Cultivating in a Bizarre World

From a great distance, Ren Qing noticed the strange changes within the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area. All sorts of bizarre vegetation and massive medicinal herbs were growing there.

Song Zongwu was standing at the perimeter, with Huang Ziwang hovering timidly by his side.

The Land God, who had been the first to arrive, said nothing, and the atmosphere was somewhat silent.

After Ren Qing and his companion joined them, they waited a while longer at the outskirts of Camel Peak Mountain.

Li Yaoyang and a few others arrived in succession, all of them wearing grave expressions.

Seeing this, Song Zongwu spoke up. "I’ve summoned you all because Water Hyacinth’s temperament is too bizarre. Anyone who wanders off alone could be in danger."

Li Yaoyang nodded and added, "This Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area is located in the mountains, so Water Hyacinth was bound to come here anyway. We just need to be careful."

Just as Ren Qing was about to ask a question, Huang Ziwang quietly explained, "I’ve witnessed Water Hyacinth’s methods. He’s no saint."

Song Zongwu waved his hand. "Let’s check out the situation first."

The group stepped into the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

To their surprise, what was once barren land had, in just a few short days, become overgrown with blood-red weeds. Up close, they could smell a thick, putrid stench.

Ren Qing stepped onto the grass, but it didn’t feel like vegetation. Instead, it felt more like moss and was slightly sticky.

At the top of the slope, twelve massive medicinal herbs were scattered across the summit.

The herbs were well over ten meters tall, each one different from the next, but they bore a strong resemblance to the herbs seen in the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area’s medicinal garden.

Their branches and leaves were covered in distorted human faces whose mouths constantly opened and closed as if screaming in conscious terror.

It was an unnerving sight.

The closer Ren Qing got to the herbs, the more oppressed he felt.

With the exception of Song Zongwu, whose Cultivation was the highest, everyone else also felt some discomfort. If ordinary Government Constables were sent here, they would likely drop dead before they even got close.

CAW CAW CAW...

A crow with rotting feathers landed on a branch, letting out a hoarse cry.

Who would have thought that the local ecosystem had even spawned its own strange Creatures? It was a testament to just how bizarre the forbidden area was.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Huang Ziwang couldn’t resist leaping to the treetop and snatching the crow.

The crow struggled frantically before being tossed outside the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

CAW CAW CAW...

The crow flapped its wings, trying to get back to the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area, but after only a few meters, it dissolved into a puddle of pus, spreading a rotten stench through the air.

Song Zongwu explained, "The forbidden area’s influence is limited to its immediate surroundings. The unnatural Creatures it creates cannot leave."

Ren Qing suddenly recalled the memory of when his Soul had accidentally wandered into the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

He realized that there should have been more than twelve herbs in the medicinal garden back then. Why had the number changed now?

Ren Qing hesitated, wondering how to tell Song Zongwu, but then he heard the man say, "Since there’s no major issue, let’s head back out."

Huang Ziwang gave an awkward laugh. "You probably don’t need me, then, right? I mean, with Water Hyacinth making a move, there’s no way..."

Song Zongwu didn’t reply, instead casting a subtle glance into the distance.

In that instant, Ren Qing felt a slight burning sensation on his skin. The surrounding water vapor began to boil, and the temperature rose significantly.

Seeing this, Xu Shilin took a deep drag from his dry pipe, but just as he was about to react, Song Zongwu quickly put out a hand to stop him.

"Water Hyacinth is here."

’For him to make Song Zongwu so wary, he must be anything but simple.’

In just a few breaths’ time, a vast expanse of fiery clouds ignited the southeastern sky.

A peculiar old man riding a donkey approached the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area, humming an unidentifiable tune.

"Fellow Daoist Song, I trust you’ve been well."

Daoist Water Hyacinth’s appearance was ordinary; one might even call him kind-faced. However, the Gourd on his back was exceptionally bizarre, for it was the color of flesh.

