Cultivating in a Bizarre World

After the better part of a day’s work, the temporary camp gradually began to take shape.

To avoid disturbing the Forbidden Guards, the Government Constables resided in the outer area of the camp, while the Forbidden Guards occupied the inner section. The two groups were separated by a distance of about a hundred meters.

The military tents were reinforced with extra supports, and a supply of firewood was stockpiled. Over a campfire, they began to roast the wild rabbit they had caught.

The rich aroma of roasting meat filled the air.

As the sun sank low, the men gathered around the campfire, talking and laughing.

Compared to the previous two days of nonstop travel, life in the camp was far more relaxed. Moreover, there were no signs of carnivorous beasts in the vicinity.

The only troublesome issue was the water source.

Ren Qing had only managed to find a small, trickling mountain spring nearby. It was nowhere near enough for the daily needs of several dozen men, to say nothing of the other Government Constables who might be arriving in succession.

Wang Wen suggested, "Constable Ren, why don’t we head up the mountain tomorrow to look for a water source?"

Ren Qing shook his head. "We’ll wait for the Forbidden Guards to return to camp before we make any decisions."

’The Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area could be right around here. If we stray too far from camp and accidentally wander in, we’ll be dead before we even know what happened.’

Xiaowu, his mouth watering as he stared at the roasted rabbit, cut in, "Let’s eat first..."

There was no choice but for the seven of them to share a single rabbit; most of the other game had to be saved for the Forbidden Guards.

Just as Ren Qing was about to carve the rabbit with his small knife, he suddenly heard footsteps from within the cave. Two figures were gradually approaching.

The men exchanged glances and looked toward the mouth of the cave.

Song Zongwu emerged, accompanied by a woman with green hair. Judging by the tokens at their waists, they were indeed Forbidden Guards.

The pair radiated an aura that warned others to keep their distance. Although their loose-fitting clothes partially concealed their mutated features, it was still possible to discern something odd about them.

Everyone swallowed hard. However, with the exception of Xiaowu and Zhu Ding, the others had all had some contact with Forbidden Guards before.

Wang Wen kept shooting glances at the two, warning them. It would be disastrous to offend a Forbidden Guard.

Song Zongwu walked straight to the campfire, heedless of the others’ fearful stares. He was clearly looking for Ren Qing.

He said in a deep voice, "Ren Qing, you are in charge of this camp. Starting tomorrow, dispatch the Government Constables into the cave to haul out sand and soil."

"Huh?"

Ren Qing was stunned for a moment. He had assumed that coming to a Forbidden Area would involve some kind of danger, but he never expected to actually be helping the Forbidden Guards dig.

Song Zongwu nodded. "Ren Qing, come with us. We need to mark out the areas that are safe to traverse."

The green-haired woman showed a hint of surprise.

’I can’t believe he called me over specifically for this. Don’t tell me we’re also going near the Forbidden Area?’

Ren Qing hurriedly got to his feet and followed behind the two Forbidden Guards.

He couldn’t help but look up. From its midway point, Camel Peak Mountain was shrouded in dense vegetation and a thick fog. Even his Double Pupils couldn’t penetrate it to see clearly.

The three of them set off on a freshly cleared path.

As they walked, Song Zongwu chatted idly with the green-haired woman. From what he could gather from their conversation, the Forbidden Area was located right on Camel Peak Mountain.

’I didn’t expect the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area to be so close to our temporary camp,’ Ren Qing thought. ’Aren’t they worried about a sudden incident?’

When the conversation turned to the Forbidden Area, the green-haired woman couldn’t help but glance at Ren Qing a few times, clearly hesitant to speak freely.

Noticing this, Song Zongwu said, "Ren Qing has been exposed to Magic Techniques. While he’s not at the level of a Forbidden Guard, it’s fine for him to hear this information."

Ren Qing didn’t try to argue; he understood Song Zongwu’s good intentions.

’Because of Song Rong’s intervention, there are now more variables in sealing the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area. If I run into danger, I’ll have no choice but to use a Magic Technique.’

