Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 33: After escaping the disaster, the exploration land begins, the spiritual light breaks through the fog and the journey begins

In a quiet valley, Lin Fan paused, leaning against a stout old tree, breathing heavily, his face filled with lingering fear. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, which trickled down his cheeks and soaked the collar of his shirt.

Recalling his experience in the underground palace, Lin Fan still felt a chill run down his spine. This blood-colored forbidden land was indeed as dangerous as the rumors said, teeming with murderous intent. He had assumed that, with his thirteenth-level Qi training, several top-tier magical instruments, and precious talismans, he was considered one of the best in the forbidden land, and that helping Elder Chen Minghui gather some spiritual herbs would be a piece of cake. He had never expected to encounter such a formidable second-level demon beast.

Lin Fan knew that even a more ferocious Level 2 monster could still have a chance of escaping if he used his own methods and gritted his teeth. However, this Level 2 monster had already transformed into a dragon. Although it was only Level 2, its true strength was no less than that of an ordinary Level 3 monster.

Lin Fan calmed his still-pounding heart while secretly reflecting on the thrilling moment. He understood that the elementary talismans he had just thrown out, though numerous, were no match for this Level 2 demon beast with dragon blood.

Those elementary talismans were fine for dealing with low-level monsters or minor troubles, but they were too weak against the powerful dragon bloodline. It was estimated that the talisman's attacks on the dragon would only tickle it at best, unable to even break through its incredibly tough scales, let alone cause any substantial damage.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan couldn't help but think of a passage from the original novel. Nangong Wan, who was in the Jindan stage, was a formidable figure, her cultivation unfathomable. When Nangong Wan entered the forbidden area, her cultivation was already at the thirteenth level of Qi training, and she was holding her life-defining magic weapon. Even if her cultivation level had dropped significantly, once she unleashed it, its power could not be underestimated.

In addition, she also possessed a number of intermediate-level talismans. Intermediate-level talismans were several times more powerful than primary-level talismans, their power comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even so, Nangong Wan was still defeated when facing the Ink Dragon, completely no match for it.

As Lin Fan thought about this, he felt even more that he was incredibly lucky to have escaped. He was just a Qi Refining cultivator, and compared to Nangong Wan's situation at the time, he was a million miles away.

He did not have a powerful support like his own magic weapon, and the talismans in his hand were just some basic stuff. If he really fought with this dragon, he would definitely die and there was no way he could win.

It seems that we must be more cautious in this bloody forbidden land and must not be so reckless. If we are not careful, we will follow in the footsteps of those predecessors who were buried in the belly of the monster.

Lin Fan raised his head slightly and looked towards the high sky. At this time, the sun was gradually rising, and the sunlight became hotter and hotter. It shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, forming patches of mottled light and shadows on the ground. It seemed that it was almost noon.

He breathed a sigh of relief, trying to calm his still-pounding heart. His recent experience had left him in a cold sweat, and his legs were still a little weak. However, he knew full well that he had entered the Blood Forbidden Land on the orders of Patriarch Chen Minghui to gather medicinal herbs, and he also wanted to seek opportunities along the way. He couldn't back down just because of this little danger.

After calming down a little, Lin Fan slowly stood up, patted the dust off his body, and checked his storage bag again to confirm that the items inside were all there, especially those extremely important talismans and some detoxification and healing pills.

Then, his gaze grew firm, and he carefully determined his direction, slowly heading towards the center of the Blood Forbidden Land. Along the way, he walked lightly, carefully scanning his surroundings with his spiritual sense before each step, not missing a single movement.

When he encountered dense grass, he would throw a stone and listen for any movement. Only after confirming there were no lurking monsters would he crouch and quietly cross. When he came to a fork in the road, he would carefully observe the surrounding terrain and traces, relying on past experience to determine which path was safer.

Occasionally, the roars of unknown beasts coming from the mountains and forests would make him tense up instantly, stop, hide his body, and only continue to move forward slowly after making sure there was no danger.

Although the central area is full of dangers, it is said to contain many rare elixirs and mysterious opportunities. No matter what, even though Lin Fan knows that there are dangers ahead, he decides to go ahead and give it a try.

After more than an hour of careful travel, Lin Fan finally arrived at a rather peculiar place. Before him stood a ring of mountains, towering majestically, reaching a height of a thousand feet. Its peak reached the sky, its summit lost in a vast sea of ​​clouds, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The mountain range was tightly enclosed by a thick, ancient-looking stone wall. The wall, mottled with age, still exuded an indescribable majesty. Mysterious lines faintly marked the stone wall. Upon closer inspection, one could detect subtle wisps of wind-attributed spiritual energy coursing through them. Clearly, this was an ancient wind-attributed restriction deliberately placed there.

Lin Fan stood there, looking up at the vast and dangerous scene before him, his mind smacking its fingers in amazement. He had long heard of the power of this ancient wind-attributed forbidden element. Throughout the long years of the Blood Forbidden Land, countless ancestors had hoped to use the art of flight to traverse this ring of mountains, hoping to discover the incredible opportunities hidden beyond.

But as soon as those ancestors approached the ancient wind-attributed forbidden zone, they were swept away by the sudden surge of wind. Like a prehistoric beast, it ate its prey, carrying razor-sharp wind blades capable of tearing through anything. It instantly shredded their bodies, sending blood splattering in the air and drowning their screams before they could even emanate.

