Chapter 2912 – Stone Forest
Translator: Silavin & Raikov
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
The odd Fifth and Sixth-Order Monster Beasts were shown no regard by the Emperor Realm Masters at all who were able to clear out large swarms of them without any difficulty. The bodies of the Monster Beasts burst apart one by one, turning into pools of blood before flowing back down into the swamp. Still, this did not scare off their remaining companions. Instead, it riled them up even further as more and more Monster Beasts pounced up from the ground.
The shrill cries did not stop for even a moment and at one point, the chaotic cries suddenly unified, converging into a single shockwave made up of tens of thousands of their calls.
Yang Tai, who was leading the group, saw this and shouted, “Run, now!”
Hua Yu Lu and Wu Kuang Yi’s expressions had also become grave.
Just as the others were confused, a strange scene appeared.
After the shrill cries merged into one, the auras of the Monster Beasts that came from below the swamp actually began to merge as well. From Fifth or Sixth-Order, auras at the Eighth-Order or even higher began to appear.
Yang Kai let out a casual strike before finding some time to glance down. Immediately, he saw a scene that made him click his tongue in wonder.
He could see the Monster Beasts gradually fusing together, as if they were parts of something larger that were separated and had now found an opportunity to reassemble.
A Monster Beast that was several tens of metres long soon appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. This Monster Beast had two horns on its head and its body was protected by an armour of scales. It also had eight claws and its appearance resembled a Flood Dragon, but also not. It was extremely strange-looking and right now, it no longer had just a Fifth or Sixth-Order cultivation, but was instead emitting the aura of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
Even more monsters that were bigger than this one circled around in pursuit of them.
Yang Kai could feel the aura of a number of Twelfth-Order, Eleventh-Order, and Tenth-Order Monster Beasts all around them.
The Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beasts that were so insignificant in the eyes of Emperor Realm Masters actually had the strange ability to fuse with each other and grow into a stronger being. And, the speed of them fusing together and transforming was simply beyond anything anyone could imagine.
Sure enough, for them to be able to survive in this kind of environment, these Monster Beasts could not be underestimated.
A rumble could be heard as these new behemoths trampled over the ground in pursuit of them, their heads raised high as they opened their mouths to bite at the people in the sky. An unpleasant smell was coming out of their humongous mouths as well, and after failing to catch their prey, they would spit multi-coloured balls of light at them.
Yang Kai could see clearly that those balls of light were the condensed poison mist that these creatures had devoured earlier. Even though Yang Kai could face off with these Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts calmly, the immense lethality of the poison mist was something he could not just ignore.
The faces of the other six Masters also changed dramatically, and all of them summoned their artifacts to protect themselves.
Unlike the others, Yang Kai had no defensive artifact that he could use, only his Great Soaring Black Dragon Armour, but even though it was an Emperor Artifact Armour, its main use was for him to cover his body during his Dragon Transformation. Yang Kai never thought about using it to defend against attacks, so he had no choice but to use his Emperor Qi to form a layer of protection around his body.
The group worked together to disperse the poison mist balls whistling over in their direction. A few of them managed to land on the various defensive artifacts, but those were easily deflected or dispersed. Still, the poison mist was toxic enough to send shivers down people’s spines.
Several Emperor Artifacts began to flicker after they resisted a strike from the poison mist balls, clearly revealing that their spirituality was damaged, and the Emperor Qi that Yang Kai was maintaining around his body had also been strongly corroded. So, he had no choice but to push out even more of his energy in order to keep up his protection, making him seem quite battered.
The group fled, not wanting to become entangled with these monsters.
A long time seemed to have passed, but it also seemed to just be a moment. When the seven managed to reach dry land again, the surrounding poison mist had disappeared and the Monster Beasts who had been chasing them suddenly stopped, as if something terrifying that they dared not face was up ahead. Instead, these beasts wandered the perimeter of the poison mist, staring at the group with their big eyes.
“It’s all good now that we’ve reached this place,” Yang Tai said with a laugh, clearly quite relieved. He pointed to the Monster Beasts and remarked, “Those things won’t chase us in here, but I don’t know why that is.”
The Monster Beasts gathered at the edge of the poison mist and watched them for just a short while before they broke apart again, turning back into the Fifth and Sixth-Order monsters that were only two metres long. Then, they wandered off from whence they came and disappeared in just the blink of an eye.
Confirming the danger had passed, everyone then began observing their surroundings.
They were on dry land, which was an unusual sight in the Southern Swamp which was filled with ponds and marshes. This piece of land was just like an island in the middle of a vast wetland.
The area of the island was not big, measuring only several dozen metres across, and it was surrounded by the same type of poison mist that even Emperor Realm Masters had to be wary of. If these Monster Beasts had not opened up a path for them, their group would have no hope of reaching this place.
With a solemn look, Yang Tai quickly said, “This is where the Ancient Cave Mansion lies.”
Even though his expression was serious, there was a hint of unconcealed enthusiasm in his eyes.
