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Chapter 296 Wild Forest
The story of the Zheng family patriarch has always been shrouded in mystery, and no one can explain it clearly.

How did he open the Qiling Ruins? What did he do to create the chaotic flesh and blood? How did he hide for many years and finally orchestrate a grand scheme of seeking immortality from all directions to refine people?

The same applies to the Bu family's affairs.

Why did they transform into evil beings? Where did the Bu family head and his family go? Everything is like a broken chain, with no cause and no effect.

When faced with the unknown, people are always cautious and unwilling to take any action easily, for fear of not obtaining the opportunity to become immortal and dying and losing their way. Therefore, they are cautious again and again.

But this depends on the situation.

For example, those whose time is drawing to a close.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural cycle, and this has been true since ancient times.

At birth, a person comes into the world naked, without a single piece of clothing. When old age and illness arrive, the body curls up like an insect, silently awaiting its final fate in the shadows.

However, the cultivators of Qingyun Tianxia have always been resisting death, which has given rise to various secret techniques.

Some require harming one's very essence, others cause mental confusion, and still others can only prolong life by feigning death.

This secret technique may not be as good as facing death calmly; it is full of pain and hardship, but it is ultimately a glimmer of hope.

Because the longer one's lifespan is extended, the more likely it is to break through realms and prolong life.

Humanity has risen to prominence for a thousand years, and countless people have sought immortality, but most of them die while waiting, their souls returning to the heavens.

When the opportunity truly arrives, even with enormous risks, elderly people facing their life-or-death juncture will unleash a strong desire, even at any cost.

Because the will to survive is the greatest desire in the world, yet it can unleash an incredibly powerful force, far surpassing hatred and kinship.

After all, even if one dies because of it, that is the inevitable outcome.

As for those who are not troubled by lifespan and are cautious, they cannot remain indifferent to the opportunity to become immortals. They will turn their attention to these elderly people whose time is coming to an end, keeping a close eye on them and hoping to visit them...

Thus, from the Bu family incident to the Dongping Mountains, the eyes of various immortal sects have always been drawn to those elderly people who are nearing the end of their lives.

Now, they have entered the ruins of the Great Wilderness Forest.

Whether the transformation of the Bu family into evil beings is related to the ruins of the Great Wilderness Forest is another matter, but the fact that this forbidden area, which has been off-limits since ancient times, seems to have been liberated is itself a significant event.

The new year had just begun, and the snow had not yet melted.

In the southeast of Qingzhou and the northwest of Yongzhou, at the confluence of the Nujiang and Wujiang rivers, apart from some evergreen trees and pine forests in the southwest that are somewhat green, the surrounding area is all white, with mountains dancing like silver snakes and plains galloping like wax elephants, covering the entire riverbank.

Because this place is not near any city, there is only a small stone town with several hundred households, crowded along the eastern bank of the Wujiang River.

Such a barren place naturally had no teahouses or taverns, only a tea stall located along the official road of Yongzhou.

As dusk falls, the farmers who run the tea stalls emerge from their mud houses, carrying steaming teapots into the stalls. With each breath, thick white mist rises and dissipates against the dark red sky.

"The shop is... the shop is already dilapidated, and there's not much good tea."

"Please forgive me for the poor hospitality."

As the farmer spoke, he looked at the crowd gathered under his tea shed.

Since the beginning of the new year, people have been coming to their Stone Town one after another. Just like today's group, they are all dressed in luxury and have an intimidating presence that makes people dare not look up at them.

He had never left Stone Town and couldn't guess the identities of these people, so he could only serve them with utmost care and caution.

Those people didn't speak to him; their gazes were cold and arrogant, as if they couldn't see the farmer at all, and kept staring at the riverbank in front of them, looking around.

In winter, the mighty river surges ceaselessly, its muddy yellow waters carrying tiny ice fragments as it roars and crashes through steep canyons.

The rolling waves in the middle of the river occasionally splashed up white foam, only to be swallowed up by the rapids in an instant.

At the same time, a surge of moisture rushed towards the shore, turning into wisps of white mist in the dry, cold weather.

After finishing their tea, the people in the teahouse got up and walked downstream along the riverbank. In a flash of inspiration, they crossed a mountain pass like the wind and flew into the air towards the southwest.

Looking down from above, the entire forest appears like solidified dark green waves amidst the undulating morning mist.

The mist was not a uniform milky color, but rather torn into wisps of fluff by countless tree canopies, which wrapped around the tips of the cedar trees to form a semi-transparent veil.

