If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

Chapter 306 Zhou Qing's Freedom
On the path between life and death, everything was filled with gloom and deathly silence.

This place is forbidden to the living and also the final resting place of the dead, filled with the power of life and death, constantly intertwined, making one's hair stand on end.

When Shen Bai approached with overwhelming power, he clearly saw the figure's appearance.

It was a black humanoid figure, shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to discern its exact features.

It was only about one meter tall, extremely short, like a young child.

Seemingly sensing Shen Bai's approach, the one-meter-tall, pitch-black figure slowly raised its head and met Shen Bai's gaze.

Even though Shen Bai couldn't see where its eyes were, he could feel as if he was being watched by something, and a chill began to creep up his body.

Now, Shen Bai has reached the Celestial Realm, and even top experts in the Immortal Realm cannot contend with him.

Yet, he could feel a chilling illusion emanating from that short figure.

This proves that this short figure, seemingly ordinary, actually harbors astonishing inner power.

The Cold Moon Sword in Shen Bai's hand emitted a blood-red sword aura, but it remained hidden.

He waited, observing what was going on with this short figure.

The short figure looked up and stared at Shen Bai.

After a while, he actually raised his right hand and pointed it at Shen Bai in mid-air.

The path of life and death is inherently filled with terrifying intertwined energies of life and death. As this short figure pointed into the air, the terrifying energies of life and death rapidly gathered and swept towards Shen Bai.

Shen Bai immediately reacted, and the blood-red sword energy on the cold moon burst forth like a dragon.

Countless crimson sword energies shattered the life and death energy.

The remaining crimson sword energy, under Shen Bai's control, gradually condensed and pieced together to form a towering crimson giant sword.

The giant sword plummeted downwards.

The place where it landed was where the short figure was.

The short figure faced the blood-red giant sword as if it didn't matter at all, and casually swung it.

Immediately afterwards, the energy of life and death condensed again, forming a visible black and white barrier that blocked the way.

"boom!"

A terrifying roar sounded.

The black and white barrier and the blood-red sword energy vanished without a trace.

Shen Bai raised his left hand, behind him stood an incomparably tall golden statue of Buddha.

He is preparing to launch another attack.

But at that moment, the short figure showed some unusual behavior.

The short figure trembled all over, and then a familiar aura appeared before Shen Bai's eyes.

"A sense of desolation."

Shen Bai immediately recognized that this short figure actually carried the aura of the desolate forbidden land.

He was a little curious.

Since the short figure in front of him did not attack again, Shen Bai temporarily stopped.

As the aura of desolation gradually coalesced, the aura emanating from the short figure became as thick as ink.

Then, an anomaly occurred.

A woman dressed in white appeared in front of Shen Bai.

The woman was not real, but a vague and ethereal illusion.

When the woman appeared, she was slightly taken aback, and then she saw Shen Bai.

"Are you here too?"

Crescent Moon was astonished, unable to understand why she could see Shen Bai no matter where she was.

The corners of Shen Bai's mouth twitched slightly.

He never expected to encounter Crescent Moon at this time.

Since we've come across this, let's take a look and see what's going on here.

The forbidden area is the forbidden area, and the path of life and death is the path of life and death; there is no connection between the two.

The appearance of people from the desolate forbidden land signifies that this connection has been established.

"Tell me about it."

Shen Bai asked, "What does this place have to do with the forbidden area?"

If you encounter it, just ask directly.

What Xianyue can say, she will say; what she cannot say, there's no point in Shen Bai asking again.

Crescent Moon revealed a hint of helplessness and said, "The Path of Life and Death is connected to various forbidden areas, so it can be considered a place where these forbidden areas exchange resources."

"Is the path of life and death connected to the forbidden area?"

Shen Bai was slightly surprised.

This was the first time he had ever heard of it.

However, Shen Bai quickly understood what Xian Yue meant.

"You entered the forbidden area we encountered before from the desolate forbidden area by passing through the Path of Life and Death?" Shen Bai asked.

Crescent Moon nodded and said, "It's like a link that allows us to come and go freely, and it's also like a transit station."

"Without the path of life and death, the various forbidden areas would be unable to exchange goods and resources."

Shen Bai pondered for a moment and then asked, "So what exactly is the Path of Life and Death?"

Upon hearing this, Crescent Moon shut her mouth.

Shen Bai understood that this meant something that couldn't be said.

Since he couldn't say, he didn't want to ask.

"Where are you going now?" Shen Bai changed the subject again.

Since we were able to encounter Crescent Moon here, it must be because Crescent Moon wanted to use this opportunity to enter another forbidden area.

He was very curious about which forbidden area they were going to visit next.

