Versatile Mage: I Awakened Nine Stars

Chapter 403 Seven Emotions in the Bitter Bamboo Forest

The Kingdom of Tiandu is also a country with a long history.

This land has given birth to heroes like the King of Tiandu, who had the world in his heart, but it has also produced countless souls who were bound by religion, struggling and wailing.

"Sometimes I think, people are really bad."

Tang Yue put down the book "Outline of the History of the Heavenly Poison Kingdom," and an uncontrollable urge to complain welled up in her heart.

Indeed, the darkness of the human heart is unimaginable.

Xu Shen also sighed with emotion.

In short, the history of the Kingdom of Tiandu is a history of repeated conquests.

One invader after another rose to the top, making the country like a layered cake, with one layer pressing down on another, creating four castes.

To prevent the so-called "lowly people" from rebelling, the clever nobles further divided these lowest-ranking indigenous people into even more detailed categories of "high and low," so that those who farmed looked down on those who pulled carts, those who pulled carts despised those who swept the streets, and those who swept the streets kept their distance from those who slaughtered animals...

The lower classes are constantly fighting amongst themselves, having long forgotten who was the one who rode on their backs and lorded it over them.

Even so, those nobles still felt insecure and introduced the so-called "reincarnation" theory, saying that if you suffer the most in this life, you will be able to become a superior person in the next life.

This terrifying religious ideology made these numb souls resign themselves to the suffering of life, devoid of any will to resist.

This insidious method of brainwashing has controlled this land for thousands of years and remains unshaken to this day.

Of course, it wasn't that no one resisted.

The legendary ruler of the Heavenly Poison Kingdom left an indelible mark on this land.

He saw through the evil of this doctrine and was determined to "defeat magic with magic," creating Buddhism that advocated "equality of all beings" in an attempt to save this nation that had fallen into hell.

But reality is not a fairy tale.

The outcome of history is so cold and cruel.

That tumultuous period of resistance was eventually buried deep in the annals of history, its past unknown to all. Buddhism was also distorted, altered, and expelled from the community.

When the exiled ruler of the Heavenly Poison Kingdom passed away in the Demon Cave, he must have felt resentful.

"Alright, stop chatting and wash your hands so we can eat."

Wearing an apron, Yu Mian approached the dining table carrying a fragrant enamel basin, her pretty face adorned with a gentle smile, exuding the charm of a wife.

"My dear Mianmian, I love you to death!"

Tang Yue quickly took the enamel pot, swallowing hard, unable to contain herself.

What's that saying again? "Since we're already here" is practically one of the most sinister curses against the people of China.

On her first day in Tiandu Kingdom, Tang Yue stubbornly followed Xu Shen's itinerary.

Then he spent a week with a scrunched-up face and was ridiculed by Xu Shen.

The three of them chatted happily as they brought each dish to the table.

"Ah Shen, any news from the Hunter's Alliance?"

As Yu Mian spoke, she cut the peeled shrimp in half and placed half in each of Xu Shen's and Tang Yue's bowls.

Xu Shen shook his head and smiled wryly: "I've witnessed the efficiency of the Heavenly Poison Kingdom firsthand. I think it's better for us to go directly there than wait for news from the Heavenly Poison Hunter Alliance. Who knows, even a few words from Asha'ruya might be more valuable than the information they provide."

Tang Yue chimed in, "I also looked into the current situation in Bihar online before we came. It's now a world of bamboo, and there's not a soul in sight within a ten-kilometer radius. It's really hard to get any useful information without some special methods. But Xu Shen, are you sure the three of us can handle that legendary 'Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo'?"

“No, we’re just here to create atmosphere,” Xu Shen said with a smile, putting his arm around Yu Mian, who was peeling shrimp with her eyes down. “She’s the real powerhouse. If even she can’t handle this, then Tian Du Kingdom deserves to be played to death by these bamboos.”

