Generation Z Mainland

Chapter 9 The Mystery of the Ice Crystal Tree (1)

"Zuo Qihan! Wait for me!"

Ling Zhaoxue quickly caught up with Zuo Qihan and said, panting heavily, "I've been calling you for a long time, but you won't stop!"

Zuo Qihan turned his head to look at her and continued walking forward, saying as he walked: "Didn't I tell you not to come?"

Ling Zhaoxue quickly approached Zuo Qihan and patted him on the shoulder: "If I don't come, who will show you the way?"

Zuo Qihan waved the map. Ling Zhaoxue glanced at it, curled her lips, and looked away, saying, "This...map may not be accurate. Besides, I grew up here and I'm very familiar with this area. If you trust me, just follow me!"

Zuo Qihan watched Ling Zhaoxue walk forward confidently, shrugged his shoulders, and followed behind her.

Not long after they started walking, two figures started sneaking up on them. Zhi Enhan was speechless: "Why can't we just walk normally?"

Zhang Hanrui patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's observe first. I have a feeling these two have some secret that no one else knows about. Why are they suddenly so close? There must be something fishy going on!"

Zhi Enhan rolled her eyes at him and walked straight ahead.

Zhang Hanrui was so anxious that he almost cried out: "Hey, hey, hey! How can I observe you when you're walking so fast?"

Zhi Enhan didn't look back and continued walking forward, muttering, "Why do I have to observe? Can't I just ask directly? Besides, brother, didn't you follow me here to help Zuo Qihan? Being so sneaky doesn't feel like you're helping them, it feels like you're stalking them."

Zhang Hanrui finally caught up with Zhi Enhan: "What do you know!"

Zhi Enhan made a bowing gesture to Zhang Hanrui: "Yes, yes, you are my master, you have the final say!"

Zhang Hanrui walked forward and said, "Let's go!"

Zuo Qihan followed Ling Zhaoxue to a small mountain village. Looking at the strange aura emanating from the door, the two of them couldn't help but shiver.

"Why is it so gloomy here, with a cold wind blowing~" Ling Zhaoxue followed Zuo Qihan into the village while hugging her arms tightly.

"I feel like we can find clues about the ice crystal tree here." Zuo Qihan turned his head to look at her, then looked at the surrounding scenery and said.

"what!"

Suddenly, Ling Zhaoxue was startled by a scream.

"What's that sound?" Ling Zhaoxue was so scared that she grabbed Zuo Qihan's arm in front of her.

"Oh my god! You scared me!" Zuo Qihan said slowly, stroking his chest with his hand.

They saw a man about their age being surrounded by a strange black gas and then disappeared. After a while, the black gas also disappeared.

"Hide quickly! The inner demon is here to catch you again!"

Seeing the nearby villagers nervous and panicked, the two approached and asked, "Excuse me, what's going on?"

The villager glanced at them, not stopping his movements as he spoke in panic, "The Inner Demon is a monster that has suddenly appeared in the past month! They capture any young and middle-aged people like you in the village, sucking their energy and then taking them away to who knows where. Hey, my son and Aunt Wang's daughter next door were both taken away! Ah! I can't say any more! It's too late..."

Before Zuo Qihan could ask anything, the villagers hurriedly packed up their things and ran back to their homes as if fleeing.

After a while, the road was empty and only the two of them were left.

Zuo Qihan looked at Ling Zhaoxue, who gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and stared straight ahead: "Let's go! Find that inner demon! Save everyone!"

Zuo Qihan shook his head and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, let's find a place to rest and think about the strategy. I think this matter is not simple..."

Ling Zhaoxue suddenly relaxed as if deflated after being patted by him: "That's right, let's go. We are really tired after walking for so long."

Zuo Qihan looked at her and thought she was a little cute, and couldn't help but smile. The two of them found a place to rest while thinking and discussing.

On the cliffside behind the village, beside a glittering ice tree, stood a man in a black cloak. He was absorbing the evil resentment of the last person he had captured today. Once he was done, he imprisoned and sealed the person with the energy of the ice tree. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, forming a chilling arc. "I feel like the thing I want most has arrived. I have to go greet it. Hahaha~"

Zhang Hanrui and Zhi Enhan followed Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue to the vicinity of the village. Zhi Enhan saw that his brother looked a little tired and asked him if he wanted to find a place to rest. Zhang Hanrui was thirsty and tired, so he sat down to rest. Zhi Enhan took out a water bottle from her bag and prepared to find him some water before leaving.

At this moment, a man in a black cloak suddenly appeared in front of Zhang Hanrui. He looked at Zhang Hanrui, showed a satisfied smile, stretched out his hand, produced a glass of water and handed it to Zhang Hanrui.