After thinking for a while, Crescent Moon said, "Every now and then, we will split up and go to other forbidden areas to take a look. If we encounter any that are not stable, we will take action to stabilize them. We can also keep an eye on the Death Forbidden Area to see what it is up to."

The ten forbidden areas are interconnected with the other forbidden areas, both large and small.

Its affiliated forbidden areas are also numerous.

That's why they are responsible for maintaining order in the various forbidden areas.

If a problem arises, it can be resolved immediately.

Hearing this, Shen Bai became increasingly curious.

At first, he found these forbidden areas very mysterious.

But as he got closer to the forbidden area, he felt that the veil shrouding it was gradually becoming clearer.

The Ten Forbidden Zones and other Forbidden Zones seemed to be inhabited, and there were people maintaining order, as if they were another kind of nation.

However, he knew that there were some things that Crescent Moon would not say, under the guise of doing it for his own good.

As for when he will be able to make contact, Shen Bai believes that the answer will naturally come when his strength reaches a certain level.

Shen Bai thought for a moment and then asked one last question.

"The Holy Martial Emperor should have entered the desolate forbidden land. What is his current condition?"

The crescent moon in front of him was from the Desolate Forbidden Land, and since the Holy Martial Emperor had entered the Desolate Forbidden Land not long ago, he naturally wanted to ask him some questions.

After a moment's thought, Crescent Moon said, "Not long ago, he and another person fell into the desolate forbidden land together. Affected by the aura of the desolate forbidden land, they became somewhat delirious, but now everything is fine, including the Drunken Taoist you asked me about a long time ago."

"Everything is alright?"

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes and asked, "Just how intact are they?"

Crescent Moon smiled, meaning that she couldn't say the rest: "You just need to know that they won't be coming out for the time being, and it's not that we're forcing them not to come out, it's that they themselves don't want to come out."

The more you talk about it, the more mysterious it becomes.

Shen Bai felt that he didn't need to waste any more time on this matter.

Having dealt with the powerful figure from the chaotic organization, he felt he had accomplished another task.

Now, he needs to hurry back and work on improving his proficiency.

"How do I get out of here?" Shen Bai asked.

Since Crescent Moon is here, let her take me out with her.

This path of life and death serves as a link between various forbidden areas; one should always know how to leave from here.

But no sooner had this idea crossed her mind than Crescent Moon shrugged.

"I can't see you out either."

Shen Bai frowned and asked, "Why?"

Crescent Moon explained, "You are not a person of the Forbidden Land, nor do you have much connection with it, so of course I cannot send you out."

"If you want to get out, you can only find it by your own means."

Shen Bai's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

If you want to find something outside of here, you need a professional trade, like the lantern carriers we encountered before.

But he doesn't have anyone like that around him right now.

I came in alone, so there's no way I can get out.

Xian Yue understood Shen Bai's meaning and explained, "Actually, it's not difficult for you to get out. Just walk in this direction until you reach a river, and you'll be able to leave."

"river?"

Shen Bai looked in the direction Xian Yue was pointing and didn't say anything more, but his implication was that he wanted Xian Yue to explain more clearly.

Crescent Moon slowly said, "At some point, an outsider came to that river. The river is the most important link in the entire path of life and death, but it has merged with the outsider."

"If one day, those outsiders absorb all the river water, they might become the ones who control the path of life and death, and they might also have a deeper interaction with our forbidden area."

It absorbs river water and even merges with it.

When Shen Bai heard this, he already knew what it was.

"You said my brother Zhou Qing will have a deep connection with the forbidden area."

Not long ago, when they entered the Path of Life and Death, Shen Bai had a conversation with Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing is currently stationed in the river in the Path of Life and Death. After he absorbs all the power of the river, his strength will increase greatly, and he may even reach an unimaginable height.

Now, after hearing what Xianyue had said, Shen Bai naturally thought of Zhou Qing.

"Is that your brother?" Crescent Moon asked, slightly surprised.

She felt that everything that had happened to her recently was related to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai's expression darkened slightly: "After the fusion, there will be a connection. Could there be any negative effects?"

He didn't explain Zhou Qing's situation because it was no longer necessary.

All he wants to know now is whether this is good or bad.

This matter involves Zhou Qing's safety, and Shen Bai cannot stand idly by.

If it has a negative impact, he might try to sever Zhou Qing's connection with the river.

Crescent Moon shrugged and said, "Of course, this is a good thing. Being able to become the controller of the entire path of life and death, and having connections with the forbidden area, will make him one of the world's top combat forces. It's a good thing for anyone."

