Hearing Nina’s words, Dong Chen and the others all had a deep longing for the Cloud Shadow Sky.
“Looks like there are really many big shots here.”
“Li Mu is one of the Eight Great Young Masters in the Cloud Star Area. That sounds impressive. And the Cloud Shadow Sky is also a mighty force.”
Maps of the structure of power in this star area unfolded in everyone’s minds. Of course, that was just what they pictured with their imagination.
“Who is the Cloud Shadow Sky’s sect leader?” Zhang Han asked with some bewilderment.
“Li Hao,” Nina replied, “I remember that about a thousand years ago, some members of the Cloud Shadow Sky launched a revolt. Li Hao declared himself the ruler in that incident and became the sect leader of the Cloud Shadow Sky. Ever since then, his strength became stronger and stronger. Now, Li Hao is also one of the top figures in the Sea Dragon Star Area.”
Speaking of Li Hao, Nina’s eyes turned somewhat solemn.
She continued, “That’s a heavyweight of the older generation, a mogul among the moguls. With a stamp of his foot, he can make half of the Sea Dragon Star Area shake in fear.”
Zhang Han sighed softly and stopped asking questions.
“Who is Li Hao? I’ve never heard of that name. Seems that the current Cultivation World is no longer the same one I know.”
A thousand years had passed. If this was the time when Zhang Han just entered the Cultivation World, he would be able to explore all the treasure troves again. His foresight could be his most powerful means. But now, it didn’t seem to be the case.
But it didn’t matter. Zhang Han’s pursuit of treasures was not that intense.
“Cloud Shadow Sky is the strongest in the Cloud Star Area. The Tiger Tailsman Royal Family is from the largest Sea Central Star Area. It’s a world with highly developed science and technology. Dozens of their main warships have arrived here. The one here to gain experience is their prince named Hu Bin. He is a very mighty mechanic martial artist, who is also at the peak of the Elixir Realm. His combat capability is not high, but his machinery is very powerful. If he can break through to the Yuan Ying Realm this time, he would be able to control more powerful machinery. Then, he would be qualified to compete against other princes for the throne of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. He seems to be also on the west side of the river. His royal uncle, Hu Zhiqiang, has driven a small land cruiser to the east side of the river.”
Nina also began to introduce the situation of the other two forces to them.
“The third one you need to pay attention to is the Silver-winged Hall, which is also located in the Sea Central Star Area. This time, they have sent a young branch leader named Zhong An here. He is a pure cultivator, who is at the peak of the Elixir Realm, but he has defeated someone at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage. Although that cultivator at the early stage of the Yuan Ying Realm was only gravely injured but not killed, it still proved that he is indeed strong. Thanks to that battle, he made his name known in the Sea Central Star Area. This time, he led a team by himself. Yesterday, he was still exploring the west side of the river and did not rashly go to the east side of the river.”
“So much information makes me dizzy.”
Mu Xue rubbed her forehead and said, “To put it simply, there are three powerful forces here. They are the Cloud Shadow Sky from the Cloud Star Area, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family from the Sea Central Star Area, and the Silver-winged Hall that is also from the Sea Central Star Area. The Cloud Shadow Sky has sent Li Mu here for the trial, who has been accompanied by an elder named Yi Hou. Well, who is the one sent by the Tiger Talisman Royal Family? Oh yes, it’s Hu Bin, a mechanic martial artist. His royal uncle is Hu Zhiqiang. As for the Silver-winged Hall, it has dispatched the branch leader Zhong An here. These three forces are the most powerful ones here, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” Nina nodded, “There are several other sects that are more or less as powerful as them. But the people they sent here aren’t as strong as them. If we regard those three as the first class, the others are just second-class and third-class. We Elemental Elves are probably second-class.”
“It’s so complex.” Mengmeng was a little confused.
This was because this was the first time she and the others had heard of the various forces Nina had spoken of. This was also their first time hearing the names of all those important figures.
Zhang Han only knew about the Cloud Shadow Sky. As to the other two forces, he was quite clueless. He, too, had never heard of those people that Nina mentioned. However, Zhang Han was already too familiar with this kind of situation, so he did not feel too overwhelmed.
However, after hearing Mu Xue’s summary, everyone gained a more thoroughly understanding of the forces.
“I feel that the Sea Dragon Star Area is very, um, very interesting,” Deep Flame said under his breath.
“Yeah, it’s a… colorful world,” Zhang Mu sighed.
“Here we are,” Nina smiled and said, “Dear guests, please come in. I welcome you to visit our temporary stronghold.”
