Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 181 [The Pursuing Force] (6000 words)

Chapter 176 [The Pursuing Force] (6000)

The thumb ring is still the same thumb ring. In this cold place, the thumb ring feels cold and hard to the touch, and it doesn't look any different.

Chen Yanqiang suppressed his anxiety and squinted as he checked repeatedly. After finding nothing unusual, his anxiety grew stronger.

There's no going back?!
still is……

Suddenly, a thought struck him!
vitality!!
Since obtaining this ring, he has been continuously pouring vital energy into it for the past few months. After the trial in the Japanese secret realm ended and the secret realm was destroyed, a huge amount of vital energy was drawn into his body, and he channeled all of that vital energy into the ring...

However, ever since he discovered that the ring could lead to the realm, he has never poured any more vital energy into it after using it a few times.

and so……

The battery is dead?
Only after making this guess in his mind did Chen Yan feel a little hopeful and suppress his anxiety.

However, there's no way to do it here right now. We need to leave and go to a place with abundant energy so that we can transfer energy to recharge the ring. Yes, recharge it.

Perhaps, after charging, it can take itself back to its own world.

·
As Chen Yan carefully rubbed the thumb ring, Jin Jia had already run to the side to look through some things.

When he returned, Chen Yan had already put away the ring and glanced at the golden armor: "What... are you doing with this?"

What the golden-armored man was holding was none other than the weapon of the dead iron hook monster.

A long iron hook.

The monster was enormous, standing three meters tall, and its weapons were naturally quite large as well.

This iron hook is about the height of an average human.

The iron hook looked rough, but when Chen Yan reached out and touched it, he immediately felt that something was wrong.

The texture of this metal doesn't seem to be something that could be produced using the backward and barbaric smelting techniques of the ferocious beast tribe.

Jin Jia picked up the thing, threw it on the ground next to Chen Yan, and ran away again.

Chen Yan looked at this guy, and then his eyebrows immediately rose.

After dragging the iron hook monster's corpse aside, Jin Jia rolled up his sleeves, pulled out a dagger, and disemboweled the monster's body!
Moments later, his hands were covered in blood, but he had already cut open the monster's chest and dug out a huge heart.

With his dagger, Jin Jia ripped open the monster's heart, cut it open, laughed, and pulled out a crystal. He wiped the blood off his clothes, nodded in satisfaction, and put it in his pocket.

Chen Yan immediately recalled the first time he met the golden armor, when he killed the leader of that group of monsters—that leader also emitted a protective red light, and after killing him, the golden armor also disemboweled him and took something out of his internal organs.

"This weapon is yours, and what you take out of its heart is mine." The golden-armored man looked at Chen Yan and laughed, "Is this a fair division?"

"..." Chen Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, "What did you dig out?"

The man in golden armor seemed to hesitate for a moment, his expression solemn, but after thinking for a while, he still answered: "Demon-transforming crystal."

Enchantment crystal?

Chen Yan's expression hardened: "What do you mean? You can turn these guys into [evil spirits]?!"

“Not exactly.” Jin Jia sighed. “The seven tribes of the Ferocious Clan betrayed the Realm and joined the [Spirit]. From among them, some elites with some of the [Spirit's] abilities began to emerge. Sendai has been investigating and spying from various angles and has sent many people out to try to figure out what’s going on.”

As he spoke, the golden-armored man pointed at the iron hook's corpse: "Before their betrayal, these ferocious beasts were still..."

“The Tree Shepherd Clan.” Chen Yan nodded and said, “I know that. Just tell me the important parts.”

"The original Tree Shepherds were not skilled in magic, but they were born tall and strong, running like the wind, and were best at surviving in forests and mountains. However, after their betrayal, they became the current Beast Clan, which often produces some mutated individuals. For example..."

“For example, these guys that can emit red light.” Chen Yan nodded.

"Yes, these guys have acquired some of the abilities of the evil spirits. Although it's only a part, the increase in their combat power is significant."

These individuals are exceptionally tall and robust, possessing immense strength. Even without using magic, they can rival cultivators who follow the physical cultivation path. This red light will cause them to enter a berserk state where they are fearless in any battle, unaware of pain or fear. Some can even regenerate from severed bodies, recovering from minor injuries to continue fighting.

The red light also grants them a powerful layer of defense; magical attacks from those below the Celestial Realm are significantly weakened, and it's even difficult to break through this protective red light.

Chen Yan nodded.

He had never witnessed limbs regenerating or minor injuries healing—nor had this hook monster demonstrated any such ability.

But he had already witnessed the powerful defensive capabilities of the red light protecting his body.

It took him several "Ten Thousand Swords Talismans" to finally break through the opponent's defenses—and he only managed to break one part of the shoulder.

