The flow rate inside the Spiritual World is nearly twenty times that of the outside world, Zhang Chen had been running within the Spiritual World for ten days, while only an hour had passed outside.
On the tenth day in the Spiritual World, the vast black sand finally disappeared, revealing the lush green of verdant grass before him, the scene was picturesque. It was a primordial forest; the mountains were clear, the waters beautiful, and ancient trees thrust into the sky, the mountains were full of greenery.
"Have I walked out of the range of that great battle?" Zhang Chen gazed at the mountains and streams before him, ripples of joy spreading in his eyes and heart.
"I wonder what surprises lie in that forest, and what creations await," Zhang Chen observed for a moment, then transformed into mist and floated away.
This was a true primordial forest, the treacherous terrain reminded Zhang Chen of Li Bai’s "The Difficulty of the Shu Road."
As it says: The difficulty of the Shu Road is harder than ascending to the heavens, hearing of this makes one’s face wither! The peaks seem within no less than a foot from the heavens, withered pines hang upside down against sheer cliffs. Rushing torrents and waterfalls roar in contention, stones spin off cliffs as ten thousand ravines thunder.
This primordial jungle was impassable, much like climbing Mount Tai, Huashan, and other peaks in a previous life. Without a path, not a step could be taken.
Zhang Chen transformed into a mist of Divine Water, thankfully, the petals were not heavy. The mist enveloped the petals, weaving and flying through the forest.
However, after walking for a while, Zhang Chen began to notice something amiss: "These verdant mountains, yet not a single living creature?"
Zhang Chen felt uneasy, glancing around in all directions, not even birds, let alone insects, could be seen.
"How could this be?" Zhang Chen felt his hair stand on end, he revealed himself on a large tree and then summoned the Great Freedom Celestial Demon to inquire.
"All the way, I’ve seen verdant mountains, yet no sign of life, why?" Zhang Chen asked.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon glanced at Zhang Chen: "Startled, aren’t you? This place is less than ten thousand miles from that battlefield, how could ordinary mortal life exist? It’s likely that all vitality has been suppressed to death, all life instinctively fleeing from the residual Divine Power. The absence of life is normal."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen felt somewhat relieved, then put away the Great Freedom Celestial Demon and continued his journey among the mountains.
But it must be said, flying straight through the mountains as mist was much faster than Zhang Chen climbing them.
Knowing there was no living creature nearby, Zhang Chen relaxed, and had the mind to observe the scenery and vegetation of the mountains.
"The vegetation in the Spiritual World is somewhat different from the real world. In this world, the vegetation contains an elusive miraculous force, attached with some peculiar Law," Zhang Chen observed for a moment, gaining insight: "Any random weed in the Spiritual World, taken to the real world, can be considered a vessel for souls. Even a twig, taken outside, would unleash Extraordinary Power. The Spiritual World is truly the origin of the extraordinary, astonishing indeed."
However, these flowers and plants containing Mysterious Power in the Spiritual World, because the Law of the Spiritual World is especially stable, only appear as ordinary flowers and plants, their inner Divine Power unable to erupt.
Zhang Chen continued his journey among the mountains. After walking for half a day, there seemed to be an indistinct sobbing in the empty forest, spreading across the mountains, startling Zhang Chen to quickly land on a large tree, reverting to his original form, carefully surveying the surroundings.
This wasn’t the first time he heard the crying. Previously, when he was in the Black Wind Array, he heard the crying and saw a white figure.
"Why is it happening again?" Zhang Chen frowned, listening to the rustling sobbing, he couldn’t help recalling scenes from TV dramas where female ghosts appear.
"Something’s not right." Zhang Chen took a deep breath, quickly inspecting his methods, the True God Golden Light coursing and erupting around him, then, the crying stopped and vanished.
"My True God Golden Light has grown stronger! I hope you, monster, do not provoke me. My True God Golden Light Heaven subdues all evil spirits; when the time comes, you will learn a harsh lesson." Zhang Chen transformed into mist, continuing to shuttle through the mountains, with the crying gone, he faced no more obstacles, racing through the mountains unimpeded.
When tired, he returned to the real world to absorb a few breaths of Power of Incense, then replenished his Spiritual Power and continued his mad run through the mountains.
When darkness fell in the outside world, Zhang Chen finally found the target he had been seeking within the Meditation Realm.
It was an ordinary farmhouse, with three thatched cottages, and a yard made of woven fences in front of the cottages. The Golden Wind Flower grew within the small courtyard, densely packed like cabbages, quietly growing in the plots.
Standing outside the fence, the flowers looked exactly like Jade Dew, but the sheer number was rather excessive.
Zhang Chen glanced at the flowers, then carefully scrutinized the courtyard, a trace of caution in his eyes.
The grass hut in the small courtyard was intact, seemingly regularly repaired, even smoke rose from the chimney, adding a hint of vitality to the small courtyard.
"Could there really be a farmhouse in the First Heaven of the Spiritual World? And it seems lived in by farmers?" Zhang Chen’s eyes showed a trace of caution, not rashly approaching, but instead opening the Dharma Eye, carefully scrutinizing the small courtyard before him.
In Zhang Chen’s Dharma Eye, the small courtyard appeared ordinary, with no hint of anything extraordinary, but Zhang Chen wasn’t a fool. This was the Spiritual World; could anything dwelling here be just ordinary life? Could it be just an ordinary courtyard?
"This small courtyard... is too ordinary, isn’t it?"
"Something is very off!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
It was because it was too ordinary that it seemed so unusual.
Zhang Chen was on guard, surveying the small house front and back, left to right, but saw no abnormalities.
"Could it really be just an ordinary house? Impossible, how could there be an ordinary house in the Spiritual World?" Zhang Chen dismissed this thought.
"Shouldn’t be." Seeing the Dharma Eye of True God Golden Light ineffective, Zhang Chen opened the Eye of Devouring, surveying the house from all angles, yielding nothing, it seemed the cabin before him was truly just an ordinary wooden house.
"Could it really be just an ordinary house?" Zhang Chen wavered in his mind.
He wanted to summon the Great Freedom Celestial Demon but, knowing that deceitful entity, if given a chance, would not hesitate to take a vicious strike, Zhang Chen denied that thought silently.
"Something’s not right." Zhang Chen’s thoughts flickered: "Really not right."
He wanted to summon the Fox Spirit to explore the way, but just when he was about to act, suddenly there was a minor disturbance from the house, then, the door suddenly opened and mysteriously closed again.
Watching the door that opened then closed automatically, Zhang Chen’s pupils contracted sharply. It was too late to hide, he had no choice but to quickly transform into a large bat, quietly hiding in the forest.
In this strange Spiritual World, an extra large bat shouldn’t be a problem, right?
While emotions swirled in Zhang Chen’s heart, pondering whether to take flight, suddenly the fence gate opened, and a large black dog of exceptional stature and majesty appeared before Zhang Chen.
"What is this?" Zhang Chen gazed at the big black dog, stupefied. He recalled the scene earlier when the house door opened and closed itself. Now enlightened, it was this big black dog that had previously opened the house door and then the courtyard door itself, unseen by him because of the fence blocking his view, he had scared himself thinking the door opened and closed by itself.