The frightened screams of Yang Li and Tran Lam caused the group preparing to enter the Immortal's Abode to halt abruptly. Clearly, no one was willing to risk their lives to save those two. After a moment of grim silence, the resounding sounds of battle echoed from within the abode, along with the desperate cries for help from the two young hotheads.
"Let's go in together," Lam Hai said in a deep voice to everyone. After all, they had come all this way; even risking their lives, they had to explore the inside of the abode.
"Fortune favors the bold," Elder Cat said, gritting his teeth. The group nodded, cautiously proceeding inwards.
Luo Ren followed closely behind Tinh Nhi and Hong Lien. Among those present, only these two women truly caught his attention.
At this moment, the group finally witnessed the scene inside.
The Immortal's Abode was vast, without an end in sight, as if it connected to the entire mountain behind it—dark and utterly misty.
The two hotheaded youths were struggling to fight five entities with green skin that resembled humans. However, their eyes were lifeless, their teeth sharp, and their bodies were nothing but skin and bones, reminding Luo Ren of a term that only existed in his previous life.
Zombies.
That's right, the five grotesque figures fighting Yang Li and Tran Lam looked exactly like the zombies from his past life. However, these zombies were incredibly tall, the smallest of them at least two meters in height.
"Quick, help! These monsters can't be killed!"
Yang Li gasped, one of his arms now torn to shreds, a truly miserable sight. He desperately activated his Ice-attribute martial skills but completely failed to inflict any damage on these five monsters.
Tran Lam was no better. Although his limbs were intact, his face was pale, his body covered in scratches, and his clothes tattered.
"What exactly is going on here?" Luo Ren and the others were shocked and bewildered.
"It's Demonic Will Pill, a Stage Four Low-grade pill," Kim Nhi's voice rang in Luo Ren's mind. Without waiting for Luo Ren to ask further, she immediately explained:
"The Demonic Will Pill is a type of pill that can control the corpses of the deceased according to the will of the alchemist. And these five individuals, when alive, were Body Cultivators, so it's natural for them to possess powerful physical bodies."
"How sinister! Who exactly is the owner of this Immortal's Abode? To kill five Body Cultivators, then have them consume this pill to act as guard dogs for his abode," Luo Ren secretly mused.
"Based on the strength of these corpses, they were at least Early-stage Third Cycle Body Cultivators when they were alive," Kim Nhi continued to provide knowledge to Luo Ren.
Luo Ren silently nodded. Body Cultivators were divided into nine cycles, from First Cycle to Ninth Cycle, with each cycle also subdivided into early-stage, mid-stage, late-stage, and complete.
The strength of Body Cultivators was no less than that of Spirit Cultivators. Their monstrous defensive power gave countless cultivators headaches.
"They are five Third Cycle Body Cultivators!" Hong Lien, possessing extensive knowledge, immediately explained to the group, as three of the zombies began to approach them.
"Body Cultivators? Damn it, these things are tough to deal with!" Elder Cat and Lam Hai cursed. They never expected to encounter five normally rare Body Cultivators in this Immortal's Abode, and what's more, they were corpses that felt no pain, making them incredibly difficult to handle.
However, without fear, the group unleashed their spiritual energy and joined the battle. At this point, disunity meant only death.
Only Luo Ren and the little girl Tinh Nhi remained as spectators, watching the exciting spectacle.
"Demonic Will Pill? Mother said this kind of demonic pill is utterly immoral. I can't believe someone would refine it."
Tinh Nhi innocently murmured, causing the silver-white eye beside Luo Ren to contract.
This girl's background was absolutely extraordinary. Just possessing two types of spirit roots was already astonishing. Now, her knowledge was also immense, making Luo Ren somewhat curious about her.
Luo Ren absolutely did not believe that a girl of such extraordinary background would dare to explore a dense forest without any life-preserving measures. Perhaps there was even a mysterious expert hiding somewhere, protecting her.
Thinking of this, he sighed. At first, Luo Ren had intended to use force to suppress the Green Cat Group, forcing them to take him out of the Forest of Trees, but because he didn't want to become an overbearing and arrogant person, he eventually abandoned the idea.
Luo Ren was now certain that if he had used force back then, the one who would have suffered was himself. Besides Tinh Nhi, Hong Lien was also not to be underestimated.
While Luo Ren was deep in thought, the battle had reached its conclusion.
Faced with the combined efforts of a group of people, no matter how tough the five zombies were, they couldn't withstand it. Moreover, they only fought by instinct, completely without consciousness; defeat was only a matter of time.
A moment later, all five zombie bodies were torn into pieces, scattered across the ground. There wasn't a single drop of blood, as if they were five pieces of expired rotten wood chopped up for firewood.
Several members of the Sand Sea Group had received a few scratches, but they were only superficial wounds and not worth noting.
Only the two unfortunate, hasty young men were severely wounded, to the point where they couldn't even continue moving.
Witnessing Elder Cat and Lam Hai's group preparing to proceed further into the abode, Yang Li said pitifully:
"Can we wait until we've healed before continuing?!"
The Sand Sea Group members feigned deafness, completely ignoring him.
"Your injuries are too severe. It's best for you to leave. While you're at it, take Little Nan out of the Forest of Trees and collect the 20 low-grade spirit stones from him."
Elder Cat said with good intentions. He couldn't abandon the allure of the mysterious Immortal's Abode for two temporary companions.
"I spit on this! We contributed to discovering the Immortal's Abode! You can't just abandon us!" Tran Lam gritted his teeth and roared.
