Chapter 102: The Peculiarity of Yanglu Gulin

Regarding Feng Zi's suggestion, Qingyang was naturally very delighted:

"That would be excellent. You fellow Daoists are all individuals of great strength; please, do not look down upon my meager cultivation."

Feng Zi took the initiative to invite him to travel together, and Qingyang naturally accepted with pleasure—

This world is very dangerous; aside from those mythical creatures capable of easily shouldering mountains and spanning seas, there are many species that have existed since the opening of heaven and earth.

Although these creatures cannot become Spirit Monsters, they are born with power that mortals can hardly imagine; every time they appear in the world, it is a disaster for the surrounding tribes.

Furthermore, on this wild and desolate land, there is no lack of many Spirit Monsters and Demons, and the threats they can pose are even greater.

In this dangerous world, for the human race, just wanting to survive exhausts everyone's heart and strength.

Not to mention the forest they are currently in, which is known to the world as "Yanglu Gulin," filled with many unknown perils and terrifying creatures.

Every year, thousands of Qi Refiners venture deep into it, hoping to seek the resources they desire, but those who can retreat unscathed are few and far between!

If it were not for the fact that this forest is simply too vast and stands on Qingyang's necessary path, no matter what, the other party would not be willing to take this risk.

Therefore, how could Qingyang refuse Feng Zi's suggestion to travel together?

Facing Qingyang's self-deprecation, Feng Zi shook his head with a smile: "As long as you can contribute to the journey, no one will look down on you."

Just like that, the group welcomed their first travel companion of this era.

The few of them rested for a night, coordinating their living habits with one another.

As the sky turned faintly bright, Feng Zi extinguished the campfire and incidentally erased the traces of their encampment.

Seeing this, Qingyang hurriedly jumped onto a nearby ancient tree to gaze into the high sky.

Feng Zi was greatly puzzled upon seeing this and asked subconsciously: "What are you doing?"

Hearing this, Qingyang replied quite matter-of-factly: "I am identifying the direction."

Identifying the direction? Hearing this answer, Feng Zi subconsciously exchanged a glance with Qinglin and decided not to take out the compass for the time being.

Seeing Qingyang jump down from the tree, he then asked: "If you want to identify the direction, wouldn't it suffice to leave such things to a south-pointing needle?"

But Qingyang's reaction was even stranger: "A south-pointing needle? Fellow Daoist Cun Xin, you really know how to joke. How can one use a south-pointing needle in Yanglu Gulin? This is common knowledge."

Hearing this answer, Feng Zi secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

But the next moment, Qingyang smiled: "Oh, I understand. Fellow Daoist Cun Xin is testing me."

Having said that, the other party began to rummage through the tattered pack he was carrying on his back.

Seeing this, Feng Zi secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

Fortunately, people always fill in the blanks with their own minds; as long as the other party comes up with a reasonable guess themselves, there is no need to explain further for now—just let it be.

Immediately, Qingyang took out a south-pointing needle with a very archaic and crude design.

And the moment that south-pointing needle was assembled, the gazes of Feng Zi and the others were all drawn to it:

Unlike the south-pointing needle Feng Zi carried with him, the one in Qingyang's hand was like it had "drunk fake wine," swinging around without any pattern.

"As the most mysterious forbidden land in Tianyuan, Yanglu Gulin naturally cannot have only dangers that are visible at a glance.

"Except for the most basic rules, all the rules of this world are liable to undergo inversion—

"The light may become heavy, clouds may become the ground, the top may become the bottom, and the surrounding directions may naturally change without one even realizing it."

Seeing Feng Zi and the others looking at him with serious expressions, Qingyang thought they were examining him and answered very earnestly.

In the end, the other party just smiled and shook his head: "I am merely a Qi Refiner from a remote tribe; I heard all this knowledge from the mouths of traveling merchants.

"You must know more than I do, so I will not make a fool of myself."

Hearing this answer, Feng Zi felt a lingering fear in his heart:

The journey had been uneventful, and he had thought this place was just an ordinary dense forest.

Listening to Qingyang's account, he finally realized that this "Yanglu Gulin" was actually this terrifying!

In this way, everything made sense:

This place is rich in resources; if it were only ordinary wild beasts, or Spirit Monsters and Demons appearing, there would always be people unafraid of death stepping forward to establish settlements here.

But according to Feng Zi's observations throughout yesterday, at least within his own field of vision, there was no sign of human life in this forest!

If even the rules of this world are uncertain, it is no wonder no tribe dares to take root here.

Of course, now is not the time to bury his head in thought; Qingyang is, after all, still waiting for his reply.

Feng Zi pondered for a moment and gave a very vague answer:

"Fellow Daoist Qingyang is too kind. We have not been to Yanglu Gulin before either, and our understanding of this place is not deep.

"If we are to talk about who truly understands this place, I fear it would only be those who have retreated from Yanglu Gulin unscathed."

Qingyang thought about it and realized this was indeed the truth, nodding subconsciously: "Fellow Daoist Cun Xin is absolutely right."

Just like that, the group embarked on their journey southward.

Not much time had passed before Feng Zi deeply experienced the malice of this place—

Just for a moment of distraction, Li Shou "stepped into empty air" on the solid ground.

Afterward, a pitch-black vortex slowly emerged beneath his feet.

If not for Feng Zi's quick reaction, pulling Li Shou's arm at the first moment and dragging the other party to his side, Li Shou would likely have already been torn to pieces by the vortex.

"What is this?" Having survived the disaster, Li Shou subconsciously retreated a few steps before looking at the vortex with lingering fear:

Without a doubt, that was a massive waterspout; even from over ten zhang away, the group could still smell the salty, fishy scent of seawater.

And in the depths of the vortex, a rather large existence resembling a sea snake swam within, emitting a terrifying aura, with golden lightning flickering upon its body.

Hearing Li Shou's question, Qingyang subconsciously shivered and replied with a pale face:

"I do not know. Yanglu Gulin is filled with many mysteries, and I cannot answer that either."

Feng Zi forcibly suppressed his own trembling and said in a low voice: "Do not discuss these things anymore, otherwise we will only become more fearful the more we speak.

"And do not pay attention to that vortex anymore; we will bypass it and continue south."

The group deeply agreed with this point, and even Qinglin could not help but become serious.

Feng Zi naturally noticed her expression, and subconsciously, his vigilance increased by a few degrees:

Although Qing Lin was inexperienced in the ways of the world, her instincts were extremely sharp—

To be able to make the always leisurely Qing Lin turn serious, one could see the degree of danger in this place!

The group's pace did not slow down, but compared to before, everyone was very focused on their own footing, fearing they might step into empty air once again.

As the group moved further away, the salty, fishy smell that had been lingering at the tips of their noses gradually dissipated.

But they did not turn back out of curiosity; instead, they continued forward without looking back.

Unknowingly, that massive whirlpool quietly vanished, and this place turned back into solid ground, as if nothing had ever happened.