Chapter 309 The Dragon and the Silver Lion on the Crystal Tree!
The overwhelming black mist made Bai Zhou think the sun had already set. He had only just entered the mountains when the sky above his head darkened.
The gravel under his feet made an unusual crunching sound. Among the gray-white stones, he could vaguely see a few ancient pottery shards. The bluish-gray glaze revealed delicate patterns. The traces of history were scattered worthlessly across the mountains.
With a mindset of not wasting anything, Bai Zhou collected some of the pottery shards that looked relatively intact, thinking that antiques could still be sold for money.
At the very least, they were very precious ritual materials. The traces of time erosion and the imprints of civilization and technology were exactly what ritual masters loved.
He walked forward a little further. Just a moment ago, it felt like he was standing in a chilly autumn wind. With each step, the white breath he exhaled condensed into white mist in mid-air, and a biting cold swept over him, causing frost to form on Bai Zhou's eyelashes.
"Buzz!"
His spiritual energy circulated within him, and Bai Zhou's blood and qi surged, forcing out the biting cold.
The surrounding scenery subtly shifted. Years of accumulated ice merged with the surrounding rocks, and half a pillar protruded from the icy cliff face not far away, its serpentine carvings faintly visible, each scale distinct and lifelike.
A temple frozen in ice and snow was thus hidden behind the pillar in the mountainside. The howling snow swept across the ruins of the temple, creating a vast expanse of white.
It even had a touch of the sacred.
But before Bai Zhou could approach, a barely perceptible sound came from the depths of the temple ruins.
A massive figure flashed by in the depths of the temple. The monster resembled a large cat or a gorilla, a humanoid creature covered in ominous white fur. Occasionally, it hid behind broken statues, its murky eyes peering out with ill intent.
And so, through the swirling snow, the bloodshot, horrifying whites of its eyes met Bai Zhou's gaze.
"What is that!"
At that moment, as if by instinct, a reaction erupted, and the hairs on Bai Zhou's back stood on end, a chilling sense of danger washing over him.
"Whoosh!"
Just then, a gust of wind swept in from the temple ruins, carrying snowflakes that brushed against Bai Zhou's face, allowing him to clearly smell a sweet, fishy stench mixed with the putrid stench of decay.
[In this graveyard of civilization, monstrous creatures roam, ruins are everywhere. The valley ahead may still be covered in winter snow, concealing a corner of an icy city-state—and behind that mountain may be a desert town weathered by the unbearable heat.]
At this moment, Bai Zhou had a clear and intuitive understanding of the description the governor had mentioned.
Fortunately, this ominous monster didn't seem to intend to leave the temple.
Braving the other's probing and malicious gaze, Bai Zhou carefully avoided the temple ruins embedded in the ice of the cliff, quickening his pace to leave this snow-swept place.
After leaving the ruins of the icy temple, Bai Zhou walked for another ten minutes or so among the jagged rocks.
The terrain beneath his feet subtly changed; the snow disappeared, and dry gravel and sand appeared beneath his feet. The surrounding air gradually became hot and dry.
Sandstorms raged, revealing a desolate desert. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, mixed with the lingering aroma of some kind of burning spice. A vast temple ruin stood before Bai Zhou's eyes.
The temple, nestled amidst the weathered rocks, was almost an integral part of the landscape. The remains of strangely shaped statues stood at the temple entrance, also covered in yellow sand and weathered beyond recognition.
Many details suggested that grand sacrifices had once been performed here; crowds knelt in worship, and priests prayed for divine commands—but now all that was gone. The solemn temple was now ruins, the bones of the ancestors long since fused with the rocks.
It wasn't just that temple in the snow, nor just this desert temple—
further on, Bai Zhou saw a massive metal tree growing from the ruins of an iron tower, an ancient stone bridge broken into pieces, a weathered battle flag planted on the Broken Bone Slope, and the ruins of a plaza with dozens of strange stone pillars—
from afar, without even getting close, Bai Zhou could immediately recognize their extraordinary nature, sense the terrifying danger hidden beneath the calm surface, and thus avoided them altogether.
With a clear objective in mind, Bai Zhou, compass in hand, focused intently on exploring the ruins, daring not to stray from the path—even a few extra glances sent shivers down his spine, as if he were about to disturb the slumber of some terrifying being.
