66 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 66 Bai Fan, seemingly unwilling to give up, called out a few times more. “He Yi Man.” But there was no response. To be precise, both of them had entered the barrier, but were teleported to different locations, far apart. Bai Fan sighed and, upon confirming He Yi Man’s absence, started to take in her surroundings. She found herself on a stone platform, with steps leading down further. Above hung a massive moon mingling with the clouds. Calling it a moon might not be accurate; it looked more like a giant orb. There was no sunlight here, only the faint glow of the cold moon, casting a gentle, cool light that made her feel more comfortable. It even incited a strange desire in her to sleep here forever. However, Bai Fan quickly shrugged off this absurd notion with a shiver. She had only just begun her cultivation—a permanent rest here was out of the question. Her suspicious nature made her scrutinize the moon for a long time. She finally concluded that her earlier thought had come too suddenly. This moon seemed to have an ensnaring effect, inciting an eternal slumber in those whose minds wavered even slightly. As she descended the stone steps, she observed the eerily quiet surroundings—there wasn't even a whisper of wind. After Bai Fan descended the last step, the surreal feeling persisted as her feet touched the ground. Realizing this wasn’t going to work, she opened her beast pouch and released the Big Grey Goose, which emerged with a bleary gaze, looking as if it hadn’t fully awoken. Its eyes cleared slightly upon seeing Bai Fan. “Honk, honk... honk.” “...” Bai Fan was startled by the goose's unpleasant, old-duck-like cry, the worst she'd heard from it since they’ve been together. The Big Grey Goose, soon affected by the large moon, almost fell into a peaceful slumber, and Bai Fan had to quickly slap it awake. “Old buddy, planning to sleep as soon as you come out? Pretty useless, aren’t you?” “Honk?” The Big Grey Goose shook its head and woke up fully, sensing the situation. As a magical beast, it wasn't entirely clueless. It nestled closer to Bai Fan, looking significantly larger than her, making an odd sight from afar. “Let's fly up and take a look.” Bai Fan fed it a few spiritual pills, and its energy levels improved significantly shortly after. Riding the Big Grey Goose, Bai Fan flew slowly and observed the surroundings. There were no trees, just vast grasslands, with a towering mountain piercing the clouds in the distance. Her keen vision caught sight of a shimmering golden palace at the mountain's base. In this desolate land, the palace stood out strikingly. She patted the Big Grey Goose's neck. “Old buddy, let's head over there and take a look.” “Honk.” What a dreadful sound. As they flew towards the mountain, other groups entered the barrier unnoticed by Bai Fan. Unlike her, these groups were informed about the place beforehand and entered hand in hand, ensuring they remained together. “Ah, we’re finally back at this place.” “This time, we're fully prepared. We must enter that palace.” “Hopefully, we don't encounter anyone else.” “If we do, just kill them. We can't let anyone else spy on the palace's treasures.” “I want to go to the Dragon Transformation Pool and remove the scales on my back. I've taken human form for so long, but those scales make me look hideous.” The speaker was a Red Carp Spirit. Those entering weren't ordinary cultivators but rare transformation-stage magical beasts, all with Golden Core stages. Their main objective was the Dragon Transformation Pool. Magical beasts in their initial human transformation stage often retained many beastly traits due to unfamiliarity with the human body’s structure. It’s only with higher cultivation levels that they sought a perfect human form, as beasts' physical traits were evidently stronger than humans'. For instance, the Red Carp Spirit—its fish scales were extremely tough. Unwilling to part with this protection during transformation, it now sported an entire body of red scales. Had it been male, it might have been acceptable. Unfortunately, she was a female spirit who also desired gracefulness. The scales ruined her image, so she covered them meticulously whenever she went out, fearing others' gaze. The others in the group had similar reasons, all with noticeable beastly features. He Yi Man was teleported to a different location from Bai Fan. She found herself in a desert filled with scorpions crawling around the sand. As a mere mortal, Bai Fan wasn’t there to follow her, making survival incredibly difficult. Moreover, the scorpions moved and hunted in swarms. Unfortunately, she appeared right in the middle of such a group resting. Her attempts to leave only stirred them awake. Their raised tails glistened ominously, halting her steps. A sharp whistle made the