Chapter 2669 - 2731: Green Shadow
But what exactly is a necro-beast? Bunong still hasn’t clarified, and Li Yifei remains puzzled. Nonetheless, upon hearing this, he speaks: "Dad, if that’s really the case, then we mustn’t leave. This thing may threaten the whole village’s safety. We can leave, but the village isn’t a place that can be easily moved. If it gets out, it might lead to disaster."
"No, no, this thing is too terrifying!" Bunong shakes his head repeatedly, about to continue speaking when Li Yifei interjects: "I think it’s fine. Even if that thing was really brought out by the Fire Sect, it’s something from hundreds of years ago. Everything needs a foundation for survival, just like how we need Spirit Qi for cultivation, True Qi within the body, and plants need sunlight and nutrients to grow. Even if a necro-beast exists, it hasn’t been replenished for so many years, so it’s unlikely to be strong, not to mention that I’m not weak either!"
"That’s reasonable, but we still need to be cautious. I only know these things and am not clear about what it truly is, its shape, appearance..."
"So we still need to investigate thoroughly. If we can resolve it, we should resolve it."
"Alright, the key issue is that it’s so dark here, and the view is unclear, so we’ll be disadvantaged by the terrain."
"Dad, you watch from above; I’ll figure out a way to go down and take a look. If there truly is that so-called necro-beast, I’ll seize an opportunity to eliminate it, lest, in a few days, when I leave, it causes harm to the Miao Village, making it difficult for you to control." Li Yifei says. He certainly doesn’t like to meddle unnecessarily, but some matters simply can’t be ignored. If they do, and he and Na Yi leave in a few days, a tragedy occurs in the Miao Village, he’ll be deeply saddened.
Bunong also understands this. He nods his head and says: "I’ll go down with you. At least I have some memories; if we really need them, that’ll be helpful. Alas, let’s hope the Fire Sect didn’t succeed, or it’s not as they envisioned."
"Okay, let me find the path first; Dad, you wait here!" Li Yifei says as he turns around. Just then, another roar echoes from below. The sound is incredibly tragic, but after realizing what it is, Li Yifei isn’t as afraid anymore. People fear the unknown, but now that he knows it’s something brought out by the Fire Sect, called a necro-beast, Li Yifei feels much calmer.
He claims to have seen many wonders over the years, things unimaginable to ordinary people, which led to quite a strong resistance now. Moreover, his True Qi is of the supreme Yang attribute, while the necro-beast sounds like it has a Yin attribute. Li Yifei believes he counters the opponent, so he has even less to fear.
The Fire Sect’s leader from hundreds of years ago was likely more skilled than Li Yifei, but in today’s world, Li Yifei’s cultivation is among the world’s best. If even he can’t figure out what the necro-beast is, no one else probably can either.
With careful searching, he finally finds a path... no, this doesn’t really count as a path; it’s just some protrusions on a steep rock face. Upon closer inspection, these protrusions turn out to be ancient symbols that have become ineffective, but these protrusions can serve as a stepping stone for Li Yifei to safely jump down with minimal effort, even though jumping tens of meters doesn’t pose a challenge to Li Yifei.
Having found the path, Li Yifei returns to inform Bunong, who insists on going down with him. Unfortunately, he can’t descend as freely as Li Yifei, so he stays above, looking worried and cautioning Li Yifei to exercise extreme caution, to confront only if he can, and to retreat if necessary; not to forcefully engage.
Li Yifei agrees, leaps, and disappears into the darkness. He doesn’t know how deep it is below; only that the sound is crystal clear. After borrowing force a few times, Li Yifei feels like he’s passed through a thin mist, and suddenly things open up in front of him, turning bright and providing a wide view, revealing tens of meters at a glance. Below lies a gorge akin to a valley between two mountain peaks, wide at a hundred meters and the length unseen, but presumably over three to four hundred meters. Li Yifei is about fifty meters away from landing, so he calms his mind and carefully descends.
A few seconds later, Li Yifei lands lightly on the ground, standing with feet firmly planted. He immediately manifests a True Qi Blade and remains on high alert, unaware of what the necro-beast is but determined not to be caught off guard.
While airborne, Li Yifei surveys the area. The scene below surprises him; though the sky isn’t visible, it’s exceptionally bright. Surrounding streams babble, and there’s fish in the waters, leading Li Yifei to wonder if he’s hallucinating. He even glimpses crabs; these things do exist as the stream is merely four or five meters away from where he landed, allowing him to clearly see what’s inside.
