The space storm was like a hurricane, sweeping everything in its path. It sounded like a roaring beast from the depths of an ancient forest tearing everything in its path. The storm completely distorted the space outside the shield. Xiao Luo was rapidly using up his True Inner Force against the intensifying storm as the protective layer that shielded him was weakening.
“Hold… hold on, please…”
With the storm tearing through the barrier, the Duck Emperor succumbed to the pressure. He spat out some blood and fell into a coma.
Xiao Luo was not faring any better. His body was getting weaker, and he was feeling extremely uncomfortable as the storm penetrated the shield. It felt like a sharp blade slicing at his body and inflicting dozens of cut wounds.
One second, two seconds…
As time ticked away, blood oozed from his eyes, nose, and ears. The pressure was getting stronger, enough to flatten an enormous mountain. Xiao Luo’s head was in so much pain that he felt it was going to explode. All his muscles and the skin on his body were inflamed. He was burning up, and the pain was unbearable.
It was the first time Xiao Luo had felt so close to death. The storm was far too strong and not something a normal human being could withstand. He could sense its awesome power all around him–there was no escape.
Was he going to die in this strange dimension?
No. Su Li was still waiting for him to rescue her at the Holy Land of the Light Clan. There was no way he could allow himself to die here!
His resolve activated a sudden surge of power and True Inner Force within his body. As the storm tore into the shield, distorting his facial features, Xiao Luo flinched at the searing pain. It continued to slice his flesh and rip his clothes, leaving him drenched in blood.
The raging storm was relentless.
It continued to tear everything apart, and it resembled an army of monsters devouring Xiao Luo from every single direction.
Fatigue overcame his body. He was slowly losing consciousness and his vision blurred. His True Inner Force was rapidly depleting, but he continued gritting his bloodied teeth and did all he could to hang on.
Suddenly, the storm stopped. The Dimension of Chaos slowly vanished and Xiao Luo could see blue skies. He turned his head a little and saw a thick forest beneath him, and beyond it, a landscape of mountains in the distance. Xiao Luo had survived. Somehow, he got out of the teleportation portal and landed somewhere in the Arcana Land.
He relaxed and unfocused his mind. Everything in front of him suddenly turned dark, then he fainted. As he was about to pass out, he grabbed the Duck Emperor. The duck was still in a coma. Xiao Luo fell from a high altitude, and the speed increased as he plunged. He eventually fell into the forest beneath him.
…
Xiao Luo slowly regained his senses. In the endless darkness, he did not know how far he had walked in semi-consciousness. His entire body was in pain. It felt like all the bones in his body were broken. With what strength he had left, he forcefully opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and it took some time before he could see clearly.
“It’s another forest again!”
Xiao Luo had a bitter smile on his face. He was indeed in another forest full of thick, sturdy, and leafy trees. The thick canopy of leaves above him kept most of the sunlight out and the area underneath the trees was in perpetual darkness. Yet, if one lifted his head, the blue sky was visible through the thick canopy of tree branches. It was still daylight, and not evening or night yet.
“Hey, you’re awake!”
A female voice came from behind.
It surprised Xiao Luo. He immediately turned his head to look. It was a young girl around sixteen to seventeen-years-old. She was standing not too far away, holding a bunch of fruits.
She had a head of long, wine-green hair, with bangs covering her forehead. She was decked in a black tube dress that was wavy from below her waist. At a glance, the back of the dress appeared purple, and she wore a pair of red boots.
Xiao Luo was rather stunned by the young girl’s outfit. The style was very similar to the ones that girls would wear in the Original World.
He had another look at her. She had a fair, oval-shaped face, and under a pair of curvy eyebrows were two bright, shimmering eyes. She had a graceful figure and was about 1.65m tall. Her skin was strikingly fair and was as white as snow. Other than the fruits, she was holding onto a small red umbrella.
The young girl walked toward Xiao Luo and put the fruits on the ground. She went up for a closer look at Xiao Luo and said, “You fell from the sky and broke your leg. This girl here is the one who fixed your leg. Aren’t you going to thank me?”
Did she fix my leg?
Only then did Xiao Luo look at his leg. He would not have noticed if he did not look at it. He had a shock as soon as he looked down. He had broken his right leg and the girl had immobilized it, but the brace she fixed his leg in left much to be desired. God knows where she found that branch–she secured the branch to his leg with some vines, and that was it. If his leg could heal this way, then it must be the work of some spirits.
But regardless of how bad a job she did, she did it out of goodwill. Xiao Luo subsequently thanked her.
“You’re welcome! You’re lucky this girl here witnessed it. I couldn’t just stand here and not do anything about it.” The young girl smiled with sparkling eyes, then picked up a fruit and ate it.
“Where is this place?” Xiao Luo was eager to find out his exact location.
“We’re in the Dark Forest,” replied the girl as she continued munching on her fruit.
Xiao Luo asked again, “How far is it from Mu City?”
“Over a thousand kilometers,” answered the girl.
Over a thousand kilometers?
Xiao Luo felt relieved that he did not land too far from his destination. It was only over a thousand kilometers. Once his body fully recovered, he should reach Mu City within a day if he flew at full speed.
He said nothing else. Then the girl took out a sheepskin scroll and asked, “Hey, does this thing belong to you?”
Xiao Luo looked. She was holding the map that showed the way to the Holy Land of the Light Clan. It was the one which Zuo Xiangming had drawn for him. He nodded his head and said, “Yes, it’s mine.” And he asked again, “Why is it with you?”
“Don’t misunderstand. This girl does not have the habit of poking her nose into other people’s business. I picked this up from somewhere else. There is no one else within a hundred miles, so I presumed it must be yours.” The young girl threw the sheepskin scroll back to Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo kept it in his pocket safely. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he was falling from the sky. Duck Emperor was lying next to him, still in an unconscious state.
“Are you heading toward the Holy Land of the Light Clan?” asked the girl.
She had already finished the entire fruit, only leaving the kernel. She casually threw it on the ground.
After hearing the question, Xiao Luo realized she must have seen the route map. He did not deny it and nodded his head in response.
“With the level of your martial arts, why are you heading toward the Holy Land of the Light Clan?” asked the girl.
“Since I’m heading there, then I naturally have something to do there,” Xiao Luo answered with a sigh.
The girl looked at him, then said, “Judging by your current condition, it’ll take at least three to five months for you to recover. Even then, there will be side effects such as lower cultivation. I’m afraid you will have to postpone your journey.”
Xiao Luo did not refute what the girl said, although she might be wrong.
In reality, judging from the injuries he sustained, he could recover fully in two to three days as long as he took care of it. As the Arcana Land was full of spiritual energy, Xiao Luo could recover even quicker. And, if it did not work, he still had his healing abilities. It was just that he was worried someone was manipulating the system, which was why he chose not to use it.
