Chapter 344 - 351 - Shanggeng Secret Clan! Mysterious Forbidden Area! (First update)
Sure enough!
The Forbidden Land of Life might be related to the Cataclysm of Heaven and Earth, and rumor had it that the solution to the mystery of the Shanggeng Secret Clan was inside.
Upon hearing Palace Master Liu’s words, everyone else was shocked. Yang Zhen, however, was not at all surprised. He had already suspected that there was more to this matter than met the eye.
Such an extraordinary place could not have been arranged by just anyone. A place that held cosmic order couldn’t be simple, could it?
Looking at Yang Zhen’s expression, Palace Master Liu stared at him hesitantly and asked, “Young friend Yang, you don’t seem surprised?”
Everyone looked at Yang Zhen, astonished at his nonchalant expression, and even more so by his ‘I told you so’ attitude.
Yang Zhen waved his hands, speechless, and said, “It’s obvious, isn’t it? We’re not fools. It’s the lack of secrets that would truly be surprising. Why are you all so shocked?”
Everyone was stunned and started to smile wryly.
Damn! Was it really that simple?
Palace Master Liu burst into laughter and said, “The mystery of the Shanggeng Secret Clan persisted for nearly ten thousand years. If we can unlock it, the Nether State might be able to enter a grand era once again.
“Or potentially fall into trouble!” muttered Yang Zhen, before asking Palace Master Liu, “And then? What do you want us to do?
A relieved expression appeared on Palace Master Liu’s face. He enthusiastically spoke, “Young friend Yang indeed is straightforward. Well then, let me be clear. Legend has it that after entering the Forbidden Land of Life, Medicine Madman left a cryptic message. On that day, a terrifying life force erupted from the sky over the Forbidden Land of Life, and the Earth Store Roots formed two characters mid-air…”
“What characters?” Yang Zhen was stunned.
Earth Store Root was a remarkable treasure. To use it to form characters, Medicine Madman was sure resourceful. Some serious money must have been involved.
Palace Master Liu beckoned, and a disciple carried over a painting to display to everyone.
Yang Zhen widened his eyes and read out loud, “Mom…what?
“Why is this old man cursing?” Yang Zhen looked at Palace Master Liu with a puzzled expression.
Palace Master Liu smiled wryly and explained, “This was illustrated by an eye-witness. It may not be entirely accurate, but according to them, it looked like this.”
Everyone stared in astonishment at the distorted pattern, which looked eerily like the words ‘Mom…what?’
Upon seeing everyone silent, Palace Master Liu continued, “Originally, it was only an ambiguous message. However, someone recently inferred from Medicine Madman’s prescription that he may have encountered information about the Shanggeng Secret Clan.”
“What’s the Shanggeng Secret Clan?” Yang Zhen was taken aback, eyes wide open, “This thing can extrapolate information about the Shanggeng Secret Clan? So the Shanggeng Secret Clan curses like this, do they?”
The name sounded like a highly formidable tribe, but he wasn’t sure just how formidable they had to be to survive in a haunted place like the Forbidden Land of Life.
Palace Master Liu’s face grew grave, “That’s the very bunch I warned you about earlier.”
Yang Zhen nearly turned to leave, pointing at himself and asking, “You want me to fight the Shanggeng Secret Clan? How many lives do you think I have? “Naturally, just one!” Palace Master Liu chuckled, “But you should be fine as long as you don’t rashly conflict with them. Actually, those people aren’t the real Shanggeng Secret Clan but rather descendants carrying their bloodline. They aren’t as powerful as you might think.”
“That’s more like it. But if we are not going to face off with them, why go in?”
Yang Zhen asked curiously.
“To stop them from resurrecting a member of the Shanggeng Secret Clan!”
Holy shit!
Yang Zhen jumped in shock. Were these lunatics planning to go to the Forbidden Land of Life to resurrect their ancestors who had been dead for ten thousand years?
