Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 169 [Is this your home?] (6800)

Chapter 164 [Is this your home?] (6800)

This golden-armored figure exuded a fierce and ruthless aura, displaying decisive and exceptional skill during the surprise attack. Even in this place devoid of spiritual energy, where magic and power were unusable, he managed to annihilate an entire squad of ferocious beastmen solely through his superior martial arts...

Chen Yan knew he didn't possess that skill.

He was able to wreak havoc in the village of the ferocious beast tribe and kill so many monsters because of his detailed prior planning and the use of firearms.

And this golden-armored man with a sword accomplished it with ease.

Judging from the fight he had just witnessed, this guy was incredibly skilled. Chen Yan was certain that if he were to fight him one-on-one, this man could easily kill him.

Of course, if the distance is widened, and one has other trump cards, then one may not necessarily lose.

·
Now that he had learned from the golden-armored man that outside objects and artifacts were not considered to be against the rules in the realm, Chen Yan no longer concealed the truth.

He then opened his hiking backpack, took out an alcohol stove and a pot, walked to a distant place to get some snow, melted the snow to boil water, and threw in a bag of dehydrated vegetables and seaweed.

Soon, the boiling soup released a fragrant aroma. The golden-armored man's Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at it and laughed, "Fellow Daoist, you've brought such fine things!"

He walked over and sat down next to the alcohol stove. Chen Yan glanced at the man and handed him an enamel bowl.

Jin Jia didn't stand on ceremony, took the enamel bowl, and served himself a bowl after the soup was cooked, while Chen Yan simply took the pot and ate.

After a pot of hot soup, the salty and savory seaweed flavor was very comforting, and it warmed up my internal organs.

After putting down the enamel bowl, Jin Jia sighed, "What a fine item! Fellow Daoist, this also came from outside, right? I saw the patrol officers bring this back before."

These dehydrated dried vegetables are excellent provisions for military operations.

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Actually, besides being easy to store and transport, it's not very useful. It's just that our internal and external energy is suppressed here. Otherwise, we wouldn't need this at all."

"If we had enough energy, our storage equipment would be usable, and we could carry as much stuff as we wanted. These dehydrated vegetables are completely useless."

Jin Jia pondered quietly for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "What you say makes sense, but... in the territories of these alien races, there are always areas where the internal and external energies are suppressed, which is a great headache for us cultivators."

To fight these guys, we have to go deep into these lifeless areas, and that's where these things from the outside come in handy.

The two chatted for a while longer. Chen Yan didn't dare to ask too obviously about the Domain Realm, but instead tried to subtly elicit information without revealing his true intentions.

The golden-armored man, however, seemed quite interested in Chen Yan and asked, "I don't think Fellow Daoist Wang is a body cultivator, is he?"

"That's right, I have never practiced physical techniques."

"You don't cultivate combat techniques, yet you dare to come here to do this bounty-earning thing. Fellow Daoist, you are indeed bold." The golden-armored man looked at Chen Yan with a strange look in his eyes.

Chen Yan learned from Jin Jia that although many rogue cultivators would come to the territory of the Fiend Clan to hunt down alien races under the bounty system of the Domain Immortal Platform...

But generally speaking, those who come are all body cultivators.

Because in areas where the vital energy is suppressed, the strength of ordinary cultivators is reduced to almost zero after being suppressed—the fierce race has a powerful physique, and although the cultivators' physiques have also been nurtured by vital energy, they have no advantage whatsoever in front of the fierce race.

Only body cultivators who excel in combat techniques can retain some combat power even after their vital energy is suppressed, without using spells or mana.

For example, this golden-armored man is clearly a body cultivator who is proficient in combat techniques!

Faced with Jin Jia's doubts, Chen Yan could only vaguely brush it off with the reason that "cultivation is not easy, and one can only earn resources by risking one's life."

After pondering for a moment, Jin Jia slowly said, "Although this is our first meeting, we have fought side by side. I admire your extraordinary courage. If you don't mind, I am willing to recommend you to join a sect or family and serve them. You can also be registered in the Sendai and have a proper background."

"This way, we'll have a stable way to earn some resources, which is better than you, fellow Daoist, not cultivating body techniques but risking your life in this place devoid of vital energy."

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat. Had he been recruited?