“Wait a minute!”
When they were standing more than 20 meters away from the door and Nina was ready to welcome them in, an arrogant voice sounded from the doorway.
“Nina, why did you bring strangers here? How can you let them enter our main residence? When have our Elemental Elves become so hospitable? Those strangers aren’t qualified to enter the main residence, are they?”
The main residence was surrounded by Lanmi Trees. The Elemental Elves had cast a spell on those trees to keep track of each of their clansmen. They could sense it if any of them died or was in danger. Nina’s uncle on the east side of the river could also send messages to her through this spell. Generally speaking, this place was never open to outsiders.
“Now that this place is your private territory, we will not go in and impose.”
Noticing the other party’s tone, Zhang Mu raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke for the first time.
“It’s not that private,” Nina frowned and looked at the two-meter-tall man at the doorway, “Hans, they saved my life. According to the highest treatment my clan has for distinguished guests, they are even welcome to go to the palace on the Roland Star. Why can’t they go in here? Besides, I don’t need you to judge what I do. Don’t you think so? Hans, my cousin?”
At the doorway, the face of the man named Hans who looked delicate and pretty turned a little stiff. With a trace of annoyance in his eyes, he glanced at Zhang Han and the others. But when he saw Zi Yan, his eyes lit up slightly.
“She is beautiful, only her ears are a little short.”
“Since you saved the Seventh Princess’s life, of course, we’re glad to have you here.”
Under Nina’s gaze, Hans’ lips curved into a smile. He moved sideways and motioned for them to come in.
No matter what thoughts he had, his behavior was similar to the ancient British nobles on Earth. Unless he was beside himself with anger, he would always restrain himself.
“Please come in.”
This time, Zhang Mu didn’t refuse. Nina led everyone into the main residence.
The main residence was very large. Under the remold of the Lanmi Trees, it was like a three-storey small shopping mall. The outline of the house and the trees coiling around it could be seen from outside.
But once they entered it, they found that there were many tree houses inside.
The houses on the trees could be found in every corner. They looked very unique.
The light shone through the chinks between the leaves. By aesthetic standards, it was indeed an excellent place for relaxing.
“What a beautiful place! Sister Nina, you…” Yet, before Mengmeng could finish her words—
A sarcastic voice came from behind.
“Foreign guests, stop referring to her as a sister as if she was just a regular person. She is the noble Seventh Princess of our Elemental Elves. Please address her with respect. You’re in our territory. Please be polite, thank you.”
“Huh?” Mengmeng was stunned. Her good mood was suddenly ruined.
Nina’s expression turned cold, “Hans, there’s nothing for you to do here. If you don’t want to rest, then go out and take adventures.”
“No, no, no, Nina…” Hans still wanted to say something.
But Zhang Han had already turned his head, stared at him, and said lightly, “Why would my daughter need your approval on what she wants to say? Who do you think you are?”
“Buzz!”
Nina and the elves next to her were suddenly a little dumbfounded.
“Geez, he really doesn’t fear to make us look bad, does he?
“Hans is a member of the royal family after all.”
“He scolded him as soon as he entered the door. Although it’s because Hans was being arrogant, this man’s behavior is still too strange.”
Two elves were already a little angry.
Zhang Mu, Dong Chen, Ah Hu, and the others also heard a buzzing sound in their heads.
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Han would not say anything to upset others. But once he made such a remark, the nature of this matter had become totally different. Moreover, it was because his most precious daughter, Mengmeng, had been offended. If that guy dared to say anything disrespectful again, he would probably die here.
Zi Yan’s eyes darkened, but she didn’t say a word.
She also disliked those who spoke sarcastically. They often looked very polite, but they never meant what they said. They were way worse than those who always spoke their minds.
“Are you talking to me?”
Hans’ eyes gradually widened. Flames of anger were rising in his eyes. He suddenly whipped out a willow branch from his waist and turned it into a wand in a second.
“You, apologize to me! Right now! Or I’ll…”
“You will what?”
Zhang Han furrowed his brows and abruptly stretched out his right hand.
It was the Air-shattering Hand!
“Frizzle!”
The madly rolling energy instantly crushed the back door.
“Bang!”
Hans couldn’t move at all. The wand in his hand suddenly splintered. His face turned pale, and his body was clenched by some invisible energy. He rose into the air and froze when he was three meters high from the ground. It was as though he had been tied up.
His eyes were full of disbelief, incredulity, and profound horror.
