Misty Rain of the Old Times

After parting ways with Xiang Qi, Chen Xuan did not enter the mushroom forest, not because he was worried about the dangers inside, but because it was unnecessary. The place did not look like a place where white cloud trees could grow, and besides, there was no thick fog covering the area. A survey from a high vantage point confirmed this.

Believe it or not, in the mushroom forest, besides those giant mushrooms, there are some colorful ones that look quite appetizing. I wonder if eating them will allow me to see little people.

Chen Xuan had no intention of even trying it. Even a Grandmaster wouldn't be so reckless; that would be tantamount to courting death.

But then he had no choice but to abandon the boat, because the riverbed went deep into the mushroom forest, and there was no need to carry the small boat around. It would be simpler to build a boat now, since there were towering trees everywhere.

He bypassed the mushroom forest and headed towards the center of the Misty Swamp, and soon he entered the thick fog again.

He couldn't guarantee whether the core area had any white cloud trees growing there; it could happen anywhere. He was just trying his luck. Perhaps the most dangerous place was where he could find what he wanted. It was a subconscious mindset. Anyway, it didn't matter where he went. Besides, when Zhao Qingluan talked about white cloud trees, she mentioned the dangers of the Misty Swamp together.

If he couldn't find the White Cloud Wood in the core area of ​​the Misty Swamp, he figured he'd have to resort to the most rudimentary method: planning a route and traversing the entire Misty Array area. It was troublesome, but it was the most direct approach. As long as White Cloud Wood grew in the Misty Swamp, he was sure to find it, and he might even be able to get it without having to explore the entire area. It just depended on luck.

Thick fog obscured the view, dimming the light. The vast swamp was primitive and wild, with no trace of human presence.

This is a natural treasure trove. If you search carefully, you might find valuable treasures, such as aged medicinal herbs and precious minerals.

But Chen Xuan's purpose this time was the white cloud wood. He was clear about his priorities and didn't care much about the other things, no matter how good they were. He was too lazy to waste his time on them and just passed by quickly. He had a general impression of them and could come back anytime he needed them in the future.

'Seven-Star Vine, Silver-Patterned Grass, Snow Dew Flower, Nine-Leaf Ginseng, Blue Silver Fruit, Three-Star Leaf... so many precious medicinal herbs, some of which are even used to refine mid-to-high-level pills, but my goal this time is White Cloud Wood.'

Chen Xuan was tempted by some things, but he restrained himself. There would be plenty of time later, and the Misty Swamp wouldn't run away.

Although it's a simple task, the medicinal herbs need to be specially prepared, which would waste time. Things should be done one at a time, so don't get distracted by that.

If only there were spatial equipment, it would be great to carry a lot of things, and you wouldn't have to worry about them spoiling for a short time. Unfortunately, it requires at least the Tribulation Transcending level to refine, and Chen Xuan doesn't have that ability yet.

Old Liu did leave him a blueprint for crafting spatial equipment, but unfortunately the materials were too rare. Even Old Liu himself couldn't gather all the materials before he died. Apart from a pile of knowledge and a sword, he left nothing behind. He lived for countless years, so of course he couldn't have only that little bit of stuff. But other families didn't mention it either. I don't know if it was left to future generations or if it was placed somewhere. If it was placed somewhere, it might become a relic of a predecessor in the future, allowing people to explore, find treasures, and seek opportunities.

Feeling bored wandering around the Misty Swamp alone, Chen Xuan had a whimsical thought: since he was going to live for a very, very long time, why not set up some treasure troves and secretly observe how hard his juniors had to go to obtain them? That would be quite interesting, wouldn't it?
It's actually possible to do that. You could put some junk or something, and someone who went through so much trouble to get it would probably end up spitting blood in frustration. Yeah, they'd probably curse a lot.

Despite Chen Xuan's seemingly carefree thoughts, the dangers within the Misty Swamp were no less than terrifying, especially in the inner areas. Under the cover of thick fog, even those at the Innate Realm would find every step fraught with peril. Only he would disregard minor dangers.

As he ventured deeper into the world, he encountered countless dangerous things—some were environmental, some were biological, and some were a combination of both.

In terms of environment, besides the mushroom forest, he had seen a dangerous dense forest where blood-red vines with black hollow thorns grew all over the mountains and fields. The blood-red vines, as thick as a wrist, were like living things, actively attacking creatures, binding and binding them, and the thorns piercing into the creatures' bodies to suck their blood and flesh. That area was full of animal carcasses, including animal skeletons that were more than ten meters long.

Bloodsucking vine is the name of a dangerous vine. It is also a precious medicinal herb and one of the main ingredients in a medicine called Blood-Dissolving Powder. It is extremely poisonous. If a wound is contaminated with or ingested by someone at the Innate Realm or below, it will turn into pus and blood.

There's also the Exploding Thorn Fruit, a fruit that can explode. It's about the size of a basketball, resembling a chestnut, and its surface is covered with needle-like thorns. Even the slightest movement can cause them to fall off and explode. The explosion of a single Exploding Thorn Fruit can cover an area of ​​about ten feet. Each thorn after the explosion can penetrate a three-inch wooden board. This thing can create a chain reaction, with dozens or even hundreds of them exploding at the same time. Even someone with innate cultivation wouldn't be able to withstand it and would be riddled with thorns.