’If the other Forbidden Guards don’t know my situation, it could easily lead to a misunderstanding.’

He decided to just admit it. "Senior, I happened to come across them by chance, but I’m only a beginner."

The green-haired woman’s expression relaxed, and she gave Ren Qing a slight nod of acknowledgment.

’To be valued so highly by Song Zongwu means he must have outstanding talent. Maybe he’ll be able to join the Forbidden Guards soon.’

After that, the pair no longer held back in their conversation.

Ren Qing listened intently as they walked.

According to them, the more Mysterious Objects a Forbidden Area contained, the more extreme the phenomena it created. There had even been cases that resulted in thousands of miles of scorched earth.

The core Mysterious Object of the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area was at the Ghost Envoy Realm. By devouring a massive number of other Mysterious Objects, however, its power had reached the very peak of that realm.

In a Forbidden Area this terrifying, the space within and without had become distorted.

On the surface, it might appear to be only a few miles across, but stepping inside could reveal a vast, boundless plain.

Moreover, the Mysterious Objects influenced one another, making the interior of the Forbidden Area incredibly complex and unpredictable.

According to the Government Office’s records, only a handful of Ghost Envoy Realm Forbidden Areas had been eliminated in the past decade, and all of them had been direct threats to Sanxiang City.

They walked a winding path for several hours, only drawing near late into the night.

The main reason for the long walk was that Camel Peak Mountain was actually composed of two peaks, making its total area much larger than an ordinary mountain.

At that moment, rain began to fall, mixed with hailstones the size of fingernails that stung as they struck their bodies.

Ren Qing couldn’t help but look back. Far below, there was no sign of rain whatsoever.

’We’re heading into summer,’ he thought. ’This bizarre weather must be because of the Forbidden Area.’

Ren Qing felt the temperature drop further. He noticed that the vegetation on the summit was still incredibly lush, though it looked somewhat unnatural.

The leaves were a vibrant green, but the branches themselves seemed to carry a hint of death. There were no insects or small animals to be seen.

The path uphill was blocked by plants and trees.

Song Zongwu spoke. "Mu Yi, if you would. I’m going to check for any changes in the Forbidden Area."

"Alright."

As the green-haired woman stretched out her hand, the plants automatically parted, creating a path about half a meter wide.

A dense fog appeared before them, churning constantly like a stormy sea.

Using his Double Pupils, Ren Qing saw that beneath the green-haired woman’s fair, jade-like skin, her veins were actually plant roots, and her blood flowed a murky, dark green.

’It seems all these plants were planted by this Forbidden Guard, Mu Yi, to temporarily seal off the Forbidden Area.’

Song Zongwu halted, his six eyes glowing with a crimson light as he stared ahead.

Ren Qing asked curiously, "Elder Song, have we reached the perimeter of the Forbidden Area?"

"Not even close. The actual Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area is probably only a tenth, maybe even a hundredth, of the size of this sealed-off perimeter."

Mu Yi patiently explained, "The plants, the fog—these are just our temporary measures to contain it. If you actually got close to the Forbidden Area itself, you would be trapped inside in the blink of an eye."

The two led Ren Qing forward a few more meters.

Ren Qing subconsciously activated his Double Pupils. A piercing pain shot through his head, and his memories from the past two days began to blur.

He stared, transfixed, into the dense fog, his expression growing vacant.

Song Zongwu’s six blood-red eyes snapped open. He placed a hand on Ren Qing’s shoulder, intending to forcefully pull him back to his senses.

At that moment, Ren Qing was immersed in the fog. His vision slowly penetrated deep into Camel Peak Mountain, and in a daze, it felt as if his soul was detaching from his body.

He was in a state beyond joy or sorrow, yet he could feel that he could return at any moment. He was even vaguely aware of the danger.

What Ren Qing didn’t realize was that, by a strange coincidence, he had managed to borrow a sliver of the Twin Nightmare Ghosts’ power, an ability derived from a Repeater’s mutation.