From the outside, the Three World Mountain did not seem that tall. However, it was continuous and the end of the mountain was not in sight. Surrounding the mountains were layers of fog, and the scene was therapeutic.
No one could imagine that this was the mountain that was divided into three, separating Da Qian, Man Huang and the perilous Illusionary World.
"Phew... I"m finally out..."
At a path leading from the mountain, a young man crawled out, with his nose bleeding. Looking at the plains and desert in sight, his face was filled with excitement. Quickly, his expression turned into one of determination and hatred. "The Murong Family, just you wait. I will take revenge for what you did today!"
He had sworn that he would recuperate here before returning to Da Qian to take revenge on the family that had left him in such a state.
"Tata! Tata!"
Not far from here, there were galloping sounds heard.
A black line appeared and it began to draw nearer. On closer look, they were 21 cavalries.
"Sir, it seems that that is someone who has just escaped from Da Qian Empire!"
A middle-aged man examined him before shaking his head. "He is only a 12th Gate martial artist with severe injuries. He has no value to us!"
"Mm?"
Another young man rode his horse forward as the 2 cavalries on both sides made way for him. It was obvious that he had the higher status among all of them.
"Tell me... Did you see the Illusionary World white you were on the Three World Mountain?"
The young man asked directly and his voice was filled with energy as it vibrated the air around.
"No!"
The martial artist was in a daze and mumbled a reply.
"Indeed..."
Fang Yuan sighed and released the martial artist. "If they came from Da Qian, they would have a lower chance of encountering the Illusionary World at around 10 percent! But if we go against the natural flow, we would surely encounter it! This useless person... He was left in such a state by the mere dangers of the mountain. If he had really encountered the Illusionary World, I"m afraid he wouldn"t even know where his body would be rotting at... Let"s go!"
As he finished his sentence, he gave up and turned around.
"Yes, Sir!"
The other 20 cavalries obeyed, and there seemed to be a female voice among them.
"Ughh!"
The martial artist rolled on the floor as he felt the spiritual aura around him. Quickly, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "Isn"t the Man Huang rumoured to have lack of martial artists and resources, and that even martial artists of the 4 Heavenly Gates would enjoy riches and power? Why is it like that?"
At that moment, the martial artists" heart fell as he started to accept the fact that the world was an evil place...
"Based on the collective maps and the information, we need to find the shortest route once we enter the mountains..."
Fang Yuan was leading Qin Qing, her brother and the 18 Black Feathers Cavalry and stopped on a mountainous track.
The shape of the mountain was extremely weird. There were two peaks, and the peak at the eastern side was higher, while the peak at the western side was lower. The peaks were sticking out and the entire mountain resembled a two-headed snake.
"Although it is rather dangerous that we need to cut through the habitat of the spiritual monkeys to take the shortest route, the longer we stay in the Three World Mountain, the higher the chance of encountering the Illusionary World..."
Qin Qing mumbled and was agreeable to Fang Yuan"s decision.
She was not aware of the fact that Fang Yuan was not only a Wu Zong, but also a dream master, and that he was rather interested in the Illusionary World.
With her current cultivation level, all she was hoping for was to minimise the troubles they would face on their journey.
"Of course... This is the best possible outcome. If we do encounter the Illusionary World, we"ll just have to react accordingly..."
Fang Yuan"s eyes were glittering, as though he could see through the fog and the secret within the Three World Mountain.
"Everyone, get into formation!"
Elder Zhou covered his mouth with a cloth which made his voice hoa.r.s.e. However, with a command, the other 17 riders immediately obeyed and dismounted and spread the warning.
Fang Yuan was rather impressed with the 18 Black Feathers Cavalry.
If not for them, he would not have brought along the two burdens as well.
"Let"s be clear. Although I"ve agreed to allow you two to follow me, I will only protect you two to a certain extent. If we encounter any real danger, every man will be for himself!"
Fang Yuan stared at Qin Qing in the eye. "If any of you would like to back out, it"s not too late!"
"Don"t worry, Sir!"
Qin Qing licked her lips as her face was filled with determination. "If that really happens, it would mean that we are not fated to make it through!"
She was wearing an inner armour and there were spiritual inscriptions all around Qin Yun and herself. They were covered in all sorts of protection.
Hearing this, Fang Yuan did not comment. With the wave of his hand, he continued. "Since that is so, let"s be on our way!"
As the sunlight peered through the leaves of the trees and the fog, there were dim spotted shadows on the ground.
As the 18 Black Feathers Cavalry spread out, the three of them were surrounded in the middle. With much caution, they made their way into the mountain.
The forest was tranquil, peaceful, and the flowers were beautiful. It was as though there was no danger at all.
At this point in time, Qin Yun appeared excited. Seeing a huge flower, he unwittingly walked up and stepped on a dried branch, making a kacha sound!
"Hiss! Hiss!"
At the moment where the cavalries were less alert, the "dried branch" suddenly moved and revealed sharp fangs. It bit towards Qin Yun"s foot!
"Ah..."
As everything happened, Qin Yun"s mind was blank and he could not move a single bit.
