Chapter 1753: Peach Blossom Shangri-La (Part II)

Hu Xiaotian was not intoxicated by the beautiful scenery before him; he had a clear understanding in his mind: this place was the main altar of the Wuxian Sect. The Wuxian Sect specialized in raising poisonous insects and concocting poisons, making it even more formidable than the North Marsh Old Monster of the Variegated Gate. Because of Xi Yan, Hu Xiaotian had not yet had many direct confrontations with the Wuxian Sect, but he had previously clashed several times with the Variegated Gate and was well acquainted with its poisoning methods. In Bohai State, he had nearly died at the hands of the North Marsh Old Monster. The Wuxian Sect's poison skills surpassed those of the Variegated Gate, so he still needed to be extra cautious.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian happened to be on the north side of the volcanic crater, with the noon sun shining directly on this cliff face. With his lightness skill, climbing over to the opposite side via the cliff should not be difficult, but doing so under these conditions would surely expose his target; being discovered too early would likely put the Wuxian Sect on guard prematurely. Since he had already found the place, there was no need to rush.

Hu Xiaotian simply stopped here to wait for sunset, meanwhile observing the terrain and situation opposite. What puzzled him was that not a single person appeared all afternoon—could the map be wrong? Had the Wuxian Sect already abandoned the place?

After finally waiting for the sun to set westward, the light inside the crater quickly dimmed. Hu Xiaotian left the fissure and climbed along the steep cliff wall; by the time night fell, he had reached the opposite side. His eyesight was strong, enabling him to see in darkness. He saw a staircase carved into the stone wall spiraling down along the volcanic crater. Hu Xiaotian rested briefly on a platform of the steps; the steps were extremely steep and slippery, only one foot wide, having been chiseled into the mountain, while the other side opened into a bottomless volcanic crater.

Hu Xiaotian listened closely; apart from the calls of birds and beasts, he heard no human voices. Continuing down the steps, after just a few steps he heard a chattering sound from above. Looking up, he saw dozens of yellowish-brown macaques leaping across the eaves and walls toward him. The macaques bared their teeth, their ferocious expressions fully revealed, and a warning sprang in his mind. He drew his sidearm; as the sword left its sheath, a hail of stones came flying at him. The macaques were also very cunning: they did not rush to close in on Hu Xiaotian but first launched a long-range attack. Hu Xiaotian swung his sword, producing a clatter that knocked the incoming stones aside. There was no place to hide on the steps, and the macaques kept a certain distance from him, merely attacking with stones and wild fruits.

Such attacks could naturally inflict no harm on Hu Xiaotian, yet he worried that the commotion might rouse the Wuxian Sect's members.

After a while of attacking, the macaques ran out of projectiles; they darted aside on the cliff, keeping a distant tail on Hu Xiaotian but not hurrying to approach.

Hu Xiaotian could do nothing about them either; for the moment he had no way to shake them off completely.

Ahead, the steps were broken; due to wind and rain erosion and long neglect, a section about three zhang long had collapsed. Hu Xiaotian turned to glance at the macaques trailing far behind, sheathed his sword, then leapt into the air to try to cross the gap and land on the opposite side. As his body flew over the break, a fluttering sound came from below, and a black cloud of smoke rose up—it was a swarm of tens of thousands of bats forming a column, spiraling upward without cease. These bats differed from any he had seen before: wingspans about four feet, bodies the size of rabbits, exposing cold-glinting fangs, their black fur glowing with a greenish sheen in the darkness.

Before Hu Xiaotian could land on the opposite steps, the bats had already formed a wall in front of him; to land safely he would have to break through the swarm. Helpless, he released his inner energy outward, enveloping his body in protective gangqi, and slammed forcefully into the barrier the bats had created. Though numerous, the bats could not withstand his impact; he burst a large hole through them, his body shooting out. His feet had not yet touched ground when a black wave of bats slammed repeatedly into his back. Thanks to the protective gangqi, an invisible qi shield had already formed around him. Hu Xiaotian used the powerful thrust generated by the converging bat mass to propel himself forward, soaring like a large bird hugging the cliff, gliding parallel to the downward angle of the steps, spiraling and turning, flying over thirty zhang. The bats did not let up; they pursued him relentlessly from behind, with fresh attackers constantly arriving, while new ones came to intercept from ahead. Repeating their tactic, they swung around to flank him from the front, trying to block his path.

Angered by the bat swarm, Hu Xiaotian thought that if he did not give them a taste of their own medicine, he did not know how long the entanglement would last. He struck the bats' barrier again; at the instant of impact, his vast inner energy burst outward, tantamount to triggering an explosion, with Hu Xiaotian at its epicenter. From his body as center, an overbearing, crisscrossing qi wave radiated outward, affecting hundreds of bats that could not escape in time—some were blasted onto the cliff wall, some flung onto the steps, and others shot straight into the void, turning into a bloody mist in midair.

