river. After a glance, he involuntarily glanced at the girl who was surprisingly at Spiritual Ocean Tier!
Another close look, and Ling Han couldn’t help being stunned.
Liu Yu Tong and Li Si Chan both counted as exceptionally beautiful, and their reputation was far-reaching in the Imperial City, where they were called Twin Pearls; however, they obviously paled in comparison to this lady. This girl was definitely a beauty that could be ranked among the top ten Ling Han had seen in his entire life, even breaking into top three.
…With the fact that he was a Heaven Tier in his previous life, how many beauties had he seen? Countless! This girl could rank top ten, that meant she certainly was exceptionally beautiful, simply beyond the mortal sense.
The key was that she was young, at most twenty years old.
A twenty year old cultivator in the Spiritual Ocean Tier, even Ling Han nodded in acknowledgement. Placed amongst the geniuses he encountered in his prior life, she would make the grade.
How could such a genius come out from a place as small as the Nine Nations of the Desolate North?
“Fairy Chi! Fairy Chi!” A holler came from the opposite riverbank. Gu Feng Hua’s figure appeared, he obviously came here chasing the girl.
Ling Han suddenly recalled that this guy said he’d encountered an exceptional fairy, and followed that fairy into the mystery realm; it seemed like this was that girl.
She certainly was stunningly beautiful.
However, at this moment, a change suddenly occurred.
The stumps disappeared.
Not one after another, but all of them disappeared in an instant, as if they never existed before.
Gu Feng Hua suddenly halted. He was a pervert for sure, but he wasn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t dare cross the thunder river.
The girl was also shocked, but not at all panicked. As she shouted lightly, flames gushed out of her body and formed a propulsive force that made her rapidly falling figure halt suddenly, gliding towards the opposite riverbank.
Her white clothes fluttered, and the flames danced; she was like a flying fairy.
Gu Feng Hua was suddenly lost in relaxation and carefreeness as he stared, but then he immediately gave himself a slap and said, “Now’s not the time to admire! Beauty Chi, go for it! You can do it!”
This guy was truly a buffoon!
Ling Han shook his head, and as his gaze swept pass the girl, he knew that the girl had no chance to reach the opposite bank.
The girl obviously knew this too, and her delicate face showed an unreconciled expression—was she going to die here out of carelessness?
Shua , at this moment, a metal silk like that of a silkworm shot out and wrapped around her thin waist. A massive force surged, pulling her rapidly towards the opposite riverbank.
She wouldn’t miss such a chance—she borrowed this force to straighten her back, instantly unleashing a surprising elasticity as she pulled her body upwards in an unimaginable manner.
Ling Han retracted his hand, and xiu , the Origin Gold turned back into a bracelet.
With this external force’s support, the girl lightly fell to the ground. Her body trembled fiercely and she spat out some blood.
…When she’d burst with flames, it cost her a lot.
“Good!” Seeing the girl land firmly onto the ground, Gu Feng Hua instantly jumped in joy. He waved at Ling Han and said, “As expected of the man I think highly of, good job!”
Those words sounded so uncomfortable that Ling Han instantly shivered—as expected of a pervert.
The girl took out a medicinal pill to swallow, and then nodded at Ling Han. “Thank you.”
Ling Han nodded, and said, “It’s nothing, no need for formalities.”
“H
aving her life saved, Chi Hua Lan must repay it,” the girl said again with a prudent expression.
Since she was so insistent, Ling Han nodded and said, “Ok, but no need to repay it with your body.”
Pah!
Chi Hua Lan instantly spat in her thoughts—even if you wanted to, there was no way. She would never marry an average man. However, with this joke, her tone was colder. “You don’t have to worry about that!”
“Ling Han, take care of Fairy Chi!” Gu Feng Hua yelled out from the opposite riverbank, obviously not willing to be a lightbulb.
“You know that man?” Chi Hua Lan asked Ling Han with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Ling Han was speechless, he and this pervert crossed paths twice and they already became friends? He nodded and said, “He is my friend.”