Yu Mian glared at him, broke free from his embrace, threw another peeled shrimp onto his plate, and said irritably, "Eat your shrimp."

Tang Yue pouted: "Just spoil him then."

……

Bihar was once the political, economic, and cultural center of the Kingdom of Than Poison, its prosperity and wealth unmatched in the country. A thousand years ago, the King of Than Poison attained enlightenment on Mount Sumeru, located here, sparking a wave of Buddhism.

However, Bihar has been in decline since the suppression of Buddhism.

Gradually, this place became the poorest and most backward place in the entire Tiandu Kingdom.

It's hard to say there's no connection between the two. Perhaps before being swallowed up by that bamboo forest, the people who had lived here for generations were still resenting that madman who had such wild ideas about "equality for all beings".

Because of poverty, this place gradually fell into disuse, until the bamboo forest that once grew on Lingshan Mountain came down from the mountain...

At first, no one paid any attention to this bamboo grove.

Just like no one cares about the "untouchables" suffering in Bihar.

It grew silently on this forgotten land until hundreds of years later, when the entire state of Bihar was swallowed up, and the people of the Poison Kingdom were shocked to realize that such a huge monster had been raised here.

But by this time, they were helpless and could not stop its spread no matter what they tried.

Xu Shen sighed and instructed Chen Xi to park the helicopter at a military outpost thirty kilometers away from the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo Forest.

This place is home to the largest number of earth-type mages in the Heavenly Poison Kingdom.

They are trying to hollow out the soil here and artificially create a buffer zone in order to stop the bamboo forest from spreading like a plague.

The cost of this blocking measure was that the Kingdom of Heavenly Poison, including the entire state of Bihar, encompassed an area of ​​30 square kilometers, accounting for about one-tenth of the country's land, which became the paradise of the demon bamboo.

Xu Shen instinctively felt that this clumsy method was probably useless.

However, it's likely that the people of this country can't find a better solution these days.

There were heavily guarded military magistrates watching over them day and night. Xu Shen and his two companions were only allowed to enter after their hunter badges were checked and they signed a waiver of life and death.

Xu Shen's summoning abilities are temporarily unavailable due to Apas.

Tang Yue's Fallen Unicorn wasn't very big, and it was a bit of a struggle to carry the three of them. It was panting heavily the whole way, and every now and then it would turn its head and glare fiercely at Xu Shen, who was shamelessly sandwiched in the middle, working together from top to bottom.

This little mare has quite a temper.

Yu Mian's face was flushed, and she kept her head down without saying a word, seemingly unable to recall the Nine-Colored Deer that was still fast asleep inside the coral bracelet.

Xu Shen remained calm and even began to complain that Xiao Bai was too big, which caused him to miss out on many experiences.

Tang Yue and Xiao Hei, on the other hand, felt quite awkward, sitting at the back and occasionally biting Xu Shen's neck to show their dissatisfaction.

The three of them rode along a beautiful path and soon reached the edge of the bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest before us resembles an endless, dark green maze.

As far as the eye can see, bamboo shadows sway and green canopies dance, creating a scene of tranquility and peace.

Xu Shenqi asked, "According to the information provided by Asha Ruya, there should be bird demons that live in harmony with the bamboo forest blocking our way along this route. How come we're already at the edge of the bamboo forest and there's not a sound at all?"

"Something unusual is bound to happen; this is not a good thing."

Tang Yue frowned, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Yu Mian, have you found anything?"

“Mind, curse…” Yu Mian’s expression gradually became serious: “This bamboo forest is alive.”

"You mean... demons?"

Xu Shen's tone was questioning, but not unexpected.

He had seen plant beings transform into demons before, and he had already guessed this from Asha's few words before he came.

The Frost Lotus on Mount Tianshan is at most a Commander-level creature, yet it can cause even Super-Rank mages to stumble.

Now we shall see what kind of charm the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo Forest has that has rendered the entire Heavenly Poison Kingdom helpless.

(End of this chapter)