Chapter 326: Chi Yi
"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!"
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat chittered several times, seemingly furious at being called a pet. Just as it was about to act out, Shen Daoxing reached out and pushed it down.
Only then did the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat quiet down.
Luo An, who was off to the side, heard Shen Daoxing and felt he had a point. "That’s right, Brother Yang! You’re absolutely right. We practitioners should get out and see the world more. We can’t just bury ourselves in bitter cultivation. Only by broadening our horizons can we comprehend the true meaning of the Great Dao."
As he spoke, Luo An casually clapped Shen Daoxing on the shoulder, saying with supreme confidence:
"Once we get to that Jiuli Mountain Range, Brother Yang, you don’t have to worry. With me, Luo An, around, I’ll guarantee your safety. You should know, I’ve traveled the entire East Continent! Places like Wuyang Lake? Celestial Lake Swamp? The Ghostly Mist Abyss? Which of the five Forbidden Lands of the East Continent haven’t I been to? What kind of scenes haven’t I witnessed?"
However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than his sister, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up. "Brother, we only left the mountain a month ago on Master’s orders. When did you go to so many places?"
Luo An remained nonchalant, his expression still full of confidence. "Of course I went before! There’s a lot you don’t know about your big brother!"
The group continued onward, with Luo An still chattering endlessly to Shen Daoxing about how incredible he was and what powerful Fierce Beasts he had seen.
After walking for quite some time, they finally reached the border of the East Continent.
Shen Daoxing looked up to see two majestic mountains towering before him. They rose so high they pierced the clouds, their peaks hidden from view. On either side stood a forest of towering ancient trees, with dense vegetation covering everything.
At the entrance to the gorge between the two peaks ahead stood a pass.
Disciples of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land were stationed at the pass, inspecting every person who passed through. Above them, a massive Cloud Ship hovered in the sky.
Passing through this final checkpoint meant entering the Jiuli Mountain Range and, from there, leaving the East Continent.
’It seems the Celestial Profound Sacred Land’s wanted notice has reached the border,’ Shen Daoxing thought. ’I didn’t expect them to be checking identities in such a remote place. The Sacred Land is dead set on eliminating me.’
’I can’t reveal my identity at such a critical moment.’
"Strange, since when did inspections here get so strict?"
Chu Guifeng, walking at the very front, couldn’t help but look puzzled.
At that moment, however, the merchant Qian Gui scurried forward from the group. He approached a disciple of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land at the pass, striking up a conversation with a wide smile. Then, with a practiced motion, he fumbled inside his robes, pulled something out, and discreetly slipped it into the disciple’s hand.
The disciple from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land furtively felt the object in his hand, then immediately nodded. He waved, signaling for Qian Gui to bring the group over.
Qian Gui nodded his thanks several times and ran back, beaming. "Leader Chu, we can go."
Qian Gui had been traveling between the East Continent and Cangzhou for many years. Not all the goods he transported were exactly legitimate, so such methods were nothing out of the ordinary for him.
Following this, Chu Guifeng directed the group to move forward slowly.
Thanks to Qian Gui’s arrangements, the disciples of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land guarding the pass only gave the group a cursory glance before waving them through.
They didn’t spare Shen Daoxing’s party a second look.
Their only concern seemed to be that Shen Daoxing’s group was moving too slowly, holding up the people behind them.
And just like that, Shen Daoxing and his group passed through the checkpoint and entered the gorge between the two majestic mountains.
This was Changfeng Valley. Once they passed through it, they would truly be in the Jiuli Mountain Range. The valley wasn’t long, and the group emerged from it after a short while.
The first thing Shen Daoxing saw upon stepping out of the valley was a sea of vibrant green. Towering ancient trees stood everywhere, species he couldn’t recognize. The massive trees blotted out the sun, covering the entire sky.
Only thin rays of sunlight managed to pierce through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the path ahead.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. There were no sounds of insects or birds, which, paradoxically, made it feel even more frightening.
Shen Daoxing immediately sensed that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here was much denser than outside, but it was tainted with a strange scent.
It was the metallic stench of slaughter.
Chu Guifeng, the leader of the Mighty Escort Agency, walked at the very front of the group. He suddenly raised his hand, signaling for everyone to halt. Turning around, he looked at the group with a stern expression. "The Jiuli Mountain Range is teeming with demonic beasts, and deadly, inescapable places are too numerous to count. From now on, you must all follow my commands. If you don’t listen to me and something happens, you’ll be responsible for yourselves."
As he spoke, he took out a hand-drawn map from his robes.
No complete map of the Jiuli Mountain Range existed, because no one had ever managed to traverse the entire range.
Only escort guards and merchants who had traveled between the East Continent and Cangzhou for years could sketch out a rough, incomplete map based on their experience. It marked a relatively safe route and was their most precious possession.
Leader Chu Guifeng glanced down at the map, then looked at the path ahead before giving a series of orders:
"Women and children in the middle. Luo Yun, Ma Wan, you two bring up the rear. Tai, you watch our flanks. Qian Gui, you walk with me at the head of the group."
Even Elder Mu was assigned a task. Only Shen Daoxing, carrying Xin, was left to walk in the middle of the group, together with Luo Xi and the mysterious woman in the carriage.
’Do I really look that scholarly and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow me over?’ Shen Daoxing couldn’t help but want to pull out a mirror and look at himself.
Still, this arrangement suited Shen Daoxing just fine, as it left him with nothing to do.
Once everyone was in position, Leader Chu Guifeng waved his hand, and they continued forward.
Walking in the middle of the group, Luo Xi observed everyone’s grim expressions and couldn’t help but speak up. "We’ve only just entered the outskirts of the Jiuli Mountain Range. Aren’t we being a little too cautious and high-strung?"
From the rear of the group, the Loose Cultivator Ma Wan immediately retorted, "You’re wrong. The Jiuli Mountain Range is fraught with danger. A random demonic beast could have the strength of the Grotto Heaven Realm. The slightest carelessness could result in someone from our group dying. We can’t afford to be anything but careful!"
Beside them, Luo An just smiled, unconcerned. "Hehehe, just a demonic beast at the Grotto Heaven Realm? I, Luo Yun, could cut it in two with a single slash. What’s there to be afraid of?"
"You don’t know your own limits."
Ma Wan laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Kid! Do you have any idea that Grotto Heaven Realm demonic beasts are among the weakest creatures in this mountain range? There are countless beasts far stronger. Even the Fierce Beast Chi Yi is hiding in here somewhere. That’s the third-ranked Fierce Beast in the East Continent! Back when it rampaged through the continent, it devoured plenty of Earth Profound Realm practitioners. If we run into it, kid, you can just wait for death!"
Luo An, however, just smiled faintly, still unconcerned. "Chi Yi? So what! Back in the day, when I, Luo An, single-handedly ventured into the Celestial Lake Swamp, one of the five Forbidden Lands of the East Continent, even the Great Wilderness—the second-ranked Fierce Beast—was soundly beaten by me and fled with its tail between its legs. What’s so scary about a puny third-ranked beast like Chi Yi?"
As if it had heard its name, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat suddenly poked its head out from Shen Daoxing’s robes. It blinked its big eyes, looked at the young master chattering away up ahead, and its face filled with contempt.
’Who is this guy?!’
Xin, nestled in Shen Daoxing’s arms, saw the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat appear. His eyes lit up, and he suddenly swung a small wooden stick down at it.
But in the next moment, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had already darted back into Shen Daoxing’s robes.