The disdain in Chi Hua Lan’s eyes worsened; one who made friends with a pervert could not be any more normal oneself. She spoke no more. She would repay him for saving her life, but she definitely didn’t want to associate herself with Ling Han in any other way; even exchanging another word felt disgusting.
Ling Han took notice of her expression and inwardly sneered. He saved her on a whim. Every moment, a talented cultivator would lose their life accidentally somewhere in the wide world, so her death wouldn’t make much difference.
He paid no more attention to her and looked ahead.
From here on was the true mystery realm that only few have set foot on in several thousand years.
However… nothing could be seen clearly!
It was very strange. Separated by the thunder river, it could be clearly seen that mountains and forests were here, and the land could be clearly seen five thousand meters away. However, at this side of the river, there was fog everywhere—things couldn’t even be clearly seen three meters away, let alone five thousand meters.
‘Strange!’ Ling Han and Chi Hua Lan both thought.
This was the effect of a formation.
“It’s extremely dangerous here, so I advise you to stay here. Wait for the floating bridge to appear again and head to the opposite shore. Don’t lose your life in vain,” Chi Hua Lan said.
This girl was unexpectedly cold on the outside, but warm on the inside.
Ling Han smiled faintly and said, “Thanks for your concern.”
“Only ghosts would be concerned about you!” Chi Hua Lan snorted. “I just don’t want you to die before I repay you for saving my life.”
Chapter 238
Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu
This girl truly knew not how to talk, using such harsh speech.
Ling Han smiled lightly, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely live to be a hundred.”
“I worry!” Chi Hua Lan snorted again.
Ling Han couldn’t help but think about Liu Ru Er who also liked to snort.
Caring yet proud!
After he labeled Chi Hua Lan in his mind as such, he took out the logbook, peering into it again.
Chi Hua Lang naturally didn’t know how precious a thing Ling Han held in hand—it even allowed one to pass through the formation! She sat down cross-legged; even though she ate a medicinal pill, she still needed to coordinate it with the circulation of Origin Power to recover her injuries.
Ling Han very quickly closed the logbook and began walking ahead.
Although Chi Hua Lan was recovering her injuries, she didn’t dare to be careless. Naturally, she paid some attention to Ling Han in case he suddenly attacked and tried to subdue her… she knew just how crazy her looks made men.
However, Ling Han just walked away!
He walked away just like that?
This guy was her savior after all; even if he shamelessly stuck by her side, she wouldn’t use her sword to chase him off, right? However, Ling Han let such a great chance go, making her appear as if she saw a ghost.
To loosen the reins only to capture one better?
Chi Hua Lang thought so at the start, but soon, she could no longer hear Ling Han’s footsteps, as if she was the only one left in this world.
He really left!
Chi Hua Lan’s face twitched; although she never thought she’d charm all the men in the world, she’d seen plenty of the expressions of men who couldn’t move their eyes off her, and now a freak who didn’t care about her suddenly appeared, almost making her snap.
This guy said he didn’t need her to use her body to repay him… he wasn’t joking, but he truly thought so?
Chi Hua Lan thought back, and she was practically going berserk that someone gave her the cold shoulder!
On the other side, Gu Feng Hua called out, “Fairy Chi, come back…”
“Get lost!” Chi Hua Lan was still fuming, so she naturally gave Gu Feng Hua a murderous look, which destroyed her fairy-like aura entirely. She took a deep breath and sat on the ground again.
That was just a fool she didn’t need to care about… didn’t need to care about…
She told herself that, but involuntarily clenched her fists; if Ling Han appeared before her now, she definitely would give him a beating.
Ling Han took large strides forward. In this life, his attention was put on the path of martial arts. It didn’t matter how beautiful Chi Hua Lan was, admiring her for a bit was enough.
He followed the logbook’s records and paid attention not to make a wrong step—otherwise, he could be forever trapped inside this mist, unable to ever leave… he could only hope that Chi Hua Lan wouldn’t lose her calm and rush in.