He himself was at the Returning Origin Realm, and the Myriad Swords Talisman he created possessed the power of a Returning Origin Realm spell.

This guy's protective red aura could withstand seven or eight Thousand Swords Talismans, and it was only barely broken, but he did not actually lose his fighting ability.

If Jin Jia hadn't faked his death and then launched a sneak attack from behind, killing his opponent, this battle would have been far from over!
"So, this is what you're here to investigate? To investigate how these ferocious beast races came to have monsters that have become possessed?" Chen Yan asked.

“I’m not the only one. Sendai has sent many people to investigate, and I’m just one of them.” The golden-armored man sighed. “However, this kind of investigation is very difficult. Many of my comrades have already died, and as for the progress…”

As he spoke, the man in golden armor looked rather helpless.

Chen Yan understood and, without asking any further questions, said, "Alright, then you can keep whatever you dug out. I only want this iron hook."

As he spoke, he glanced at the object and gave a wry smile.

What's the use of this thing? Just take it home and use it as a club?

Jin Jia seemed a little embarrassed and laughed, "I've seen this. After refining it, I can extract a few ounces of iron essence, which is worth several hundred coins."

Chen Yan looked at the iron hook, which was nearly 1.8 meters long and about the thickness of a small sapling, and sighed.

Take it back...aren't you tired of carrying it?

"Take it with you, you'll need it later," the golden-armored man said calmly.

Chen Yan remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

After resting for a while, the two packed their things and prepared to leave.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the two had reached a tacit understanding—to travel together.

·
In the vast forest, Chen Yan and Jin Jia traveled together for several more days.

Both were cultivators with strong physiques. They trekked through the forest, carrying a lot of luggage, but their speed was not slow.

Especially after Jin Jia met Chen Yan, he was originally seriously injured, but after receiving the White Bone Pill from Chen Yan, his injuries were healed, and the two of them were able to walk through the forest at a much faster pace.

Basically, you can walk about two or three hundred miles a day.

The vast forest has finally come to an end.

By the fourth day, Chen Yan noticed that the trees around him were gradually becoming sparser, and even the strange trees he saw were no longer as thick and tall as before. They were not only sparse but also shorter and thinner, as if they were growing as if they were malnourished.

Finally, on the seventh day, which was the fourteenth day since Chen Yan arrived in the realm, the seventh day had arrived.

The two finally emerged from the strange forest!
·
At the edge of the forest, the strange trees are becoming fewer and fewer, and some low-lying vegetation has begun to appear on the ground. Occasionally, you can even see specks of green on the ground.

In places where strange trees grow everywhere, there is no greenery to be seen at all.

Those strange trees were all blackish-brown like iron, and even their branches and leaves were the same color as iron.

The ground in the forest was muddy and damp, and there was no other green vegetation to be seen.

Only at the edge of the forest can you see a few scattered patches of green grass and trees.

As green appeared, the chill in the air gradually dissipated, and it seemed that the temperature was getting higher and higher as one moved eastward.

When the two finally emerged from the woods, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the scenery ahead, his face remained unchanged, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Looking eastward from outside the forest, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of snow.

A blizzard raged, covering the earth in a white blanket. As far as the eye could see, the snow obscured the view, and the white expanse seemed to stretch endlessly.

On the horizon, one can vaguely see snow-covered slopes and hills of varying sizes, but their exact distance is impossible to estimate.

Before us stretched a vast, boundless snowfield!
Jin Jia remained calm, simply standing beside Chen Yan. He sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "I was prepared to die in Badlands Mountain, but I actually came back alive, ha!"

Chen Yan said calmly, "We're not out of danger yet, it's a bit early to say that."

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Jin Jia immediately raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "What discouraging words! When I get back, I'm going to get drunk for three days and find a dozen gentle and lovely girls to roll around in a pile of rouge and powder for three days and three nights!"

Chen Yan glanced at the golden armor but said nothing.

After spending the last few days together, Chen Yan had a general understanding of this guy's personality—he was a foul-mouthed bastard. This guy was cunning and cruel—a personality trait that was indeed suited for a dangerous, guerrilla-like job like an agent.

However, although this man often swears, upon closer inspection, he is not actually the kind of person with a crude style who comes from a lower social class. His swearing is probably a product of his professional career, but the air about him that he exudes when he speaks is quite remarkable...

Well, this person must come from a good background; they're the kind of person who's seen it all.

After five days of getting to know each other, Jin Jia never mentioned his background, but whenever he talked about his past experiences and knowledge, he was quite remarkable and his demeanor was also very humble.

That's quite a boast!