Zhang Hanrui was really thirsty at the moment! He urgently needed water. Zhi Enhan hadn't come back yet. No matter what, the person who could give him water shouldn't be a bad person, right?
Zhang Hanrui didn't think much about it. He grabbed the glass of water from his hand and drank it down in a gulp. Just as he finished drinking, he heard Zhi Enhan's excited voice: "Brother! I found water!"

The black cloak noticed that the situation had changed and disappeared with a wave of his cloak.

Zhang Hanrui was still wondering why he disappeared, when Zhi Enhan ran over to him and held up the kettle: "Here! Drink! Extra clean purified water!"

Zhang Hanrui didn't tell him that he had just finished a cup... So he smiled and took his brother's kettle and touched Zhi Enhan's head: "Thank you, Xiaozhi, our Xiaozhi has grown up~"

Zhi Enhan chuckled, watched Zhang Hanrui take a big gulp of water, and then handed the kettle back to him: "Keep the rest for now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hanrui suddenly felt dizzy, and Zhi Enhan quickly supported him: "Brother! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing... I suddenly feel very sleepy... I want to sleep..."

Zhi Enhan watched Zhang Hanrui gradually fall asleep beside her, and thought that there was something wrong with the water she found. She suddenly took down the kettle, looked at it, and threw it on the ground.

"Is it the water? That's not right... I drank it too, so why am I fine?... Did something happen while I was away?"

Zhi Enhan guessed this and tried to find and sense Zuo Qihan with his mind, wanting to tell him about this, but he couldn't feel anything. Zhi Enhan tried for a long time and finally gave up.

Just when he didn't know what to do, a ball of black air suddenly appeared around Zhang Hanrui.

Zhi Enhan tried to cast a spell to drive away the black air, but his energy was no match for the black air. The black air did not hurt him too much and took Zhang Hanrui away directly.

Zhi Enhan looked at the direction where the black air left and wanted to chase it, but suddenly found that Zhang Hanrui's flute had fallen there. He picked it up, cast a spell to turn himself into a butterfly elf, and went to look for Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue.

Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue were relatively lucky. They were resting in the yard of a respected old man in the village. The old man also prepared snacks and water for them. Knowing that they had important matters to discuss, the old man did not disturb them too much and went back to his room for a nap.

"Tell me, how should we deal with that guy? He can absorb energy." Ling Zhaoxue walked back and forth beside the stone table, holding his chin and thinking.

"What the villager said just now made me feel that my guess was correct. There are indeed clues about the ice crystal tree here!" Zuo Qihan said seriously.

"How can you be sure it must be the Ice Crystal Tree? He said that the inner demon would absorb people's energy and take it away... How do you think it is the Ice Crystal Tree?" Ling Zhaoxue asked doubtfully, sitting on a stone chair, eating snacks and pastries, taking a sip of water.

"When we arrived in this village, we felt it was eerie and cold. You also said that the ice crystal tree grows in an extremely cold climate. And after the inner demon captured people, the weather has become even colder. I suspect he has imprisoned people in ice crystals. The more people there are, the colder it gets..."

Listening to Zuo Qihan's analysis, Ling Zhaoxue felt that it made sense. It was indeed what they had experienced personally. "Now that you put it that way, it seems to be true."

Zuo Qihan picked up the water cup, took a sip, nodded, and was about to speak when a butterfly flew to the food on the table.

"Eh? Butterfly?" Ling Zhaoxue was pleasantly surprised and astonished. "Could this be..."

Zuo Qihan frowned, but before he could speak, he saw the butterfly transformed into a human form in front of them.

"Xiaozhi! Why are you here? Why are you alone?" Ling Zhaoxue asked.

Zhi Enhan was holding Zhang Hanrui's flute and said in a panic: "Brother Qi Han! Sister Xue'er! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhi Enhan told Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue everything he had just discovered. The two tried to connect the two black energies, feeling that they were the same...

"I didn't expect that you would encounter your inner demon!"

Zuo Qihan gritted his teeth and slammed the table hard.

Zhi Enhan was puzzled: "Inner demon?"

Zuo Qihan nodded, and Ling Zhaoxue told Zhi Enhan about his experience in the village and their speculations. Zhi Enhan stood up from the stone chair and covered his mouth: "Then! Something terrible is happening! The villagers and Brother Hanrui..."

Zuo Qihan said seriously: "Yes, so we have to find the Ice Crystal Tree quickly! The villagers and A Rui must be there!"

Ling Zhaoxue and Zhi Enhan nodded at the same time, and suddenly a cough was heard behind them.

"Ahem...children..."

Zuo Qihan turned around and saw that it was the old man, so he quickly went over to support him. The old man just said earnestly: "I just overheard what you said. Are you going to look for the Ice Crystal Tree?"

Zuo Qihan nodded: "Yes... Old man, do you know any clues?"

The old man continued, "Of course I know. The Ice Crystal Tree is right on the edge of a cliff on the mountain behind our village to the north. It's covered in ice and snow all year round, and it's freezing cold, making it an ideal environment for the Ice Crystal Tree to grow."