Just then, he caught sight of Scoundrel, the bastard cat, rolling its eyes. He quickly grabbed it, “Scoundrel, did you remember something?”
Scoundrel glared and answered, “No, I didn’t remember anything. Damn, kid, let me go. 1 suddenly felt the urgency to retreat. Hurry, there’s no time!” Seeing the cowardly look of the contemptible cat, Yang Zhen became even more convinced of his suspicions. This journey to the Forbidden Land of Life was probably fraught with significant danger.
Yang Zhen turned to look at Hua Youyue and asked, “What do you feel?” Hua Youyue furrowed her brow, and after a long pause, declared, “We must go!”
“Why?” Yang Zhen looked surprised. It appeared that the young lady’s feelings had not dissipated, but were growing stronger.
Hua Youyue glanced at Yang Zhen and quietly said, “Those people are in danger.”
Yang Zhen drew in a breath, unsure whether Hua Youyue was referring to the vestiges of the Shanggeng Secret Clan, or to the actual Shanggeng Secret Clan.
It would be weird if the beings that had survived for tens of thousands of years were not in danger.
“Tsk tsk….” Yang Zhen murmured to himself, “This is becoming more and more interesting. The fire of gossip in this Sao Saint is burning wildly. What terrible luck!”
The contemptible cat, who had been sneakily trying to walk away, suddenly turned around, looking puzzled, “Eh, when did you start practicing the heavenly gossip fire? What kind of martial skill is that, is it a Companion Heavenly Fire?”
Yang Zhen sneered at the contemptible cat and nodded, “Yes, it’s a type of Companion Heavenly Fire. In our village, especially some women, are born with this Companion Heavenly Fire. It is powerful but tends to cause trouble for themselves and others.”
“Wow!” The contemptible cat’s eyes lit up, “That cool?”
After three days of travel on the flying boat, the group finally arrived at the outskirts of the Forbidden Land of Life.
The alias ‘Medicine Madman’ was undoubtedly concocted. It contained a unique aura, practically identical to the Shanggeng Secret Clan’s legendary aura. These two words were simply restrictive spells to seal the aura.
Yang Zhen stood on the deck, looking towards the Forbidden Land of Life, and gasped.
Swarms of red fog blocked out the sky, hovering in mid-air over the Forbidden Land of Life. It stretched out to the horizon, forming its own world.
No one knew how large the Forbidden Land of Life was, for no one had ever fully explored its environment.
Nobody could even fly a complete circle around the edge of the Forbidden Land of Life. Either they got lost and disoriented, or they hurtled headlong into the Forbidden Land of Life.
The sky was dark and heavy. Red fog hovered ominously while lightning randomly flashed, in between thunderous roars. It was enough to frighten anybody.
From where Yang Zhen stood, he could see large patches of white bleached bones dotting the edges of the Forbidden Land of Life. Layer upon layer of bones, he could not tell how many there were. And those were just the ones within sight. Only God knew how many living beings had perished deep within the fog.
Such a gloomy, somber world unveiled before him was truly an eye-opener for Yang Zhen.
Who would have thought that an entire world of such horror existed beneath the surface, shrouded by a red fog, filled with endless dangers, inhospitable to nearly any living creature.
Just then, a mournful sound, like the sobbing of spirits, echoed through the heavens and the earth, making everyone’s hair stand on end.
The contemptible cat’s fur stood on end. It arched its back and raised its tail, looking around nervously, “Damn, what was that ghostly sound? There aren’t really ghosts here, are there? The danger here is bad, Supreme…”
Swish!
The Sao Saint had quickly buried its head under its wings.
This sudden movement scared the contemptible cat into leaping three meters high and landing on Yang Zhen’s shoulder, cursing at the Sao Saint.
“Damn, could you not scare people?”
The Sao Saint gave the contemptible cat a disdainful look and calmly preened its feathers under its wing.
Boom!
The sky and earth turned red as a heavenly thunderbolt hurtled down from the sky, illuminating half of the Forbidden Land of Life..