He had originally intended to extract more information from the golden-armored fellow Daoist, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. He immediately put on a happy face and said, "That would be wonderful! Thank you, Fellow Daoist Golden Armor!"

Jin Jia then slowly said, "I will stay here for a while longer. We agree to meet three months from now. You will wait for me outside Baiyujing City at Sendai. I will then introduce you to the city and help you register as a celestial being."

Although Chen Yan didn't quite understand, he still stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in thanks to the golden-armored man: "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Jin Jia looked at Chen Yan and said, "I have one more piece of advice for you, fellow Daoist. If you have already gained a lot from this trip, then you should go back as soon as possible."

There is a mining area of ​​the Beast Clan in this 'Bad Soil Mountain'. Recently, some things have happened in the Beast Clan, and there will be major changes in the mining area of ​​Bad Soil Mountain. In a few days, many warriors of the Beast Clan will come, and within ten days, this place will be in chaos.

"Although you are courageous, you are ultimately unfamiliar with combat tactics. Staying here is too risky; it would be best to leave as soon as possible."

Chen Yan immediately feigned surprise and pressed for an answer: "What changes have occurred within the Beast Clan?"

The man in golden armor shook his head: "This is intelligence from the Bureau, and I can't go into details with you, fellow Daoist. In short, trust me and leave as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he pointed to Chen Yan's backpack: "I see that you have also collected some spoils of war, fellow Daoist. I also have a few words to share with you."

The Yin Sha Spirit Crystals produced in this 'Bad Soil Mountain' are, after all, prohibited items as explicitly stated by the Sendai. Although they can be traded on the black market to refine magical artifacts, the weapon refiners on the black market do not know the true refining method of the Yin Sha Spirit Crystals. Although the magical artifacts they refine are quite powerful, they also have great hidden dangers.

If it is complete, fellow Daoist, you must not refine it for your own use.

Of course, if you're just selling it for money, then it's fine.

Badlands Mountain?
Chen Yan looked at the mountain ridge—he had been here many times and wandered around this ridge for countless days, but only now did he finally learn the name of this mountain.

The black crystals he seized from the corpses of the ferocious beasts were the "Yin Sha Spirit Crystals" that Jin Jia had mentioned.

"Although this thing is very good, it has too much Yin energy. If there is no good way to neutralize it, using it to refine magic artifacts will pollute the cultivator's primordial spirit and fortune over time. It is inauspicious to use it!"
The master craftsmen in Sendai only recently devised a proper method to neutralize the evil energy, but completely eliminating it would deplete most of the vital energy within… Therefore, I advise you, fellow Daoist, to take it back and sell it on the black market for money.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's heart stirred, and he smiled and said, "Trading on the black market is quite troublesome, and I would have to bring it all the way back... If you are interested in this item, I might as well sell it to you."

Jin Jia laughed and nodded, saying, "That's right. If you want to make a move, you'll have to go to a big city to find a black market when you get back. The markets in small places are very aggressive in driving down prices."

As he spoke, he slowly pulled out a cloth bag and threw it on the ground, saying in a low voice, "On the black market, Yin Sha Spirit Crystals are worth twenty coins for one tael. I think you've collected quite a lot of spirit crystals, fellow Daoist."

"I have one hundred jade coins in this purse, which can be exchanged for five taels of Yin Sha Spirit Crystals."

Chen Yan also took out his leather pouch containing spirit crystals, weighed it in his hand, and said, "It's less than five taels, not enough to exchange for a hundred coins from you, fellow Daoist."

The man in golden armor seemed to have planned it all out beforehand, and said with a smile, "With the extra money, I'd like to buy some other items from you, fellow Daoist."

Chen Yan remained silent, smiling as he looked at the man.

Jin Jia pointed to the alcohol stove and pot on the ground, as well as the bag of dehydrated vegetables.

“I will be staying here for quite some time and I am in dire need of these supplies. Why don’t you sell them to me, fellow Daoist, to make up for the lack of spirit crystals?”

Chen Yan smiled and generously pushed the alcohol stove and pot over, along with a bag of solid alcohol. The bag of dehydrated vegetables on the ground had already been eaten quite a bit and the packaging had been opened, so Chen Yan pushed that over as well. Then he took out a bag of unopened dehydrated vegetables from his backpack and handed it over as well.

"I brought quite a few of these things with me, so I'll give them all to you, fellow Daoist."

The golden-armored man's smile immediately became even warmer.