The group rushed down, their surging spiritual energy tearing through the thick fog and disappearing into the mountains and forests.

The farmer who runs the tea stall was squatting on the left side of the stall, looking up at them sideways. He only caught a glimpse of their figures soaring into the air before quickly looking away.

Flying through the sky and traversing the earth, traveling through the air—that's undoubtedly the work of an immortal.

Every autumn, he would meet with government officials to collect taxes, claiming it was to offer sacrifices to the immortals and ensure favorable weather for the land.

Day after day, year after year, he had given up almost half a lifetime's worth of work, but this was the first time he had ever seen the legendary immortal.

He hurried into the yard, and seeing his wife looking out with worried eyes, he couldn't help but frown and whispered for him to come in quickly.

For several days afterward, no one came, but the people of Stone Town continued to speak softly and walk with their heads down.

Because those immortals entered the Great Wilderness Forest behind and never came out, but they all knew that those people were inside.

These mortals didn't know what the immortals were doing, but they knew that since so many important figures had visited this remote and impoverished place, something must be about to happen.

Meanwhile, in the dense fog-shrouded mountains and forests, countless cultivators continued their westward journey through the Great Wilderness Forest.

Stepping over decaying branches and fallen leaves, they gradually saw a black outline in the mist.

As they drew closer and parted the fog that had enveloped them, they saw a magnificent black mountain standing in a deathly stillness.

This is an extremely strange mountain. Its entire body is very flat, unlike other mountains where there are independent rocks hanging on the mountain. Instead, it is layered with no gaps between them.

Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the dark mountain appears as a massive, precarious shadow, giving one an invisible sense of oppression.

Not far from this mountain, many figures stood silently, watching the surrounding movements...

Rumbling--

On nights marked by rumbling thunder, the lower reaches of the Wujiang River were shrouded in darkness as the thick night descended.

Especially in the vast, dark forest shrouded in mist, the stillness was particularly striking.

Near the mountains, countless people hid in the darkness, some sitting, some standing, staring intently at a circular valley.

An old man from the Dongping Mountains entered this valley long ago, but several days have passed and no one has returned.

What's inside, whether those who went in are dead or alive—no one knows any of these things.

In an attempt to uncover the truth, they sent disciples inside, but so far, it's been like throwing a stone into the sea—they haven't made a ripple at all.

This outcome made them even more hesitant to act rashly, and they could only remain there. As they observed, figures with white hair and beards would occasionally appear in the night fog, flying around the circular valley, their golden eyes flashing frequently in the darkness, constantly peering into the surrounding area.

These people are their elders, as well as elders of various immortal sects.

To be precise, it should be the merchants, the Huo family, the Yan family, the Chen family, and other powerful figures from the main branches of the immortal sects.

Unlike the time in Qiling when powerful families gathered and various factions surrounded and blocked the area.

That time, the sudden appearance of the evil seed alarmed all directions, and the matter of Qiling was exposed to the public.

This time, however, all the major immortal sects kept their whereabouts secret and completely blocked the news.

On the one hand, the scene of the Zheng family ancestor refining cultivators is still a shadow for many people. On the other hand, if there is really a destiny to become an immortal, then the fewer people who know about it, the better.

In the latter half of the night, dark clouds obscured the sun, and the vast forest was so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

Above the sky, muffled thunder, hidden behind the clouds, occasionally rumbled intermittently.

The cultivators present, unable to wait for the results today, had already begun to meditate and rest.

But as another muffled thunderclap exploded behind the clouds, some people who had been in meditation for a long time slowly opened their eyes and looked towards the black mountain, a golden light gradually appearing in their eyes.

Not long after, in the deepest part of the circular valley, a young merchant's son came from the mountains.

He had already taken off his outer garment and was now holding it in his arms as he walked out in a flustered manner.

In order not to disturb the surroundings, he did not use his spiritual energy, intending to travel along the shadows at the foot of the mountain. However, when he arrived at the mountain pass and saw the golden eyes that kept lighting up in the forest, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.

boom!
A dazzling burst of fire exploded in the sky.

The merchant's son saw a flaming iron sword fall from the sky, its scorching aura shattering the tranquility of the place.

Following the blade's energy, a figure suddenly appeared, radiating a powerful aura, with a hint of crimson greed flashing in his golden eyes.

But at that moment, a magnificent sword aura suddenly pierced through the forest.