Shen Bai stroked his chin and said, "In other words, he will be forever trapped on the path between life and death."

Xian Yue said helplessly, "What are you thinking? How could such a thing happen? He won't be imprisoned in the Path of Life and Death. On the contrary, he can gain freedom and even remotely control the Path of Life and Death." "Don't worry, this is a wonderful thing. Of course I wouldn't lie to you."

Shen Bai nodded slightly: "I hope so."

Since Xian Yue has gone this far, and based on their several exchanges, Shen Bai can tell that Xian Yue wouldn't lie in these situations.

"Alright, I'll be going now. I happen to be heading to another forbidden area, so I won't stay any longer," said Crescent Moon.

After saying this, she disappeared, and the short shadow vanished as well.

After everything disappeared, Shen Bai looked around.

The atmosphere of life and death continued to intertwine around them.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Bai walked towards the location as Xian Yue had indicated.

……

The path between life and death is filled with all sorts of mysterious and wondrous elements at every moment.

Shen Bai used his Divine Speed ​​Technique, transforming into a blur, and rushed towards Zhou Qing's location at top speed.

He thought he would be safe for the time being, but unexpectedly, the outline of a city appeared ahead, blocking his way.

The path of life and death is filled with mystery and danger.

In addition, there are unimaginable opportunities hidden within.

When the city's illusory image appeared before Shen Bai's eyes, Shen Bai frowned.

Judging from the outline in front, this is a city that has long been abandoned.

The ruins are scattered everywhere, giving off a desolate and lifeless feeling.

The city stretches out as far as the eye can see, like a canyon blocking the road ahead.

To get to Zhou Qing's location, one must pass through this ruined city.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Bai decided not to explore the ruins.

All he wanted to do now was get out of this life-or-death path as soon as possible, level up his skills, and check on Zhou Qing's condition while he was on the path.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai used his Divine Speed ​​Technique to suddenly rise high, intending to cross the city.

But at that moment, something unusual happened.

As soon as I stepped into the ruins of this city, a tremendous force suddenly pulled me in.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Bai discovered that his instinctive ability to fly had weakened in an instant, and he rushed towards the city ruins below.

Seeing this strange phenomenon, Shen Bai narrowed his eyes, but remained completely calm.

Anyone who enters a life-or-death situation is mentally prepared, knowing just how many dangers lurk within. Shen Bai was no exception.

In mid-air, he drew the Cold Moon from his waist, his Golden Eye of Breaking Void enveloping the entire city ruins, adopting an extremely cautious demeanor.

The speed of the fall continued to increase, and even with the ability to travel thousands of miles, it was still impossible to avoid falling.

When Shen Bai landed heavily on the ground, he immediately stirred up a cloud of dust.

The surrounding ruins were already extremely ancient, and as the shockwave from Shen Bai's fall created the shockwave, countless ruins collapsed in the shockwave.

The moment Shen Bai landed, he waved his sleeve.

A powerful gust of wind arose from his sleeves, scattering all the dust and smoke in front of him.

Then, the surrounding scenery gradually became clear.

It was still a ruin, and the ruin exuded a chilling sense of gloom.

Just one glance at it, and you feel as if a wild beast is about to burst out of the ruins, ready to devour anyone who dares to cross it.

This place is unsafe; you can tell at a glance.

Shen Bai unleashed the Void-Breaking Golden Eye to its fullest extent, enveloping all the surrounding ruins.

The scene that he hadn't seen clearly from above appeared in Shen Bai's mind as an aerial view.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Bai was stunned.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that this ruined city had absolutely no connection to the world he was currently in.

Whether it's the city's architectural style or that unique atmosphere, you can feel it all in the ruins.

It was a mysterious and profound feeling, like a sudden enlightenment, answering Shen Bai's mind and telling him that everything here did not belong to any place he knew.

"What does this mean? Where exactly is this place?" Shen Bai narrowed his eyes, wondering to himself.

The sudden appearance of such ruins on the road to life and death meant that even he had to be careful.

Just as I was thinking this, something unexpected suddenly happened.

Suddenly, a violent tremor came from the ruins not far ahead.

As soon as the tremor was heard, a terrifying aura immediately reverberated through the ruins.

Before Shen Bai could react, a colossal hand, forged from ruins, rose from the ground and slammed down on him.

The giant hand of ruins came with terrifying force, like a towering wave.

Faced with this sudden attack, Shen Bai felt a sense of calm and raised his left hand.

Darkness gradually spread from Shen Bai's center.

Shen Bai used all of Shadow Strike's earth-shattering power.

After Shen Bai used it, he applied many supernatural powers, condensing them onto the cold moon.