Wu Kuang Yi was also showing some excitement on his face as he commented, “Last time, Brother Yang, Palace Master Hua, and I managed to gain some good things from inside, but the Sealing Array blocked our path forward. This time, we have more people, and we also have the help of Old Patriarch Gong, so it should be no problem for us to break through it this time.”
Gong Yue smiled humbly, “This Old Master will do his best.”
“Then this Wu must thank Old Patriarch Gong in advance.” Wu Kuang Yi cupped his fists at him before saying, “I would like to remind everyone not to touch anything once we enter the Ancient Cave Mansion, and don’t run around aimlessly either. We should follow Old Patriarch Gong’s lead here. Many seals and traps still remain inside that cave mansion, and despite their age, they are still quite powerful. If anyone were to touch them by accident, then it may lead to unnecessary consequences.”
When he said these words, he glanced over at Yang Kai, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as if he was speaking especially for him.
However, Yang Kai’s aloof, almost distracted look caused Wu Kuang Yi’s expression to turn sour.
“Alright now, no one here is a child, I’m sure we all know what we have to do, so let us proceed.” Yang Tai beckoned to the crowd with a smile before leading them towards the Ancient Cave Mansion.
The order of the group remained unchanged, with Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu bringing up the rear.
“Senior Brother Yang, if you really find any treasures, you can try to grab them if you’re able, but if not, then we shouldn’t worry about it. Just think of this as gaining some life experience,” Hua Yu Lu quietly transmitted to him.
“En,” Yang Kai responded subconsciously, still seemingly distracted even at this moment.
Hua Yu Lu could not help but be worried about this. Who knows what sort of dangers awaited him past the last barrier? If there really was any danger, then things may be disastrous for Yang Kai if he were to be in this state. She wanted to give him a warning, but she didn’t know how to go about it, so she could only make up her own mind to be careful.
Yang Kai was indeed distracted because since he set foot on this island, he had been getting a strange feeling, as if there was something trying to contact him somewhere on the island. However, when he tried to trace it, he found nothing. He couldn’t even figure out which direction this outreach was coming from.
This puzzled him greatly, and while he was trying to figure it out, Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu had tried to talk to him, which made him come off as distracted to them.
The island was not very large, so it took only a few moments for the group to arrive at a kind of stone forest where a dozen stone pillars of different heights stood. The surface of the stone pillars were mottled with traces of erosion. They seemed to be arranged haphazardly, but upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a great deal of meaning behind the arrangement.
After more careful observation, they could see that the stone pillars were even moving at a slow pace, with some moving faster than others, gradually causing a dizzying effect.
Anyone could see that there was something wrong with this stone forest.
Perhaps in Ancient Times, this used to be a well-concealed entrance, and even Masters at the Emperor Realm may not be able to discover anything if they passed through here, but the barrier was now in a state of disrepair after being worn down through the ages, so its effect was definitely going to be much weaker, causing many of its traces to be revealed.
“Follow me!” Yang Tai stood at the front and after calling out to everyone, he went straight towards the middle of the stone forest without waiting for anyone.
In front of everyone’s eyes, it seemed as if he passed right through an invisible wall and disappeared mysteriously.
“Interesting, how interesting!” Gong Yue stroked his long beard and watched the scene with interest. His eyes were flashed, as if he discovered something, but he still began walking over without explaining any details.
A moment later, Gong Yue also disappeared.
Following that was Fang Zhuo and Wu Kuang Yi.
When it was Hua Yu Lu’s turn, she turned around and called out, “Senior Brother Yang, we should follow them.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll be right behind you.”
Only then did Hua Yu Lu relax somewhat and begin walking forward.
Then, when it came Yang Kai’s turn to cross the invisible boundary, he could feel very clearly as if he were stepping through space. The barrier at the centre of the stone forest seemed to have similar effects to a Space Array.
The first ones to enter were all gathered there, and they appeared to have entered a rock cave. The rock cave was only several tens of metres wide, and the air was quite dry. There was also an unpleasant smell here, but it was not unbearable.
A dim light was coming from the surrounding cave walls from some kind of stone used for lighting.
But after so many years, most of the light stones had lost their effectiveness while those that still functioned were just like candles in the wind, looking like they might go out at any moment.
There was nothing else in the rock cave. It was completely empty. It was not even clear what the use of this rock cave was so many years ago.
“This wasn’t where we were brought the last time we came here,” Yang Tai, who was standing at the lead spot, looked around them and scratched his head with an awkward expression on his face.
Both Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu nodded as well. When the three of them passed through the stone forest, it was indeed not this rock cave that they were brought into.
Gong Yue smiled, “That stone forest is a kind of array used to control the entrance to this place, and we do not have the means to operate it properly. Even though we were lucky enough to have gotten through, it will only have brought us to a random place. Since this is still part of the cave mansion though, we can just walk around and explore. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the right path eventually, and perhaps we may even find some good things you missed on your last trip here.”
Yang Tai’s eyes lit up at his words and he nodded, “Brother Gong is right. Then, let us begin!”
As he said so, he walked ahead with the others following behind him.
After walking out of the rock cave, there was a deep dark tunnel ahead of them. Just like the rock cave, there were light stones embedded across the walls for illumination and though the light was dim, it was better than nothing.