He didn’t want to die!
“No, please show some mercy!”
Nina’s face paled slightly. She hurried to Zhang Han and said, “Please let Hans go, my benefactor. I know his words are a little rude and offensive. I’m now apologizing on his behalf.”
While speaking, she quickly cupped her hands to Zhang Han.
“Hehe.”
Zhang Han laughed coolly.
Since they were in other people’s territory, he didn’t intend to kill. Otherwise, that Hans, who was at the Elixir Realm Middle-Stage, would have long stopped breathing.
“If there is a next time, I’ll kill you on the spot.”
Zhang Han dissipated the Air-shattering Hand and shot Hans a cold look.
He would kill anyone his heart wanted him to kill. That was the real him in the Cultivation World.
“Okay, I see.”
Hans’s forehead was covered with cold sweat. He just found out that the other party’s power was far greater than he had imagined.
“Get out of here!”
Nina’s face turned cold, and she said in a reproachful tone, “I’ll say this once more. They are my benefactors. I invited them here. We don’t need those unnecessary etiquettes between ourselves. If you take an issue with that, or if you don’t want to stay here, you can go to other places.”
“I…”
Hans was speechless. He glanced up at Nina. His expression froze for two seconds, then he covered his face with a hand and left.
The elves next to Nina looked rather bemused.
They didn’t expect Nina to get angry, nor did they expect Zhang Han to be so hot-tempered. He attacked without any hesitation. He did not even give others any time to be prepared psychologically.
Yet, because of this incident, Mengmeng’s enthusiasm had been very much dampened.
Nina glanced at Mengmeng and said with a smile, “Your friends and relatives all call you Mengmeng. Then, can I also call you Mengmeng?”
“Oh, sure,” Mengmeng responded.
“Then you can just call me Nina. Don’t listen to what they say. I have several friends in the cultivation circle who also call me Nina. I don’t like to fuss about the social propriety with them. As you are also my friend, you should just call me Nina.”
Seeing Nina’s smile, Mengmeng was suddenly in a better mood. She also smiled and said, “Got it, Sister Nina.”
“Now I have an elf friend!”
Mengmeng was very happy. She immediately put that unpleasant incident behind her.
Zhang Han, Zi Yan, and others also smiled.
Deep Flame smiled particularly brightly.
He praised in his mind, “Flies are everywhere. One shall just swat them when one sees them. It’s simple and savage. But sometimes, it’s the most efficient way to uproot a nuisance.”
“Mengmeng, just rest here today. There is no light star in this world. The daytime comes very suddenly, so does the nighttime. Later, I will condense your own residence and let you taste our Elemental Elves’ special food. I believe you will be satisfied.”
“Sounds great. I’ll prepare something delicious for you for dinner, too. I’ve got smoothies, cold drinks, juice, snacks, and some fruits. By the way, Sister Nina, is the light star you mentioned actually the sun? Is the moon here at night?”
“The sun? Uh, perhaps. Light stars are just shining planets. The light illuminates the earth. It’s a gift from the Day Star. The radiating light warms the dark night. It’s a gift from the Night Star. Well, you call them the sun and the moon?”
By human standard, Nina was actually quite young. She was a little bit stressed when talking to Zhang Han, but she found it easy and relaxing when talking with Mengmeng. After a while, Mengmeng let go of Zhang Han’s hand and ran to Nina. The two began to chat lively.
“There’s no sun or moon. It’s so weird. Why didn’t Elder Yue create one here?” Zi Yan looked at Zhang Han and remarked.
“If he heard what you said, he might get you one,” Zhang Han answered with humor.
“But he can’t hear me. He said that he could only watch over the land as a satellite,” Zi Yan said.
“That’s not necessarily true. As there is no energy barrier to block our voices out, he should be able to hear us. But he may not be looking at us right now. So many people have entered the Lost Continent. Fights are breaking out everywhere,” Zhang Han said.
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“Here is the map.”
She walked to the innermost side. There was something that looked like a crystal screen, which was transparent and glittering. Nina swung her right hand forward.
“Whoosh!”
The sparkling green light floated forward as if a cluster of fireflies. When the light covered the 100-inch crystal screen, it showed a topographical map.
“This river runs from north to south.”
“We are here.”
Nina pointed to a place and said, “The place to the west and north of the river, this area, have all been explored by us.”