This blood-red sword energy was his full-force attack, because he felt the terrifying pressure emanating from the giant hand of the ruins.

With a single sword strike, crimson sword energy swept across, and the giant hand of ruins in front of him vanished swiftly.

At the same time, an even greater tremor slowly began to occur.

Shen Bai looked back and saw that, under the protection of the Void-Breaking Golden Eye, the ruins-like city in front of him was constantly reassembling.

In the blink of an eye, they were combined into a towering, earth-shattering giant of ruins.

Looking up, Shen Bai's height was only the toe height of the ruined giant.

This is a terrifying behemoth, taller than a mountain.

A terrifying pressure struck, and the pressure Shen Bai felt from this giant in the ruins was even greater than that of an expert at the Immortal Realm.

He didn't know why such a terrifying thing had appeared, but he knew now was not the time to fight it head-on.

After a moment's thought, Shen Bai turned and ran without saying a word.

If you can't fight, then run.

Let's get through this crisis first.

Once the "Divine Speed ​​Across Thousands of Miles" skill reaches level eight, it becomes extremely terrifying.

Even with the terrifying suction force present, Shen Bai's speed remained extremely fast after he unleashed his full power.

The giant ruins behind him appeared to be enormous, but when it took a step, it was even faster than Shen Bai.

In just a few steps, it arrived in front of Shen Bai and simultaneously stretched out its giant hand to strike Shen Bai's back.

Shen Bai felt an immense pressure coming towards him, then suddenly turned around and thrust out the Cold Moon in his hand once more.

He felt like he couldn't escape.

The opponent's speed was incredibly fast, and their strength was extraordinary.

Since we can't escape, we might as well turn around and fight.

At this moment, something unusual suddenly occurred.

Just as Shen Bai's Cold Moon was about to collide with the giant of ruins, a stream of water suddenly appeared at Shen Bai's feet and quickly wrapped around his legs.

Just as Shen Bai was about to use his flawless divine soul body to break free, he heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"Old Shen, don't resist. I'll take you out of this ruined city."

Shen Bai realized that Zhou Qing was helping him.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai did not hesitate and chose to relax his resistance.

The next moment, the water enveloped his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.

The giant's fist struck the ground, unleashing a tremendous and terrifying aftershock.

The lingering shockwaves caused the surrounding land to crack layer by layer.

Having lost its target, the giant of ruins roared to the sky.

But there was nowhere to vent his anger.

Subsequently, the ruins on the giant's body began to dissolve continuously.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a ruined city exuding a chilling aura.

……

Shen Bai felt himself being enveloped by a stream of water, moving away from the ruined giant at an extremely fast speed.

Everything around us is changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Only after everything became clear did he hear the sound of rushing water.

Immediately afterwards, he appeared beside a river.

The river flowed continuously, exuding an ancient and weathered aura that inspired awe.

In the middle of the river, a large amount of water accumulated and condensed into a human shape.

The human form kept changing before Shen Bai's eyes, until after a few breaths, it transformed into Zhou Qing's appearance.

Zhou Qing was standing on the river, but his feet were in the shape of flowing water, only his upper body was his original form.

When Shen Bai appeared, Zhou Qing visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"You were almost there, Lao Shen. Luckily, you came into my perception range and I detected you. Otherwise, you would have been in danger today."

Shen Bai knew exactly what Zhou Qing meant by danger; that towering giant was indeed beyond his current ability to resist.

Even if someone at the Immortal Realm entered, they would probably only end up as a corpse.

Shen Bai asked, "Old Zhou, something seems off about your situation."

Now that he had escaped, he decided to ignore the giant in the ruins for the time being.

He is now more concerned about Zhou Qing's current situation.

At this moment, Zhou Qing seemed to be forming a human body, but not yet fully formed.

Shen Bai could sense the aura emanating from Zhou Qing, which seemed to have reached the realm of the celestial being.

Zhou Qing's improvement was extremely rapid, but Shen Bai also knew that he had paid a heavy price.

The first consequence is the loss of freedom, having to stay in this lonely place for a long time.

After hearing Shen Bai's words, Zhou Qing nodded and said, "I am merging with this river water. Once my lower body returns to its original form, I will have reached the initial stage of complete fusion with the river water."

"I will continue to integrate the power of the river until the entire river is completely integrated into my being."

Shen Bai thought for a moment and then asked, "How long will the initial fusion take?"

Zhou Qing replied, "Soon. I estimate that in three to five days at most, I will be able to transform my legs into human form."

"At that time, I will go out with you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bai was slightly taken aback, then a look of joy appeared on his face.

"In other words, you are now free, and it will only take three days."

(End of this chapter)