One could imagine the status and glorious reputation these ruins held within their respective civilizations in their prime, perhaps harboring astonishing origins and unimaginable power. Now
, however, they were all dilapidated and desolate, piled up within the graveyard of civilizations, like ancient tombs abandoned in a mass grave, forgotten by fate and the world in this chaotic corner.
No matter how brilliant and talented they once were, under the mighty force of time, they were reduced to piles of bones.
Even the grandest temples, stretching for miles, eventually crumble into dust.
Only Bai Zhou, a later traveler, walking among the ruins, can glimpse a corner of the former civilization's prosperity while paying homage to the ancient sites, and feel a deep sense of melancholy.
Black mist swirled above his head, and occasionally Bai Zhou could see strange figures appearing and disappearing in the ruins. He always felt a
sense of unease, as if someone was spying on him from the shadows. This unease could only be alleviated by gripping the compass in his left hand and the red and white saber in his right.
He saw a black river flowing through the mountains, with black paper boats drifting downstream. Upstream, a hazy woman in white seemed to be releasing these boats.
He also saw someone standing at the edge of the wilderness, gazing into the distance, dressed in ancient clothing, like an ancient corpse resurrected from the earth, singing an ancient song like a summoning of spirits. He also heard a hyena-like shadow flash across the
desert, carrying a suffocatingly ferocious aura, howling and shattering a mountain range.
Terrifying! Horrifying!
Utterly terrifying!
It's hard to describe how tense Bai Zhou was as he walked through this place. He now fully understood the meaning of the forbidden zone and was acutely aware of the crucial importance of the compass for navigation.
Because in this desolate and lifeless region, those obviously abnormal sights either meant unbelievable monsters or illusions that led one astray—
in fact, Bai Zhou clearly leaned towards the latter, because when he saw those unbelievable sights, his sense of direction would inexplicably disappear completely, and a strong urge to step closer would naturally arise in his heart. Whenever
this happened, before Bai Zhou could spontaneously activate the [Soothing] skill within his body to counteract the effect, the compass in his hand would emit a buzzing warning, stinging the palm of Bai Zhou's hand that gripped the compass, bringing him back to his senses.
"Warning! Detected that you are about to deviate from the route—Do not deviate."
No wonder the governor valued this compass so much.
In the graveyard of civilizations in the Sunset Mountains, this thing meant a guarantee of life, something that no amount of treasure could exchange for.
However—
Bai Zhou had a premonition that the pollution on his body was rapidly accumulating, eventually reaching a very high level.
The kind of pollution that affects the spirit of the chosen one, imperceptibly clouding their reason and emotions, was likely abundant here.
When Bai Zhou returned—
Miss Crow, who was always particularly concerned about pollution and constantly cleaning it from him, would probably be shocked to see him covered in filth, wondering if he had jumped into a polluted cesspool for a swim.
Even so, Miss Crow would still hold her nose, disgusted, while performing the pollution cleansing ritual for him—right?
"Splash!"
Bai Zhou's figure swept across the sky. With astonishing jumping power, he leaped over a cliff several meters long, landing on the smooth, straight opposite side, and plunged his saber into the rock face.
The blade cut into the stone like tofu, allowing Bai Zhou to traverse the completely vertical cliff face, devoid of any footholds.
Below him lay a bottomless abyss, a chilling wind howling from below, making Bai Zhou's lower body feel cold.
Anyone with even a slight fear of heights would be trembling uncontrollably at this moment—fortunately, Bai Zhou's years of experience sleeping on air conditioner outdoor units had long since cured his fear of heights. His breathing was steady, and his movements were exceptionally steady, not daring to make a single mistake.
"My current location—shouldn't be far from that snow mountain."
Holding his knife and hanging on the cliff, Bai Zhou checked the compass in his left hand, estimating his current location in his mind.
According to Bai Zhou's estimation, his single-minded, relentless advance, making every second count without lingering, meant that although he was still in the outer area of the Sunset Mountains, he was definitely quite deep inside.
Just as he was thinking this, Bai Zhou passed a bend in the cliff.
Then, across the boundless abyss and the hazy mist above it, Bai Zhou looked up and saw, in the distance, a colossal tree, at least several hundred meters tall, growing diagonally on the mountainside opposite the abyss!