Scorpion King glare at her, giving no room for escape. Just as He Yi Man despaired, another scorpion swarm emerged and engaged in a brutal fight with the current group. Tails were severed, bodies crushed—the battle was bloody and vicious, each strike aiming for the kill. He Yi Man seized the opportunity amidst the chaos and fled. Running on the sand was extremely taxing, her legs sinking in, and the high temperatures adding to her agony. Her cheeks flushed, lips cracked, and throat parched. Even playing the flute became strenuous. She hid and played her flute softly, struggling to maintain her flight due to the scarce spiritual energy. Managing to escape the scorpions' sight after a tiring run, He Yi Man stumbled across the desert, occasionally encountering snakes slipping by. Despite the harsh environment, she never lost her will to survive. She knew she was within a barrier and believed there must be an end somewhere. As long as she moved in a straight line, she would find a way out. Bai Fan reached the golden palace first. Gazing up at the towering structure, she felt dwarfed like an ant. “Is this a giant's palace? The door almost reaches the sky.” “Honk.” The Big Grey Goose uttered a single honk, then stood behind Bai Fan. “Let's go in and take a look.” In front of the massive door, which was slightly ajar, Bai Fan easily slipped through the gap. As she stepped inside, her eyes were almost blinded. If the night pearls outside were elegant, the interior screamed opulence. Everything—from the tiles to the columns—was made of gold, each inscribed with characters, giving the place a textual splendor. “Oh my, old buddy, look at this—gold everywhere! It’s blinding my serpent eyes.” Bai Fan looked ready to lie down on the floor, dreaming of how to spend the gold, imagining herself feasting on endless delicacies, scattering gold in joy, and surrounded by admirers. Unlike Bai Fan, who had experienced mortal life and viewed gold as wealth, the Big Grey Goose, being a true magical beast, saw gold merely as a material, not even a high-grade one for crafting. While Bai Fan drooled over the gold bricks, the Big Grey Goose flew to the ceiling, tugging at a green gemstone embedded there. The gemstone radiated vibrant energy, tempting the goose to swallow it whole. It pecked and flapped its wings vigorously. As Bai Fan's eyes twinkled with dreams, the gemstone suddenly fell with a clatter, waking her from her fantasies. “What just happened?” Wiping the drool from her mouth, Bai Fan noticed her heart was easily swayed—a likely interference from the large moon. She quickly recited a calming mantra to stabilize her mind. After reciting the calming mantra, Bai Fan’s mind cleared significantly. She looked at the green gemstone on the ground and then up at the Big Grey Goose, which was currently tugging at a blue gemstone. With a loud clatter, the blue gemstone fell at Bai Fan’s feet. She picked it up and examined both stones. The green gemstone seemed to be filled with wood spiritual energy, while the blue one overflowed with water spiritual energy. These were likely the attribute spirit stones the Fire Kirin had mentioned. Though each gemstone was only the size of half a fist, the abundant attribute spiritual energy inside them delighted Bai Fan. Seeing the Big Grey Goose continue plucking more gemstones, she decided to collect them all. “We’ll ask the Hybrid Creature about these stones’ uses once we're out of here.” Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the Big Grey Goose, it eventually pulled down a total of five gemstones. But then, it started flying around madly, as if gone berserk. Bai Fan picked up the gemstones, frowning as she observed the Big Grey Goose’s frenzied movements. “It seems the big moon has a severe influence on it too. It’s gone completely wild, just like how I was drooling over the gold earlier.” Taking out the beast pouch, Bai Fan put the Big Grey Goose back in and continued exploring alone. The palace was vast with numerous layers. Turning around, Bai Fan noticed a white jade chair not far away, with a crystal skeleton seated on it. However, the skeleton’s limbs were chained to the chair, suggesting it wasn’t there voluntarily. The skeleton’s limbs were curled up on the large chair. The skeleton was quite small, resembling a child’s bones. But who would be cruel enough to chain a child here? Or perhaps the tomb owner was this crystal skeleton itself. Or maybe it was just a carving—after all, Bai Fan had never heard of human bones being made of crystal. ***** A heartfelt thank you to the little angels who voted or nourished me with nutrient fluids~ Thank you to the little angels who nourished me with [nutrient fluids]: 吾兮吾桐 5 bottles; 桑桑 1 bottle; Thank you all for your support, and I will continue to work hard! Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter