“Mengmeng, have you seen the small black dot below the line on the left part of the Dal Star? It’s the place where our fleet is stationed. The biggest black dot is the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s fleet. Their fleet is very large. Our Elf Clan only sent three ships here.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Mengmeng said with confusion, “Didn’t you come here by spaceship? Now the spaceships have all gone back, how will you leave this land?”
“We all have small aircraft. The aircraft can fly through the passage and send a signal in the universe. The fleet will come to pick us up after receiving the signal. It can get here in less than two hours from the Dal Star. We won’t have to wait for long,” Nina replied. “As the storm outside this land can do harm to the fleet, it didn’t stay here.”
“Well, that explains it. I haven’t traveled by spaceship yet,” Mengmeng muttered.
“Huh?”
Nina’s expression froze for a second. Then, she asked, “How did you get here without a fleet?”
“We got here by boat. It was a small boat, not any bit magnificent. But it was very fast,” Mengmeng answered. She then asked, “Sister Nina, do you elves always take ships when you go out? Does anyone ride an ancient demonic beast?”
“Riding an ancient demonic beast?”
Nina’s eyes slowly widened. “Isn’t that just a myth? No one has ever seen anyone doing that before. I’ve even heard that ancient demonic beasts once appeared in the Sea Dragon Star Area. Last time, I heard from my elders that ancient demonic beasts could easily destroy a planet and were incredibly strong. But they didn’t say that ancient demonic beasts could be tamed and become somebody’s ride.”
“The ancient demonic beast is just a myth?”
Mengmeng blinked quickly.
“But Tiny Tot is an ancient demonic beast. No ancient demonic beasts are found in the entire Sea Dragon Star Area? Yet, they do exist on Earth.”
“Mengmeng, look there. It looks like a pale green bubble. It’s my hometown, the Heavenly North Star Area. The Roland Star is in the north. It’s a little far away, so we can hardly see it from here.”
“Is it over there?” Mengmeng pointed to a place and asked.
“Yes,” Nina replied. “On our Roland Star, there is no industry except for a space station and several bases. The environment there is very good, and there are many scenic places. When this trial is over, I’ll take you there to have some fun if you have time.”
“Well, I, umm…”
Mengmeng was a little intrigued. Still, she mumbled in an undertone, “But I have homework to do. And the new term is about to start.”
“…”
Mengmeng and Nina enjoyed spending time together very much. Relatively speaking, Nina was livelier when she was with Mengmeng. But her demeanor was still very elegant and refined because that was the habit she had kept for many years, which had become part of her nature.
After sitting on the platform for a few hours, everyone went down to rest.
Early the next morning, a piece of news was bandied about.
“Have you heard about that? Li Mu has sent a message to the public. The day before yesterday, he led the Cloud Shadow Sky to occupy a small city. It was in the south of the west side of the river. He said that he’s found a very high-level secret realm there, which the Cloud Shadow Sky can’t explore by itself. Thus, he spread the news that anyone who is interested in the secret realm can go explore it. The assembling place is in the small city they occupied. The deadline is the end of tomorrow, so anyone who wants to go there has one day to get there.”
“I’ve also heard about it. Young Master Li Mu just wants to have a gathering. His invitation is perhaps only open to those people with high status like Hu Bin and Zhong An. People like us are not worthy of his attention. Haha, but I really appreciate it that Young Master Li Mu has made the secret realm public and decided to share the resources in it with everyone. He has done a good job. If he unites with the Tiger Talisman Royal Family and the Silver-winged Hall, the three forces are powerful enough to get whatever they want.”
“Young Master Li Mu is really generous. He deserves to be one of the Eight Great Young Masters in the Cloud Star Area. If I were the one who had found a high-end secret realm, I would not have told anyone.”
“The small city Young Master Li Mu occupied is called Cloud City. It’s said that it is the largest stronghold on the west side of the river.”
“That’s no big news. The real big deal is that they say Young Master Li Mu has found a rare sixth-tier treasure in Cloud City. Can you imagine how valuable is it? With the sixth-tier treasure alone, Young Master Li Mu’s exploration there can be considered fruitful, not to mention all the resources he got before. Young Master Li Mu has really made a great contribution to his sect this time. When he returns to the sect, he may very soon enter the Yuan Ying Realm.”
“…”
News spread from various strongholds, trading centers, and other places. In just one day, many forces on the west side of the river had heard about it. In addition to them, some free cultivators had also planned to go and have a look the next day.
No matter what, one thing was certain—as even Li Mu found the secret realm hard to deal with, there must be something highly dangerous there.
“Does he want others to be cannon fodder?”
Whether it was true or not, since the risk was high, it meant that the opportunities there were also huge. Wasn’t it said that Li Mu had obtained a sixth-tier treasure in Cloud City? What kind of treasure would it be in the place that even he found it tricky to handle? Could it be the martial arts heritage of some deceased masters? Or could it be some kind of supernatural power or secret skill?
Either way, it was tempting enough.
Many people still chose to go, undeterred by the dangers ahead. Maybe that was the realistic portrayal of many people. Even some cultivators at the Elixir Realm Middle-Stage prepared to go and have a look the next day.
“The Cloud Shadow Sky?”
In a virgin forest deep in the mountains, Wu Ming was roasting a half-meter-long black pig. The aroma of meat had permeated the air. Coupled with the Cloud Shadow Sky’s wine, he was having a really hearty meal.
At this time, about a kilometer away, more than a dozen people were passing by, talking about going to Cloud City the next day. When Wu Ming overheard their conversation, he was a little stunned.
“A secret realm?
“As Li Mu from the Cloud Shadow Sky has occupied that city, isn’t there full of members of that sect?
“I just stole their wine. If I go, I’m afraid… I’ll be targeted, won’t I?”
Wu Ming ripped one leg of the roasted pig off and took a big bite. His lips were covered with grease. Then, he took a swig of wine and murmured, “That’s not right.
“I told them I was Zhang Hanyang. If Zhang Hanyang went there, hehe, there would be quite a scene, wouldn’t there?
“The key is, do they know who Zhang Hanyang really is? He’s only been here for a day, and no one has recognized him.
“Never mind. Never mind. I’ll go and see what will happen. Even if I get exposed, those people won’t be able to catch me.
“The secret realm should have some good stuff in it, right? It’s just that… if Moon Empress also goes there, I can’t fight her for the treasures. Besides, I can’t beat her anyway even if I’m at the top of my game.
“Tomorrow, this Lost Continent is finally about to become lively.”
As he spoke, Wu Ming started to smirk unpleasantly. No one knew what he was thinking.
About 100 miles away from Wu Ming, in a tavern in a village, Ye Longyuan had ordered good wine and fine dishes. He was enjoying the meal with Yan Chen.
“So many dishes cost only five crystals. They’re really cheap. The meat of beasts in the Elixir Realm is really worthless here,” Ye Longyuan said with emotion.
Yan Chen did not respond, for he was listening intently to what the people at the other tables were talking about.
“Are we going tomorrow?” Yan Chen asked with a slight frown.
“Sure, why not?” Ye Longyuan said casually, not bothering to keep his voice down.
Seeing this, Yan Chen quickly cast a soundproof cover, for fear that Ye Longyuan would say something more unscrupulous.
As expected—
“Isn’t it just the Cloud Shadow Sky? What’s the big deal? They say Li Mu, Hu Bin, and Zhong An are all remarkable. But how great are they on earth? We’ll have the answer when we see them tomorrow.”
“They are at the peak of the Elixir Realm. In terms of realms, they are already stronger than us, let alone their strength,” Yan Chen said calmly. “They have stayed in the Sea Dragon Star Area for so many years. They must have their special skills. Surely, they’re very powerful. However, we have our trump cards that others don’t know about. Anyway, Junior Martial Brother Ye, don’t make trouble rashly. Tomorrow, we’ll go to Cloud City mainly for observation and waiting to explore the secret realm. Since there is an advanced secret realm, there should be something good there. Don’t forget that we are here for the trial.”
“Got it. Hurry up and eat. How come I didn’t find you such a lollygagger before?” Ye Longyuan muttered discontentedly.
Then, he began to gulp down those delicacies on the table. Most of the dishes were the meat of spirit beasts, which tasted very good. Even Yan Chen could not put down his chopsticks in front of those dishes.
Food is the paramount necessity for the people. That applied to the Cultivation World as well.
In a trading market hundreds of miles away, Shi Fenghou was walking on the street, looking around casually. He intended to learn more about the market price.
The more he saw and heard, the more convinced he was that in the Sea Dragon Star Area, spirit treasures were scarce, and crystals were not plenty, either.
Why was that?
Because the Sea Dragon Star Area was too vast and the population was too large. As a result, the average number of treasures one could have was relatively small.
“Earth is really too small.”
Shi Fenghou thought with mixed feelings.
After walking for more than 10 minutes, Shi Fenghou also heard the news. Then, he fell silent.
“Should I go there or not?
“Yes, I’ll go.
“If I want to go, no one can stop me. I just have to take some precautions beforehand.”
Shi Fenghou made up his mind and began to plan for the next day’s trip.
In the tavern near him, Ding Jiuming was also sitting there. He had long learned about this matter.
But all he could think about was…
“Eldest Lady!”
Ding Jiuming’s eyes were scorching with desire. As Mu Xue didn’t come here with him, he had no idea where she was right now. But as soon as he landed on the Lost Continent, he found that the vastness of the Sea Dragon Star Area was finally put in perspective.
He felt free and vigorous, as though he were a fish that could leap at will in the boundless ocean, or a bird that could fly as high as it wanted in the sky.
This longing for exploring the world together with Mu Xue became more and more intense in his mind.
In the past, he only had a crush on Mu Xue. But at this time, Mu Xue’s enchanting, curvaceous figure was growing increasingly distinct in his head.
He was burning with fervent passion. As for the secret realm, that Li Mu from the Cloud Shadow Sky, and the things other people were discussing, he was not interested in them in the slightest.
It was as if he were possessed.
“If I go to Cloud City tomorrow, I should be able to see Eldest Lady, right?”
Ding Jiuming drank up the wine in the big bowl in front of him. There was a hint of drunkenness in his eyes. Nobody knew how much he had drunk.
In the stronghold of the Elemental Elves.
Breakfast had been served. There were quite a lot of dishes for breakfast, most of which were not strongly flavored.
Just as everyone was eating, an elf ran over to Nina’s side.
“Your Highness, I just got the news that Li Mu has found a secret realm. He announced that if anyone wanted to fight for the opportunities there, he or she could go to the relic of the small city he had occupied the day before yesterday. Now, that city is called Cloud City. It’s 200 miles southeast of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s stronghold.”
“A secret realm?”
Nina’s expression changed.
“Yes.” That subordinate continued, “Some people say that it’s because Li Mu feels he can’t pocket all the treasures in that secret realm by himself. Some say that it’s because that place is fraught with perils, so he needs more people to conquer it. Your Highness, should we send some people there?”
After thinking for two seconds, Nina nodded and said, “Yes. Go make the arrangement.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The subordinate slowly walked out of the room.
Nina then looked at Zhang Han and asked, “Uncle Zhang, do you want to go have a look? If you like, I think we can go together.”
“Sure.”
Zhang Han nodded without hesitation.
He figured that leading the others to Cloud City to expand their horizon would definitely benefit them a lot. They would have the opportunity to meet those strong cultivators of the younger generation in the Sea Dragon Star Area.
In addition, there was also the legendary secret realm waiting for them to explore. If Zhang Han found the secret realm not too dangerous, he could totally allow Mu Xue, Zhao Feng, and the others to explore it by themselves.
For a long time, they had been basically growing under Zhang Han’s wing. The environment they lived in was relatively safe. Now that they had reached the Elixir Realm Last-Stage, Zhang Han believed they were able to go on adventures on their own. This Lost Continent could be their first training ground.
As for why Zhang Han agreed to go with Nina, it was because Mengmeng liked to play with her.
“Are we leaving after breakfast?” Nina asked.
“Yes,” Zhang Han responded.
“Well, Sister Nina, you can go just with us. With my Daddy around, you’ll be safe,” Mengmeng took a sip of juice and muttered.
“Yes, I believe so. Uncle Zhang is certainly a very mighty cultivator,” Nina answered seriously.
Hearing her compliment Zhang Han, Mengmeng was very happy and couldn’t help smiling.
“It’s just that when we go there, we have to pay heed to those forces we’ve discussed,” the woman sitting on Nina’s right side remarked. “The Tiger Talisman Royal Family has brought a lot of mechas this time. The Cloud Shadow Sky has also sent many of its members here. Yi Hou, the 100th elder of the Cloud Shadow Sky, is very close to the Yuan Ying Realm Middle-Stage. Hu Zhiqiang, Hu Bin’s uncle, is also insanely strong. The other one we need to pay attention to is Zhong An, the branch leader of the Silver-winged Hall. There are also a few people who are very powerful too. Anyway, Her Highness will be with you. If anything happens, I will inform you at once.”
“Geez, they’re just some small potatoes. Why being so nervous?” Mu Xue could not help but grumble.
In the past few days, she had heard people ceaselessly talking about those talents, such as the Eight Great Young Masters of the Cloud Star Area and the members of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. She was now sick of the topic. Regardless of how strong they were, Mu Xue believed that they were nothing in front of her master.
“Small potatoes…”
The elves were quite speechless at Mu Xue’s comment.
“If they were small potatoes, who could be considered a big shot?
“Don’t say it’s the magnates in the Sea Dragon Star Area because the ones standing behind Li Mu, Hu Bin, and the other talents are none other than those magnates.”
“I’m done.”
Not bothering to act like a lady, Mengmeng patted her belly and said, “I’m so full.”
“If you keep eating like this, you will gain weight,” Zi Yan said with amusement. “But I’ll like it. Chubby girls are cute.”
“Huh?” Mengmeng was stunned.
“Well, being plump does make one look cuter,” Zhang Han said seriously.
“I, I’m not plump!”
Mengmeng rolled her eyes and involuntarily took another glance at her belly. She was not plump at all.
