The Thorne of Destiny-Chapter 162: The Crimson Forest

Adrian collapsed on the ground, panting. Though he was exhausted, a wave of euphoria washed over him. His achievement just now was something for the history books.

He, as a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, had just killed a Rank 4 beast equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, he hadn't done so easily. Looking at his body, which was riddled with injuries, he could only smile deprecatingly to himself.

He could only pop one of his veined Rank 2 healing pills into his mouth before sitting in a lotus position. After about thirty minutes of non-stop cultivation, he let out a turbid breath. He wasn't completely healed, but it was enough for him to move around without too much trouble.

He couldn't exactly spend time healing himself here, surrounded by dozens of scorpions. After the Rank 4 Scarlet Flame Scorpion woke up after being poisoned, his faith in the Rank 5 poison had diminished greatly.

After all, if it could wake up after ingesting a whole pill, why couldn't the others wake up after just inhaling the vapor? As such, he didn't want to test his luck by remaining here longer than necessary.

His gaze flickered to the Fire Vein Origin Stone that was still embedded in the wall. He remembered how the scorpion had charged head-on into it. While he didn't know exactly what grade a stone of this size would be, its durability greatly surprised him.

Not even a scratch was inflicted on it, let alone it being cracked or broken. Even the scorpion's venom that had splashed on it slid off without doing any damage. Its luster remained the same, and its shine was not dulled.

He stood and approached it, his sword still in hand. Thanks to the scorpion, the stone that was lodged deep in the earth was loosened thoroughly, only leaving a smidgen of resistance.

He could only thank the scorpion in his heart for being so magnanimous as to use its head to help him in mining the stone. He offered a silent prayer for it in his heart, praying for its happiness if it ever reincarnated.

If the dead scorpion could hear his thoughts, it might just come out of its grave to beat the shit out of him. What magnanimity? It was obviously trying to crush him. Besides, even if it wanted to help him, how would crashing head-first into the Fire Vein Origin Stone help anyone?

Shaking his head, Adrian dismissed those thoughts as he was now in front of the Fire Vein Origin Stone. Using his sword, he began chipping away at the earth once again. He lodged it into the side of the stone, and, using it as a lever, he tried to pry it out of the earth.

However, it seemed Adrian had underestimated the size of the stone or how deeply it was lodged, but he was unable to pry it out easily. He spent several attempts while sweating buckets due to the heat from the stone.

After about another thirty minutes, he was finally able to pry it out of the earth. With a loud thud, the stone crashed onto the ground, causing a slight tremor in the cavern.

Adrian could only stare blankly at the huge stone in front of him. It was huge, similar to the size of an SUV… Whatever that was. Adrian was sure that without his sword, he wouldn't have been able to pry it out. In fact, if he used a lesser-ranked sword, it would have likely snapped from the sheer weight.

That was if it didn't melt from the constant heat radiating from the Fire Vein Origin Stone. Besides, without his monstrous strength, prying it out would have been a pipe dream for anyone who wasn't a body cultivator.

Furthermore, it wasn't just a matter of strength. If the scorpion hadn't knocked the stone loose, it would have likely taken him days to dig it out. Days he did not have. By then, more scorpions would have returned to the cavern and discovered the death of their kin.

They would have likely caused a ruckus, and if there was another Rank 4 beast, it would have been impossible for Adrian to retrieve the stone. The combination of these three events was what allowed Adrian to be able to retrieve the Fire Vein Origin Stone.

It seems the Heavens were favoring him now. Perhaps it was compensation for his terrible luck of having his entire family slaughtered by demonic cultivators. However, Adrian couldn't ponder this issue for long.

Clack—clack, clack!

At first, Adrian thought he was hearing things. Perhaps due to the surge of adrenaline, his mind was starting to play tricks on him. However, when he continued hearing the clacking sound, his heart fell.

He turned around to find some of the Rank 3 scorpions waking up. Their legs were already clacking on the ground, bringing their huge bodies to their feet. They staggered as if drunk, yet slowly but surely, they were regaining their footing.

One of them was even staring in Adrian's general direction. He had initially thought he was spotted, but heaved a sigh of relief when he saw it take its attention away from him.

He ran towards the body of the Rank 4 Scarlet Flame Scorpion and quickly stored it inside the Blood Star. He didn't have the time to collect the bodies of the other fallen scorpions, which was a shame. However, he had to put a cap on his greed lest it lead him astray.

Then, he turned his attention to the reason he did all this in the first place. He waved his hand, and, in one swift motion, he took the Fire Vein Origin Stone inside the Blood Star. Then, without even checking on it, he made a beeline for one of the tunnels that was near the now-empty hole from which he dug the stone.

And not a moment too soon. As soon as his visage disappeared into the tunnel, the vision of the Rank 3 scorpion that had been staring at him cleared, as the fog in its mind lifted slightly.

Adrian was running as fast as his currently battered body could carry him, which was not very fast. However, he couldn't really care about this. He could only hope and pray that he wouldn't encounter any more beasts in this cavern.

Perhaps the Heavens were listening to his prayer, but Adrian did not encounter any other scorpions in this cavern. He eventually slowed down, but didn't stop moving. After about an hour, he noticed something. The path he was traveling on seemed to be slightly inclined upwards.

At first, he thought it was just the particular tunnel he was traveling through, but after he traveled through a few of them, he noticed that it wasn't just that tunnel.

This was good news for him. Why, you ask? Because Adrian was currently underground, to leave this dastardly cavern, he would have to climb out. Now that all tunnels were beginning to incline, that could only mean he was on the right path.

Soon, Adrian was facing a particularly steep upward slope. While it didn't look that high, it wasn't something he could just treat as a slight incline. He had to use both arms and feet, turning this into a full-blown climb.

When Adrian reached what was supposed to be the top, he was thoroughly surprised. His head poked through the shrubs that seemed to be acting as the cover for this huge hole.

What entered his vision was a forest that seemed to span endlessly. The scorching vastness of the desert he was expecting was not there, only this vast and lush forest.

What surprised him, though, was not the forest. Though he wasn't expecting it, it wasn't enough to make him speechless. What truly took his breath away was the color.

It was red! Everything was red! From the leaves on the trees to the soil on the ground. Even the shrub his head was currently poking through was colored a blazing crimson red.

With the morning sun rays that were poking through the canopy of the trees, it made for a very beautiful, yet unusual scene. Even Adrian was drawn in for a brief moment before shaking off the awe he felt.

Then, a serious look appeared on his face, because he knew what this forest was. From what Alchemist Alric had told him, this was the Crimson Forest!

Trees with bark that were coarse and black, resembling charred firewood, with leaves a blazing red, resembling fire that was actively burning the trees. This was the defining feature of the inner region of the mystic realm.

One might wonder how it was possible to go from a scorching desert to a forest like this. Such questions were foolish and simply showed a lack of wisdom. In a world where people can shape entire regions with their sheer might, why would it be unusual to see a forest and a desert so close to one another?

Not to mention that they were in a mystic realm. With treasures and resources to be found, who the fuck would be worrying about how two clashing regions could exist simultaneously?