Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 265 Dangerous Companions
Late at night, everything was silent, the moon was bright in the sky, in the dim room, under the red quilt, the two bodies were entangled tightly, whispering unknown words.

Song Xian stared blankly upwards. Su Zhirou had fallen asleep exhausted in his arms, her arms and legs wrapped around him like a spider, her head resting on his chest, and a string of drool at the corner of her mouth.

Rationally speaking, he really shouldn't take the risk and go to the forbidden area of ​​Tianlan.

But there seemed to be a voice calling him from deep inside, preventing him from making a decision.

He looked back at the past, bit by bit, and realized that he had spent most of his time in the sect.

He had only traveled a few times, but each time he seemed to have gained a lot. The first time he went treasure hunting on the island with Apu, he got the golden-armored ant monster.

He went to the Water Curtain Cave in Bianxia Town with Shao Jian to search for treasure. Not only did he obtain a large amount of treasure, but he also got books on martial arts such as the Extreme Dao Secret Records and the Five Elements Essentials, which were of great help to his subsequent practice.

The talismans he refines now and the techniques he practices are all learned from these two books.

Afterwards, he went to the ghost cave in Anyuan City and obtained the priceless Xuantian Ronghuo Jue and Netherworld Cold Flame, which helped him successfully build his foundation.

Without these treasure hunting trips, he wouldn't be where he is today.

He calmed down and thought about the past, and then he understood why he had been restless inside.

It is because I have benefited and tasted the sweetness every time I go out treasure hunting. In addition, I also feel the excitement of this thrilling experience and the yearning for freedom.

He stayed in the mountain gate and indeed had everything he needed, like a local emperor, but it was boring and numb. He repeated the same tasks almost day after day and year after year, running back and forth between the training room and the mansion every day.

His heart longed to create some excitement in this dull life.

.........

The sky was clear and cloudless. In the desolate forests of Dongluo City on the Muhe grassland, in front of a house, two beams of light shot down, revealing two figures, who were Apu and Song Xian.

After understanding his inner desires, Song Xian decided to follow the call of his heart and made the decision to go to the Tianlan Forbidden Land.

Everything else was fine, but Su Zhirou was difficult to convince. He spent several days trying to persuade her with both emotion and reason, and finally convinced her.

Just then, Apu came to visit again, so he left Tianshan with him.

When he left, he left a soul talisman for Su Zhirou.

This is also a kind of talisman recorded in the Jidao Secret Records, and is a second-level mid-grade talisman.

For cultivators below the Golden Core stage, as long as they put a drop of essence, blood and spirit into the soul talisman, they can sense the life and death of their body, and the information can be preserved for up to three years.

During this period, if the essence and blood itself dies, the talisman will undergo corresponding changes.

"Fellow Daoist Apu, what are we doing here?"

"I have found another helper, and together we will go to the forbidden land of Tianlan to retrieve the treasure. This is the place where we agreed to meet." As soon as he finished speaking, a plain-looking man wearing a loose green robe walked out of the house.

Song Xian was shocked because he had seen this person before. Although they had no intersection, he had a deep impression of this person. So when they met again after many years, he recognized this person at a glance, and his mind couldn't help but recall what happened that year.

That was the first time that George Lam participated in the Bianxi City Foundation Establishment Selection Competition. He was full of confidence at the time and thought he could achieve a good result, but he encountered a strong opponent in the first round of competition and was defeated.

And this strong opponent finally won the first place in that competition.

The person in front of him was none other than Han Yuan, the one who had won the first place in the foundation-building selection competition in Bianxi City that year.

This person's reputation is notorious in Bianxi City. During the competition that year, some people pointed out that this person was a master at harming his friends. He had gone treasure hunting with others several times, but all the others disappeared alive or dead, except for him.

Song Xianwan didn't expect that the helper Apu was looking for was this person, and he immediately had an ominous premonition in his heart.

"Let me introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Han Yuan, a casual cultivator. Fellow Daoist Han, this is Fellow Daoist Song Xian, the head of Hunyuan Sect." Apu said.

"Master Song, nice to meet you." Han Yuan nodded slightly, his voice as calm as an ancient well.

"I have long heard of the great name of Fellow Daoist Han, but I never thought I would meet you here today. By the way, I have met you once before, do you remember me?" Although Song Xian was very wary of this man, he did not want to question him face to face. After all, he had only heard it from others, so he responded politely.

"Please forgive my poor eyesight. I don't know when I met you, fellow Taoist."

