Under normal circumstances, to cross a distance of only five hundred kilometers on foot, this group of cultivators would only need about two hours of time; if the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters could fly, it would take them no more than half an hour.
But crossing five hundred kilometers in Nether Mountain had already taken them a full two days and they had still had not finished their trip. The dangers and attacks they encountered along the way had been far greater than everyone’s expectations.
“Yan Palace Lord, you bring your disciples here every ten years, has it always been this dangerous?” When the group was resting, Ling Tai Xu could not help asking, after all, the last time he came here was fifty years ago. At that time, although there had been Monster Beast attacks, the frequency was nothing compared to this time.
The old woman pondered then replied, “No, this time is very different, I’m afraid that some of the weaker Monster Beasts from the depths of Nether Mountain have rushed to the outer edge.”
Listen to her say this Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li both went a little pale.
“We should not linger here for long, we need to keep moving.” The old woman was also aware that something was wrong, immediately suggesting they increase their pace.
The group once again set out, and after half a day, they finally arrived at their destination.
In front of them lay a massive lake, its waters clear and sparkling, but the strangely calm atmosphere gave an eerie feeling, making Yang Kai uneasy.
Looking around, he saw that surrounding the lake were many groups of people, these groups belonged to the Great Han Dynasty’s forces that had all brought their disciples here for life experience. Their numbers varied a lot; some bigger groups had as many as seven or eight people, while the smaller ones numbered only three or four.
Each of these groups was separated by about three hundred meters and were all quietly waiting at the edge of the lake.
After Ling Tai Xu and the other members of the older generation saw this scene, they all showed a hint of displeasure and vigilance.
The Ten Thousand Palace’s old woman only slightly nodded to the group, and then led the beautiful woman and her four disciples towards the lake.
When this group of flirtatious and alluring women appeared they immediately drew the attention of countless young men. These girls were obviously used to experiencing such a scene and simply treated these gazes like a gentle breeze, ignoring them as they neatly follow behind the old woman, looking for an open position to claim.
Gui Li flashed Ling Tai Xu an evil grin before giving Yang Kai a look filled with profound meaning.
Jin Hao also coldy snorted, glaring at Yang Kai while making a swiping motion across his neck before following Gui Li and the Ten Thousand Palace people towards the lake.
“Come, let us also find a spot!” Ling Tai Xu said, leading Yang Kai towards the lake.
Most of the spots around the lake had been occupied by the forces which had arrived sooner, so Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai could only continue walking past these groups.
However, every time they passed a group of people, Ling Tai Xu would quietly explain which forces these groups belonged to, whether they were an Evil Sect, and the strength of the disciples who had come for this trial, making him to take note of which Sects to beware of.
Yang Kai also secretly observed these groups, making sure to remember every last detail he was told.
After walking around more than half the lake, the two finally found an unoccupied place, greatly relieving Ling Tai Xu.
After they had arrived, they both sat down cross-legged while Ling Tai Xu more meticulously described to Yang Kai the various Sects and forces around the lake. Yang Kai listened carefully as he continued to observe his surroundings.
The more he learned, the more he could understand just how dangerous this experience would be.
Each of these groups represented a major power from the Great Han Dynasty; most of them belonged to first or second-class Sects, while a few third-class Sects also appeared, each one of these powers had at least two or three disciples; Yang Kai being the sole disciple from his Sect was unique.
Ling Tai Xu had also wanted to bring someone else so that Yang Kai would have comrades, but High Heaven Pavilion didn’t have any good candidates.
Su Yan had the requisite strength, but because she cultivated the Ice Heart Secret Art, too much killing would do her more harm than good. Xia Ning Chang was also a good choice, but she was Meng Wu Ya’s disciple and he treated her more like a precious daughter than a student, how could he let her take such a risk? As for Xie Hong Chen, Ling Tai Xu did not even consider him, bringing him along would only lead to Yang Kai dying faster.
(Silavin: Or. Would he be feed? XD)
The strength of these juniors here were all higher than Yang Kai, at least Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage. True Element cultivators were as numerous as clouds.
The only good news was that no one from the Eight Great Families had come.
“Only cultivators at or below the True Element Boundary can enter here for experience, so there is no risk you will encounter an Immortal Ascension Boundary master inside. With your strength, if you clash meet a True Element Boundary Second or Third Stage enemy, you should be able to compete, but if meet anyone of higher strength, Grand Master can only give you one suggestion, run! A man must know when the back down, do not blindly rush in without considering your own strength, make sure you use your head!”
“Disciple understands.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“Remember, you only have one task inside, survive. If you want to become strong, you do not necessarily have to fight with other cultivators; hunting Monster Beasts is also a means of increasing your strength. I imagine the number of people who hold this same idea are not a few, if there you really can find trustworthy people, you may also wish to act together, this way you can increase your odds of survival.”
“Understood. Grand Master, what Sect are those people from over there, they are dressed quite strangely.” Yang Kai suddenly pointed his gaze towards a group in the distance.
When Ling Tai Xu looked over, his brow could not help but wrinkle; this group of people, whether it was their clothing or their looks, were slightly different from the others.
As if they were aware of Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai’s stares, this odd group of people stared back, a cold and fierce look in their eyes, seemingly warning them to mind their own business.
“They are not people from our Great Han Dynasty!” Ling Tai Xu exclaimed, “They are from the Tian Lang Dynasty.”
“The Tian Lang Dynasty also sent people over?” Yang Kai was stunned, even though Tian Lang Dynasty was adjacent to the Great Han Dynasty, why would one of their Sects send people thousands of kilometers away to this Forbidden Zone?