The dehydrated vegetables that were sold were all the supplies Chen Yan had brought this time, but he didn't feel bad about it.

There are plenty of these things in the real world.

Moreover, she actually brought a bottle of vitamin pills with her, so even if she gave all the dehydrated vegetables to Jinjia, she could still take vitamin pills without any problem.

After the transaction was completed, the two seemed to become even closer.

After resting for more than an hour, Jin Jia got up to say goodbye to Chen Yan, urging him to leave as soon as possible, and made an appointment to meet again in a large city called Baiyujing three months later.

As for the meeting agreement, Chen Yan just listened to it and went through with it. He had no intention of going to Baiyujing three months later.

After the two parted ways, Jin Jia set off westward, presumably to the village of the ferocious beast tribe in the Strange Forest to search for Du Li.

Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, then did not tell Jin Jia the truth about Du Li's death.

After all, if he revealed it, he wouldn't be able to explain his origins.

The village must have been heavily damaged by his attack, with many elite warriors killed or wounded, greatly weakening its strength. He had even killed the village's monster leader. With the Golden Armor's formidable combat power, he shouldn't be in any danger.

After seeing Jin Jia off, Chen Yan also got up and set off.

He headed north, walking along the foot of this mountain ridge—well, it should be called Badlands Mountain now.

During their earlier casual conversation, Chen Yan had already managed to extract information from Jin Jia.

This rugged mountain range runs from north to south, with a ridge stretching for eight hundred li.

If you head north, you can reach a gap in the middle of the mountain ridge, which is a canyon road several hundred meters wide. Walking out of the canyon, you can cross the Badlands Mountain and go to the other side of the mountain ridge.

Over there, there's also a large forest. Just keep walking east, and you can pass through the forest...

This was also the escape route that Du Li had told him before. With both sides confirming it, Chen Yan was certain that Jin Jia had not lied.

·
After parting ways with Jin Jia, Chen Yan traveled alone for two days, during which time he made some more discoveries.

While he was spending the night there, he encountered several wild prey animals.

Chen Yan fought and retreated, escaping into the woods where he jumped onto a tree, shot two of them to death with his bow and arrow, and then lit a [Fire Talisman] to drive away the remaining beasts.

That's how they got the carcasses of two hunting animals.

Chen Yan wasn't greedy; he only cut off his two hind legs, tied them with rope, and hung them on his backpack.

Two days later, with only 50 hours left in the countdown, Chen Yan finally arrived at the gap canyon in the Badlands!
·
The continuous rugged mountain ridges here seem to have been split in two by some great force of heaven and earth.

The entrance to the gap in the mountain ridge is exceptionally wide, hundreds of meters in width, with cliffs on both sides.

It was as if some force had suddenly carved out a piece of the originally intact mountain ridge here.

Entering the canyon, we were further away from the strange forest, and everything was covered with thick ice and snow. As we walked in, our steps were unsteady and the journey was difficult.

The snow was soft and thick; with each step, it submerged Chen Yan's snow boots.

Chen Yan only walked about twenty steps into the valley before turning back.

This way won't work!
He thought for a moment, then turned back into the woods, swung his axe, chopped down a strange tree, cut out a long, narrow template, and took out rope from his bag to tie to the sole of his shoe. And just like that, a suggested ski was made.

Although Chen Yan couldn't ski, he didn't care about speed. He just wanted a plank under his feet so that he wouldn't sink into the snow with every step.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to walk very far before his boots were soaked with ice and snow.

Even with skis on the soles of his shoes, Chen Yan still felt very awkward after taking a few steps. Lifting his legs and taking steps took more effort, and he walked unsteadily.

"Looks like I'll have to learn to ski when I get back."

Chen Yan sighed.

With two days left before his return, Chen Yan planned to cross the canyon and explore the other side of Badlands.

It's impossible to have a passage that allows you to travel between realms, only to wander around this strange forest forever.

Chen Yan stepped into the canyon and struggled to move forward on the snow. The wide wooden planks under his feet distributed the pressure and prevented his feet from sinking deep into the snow, but his walking speed was not much faster.

The wind in the canyon was even stronger, like a draft that cuts through the canyon. The howling wind made Chen Yan's face sting. Even with a face mask, Chen Yan felt his facial skin gradually going numb from the pain.

