Chapter 315: Killing Forbidden Land

"This is the Ascension Pill provided by the sect for you, five bottles in total, five pills. Great Replenishment Yuan Pill, three bottles, thirty pills in total. Spirit Maiden Lantern Capsule, which can quickly repair your own injuries, two boxes, twenty capsules in total. Adiyue Milk Essence Oral Liquid, for healing and life-saving, five boxes in total, ten vials. Remember to read the instruction manual carefully before use, and strictly follow the usage and dosage."

"Understood."

"The Spirit Bead Bracelet has not been issued to disciples for many years. There are twenty-two Spirit Beads in total, the red beads are Seventh Stage, the yellow beads are Eighth Stage, and as for the Great Blazing Sun Art, I shouldn't need to teach you how to use it; just be sure to keep your distance."

"Thank you, Elder."

"Take care of your safety."

"I will."

Chen Shu performed a salute and walked toward Qingshan Ridge.

Fully armed soldiers opened the gate for him.

Just then, others happened to arrive as well.

Chen Shu turned his head to look and found it quite interesting—

Two people, both male.

One was tall and thin, with long legs and long arms, a small face, a nine-head-height body proportion, skin as white as congealed fat, expressionless, and with excellent looks.

The other was also very tall, with good body proportions, but of a different style, presenting a sense of athleticism and wildness; his skin was also white, but a pale white, through which faint blood vessels could be seen, and he had green pupils.

Very obvious characteristics of a Heavenly Human and a Night Person.

Both of these were legendary races in ancient times.

Heavenly Humans lived on Floating Islands, had cold personalities, and were worshipped as gods by most small countries; Night Persons lived in the primeval forests of the Western Continent, had cruel temperaments, and were also often revered as gods by the local indigenous people, who worshipped them with trembling fear.

This Heavenly Human was clearly a compatriot from Yiguo.

The Night Person should be of Lanya Kingdom nationality.

Chen Shu even suspected that this Heavenly Human was very likely in the group, but pure-blooded Heavenly Humans were such freaks that, let alone bubbling up in the group, they might not even touch a Mobile Phone in a week.

Not even playing with a Mobile Phone, truly a ruthless wolf.

Chen Shu's gaze met theirs.

The Heavenly Human's eyes were indifferent, while the Night Person curled the corners of his mouth at him; both walked straight past him and entered Qingshan Ridge.

"Pretentious prick..."

Chen Shu shook his head, using Zhang Suannai's words.

Then he bent his legs slightly.

"Boom!"

His figure shot into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the outer perimeter of Qingshan Ridge.

Ten minutes later, at the edge of the Forbidden Land.

A group of people were gathered here.

Dharma Master Tongdeng, Master Xuanzhen, Zhang Suannai, Yan Keling, Meng Chunqiu, and Jiang Lai were also here, having been brought by Yan Keling.

A figure walked out from the forest.

"Amitabha..."

Dharma Master Tongdeng pressed his palms together and saluted him: "Qingcai Caike, you have finally arrived."

"I'm late."

"Not late at all, it's still early."

"I met a Heavenly Human on the way; I don't know if he's in the group. I saw someone in the group with no nickname and no avatar, it's likely him," Chen Shu shared his intelligence with everyone, "I also ran into a Night Person."

"May they be successful."

Dharma Master Tongdeng chanted an Amitabha and said to Chen Shu: "Has Qingcai Caike sensed the Divine Power?"

"I have."

Chen Shu had sensed it as soon as he entered this place.

This feeling was the same as when he was at the Beast Ancestral Court, but since the Forbidden Land had not yet opened, it was still quite a bit inferior to the Beast Ancestral Court.

"Everyone, what's the plan?"

"This monk and Junior Brother Xuanzhen have been stuck at the peak of the Fifth Stage for a long time, and Donor Jiba is also at the peak of the Fifth Stage. After the Forbidden Land opens and changes occur, we plan to first take Donor Meng and Donor Jiang toward where the sun sets, find a gathering place for exotic beasts, and practice quietly there to charge toward the Sixth Stage. After a successful promotion, we will consider entering the Forbidden Land to seek other opportunities."