After they finished their meal, everyone went back to their houses and put their things back into their Space Rings. Soon, they were good to go.
Nina, the Seventh Princess of Elemental Elves, also brought along a dozen or so elves, all of whom were her regular guards. Most of them were female. And they were all at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage.
They were not as strong as Nina. She was at the peak of the Elixir Realm and could be considered a mid-level cultivator among all those at the peak of the Elixir Realm. She was also quite famous here because of her beauty. She was the youngest among Elemental Elf King’s seven daughters, as well as the prettiest.
However, in the Cultivation World, people valued strength most. Thus, Li Mu and the others were even more famous.
“We’re in the north of Cloud City, about 1,000 miles from it. It’ll take about eight hours to reach Cloud City by flight. When we arrive, it’ll probably be the time when the feast begins,” said one of Nina’s subordinates as she checked the map.
“Will it take that long?” Jiang Yanlan looked bemused. She thought that if they flew at full speed, they could cover 1,000 miles in roughly four hours.
“Yes, it’ll,” replied the female elf. “We have to fly at low altitudes. If we’re high up in the air, we’ll easily encounter some overlords of the sky. On the west side of the river, most of the spirit beasts are at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage or the Peak-Stage. But high up in the sky, perhaps the beasts are all in or above the Yuan Ying Realm. Therefore, we have to cross the mountain ranges. If lucky, we’ll have a smooth journey. If not, we may run into some spirit beasts.”
“Oh, I see.”
Jiang Yanlan nodded slightly.
“It seems that this land is only inhabited by spirit beasts. Are there no aborigines on the Lost Continent?” Instructor Liu asked with interest.
“The Lost Continent…” Nina thought for a moment before answering, “Originally, we thought there were only a few spirit beasts. Who knew that after we came here, we found that the number of spirit beasts here is much larger than expected. Their strength level is also very high. For example, we thought that the chance of spirit beasts in the Yuan Ying Realm appearing on the west side of the river was very thin. To our surprise, we happened to run into one when we passed by. According to the messages my uncle sent back, these days, more and more spirit beasts in the Yuan Ying Realm have been found on the east side of the river. This Lost Continent no longer seemed to be the same one we read about in the files before. Perhaps it’s because of the storm outside the land. People are all guessing that there might be a sign of the appearance of valuable treasures.”
“Valuable treasures. That’s probably the case.” Zhang Han smiled and added, “Now you’ve come here, you will definitely gain something.”
“Then I’ll be relying on Uncle Zhang’s auspicious words.” Nina looked at Zhang Han and smiled.
Truthfully, she was not accustomed to calling other men uncle. But when Mengmeng introduced others, she just casually referred to those people as uncle or aunty. Nina did not object to being polite. After calling Zhang Han uncle a few times, now she was kind of used to it.
“Let’s go.”
The group of people set off. They crossed the mountain ranges and flew all the way south.
“Mengmeng, is that a little gorilla in your schoolbag?”
Nina suddenly saw there was an opening in Mengmeng’s schoolbag, showing the head of a gorilla. She couldn’t help but find it strange.
“It’s Dahei. It fell asleep yesterday. And here are Little Hei and Tiny Tot.” Mengmeng flipped her schoolbag around to let Nina take several looks. “They are all my good friends. We’ve been playing together for many years. We’ve been friends since I was four years old.”
“They’re all your spirit pets?” Nina inquired, sounding a little surprised.
“No. Tiny Tot is Mummy’s. Dahei and Little Hei are Daddy’s. Since Mummy and Daddy are mine, the three of them are mine, too,” Mengmeng said solemnly.
“Oh, okay.” Nina felt that Mengmeng’s way of seeing things was a little… absurd.
Nina’s father had several children. It was impossible for him to always treat them equally. As Nina was adorable, her father liked her a lot and sometimes showed a preference for her, but she never felt like being spoiled. Yet, Nina felt that Uncle Zhang and Aunty Zi seemed to dote on Mengmeng very much. She could tell that from what they said and did.
“Uncle Zhang is a strong cultivator, but he is also very gentle. This kind of man is very rare.”
Nina stole another glance at Zhang Han. She was a little curious about him.
“Is it because Aunty Zi is kind of fierce? Is he the henpecked type? No, he doesn’t seem like that.
“They said they came from Earth. But where in the world is Earth?”
Just like that, they headed forward while talking and laughing.
Finally, two hours later, they encountered the first spirit beast during the flight. It was a Colorful Leopard at the peak of the Elixir Realm.
“Grrr!”
“How dare they fly unscrupulously over my territory? Are they ignoring me?”
The Colorful Leopard threw its head back and growled.
For a time, many roars came from the depths of the mountain range below.
This meant that the way they were going to take was the habitat of a horde of spirit beasts.
