Chapter 460 - 459: Invitation
He was ambushed by a Demon Tree the moment he entered. Outwardly, it was indistinguishable from any other tree, launching a surprise attack only when someone drew near. Cultivators with low cultivation were sure to die. Not just the weak—even someone at the Spirit Pill Stage would be killed in an instant.
This was just at the entrance; he had no idea what to expect further in.
"This place is truly sinister... there are even Demon Trees here..."
Yi Tianyun paid the Demon Trees no mind and continued deeper. He hadn’t gone far before several more sharp branches shot toward him in a fierce assault. In response, he simply tossed a ball of fire and easily annihilated the Demon Tree.
The trees were all at the Spirit Pill Stage. The experience they gave was decent—not too high, not too low. It would have been a good amount for him in the past, but now it was far too little. He couldn’t even be bothered to activate Madness Mode. Since they weren’t attacking in large groups, it would be a waste of Madness Value. That might have been acceptable back when he was at a lower level, but now the amount of Madness Value consumed per minute was astronomical!
Along the way, Demon Trees would occasionally attack. There weren’t many of them; their main advantage was the element of surprise. But it was all meaningless to him. Their cultivation was simply too low, and he could kill them effortlessly.
This was the first danger zone marked on the map. As he ventured deeper, he began to see skeletons lying on the ground along the path. Most had decayed, and even the bones were being gradually devoured by the very soil, corroding little by little until they turned into fertilizer.
After passing through the gloomy forest, a wide river came into view. It was pitch-black, like a river of ink. The river was flanked by towering cliffs, where Spirit Grass and Spirit Flowers grew. Yi Tianyun glanced over and saw that their quality was quite high.
But that wasn’t the most important part. What was crucial was that he could finally see other people. He saw several groups of Cultivators building their own boats, chopping down giant trees from the riverside and piecing them together, apparently preparing to cross.
After building their boats, some would paddle to the base of the cliffs and begin climbing, hoping to harvest the Spirit Medicines and Spirit Grasses growing there. For them, fourth and fifth-grade Spirit Medicines and Spirit Flowers were a huge draw.
For the most part, their cultivation was at the Core Formation Stage. There were also a few at the Spirit Pill Stage, but no experts at the Void Spirit Stage were to be seen. Core Formation Stage experts could normally fly, but it was impossible here. Yi Tianyun could feel a power similar to the one in Coiling Dragon Cave, forcefully suppressing any attempt to take flight.
’If they could fly, would they still be dutifully building boats? They would have just flown straight across.’
"This place is certainly lively."
Yi Tianyun glanced at them. They were split into several teams, seemingly having arrived in batches. Men and women alike were working together to build boats. His appearance immediately drew the attention of quite a few people, and they all began to size him up.
Some merely spared him a glance before paying him no more mind. Others, however, looked at him a few more times, scrutinizing him from head to toe with unreadable expressions.
"I am Ren Liangchen. Might I ask, friend, are you heading to the Netherworld, or are you here to gather Spirit Medicine?"
While some were still sizing him up, one person had already stepped forward to speak without hesitation. The speaker belonged to one of the smaller teams of Cultivators. While the other teams had four or five members, theirs had only three, which put them in a slightly awkward position.
"To the Netherworld." Yi Tianyun looked at the approaching middle-aged man. His cultivation was at the third level of the Core Formation Stage, though Yi Tianyun couldn’t tell which sect he belonged to.
"To the Netherworld? As it happens, the few of us are also on our way there. If you don’t mind my asking, what is your cultivation level, friend?" Ren Liangchen inquired.
They couldn’t discern the strength of Yi Tianyun’s cultivation; they could only tell that he was very young.
"Core Formation Stage," Yi Tianyun replied simply.
"Ren, do you think he’s reliable?" At that moment, a harsh voice sounded from nearby. A man who looked to be in his thirties walked over, sizing Yi Tianyun up with a cold stare.