Chen Shu nodded.

Divine Power was scarce, and opportunities were rare.

And most Cultivators needed a relatively stable environment during the cultivation process—because to achieve the best cultivation effect, in addition to being as continuous and focused as possible during the four hours of operating the Cultivation Spiritual Method, one also had to supplement it with other auxiliary cultivation techniques.

For example, the Depletion Method.

Before and after practicing the Depletion Method, one must consume Spirit Power to a specific value, and if the external environment is complex and full of crises, one cannot do this.

Therefore, teaming up to go to the exotic beast gathering place is a good choice.

Not to mention being able to use the Depletion Method every day, at least everyone can take turns using it.

In the event of a crisis that truly cannot be handled, one can use a Pill to urgently replenish Spirit Power and enter the battle, though there might be a tiny side effect, such as discomfort in the Spirit Sea or soreness in the body's Spirit Power transmission channels, which is not a big deal.

Nüxia of the Moonlit Night is different.

Perhaps her opportunity to promote to the Sixth Stage lies in the battle against the ancient Cultivators resurrected in the Killing Forbidden Land.

Chen Shu quickly looked at Zhang Suannai again:

"What about Zhang Suannai?"

"I plan to look around the perimeter first to adapt, and at the same time slowly walk into the Forbidden Land."

"Same."

"Are everyone's supplies sufficient?" Master Xuanzhen asked, "I brought plenty; if anyone is short, feel free to take some."

"I brought them," Chen Shu replied.

"Does this even need asking?" Zhang Suannai said, suddenly glancing at Chen Shu again, "How about we have another fight now while the Forbidden Land hasn't opened yet? Anyway, this silly Daoist brought plenty of recovery medicine; whoever loses has to wear a skirt and post it in the group."

"This poor Daoist agrees."

"Amitabha, I'm bored anyway."

"The Forbidden Land is about to open, isn't that a bit... well, since everyone agrees, I think it's fine too."

"..."

Chen Shu shook his head inwardly, ignoring them completely, and walked straight back to his two roommates.

"Brother Jiang."

Chen Shu gave half of the Spirit Maiden Lantern Capsule and Moon Milk Essence oral liquid he had brought to him: "The sect prepared these, and I don't feel like I'll need them much. Your fighting style is prone to injury, Brother Jiang, so one of these can heal wounds quickly, and the other can save your life in a crisis."

"Brother Meng has already given me quite a lot."

"A little more won't hurt. This opportunity is once in a thousand years; don't miss it because of an injury, and don't die in there," Chen Shu said, "I only gave you a small portion; I don't have any more."

"I'll pay you when I get out."

"Sure, I'll give you a discount, and you can return whatever you don't use."

Chen Shu said with a grin, sat down cross-legged, and took the opportunity to look up at the sky.

It was already dark by now.

There was no moon tonight, and the sky was filled with stars.

The first day of the sixth lunar month, early morning.

The time when the stars are at their brightest.

The dew was heavy in the depths of Xinzheng Temple, and fallen flowers lay in mounds beneath the White Tower.

The Bodhisattva of Tribulation walked down from the White Tower alone, dressed in red, a dark red like blood, stepping alone into the Killing Forbidden Land amidst the night dew and stars.

When Chen Shu sensed something was wrong, obvious Divine Power was already radiating from the depths of the Forbidden Land.

Even at the edge of the Forbidden Land, the concentration of Divine Power was already comparable to the residual Divine Power of the Beast Ancestral Court in Nanzhou.

The two were similar yet different; this difference was hard to describe, as if one were "dead" and the other "alive." The Divine Power here likely provided an even greater boost to Spirit Power Quality, and naturally, it would be of greater help for advancement.

And the surroundings had already changed.

The stars above had disappeared.

The trees had become taller and thicker, their trunks turning a grayish-black as if scorched by fire, and their branches and leaves had become denser, blocking both light and wind. The soil on the ground had also turned ink-black, and the dense forest was filled with many large and small grave mounds with broken steles standing upon them.

