The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 284 - 173: Leaving the Team on One’s Own Accord_2
Marching through such terrain, men don’t always have an advantage over women. By the time they react, "Hao San" has already vanished from this secret realm. Poor men, honestly plodding on the ground amidst mines, Granny will take the lead!
She found another small river, tested for poison, and confirmed there was no problem before taking out some medicine powder to wash off her disguise. From then on, she was no longer "Hao San".
Ning Xiaoxian thought about it and decided to take a Disguise Pill just to be safe, changing her appearance once more to that of a dark-skinned woman. Then, she threw the outfit of Hao San into the water, pulled out a new set of clothes from her bag, donned a parted hairstyle, and completely transformed herself.
She’s not worried about getting out. The way out of the secret realm is much more lenient than the way in; as long as you turn over the required items to Yunxiao Palace depending on your faction, they won’t care about your appearance.
Just as she was feeling proud of herself, another crisp chime resounded between heaven and earth, knocking the smile right off her face.
"Damn it, the second sound already, and fortunately, it’s coming from the west!" Now, she must hasten her steps.
Not long ago, Ling Rongnan told Pang Hai that the west had been searched with no findings. Who knows what Pang Hai’s reaction will be upon hearing this chime? She might be slow, but she has realized that Ling Rongnan’s group harbors ill intentions, though she doesn’t know if Pang Hai has caught on yet.
If it were Brother Deng Hao being taken advantage of, she would definitely find a way to warn him. But she abides by the principle of reciprocity. If Mr. Pang doesn’t care about her, she won’t be generous to him. Fair enough, right?
The routes and phrases on the treasure map have already been memorized by her, then torn, soaked, and burned. She feels no guilt for destroying a relic left behind by Zhang Sheng’s ancestor. The Moonlight Cup is too important to her, and she cannot let these clues fall into the hands of others. Besides, she has heard that some treasure maps have hidden layers that reveal new routes when soaked in water or exposed to heat... Regrettably, this map did not withstand such tests and thus turned to ash.
After washing her face and swallowing a Fasting Pill, she continued on her journey.
Ever since the existence of God Demon Prison, her daily routine has been quite regular, with three nutritious meals and undisturbed sleep every night. Now in this secret realm, her resolve is truly tested as she can no longer expect to rest well, even in the trees—
While leaping over a small tree, she is, after all, not a real swallow, so the slightest sound of her footsteps stirred a Black Snake coiled on the tree, which then shot towards her like a black line without even hissing a warning.
Lucky for her, Changtian has honed her reflexes to be incredibly sharp. Seeing the venomous snake strike, she doesn’t even blink and cuts it in two with a slash of Tusk. However, the snake makes her stop in her tracks.
With all the small animals gone from the forest, this snake, thick as a fist and over a meter and a half in length, cannot be considered small. Yet, what oozed from its severed body was not flesh but putrid Black Water, with no muscle tissue. This is definitely not normal!
Any living organism would necessarily have basic body elements such as epidermis, muscles, and bones. But this snake, capable of autonomous movement, has evidently departed from the category of normal living creatures.
She doesn’t believe for a second that something strange isn’t going on in this secret realm.
She resumed her hurried pace, occasionally stopping to confirm her path. Since entering the "Heavenly Ladder," at least twenty hours had passed – which would constitute an entire night and well into the next morning in the outside world, where she could judge her bearings by the position of the sun overhead. But this accursed place clearly has shorter days and longer nights!
Now, the canopy still sparkles with stars. She’s not skilled in astronomy; who can tell her where to find the Beidou Star?
Although she has night vision, it can’t quite compare to the vastness of the daytime landscape.
All these factors combined delay her progress. Ning Xiaoxian curses under her breath: "In the middle of the night, how did that bunch of calves find the second Treasure?!"
She ran blindly for another four hours before the sky began to lighten, feeling increasingly tired. Traveling through the woods, while sounding pleasant as a way to avoid various inconveniences on the ground, also takes a significant toll on her spirit.
If Changtian were here, he would surely tell her that she needs to rest a bit at night. Her physical abilities have increased greatly since she began Body Refinement, but she’s never endured such a strenuous forced march. Her spirit isn’t yet tempered and far from ready for prolonged and distant running or battle.
In Changtian’s plan, this was the next focus of her training. But he hadn’t disclosed it, and she was unaware. So, as Ning Xiaoxian pushed herself to run, she failed to notice her strength waning bit by bit.
Where exactly in the Nan Zhanbu Continent is this, and why are the periods of day and night so unusual?
While she was still pondering, a sudden snap of a spring mechanism and the loud cry of a man came from the ground ahead.
In such quiet surroundings, the cry was too conspicuous; she immediately hid in the shadow of the trees.
Logically speaking, everyone should be deep in the secret realm, searching tirelessly, which is why she chose this path—to avoid encountering others. Isn’t this place near the entrance of the secret realm? How could there be someone around?
Focusing ahead, she sees a man writhing on the ground in the clearing, the agonizing screams coming from him. Looking closer, she is horrified—the man’s legs from the thigh down are firmly clamped by a steel animal trap.