The tree was entirely transparent, like exquisite crystal, its canopy covering half the valley, each branch covered with pink petals that shimmered with a faint light.
"That is—?"
Bai Zhou's movements completely froze, his expression shifting from blankness to shock, his pupils rapidly contracting.
At that moment, under Bai Zhou's gaze, the petals, shimmering with the light of dawn, drifted down like a pink rain of light, carried by the wind towards the boundless abyss.
But what attracted Bai Zhou most was—
was a dragon, coiled around the enormous branches, hidden behind the delicate pink petals
!
Bai Zhou found it difficult to describe the creature using any word other than "dragon." After all, it possessed the body of a giant python and the antlers of a deer, yet it differed from the dragons Bai Zhou knew. Its body was as transparent as a giant tree, resembling exquisite crystal, while its horns and claws resembled tree branches, displaying a pinkish hue.
It seemed to be dozing, its tens-of-meters-long body coiled around the branches of the crystal tree, its form rising and falling slowly in rhythm. With each inhale, it swirled delicate pink petals high into the air; with each exhale, it showered the crystal tree with blossoms. The abyss below and the sheer cliff beneath seemed to tremble slightly with its breath.
Beautiful.
Breathtakingly beautiful, like a dream. This perception of beauty transcended the boundaries of any race; even a pig would be mesmerized.
A crystal-clear body, with pink tree branches resembling dragon horns and claws—it simply existed there, seemingly asleep, needing to do nothing to captivate those who stared at it, as if witnessing the most incredible and beautiful creation in the world.
"I—saw a dragon?"
Bai Zhou, still gripping his sword hilt, swayed back and forth on the howling, cold wind of the cliff, staring dumbfounded at the hazy scene in the distance.
A hero who doesn't want to slay a dragon isn't a good adventurer.
But if they saw such a special dragon, they would probably rather become "Dragon Knights" than "Dragon Slayers"—
"A graveyard of civilizations, even has something like this?"
Bai Zhou took a deep breath, his heart pounding, yet he knew this wasn't something he could risk now.
An endless valley separated them, like an insurmountable chasm; even looking straight ahead, with Bai Zhou's near-life-forging eyesight, he could only barely make out the dragon through the mist.
Between the two sides, the bottomless, pitch-black abyss stretched out below. According to Bai Zhou's estimation, if his current location was on the outer edge of the Sunset Mountains—
then the colossal tree he could see across the abyss was undoubtedly located in the heart of the Sunset Mountains!
That was the true forbidden zone for all living beings!
Seeing it didn't guarantee arrival, but it left Bai Zhou with an unforgettable memory.
Although he wasn't sure if the creature was alive or something else—
he knew that when Bai Zhou truly had a chance to become a dragon knight or dragon slayer, he would return without hesitation.
He took one last deep look at the dragon-like creature, then withdrew his gaze, filled with regret and longing, and continued to nimbly leap across the cliff face, occasionally pausing to plant his sword in the rock. His movements seemed to carry a renewed energy. He
was striving to become a dragon knight someday!
But soon—Bai Zhou put away his regret.
In the blink of an eye, a monster no less massive than the crystal dragon appeared before him without warning.
Bai Zhou had just climbed out of the smooth cliff—
according to his compass, he estimated he was only a few hundred meters away from the snow-capped mountain where the vulture nested.
He was only one step away from seeing his trial target.
He could even see in the distance the broken snow-capped mountain standing amidst the eternal wind and snow. Then, he climbed the low ridge before him—
"Whoosh—"
The wind on the ridge was strong, making the hem of Bai Zhou's trench coat flutter wildly. The black mist in mid-air was torn open by the gale, letting in a few pale beams of light that shone on a wide slope ahead.
There, lying there, was a lion.
—A "Silver Lion."
The lion was entirely silver-white, radiating a dazzling silver light. Its mane seemed like flowing liquid metal. Lying there, it resembled a small silver mine, stretching as far as the eye could see.
It lay there dozing, its wheel-like eyes closed, the sound of its breathing carrying the clanging of swords clashing, sending piercing pain through Bai Zhou's body.
