Chapter 1433: Field of Longevity
“Flowery Field, the Yaochi Giant…” Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue mouthed those words silently to each other. Unfortunately, even with all of their knowledge, they had still never heard anything about those two things before.
Yu Yanluo recalled what she had been told and said, looking vexed, “The Flowery Field is also called the Field of Longevity. As for the Zaochi Giant, the Xiushe Snake’s tone was a bit strange when it mentioned that beast, but it wasn’t willing to explain why either.”
“It’s fine. We’ll know once we’re there,” Yun Jianyue said. Now that her cultivation had largely recovered, she was full of confidence. She continued, “I’m actually more worried about this Xiushe Snake. Even though we all seemed to get along, didn’t Shun want us to repeat Yi’s heroic path? Yi killed it back then, but we’re making a detour. Will this cause the trial to fail?” She quickly added, “Little sis Yu, I’m not trying to go against you, so please don’t think that way.”
Yu Yanluo showed her a smile, but her expression was full of worry. Meanwhile, Yan Xuehen gave Yun Jianyue a surprised look. This witch always did whatever she wanted, and she was extremely reckless. Why had her personality suddenly changed recently? She had even taken some time to explain herself to Yu Yanluo.
Just then, Zu An said, “I don’t think it’ll hinder anything. This swamp wouldn’t let us out if it hadn’t received the Xiushe Snake’s permission. The fact that we can pass through it is the sign that we’ve ‘cleared the trial’, and we don’t need to choose to kill the Xiushe Snake. Besides, judging from the reactions of the native people, it’s quite kind in disposition and really does cherish the people of this place.”
Yan Xuehen also nodded in approval, saying, “This is actually better. We do not have to always fight and kill.” Even though she didn’t understand every word Zu An said, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out what he was saying.
After thinking about it carefully, Yun Jianyue also approved of Zu An’s judgment. Of course, she had another thought. If they realized that this didn’t work,they could just come back later to finish off the snake. As the Devil Sect Leader, there was no way she would be the lenient and soft-hearted type.
…
Under Yu Yanluo’s lead, the group followed several twisting turns through Dongting Lake. They all marveled at the process. The paths through the water went in all sorts of directions like a maze. Many paths looked as if they went nowhere, akin to treacherous reefs; and yet, if they approached directly, the path would open up.
That was clearly the work of the Xiushe Snake. If there hadn’t been anyone to guide them, it would be completely impossible for them to leave this place.
…
After a while, the surrounding miasma finally grew sparse. The water and sludge slowly gave way to firm, solid land, too. The group finally knew that they had left Dongting Lake. As such, they abandoned the raft and climbed ashore.
“Is this the Flowery Field the Xiushe Snake spoke of?” Yan Xuehen asked, looking at the green and lush valleys and fields around her. Previously, they had gone from encountering a sea monster, to the Weak Water and the swampy Dongting Lake. It had even made her start to develop a slight fear of water. Now that she saw a mountain field rich with life, she felt a mysterious sense of happiness.
“Did the Xiushe Snake mention how to find the Zaochi Giant?” Yun Jianyue asked, looking at Yu Yanluo.
Yu Yanluo shook her head and replied, “It didn’t. It only said that the giant would be really easy to find.”
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“What does that mean?” the others asked in confusion. However, they couldn’t figure it out even after thinking for a long time.
“Hey everyone, come and look over here. There’s some smoke coming from up ahead, as if someone lives there. Let’s go and ask them about it,” Zu An said, suddenly noticing that there was smoke rising from a valley in the distance. The smoke didn’t seem as if it came from a wildfire, but rather from a barbecue.
“We need to be more careful. Don’t say we’re here to take down the Zaochi Giant, or else it might be some local guardian again and it might cause conflict,” Yun Jianyue warned them.
The others nodded in agreement when they recalled their encounter in Dongting Lake. They hurried in the direction of the smoke and gradually smelled the fragrance of meat. They suddenly felt a bit hungry. They hadn’t had much time to eat anything after entering the Unknown Region.