The Gourd’s surface was covered in blood vessels that would occasionally twitch.

"Daoist Shui, this place is all yours."

Song Zongwu waved his hand dismissively and walked briskly out of the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

Daoist Water Hyacinth squinted, his eyes sweeping over the group before finally landing on Xu Shilin. His expression became intriguing.

"HAHAHAHA."

Then, with a great laugh, he attacked. The top of the flesh-colored Gourd split open like the pistil of a flower, transforming into a deformed, terrifying mouth.

It was only then that Ren Qing noticed the Gourd was actually fused to the man’s spine, as if it were some kind of external organ.

A massive amount of steam erupted from the Gourd, instantly enveloping the entire area and pressing down on them like a tidal wave.

Ren Qing glanced at Xu Shilin, who had a grim look on his face. ’His Magic Technique must be similar to Daoist Water Hyacinth’s, which is probably why he’s caught his attention.’

"The rest of you, go on ahead."

Song Zongwu said in a low voice. His body instantly swelled to just over three meters tall, his six eyes staring intently at the overwhelming steam.

"Left Eye Two, Uphold Strength!!"

His middle-left eye flashed with a brilliant light. The muscles in his arms swelled to their absolute limit as he clapped his hands forward with immense force.

BANG!!!

The steam was split in two, and the others used the opportunity to escape the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

Pushing off with his feet, Song Zongwu leaped directly to their side, his expression vigilant as he kept his eyes fixed on the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area.

The mist churned, followed immediately by a torrential downpour that made the air even more scorching, like a Hell on Earth.

However, the twelve giant medicinal herbs still stood amidst it all, showing no signs of any change.

The soil gradually became saturated, even starting to bubble as if it were boiling.

After more than an hour, the dozen-some li around the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area had turned into a swamp, and there was no trace of the Mutated animals.

Daoist Water Hyacinth gradually retracted his Magic Technique, the steam flowing back into his Gourd. He then turned to Song Zongwu with a searing gaze.

"I’m going to go say hello."

Song Zongwu vanished from the spot. The two were soon trading blows; this "saying hello" was actually more of a probing exchange.

Li Yaoyang turned to Huang Ziwang and the Land God. "It’s up to you two now. Finish up as quickly as possible so we can return to Sanxiang City."

Huang Ziwang looked like he wanted to protest but obediently walked to the edge of the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area anyway. His abdomen then swelled until it was Balloon-Shaped.

Venom spewed from his mouth, SIZZLING as it landed in the swamp.

The Land God swallowed an antidote pill, then burrowed halfway into the ground. He began to churn the swamp within a hundred-meter radius, gradually mixing the toxin into it.

The fight between Song Zongwu and his opponent lasted a long time, their blows shaking the very earth. In the end, Ren Qing couldn’t tell who had won and who had lost.

Turning the entire swamp into a toxic mire took a full five days, and that was with the Land God’s help. Otherwise, it might have taken a month or more.

Ren Qing watched as the swamp turned a purplish-black.

Then, they threw in hundreds of Beast Corpses, making the poison-gas-filled Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area a place where not even someone at the Ghost Envoy Realm could stay for long.

After completing the lockdown, the group returned to their temporary camp.

It was only then that they noticed the dozens of prisoners had all vanished. The faces of the Government Constables were filled with unconcealable fear.

Song Zongwu’s expression was grim as he asked around and discovered that it was indeed Water Hyacinth’s doing.

However, since Water Hyacinth hadn’t harmed the Government Constables, it suggested that Song Zongwu had gained the upper hand in their fight, perhaps even defeating him.

With the business at the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area concluded for now, the anxious Government Constables packed up their things, ready to leave.

Ren Qing couldn’t wait to return to Sanxiang City and accumulate more Lifespan.

’I can’t shake the feeling that in this world, if you haven’t reached the Ghost Envoy Realm, survival is purely a matter of luck.’