Having emerged from the forest and stood at the edge of the snowfield, what excited Chen Yan even more was that he faintly sensed a fluctuation of vital energy!
This slight fluctuation was so weak that it was impossible to move vital energy, mobilize magic power, or use spells.

It's like water; you can feel a slight dampness in the air, but you can't produce liquid water to drink.

However, this change was enough to make Chen Yan happy—and Jin Jia had also mentioned that once you entered the snowfield and left the territory of the ferocious beast tribe, which was this strange forest, the vital energy would gradually become abundant and rich.

By the way, Chen Yan finally learned the official name of this strange tree from Jin Jia: the Evil Spirit Tree.

Evil spirits, meaning those who abhor spiritual energy.

This kind of evil spirit tree did not exist before. It only suddenly grew and was planted in this place after the ferocious beast race betrayed the domain.

Sendai still doesn't understand the origin of this thing, but it definitely comes from [Sui].

The evil spirit tree naturally repels and suppresses vital energy. Because of the vast expanse of this tree, there are thousands of kilometers of boundless forests on both sides of the evil earth mountain, which forms a "vital energy-free" zone.

It also became a natural protective shield for the ferocious beast tribe.

Yes, cultivators from other realms cannot attack this place... cultivators who come here will lose their spells and mana.

This is also why the Domain has been unable to eliminate the traitorous race even after it betrayed them.

·
Wave!
The sound of churning water came from beneath my feet.

Jin Jia laughed loudly, raised his arms forcefully, and pulled the rope backward quickly.

Soon, a large fish was pulled out from under the ice hole in the ground!

Chen Yan quickly ran over, and the two of them, one holding the fish's head and the other its tail, managed to pin the big fish to the ground.

Chen Yan quickly grabbed the ice block next to him and smashed it hard on the fish's head. After a few thuds, the struggling fish finally stopped moving.

This was the third day the two had been walking across the vast snowfield, and the seventeenth day since Chen Yan had arrived in the realm.

In this snowfield, when you first step on it, there is a thick layer of snow, but if you dig deeper, you can actually touch the hard ice layer underneath.

This snowfield is actually a lake.

Jin Jia mentioned that the temperature is only relatively high for two months each year, and there is no wind or snow, so the snow and ice melt.

At other times, the lake is covered in ice and snow, and the surface is frozen.

The two of them had actually been walking on the surface of this lake for three days.

Chen Yan's hiking backpack was already empty of food supplies—after all, how much food can a hiking backpack hold? Plus, after reuniting with Jin Jia, their combined energy expenditure had more than doubled.

Actually, the food in my backpack was already almost gone when I first left the strange forest.

Fortunately, Jin Jia suggested ice fishing, which solved the food problem.

On their first day of fishing, the two of them worked together to dig through the snow and then took out the iron hook they had been carrying for days—it finally came in handy.

The process of breaking the ice was very arduous, but fortunately, both of them were physically strong. After breaking through the solid ice on the lakeside, they created an ice hole about the size of a water bucket. After a while, fish emerged from the water and opened their mouths to breathe at the opening of the ice hole.

Jin Jia immediately used the iron hook with the rope attached to it to poke down and hook the fish's mouth...

This method isn't very efficient, but after a few tries, you'll always see some results.

The large fish that the two of them were holding down at that moment looked to weigh about 20 or 30 pounds.

Chen Yan looked at his haul and sighed inwardly.

If this thing existed in the real world, any angler who caught a fish weighing over 20 pounds would probably post it on seven or eight social media posts, bragging about it for the rest of their life, and even on the day they pass away, they would want to write it on their tombstone.

Chen Yan held an ice cube and smashed the fish's head several times until the fish stopped moving completely, at which point he breathed a sigh of relief.

The fish's scales were extremely small. Chen Yan scraped them open with a dagger, then cut open the skin to reveal the flesh inside.

The flesh of this large fish is a bright orange color, with white fat layers running through it. It looks about 80-90% like a rainbow trout or salmon.

Such a big fish, if you remove the bones and innards, you can still get 20 pounds of meat, enough for two people to eat for several days.

Chen Yan thought to himself, "It's just that Da Bai didn't come along, otherwise there probably wouldn't be enough to eat."

Thinking of Da Bai, Chen Yan became worried again. He had been walking through the woods for several days without encountering Da Bai, and he had no idea where the big cat had gone.

Thinking about it, he couldn't help but glance back at the way he came.

Jin Jia didn't have as many thoughts as Chen Yan. He simply took out his dagger, cut off a piece of orange-yellow fish meat, and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, he nodded in satisfaction: "Very delicious."

Chen Yan smiled, walked to the side, and took out a small bottle of soy sauce from his now much shrunken backpack.