Ling Zhaoxue and Zhi Enhan looked at each other in shock.

Zuo Qihan smiled and said, "Thank you, old man, we finally have a direction now!"

The old man said: "It's okay. Actually, I have a grandson who is the same age as you. He was also captured by that monster, leaving me, an old man, all alone..."

Zuo Qihan looked at the old man distressedly and said solemnly: "Don't worry, old man, we will definitely work hard to defeat that monster! Let all the captured villagers and our companions be rescued!"

Ling Zhaoxue and Zhi Enhan nodded together. The old man looked at the three children and smiled with satisfaction, "Seeing you reminds me of my grandson. He is also a righteous and brave young man!"

After saying goodbye to the old man, the three of them quickly rushed to the north mountain, racing against time to rescue the villagers and Zhang Hanrui.

On the cliff of Beihou Mountain, a man in a black cloak standing next to an ice crystal tree was absorbing Zhang Hanrui's energy. He sneered: "Ha~ Zhang~Han~rui~ Once I get your energy, I will be able to get closer to the supernatural powers enhanced by the five elements!"

After saying that, he laughed loudly and increased the intensity of absorbing the supernatural power in Zhang Hanrui's body.

When Zuo Qihan and his three companions arrived, the black cloak was about to seal Zhang Hanrui in the ice crystal.

"stop!"

Zuo Qihan roared, and a gust of cold wind blew, blowing the man's black cloak off his shoulders, and a face that was so familiar to the three of them appeared in front of them.

"Zhang Hanrui?" Ling Zhaoxue looked at him in confusion. "Why do you look like Zhang Hanrui? Who are you?"

The man just sneered and didn't answer.

"Inner demon! Release the villagers and Zhang Hanrui quickly! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!" Zuo Qihan stood in front of Zhi Enhan and Ling Zhaoxue, yelling at the man.

The inner demon laughed heartily: "Hahaha! You? If I remember correctly, your supernatural power has been awakened for a short time, right? You are not very proficient in controlling it yet, right?"

Zuo Qihan glared at him: "What do you care! Let them go!"

The inner demon pretended to be wronged and shook his head: "That won't do. They are my most important source of energy. It would be a shame to let them go~"

Zuo Qihan was suddenly enraged by his inner demons. His blood boiled and his whole body was wrapped in the light of fire. His eyes glowed red. In an instant, he had changed into the fiery red armor combat suit.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Huo is indeed impulsive~" The inner demon shook his head. Zuo Qihan certainly ignored him and started a big battle with him directly.

While Zuo Qihan and him were fighting in the air, Ling Zhaoxue and Zhi Enhan quickly tried to find a way to rescue the villagers and Zhang Hanrui. Zhang Hanrui hadn't been sealed by the ice crystal yet, so the two helped him to another tree. Just as they were about to treat him, Zhi Enhan, who had recovered his strength, suddenly felt something was wrong and turned around abruptly...

It turned out that the inner demon found out that he had fallen into a trap, so he used his ultimate move to get rid of Zuo Qihan. When he returned to the ice crystal tree, he found that Zhang Hanrui had been moved away. He was immediately furious and used a powerful ultimate move towards Zhi Enhan and the other two. Zhi Enhan had an idea and used a barrier to resist the inner demon's attack.

"The kid is so impatient~" the inner demon sneered.

"Stop talking nonsense! Let the others go!" Zhi Enhan yelled.

"Just let him go if you say so?" The inner demon sneered and looked at him with interest.

Zuo Qihan returned to the ground and looked at the inner demon seriously: "Inner demon! Quickly release the villagers! They are innocent! They should not be involved!"

The inner demon turned and looked at him: "Why should I release them? They are an important source of energy for me to transform into a human form, and Zhang Hanrui is the most important and crucial one to me."

Zuo Qihan said seriously, "Let them go! You look a lot like A Rui, and you must have been a kind-hearted young man, but you were blinded by desire. Wake up and let them go!"

The inner demon sneered again: "A kind-hearted young man? Ha, you probably don't know how I came to be? I am the embodiment of resentment extracted from his body, so we look the same. I am not kind by nature, do you understand?"

Zuo Qihan clenched his fists, anger in his eyes.

"Well, since you want to save the villagers so badly, let's make a deal. Use Zhang Hanrui in exchange for everyone's freedom..."

Hearing the inner demon's words, Zuo Qihan stood there in a daze. Ling Zhaoxue even wanted to rush out and beat the inner demon up, but she couldn't beat him. Zhi Enhan frowned slightly as she looked at her brother who was still in a coma.

"Why... are you silent?" The inner demon looked at the three people standing there in a daze, raised his head and laughed.

Zuo Qihan stared at the sleeping Zhang Hanrui, as if thinking about something.

"To be continued"

(End of this chapter)