Even more strikingly, Bai Zhou could clearly see that beside the silver lion, a mountain peak was reduced to half its original size, with distinct teeth marks visible on it—as if
this silver lion had once opened its jaws wide and bitten off half of the mountain!
A chilling sense of impending doom washed over Bai Zhou, a terrifying feeling of impending doom piercing his heart, a sharp, piercing sense of life and death constantly reminding him of just how terrifying this silver lion was.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the silver "mountain" in the distance seemed to sense Bai Zhou's presence, slowly opening its scarlet, crazed, chaotic eyes.
It turned its head and saw Bai Zhou.
"Clang—!!!"
Like the clang of swords, an incredible surge of murderous aura and a frenzied, battle-like rage suddenly assaulted Bai Zhou's mind, causing his blood to surge like a tsunami.
But this was not the silver lion's malicious intent, but rather a natural reaction to their eye contact. "
Oh no!" In that
instant, every cell in Bai Zhou's body buzzed, even the white sun in his destiny space trembled, sensing this life-or-death predicament.
His thoughts surged like a thunderbolt, and amidst the shifting emotions, Bai Zhou, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, activated a newly acquired instinct.
"King of Battle—
"
At that moment, Bai Zhou's aura subtly changed:
[All Beasts Crouch!]
Instinct activated.
"Buzz!"
Facing the unbelievable pressure of the colossal beast, Bai Zhou's aura showed no weakness or compromise; instead, it became even more fierce, more intense, and more aggressive, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
Even more subtly, Bai Zhou's aura seemed to strangely converge with that of the distant silver lion.
It was as if—Bai Zhou had become a cub of a silver behemoth.
And with the sudden surge of Bai Zhou's strange aura, the silver lion's movements gradually ceased, its violent and chaotic eyes seeming to clear somewhat.
"It works?"
Bai Zhou's eyes lit up.
However, in the next instant!
"Whoosh!"
Bai Zhou's vision suddenly went black as an indescribable pulling force dragged his body, instantly placing him in front of the silver lion.
"Boom!" Immense pressure crashed down on Bai Zhou like a mountain, almost crushing every bone in his body.
When Bai Zhou barely managed to lift his eyes, he saw the silver lion opening its blood-red maw, which blotted out the sky, as if it wanted to swallow the sun whole.
"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed—"
Bai Zhou's pupils contracted, his spirituality ignited in an instant, and he roared as he drew his saber, ready to fight to the death.
"I'll risk it all!"
Then, at the critical moment, "Whoosh!"
the massive, mountain-like silver lion flicked out its scarlet, python-like tongue and gently licked Bai Zhou.
Hurry Up and Get Those Flowers Out of the House...
d310 The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Power, the Eagle Hangs in the Sky!
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"Splash—"
Bai Zhou was soaked through as if by a torrential downpour, his whole body drenched, which was unbearable for someone with a slight obsession with cleanliness.
But the saliva from the Silver Lion not only had no fishy smell, but even flowed with abundant spirituality, emitting a unique fragrance. The moment it landed on Bai Zhou, it stimulated the spirituality within Bai Zhou's body to react.
As if providing him with precious nourishment, the 720 spiritual entities within Bai Zhou's body grew stronger in the blink of an eye, and even the divine domain within his body quietly solidified considerably.
At this moment, Bai Zhou could clearly feel that his foundation, which had just broken through to the Quasi-Life Forger, had become much more stable, and he was rapidly approaching the bottleneck of a true Life Forger.
"Unbelievable—"
Bai Zhou hadn't expected that the Silver Lion's saliva could have such incredible effects, surpassing any elixir.
He suddenly recalled a few adventure stories mentioning that dragon saliva, also known as ambergris, was the world's most supreme divine medicine, capable of bringing the dead back to life and healing even the most muscular wounds—
although the Silver Lion's saliva certainly wasn't quite that powerful, the underlying principle—perhaps it was the same?
Despite this, Bai Zhou still felt nauseous.
While feeling disgusted, his body instinctively craved this nourishment. Every pore on his body greedily opened, absorbing this mysterious, spiritually rich liquid, nourishing his body, strengthening his spirituality, solidifying his foundation, and expanding the power within him. A tiger's roar erupted from
Bai Zhou's torso. A dragon's roar appeared from the base of Bai Zhou's lower limbs.