“The culture in Tian Lang Dynasty is quite different from our own, rumor has it that most of their cultivators are both cruel and vicious, on top of that, they are not our countrymen, so you must be very careful inside if you encounter them. This group of cultivator’s strength is far from what you can resist.”
“Their style of dress is quite exotic.” Yang Kai commented as he stared at the two women in the Tian Lang Dynasty’s group. Their bodies were enchanting, and their clothes left little to the imagination as their arms were fully exposed and their tight fitting tops could barely contain their bountiful chests, seems like they would burst free at any moment. These two women completely exposed their thin, flat waists, allowing their exquisite navels to dance charmingly, and covering their lower bodies were skirts which barely reached above their knees, revealing much of their shapely legs.
“Ai…” Ling Tai Xu helpless shook his head, unable to understand; his first disciple was so simple and honest, how did he manage to give birth to Yang Kai this little bastard.
(Silavin: A true man is honest with himself. He frets not of the chains because he will rise above them.)
As time passed, more and more people arrived at this lake, each of them following some unwritten rule as they separated from each other by a fixed distance, quietly waiting.
Less than a day later, the lake had finally been completely surrounded.
Those who arrived later and could not find a position naturally began looking for weaker groups to replace, spitting out a few words then engaging in a fight.
In just an hour of time, more than four or five bouts had already been started. Many groups from smaller forces, whether it was their elders who had served as escorts or the disciples here for life experience, were slaughtered clean.
Such bloody cruel scenes actually did not cause any waves however, anyone who had dared to come here was fully prepared to engage in such conflicts. If one’s strength was inferior and they were slaughtered because of that, no one would complain on their behalf.
Fortunately, although Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai were only two people, no one seemed to be eyeing them so they had not encountered any trouble so far.
But as more and more forces arrived, it was not long before some people began to take notice of Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai.
Suddenly, an old man around Ling Tai Xu’s age walked over, along with his two disciples, one young man and one young women, and stopped not far from them.
Ling Tai Xu who was sitting on the ground, opened his eyes and looked towards them, remaining indifferent.
Yang Kai was secretly raised his vigilance, but was surprised to find that they were not emitting any hostile or murderous intent.
The old man seemed to ponder for a moment before cupping his hands towards Ling Tai Xu, politely speaking, “Reflecting Moon Sect’s Elder Zhou Wen requests this esteemed master’s name!”
“High Heaven Pavilion, Ling Tai Xu!”
“So you are Brother Ling!” Zhuo Wen had apparently heard of the High Heaven Pavilion, politely greeting him then getting straight to the point, “Brother Ling forgive me, this old man and his disciples have arrived somewhat late to this lake, I had not known that so many forces would appear this time for this experience, leaving us no entry place.”
Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai had instantly crossed thousands of kilometers to arrive here, so although they had departed late, they had still arrived here earlier than most. This Reflecting Moon Sect’s Zhuo Wen had left his Sect more than a month ago, experiencing all kinds of hardship along the road, not to mention the extreme danger of crossing Nether Mountain to arrive at this lake, so he had ultimately arrived two days later than them.
“Is there something Brother Zhuo wants to ask?” Since the other side displayed no malicious intent, Ling Tai Xu would naturally give him some face. Although the other side’s intentions were easy to guess, he still took the initiative to ask.
Zhou Wen gave a dry laugh before saying, “This Zhuo would like to strike a deal with Brother Ling. The lake’s duckweed can carry up to four people to enter the inside, but it looks like Brother Ling has only brought a single disciple; if it is convenient, could you allow this old man’s two disciples to accompany him? Otherwise this old man would have made this trip in vain; if I returned like this it would be quite embarrassing and these two disciples would undoubtedly be disappointed.”
Ling Tai Xu shifted his eyes to the two young disciples behind Zhuo Wen.
These two quickly stepped forward, the young man respectfully introducing himself, “Disciple Chen Xue Shu greets Senior Ling.”
Followed quickly by the young woman, “Disciple Shu Xiao Yu greets Senior Ling.”
(Silavin: WTF. Their names literally translate to Chen Read Book and Shu Small/Soft Talk.)
While they performed this disciple’s ceremony, both of them were highly respectful, no showing the slightest dissatisfaction or arrogance. Seeing their behaviour, Ling Tai Xu secretly nodded. Reflecting Moon Sect was similar to High Hall Pavilion, both were second-class Sects and the strength of their disciples was also comparable. This young man and woman both appeared calm and gentle, the kind of cultivators who were not fond of fighting and bloodshed.
Seeing Ling Tai Xu pondering his request, Zhuo Wen quickly spoke, “Brother Ling, please rest assured that this old man’s two disciples’ hearts are kind, for this experience they are only here to kill Monster Beasts and search for opportunities. They will certainly not make things difficult for your disciple; this old man can personally guarantee it is so.”
Finished explaining, he again added, “If this little brother is currently alone, once inside he may wish to travel together with this old man’s two disciples, each of them would thus be able to take care of each other.”
Ling Tai Xu had already considered agreeing, but still looked to Yang Kai and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
Yang Kai nodded indifferently, “We can enter together, but once inside you do not have to look after me.”
They were not familiar, and although Chen Xue Shu and Shu Xiao Yu appeared good natured, but it was impossible to instantly know other’s hearts, naturally it was better to be cautious. Moreover, even if Yang Kai did trust these two, it was not certain that they would believe in him, Zhuo Wen’s words were ultimately just a courtesy, how could he take them completely serious?