Chapter 558: Forest of Swords (II)
With a flash of light, Lin Qingcheng reappeared. In the span of a split second, she had passed through the shining portal into a strange land. She was still in a thick forest but she could no longer see Everblade City. Even the portal was gone and she was surrounded by trees in all directions.
She became alert and crouched behind a large tree trunk. She spread out her spiritual sense to search for any threats. In the past, she would have been frightened to death in such a situation but she was learned a lot in the last two years.
After a short while, she relaxed. She couldn't sense any other human nearby. The other three hundred and thirty-two people that had entered the forest with her had disappeared. She was alone in this unknown place. There were also no large beasts around. She could sense some birds and insects that had been disturbed by her arrival.
Her master had told her the secret realm's environment would be different. Now, she fully understood what he meant. Compared to the normal mountain forest outside of Everblade City, this place gave her a strange sense of wonder. The air was cool but thick with an abundance of spiritual energy. The trees were huge and filled with vitality. The trunks were as wide as houses and the twisting branches formed a maze-like complex in the air.
She didn't know what kind of birds and insects were flying in the air. She couldn't identify any of the plants as their leaves and structures were beyond her knowledge. It was as if she had been transported to a different land, far away from the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent.
Indeed, this was a common occurrence among secret realms. The term secret realm had a wide interpretation and applied to any confined place in the world of an artificial construct. This Forest of Swords was left behind by a supreme expert of the sword. It was beyond the comprehension of even immortals at the lower realms. It was unknown if sword truths were the only things of value here but nobody had discovered anything else in many hundreds of years.
"Oh, right, the plan." Lin Qingcheng muttered to herself.
She had almost forgotten due to the excitement of arriving at this strange land. But late was better than never.
She looked around and then up the tree trunk she had been hiding behind. Sending spiritual strength into her limbs, she leaped and climbed straight up. After more than a few dead ends, she managed to reach the top. She retrieved a special message talisman and launched it into the air.
A streak of green fire shot up. After reaching its apex, it exploded with a great flash of green light which could be seen from dozens of kilometers away. After several seconds, another flash of green appeared near the southern horizon. It belonged to a fellow sister but she didn't know who.
She waited a long while but there were no other responses. This land was huge beyond her expectation. It was far larger than the verdant mountain range outside of Everblade City. But luckily, she was able to make contact on her first try.
"Alright, let's go!"
She quickly climbed down the tree and dashed towards that direction.
---
"Uhh, where is this?" Bei Yingluo grumbled as she stumbled and fell to her knees.
Her head hurt and her vision was blurry. There was a dull ringing in her ear that was slowly dissipating. She had been mentally prepared for the side effects of going through the portal but it was still too much. As someone at the Mind Focusing Realm, she had no spiritual energy herself to offset the spiritual energy of the portal.
She eventually recovered and found herself in the middle of a grassy field. There was a stream winding through the middle and the whole place was ringed by dense forest. It seemed like an oasis in the wilderness.
"Xiao Hu!"
"Gather up!"
"Brother! Where are you?"
There were voices all around her. Unlike the Spirit Initiate Realm entrants, everyone at the Mind Focusing Realm had been deposited in the same place. Supposedly, this was the safest place within the entirety of the Forest of Swords. It would allow the weakest group a chance to survive and slowly explore if they were brave enough to venture out.
Bei Yingluo cleared her head and looked around. Thirty-two sword cultivators were around her. They all carried heavy bags and backpacks. Some who were of the same sect had already grouped up while others had unpacked their things and even started setting up tents. She was the only one that looked out of place, carrying nothing but the clothes she wore.
"It's Miss Bei!"
"Miss Bei, are you alright?"
Two figures approached her. She recognized them as the ones she had teamed up with during the free-for-all tournament. It was Chang Bo from the Myriad Castle and Chu Weifeng from the Red Peak School. Both of them were laden with bags like pack mules.
The three greeted each warmly. Due to their prior cooperation, there was already a sense of comradery between them. Bei Yingluo remembered her master's words of caution but she felt that she could still obey him while not acting like a grouchy loner.
"Sister Chu, Brother Chang, why are you and the others carrying so much? It seems a bit excessive for two weeks." Bei Yingluo asked.
Chang Bo laughed and waved his hand, "It's not entirely for me but for my seniors. Although the Forest of Swords is huge, this place is located right in the middle. It is not too difficult for them to find this place so these supplies are mostly for them."
"Ah, I understand." She replied.
"What about you, Sister Bei?" Chu Weifeng asked after she unloaded her bags, "Didn't your master tell you about this place, you didn't bring anything, not even your pudao."
Bei Yingluo smiled, "Actually..."
She held out her hand and the Jade Tusk Spear appeared. Immediately, the surrounding was filled with a heavy and mighty aura. She stabbed the dull end into the ground and retrieved several more items including a tent.
"This..." Chang Bo was stunned.
"You have a spatial bag?" Chu Weifeng asked in astonishment.
"Yup." Bei Yingluo replied simply.
She didn't need to explain but the other two already understood. They had underestimated Ten Thousand Flower Valley far too much. Even after their envious performance the previous three days, nobody knew their true strength.
"Sister Bei, I was wondering," Chu Weifeng asked excitedly, "Can I team up with you? We can help each other when exploring the forest."
Before Bei Yingluo could reply, Chang Bo made the same request, "Sister Bei, can I join too? Just like old times?"
Bei Yingluo laughed lightly, "For mundane matters, we should take care of ourselves and be self-reliant. But for facing the dangers of the forest, I don't mind if we worked together."
"Great!"
"Agreed!"
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