This is unexpected for Li Yifei; he anticipated darkness and danger, yet this moment is crystal clear and tranquil. It’s like Arcadia, minus the howling which seems to have been startled by him... Li Yifei grinds his teeth and moves forward; ahead lies a house with a small yard akin to a farm cottage from hundreds of years ago. Although the thatch on the house doesn’t look outdated, possibly due to the absence of rain, nor wind.
Everything below suddenly goes quiet, which makes it eerily quiet. Li Yifei looks up, and if he weren’t sure he’d jumped to the wrong place, he’d suspect he’d traveled through time.
Oh, this is indeed a time travel because everything here is so vintage. Li Yifei approaches the yard, noticing a stone table at the entrance, topped with a stone stand engraved with a chessboard, and black and white stones inside a bowl. Some stones are arranged on the board, having possibly been untouched for ages.
People? How could there be people here, Li Yifei chuckles at the notion, shaking his head. He becomes alert; the safer things look, the more danger they may conceal, especially now that the sound is absent and Li Yifei’s own aura feels nothing.
Things are even stranger, prompting Li Yifei to pace a few steps forward, entering the small yard. Twenty meters away is that small thatch house, apparently with only two rooms—one on either side—centered by a door. Li Yifei moves a few steps further and stops, surveying around. He takes a deep breath; the air here is quite pure, devoid of any stench or traces of Death Qi or Evil qi. In fact, being here seems equivalent to being on a Spiritual Vein as Spirit Qi is plentiful, several times more abundant than outside.
Indeed, the Fire Sect wouldn’t choose an ordinary location when selecting a sect site; naturally, it’d have a place accompanied by underground Spiritual Veins.
Yet this differs from the imagination, making it hard for Li Yifei to picture signs of death. Oh, to say that there actually are some indicators—Li Yifei hasn’t seen any plants here. The ground is smooth, the surroundings tranquil, but apart from these, there’s nothing else. But what about the fish in the stream? Li Yifei turns around, steps out, and approaches the water’s edge. He unleashes a True Qi strike to realize that the stream is just a stream, while the fish... are fish, right?
The fish almost seem unafraid of him, leading Li Yifei to reach out to grab them. But as soon as his hand dips into the water, a roar echoes from behind him. Having anticipated it, Li Yifei swiftly turns, thrusting a True Qi Blade forward to confront a green blur flying at him.
The sound is jarring in his ears, but his mind interprets it as a phrase: "Don’t touch my fish!"
Li Yifei dodges quickly. Though the True Qi Blade grazes the entity, the anticipated piercing sound doesn’t occur. Instead, nothing happens as the green blur sweeps by, veering away, and slipping back into the small thatch house.
This speed... Li Yifei admits he can’t replicate it; his fastest speed can’t match the other. Just by this measure, the necro-beast holds particular significance.
Li Yifei confirms he didn’t mishear; the entity indeed shouted not to touch its fish, stopping him. He glances at his feet by the water, noticing the fish have scattered further. Li Yifei smiles lightly, calling out, "Since you’ve appeared, come out, hiding isn’t a solution."
No response from the thatch house, prompting Li Yifei to look at the fish again, speaking: "I mean no harm to your fish, only curiosity about them. Since you dissuade me from touching them, I won’t."
There’s still silence from the thatch house; Li Yifei isn’t rushed. The entity made an appearance, confirming something’s here, yet it hasn’t attacked, possibly indicating its aggression isn’t strong. This works well for Li Yifei, who steps away from the water and returns to the yard, stops at his prior spot. Though he doesn’t detect the entity’s presence, that’s irrelevant now; his True Qi Armor silently covers him, and a True Qi Blade is firmly grasped. Li Yifei is confident; if even he fails, few might succeed worldwide.
Therefore, no matter how formidable the necro-beast is, it likely can’t trouble him.
"If you won’t come out, I may have to enter; as you disapprove of me touching your fish, you probably dislike me entering your house. Hence, it’s advisable for you to appear." Li Yifei states.
A shriek ensues, causing Li Yifei to frown, simultaneously hearing a sentence in his mind: "Stranger, leave my place!"
"Do you know why I’ve come?"
"I don’t, nor do I wish to know; you shouldn’t disturb my peace." Li Yifei hears a segment again.
"I don’t intend to interfere; it’s simply your incessant shriek prompts me to ascertain things clearly," Li Yifei declares.
The entity suddenly falls silent, leaving Li Yifei still unable to catch sight of it. Given the voice, it’s likely female and young—the tone reminiscent of a child’s, perhaps with a somewhat baby-like intonation? Seriously, the voice could easily ease wariness, assuming one isn’t hearing the shrieking which would nonetheless be quite terrifying.