Chapter 482: Chapter 482: Land of due Darkness

After Li Rui used the Void Flame Spell to eliminate all the monsters, he fell into deep thought.

He was very eager to know why the things on Ghost Cry Ridge would appear when he was transitioning, even though they weren’t the same group, there were extremely high similarities between the two, especially that kind of twisted feeling, making it almost impossible to mistake them.

Li Rui found it hard to think of the connection between the two; at that time, he didn’t even know what Ghost Cry Ridge was.

At this moment, Yuan Qing spoke: "Everyone, there will be numerous dangers on the road ahead, please make sure to follow closely behind me."

"Mr. Yuan? How much further is it?" Cheng Mingyue asked.

Yuan Qing smiled: "If you are wondering how much further we are from where the Earth Thunder is, I do not know; however, the limit distance we can reach is not too far now."

After all, they had already traveled hundreds of miles with the help of the Mountain Beast, reaching the true depths of Ghost Cry Ridge.

This place was rarely visited by people, even those from the Jingyang Academy rarely ventured this far in.

"The gentleman means, if we go further ahead, we will reach a region we cannot enter?" Li Rui asked.

Yuan Qing nodded: "The Academy once organized people to explore inside, and according to records, there have been at least ten attempts from ancient times to now, and I was fortunate enough to participate once. Indeed, it is impenetrable; even if my master were still around, he too would be unable to enter."

"That’s why I said at the time that finding the Earth Thunder is extremely difficult."

Li Rui asked: "Is it because there’s some kind of forbidden barrier?"

He was thinking that if it was a barrier similar to those between Secret Realms, these locals might not understand it, but they outsiders could break through with brute force.

However, Yuan Qing said: "You know the folk tales of the ghost walls, right? Actually, there are some similarities; you should follow me to see it with your own eyes."

Since the destination was so close, even though night had fallen, Yuan Qing didn’t find a place to stop.

He took out a lantern glowing with a bluish light to lead the way, while Li Rui and the other two followed behind.

He also activated the Nether Light Ring to brighten the surroundings.

On Ghost Cry Ridge, there were only evil aura and demons, none of the usual flowers, birds, insects, or beasts of a mountain, so there was no sound to be heard, and a few steps away it was completely dark, giving a creepy feeling.

Cheng Mingyue felt uneasy and forced a smile to start a conversation: "Hey, I said yesterday I would livestream an exploration, this place is so pitch black, no one would watch the livestream."

Li Rui wanted to reassure her and replied: "That kind of livestream is about the atmosphere; let Brother Gui mimic a few little ghosts to create some noise for people to enjoy watching."

Guan Gui: ?

Seeing his puzzled expression, Li Rui chuckled and called out: "Mr. Yuan, is it almost there? Do we need to prepare for anything?"

"....."

"Mr. Yuan?"

"....."

"Something’s wrong."

Li Rui quickly turned the light ring around, only to see the blue lantern still floating in mid-air, but the person holding the lantern was nowhere to be seen.

"What the...?"

He thought the atmosphere here was just creepy, but didn’t expect a real paranormal event.

He pulled the Mountain Beast’s reins: "I’ll go check, you two stay put."

After saying this, he jumped off his ride, took out the Yin Yang Umbrella, and cautiously approached the blue lantern. But just as he was two or three steps away, the thing spread out like ink dropped in water, then disappeared without a trace.

"No, it’s an illusion!"

Li Rui exclaimed, suddenly feeling a chill, and quickly turned around.

Just as he suspected, the Mountain Beast and the other two were gone, surrounded by complete darkness.

He waved the light ring, trying to find his companions, but didn’t dare to wander aimlessly.

It wasn’t fear of danger, but the worry that there might be a chance to reunite, yet aimless wandering would draw them further apart.

"Brother Gui, Sister Yue, Mr. Yuan?"

He called out twice and looked around with the Nether Light Ring, but besides the barren ground, there was nothing there.

It was as if he had been abandoned in a wasteland.

Li Rui activated the Blood Eye, trying to see if he could break the illusion, which he wasn’t even sure existed, but saw no changes around him.

If it really was an illusion, then it was of high rank, like an Illusion Realm summoned by the Cen Lanjing, beyond his ability to discern.

He was more worried about Cheng Mingyue; her offensive abilities were relatively weaker, and if she encountered danger, she might not be as capable as him or Guan Gui. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

But at the very least, in this place, he hadn’t encountered those demons lurking in the shadows, so perhaps the other two wouldn’t either.

While thinking this, a murderous intent flew from behind him.

Clang!

Li Rui swung the umbrella to block it, feeling a strong force in his hands, but not a lethal one.

To his surprise, the attack from the darkness wasn’t by a monster; the previous strike seemed like a sword attack?

"Mr. Yuan, is that you?"

Li Rui suddenly asked aloud.

"....."

The silence lingered for a moment.

"Did you suspect me all along?" Yuan Qing’s voice came slowly.

"If I suspected you, why would I still have come with you?"

Li Rui saw a silhouette emerging from the darkness, holding a faintly glowing sword.

"Apologies, I had no intention of harming you."

Yuan Qing appeared genuinely remorseful, "But Junior Martial Uncle Zuo insisted that I must take your life."

"...."

Li Rui asked gravely, "Is this a conspiracy by the Jingyang Academy?"

"Not at all, it’s just that I personally agree with Junior Martial Uncle Zuo’s ambitions," Yuan Qing replied frankly.

"You, alone? What about your master?"

"Master?"

Yuan Qing seemed somewhat surprised, and it felt like he didn’t understand why Cen Lanjing was suddenly brought up.

"Then it’s fine."

Li Rui waved his hand, "So, he knew all along that I would come here?"

"Naturally."

Yuan Qing said, "Since you are searching for the Five Thunders Skill, you must come to seek the whereabouts of the Earth Thunder."

Li Rui frowned: "And what about the other two?"

Yuan Qing hesitated and said: "My target is only you; if they can leave this place, then naturally, no harm done; if they can’t, there’s nothing I can do."

"...so we are now in the area you said couldn’t be entered?"

Li Rui wanted to ask as much as he could for more information, after all, Yuan Qing being connected with Zuo Qiutian means he might know some inside information.

Being a part of the Academy, Mr. Yuan knew all about it as if to compensate for his inner guilt: "Yes. However, I didn’t fully tell the truth; this place is a deadland, there’s no ghost wall, once you enter, it’s void, few can make it out."

"Then why would you dare to come in?" Li Rui asked.

Yuan Qing clasped his hands: "I have my own method of leaving but cannot disclose it."

"That’s truly unfortunate then."

Li Rui pursed his lips, internally sensing that this indeed was a true deadland, trying to use the Escape Technique but couldn’t even detect air currents, let alone the wind.

Presumably, other forms of Escape Techniques would encounter similar issues.

"Mr. Yuan, I have two final questions."

"Please ask."

"First, is the Earth Thunder here?"

"Yes."

"Second, if I don’t kill you, is it impossible to leave?"

"No."

Yuan Qing said earnestly, "Even if you kill me, you won’t be able to leave. Moreover, you cannot kill me."