Chapter 1227: Section 1228: Bustling
This was a lush forest in the Abyss, a rarity to behold, with trees of strange shapes and dark green leaves quivering on twisting branches.
The somber sky overhead made the woods look like those from human scripts, inhabited by bizarre figures and terrifying magical creatures.
At this moment, in the heart of the woods, a vast amount of grey mist began to spread unexpectedly.
Not far from the grey mist, a pair of somber magic butterflies were flapping their wings, scattering a large amount of deadly dust that resembled a colorful starry sky.
The suddenly emerged grey mist spread rapidly, catching the unsuspecting somber magic butterflies within it.
Trapped in the mist, the somber magic butterflies initially fluttered wildly, but soon after, they swayed and fell to the ground, lifeless, unmistakably dead.
The misfortune brought about by the grey mist wasn’t limited to the somber magic butterflies. Nearby trees and plants also underwent drastic changes within the mist.
Tree trunks withered in an instant, dark green leaves wilted, and the flowers and plants, emitting a foul stench, drooped to the ground listlessly.
Even the ground, which had been fairly fertile, turned barren without notice.
The grey mist continued to spread for about half a minute, then ceased abruptly as several shadows appeared out of nowhere in the forest.
“Shopkeeper, the land has changed, I can feel the moisture in the ground! We must have reached our destination, right?”
The speaker was Greerwu, who had just left the Continent of Yuantan.
Angel nodded. Although they were still enveloped by the scent of death, the connection he felt with the land in his heart had vanished, evidence that they had indeed left the Continent of Yuantan.
It was just unclear if they had successfully arrived at the rumored land of Moliayi, or the outer Ancient Cold Ruins.
Angel was holding Kulangduo’s Heiyu feather with great care as he walked forward.
Greerwu and Popota quickly followed. The deathly aura outside was emanating from Garm, extremely potent, and only Angel’s Heiyu feather could immunize against its corrosion.
Having walked only a short distance, Angel saw the somber magic butterflies already dead on the ground, a species of abyssal insect highly sought after among witches, but now regrettably deceased.
Soon, they stepped out of the area affected by the deathly aura.
Angel put away the feather and observed the surroundings. It seemed they were inside a dense forest.
Beneath their feet, black and gold patterns flickered, soaring straight up into the sky. Popota and Greerwu also joined him, overlooking the land from midair.
“It’s a sky I’m all too familiar with,” said Angel, gazing at the long-missed grey canopy and inhaling the fragrance of plants in the air. After a moment of reflection, he turned to Popota. “Did you notice anything? Do you have any recollection of this place?”
Although Greerwu was an Abyss native ‘resident,’ he had never been to the uppermost layers of the Abyss and was unfamiliar with this place. On the contrary, Popota had been to the Abyss several times due to his unspeakable plans and knew the area well.
After a glance, Popota had an idea: “We should now be in the central zone of the Ancient Cold Ruins. I remember this forest; a bit further east, there is an underground cave commonly used as a resting spot by travelers of the Ancient Cold Ruins. The Sacrificers’ Ridge is to the northwest, and the Grey Layers to the south.”
“What are your plans for what comes next?”
Angel paused, “Just follow me for now; we’re heading to Ice Valley.”
Since Popota definitely couldn’t leave on his own, Angel had to take him along to avoid his dying en route.
“Ice Valley is not far from here; just fly north,” Popota nodded. He had no objection to wherever Angel decided to go, even the infamous and cursed Ice Valley.
Angel looked at Greerwu, “What about you? Where do you plan to go?”
A look of hesitation crossed Greerwu’s face. After a while, he spoke, “I plan to take Lord Aoluxiya’s soul and leave first, find a safe place for its Unsealing, and then I will probably join Lord Aoluxiya…”
“I understand. I hope everything goes well for you,” Angel nodded. He had grown quite fond of Greerwu over the past few days.
“Shopkeeper, how long will you stay in Ice Valley?” Greerwu suddenly asked.
“It could be a while. I have to wait until Toby’s curse is lifted,” Angel replied. “Why do you ask?”
“If time permits, I’ll come to Ice Valley to find you in a few days.” Greerwu paused before adding, “You promised me, the experience journey!”
Angel was taken aback for a moment before nodding, “Okay.”
While they were talking, a commotion suddenly arose not far away.
A dozen figures skimmed through the low air towards them.
“Catch her! She’s hiding in the woods!” As the figures drew nearer, their voices carried over.
When Angel had a clear view of their attire, he noticed that they were all humans dressed in various wizard robes; their exact features were a bit unclear. But judging from the speed of their flight and the energy fluctuations around them, they appeared to be mere apprentices.
“Huh, there’s a strange grey mist ahead? She’s stopped!” The voices came again.
Angel found that the group stopped in midair, not far from them.