After walking for four hours in the canyon, Chen Yan stopped to rest, found shelter behind a rock, and ate some food.

Although the alcohol stove had been sold to Jin Jia, Chen Yan still had some branches in his bag that he could use to start a fire.

After drinking a few mouthfuls of boiled snow water and eating a few pieces of hunted animal meat, Chen Yan felt as if a small warm stove had been built in his stomach before he resumed his journey.

After taking only two steps, Chen Yan suddenly stopped.

He turned to the side and listened intently in the direction of the path he had come from behind. He could vaguely hear a rustling sound coming from behind him, mixed with faint whimpers and howls.

Chen Yan was overjoyed and stared wide-eyed.

Sure enough, after a short while, a white figure leaped and ran across the snow on the path they had come from, its movements agile and swift, heading towards them.

"Dabai!!"

Chen Yan was overjoyed and shouted, and Da Bai immediately responded with a low howl, while running even faster.

Chen Yan simply squatted down, opened his arms, and welcomed the big white thing that ran towards him. Finally, it pounced on Chen Yan, knocking him over in the snow.

The man and the beast huddled together, rolling around in the snow a few times before Chen Yan finally got up and hugged Da Bai's neck, feeling the wild beast aura emanating from the big guy.

Chen Yan burst into laughter: "I thought I wouldn't be able to find you this time!"

Da Bai whimpered and frantically rubbed its head against Chen Yan's body.

Chen Yan turned over, took off one of the hind legs of the hunting animal hanging on his backpack, and threw it to Da Bai. Da Bai immediately pressed its paws down on the snow and began to tear it apart.

Chen Yan sat to the side, watching Da Bai eat happily, and laughed, "I've been looking for you for the past few days. You left the place where we parted last time, and even the meat we buried was dug up. I thought you had encountered some danger."

Big White lowered its head and ate heartily, but its nose twitched as if it were somewhat disdainful.

Chen Yan laughed heartily: "I knew it. With your skills, those ferocious beast monsters wouldn't be able to catch you."

He looked closely at Big White; the wounds he had sustained earlier had completely healed.

Apart from that, the white dog's fur was clean and there were no new scars.

“Now that you’ve found me, come with me across the canyon and let’s take a look at the other side of Badlands Mountain.” Chen Yan smiled and looked Da Bai up and down. “You’ve come at the right time. I was just worried about how difficult it would be to travel in the snow. Now that I have you, I’ll trouble you to let me ride you one more time.”

As he spoke, he went over, grabbed Big White's head, and rolled over to sit on it.

Da Bai didn't struggle. After Chen Yan finished, he got up from the ground, but turned around and headed back towards the way he came from the entrance of the canyon.

"Hey! No, no! This isn't the way!"

Chen Yan held Da Bai's head and shouted loudly, while also exerting force with both arms, trying to turn Da Bai around. However, Da Bai suddenly stopped and shook its head in confusion.

Chen Yan rolled off the mountain and pointed to the other side of Badlands: "Let's go there! There!"

Da Bai looked in the direction Chen Yan was pointing, then shook its head vigorously, came over and gently bit Chen Yan's pants, pulling them back the way they came.

"Ok?"

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat!
"Big White, are you asking me... to go with you?"

"Woo woo~~" Big White nodded.

Are you taking me somewhere? Or do you have something to show me?

"Woo woo!~" Big White nodded again.

Chen Yan felt strange and doubtful, but after a slight hesitation, he thought, since he only had two days left in this teleportation anyway, he might as well go and see where Da Bai was going to take him.

The other side of Badlands Mountain won't make much difference next time you go.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan put his mind at ease, turned over and sat back on Da Bai's back, gently patting Da Bai's head: "Let's go, let me see where you're taking me."

Big White shook its head, then suddenly exerted force with its limbs, leaping high into the air and jumping more than ten meters in one bound!

Its paws are thick and wide, and with its amazing physique, it can run on the snow as if it were flat ground. Carrying Chen Yan does not seem to affect its jumping and running at all, and it runs hundreds of meters away in the blink of an eye.

But after a few hundred meters, Da Bai suddenly veered off course and headed towards the cliff on the side of the mountain. When it got close, it lunged forward and put its paws on the rocks of the cliff. Then, it pushed off with its hind legs and stood up!

Before Chen Yan could react, Da Bai had already carried him up another level, landing on an even higher rock...