The campfire they had lit last night had gone out at some point, and blue smoke was rising from it now.

The others were still there, and they had all opened their eyes.

"It has opened."

Master Xuanzhen spoke first.

"Mm."

Chen Shu gazed off in one direction.

If he remembered correctly, that was not the west, and it certainly wasn't afternoon now, yet there was a setting sun like blood in that direction, half-hidden by clouds; the horizon looked as if it were burning with raging flames, and the clouds were dyed a fiery red.

Time here seemed to be frozen at dusk.

The evening glow in the west was the only source of light.

Many exotic beasts were already running rapidly in that direction.

"The direction where the sun sets..."

Master Xuanzhen had proposed this during their group discussion earlier; the "direction where the sun sets" mentioned by the exotic beasts was likely not the west of the outside world. After arriving at Qingshan Ridge and seeing the scattered exotic beasts, his hypothesis had been preliminarily confirmed, and now it was further verified.

The group looked at each other.

Just then, movement came from one of the grave mounds.

Everyone turned their heads to look, some calm, some nervous, some curious, some solemn.

They saw that the tombstone in front of the grave mound was more than half broken, and through the characters, one could faintly see words like "Zhang Rui," "Cangzhou," and "Martial Artist."

"Pfft..."

A long saber broke through the soil.

"Bang!"

The grave mound suddenly exploded, and a Martial Artist with long hair and a beard rushed out.

The Martial Artist was dressed like a wanderer of the pugilistic world; although his clothes were dusty, they had not rotted, and his face and skin were the same as a living person's, his long saber still bright; everything about him seemed to have been preserved as it was in life.

"Die!"

A blade aura slashed toward the group.

Dharma Master Tongdeng was unhurried, took a step forward, and with just a lift of his hand, caught the blade aura.

Then he struck out with a palm—

"Bang!"

The Martial Artist's body shattered instantly.

"Amitabha..."

Dharma Master Tongdeng recited a Buddhist chant.

Chen Shu could tell that this Martial Artist was not strong, far weaker than Brother Jiang.

He could probably be considered a Five-stage Martial Artist level in ancient times, but since a Martial Artist's rank is anchored to the average level of ordinary Cultivators, and the combat power of Cultivators has been constantly increasing from ancient times to the present, an ancient Fifth-tier Practitioner is not the same as a modern one, and a Five-stage Martial Artist is naturally not the same as one today.

"This person must be the weakest one here, right?" Master Xuanzhen said, "To be able to reach the edge of the Forbidden Land, he should be at least a five or six-stage Martial Artist."

As he spoke, the sounds of breaking through the soil—*pfft, bang*—resounded incessantly throughout the forest, both near and far.

Many flickering figures gradually appeared around the table.

Chen Shu frowned, not knowing how many gazes were spying on them in the dark.

"Then let us part ways here."

Chen Shu said to the group: "You all go find the gathering places of the exotic beasts. With your strength, as long as you are outside the Forbidden Land, it should be relatively safe. Even if you encounter a top-tier Six-Stage Martial Artist, it is not impossible to fight. Zhang Suannai and I will adapt for a while, then head into the Forbidden Land."

"Two benefactors, take care."

"Take care."

"Take care..."

The group bid each other farewell, then left first.

Zhang Suannai stood in place, looking up and staring blankly at Chen Shu: "I never said I wanted to team up with you..."

"Let's go."

"I never said I wanted to team up with you!"

"We are all group members, we should help each other." Chen Shu paused and said very honestly, "My spells have too much impact. If I head to the Forbidden Land and get surrounded by too many 'predecessors,' I will need to ask you to help clear the lines."

"For the sake of Qingqing and Xiaoxiao..."

A simple, ancient Long Sword appeared in Zhang Suannai's hand at some point. Without even looking, she swung it to the left, and a strand of Sword Qi vanished into the forest. She continued walking beside Chen Shu, striding with her long legs, still in her previous tone:

"And for the sake of your sister."

