The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 675 The First Night in the Northern Forest

"Woo-"

The cold wind whipped up snowflakes from the ground, which then lashed against Zhao Du'an's face.

Even though he was already a half-step Celestial cultivator, impervious to heat and cold, he still subconsciously shivered at this moment, feeling as if he had stepped across the seasons, from early summer into the depths of winter.

Before me stretched a thick, snow-covered plain, vast and almost boundless.

Only the forest at the very front, rising abruptly from the ground and stretching almost the entire road ahead, filled with hardy trees such as pine and cypress, stands in this silent world.

It seems to have existed for countless years.

"This is the Mubei Forest?"

Tuoba Weizhi's dark eyes returned to normal, and the priestess who walked out of the golden gate curiously looked around at this icy world.

Clearly, for her, who had been trapped in the wax garden for six hundred years, this trip was truly an eye-opening experience.

In just a few days, we have entered the capital, crossed the sea, and now arrived in the far north.

Zhao Du'an turned around and saw a golden gate standing on the snow behind him.

But at this moment, the gate was slowly fading away, disappearing little by little into the air.

In the blink of an eye, only a four-person team remained.

The group's clothing was rather thin, but fortunately, their cultivation levels were sufficient.

The "worst" empress, now walking outside in a puppet body, was impervious to the cold. She watched the gate close with great interest and said:
"So this is how you all travel back and forth between the gate and the capital."

This was her first time passing through an underground portal, and it was equally exciting.

Zhang Yan, dressed as a priest, turned his head and squinted at the endless snowfield behind them. He flipped his hand, revealing a small compass in his palm, and after a rough calculation, said:
"We have indeed arrived at the northernmost point, the edge of the Mubei Forest, just one step away from the 'boundary'."

“Boundary?” Zhao Du’an caught the word.

Zhang Yan put away the compass and patiently explained:
“If a cultivator enters the snowfield, their cultivation will be damaged, but not too much, because strictly speaking, this snowfield is also within the territory of the Yu Kingdom, only it is sparsely populated.”

From here, it's a long way south to reach Jubei City and the area under the rule of the King of Yanshan and the Iron Pass Road.

Of course, the King of Yeonsan has long since surrendered.

But if we continue north, we will cross a boundary, and once we enter, we will be affected and suppressed by the mysterious power within the Mubei Forest.

Zhao Du'an nodded:
"Like the Great Laba of the Southwest Frontier, or the Sea God of the Silent Sea? Speaking of which, what are the gods that exist in the Mubei Forest?"

"do not know."

This time, it was the Empress who answered him.

Xu Zhenguan's fingers traced the hilt of a slender sword at her waist. She wore a pure white cloak, its fluffy decorations accentuating her delicate oval face. She spoke solemnly:

"The Mubei Forest has always been a mysterious forbidden zone. We know very little about its interior, and even those who have entered it in history have almost always kept quiet about it."

Zhao Du'an nodded, then suddenly looked at Tuoba Weizhi:

And you? Do you remember anything?

He had not forgotten that there were traces of the Great Qi Dynasty's explorations in the southwestern frontier and the East China Sea.

He didn't believe that the previous dynasty would let the exploration of this forest go unchecked.

Tuoba Weizhi gazed at the northern forest, her eyes filled with utter bewilderment. She shook her head.
"This slave doesn't know."

Don’t you know, or don’t want to say?

Zhao Du'an had always lacked trust in this gender-swapped crown prince.

"Let's go, we're here, let's not waste any more time," Zhao Du'an said, letting out a breath.

His breath condensed quickly into frost in the cold air.

The four-person team immediately set off, heading towards the forest.

Just as everyone crossed an invisible boundary, Zhao Du'an's expression suddenly changed. He stopped, his face shifting uncertainly:
"Is this what you call suppression? Isn't it a bit too harsh?"

At that moment, he clearly sensed that he was as if he had been sealed by some kind of seal.

The flow of energy throughout his body was frighteningly slow, and the dragon soul within his dantian was as if it were dead, receiving no response no matter how he called out to it.

"Even with this physical body, my current internal strength is probably only at the mortal realm!"

Zhao Du'an said.

Tuoba Weizhi's dark face was equally unsightly. She looked at her hands, trying to exert force, and said somewhat flusteredly:
"This servant is no exception. The divine power bestowed upon me by the Laba God is negligible!"

Even a half-step Celestial has been nerfed like this? Is this even playable?

Zhao Du'an ignored the Empress, who was merely a puppet with little combat power, and looked expectantly at the Celestial Master.

Zhang Yan simply pulled his black priest's robe tighter around himself and said calmly:
"Why are you looking at me? I only have the power of the Divine Chapter Realm left."