Tiger's roar and dragon's roar! Reappeared on Bai Zhou's body! "Roar—" The silver lion, its head like a giant mountain, looked down at Bai Zhou. Hearing the tiger's roar and dragon's cry emanating from Bai Zhou, it nodded in satisfaction, as if a silver lion cub should have such a physique from birth. "This lion—" His body was growing, and the tingling sensation almost gave Bai Zhou a brain orgasm, but he still raised his head, sweat beading on his forehead, his heart pounding with tension. Could this lion be mistaking him for its cub?
"—Saved?"
"Roar!"
If the other party wasn't licking ice cream, judging from its current state, it probably really thought Bai Zhou was one of its kind.
Not daring to let his guard down, a feeling of relief washed over him, like finally finishing three days of cramming for exams and collapsing onto the sofa, unwilling to move.
He'd gambled right.
[Beastly Lurker] really worked!
[Beasts are friendly, scales and feathers are approachable.]
Looking up at the mountain-like silver lion bowing and licking him, Bai Zhou muttered to himself.
The python-like tongue obscured Bai Zhou's vision, covered in dense barbs, each one like a sharp sword, yet now it lay submissively, posing no threat to Bai Zhou.
So, [Beastly Lurker]—is this what "lurking" means?
Bowing and licking, let's just say it's not really lurking.
But—is this kind of [Beastly Lurker], as an instinct, a little too effective?
Would a beast stronger than himself treat him like its cub?
Would a beast weaker than himself treat him like its stern father?
Would he then be able to roam freely in this Sunset Mountains?
Thinking of this, Bai Zhou shook his head, feeling like he was dreaming.
If this instinct were truly that useful—the wolf knight statue couldn't have failed to explain it clearly to him.
[When you approach them, the beasts won't attack out of fear, nor will they be wary because of unfamiliarity—generally speaking, they will ignore or accept your presence, just as they accept a member of their own pack.]
[Just like you can swagger past a lion with this instinct, and if the lion is in a good mood, you might even be able to stroke its back—but if you make a starving lion not eat the rabbit in front of you, it will turn around and eat you.]
The wolf knight's words echoed slowly in Bai Zhou's mind.
The situation of being treated as a cub wasn't mentioned by the wolf knight.
Furthermore, the description of the wolf rider statue suggests that many of the former Kings of War didn't even value this instinct.
If [Beast Lurk] is truly so miraculous, surely those former Kings of War weren't all fools?
Thinking it over, Bai Zhou quickly grasped the crux of the problem.
The silver lion before him had bloodshot eyes, its gaze chaotic and disordered, only showing a hint of confused affection when licking Bai Zhou.
This was a fool—
Bai Zhou understood everything.
Although he couldn't comprehend what kind of life the silver lion was, or even whether it was alive or dead—its mind was clearly not working properly.
Looking across the entire Sunset Mountain Range, it probably had no other of its kind, which was perhaps why it mistook him for its cub—
in fact, led by the silver lion, Bai Zhou moved forward and soon saw a
small burrow in the distance.
The burrow, made of some kind of plant that resembled both straw and wheat, its name unidentifiable, was located in a nearby cave. It looked quite old, yet seemed carefully maintained.
Although called a burrow, it was actually nearly ten meters in diameter, but compared to the mountain-like size of the silver lion, it seemed insignificant.
Therefore, this silver lion had indeed had a cub.
But it had abandoned it.
Looking at the small den that clearly showed signs of life, Bai Zhou fell silent.
So, the silver lion before him was a—
a mother.
Something must have happened, but the end result was an empty den and the disappearance of her cubs.
And its mother, this silver lion, became a mad lion, consumed by grief for her young.
Coincidentally, Bai Zhou's trip into the mountains was also at the request of a father who had lost his cubs.
Although Bai Zhou had no parents, he completely understood the silver lion's feelings and finally understood why the silver lion mistook him for its cub.
In truth, this mad silver lion might not have been unaware that Bai Zhou wasn't its child—
but it probably preferred to deceive itself, to comfort itself that although it hadn't properly cared for its cub, the child had always been alive and well.
After all, for a maddened lioness who had lost her cubs, the appearance of Bai Zhou, carrying the scent of a kindred spirit, was nothing short of grasping at a straw.
