Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Staring Into the Pitch-Black Ahead

What Li Rui now lacks the most is time. Although he also thinks it’s a bit exaggerated to obtain a Thunder Skill with just one entry into the Secret Realm, he ultimately wants to give it a try.

"Please, Mr. Yuan, enlighten us on what the difficulties might be?"

Yuan Qing cupped his hands and said, "Please forgive me. Yuan has no intention of shirking responsibility, it’s just that Brother Li is also aware that Ghost Cry Ridge is not safe and is occupied by many demons and evil creatures."

"Besides, the location of the Earth Thunder is also unclear. However, Yuan will certainly do his best to assist."

Thus, he began to introduce the situation of Ghost Cry Ridge to the three of them. During this process, Li Rui and the others noticed changes in their task panel.

Initially, the main task was to enter the academy. The one they entered in the Illusion Realm was not the true academy, so the task hadn’t progressed. It had now shifted to investigating the problems encountered at the academy.

Even though they needed to find the Earth Thunder, they still needed to push the main task through. For one, it was a way out of the Secret Realm, and secondly, Cheng Mingyue and Guan Gui also needed to improve; they couldn’t just focus on Li Rui.

So, after determining the time and route to search for the Earth Thunder, Li Rui asked, "Mr. Yuan, forgive my intrusiveness, but has the academy encountered any troubles recently?"

Yuan Qing nodded with a smile, "To be honest, Brother Li, something has indeed gone wrong south of Ghost Cry Ridge lately. A Mysterious River has originated there, providing irrigation to a large portion of the Lingnan area, acting as a lifeline for several cities and the surrounding populace."

"However, recently, the river water contains traces of death qi, likely due to some sort of evil entity residing there. The academy is currently preparing to investigate."

Upon hearing this, the group understood that it was a boss battle type of main task. That would be simple enough; they could first go after the Earth Thunder, and regardless of the outcome, tackle the boss afterward.

Simultaneously, corresponding changes appeared in their task panel.

Yuan Qing didn’t know they intended to help, as he wasn’t aware of what the main task entailed. He just mentioned making preparations and that they could set out shortly.

"This Mr. Yuan is such a good person, personally leading the way," Cheng Mingyue said while holding a teacup.

Li Rui replied, "After all, he’s a disciple of Mr. Cen. He’s got a clear head. With the turmoil in Fengdu and Zuo Qiutian causing trouble, it could bring chaos to the entire world, so he definitely has to pay attention."

"Moreover, with Master Bo Yuan’s reputation, they could get him to assist. Yet, I suspect their academics here also want to find Celestial Thunder to study it."

Cheng Mingyue said, "But if you think about it, the academy is just below Ghost Cry Ridge and hasn’t specifically located the Earth Thunder after all these years, implying that thing is indeed hard to find."

"That’s certain."

The two of them chatted casually while Guan Gui listened from the side. After a long while, Yuan Qing returned, having changed out of the long robe he wore earlier into more convenient clothing, with an extra sword on his back.

"Please follow me, the three of you."

Yuan Qing led them out of the room towards the main entrance. It seemed he had already arranged academic affairs, as no additional escorts accompanied them on this trip.

"At Jingyang Academy, most people are here for academic purposes. There aren’t many high-level cultivators, and there are many affairs to tend to, so it’s just Yuan and the three of you going together."

"That’s already quite a burden on you," Li Rui replied politely.

Yuan Qing nodded and said, "The three of you must know, the Evil Qi on Ghost Cry Ridge makes most areas unsuitable for flying, and escape techniques won’t work either, which is why it’s hard to explore."

Li Rui and his companions were a bit worried.

"So, won’t it take many days to travel several hundred miles?"

At this moment, they reached outside the main gate, where they saw four bizarre-looking beasts stopped at the entrance.

They had light brown curly manes on their heads, extraordinarily prominent eyes, unusually thick limbs, long legs, and stood almost two people tall.

Yuan Qing continued, "These are Mountain Walk Beasts. We commonly use them as mounts on Ghost Cry Ridge. They can traverse most areas and aren’t slow-footed."

Li Rui and his group were naturally pleased. With the time inside and outside the Secret Realm flowing equally, they were keen to waste as little effort as possible.

Soon, the four mounts carried the four of them along a small path up Ghost Cry Ridge.

One has to say, Yuan Qing wasn’t exaggerating. The long legs of these Mountain Walk Beasts ran really fast, and they weren’t only robust but also very agile, able to glide smoothly across most terrains.

A few miles into the mountain, Li Rui began to sense a lot of malice peering out from the shadows in the forest around them.

"Mr. Yuan, don’t these things need to be dealt with?"

Yuan Qing, sitting cross-legged on the broad back of a Mountain Walk Beast, responded without much concern, "It’s impossible to handle them all. This is just the outskirts of Ghost Cry Ridge, where those evil creatures aren’t too rampant and generally don’t dare venture out of the woods."

On the outskirts of Ghost Cry Ridge, there’s not much Evil Qi or creatures, and escape techniques can still be used. It’s only deeper inside that restrictions apply.

The group traversed several dozen miles in the mountains without encountering any incidents until nightfall.

"It’s not advisable to travel in the mountain at night. Let’s stop here for a while."

Yuan Qing had his Mountain Walk Beast halt by the roadside, where there was a platform that seemed to have been pressed out with some force rather than forming naturally.

Apparently, the academy members who explored the mountain regularly had established this as a habitual resting place, evident by an uncleaned, extinguished campfire and a stone-built stove on the flat ground.

Li Rui and the others tied the reins of their Mountain Walk Beasts to a nearby withered tree trunk and stepped onto the platform.

Turning around, they saw nothing stirring in the pitch-black forest.

Unlike the normal darkness on the mountain below, the silence here felt like the quiet of death.

Elsewhere, one might worry about dangers emerging from the darkness, but here that worry was absent, yet Li Rui felt that venturing into the darkness seemed to promise encountering nothing but descending into a deep abyss.

By then, Yuan Qing had taken many items from the Mountain Walk Beast’s saddlebags, including warm jackets for the night and even pots and pans.

If ignoring the surroundings, it almost seemed like he was out camping.

This just indicated that the people of Jingyang Academy frequently ascended the mountain to check for anomalies, making them accustomed to such environments.

After resting for a while, Yuan Qing said, "At night, we’ll need two people to stand guard. Although this place is relatively safe, it’s only relative."

Eventually, Li Rui and Cheng Mingyue took the watch for the latter half of the night, while the other two watched the first half.

Yuan Qing’s final instruction was, "The Mountain Walk Beasts have sharp senses. Keep an eye on them, and if anything seems amiss, wake me up immediately."

"Understood."

Li Rui agreed, and the two of them draped blankets over their shoulders, vigilantly watching the surrounding darkness near the still-burning campfire.

"It’s strange; the things on this mountain don’t feel like Yin Sha spirits," he whispered.

Cheng Mingyue replied, "To me, they seem more like wild beasts."

She naturally recognized they weren’t ordinary wild beasts since such things wouldn’t merit Jingyang Academy’s vigilance below.

Li Rui recalled Master Bo Yuan talking about how the fragmented Five Thunders fell and scattered.

Yet this place turned into a desolate barrier, acting as a natural wall between the Western Regions and the East Land, perhaps due to Earth Thunder’s descent causing it.

Meanwhile, Cheng Mingyue pondered deeply, "What do you think, could livestreaming an adventure here get popular?"