Holy crap... The peak of the Celestial Realm has been reduced to a Divine Realm... Zhao Du'an felt a chill run down his spine.

At this moment, I finally understood why the Mubei Forest was a "forbidden zone," where even the strong could not enter.

He clearly remembered seeing countless ferocious beasts in this forest in the "Martial God Diagram".

If someone from the Divine Realm enters this place, they could easily be killed by wild beasts if they are not careful.

Zhang Yanyi continued calmly:
"Moreover, from now on, my magical power will be extremely precious and cannot be used casually. Otherwise, once my magical power is exhausted, it will be difficult to replenish it."

The situation is getting worse...

Zhao Du'an suddenly stared intently at Old Zhang:

"Are you really not afraid of death?"

Zhang Yan met his gaze, suddenly smiled, then looked ahead and sighed:
“Fear? How could I not be afraid? All emperors throughout history have been afraid of death, so how much better am I? That’s why I’ve come here many times over the years, but I’ve never actually stepped inside. However, there’s no turning back now.”

Yes.

Given the deep-seated hatred for the destruction of Buddhism by the Heavenly Hunt six hundred years ago, once the Mysterious Seal and the Dharma King successfully merge and truly challenge the Human Immortal realm, that will be the time when the Heavenly Master's Mansion is destroyed.

This was also the time when the State of Yu was destroyed.

"I will go first, and you will bring up the rear."

Zhang Yan took the lead and used his black robe to shield the others from the cold wind.

Zhao Du'an and the others stood still, watching the old master's dark figure, who was fighting to the death, gradually disappear into the distance, like a lone wolf on a snowy plain.

"Why aren't you following?" Zhang Yan turned around and looked at the group of people who were in a daze.

Zhao Du'an said expressionlessly:
Do you know the way? Do you know which way to go?

The Empress and Tuoba Weizhi nodded simultaneously, expressing the same question.

“…” Zhang Yan paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Then what kind of guide are you!"

Zhao Du'an complained irritably:
"In such a vast forest, wandering around aimlessly? You wouldn't even know how you died!"

Zhang Yan opened his mouth, then fell silent, and angrily flicked his sleeve, saying:
"None of you have been here, so how could you possibly know?"

Zhao Du'an smiled faintly:
"We've never been here before, but that doesn't mean we don't have guides among us."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was stunned.

Immediately, Zhao Du'an raised his finger, gently tapped his brow, and whispered:
"Please, senior, come out of seclusion." His eyes instantly turned silver, and illusory red lines appeared in the air, outlining a figure dressed in a wedding gown and wearing a dark gold mask.

As soon as Pei Niannu appeared, she stared blankly ahead, her eyes revealing a look of longing beneath her mask!
She murmured, "Mubei Forest... I've come again..."

Xu Zhenguan's eyes lit up. That's right. Pei Niannu was an ancient person who witnessed the forging of the Golden Gate. With the ancestor's ingenious methods, how could he not have arranged a guide?

Should we let them risk entering?

In retrospect, Pei Niannu, hidden within the royal cultivation method, was the "guide" on this final journey.

"Senior, what did you remember?" Zhao Du'an asked.

He discovered that although his cultivation was suppressed and he could not use it, his internal energy was only sealed in his dantian and could still be used to maintain Pei Niannu's existence, only it could not be accessed.

"I...have been here."

Pei Niannu held her head in her hands, seemingly recalling something, and murmured:
"I can't remember clearly, I only remember one road."

The emperor and his minister's eyes lit up: "Please lead the way, senior."

This time, Pei Niannu did not refuse. She seemed to realize that this was her "mission" for being alive, and she passed Zhang Yanyi without hesitation, drifting forward.

Zhang Yan was taken aback. The old master remained silent, but inwardly he was relieved.
Fortunately, I chose to ally with the royal family; otherwise, without someone to guide me, I would have been doomed.

……

"Swish—"

The boots made a crisp sound as they stepped into the snow.

After the group entered the forest, the cold wind around them subsided considerably, and the snow on the ground was not as thick.

As they continued forward, the variety of tree species around them increased, and more footprints left by wild animals appeared on the ground.

The forest was extremely quiet, except for the occasional strange "creaking" from overhead, which was just the sound of the wind rustling through the branches.

The group was on high alert, fearing an attack by a wild beast.

Fortunately, not only was the outer edge of the forest inherently safe, but the path guided by Pei Niannu also ensured that the journey was fraught with danger yet ended without incident.

Although they encountered some ferocious beasts similar to wild bears in the forest several times, the beasts did not seem to recognize "humans" and avoided them peacefully from a distance.

"It seems that it's not so dangerous here after walking for several hours," Zhao Du'an couldn't help but say.