"Hmph, it's clear you two were blinded by greed and rushed into the Immortal's Abode. Don't make it sound so good," a Sand Sea Group member sneered.
The two young hotheads' expressions immediately turned ugly. Since the other party had hit a nerve, they found it inconvenient to retort.
"Fine, fine, we'll leave. However, we don't know if there are more dangers inside. We wish you a safe journey."
Tran Lam gritted his teeth, intentionally emphasizing the words "safe journey" (which can also imply "rest in peace").
"As for you, little fellow, just keep following them and be a sacrifice. We don't have time to lead you out of the Forest of Trees."
Yang Li said with a cold laugh towards Luo Ren. He didn't know why he always disliked Luo Ren. Luo Ren's calm expression, as if he had everything under control, infuriated him.
"Thank you for your concern," Luo Ren smiled, his innocent expression further irritating the two hotheads.
"Hehe, we can continue then."
Hong Lien yawned languidly. Because she was standing next to Luo Ren, her fragrant breath entered his nose, causing a slight reaction in his lower regions.
"Little Nan, do you truly want to follow us?" Elder Cat asked again, his tone carrying a hint of warning, hoping he wouldn't gamble with his small life.
"I trust Tinh Nhi will protect me. Thank you, Uncle Cat, for your concern," Luo Ren, sensing Elder Cat's thoughts, smiled warmly.
"Hehe, that's right, Tinh Nhi will protect Big Brother Little Nan!" Tinh Nhi, still innocent and lively, giggled.
The group shook their heads exasperatedly. They truly were two calves unafraid of tigers, and they no longer intended to warn them.
Only Hong Lien thoughtfully observed Tinh Nhi, then shifted her gaze to Luo Ren, the corners of her fiery red lips curving into a mysterious smile.
Fork in the Path
The group continued deeper inside. After walking for a while without encountering any attacks, two more cave entrances appeared before them. Clearly, the Immortal's Abode now branched into two paths.
Beside the two cave entrances, there were two small stone pillars, each holding a slightly yellowed piece of sheepskin. Written on them were various characters.
White Moon Soul-Stealing Eye – Insight Through Ten Thousand Miles.
During their movement, Luo Ren had already used his right eye skill. He had discovered the two pieces of sheepskin before the others. Written on them were two Yellow-grade martial skills. Luo Ren speculated they might be rewards bestowed by the abode's owner for overcoming the five zombies.
Mid-grade Yellow-grade martial skill: Spirit Fist
Mid-grade Yellow-grade martial skill: Spirit Bullet
For someone who cultivated only Profound-grade Peak-quality martial skills or higher like Luo Ren, coupled with his abundant soul power, memorizing the contents on the two sheepskin scrolls took only a moment. Luo Ren had already fully learned how to cultivate these two Yellow-grade martial skills before the group even noticed them.
"They are two Mid-grade Yellow-grade martial skills!" Lam Hai, the leader of the Sand Sea Group, held a piece of sheepskin, his expression slightly joyful. For those without the backing of large forces like them, Mid-grade Yellow-grade was already quite good.
"Alright, how about you take one scroll, and we take one?" Elder Cat was also quite tempted and spoke up with a request.
"We already agreed on a sixty-forty split. You'll have to compensate with an additional 20 low-grade spirit stones," Lam Hai considered briefly before stating his price.
"No problem," Elder Cat immediately handed a small pouch to the Sand Sea Group and took the sheepskin scroll for cultivating Spirit Fist.
"The Immortal's Abode has two paths. I think we should split up, don't you agree? Whoever gets what depends on their luck," Lam Hai mused.
"Let's decide then," Hong Lien suddenly spoke, making her own decision, then turned and stepped into one of the cave entrances. The three of them—Luo Ren, Tinh Nhi, and Elder Cat's remaining group—had no choice but to follow.
"Boss, why didn't we…?"
Looking at the backs of the Green Cat Group, one of the members spoke with killing intent, making a cutting gesture across his throat.
"Elder Cat's strength is no less than mine, and that woman Hong Lien is also very powerful. Even if we killed them, we would pay a tragic price," Lam Hai said in a deep voice. He also wanted to kill them to silence them, but his strength wouldn't allow it.
"Don't worry, they're bringing two Qi Condensation burdens along. They definitely won't have a good outcome," the Sand Sea Group's third brother said with a strange,阴阳怪气 (yin-yang odd aura/sarcastic) tone.
"Alright, let's go too."
Lam Hai ordered, and stepped into the other cave entrance.
Outside the Abode
Outside the Immortal's Abode, the two young hotheads, Yang Li and Tran Lam, had now recovered some of their strength, enough to move normally, albeit with difficulty.
"Are we just going to let it go so easily?" Yang Li asked Tran Lam, filled with resentment.
"Hmph, if we can't have it, we'll ruin it. How can we let them profit so easily?" Tran Lam gnashed his teeth in hatred.
"Immediately spread the news about the Immortal's Abode. The more people who know, the better," Yang Li said, his eyes filled with malice.
Tran Lam also gave a gloomy, knowing laugh. The more people who knew about the abode, the more powerful cultivators would come to compete, and the Green Cat Group was undoubtedly doomed.
Sigh…
A heavy sigh echoed, startling the two immediately. They simultaneously shouted:
"Who's there?!"
"Alas, so young, yet so vicious. How could this old one allow you to ruin my young miss's rare training opportunity?"
BOOM!
As soon as the voice finished, the bodies of the two young hotheads instantly exploded in mid-air, not even a single piece of flesh remaining.
And the one who had acted remained unseen from beginning to end.