At their cultivation rank, abstaining from eating was a common practice. It didn’t matter too much if they didn’t eat for some time. However, they hadn’t ascended to immortality yet. They still had mortal bodies, so the desire to eat was impossible to get rid of.
“We should purchase some meat to eat from the people here later,” Yun Jianyue said as her stomach let out a growl.
Yan Xuehen frowned, wondering, “Why is this meat’s smell so strange, though?”
“It is a bit strange. I’ve never smelled it before,” Yun Jianyue said casually. “This is an Unknown Region with creatures we’ve never seen before, though. Who knows, we might be able to eat something we’ll never be able to eat again in our lifetimes.”
Yan Xuehen figured that made sense, so she became expectant.
Soon afterward, the group saw some figures up ahead. Several beings with shaggy clothing had their backs to the group, surrounding a bonfire. A thigh was being roasted over the fire, sizzling with grease as it was being cooked.
The group had been about to approach them in high spirits, but when they saw the scene before them, their expressions immediately stiffened.
Yu Yanluo’s voice shook a bit as she asked, “Is… Is that a human leg?”
“It is!” Yun Jianyue exclaimed, her expression ashen.
Yu Yanluo and Yan Xuehen couldn’t hold themselves back anymore. They bent over and began to vomit. However, they drew the attention of the beings around the bonfire, who turned around and looked in their direction.
Only then did Zu An notice the beings’ appearances. What humans? They only had the bodies of humans, but their heads were those of wild beasts, their mouths containing two chisel-like tusks. When they saw Zu An’s group, their eyes immediately lit up, as if they were looking at delicious food. They picked up clubs and other weapons, letting out strange cries as they charged at the group.
Zu An’s group naturally wouldn’t show them any courtesy. When they saw that, they didn’t hold back and quickly decided to deal with the creatures.
To some extent, these creatures could be considered intelligent beings and could be worth questioning for information. However, they were only capable of simple utterances. Zu An’s group couldn’t understand what those utterances meant, so there was nothing else they could do but kill the creatures.
When they arrived by the bonfire and saw a man’s remains, Yun Jianyue finally couldn’t take it anymore either. She ran off to one side and began to throw up.
Meanwhile, Zu An dug a hole and buried the remains. Sigh, ancient times were really full of monsters. It really wasn’t easy for humans back then.
Then, the group began to search around the vast Flowery Field. They discovered that there were actually quite a few of the monsters.
The monsters had even built a village of their own. Some adults were doing strange dances around a bonfire, gritting their teeth and making all types of incomprehensible sounds. Additionally, there were some monster children chasing each other and playing around. There was even a male and female couple sitting shoulder to shoulder under a tree as if they were on a date.
If the group hadn’t seen the monsters roast a human leg, they likely would have felt that this was a happy monster village.
“These guys are surprisingly carefree.” Yun Jianyue harrumphed. She took out her Empress Lantern and blew gently. The ember inside immediately turned into an engulfing flame that swept toward the monsters.
Yan Xuehen remained expressionless, not opposing Yun Jianyue. However, Yu Yanluo frowned. She had some Snake race blood, so to a certain degree, she was also seen as a monster by other humans. However, when she thought about how these monsters ate humans, she didn’t say anything in the end.
The village that had been peaceful mere moments before immediately turned into a sea of flames. The monsters screamed as they ran for their lives. Some of them noticed Zu An’s group. They roared and charged at the group with weapons in hand, but how could they even get close? They were soon burned to a crisp by the Empress Lantern’s true flames.
Suddenly, a roar emerged from the depths of the village. A massive figure emerged, seemingly running directly through a mountain. As it came into view, the group got a good look at it. It was just like the other monsters, but dozens of times bigger. It was ferocious-looking, and its mouth was full of chisel-like teeth. The two tusks coming from its lower jaw were especially fierce. It had a shield in one hand and a giant club in the other.
When it saw the flames that surrounded the village, it charged with a roar. It held its shield in front of its body and actually ran straight into the Empress Lantern’s flames!
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