Over time, this bloody lesson was passed down from generation to generation, always warning the monks who entered this place later: Never try to fly over, otherwise you will be ruthlessly torn into pieces by the ancient wind-attributed ban, and end up with a miserable end with no body left.

After countless explorations by our ancestors, we found that there are four bronze gates around this circular mountain range, one in each of the four directions of east, south, west and north. You can enter through these four bronze gates, and each of them has dozens of paths leading up the mountain.

Some of these paths winding up the mountain, some steep and dangerous, and some hidden in dense jungle, making it difficult to distinguish. The mountains contain both natural sacred places such as caves, deep valleys, and cliffs, as well as man-made structures such as stone houses and stone temples, where various magical herbs grow.

Lin Fan hurried along until he stopped not far from the bronze gate. After stabilizing himself, he began to wait patiently. As a time traveler familiar with the original novel's plot, he was well aware of the surroundings of the ring-shaped mountain range.

The entire central area of ​​the mountain range is perpetually shrouded in thick fog, so dense it seems almost tangible. Vision is severely obstructed within it, making it difficult to discern direction, or even to discern objects just a few steps ahead. To complicate matters further, the dense fog lurks numerous top-tier, first-level demonic beasts, each exceptionally ferocious. To venture in recklessly is to walk into a dangerous trap. Fortunately, Lin Fan knew that a turning point would come the following afternoon. Members of the Yanyue Sect would arrive bearing the Moon Sun Orb. This Moon Sun Orb was no ordinary artifact; it was a magical artifact created by a gifted cultivator of the Yanyue Sect, imbued with astonishing spiritual power.

At that time, once the orb was activated, it would release a majestic and pure spiritual light, like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly dispersing the fog in the central area. Then, he would be able to step into it without hindrance, seeking the rare and precious elixir he had longed for, and further his path of cultivation.

As Lin Fan settled near the bronze gate, his spiritual senses instantly sharpened. In a split second, he detected dozens of faint auras, like dormant beasts lurking in the shadows. Without further ado, he understood that these people, like him, had come for the spiritual medicines found in the central area of ​​the ring-shaped mountain range and were eagerly awaiting the dissipation of the fog.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only the occasional rustling of leaves in the breeze, which only served to accentuate the tense atmosphere. Lin Fan gripped the magical weapon tightly, ready to respond to any emergency.

I don’t know how long it took, but I saw a white beam of light like a pillar reaching the sky, rising from the ground in the distance, rushing straight into the sky with unstoppable momentum.

Above the vast, dreamlike sea of ​​fog, the top of the light column quickly condensed into a massive ball of light. Initially, the ball radiated a blinding light. As the light column continuously pumped energy into it, it grew larger and larger like a balloon, its light becoming increasingly dazzling.

In the end, it was really like the sun rising in the sky, so bright and dazzling that even if people only looked at it for a moment, their eyes would be burned by the strong light and they dared not stare at it for a long time.

After a moment of silence, the beam of light that had been supplying energy into the light ball suddenly disappeared without warning, as if it had exhausted all its strength.

Only the huge ball of light was left floating alone in the sky, like a mysterious existence isolated from the world.

However, its existence was pitifully short. In the blink of an eye, it began to twist and deform. Its originally round and smooth surface became like soft dough, with depressions here and bulges there, looking extremely weird.

Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a deafening roar, the giant ball of light finally couldn't withstand the energy changes inside and exploded in the sky.

In an instant, it turned into countless beautiful fist-sized light spots. These light spots were like set-apart elves, floating down towards the large fog below, as if it was a gorgeous rain of light.

Every time a white ball of light fell into the mist, a magical scene occurred. The surrounding thick fog seemed to be given life, instantly awakening like a dragon, and madly squeezed towards the location of the light ball.

But whenever they came into contact with the light ball, the thick fog would be quickly melted away by the light ball like ice and snow encountering the warm sun, and the light of the light ball itself would also dim a lot.

As more and more light balls came into contact with the fog, the entire foggy area instantly became like a landslide and tsunami. The scene was extremely shocking.

All the mist was rolling and boiling, like a pot of boiling water, making bursts of low roaring sounds.

After a short while, the thick fog dissipated completely, revealing the scene below that was originally obscured.

In the blink of an eye, figures, wrapped in a sharp gust of wind, rushed in from the bronze gate in the distance like arrows.

For a moment, robes rustled and spiritual energy surged. These people hurried, their expressions anxious, clearly eager to seize the initiative and claim the lead in the central area after the fog dissipated.

Lin Fan, tucked away in the shadows, watched the scene calmly, unfazed by the crowd's eager movements. He held his composure, silently waiting. Time ticked by, and the number of people entering dwindled. After a long pause, he breathed a sigh of relief and, with steady, unhurried steps, approached the bronze door. Each step was firm and powerful, brimming with confidence and composure.

As soon as he stepped through the bronze gate, an ancient and mysterious atmosphere hit him. Before him lay a winding path, lined with lush trees that blocked out the sun. Lin Fan walked cautiously, the stone pavement beneath his feet covered in moss, and he could easily slip if he wasn't careful.

As he walked forward, he kept an eye on the movements around him, wondering where this path would lead to. At the same time, he was recalling the map given by the ancestor Chen Minghui, wondering where there were still some places where the spiritual herbs had not been picked.

Lin Fan frowned slightly, his mind reeling over the locations and types of spiritual herbs marked on the map. He knew this was a rare opportunity, and he needed to obtain as many spiritual herbs as possible to improve his strength.

(End of this chapter)