“Looks like they are Wizard Apprentices from some smaller organizations. I recognize several of the insignias on their robes—Moses family, Valley of Breeze, and the Magic Flute Taoist Institute…” Popota whispered to Angel.
Angel nodded, his mind involuntarily recalling Wodell’s words not long ago. Wodell had said that the Moriai land was quite lively nowadays. Could this liveliness be referring to this group of people?
As Angel looked at the newcomers, the group of Wizard Apprentices also took notice of Angel.
“There seems to be someone over there?”
“Don’t mind him, the power he wields is about the same as ours, probably an Apprentice of some organization on a training journey.”
“That one by his side is a Demon, right? The one with the dark skin, that kid.”
“How could it be a Demon? Even a little demon would be as strong as an Official Wizard. It’s impossible for it to be following an Apprentice. Probably it’s a Half-Blood Demon cub from some stronghold city.”
After murmuring among themselves for a bit, they no longer paid attention to Angel, and Angel was happy to be ignored. However, among the crowd, one Apprentice in a green wizard robe took a careful look at Angel, his eyes flickering slightly as if he had thought of something.
Angel didn’t know what this group was up to and had no intention of getting involved. He was about to leave when suddenly, an explosion erupted from the forest beneath them!
Intense flames rose, accompanied by drifting smoke.
A moment later, as Angel looked down, he saw that a hollow had formed in the lush forest below, where a large number of trees had been blown away, revealing the uneven ground below.
As trees toppled, Angel could see the situation below.
In a clearing created by the explosion stood a little girl barefoot, wearing a tattered white dress, her long black hair covering her face. Four or five Wizard Apprentices surrounded her heavily. Their hands still carried energy patterns, indicating that the explosion just now was their collaborative effort.
At that moment, about a dozen more Apprentices from the sky also descended, encircling the little girl.
Upon seeing this scene, Greerwu said in a low voice, “Just as Lord Aoluxiya said, humans love to fight amongst themselves.”
“Not even sparing a cub,” Greerwu said, looking at the little girl who was about the same size as himself, with sympathy in his eyes.
Angel, however, didn’t feel any pity; after all, the girl had survived such a powerful explosion without any visible injuries, which suggested that she was no helpless “cub.”
“Where will you run to now! We kindly saved you at Thorn Ridge, and you didn’t even repay us, but you dared to steal our Magic Crystals, potions, and supplies while we rested. You are truly an ungrateful wretch!” A female Apprentice descended from the sky, landing in front of the little girl, with resentment in her eyes.
With the female Apprentice’s cursing, the little girl immediately became the target of public condemnation.
Angel could now see what was going on; it seemed like a case of theft, and they were catching the thief. As for whether the little girl was the thief or not, Angel didn’t know… But the several One-time Spatial Capsules attached to her waist, all of different styles, seemed unlikely to be hers.
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it,” a timid voice came from the little girl.
“Our Spatial Capsules are hanging on your waist, and you still dare to say you didn’t do it?”
“Hand over our stuff!”
“Why waste the words, just kill her!”
The crowd pressed in, and the little girl, trembling, backed away, as if she was about to retreat into an aura of death.
Angel shook his head and stopped paying attention to the scene below. He said to Greerwu, who was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, “Popota and I will be leaving now.”
As far as the “liveliness” Wodell had mentioned, Angel had no intention of watching longer. Whether right or wrong, it was none of his business. As for Greerwu’s “affection for the young,” it had no effect on Angel; in his eyes, these so-called cubs were just troublemakers.
Angel turned to leave, but at that moment, a daunting pressure descended from the sky and a green vine suddenly sprang from the ground, lunging at Angel!
Was this the pressure of a Wizard Level?!
Angel had been intimidated by pressure numerous times before, and upon feeling this pressure, a flash of panic crossed his eyes. However, he quickly realized that although the pressure made his spirit feel oppressed, it seemed not to restrict his physical body.
He could still move!
A thought flashed across Angel’s mind: Could it be because his body had become stronger, he was now unaffected by the pressure?
This thought was fleeting as he needed to evade the impending danger.
Black and gold patterns on Angel’s feet flashed continuously. The vine seemed aggressive, but it wasn’t as fast as Angel. Several swipes missed Angel completely.
Just as it seemed he could dodge the vine’s attack, the vine suddenly sprouted countless thorns.
The thorns were sharp, shimmering with a faint green light.
“Poisoned?” Angel immediately realized and with a false step, he grabbed Popota, who was shocked still by the pressure, and started to run swiftly.
At the same time, the thorns scattered in all directions.
Thick as thieves, they formed an inescapable net.
Escape was no longer an option, and Angel’s brow furrowed as he dragged Popota down with him.
The ground shook, kicking up clouds of dust.
Angel landed right in the center of the group!