The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 167: Chapter 165: Ascend Mount Fangcun Again

“Big Brother Shen, thank you! Since our village lost contact with Mount Fangcun, there hasn’t been any suitable martial arts techniques for ordinary people to practise.” Ying Luo sincerely expressed her thanks and carefully stored the precious notes in her bosom.

“For some time to come, I will continue my secluded cultivation. Unless there’s something critical happening in the village, I won’t easily interrupt my seclusion. I’m relying on you for everything.” Shen Luo added.

“You can focus on your seclusion, I will take care of everything and won’t disturb you.” Ying Luo nodded.

…

Time flew by, and two years had passed.

At the foot of Mount Fangcun, the wilderness was thick with lush grass. Underneath a massive moss-covered rock, a murky cave entrance was vaguely noticeable. A sizable grey head suddenly peeked out from within.

It had round ears, a long snout, and interlocking sharp teeth filled its mouth. Its two dark red circular eyes were diligently observing its surroundings; it was clearly a rat that had evolved into a monster.

Just then, a human figure suddenly descended from the sky above the rock, raising a foot to step directly onto the rat’s head.

The rat struggled violently, squeaking non-stop.

The person slightly shifted their foot, exerting a bit of force, then a soft crack could be heard. The rat was silenced, not moving any longer.

“Big Brother Shen, previously, it was only the beasts on the mountains, but now even the rats underground have started to transform. It’s safe to assume that the situation on the mountain has become even more complicated.” A purple-haired girl approached, bent over to look at the plump monster rat and said worriedly.

She was wearing a purple dress, with an old worn-out armor over it. It was Ying Luo.

And the person who crushed the monster rat with one foot was Shen Luo.

“These two years, monster attacks have been frequent, and each time they pose a higher risk. If this continues, we may not hold out for long. The only long-term solution is to find an exit for the village as soon as possible.” Upon hearing this, Shen Luo spoke gravely.

“I understand what you’re saying, Big Brother Shen. However, that mad leopard has already evolved to the Soul Condensation Phase. We barely escaped with our lives last time. If we encounter it again, we will have to fight for our lives.” Ying Luo spoke, determination on her face.

“This time we won’t take the same mountain path as before. As long as we avoid it, we’ll be fine. If we find a path with a stream nearby, even better.” Shen Luo consoled.

“Several days ago, there was a continuous rainfall, causing some deep pools on the mountain to overflow and form some discontinuous streams. We should be able to find those.” Ying Luo thought for a moment before speaking.

“If that’s the case, it seems like we’re somewhat taking advantage of the climate and the terrain.” Shen Luo laughed.

While talking, the two of them entered the cave from the entrance under the giant rock and found that just over two years had passed and the then quite clean cave was now filled with various animal bones. Some places were even illuminated by a faint green phosphorus fire.

They exited the cave from the other side and walked more than a hundred yards uphill along the mountain path. Upon seeing the first fork in the road, they changed their route, and continued up the mountain along the left fork.

After the rainfall, the air in the mountain forest was extraordinarily humid. Large drops of dew condensed on the leaves of the bushes by the roadside.

Shen Luo picked a droplet of water from a wild chrysanthemum, rubbed it with his fingers and slightly furrowed his brows.

“What’s wrong?” Ying Luo asked curiously.

“The dew in the mountains is quite full of Yin Qi, and it feels slightly heavier than regular well water, with some additional stickiness. I think the rainwater from a few days ago was probably the same.” Shen Luo said with a frown.

“Big Brother Shen, now that you mention it, it does seem to be the case. No wonder a few weak elderly villagers fell sick after inadvertently getting soaked in the rain, and only recovered after a couple of days.” Ying Luo said, suddenly understanding.

“While the Yin Qi with the rainwater won’t matter much, the overall condition of Mount Fangcun seems to be deteriorating more and more…..” Shen Luo sighed.

Hearing this, the concerns creased over Ying Luo’s forehead even further.

The two of them trudged silently up the mountain without saying a word.

About half an hour later, they started to encounter some shallow pools and streams in the low-lying areas along the way. Further uphill, the terrain began to grow steeper and steeper.

As Shen Letwo entered a dense forest, a green pool with a diameter of over a dozen Zhang surprisingly appeared. It was covered with a thin layer of fallen leaves, rippling with sparkling waves.

While passing by the pool, Shen Luo glanced at the water and abruptly said, “Let’s take a break.”@@novelbin@@

Without a second thought, Ying Luo halted her steps.

Shen Luo came to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and dipped his hands into the water. He immediately felt a refreshing chill spread out from his palms. Despite the presence of Yin Qi in the water, it did him no harm, instead, he found it quite beneficial.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

A deafening whoosh echoed out from the dense forest on the other side of the pool as a millstone-sized golden lightball abruptly tore down several towering trees. It drew up two water walls over a dozen Zhang high on the pool and rushed straight towards Shen Luo.

Shen Luo seemed to have anticipated this and showed not the slightest hint of panic. The hand he had in the water was already forming a magic spell. With a sudden lift, waves surged from the water’s surface, transforming into a thick water wall that appeared in front of him.

As the golden light crashed into it, the water wall swelled but surprisingly didn’t instantly collapse. Rather, it continuously sapped the force of the lightball. Several breaths later, it dissipated, bursting into a wave of water.

The golden lightball, having passed through the water wave, had significantly lost its momentum and size. A green light lit up from Shen Luo’s right palm and the Qingyang Hand smacked down hard. The lightball burst resonantly, scattering its light in all directions.

It was as if a heavy rain had just poured onto the pool. A mist of water rose from the surface and remained turbulent for a long while.

When the mist gradually dissipated, Shen Luo saw a massive golden beast nearly five Zhang in length emerge leisurely from the dense forest across and stood at the edge of the pool with its head held high.

Its body was covered with brown round spots, lightning patterns on its forehead, a pair of eyes flashing with golden light, and its four sharp teeth were as sharp as swords. The monstrous Demon Qi that enveloped it made it more formidable. It was unmistakably the same Mad Leopard they had previously encountered.

However, compared to two years ago, three claw scars had been added to the Mad Leopard’s face. Diagonally slashing over its left eye and half of its cheek, it looked more fierce than ever.

“It’s you two again?” The Mad Leopard glanced arrogantly at Shen Luo and Ying Luo and said in a seemingly surprised tone.

Seeing this, Ying Luo’s face turned deathly pale. She tugged at Shen Luo’s sleeve and turned to flee.

However, her tug failed to budge Shen Luo. Instead, she was gently pulled back behind him as Shen Luo silently grabbed her wrist.

“Familiar faces crossing paths again, who would have thought we couldn’t avoid this.” A touch on his forehead, Shen Luo let out a helpless sigh.

“Last time you were fortunate enough to escape, this time you dare to come back, unluckily for you.” The Mad Leopard narrowed its eyes, the murderous intention revealing in its glare.

“Who’s the more unfortunate one, I wonder…?” muttered Shen Luo.

“Such little mana yet so much arrogance!”

The Mad Leopard’s robust and thick claw slammed the ground, exploding a mighty aura that instantly rippled from its body. The ground in front of it burst open, shaking the pool water into waves that rolled towards Shen Luo.