The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 277 - 170 Battle Commences
The Qishou turned toward him, shook its head, and then laid down at the edge of the field, clearly deciding to observe the proceedings from here.
Elder Xing felt powerless. This Mountain Guardian Beast held a higher status in Yunxiao Palace than he did. Yunxiao Palace’s ability to dominantly govern the Seven States, enjoying the tribute of Immortal Silver, was inseparable from the deterrence of this Mountain Guardian Beast.
"Let it do whatever it wants," he thought, then shouted at the mortals: "Why aren’t you hurrying in? The timer has started! If no one obtains five treasures within ten days, the secret realm will close automatically. Time is precious, what are you wasting it for?!"
Urged by him, the mortals quickly stepped into the secret realm. A dozen breaths later, all mortals had entered, and the whole square quieted down. The elders of the four Immortal Sects instructed their disciples, "Keep a close watch on the entrance and report back as soon as someone emerges!" Then they went to rest.
"Miss, please take great care! Your safety comes first, the Moonlight Cup comes second. Lord Changtian will surely find another way to preserve the Spiritual Energy!" After listening to Qiongqi’s rare solemn warning, Ning Xiaoxian held her breath as she passed through the gate of the secret realm. Hmm, there’s no peculiar feeling at all. She had originally thought that passing through such a space-time gate would trigger some kind of jet lag or bodily malfunction, but the space-time transmission in this Mystical World is incredibly powerful.
Just after entering the gate, all the teams glanced at each other and swiftly separated. Each team leader waved their hand and led their respective team into the depths of the woods.
Once inside, they were competitors. Until they understood each other’s strengths, it was wise to keep a distance. The enemies inside this secret realm were not merely the indigenous monsters but also these human compatriots from the same world. The act of killing each other was an innate instinct of all species, and humans were particularly adept at it.
Pang Hai led his team in a chosen direction at a brisk pace, aiming to distance themselves from other teams. Ning Xiaoxian looked up at the sun, feeling that the direction chosen by the team leader was diametrically opposed to the path on the treasure map, which made her frown. She was thinking about finding a chance to sneak away from the team. Her joining this team was firstly to avoid attracting attention and secondly because in the world of mortals, indeed, there is strength in numbers. But once inside, the race for the treasure was a matter of minutes and seconds. If the Moonlight Cup was taken by someone else first, it would be a huge blow to her.
The team walked for two quarters. This place was indeed a large swamp, with low trees and dense branches, and also aerial roots that could easily trip someone if they weren’t careful. The ground was extremely damp, encountering puddles large and small with nearly every few steps. Occasionally, through the gaps in the foliage, distant low hills could be seen, also lush and green.
No one in the team dared to be careless. Pang Hai, at the forefront, picked up a thick stick, prodding the ground every few steps. The puddles here were murky, who knew if venomous snakes or insects were hiding inside? Furthermore, some parts of the ground were not very stable. He had been probing for a while and indeed found several swamps. If someone stepped on them, they would probably not be able to pull their feet out and would sink into the marsh within half a day, provided they weren’t first eaten by nearby monsters. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Pang Hai said to Ning Xiaoxian in a low voice, "Third Lady, distribute the medicine pills to everyone." Hao Jing was ranked third, and everyone in the team called her Third Lady. The area around them was full of poisonous bugs and ants, and they needed her medicine pills for detoxification and insect repellent.
These were already prepared by her, and Ning Xiaoxian did not say much, taking them out from her pouch and distributing them to everyone. Another scout, Wang Yue, took the medicine pill and smacked his lips, saying, "Why does this medicine pill taste a bit sweet this time?"
She nearly stumbled. Indeed, pretending to be someone else was not easy, as every detail had to stand up to scrutiny. Her own medicine pills were slightly sweet because Miss Ning herself disliked bitter tastes!
"I put in too much licorice this time, it doesn’t affect the efficacy," she had to mumble with a hoarse voice.
As they moved along, the team continued discussing. Speaking in a low voice, Pang Hai said, "According to the map distributed by Yunxiao Palace, the nearby locations have been thoroughly explored by previous treasure hunters. Ahead will be a small lake; we’ll cross it first and then plan in the long term." The scope of this secret realm was vast, but Yunxiao Palace had sent people here more than ninety times. Based on the accounts of survivors, they could piece together a map. Of course, its reliability was uncertain, as after all, it was mortals who were risking their lives here on behalf of the lofty immortals.