Chen Yan felt dizzy and lightheaded, his body floating. In the strong wind, he could barely open his eyes. He felt Da Bai carrying him, jumping higher and higher on the mountain ridge and cliff...

Suddenly everything went black, and Big White had already carried him onto a protruding rock on a cliff. There was a cave in the rock, and they just crawled inside!
The cave wasn't very high. Chen Yan, sitting on Da Bai's back, almost hit his head on the cave ceiling. He quickly rolled off, only to feel the wind howling outside the cave, while the inside was pitch black...

However, looking into the cave, it seemed bottomless, with faint ripples of air flowing through it.

The air inside the cave didn't smell bad, probably because of the air currents.

Chen Yan also saw a pile of bones in a corner of the cave floor, clearly the remains of a hunted beast, with bite marks on them.

"This...this isn't your hideout, is it? Did you bring me to your home?"

Chen Yan looked at Da Bai with curiosity.

Da Bai didn't respond. Instead, it gently bit Chen Yan's pants, tugged at them, and then let go, reaching into the cave.

Chen Yan felt increasingly puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his long-handled axe, slung his recurve bow over his shoulder, and hung his quiver at his waist. Then, he took a small flashlight from his backpack, turned it on, and followed Da Bai into the cave...

As you walk deeper into this cave, it becomes frighteningly deep!

Da Bai walked along, stopping from time to time to wait for Chen Yan.

Chen Yan had already removed his hood and was carefully observing the situation along the way.

Although Big White was leading the way, Big White was still an animal. No matter how intelligent it was, it was not human and could not communicate clearly. Heaven knows what was in this cave.

·
The cave appears to have formed naturally, with no signs of human intervention.

It is likely that crustal movement compressed the mountain, deforming its internal structure and creating several fissures, which then formed these caves in the mountain.

After walking for about an hour, they had encountered two or three forks in the road ahead. Facing each fork, Da Bai simply sniffed and chose a route without hesitation, leading Chen Yan onward.

Chen Yan tried to stop and ask Da Bai several times, but the big guy seemed unmoved, probably because he didn't know how to say it, and just silently led Chen Yan down the road.

The cave's terrain gradually descended, and at one point, the path was entirely downward, causing the pace of travel to slow down considerably.

However, the temperature inside the cave is much warmer than outside.

After walking for a long time, Chen Yan, who was wearing a winter coat, even felt that his underwear was soaked with sweat.

After walking for more than an hour into the mountains, Chen Yan suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the cave passage ahead.

As if carried by the air currents in the cave, the sounds from ahead were faintly transmitted.

Chen Yan immediately stopped and listened carefully, confirming that he hadn't misheard. A faint "clinking" sound came from the front of the cave, carried by the airflow.

The sound was dense yet scattered, sounding as if it came from more than one source.

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately turned off the flashlight and put it in his pocket. He tightened his grip on the long-handled axe, and tiptoed down the path, following Da Bai.

I don't know how long we walked, but a faint ray of light was still shining through the cave ahead.

As they walked further, the light became increasingly bright.

Finally, we've reached the end of the cave!

At the end of the cave is a hollow in the mountainside, and standing at the end of the cave is like being in the middle of a space within the mountainside. The cave is like a small hole halfway up the hollow in the mountainside.

After walking to the end of the cave and looking down, Chen Yan immediately lay down and pressed his body tightly against the ground.

One step further into the cave, there is a drop like a cliff, and looking around, there seem to be many similar cave entrances on the surrounding mountain walls.

Just like natural ventilation openings.

Inside this mountain, the height exceeds one hundred meters!
Right in the center of the mountain, a huge, black thing stood there!
Its branches and leaves are lush and its canopy is like a canopy! But its entire body is pitch black!
It was a gigantic...tree?!
Beneath this giant tree, at the base of its roots, many roots protrude from the ground.

The raised parts, however, seem to form irregularly shaped bulges.

These mounds vary in size, with the smallest being no more than a person's height and the largest being as large as a house.

Around the roots scattered beneath the giant tree, near the various mounds, hundreds of figures were wielding hoes, diligently chiseling and hammering at the mounds, making clanging sounds.

And all of these figures belong to the ferocious beast race!
Chen Yan swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the hundred-meter-tall giant tree in the center.

(This... is the Divine Tree of the Beast Clan?!)

·
(End of this chapter)