“Three hundred miles down the south is where the Silver-winged Hall is stationed. It’s a large courtyard. A temporary trading town is located in a place 200 miles to the west of the Silver-winged Hall’s camp. When you kill spirit beasts here, you can trade them for crystal stones or other things you need. It’s guarded by a force from the Sea Central Star Area. A hundred miles from the trading town down the south is the camp of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. It’s the former site of a small sect, but I heard that they have found great treasures there. Five hundred miles to the east of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s camp is where the Cloud Shadow Sky stays. It’s quite near to the river. There are many other places where other forces are stationed. You can see those on the map. About 20 percent of the whole west side of the river has been explored. According to the progress of each force, it’s estimated that the west side of the river will be completely explored in three weeks or so.”
“In the east of the river, someone found three secret realms, where three ancient cities were discovered. There are fierce strange beasts there. Those powerful cultivators who went to the east side of the river have already gotten rid of them. The place my uncle told me to go to is the nearest small town, which is called East River City. It’s about five kilometers in the east of the river.”
“Other than the forces’ camps, there are many public places, such as temporary taverns and inns where logistical staff can live and rest.”
“Benefactor, you’re very strong. You can explore the west side of the river first. If you find any relics, you can occupy them and gain a firm foothold. Your fellows can have somewhere to stay on the west side of the river. Then, you can leave them there and go explore the east side of the river. Now, these forces are also doing the same thing. Generally, when you find the relics, there will also be some spirit beasts.”
“There are no natives here, but spirit beasts are abundant. Strange beasts can also be found here. This is really a dangerous place.”
“Oh, by the way, I heard that the Silver-winged Hall’s site was not occupied by a spirit beast, but by ghosts. It was a dwelling of horrible ghosts. But Zhong An alone wiped them out and occupied the stronghold. He pocketed all the benefits there. Therefore, he didn’t go to the east side of the river for the time being and continued to explore the west side.”
Nina pointed at the map, explaining the situation to everyone.
“Never knew so many forces have come here. There are already hundreds of strongholds,” Mu Xue glanced at the map and remarked.
“Most of them will certainly stay on the west side of the river,” Jiang Yanlan said, “Because there are strange beasts in the Yuan Ying Realm on the east side of the river. The risk is too high there. The west side of the river is the main stage. So many forces are distributed here, proceeding to unexplored areas. They will definitely fight for the relics.”
“Fights are very common here,” Chen Changqing laughed, “Shall we fight for a few relics as our strongholds?”
“We’ve come here just to fight for opportunities, haven’t we?” Deep Flame laughed loudly, “Now it seems that I would be vanquished if I act alone, so I think I would just stick with you guys during the whole thing. I don’t really expect to get a big opportunity. I will be gratified enough if I can expand my horizon.”
“I can’t wait to fight those masters!” Instructor Liu rubbed his hands with anticipation.
He had become an instructor just because he liked fighting. Now, he felt like he was in a chaotic world where battles were taking place everywhere.
“I would rise in troubled times.”
That was what Instructor Liu wished.
The imagination was beautiful, but the reality might be cruel.
But so far, everything was going on quite well.
After showing them the map, Nina looked at a female elf beside her and said, “Go and ask the others to prepare the dinner party.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The elf nodded and exited.
“The passage on the right leads to the dining room. That’s where we have our meals. I live in the house over the dining room. No one is living on the left to my place, so I’ll condense some houses there for you,” Nina said with a smile.
“Great. How will you condense houses?”
Mengmeng’s big eyes flickered with curiosity.
“I’ll use our Elf Clan’s unique methods.”
In Nina’s right hand, a wand appeared out of nowhere.
On their way here, they had noted that most of the elves were holding wands. The ones that were relatively advanced were like Hans’s, which was much smaller than a regular one. Yet, Princess Nina’s just materialized out of thin air.
Under everyone’s gaze, Nina whispered a few words in a low, ethereal voice. The wand in her hand was connected with the Lanmi Trees. Waves of energy constantly reshaped the branches and made them converge into houses. Each house was square, taking up about 50 square meters. They were similar to apartments.
“I haven’t condensed the inside yet. Let’s go in together. I can make the decorations in your favorite styles if you tell me your ideas,” Nina said, smiling.
“What’s your house like? Can I take a look first?” Mengmeng looked curiously up at the house on the tree where Nina lived.
“Er…”
Nina was kind of hesitant.
The expressions of the elves beside her also changed slightly.
“I don’t think Princess would agree to this, would she?”
“Sure.”
Eventually, Nina nodded her approval.
Since they had saved her life, she could never thank them enough. Thus, she felt that it was acceptable for them to take a look at her boudoir.
