Stranger Danger

Earlier, the forest did not harbor any ill will toward them, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either.

But now, they were being treated like its most honored guests. It was affording them hospitality and convenience every step of the way.

“What on earth is going on here?”

Finally, Shangguan Hongjin could not hold back her puzzlement any longer and asked, “What did you do?”

She was asking Ye Qing, of course. She did not believe she or Pedant Earth deserved such special treatment from the forest.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I did nothing at all?” Ye Qing answered. “Maybe it was because the forest loves kind and good-hearted souls?”

“Are you shitting me right now? You must have done something behind our backs!” Shangguan Hongjin rolled her eyes at him.

“I haven’t though.”

Ye Qing tried to shrug it off, but seeing Shangguan Hongjin and even Pedant Earth’s dogged expression, he had no choice but to tell them how he screwed over Pockface Bai and Yao Mei’er earlier and his assumption.

Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth were surprised. They did not think that the forest’s attitude toward them would improve so drastically for such a small, unconscious gesture.

If someone offended the forest, then the forest would hound them until they died. If someone helped the forest, then the forest would repay the favor a hundredfold. It was ironic that the forest was more humane than most humans in this world.

Thanks to the forest the trio took only two hours or so to pass through the entire forest.

When they left, the flowers, the trees, the grass, the wind, the waters and more were even waving them goodbye with clear reluctance.

“Phew… I can’t believe how fast we made it out of the forest,” Pedant Earth commented with a wistful sigh. If it wasn’t for the forest’s help, it would have taken them at least seven to eight hours to make it through.

“Yeah. It was like a dream,” Shangguan Hongjin echoed in agreement.

Instead of commenting about the forest, Ye Qing stared at a distant basin and asked, “Look over there, Pedant Earth. Is that the place?”

The basin was located at the center of a cluster of mountains. It was incredibly conspicuous as it looked like the entire patch of ground was dug up by the hand of god or something. Even stranger was the fact that the mountains were more or less overgrown with plants, but the basin was devoid of even a speck of greenery.

On top of that, Ye Qing could sense a chaotic mixture of twisted energies within the basin. That would explain why nothing could grow there.

“Yes, that is the place.”

Pedant Earth took one look and nodded in acknowledgement.

“Hey, is it just me, or does this basin look like a human hand?” Shangguan Hongjin said suddenly.

“I agree,” Ye Qing echoed in agreement. The basin did look like the aftermath of a giant palm slamming into the earth. In fact, judging from the chaotic mixture of twisted energies entrenched within the basin, it was extremely likely that it wasn’t a natural occurrence.

In other words, it was the result of a champion stamping their palm into the ground.

“Say, do you think this is the site where that headless Sage had fought against his enemies? Could the one who left behind this basin be the one who ultimately killed the Sage?” Shangguan Hongjin asked.

This hand-shaped basin was also where Pedant Earth had spotted the headless Sage. It was impossible not to connect the two extraordinary events together.

“It’s impossible to say, but it’s definitely a possibility,” Ye Qing answered. In fact, he more or less agreed with Shangguan Hongjin’s assessment. “If you’re all ready, then let’s head over.”

Their destination was right before their eyes. The trio did not hesitate to hasten their way toward the basin.

“It’s huge!”

Just a moment later, the trio had arrived at the edge of the basin. From a distance, the basin didn’t look that impressive. But now that they were at the edge, they realized that their eyes and prejudices had blinded them to the truth. The basin was so massive that none of them could say a word for a time.

From where they were standing, they could neither see the other end of the basin nor its bottom. It was like the entrance to the abyss or a gulf that separated heaven and earth. All three of them felt like ants attempting to perceive the infinite space that was the heavens.

They were right about one thing though. Not a single greenery or even life lived within the basin. The dark red rocks were utterly barren, and a thin layer of mist permeated the air. It added to the desolation and mystery of the unknown land.

“Are we still going?”

Pedant Earth suddenly felt a surge of panic and timidness as he stared at the boundless, bottomless basin.

“We’re already here. What would be the point of this journey if we don’t check it out?”

Shangguan Hongjin did not hesitate. She was the first one to jump over the edge and vanished into the mist.

“Come on.”

Ye Qing also said before jumping after Shangguan Hongjin.

Pedant Earth hesitated a moment longer, but he ultimately gritted his teeth and produced a yellow talisman from his pockets. He then slapped it on his chest before jumping into the basin.

Unlike a normal basin, the walls of the basin were completely vertical. They were also perfectly smooth like a mirror. As a result, most warriors would find it difficult—if not outright impossible—to use the walls to slow their descent.

But of course, this wasn’t a problem for Ye Qing, Shangguan Hongjin, or even Pedant Earth. Shangguan Hongjin relied on her sabers to slow her descent. Every time she hit a certain speed, she would stab her sabers into the wall to slow her descent.

Pedant Earth had an easier time than her. His yellow talisman gave off a bubble of green light that allowed him to fall into the basin at a slow, constant pace.

As for Ye Qing, he did not bother to slow down at all. The wind whipped around him like crazy as he fell toward the bottom at top speed. Despite being the second person to jump into the basin, he was by far the first to make it into the bottom.

His landing didn’t cause any commotion whatsoever, however. In fact, it was perfectly silent. The second his feet touched the ground, he bent his knees a little and caused an invisible shockwave to ripple out to the surroundings. Just like that, he was able to neutralize his fall.

As it turned out, the bottom of the basin was just as smooth as the walls. In fact, it was crystalline as if it had been baked by an unimaginable temperature, tough and solid.

Ye Qing sucked in a deep breath. He was just adapting to the twisted, chaotic energies of the basin and getting ready to observe his surroundings when suddenly, his pupils shrank into pins, and every hair on his body stood on end. At the same time, every alarm bell in his head screamed of danger.

Ye Qing did not move or run, however. He had a feeling that something very bad would happen if he moved carelessly.

Eventually, he felt something approaching him. It got closer and closer until he could feel their icy touch pressing against his back.

At that moment, nearly every cell in Ye Qing’s body wanted to turn around and attack the unknown entity. However, his remaining rationality, calm and restraint kept him firmly rooted in place.

“Have you seen my head?”

The thing behind Ye Qing asked in a low, sorrowful, and icy voice.