Yet the bat swarm showed no fear; instead, it grew ever denser, madly lunging at Hu Xiaotian like a frenzied horde. He silently cursed his bad luck, fearing that the huge commotion would awaken the Wuxian Sect's members. His original hope of silently infiltrating the sect's main altar was likely to come to naught.

Although the bats were numerous, they could not penetrate Hu Xiaotian's protective gangqi; on the contrary, many were killed by his outward burst of inner energy. On the cliff steps, Hu Xiaotian employed the Art of Soaring, leaping and gliding through the air; after a few rises and falls he entered a natural stone arch bridge ahead. Strangely, after passing through that bridge, the bats ceased to follow him, as if this place were a forbidden zone for them.

Night had fully fallen; the natural stone bridge spanned overhead. Inside the bridge, vegetation grew lush, a gentle night breeze brushed past, mist lingered, and the air was cool and damp. Hu Xiaotian silently marveled, having expected vegetation to thin the closer one got to the crater's base, yet here the flora was abundant—this must be an extinct volcano. Listening closely, he heard the sound of trickling water below; even within the crater there was a water source, a testament to the wondrous workings of heaven and earth.

Ahead, the steps grew gradually gentler and wider, but the overhead trees blocked out the sun, vines everywhere. Walking through at Hu Xiaotian's height required constant stooping to pass. The hanging vines resembled long snakes; such an environment most easily breeds snakes and insects, and since this was the headquarters of the Wuxian Sect, Hu Xiaotian naturally dared not be careless.

Pressing onward, the steps abruptly ended, with vegetation growing everywhere. Hu Xiaotian did not know which direction to take; looking down, all he saw was darkness, unable to discern the bottom—he had no idea how deep the crater truly was, but judging by how far he had descended, he must be nearing ground level.

In such surroundings, hearing often mattered more than sight. Hu Xiaotian listened intently, following the sound of the trickling water forward. As he drew nearer, a cry for help suddenly came from ahead.

Hu Xiaotian started; his journey had been a string of mishaps, yet this was the first time he had heard a human voice. Bold and skilled, he followed the sound and indeed found, in a clearing beside a stream, a middle-aged man lying there, dressed in coarse cloth, with a bow and quiver on his shoulder. He lay with his left pant leg rolled high, his calf swollen, the skin turned purplish-black. Not far away lay a dead green snake and a shot muntjac deer.

Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian's figure appear, the man shouted, "Hero, save me, save me!"

Hu Xiaotian inwardly wondered how a man could suddenly appear in this desolate mountain wilderness, especially near the Wuxian Sect's main altar—highly unusual. He did not rush forward, but stopped about a zhang away and asked with concern, "Sir, what's the matter?"

The man said, "Hero, I am Sun Dagen, a hunter from nearby. Today, while tracking a muntjac deer, I lost my way. After finally managing to shoot the game, I never expected a green snake to leap from the undergrowth and bite me. With no one around, I prayed to heaven and earth in vain, thinking I was surely done for—yet I did not expect heaven's benevolence to bring me into contact with a hero; hero, please save me."

Hu Xiaotian heard him repeatedly call him "hero" and chuckled, "Don't call me hero; I'm no hero." He drew his sidearm, lifted the dead green snake with it, identified it as an ordinary venomous snake, then took a Blood-Cleansing Pill from his person and tossed it to Sun Dagen: "Take this; it should help dispel the snake poison."

Sun Dagen examined the Blood-Cleansing Pill, then brought it to his nose to sniff; though a subtle gesture, Hu Xiaotian sensed something amiss and deliberately asked, "Are you afraid it's poisonous?"

Sun Dagen laughed, "Benefactor, we have no grudge; why would you harm me?" Only then did he swallow the pill.

Hu Xiaotian turned, making as if to leave, when Sun Dagen called again, "Benefactor, you cannot abandon me here alone."

Hu Xiaotian replied, "I still have pressing matters; rest assured, your poison will soon be cleared. I will return and then accompany you away."

Sun Dagen asked, "Benefactor, are you headed for the Wuxian Sect?"

Hu Xiaotian slowly turned back, feigning surprise: "You also know about the Wuxian Sect?" Given his sharp mind, he saw many doubts in this Sun Dagen; trying to deceive him with such a ploy would not be easy.

Sun Dagen said, "Benefactor, you forgot—I am the hunter of this area, naturally very familiar with the local terrain."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Do you know exactly where the Wuxian Sect's main altar is?"

Sun Dagen said, "Benefactor, help me up, and I will point out the road for you."

Hu Xiaotian, hearing his words, still suspected he was being lured into his vicinity; a faint smile curled his lips: "Saying it here is just the same." (To be continued~^~)