Xu Zhenguan's face was red from the cold as he shook his head and said:
"Don't be careless. This is just the outer perimeter; the deeper parts are definitely dangerous. If we encounter danger, I will make the first move, and you will stay behind."

"Since I'm just a puppet, even if my body is destroyed and only my head remains, my soul can still exist. You can carry my head on your back and we can travel together."

No... Zhenbao, your description is a bit too spooky, isn't it?
Should I talk about your profile picture behind my back?

Besides, if only the head is left, are you sure it can still "live"?

At least keep the "solar energy charging" part of the puppet... Zhao Du'an internally complained.

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Weizhi whispered:

“This servant will stand at the forefront; if this body rots, we can just replace it.”

Okay, so in our team, only Lao Zhang and I are the squishy ones, right?
Zhao Du'an was deeply moved. Of the three female team members, one was a spirit, and the other two were not in their true forms...

He lagged two steps behind, looked at the old shaman who was using a scavenged wooden stick as a "staff," and whose current attire somewhat resembled Gandalf in his black robes from a movie, and sighed:
"Master, you and I are more like living people. We're afraid of dying."

Zhang Yanyi's eyebrows and beard were covered in frost in the cold air. Hearing this, he leaned on his staff and glanced at him sideways, saying:

"I have been preparing for this day for many years, and I naturally have ways to protect myself. If you encounter any danger, you'd better pray for good luck."

After saying that, the old man sped forward to catch up with the three women.

Only the weak, pitiful, and helpless Zhao Du'an remained, leaning on his knife, lying at the very back with a blank expression, on the verge of tears.

They chatted and joked along the way.

Surprisingly, no battles occurred on the first day of the journey. However, as they ventured deeper into the area, everyone felt that the dangers around them were increasing.

It was as if unseen eyes were watching them from the shadows in this forest, and the subtle sense of danger kept them on their toes.

As the sun set and night fell in the Mubei Forest, the five-person team decided to stop and rest.

Finding a sheltered spot, Zhao Du'an took out a silver scroll and retrieved items such as a tent and an iron pot.

He then ordered Tuoba Weizhi to gather dry branches, start a fire, melt snow to fetch water, and cook the dry rations they had brought with them.

Soon, the forest fell completely dark, leaving only a single flame burning here.

Zhao Du'an hesitated for a moment, considering that the animals here were probably afraid of fire, and that wild animals had the upper hand at night, so he gathered more firewood and prepared to burn it all night.

……

at night.

Pei Niannu has temporarily disappeared.

The four men in the group sat around the tent, unable to sleep. They lit a candle and, by its light, began their first nighttime conversation.

"This is our route for today."

Zhao Du'an placed a newly drawn "map" in the center of the four people. The map only had a large outline and was a map of the entire forest area drawn along the outer edge of the Mubei Forest in Yu State.

They also used a compass, which wasn't very scientific in this world, to draw grids similar to "latitude and longitude lines" to divide the area.

Throughout the day, Zhao Du'an had Zhang Yan calculate the directions, and they managed to draw a map with questionable accuracy. Now, pointing to the lines on the paper, he said:
"Although our cultivation levels have been severely suppressed, our bodies are still very strong and our foot strength is extraordinary. So, we have been moving quite fast for the past ten hours or so."

According to my calculations, we have now left the outer perimeter and entered the central area of ​​the Mubei Forest. And judging from the direction Pei Niannu is leading us, my target should clearly be the core area.

Xu Zhen nodded and said:

"If that's the case, it will take at least five or six more days to get there."

Zhang Yanyi calmly analyzed:

"I'm afraid it will take longer, because the further we go, the slower we can go. We need to avoid danger, and if we encounter a battle, we need to rest."

Zhao Du'an expressed his agreement:
"That means it might take ten days to get there."

At this moment, the dark-skinned priestess sitting to the side stared blankly at the map for a while, as if some broken, long-forgotten memories had been stirred up. She suddenly shook her head and said:

"No, it won't take that long. There's a shortcut. I... I think I've seen a map of this forest before."

brush--

Instantly, all three of them turned their gazes to Tuoba Weizhi's face.

Tuoba Weizhi was startled and carefully explained:

"But I can't remember clearly, it's very vague, lacking details..."

Zhao Du'an stared at her:
"You mean, Qi Kingdom once drew a map of this place?"

Tuoba Weizhi paused for a moment, then slowly said:

"Maybe. But it must have been a very, very long time ago, probably a thousand years ago."

She paused, then added:

"Because... a thousand years ago, the Mubei Forest seemed to be nothing special, so it could be easily explored. But after that time a thousand years ago, the entire forest suddenly became different, and no one could set foot in it anymore."

(End of this chapter)