But, he was not a reckless person; it wasn’t certain if the logbook was valid, not to mention possible changes to the formation after all those years that passed.
Maybe this was a trap to lure people to enter?
Ling Han turned Blood Sucking Origin Gold into a line of silk, and fastened it to the riverside. While he advanced, he laid out the line in case he lost his direction—he would still be able to return following the line.
…Wandering numerous times in ancient sites, his experience was naturally rich.
The logbook apparently didn’t have any problems. After ten minutes, the mist dispersed; though it still remained, its density wasn’t comparable to the one before.
It was gloomy here, as if it was midnight but with a dim moonlight; it was dusky, but not to the point of being unable to see one’s own fingers, forming an extremely constrained and inhibited environment.
Ling Han jerked his finger and retrieved the Blood Sucking Origin Gold. He now had complete confidence in being able to return.
According to reason, when the mystery realm’s door closed, it would expel all outsiders inside, but it was rumored that those who crossed the river disappeared henceforth; none ever appeared again and that meant two possibilities.
First, once people reached this point, they would no longer be expelled, and second, the people who came here all died, so they naturally would not be able to go out.
Since he didn’t know the dangers hidden here, Ling Han didn’t let the three girls out. On the contrary, his mind was highly tense, ready to enter the Black Tower any time.
Pa , a shadow suddenly attacked like a sharp arrow, thrusting at Ling Han.
Ling Han instantly made a decision, and a black sword immediately surfaced from the Black Tower. He reached and grabbed it, slicing towards the shadow.
The cold sword struck and ignited a blinding brilliance, making the black figure show its true appearance.
It was actually a rattan!
Ling Han’s sword struck out, unleashing six flashes of sword qi.
With a muffled sound, the rattan was struck and immediately began fluttering everywhere with black-colored liquids pouring out. It was as if a man’s arm had been cut by a sword.
Shua, shua, shua, at this moment, several hundred rattans came thrusting.
Ling Han concentrated his gaze, opening up his left hand and turning Blood Sucking Origin Gold instantly into a screen blocking the attacks in front. Pu, pu, pu, pu, muffled sounds reverberated, and
the strength behind the attacks pushed Ling Han back continuously.
He aggressively retracted the Blood Sucking Origin Gold—with this time buffer, he already prepared Mysterious Three Thousand, fiercely unleashing his sword.Shua, shua, shua, dozens of sword shadows surfaced at once, and the spiritual qi converged, quickly turning into a physical body.
“Go!” Ling Han shouted loudly, controlling dozens of sword lights to counterattack against the rattans.
This attack was too strong, the severed rattans fluttered and black-colored liquids poured like rain.
Hong , with a trembling sound, a massive black figure surfaced. It was a massive tree, but this guy pulled itself out from the ground as countless roots intertwined below it, turning into four legs and enabling it to walk on the ground.
“Evil Demon Tree!” Ling Han said with a slight change in his expression. “Evil Demon Tree is a third stage monster spirit that isn’t worrying on its own, but always comes in groups…”
As those words were said, another large tree appeared, then three more, a fourth one, and… the amount kept increasing, forming a whole crowd of them.
“Evil Demon Tree’s tree heart is an extremely good tonic food. It’s just that when so many appear, it’s hard to fight against them!” Ling Han muttered.
Hong , innumerable rattans were launched as at least a dozen Evil Demon Trees attacked him at once.
Ling Han hurriedly dodged while waving his sword to counterattack from time to time. It was just that these Evil Demon Trees were simply too large, and just like his Dead Tree Body, their trunks were tough and durable, so when the Sword Qi hit, it only scraped the tree bark.
He was about to hide in the Black Tower to temporarily avoid them, but the Strange Fire sent him a thought, wanting to come out to fight those Evil Demon Trees.
‘Fire conquers wood, it’s worth a try.’ With Ling Han’s thought, hong , the Strange Fire immediately rose up, emitting a strong presence.
This Strange Fire was fostered from a Shattering Void Tier cultivator’s ossified remains; its intrinsic qualities were surprisingly high.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 134