Like a mother on Earth whose son has long since passed away, hearing a fraudulent phone call from the same voice as her son, even knowing the caller is a scammer, she still wants to hear them call her "Mom
" a few more times.
So, under the expectant yet nervously cautious gaze of the silver lion, Bai Zhou remained silent for a moment, then went to the small den.
He lay down
and rolled around a few times.
At that moment, Bai Zhou clearly saw that in the distance, the sacred, mad lion, seemingly cast in silver, had its scarlet eyes filled with large,
glistening tears. Then, the silver lion's roar reverberated throughout the surrounding mountains, and the dense forests rustled everywhere.
It was as if it were joyfully announcing to its territory and neighbors that its child had returned.
The silver lion's condition was clearly not quite normal, so much so that it needed to sleep and rest most of the time.
Having comforted the old woman and left her with a memory, Bai Zhou, taking advantage of the silver lion's exhaustion and subsequent sleep, quickly activated the "Peace" talisman on the Sea of Ignorance.
Before the silver lion realized what was happening and his imposter was completely exposed, Bai Zhou knew he had to leave quickly.
Besides
, there was nothing of value to be gained in the cave besides the special plants that had paved his nest.
Time was of the essence; he had to get out of the mountain immediately!
Climbing the snow, battling the vultures, he still had time to forge his life!
"Buzz—"
He activated the word "Peace," and invisible ripples enveloped Bai Zhou. In the blink of an eye, his entire figure vanished above the nest, as if he had escaped into another dimension, a brief moment of teleportation and escape.
But Bai Zhou also knew that his actions might not have fooled the unfathomable silver lion—
as he fled, Bai Zhou's cautious gaze had clearly caught a glimpse of
the silver lion's eyelids twitching twice.
But it didn't open them.
It might have already realized that Bai Zhou wasn't its cub, or rather, after the initial illusion, it would eventually discover the truth.
But to the Silver Lion, Bai Zhou was, after all, a "kindred spirit," one who harbored goodwill towards him and was willing to play along with this old madman.
And even if it truly was its child—
after so many years, it had grown up, had its own life, and no longer belonged here.
Though reluctant, it had to let it go.
So, as Bai Zhou fled, the Silver Lion's eyelids twitched twice, but it didn't truly open its scarlet, crazed eyes.
It was as if, at that moment, the Silver Lion ceased its madness, returning to its shimmering, sacred silver light, quietly dormant like a sleeping mountain. "
Sweet dreams,"
Bai Zhou murmured to himself.
Although he didn't know what had happened—if he had the chance to explore other parts of the Sunset Mountains in the future, he would help this mother see if there was any trace of her child.
Or perhaps, this was one of the meanings of adventurers who constantly explore and linger, always striving forward.
Leaving the dense forest ruled by the Silver Lion, at the boundary between the forest and the snow-capped mountains, lay a damp swamp.
A layer of corpse oil-like luster floated on the lush green swamp. In the center of the swamp, a gigantic toad, resembling a floating mountain
, crouched on the surface. Its eyes were bright gold with vertical pupils like a snake's, and each of the densely packed protrusions on its back was inlaid with eerie, dark green crystals. The toad's eyes were half-open, and a continuous gurgling sound emanated from deep within its throat. Each echo was accompanied by a burst of bubbles on the swamp's surface, releasing a green, poisonous mist that was swallowed and refined by the toad, transforming into new crystals on its back.
Not only that, but on the swamp's bank, deep within the withered grass taller than a person, a giant centipede could be vaguely seen lurking. Occasionally, its body would churn over the dense, withered grass, producing a chilling "shrug-shrug" and "crunch-crunch" echo.
They stood blocking the path of the white boat, impossible to avoid.
"Beasts are friendly, scaled creatures are approachable—"
the white boat pondered the effects of [All Beasts Crouch], realizing that this instinct seemed ineffective against insects.
But—
before Bai Zhou could do anything, sensing his approach, the toad's half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open.
After scrutinizing Bai Zhou for a while, the giant toad croaked a few times, as if complaining about something, then turned its head away, its back to Bai Zhou, completely pretending not to see him.
The giant centipede was even more decisive, turning tail and disappearing into the mud deep within the withered grass.