He could only detect a golden flash from the corner of his eye!
"Whoos.h.!.+"
A golden needle appeared and at the speed of light, it struck at the head of the dried branch and disappeared into the ground.
"Hiss... Hiss..."
The dried branch started to curl up and wailed in pain.
Elder Zhou quickly rushed towards Qin Yun and sliced the dried branch into many pieces, and green blood started to flow out.
"Dried Skin Snake?"
Elder Zhou bent down and revealed a horrible look. "This snake is best at absorbing one"s energy. With its appearance similar to a dried branch, its camouflage is perfect! Even I was tricked!"
Qin Qing"s face turned pale as she quickly went up to comfort Qin Yun.
The Dried Skin Snake was an extremely cunning animal. It would camouflage as a tree branch to attract its prey. Its venom was extremely lethal and if not for Fang Yuan"s help, even with the spiritual inscriptions protection him, Qin Yun might still not be able to survive the Dried Skin Snake"s venom, and the outcome would be terrible.
"Thank you, Sir, for your help!"
As she stood up, she brought Qin Yun along to thank Fang Yuan.
Even if they were not here for the Illusionary World, they had still benefited much from journeying with Fang Yuan.
"It"s nothing. If we meet a real danger, it"s best for you to not depend on me!"
Fang Yuan spoke the truth, and the Qin siblings rolled their eyes in their minds.
This was especially so for Qin Yun, whose face was flushed.
He had a little grat.i.tude for Fang Yuan previously, but now it was all gone.
After the commotion, they continued to make their way.
Half a day had pa.s.sed and the vegetation became increasingly denser. The skies were covered in dark clouds, covering the entire sun.
"We must be careful. The habitat of the spiritual monkeys is just in front!"
Elder Zhou tightened his grip on his scimitar and spoke in a serious tone.
Fang Yuan recalled the information regarding the spiritual monkeys.
Within the Three World Mountain, there was a weird species of spiritual monkeys. Their arms were long to the extent they would reach for their knees, and their bones were extremely hardy. Knives and swords would not be able to hurt them, and they were immune to the elements as well. When matured, they would be comparable to an inner force martial artist! If they were slightly stronger, they would have the cultivation of a 4 Heavenly Gates martial artist! The leader of their pack would be at the Elemental Gathering Realm!
This was not the worst part.
The worst would be the intellectual monkeys with spiritual eyes.
These monkeys would have the same level of intellect as humans and could execute a special ability from their Mind Palaces. It would be wise for even a Wu Zong to avoid them as well.
This time, Fang Yuan and company were intending to cut through the biggest habitat of these spiritual monkeys.
There were stories of lucky Wu Zongs who were able to see for themselves the gathering of more than a hundred spiritual monkeys. There must be a monkey king at the Elemental Gathering Realm among them, and a probability that there might be spiritual monkeys who have evolved special traits!
At that point of time, that particular Wu Zong was scared to the point that he ran away. He only recorded the details of the encounter in his diary after he had escaped.
However, Fang Yuan and company were intending to make their way through with brute force, and the difficulty level was unimaginable.
"Let"s take a rest first. Afterwards, while we are refreshed, we can try to rush through during the night!"
Fang Yuan squinted his eyes.
Although the forest was slightly illuminated, his senses told him that it was almost nightfall in the outside world.
No matter how scary the spiritual monkeys might be, they were still animals after all and would have a regular activity pattern. If they could deduce that pattern, they would save a lot of trouble.
"Yes, Sir!"
As he commanded, Elder Zhou and the rest could only obey.
The group of them found a large empty spot, pitched their tents and started to eat their dried rations.
One of the Black Feathers Cavalry"s nose twitched and revealed a look of excitement. "There"s a source of water East of here! I"ll take some water back!"
"Every one of them in the 18 Black Feathers Cavalry has a unique ability. Number 13th has a keen sense of smell and hearing, and can detect water sources from miles away..."
Elder Zhou explained proudly.
After an hour, Number 13 was not back yet, and Elder Zhou"s expression changed.
"It seems that he might have encountered trouble. Let"s go and look for him!"
Fang Yuan, who was sitting with his legs crossed, commented.
As the other 17 of them started to search, they only took a short while before located Number 13 next to a lake.
He was frozen in a posture of retrieving water, but the bottle in his hands was on the ground. His body was frozen like an ice statue!
"What a mysterious chilly lake!"
Looking at the emerald spring water, he mumbled to himself.
"This seems like..."
With the glitter in his eyes, he released his elemental energy, forming a huge hand which hauled the lake water up.
"Rumble!"
From the extreme force, the calm lake started to gush and a geyser appeared.
Looking at this, Qin Yun was stunned.
Although he knew that Wu Zong was powerful, it was a rare sight to see the scary scene of a Wu Zong exerting all its strength.
"Come out!"
As the water on both sides made way, Fang Yuan"s struck his claw out. The huge hand formed out of elemental force hauled a sky blue pearl out and brought it to the ground.
This pearl was glowing inside and appeared normal. Weird enough, it was not cold, and on the contrary, it felt a little warm to the touch and was extremely mysterious.