He had also seen a special quicksand area, only a hundred feet in diameter. Although it was called quicksand, it was clearly just fine dust like flour. Without superb lightness skills, one would be trapped in it and unable to find any leverage. One would simply sink into it like falling into water. Moreover, that kind of dust was almost omnipresent, and if it entered the blood and blocked the blood vessels, one would not even know how they died.

As for dangerous creatures, there were even more. Chen Xuan had seen more than twenty giant pythons, each over ten zhang long; birds of prey with wingspans of over a hundred meters, practically blotting out the sky, their flapping wings creating a whirlwind; bovine creatures, seven or eight zhang tall at the shoulder and as large as small mountains, with three pairs of one or two zhang long scimitar-like horns, relatively docile and able to move freely underground when not provoked; worms, one or two meters in diameter, covered with densely packed sharp teeth; and strange fish over ten meters long, clearly carrying electric currents, capable of electrocuting or stunning aquatic life within a radius of hundreds of meters. But these giant creatures weren't the most dangerous; no matter how powerful they were, they were still just individuals. The truly terrifying creatures were those that lived in groups.

Chen Xuan had seen thousands of bats in a forest. Each one had a wingspan of two or three meters, sharp teeth and claws, and hung upside down on the trees like black bags. One could imagine what it would be like if they attacked in a swarm.

There are also ant nests stretching for dozens of miles, with individual ants the size of a fist, forming an ocean of ants. There are also man-eating wasps, the size of chopsticks, their black swarms resembling dark clouds. And then there are swarms of spiders, the size of washbasins, seemingly endless, their webs covering an area of ​​dozens of miles. The fate of any creature that falls into them is unimaginable.

In the habitat of these social creatures, Chen Xuan saw too many enormous skeletons, some the size of houses, which were terrifying.

Only Chen Xuanyi was bold enough to take these situations as an opportunity to broaden his horizons. Anyone else would probably be terrified. He even thought that he could make a living by writing about what he had seen in a travelogue. He was too lazy to actually write it himself, but he could use it as creative material for his girlfriend in the future.

However, no matter how many times he met, he never forgot his main task, but unfortunately he never managed to meet Bai Yunmu.

Because he had to be careful of the white cloud trees that he might miss, he couldn't pick up his pace when traveling through the Misty Swamp. He rushed through the area and before he knew it, it was already dark and he still hadn't found his target, but he was already close to the core area of ​​the Misty Swamp.

'Although nighttime is no different from daytime for me, I should sleep at night. I'll find a place to rest for the night and check the core area tomorrow. If I really can't find the white cloudwood, it seems I'll have to resort to the brute force method: cross the core area to the other side and then scan back and forth.'

Having made up his mind, he found a large tree where no animals lived, and built a treehouse of only two or three square meters using materials found on the spot, a hundred meters above the ground. The ground was too damp, so it was better to be further away from the ground.

They made a cooking stove and tools out of stones, and the seasonings they brought came in handy. They hunted a black bear that was fattening up for the winter, and took a bear paw and a piece of meat to start cooking.

That bear was too big, standing five or six meters tall. It couldn't eat that much; most of it would just go to waste, and nature would clean it up overnight.

In the flickering firelight, the aroma soon began to fill the air. Chen Xuan tasted the barbecue he had made. It was alright, but if it weren't for the sufficient seasonings and spices, it would actually be hard to swallow. It was all about the seasonings and spices; even the roasted shoehorn smelled delicious.

His cooking skills were really not good. He had been in the Gao family for more than ten years. Although he was called Gao Jingming's page, he was no different from the eldest young master. His clothes were washed and his meals were cooked. He was practically waited on hand and foot and had almost no chance to do anything himself.

No wonder he was grateful to the Gao family. The treatment he received was honestly better than that of many young masters from humble families. He only needed to study with Xiao Gao and didn't have to worry about anything else. Even if they arranged some activities for Xiao Gao, it was mostly just talk.

The night was quiet, but the roars and howls of animals came from an unknown place. Nighttime was the most dangerous time. While eating barbecue out of boredom, Chen Xuan missed the little girl's cooking. He even had the urge to run back and have a meal before coming back.

Chewing on the seasoned roasted meat, he looked at the makeshift treehouse he had built and felt a pang of melancholy. He mocked himself for being sentimental; even with his cultivation at this level, he couldn't appreciate the joys of building and surviving in the wilderness.

Although it doesn't reach the level of breaking through the void of the human body with one's spiritual will to interfere with reality and control objects, the true essence that can be released through the body as easily as an arm or finger can indirectly achieve the same effect. It's something that can be accomplished with a wave of the hand, so there's no sense of accomplishment at all.

He took another bite of roasted meat and looked down at the treehouse. He saw pairs of green eyes appear in the darkness below. It was a pack of blue wolves, numbering over a hundred. The smallest of them was over three meters tall, truly ferocious beasts. Behind the pack, the cautious wolf king was a massive five zhang tall.

'A wolf pack of this size must be at the bottom of the food chain deep in the Misty Swamp. No wonder they only dare to hunt at night; they must have been attracted by the black bear carcass I didn't throw far away.'

Looking down, he didn't bother the wolves, nor did he bother them.

...(End of chapter)