Like surging waves, the sword intent directly crushed the ancient tree in front of it, colliding fiercely with the iron blade that exploded with fire. The intense energy instantly transformed into a raging wind that roared throughout the forest.

"catch him."

"Don't hurt anyone, leave them alive!"

As soon as someone made the first move, another person drew their sword from the windswept forest, and the howling sword energy slashed down through the thick fog, heading straight for the mountain pass.

In that instant, a long spear shot out like a silver dragon, shattering the sharp energy.

The man holding the gun was an elderly man who looked middle-aged and came from the Dao Seeking Sect. The man who came back from the mountains was his nephew from the same clan.

He was very close to the mountain pass. As he thrust his gun forward, he ruthlessly grabbed his nephew, intending to take him away.

Just as he was about to grab him, a sharp beam of light pierced through his left shoulder, tearing the flesh at the corner of his shoulder, and a scream of pain instantly rang out from the forest.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard flew over, his wide immortal robes fluttering wildly in the wind, and at the same time, silver light suddenly rose from his fingertips once again.

There's an old saying in Qingyun: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

boom!
A magnificent spell roared through the mountains and forests, and countless figures began to rush forward at high speed.

Since entering the Great Wilderness Forest, several elders and disciples have entered the mountains. They have waited outside for countless days and nights, and finally, a returnee has arrived. How could they let him slip away from their grasp?

The explosive energy from the collision instantly filled the forest, and the powerful force, like a pair of giant hands, tore a narrow gap in the thick fog from the center of the forest.

The people of Stone City had heard the howling, cracking sound from the Great Wilderness Forest long ago, and at first they thought it was the sound of spring thunder.

But as flames rose from the distant mountains and forests, and countless beams of light clashed and splashed, they began to realize that it was the wrath of the immortal lords in the mountains. So they hid in their homes, not daring to show themselves.

Of course, during their hiding period, some people couldn't resist their curiosity and nervously peeked through various windows.

They had been supporting the immortals for most of their lives, and they couldn't help but want to know what those immortals actually looked like.

When they saw a towering blade of energy rise like the bright moon in the sky, causing countless ancient trees to collapse, their faces turned pale instantly, and their trembling intensified.

"Daddy..."

"Hide well and don't make a sound..."

The merchant's sons who had returned from the mountains were no ordinary people. They took advantage of the chaos to soar into the air and roared away towards the edge of the forest.

Even at night, the rushing Wujiang River continued its surging flow. The merchant's son roared past the turbulent river mouth, only to be slammed down from the sky by a large hand before reaching the shore.

This palm strike carried no killing intent whatsoever; in fact, the energy was soft and gentle, clearly intended to spare his life.

The merchant's son fell into the river, but the instant he sank into the water, he immediately flipped and leaped on the turbulent surface, his spiritual energy splashing across the water as he turned and sped away.

The old man who had been waving his hand wanted to repeat his old trick, but as soon as he looked up, he saw countless towering figures flying towards him. The terrifying pressure was like a mountain pressing down, and he could only raise his arm to block it.

boom!
A pair of large hands, like dark clouds pressing down, fiercely tore apart the oncoming sword energy.

But the next instant, a silver spear locked onto his chest, forcing him to flip his palm and fly back.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the sons of merchants took off from the river, but before they could get far, dozens of figures came rushing towards them with a whooshing sound.

Helpless, he could only turn around and return to the Great Wilderness Forest. The spiritual energy beneath his feet surged continuously as he sped through the dark forest.

But at that moment, a sudden whooshing sound came rushing in.

The merchant's son instantly felt a sharp pain, screamed, and knelt down with a thud.

An arrow imbued with spiritual energy, which had just whistled through the air, pierced his calf, pinning him firmly to the ground, where he could no longer escape.

Just as he fell to the ground, the coat containing his belongings flew off and scattered across the ground.

Countless powerful beings returned to the mountains and forests and looked at the things scattered on the ground.

They were two fruits about the size of eggs, with a transparent, gelatinous exterior, inside which fiery red liquid constantly surged.

With the impact of landing, the fruit continuously emitted streaks of fiery red light, exuding an alluring aura that shone brightly in the night.

In an instant, the surging aura around everyone began to rise steadily, and the killing intent gradually condensed into a gale.

Just then, a rustling sound came from afar, as if cloth was being swept across the bushes.

Everyone turned their heads and saw another disciple who had been sent in earlier approaching the valley, just as warily as the merchant's son.

(End of this chapter)