He doesn't actually like eating salmon sashimi very much—most restaurants in China currently serve rainbow trout instead of real sea salmon. Rainbow trout is different from real sea salmon; it's a freshwater fish. The taste difference isn't that big, but the real difference is that sea salmon has fewer parasites.

Rainbow trout are freshwater fish, so they tend to have more parasites.

Chen Yan cut off a long strip of fish meat and roasted it over the fire next to him for a while. After it was cooked, he leaned over and took a bite.

The taste wasn't as fresh as when eaten raw, but Chen Yan drizzled some soy sauce on it and ate it with great relish.

After Jin Jia and Chen Yan finished eating, they cut off the fish meat, put it in a bag, and put it in their bag to take with them.

The two rested by the fire for a while, and some fish soup was being cooked in a pot over the fire. After it boiled, they each drank a bowl.

After resting properly and regaining their strength, and with food in their stomachs, Chen Yan and Jin Jia were ready to continue their journey.

Suddenly! The two of them changed their expressions at the same time and looked to their right.

A whistling wind brought a sound that immediately startled both of them!

·
From the snowfield on the right, a whooshing sound came, as if it were the roar of a ferocious beast tribe.

Then they saw the hunting beast galloping across the snowfield, with ropes hanging from its body and a sled-like frame supporting it from behind.

Several hunting animals were pulling a sled, and there were as many as seven or eight such sleds!
On each sled were two or three fierce beastmen dressed in fur coats, holding bows and arrows, shouting incessantly.

Chen Yan and Jin Jia immediately fell to the ground at the same time.

But soon, their eyes lit up at the same time!
This group of ferocious beasts is being chased!

Behind seven or eight sleds was a group of enemies pursuing them, and... cavalry!
Chen Yan saw it clearly; these "cavalrymen" were quite strange. Their mounts were creatures with a body shape similar to horses.

But it was clearly larger than a horse. Its head was twisted, with horns growing from it, and when it ran, it would emit a roar like muffled thunder.

What's most unique is that this creature has six legs, and when it runs, its six hooves fly, splashing snow everywhere!
The cavalrymen sitting on the back of the creature are clearly human!
Each mount carried at least two humans, clad in leather armor or fur coats. The one in front held the reins, controlling the mount's speed, while the one behind drew their bow and arrow, relentlessly attacking the fleeing sled caravan of the ferocious beastmen!
The pursuing cavalry, at a glance, numbered at least a hundred.

Seeing this, Jin Jia suddenly burst into laughter and slapped Chen Yan hard: "Thunder Beast! It's our cavalry scout team!!"

As he spoke, he jumped up and shouted to Chen Yan, "What a great opportunity, brother! Why don't you earn some battle merits!"

As he spoke, he picked up Chen Yan's recurve bow, drew the bowstring, and nocked an arrow...

call out!
An arrow flew out and struck one of the running beasts in the sled caravan. The beast, its neck pierced by the arrow, immediately collapsed to the ground, dragged along. The other beasts pulling the sleds continued to run wildly, but were pulled to the side by the corpse of their dead companion...

A speeding sled was overturned!
Chen Yan no longer hesitated, raised his rifle and aimed...

boom!
After the shot, a member of the Beast Tribe who was frantically whipping a sled fell off the sled, still clutching the reins, presumably looped around his arm. His body landed on the sled but remained hanging on the snow, rolling around repeatedly...

boom! boom! boom!
Chen Yan fired three shots in succession. One shot missed, but the other two hit their targets, killing two members of the ferocious beast tribe and even overturning a sled!
The pursuing cavalry noticed that someone ahead had intervened to help block their advance. After giving a whistle, the cavalry formation quickly split to the left and right, flanking the enemy from both sides...

call out!
After firing another arrow, the golden-armored man turned to Chen Yan and laughed loudly, "Brother, kill a few more! Every head counts as battle merit! You can exchange them for money!"

Chen Yan remained silent, shifted to a kneeling shooting stance, aimed, and fired again.

boom!
After that shot, the head of a burly beastman sitting on the largest sled in the middle of the sled team was pierced through!
"Ha! You've taken down a big target!" The golden-armored man laughed wildly and fired another arrow!
As more and more members of the sled caravan were struck by arrows and gunfire, and several of the hunting animals pulling the sleds were killed, more and more sleds came to a stop… The leader of the caravan probably realized that fleeing was pointless, and suddenly whistled. After running forward for a while, the sled caravan abruptly turned, circled around on the ice field, and then came to a complete stop.

The approaching cavalry was already upon them. The beastmen roared and jumped off their sleds, grabbing their weapons and charging forward for hand-to-hand combat, engaging in a final, desperate battle!

·
There will be another update at 12:00, resuming the previous update schedule~

·
(End of this chapter)