Chapter 459 No mana land I
Deep within the heart of a vast forest, the trees stood tall and proud, basking in the gentle sunlight streaming through the veil of clouds. They were surrounded by patches of blossoming flowers.
But the leaves of the trees, as well as the petals of the flowers, lacked their usual vibrant shades. Instead, they appeared as muted gray. This unique color, contrasting against the brown earth, gave the forest an eerie and mysterious ambiance.
The air in the forest seemed to move at a leisurely pace.
However, there was a noticeable absence of vitality and all types of energies, almost as if the very essence of life was missing. This left the forest with an incomplete and desolate atmosphere.
The calmness of the forest was shattered as a strong-built elderly couple, with striking blue pupils and crests on their heads, clad in leather clothes, made their way through the trees. They chatted while collecting flowers in the baskets strapped to their backs, seemingly unfazed by the forest's unusual colors, which created a surreal atmosphere.
The couple soon encountered a bizarre creature that didn't have a defined shape and had a color similar to molten steel. Its body was constantly shifting and flowing, like liquid metal in motion. And amidst the flowing liquid, a pair of fiery eyes glowed, giving it a menacing look.
The old woman paused and quickly stopped her husband as well. Her smile faded when she saw the creature sniffing the air with hungry eyes.
"My, my, it's been ages since I last laid eyes on a manaless beast so close to our village, especially after the owner went on a crazy hunting spree because one of them ate the only mana plant he managed to grow after fifty years of effort."
"Honey, look! It's sniffing the air... Do you think it's going to attack us-!"
Before she could finish her sentence, the creature surprised the duo by moving in a different direction. The old man narrowed his eyes at the beast's back.
"Huh, where is it going? These beasts are always bloodthirsty, so it's strange to see one of them leaving even though it had already spotted us."
The old woman also furrowed her brows. Her wrinkled face mirrored worry as she grabbed the man's arm.
"Don't tell me the beasts are up to something again? Just a few years ago, they attacked in a group and killed many people from our village."
"Honey, I don't think we should let it roam around the village. The owner is too lazy and only cares about himself. He wouldn't care if the village is attacked again."
The old man sighed and nodded. His blue pupils shimmered as he locked them on the creature and started following behind it with his wife.
"It's just one beast, and after looking at its body, I believe it has not stepped into the divine-rank yet. So, we can handle it."
However, only after a minute, the duo stopped in their tracks when they found the reason for the beast's strange behavior as it halted next to a tree that was covered in glistening ice. The creature's eyes glowed ominously as it fixed its gaze upon the two figures opposite it.
On the other hand, the first thing that caught the couple's attention was blood, so much so that it painted a significant part of the land in crimson. The glistening ice on the ground and the tree's surface made the red color even more striking under the sunlight.
Then, their eyes fell upon the unconscious man lying beside the tree. His sparkling silver hair was covered with blood, and blood was flowing from every part of his body, creating a distressing scene.
But what truly startled the elderly couple wasn't the unconscious man, but rather the individual dressed in a pristine white shirt that had not even a speck of dust on it, crouching beside his bloodied body. This person's purple eyes displayed little to no emotion as he extended his hand towards the bloodied man's neck as if intending to strangle him and take away his last breath. The duo watched as the man retracted his hand after a moment and murmured under his breath with a sigh of regret.
"It's a shame that I can't kill you, or rather, you won't die even if I obliterate your body into thousands of pieces... just like me. I feel like we are very similar in this regard."
At that exact moment, the beast standing beside the crouching man started letting out strange struggling sounds. And under the old couple's stunned eyes, the beast's body dissipated into smoke, leaving behind nothing as if it did not exist at all.
The duo almost tripped on their feet when the man with purple eyes turned his head and looked at them directly.
"Hey, my friend and I are lost after we entered the no mana land. How about you two lend us a hand?"
The duo glanced at each other, unsure if they should help him because he clearly tried to kill the other person and now he is asking for help.
Moreover, even though they could gauge the strength of the unconscious man, they were not able to sense anything from the man with purple eyes. Not to mention, his empty gaze gave them a strange feeling, almost as if he was peering directly into their souls.
The old woman took a deep breath and bravely stepped forward, despite the old man's attempts to stop her. She let out a sigh and shook her head at her partner.
"Joshua, I'm not sure about the one with black hair, but the injured one needs immediate treatment."
"The air in this land lacks mana and has nothing within it. So his body won't be able to naturally recover, and he will die soon. I can't just stand by and let someone die before my eyes... especially when he looks the same age as our grandchildren."
Joshua massaged his temples. His wife only called him by his name when she was very serious.
"Alright, alright, Hazel, but stay behind me and let me handle it."
He grabbed his wife's hand and made her stand at a distance. Then he moved toward the bloodied silver-haired man. The other man with purple eyes had long since moved away from the couple and was now watching everything from a distance.
Joshua checked the silver-haired man's pulse and furrowed his brows in concentration.
'How the hell did he even survive...? His whole body is badly broken.'
He glanced at his wife, and together the duo decided to take the man back to their village to give him proper treatment. But they were sure that the man wouldn't regain consciousness for at least a few months given the severity of his injuries.