Chapter 215 – Exploration Complete, Moving to the Holy Tree Temple - Part 2
Li Yuan toyed with the idea of investigating the ghost domain but ultimately decided against it. What interested him more was the icebone flower growing on its outskirts; no one seemed to have found that plant anywhere else. It had to be some local specialty of the ghost domain, which explained why Gongshan Jun had chosen to set up camp here. Who knew what other motive he might have had?
It did occur to Li Yuan that Gongshan Jun might have belonged to some hidden power, collecting demon hunters out here to further that power’s goals. But according to Wood Dog Quatro, Gongshan Jun had been around for three decades. What force would station a sixth rank martial artist in the middle of nowhere for 30 years straight...just to capture demonic beasts?
Pushing those thoughts aside, Li Yuan decided to head north and look for a suitable place for people to live. With the local terrain map in hand, he had a much better sense of the region and no longer needed to wander blindly.
“Heading south, there are four mountain paths,” he mused. “The leftmost path is off-limits because it crosses directly through the ghost domain. Anyone walking that road without realizing what’s happening would wander into that estate and perish. That’s also where these hunters used to collect icebone flowers. If I hadn’t recruited them first, they could have tricked me into going that way and left me for dead just to keep their precious secret.
“As for the middle two paths, both lead toward the Sunset Rainforest. The demon hunters usually operate on the flatlands, in the woods, or around the small ponds along those routes. They’ve only explored the first leg of those paths. Farther along, the demonic beasts get much stronger.”
Li Yuan studied the map for a long moment, feeling that the two middle paths were like ventilation shafts. Not for wind, but for demonic beasts. If they settled there, they’d inevitably face unending incursions by demonic beasts.
“Maybe I could tame a few powerful demonic beasts to guard our home,” he mused, then shook his head. “These paths connect directly to the Sunset Rainforest, a paradise for demonic beasts. There must be fifth rank, fourth rank, or even stronger creatures there. Even if we only run into one, it’ll be a disaster. And I don’t yet have a way to tame anything stronger than seventh rank. In a human settlement, at least we can anticipate most threats and prepare. Living at one of these ventilation shafts would mean constant fear.”
His gaze shifted to the rightmost path. “That road’s strange. There are hardly any demonic beasts, but no one knows where it leads. The hunters have tried exploring a few times. Some found nothing; others went in deep and never came back. It’s incredibly dangerous.”
Propping his chin on his fist, Li Yuan mulled it over. Ultimately, he decided to personally investigate the middle routes, excluding both the leftmost ghost domain path and the mysterious rightmost one.
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Li Yuan and Tang Nian spent the next several days scouting the forests, recording the lay of the land and noting where various demonic beasts congregated.
With his ability to see combat power indicators, Li Yuan quickly identified each territory’s wildlife.