Yi Tianyun looked so young that he gave off an unreliable impression. Of course, one couldn’t judge a book by its cover; it wasn’t unheard of for some high-level Cultivators to look like mere teenagers.
There were people present who looked to be in their twenties but were actually thirty or forty, if not older. After all, not just anyone could reach the Core Formation Stage by the time they were in their twenties. It was similar to female Cultivators, who could be sixty or seventy years old and still look as if they were in their twenties.
However, a youthful appearance didn’t mean one’s lifespan would last forever. Once their time was nearly up, they would be unable to suppress the signs of aging and would grow decrepit with startling speed.
It was one thing for female Cultivators to deliberately maintain a youthful appearance, but if a man did the same, other Cultivators found it distasteful, viewing him as a mere pretty boy. This was why the man thought Yi Tianyun seemed unreliable, little knowing that this was his true age.
But since Yi Tianyun had stated his cultivation level, Ren Liangchen nodded, quite satisfied with it.
"If you don’t want him, we’ll take him." Another middle-aged man walked over with a smile and invited Yi Tianyun, "My friend, how about joining our side? We’re also heading to the Netherworld. Shall we go together?"
"Liu Long, what’s the meaning of this? When did I say we didn’t want him?" Ren Liangchen frowned. He hadn’t even responded yet, and the other party was already trying to poach someone right from under his nose. Naturally, he was displeased.
The Netherworld Passage was extremely dangerous, so every additional person counted. Unless a team was already tightly coordinated, most would choose to recruit more members to increase their safety.
"You may not have said it, but a member of your team did." Liu Long laughed heartily. "Come to our side! We would welcome you with open arms!"
Yi Tianyun glanced at Liu Long’s team. They had a few Spirit Pill Stage Cultivators mixed in with the group. Overall, their strength was decent, not bad by any means. However, with so many people, movement would be cumbersome. He preferred to operate with a smaller group.
"I wasn’t trying to reject our friend here; I was just asking for Ren’s opinion. What’s the problem?" the cold-faced man said without any change in expression. It seemed this was how he always looked when he spoke—utterly frigid.
"Leng Hu, you certainly live up to your name," Liu Long sneered. "I’d advise you to work on that temper of yours. Otherwise, you’ll get yourself killed out here one day and not even know how it happened!" He shot Leng Hu a cold glance before turning back to Yi Tianyun to see what he would choose.
Yi Tianyun looked toward Leng Hu and Ren Liangchen’s group and said to Liu Long, "Thank you for the invitation, but I’ve decided to join them."
"Is that so? In that case, I wish you a safe journey." Seeing his offer rejected, Liu Long let out a cold snort. The friendly look on his face vanished as he turned and walked away.
"Welcome to the team. May I have your name?" Ren Liangchen asked with a smile.
"I am Yi Yun." Yi Tianyun had dropped the "Tian" from his name. Although he wasn’t particularly famous, he figured it was better to remain as discreet as possible.
"So you are Yi. Please, come this way." Ren Liangchen’s attitude was pleasant. He explained with a smile, "We’re still building our boat, so it’ll be just a moment. We should be able to set off as soon as it’s finished. As for Leng Hu, he’s always like that. Don’t let his demeanor fool you; he’s actually a very caring person. That tone of his is just a bad habit."
Yi Tianyun nodded, paying it no mind. He had naturally seen everything clearly. With a single sweep of his eyes, he could gauge their Favorability toward him. The hostility from Leng Hu and Ren Liangchen was the lowest by far. The others had no Favorability to speak of, which was why he would never have chosen to join them.
Liu Long, in particular, gave him a bad feeling. He appeared to be recruiting a large number of people, turning no one away. This alone created a poor impression. His smile had felt especially fake, and most importantly, Yi Tianyun had caught the flicker of killing intent that flashed through Liu Long’s eyes the moment he was rejected.
’This man is incredibly cunning!’