Chapter 558: Chapter 176: The Pursuing Team
"So, you’re here to investigate this? Investigate how these Fierce Beast Race monsters became evil?" Chen Yan asked.
"It’s not just me; the Immortal Platform has sent many people to investigate. I’m just one of them." Golden Armor sighed, "But this investigation is very difficult, and many comrades have already died, and the progress..."
As he spoke, Golden Armor’s expression was somewhat helpless.
Chen Yan understood, and without asking further, he said, "Okay, whatever you dig up is yours. I just want this Iron Hook."
With that, he glanced at the object and smiled wryly.
What’s the use of this thing, to take it back and use it as a cudgel?
Golden Armor seemed a bit embarrassed as well, smiling as he said, "I looked at this thing. After taking it back and refining it, it can still yield a little bit of iron essence, worth a few hundred coins."
Chen Yan looked at the Iron Hook, nearly 1.8 meters in length and about the thickness of a small sapling, and sighed.
Taking it back...won’t it be a burden to carry?
"Carry it along; it might come in handy later," Golden Armor said casually.
Chen Yan said nothing, agreeing by default.
After the two had rested enough, they packed their things and prepared to leave.
Though unsaid, the two had already reached a tacit understanding—to travel together.
·
In the vast forest, Chen Yan and Golden Armor journeyed together for several days.
Both were cultivators, with strong physiques, allowing them to travel swiftly through the forest, despite carrying many belongings.
Especially after Golden Armor met Chen Yan, his severe wounds from before were healed with a Bone Pill given by Chen Yan, allowing their pace to quicken through the forest.
Basically, they could cover two to three hundred miles in a day.
The sea of trees seemed endless, yet finally, one day they reached its end.
By the fourth day, Chen Yan noticed that the trees around them were gradually getting sparse, even the monstrous trees were no longer as thick and tall as before. Not only sparse, but they were also smaller and more slender, seemingly malnourished.
Finally, on the seventh day, it marked the fourteenth day since Chen Yan arrived in the Domain Realm.
The two of them finally made it out of this Forest Monster!
·
At the edge of the forest, the monstrous trees became fewer, and the ground started to show some short plants, even occasionally a tiny bit of green on the soil.
Back in the area filled with the Forest Monster, no green could be seen at all.
Those monstrous trees were black-brown like iron, even the branches and leaves were iron-colored.
The forest floor was muddy and damp, devoid of any green vegetation.
Reaching the edge of the forest, one could finally see some sparse growth of green vegetation in certain areas.
With the emergence of greenery, the chill in the air gradually dissipated, as if moving eastward, and the temperature rose higher.
When the two finally exited the forest, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Though his face showed no change, he couldn’t help but feel moved by the scene before him.
Looking eastward beyond the forest, it was an endless snowfield.
The wind and snow were swirling, covering the earth in white. In one glance, the view was shrouded by wind and snow, the vast whiteness appearing boundless.
In the distance, the horizon revealed small and large snowy slopes and hills, though the exact distance was incalculable.
In front of them was a vast snowfield!
Golden Armor stood silently beside Chen Yan, sighing softly and shaking his head, "I was prepared to die in Evil Land Mountain, yet I managed to come back alive, ha!"
Chen Yan replied calmly, "We’re not out of danger yet, it’s a bit early to say that."
"Ptooey!" Golden Armor immediately raised his eyebrows in anger, "What kind of jinxed words are you speaking! When I get back, I want to drink myself into oblivion for three days, and find a dozen gentle girls to spend time with, rolling in a pile of rouge and powder for three days and nights!"
Chen Yan glanced at Golden Armor and said nothing.
Over the few days they spent together, Chen Yan had come to understand his personality—an outspoken bastard.
This guy was cunning and ruthless, a personality well-suited for such dangerous, spy-like behind-enemy-lines infiltration work.
Though he often spoke vulgar words, upon careful consideration, it was clear he wasn’t from a crude lower-class origin; his foul mouth likely came from professional habits, yet every time he spoke, one could sense a certain demeanor...
How to say it, his background should not be low, someone who’s experienced a lot.
In five days of companionship, Golden Armor never spoke of his background, but whenever he talked about past experiences, they were remarkable, and his posture was consistently high.
His manner was quite lofty!
Standing on the edge of the snowfield, having left the forest behind, what excited Chen Yan even more was that he faintly sensed a subtle primordial Qi fluctuation!
This fluctuation was extremely weak, so faint one couldn’t conduct primordial Qi transfer, nor mobilize Mana or use spells.
It was like feeling the humidity in the air without being able to gather enough water to drink.
Nevertheless, this change was enough to make Chen Yan feel joyful—and Golden Armor had mentioned, moving into the snowfield, away from the Fierce Beast Race’s territory, or this Forest Monster, primordial Qi would gradually become dense and abundant.
Incidentally, from Golden Armor’s words, Chen Yan finally learned the official name of the monstrous trees: Evil Spirit Tree.