Bai Zhou was puzzled when he heard several warning roars from the silver lion behind him. At that moment, all evil seemed to vanish; the previously unsettling, insect-filled swamp of poisonous mist became eerily silent.
"It's it—"
Bai Zhou's expression turned complicated.
Insects are masters of seeking advantage and avoiding harm.
Bai Zhou had been licked all over by the silver lion and rolled around in its den, his body already stained with its strong aura.
These swamp creatures had sensed the silver lion's presence and received its warnings—
they had a powerful backer, not to be trifled with.
It seemed their strength was considerably inferior to the silver lion's—
a classic case of borrowing power.
Bai Zhou felt that he could be bolder in this area from now on—
and so, he crossed the swamp with a sense of trepidation, even swaggering.
He finally arrived at the continuous snow-capped mountains.
The dark house overhead was gone; beneath the vast white dome, endless expanses of snow stretched to the horizon.
The snowfall, though light, seemed to have been falling for millennia, the biting cold enveloping Bai Zhou. Beneath his feet, only the bottomless snow revealed no ground.
Occasionally, towering pillars, covered in solid ice, peeked out from the snow, like pillars connecting the seabed to the surface, their tips emerging from the depths.
One could imagine that within this endlessly falling snow lay the ruins of a magnificent civilization, or even more.
If an ordinary person came here, they would either be instantly submerged and suffocated, or frozen into an ice sculpture—no other possibility.
But for Bai Zhou—
his spirit stirred, his blood flowing like a radiant cloud.
Light as a swallow, he traversed the snow, leaving no footprints, while simultaneously using the ceaseless, flowing heat within his body to combat the biting cold. =
"Buzz!"
Deep within his eyes, the Heavenly Pivot quietly activated. Bai Zhou turned his head and looked around, observing the place. He felt that this place was a feng shui treasure land for ritual masters.
Ancient and extreme.
Even the spiritual energy permeating the air seemed to carry the attribute of ice and snow, and any other attribute of spiritual energy would be suppressed here.
Conversely, any ritual that tends towards ice and snow, if set up here, with the help of the external force of the snowstorm, would probably have two or even three times the terrifying effect!
If one could form a bond here, it would be the dream of any ritual master!
"Hoo—"
Taking a deep breath, Bai Zhou exhaled, forming a long white arrow of air in the air. He walked on the snow, leaving no trace.
The boy in the black trench coat became a small black dot on the white snow, and his figure gradually disappeared into the snowstorm.
Go up the mountain!
Go up the snow mountain!
Under this extreme environment, the spiritual energy in Bai Zhou's body, which was constantly fighting against the cold, also quietly shifted towards a certain formation.
Reaching the mountainside, the view suddenly opened up. Beyond the endless expanse of white snow, a broken stone tower appeared, leaning against the cliff face. The surrounding snow seemed to have melted away.
Perched atop the tower was an eagle with outstretched wings, its posture suggesting flight, though its stone wings were broken in half, the broken section a charred black.
"This is—" Bai Zhou silently observed, taking in every detail.
Just then, a cry of an eagle swept across the vast sky above, seemingly tearing through the air and shattering the all-encompassing silence of the snow-capped mountain. A
sense of danger, as if being watched from afar by something terrifying, suddenly gripped Bai Zhou's heart, making the hairs on his back stand on end.
Then,
a shadow, an endless, heavy shadow, swept across overhead, as if the sky had suddenly darkened.
Bai Zhou looked up and saw a pitch-black monster, its boundless black wings spreading like clouds hanging from the sky, casting a cold and fierce gaze towards him.
A massive shadow stretched from the mountaintop to the mountainside, obscuring Bai Zhou's figure; the scene seemed like a mythical descent.
It's here!
"Buzz!"
Almost simultaneously, the red and white saber in Bai Zhou's hand hissed and gleamed.
The seven hundred and twenty spiritual entities within him, eager to test their power, meticulously arranged themselves according to the requirements of the Life-Forging Trial.
Snow-capped mountains, eagle cries, and then, as if facing a trial, as if summoned by fate—the yearning for Life-Forging suddenly erupted from the depths of Bai Zhou's genes.
"This feeling—"
Just like what Bai Zhou had experienced not long ago in the underground arena facing numerous fighting spirits.
The first trial has arrived
!
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