363 An Encounter!
Qin Huai found himself standing at the world’s edge. His injuries were healed, his energy restored. Yet, joy eluded him.
Over the past few days, whenever hunger struck, he would hunt a ferocious beast and consume its meat. Although this satiated his hunger, he experienced no enhancement in his blood and qi. These powerful beasts, contrary to his expectations, provided him with no vitality.
On his journey, he came across several corpses, each belonging to geniuses who had not exceeded the age of thirty. Among the bodies, particularly Huang Qiguang’s men, he found a photograph of Zhou Cunzhong, revealing that others too had been drawn into this ‘world.’ There was also Hua Yanli from the Thunderbolt Gang and his fourth brother, Shao Mo, among others who had arrived before him.
Qin Huai preferred to remain unrecognized in this alien world. Its unpredictability, coupled with the monstrous talents inhabiting it, made him wary. He feared the consequences of provoking someone he shouldn’t, particularly if they managed to return to the real world. Once that happened, his family and friends in the Nine Dragons sect could potentially be at risk.
Before him lay a boundless cloud, an empty expanse shrouded in an eerie, quiet fog. The landscape imposed a profound pressure that felt as intense as the weight of mountains and seas. Qin Huai cast a final glance at the sprawling forest behind him, an air of silence enveloping him.
“Am I destined to perish here like those lifeless bodies?” he murmured after a long while. His thought was quickly replaced by defiance. “No, if that old man could escape, so can I.”
He swiftly readjusted his mindset, the image of the old man and the bronze earth looming in his mind. “Perhaps the way out is linked to the bronze land,” he speculated, glancing at the ground. His resolve hardened. A white light glowed at his fist, his blood and qi converging upon it.
“Forbidden technique, three beasts!”
Qin Huai unleashed a torrent of punches on the ground. The thunderous roars triggered a stir in the forest.
Yet, despite his persistent onslaught for fifteen minutes, his endeavor proved futile. The ground before him was unyielding. He realized with a shock that the earth was regenerating visibly fast.
The once shattered earth quickly replenished itself, restoring to its initial state. After a quarter of an hour, Qin Huai’s efforts hadn’t even managed to bring forth a single hue of bronze. The ground stood as pristine as before, defying his desperate attempts to escape.
Boom!
The ground beneath Qin Huai’s feet suddenly quaked with an irregular rhythm.
“Is it coming?” He braced himself, anticipation coursing through him.
But his excitement was short-lived. What greeted him was not the appearance of the bronze land he longed for but rather a cloud of dust sweeping across the forest, stirred by the approach of enormous beasts. Drawn by the disturbance he’d caused, over twenty birds and beasts had emerged.
Qin Huai’s heart pounded. With no intent to fight, he decided to flee. After all, these fifth-level bone pattern realm beasts wouldn’t yield any experience orbs upon defeat. Hence, there was no point in a gratuitous battle.
As he sprinted, a voice reached his ears. “Hey! Don’t run! Save me! Save me!”
Whirling around, he spotted a small figure in the swirling dust, running with a look of sheer terror etched across his face.
Qin Huai’s eyes narrowed. A fellow human!
“I’m She Wanshan of Wuji Mountain, brother, please save me!” The man, with his beast-skin robe and tousled hair, looked more like a deranged primitive man than a distinguished cultivator of Wuji Mountain.
“Brother, don’t panic. I’ll help you!” Qin Huai shouted back. “Together, we’ll kill these beasts!”
She Wanshan’s face lit up with relief. In response, Qin Huai pivoted, charging toward the swarm of giant creatures. But no sooner had She Wanshan joined the fray, Qin Huai whirled around and sprinted away once again. He gained a considerable distance before halting.
He had not forgotten that those transported to this bronze land were all prodigies, with many possessing the king’s force. He had no illusions of grandeur to challenge them.
Choosing caution, he concealed himself in the grass, watching as She Wanshan charged headlong into the group of twenty beasts. A lotus phantom materialized behind him, blossoming into a radiant flower, creating a platform for him to stand on. With a lotus spear in hand, he struck at the beasts.
As a beast lunged, three petals fell from the lotus flower, forming a shield.
Boom!
As the qi detonated, a plume of dust soared hundreds of meters into the air, yet She Wanshan remained unmoved amidst the petals.
The seemingly delicate lotus petals demonstrated incredible resilience, defending against the beasts’ attacks. What appeared fragile was actually stronger than any treasured weapon, offering an impenetrable defense.