"In the year 166, during the foundation-building selection competition at Yixian Peak in Bianxi City, my sect disciple Lin Zixiang faced off against you and was defeated by you. I was watching from the sidelines at the time."

The reason why Song Xian pointed this out was to increase credibility when he talked to Apu about the rumors about this person later.

Although he had never seen Han Yuan harm his teammates who were hunting for treasure together, he was sure that this was not groundless.

This person was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous person, and he really didn't want to work with such a person.

"I see." Han Yuan nodded, his face expressionless. Obviously, he didn't care about this matter.

"My two fellow Taoists, please come in for details!" Han Yuan extended his hand to invite them.

Apu walked straight in, and Song Xian had no choice but to follow him.

The inside is clean, spacious and bright, with only a few tables and chairs.

After the three of them took their seats, Apu spoke first, "You two are people I trust. I invite you to the Tianlan Forbidden Land. Our goal is to find the Heavenly Thunder Wood."

"As for whether we need to act together again after we get the Heavenly Thunder Wood, we'll decide based on the situation then."

"It's important to note that the Tianlan Forbidden Land is extremely dangerous. Not only are there powerful monsters lurking within, but you also have to be wary of attacks from other people. It's not uncommon for cultivators to kill each other in order to fight for the treasures."

"I don't know exactly how big the forbidden area is. I only know the approximate location of the Heavenly Thunder Tree. We have half a month to explore the forbidden area. Whether we gain anything or not, we must leave in time, because after this period, the barrier will close again."

"Every time the forbidden area was opened, there were people who coveted the treasures within, thinking of staying inside to collect them and wait for the next opening before leaving."

"But no one has ever come out alive. Those who stayed inside either died or turned into monsters themselves."

"A Jindan cultivator once stayed inside, but when it was opened the next time, he was discovered and transformed into a demonic being that had lost its mind. Since then, no one dared to stay in the forbidden area anymore."

"There seems to be an inexplicable power within this forbidden area that transforms all living beings within into monsters that are neither human nor ghost."

"The reason why that Jindan cultivator stayed in the forbidden area was not only to search for treasures, but also to explore the secrets of this forbidden area."

"It had left behind important clues. Before it completely lost its mind and became a monster, it recorded its daily encounters."

"According to the records he left behind, after the forbidden area's barrier was closed again, the world there gradually underwent some inexplicable changes. First, the days became shorter and the nights longer, even to the point of polar day and polar night." "Then, black fog appeared in some places, and then the black fog became more and more. At this time, the records left by the Jindan cultivator were already a little vague, and he often babbled nonsense. Later, there was no record at all."

"When the forbidden area was opened the next time, someone discovered that the Jindan cultivator had been completely possessed by the devil."

As the two listened to his story, their expressions unconsciously became solemn.

This forbidden area is so strange that even Jindan cultivators have been bewitched by it, which shows how dangerous it is.

"Fellow Daoist Apu, how many people will probably participate in this Tianlan Forbidden Land?" Han Yuan asked. It seemed that he didn't know much about this matter. He guessed that Apu only gave him a general explanation of the situation when he came to him.

"Every time the Tianlan Forbidden Land opens, it attracts many cultivators from the Muhe Grassland. It's hard to say exactly how many people there are, but a conservative estimate is over a hundred. During the last Tianlan Forbidden Land opening, there were three to four hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators participating, and even some Golden Core cultivators entered."

Hundreds of foundation-building cultivators sounded scary. Song Xian had never seen so many foundation-building cultivators gathered together. The entire Xijiang County had about the same number of them combined.

It can be seen that the opening of the Tianlan Forbidden Land has an impact. Could it be called the Tianlan Event?

Apu pulled out an atlas and unfolded it. "Once we enter the forbidden area, we're likely to be separated. When we pass through the barrier, we'll be squeezed by the force of space, and our landing point will deviate. The range could be as far as a hundred miles."

"We need to determine a meeting place in advance."

"This is a map of the area surrounding the barrier passage within the Tianlan Forbidden Land."

"If you are scattered, gather at this red dot."

"Also, this is the sound transmission talisman I prepared. It can receive messages within fifty miles. If you can hear the other party's words, it means you are within fifty miles."

Han Yuan nodded after hearing this, and then asked some more questions about the Tianlan Forbidden Land. His questions were very detailed, and Apu answered them one by one.