"Didn't you break off your friendship with Chen Banxia?"

"When?"

"That day."

"We made up again."

"When?"

"That night."

A Long Sword with a sleek design appeared in Zhang Suannai's hand at some point, and then Sword Light emerged from her side one by one, automatically weaving through the forest. Those enemies hiding in the dark either dodged in a panic or were pierced through.

"..."

Chen Shu forcefully suppressed his urge to mock her.

He still had to rely on her.

One hour later.

The two were still at the edge of the Forbidden Land.

For some reason, this area seemed to have grown much larger. To be precise, they had walked for an hour before reaching the true edge of the Forbidden Land.

In this place, the two faced the siege of several Six-Stage Martial Artists and many Fifth-tier Practitioners.

Neither side spoke; they fought together.

Zhang Suannai took the lead in attacking, and Chen Shu provided support. It took some effort, but they resolved them.

It could be seen that among those who had died in this area in the past, Martial Artists accounted for at least eighty percent, and the remaining less than twenty percent were Cultivators. The vast majority of those were Cultivators from ordinary sects or large sects; very few were from top-tier sects—perhaps because top-tier sects were more fully prepared in terms of intelligence and equipment, so few people died here, or perhaps top-tier sects knew the danger here and did not let intermediate-stage disciples come.

Ancient Cultivators were very different from modern ones, and ordinary sects were vastly different from top-tier sects. Zhang Suannai and Chen Shu's talents were already hard to find rivals for within the Sword Sect and Spirit Sect, so cleaning them up was relatively easy.

After dealing with this battle, many corpses were already lying on the ground.

Chen Shu went up to carefully examine them. These corpses looked similar to normal people, but after a while, they turned into flying ash and disappeared. It is said that the next time the Forbidden Land opens, they will appear again, continuously working for the Forbidden Land.

They cannot even die; how miserable.

"They seem to still retain a considerable amount of sanity." Chen Shu pondered, "How does the Forbidden Land manage to make them attack us crazily the moment they meet us while still retaining their sanity?"

"Who cares!"

Zhang Suannai put away her Sword and looked ahead.

A layer of black smoke, extending to the ends of the horizon and reaching up to the boundary of the firmament, appeared before them like a giant curtain.

When the Forbidden Land was not open in the past, it was possible to enter, but it was strictly prohibited by the state because it was too dangerous. It was obvious that the places they passed through the blockade to enter in the past were not the true Forbidden Land. Now that the Forbidden Land was open, the place they would reach by passing through this black curtain was the true Forbidden Land.

"You go first or I go first?"

"Either is fine."

"Then I'm going in!"

Zhang Suannai was very straightforward and stepped right in.

Chen Shu followed closely behind and stepped into the black curtain.

This layer of black smoke looked similar to the fog in Nanzhou, but in fact, the difference was huge. The fog in Nanzhou was very thick, while this black curtain was only a thin layer. The moment he stepped in, the concepts of time and space seemed to become chaotic. Chen Shu felt as if he had crashed into a layer of viscous water, or a layer of soaked oilcloth. His five senses were wrapped and sealed in that instant, and he was even unable to breathe for a moment.

Just a second later, everything was back to normal.

The land under his feet was like an ancient Battlefield, with smoke burning everywhere, the setting sun like blood on the horizon, and the earth devastated.

The Spirit Power content in the surroundings far exceeded the outside world.

Zhang Suannai was nowhere to be found.

Chen Shu observed while quickly hiding himself.

This land did not know how large it was; it seemed to far exceed the scope of the Qingshanling Ziran Baohuchu. And in the depths of the Forbidden Land, pure golden light was shining, and earth-shattering movements were constantly coming from it. It was highly likely that the Bodhisattva was fighting against an ancient Ninth Stage powerhouse who had died here.

Although this was the edge of the interior of the Forbidden Land, there could be Seven-Tier Cultivators at any time, which was very dangerous.

Chen Shu was here to cultivate.

The most urgent task was to find a hidden place.

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