At night, the three of them went to the market town, preparing to take a merchant ship to their destination. After they checked into their rooms in the inn, it was not until this time that Song Xian finally found an opportunity to go to the room where Apu was and talk to him alone.

"I'm a little worried about Fellow Daoist Han." Song Xian went straight to the point and stated his purpose, and told him the rumors about the good place at Yixian Peak.

A Pu listened to his story without showing any surprise, remaining calm and composed. "Rumors are not to be believed. Although I have only known Fellow Daoist Han for a short time, I can confirm that he is not the person others say he is. I also know a little about the reputation of him among the wandering cultivators in Bianxi City, and I can say with certainty that these are all groundless rumors and slander without any basis."

"I've been to a secret realm with Fellow Daoist Han before. Fellow Daoist Han is definitely not the kind of person who attacks his companions behind their backs as others say."

"Please rest assured about this, Fellow Daoist Song. If you can trust me, then please trust him."

Seeing that he was so confident, Song Xian said nothing more.

He had indeed only heard it from others and had not witnessed Han Yuan's deeds with his own eyes.

Since I have decided to go to the Tianlan Forbidden Land with Apu, I naturally have to trust Apu's choice.

Of course, he also carefully considered whether Apu would work with Han Yuan to harm him.

But after thinking about it, he felt that the possibility was close to zero, not to mention that the two had worked together before and he had saved his life.

Even his motive for saying this is hard to understand.

Even if he really wanted to do that, he wouldn't have sought help from Han Yuan, who was notorious in Bianxi City.
.........

Tianlan Mountain is not big, just a small hill, surrounded by thick yellow smoke, making it impossible to see what is inside.

To the south of it there is a huge palace with a plaque hanging on it that reads "Tianlan Mountain Forbidden Land Management Office". Inside there are many monks from the Hussein and Alqiu families. The monks who go there must pay them a fee of 30,000 spirit stones before they can enter the forbidden land.

When Song Xian arrived, there were already many large and small tents and simple wooden houses near Tianshan Mountain, which were obviously built temporarily by monks who came from various places.

After the three of them entered the hall, they handed over the spirit stones to the management personnel inside and took a number plate with a seal on it from them.

At this time, there was still some time before the forbidden area was opened, so the three of them settled down nearby.

As time draws closer, more and more monks come from all directions.

During this period, Song Xian practiced in the simple tent he built every day. He did not interact with outsiders, and no one took the initiative to talk to him.

Although there are many people stationed near this place, there is no chaos at all, and there are basically no monks walking around the streets. Everyone stays in their houses to practice. Occasionally, when they go out and meet other monks, those with good intentions will at most nod and introduce themselves, but most of the time they ignore each other.

Those who came here were all cultivators at the foundation-building stage, and were prominent figures in their original places. Naturally, they would not make noise and shout like the common people, causing unnecessary trouble.

Everyone's goal is very clear, which is to wait until the forbidden area is opened to enter and pick medicinal herbs and search for treasures.

…………

On this day, Song Xianru was practicing in the tent as usual. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the whole ground seemed to shake violently.

He opened his eyes from his meditation, stood up and walked out of the tent, only to see two foundation-building monks fighting not far away.

This is extremely rare. It is the first time he has seen a fight since he arrived here.

On both sides of the tent where he lived were Han Yuan and Apu.

The two of them also set up a simple tent nearby, and the three of them were only a dozen feet apart.

At this time, the two of them also went out to check the situation.

The two men fighting, one wearing a black robe and the other wearing a blue and green robe, both flew into the air and displayed their magical powers.

The black-robed monk clapped his hands, and in an instant, several huge tigers wrapped in black mist condensed around his body, roaring and attacking the opponent.

The man in blue and green was entangled by several giant black tigers. From a distance, one could see black mist covering an area of ​​dozens of feet. The details inside could not be seen clearly. Only the roars of tigers and the sounds of metal clashing could be heard.

After a while, a huge golden light shot up into the sky from the rolling black fog. Under the golden light, the black fog seemed to be melted and disappeared completely.

The man in blue and green clothes broke through the blockade of the black fog, stopped fighting, turned around and fled to the back.

However, the man in black robe had no intention of letting him go, as if he had a grudge against him. He followed closely behind him with a light of escape. The two of them fought while heading southwest and soon disappeared from sight.

After this little episode, the area around Tianlan Mountain became peaceful again. As to whether the two had a dispute over something or just had a grudge against each other, no one cared.

After the fight between the two, no one cared who won or lost, or whether there were any casualties.

(End of this chapter)