Chapter 755 - 119: First Steps into the Outer World (2)

It was evident that the two of them were already in different spaces, or that the distance far exceeded the limit range of the Communication Jade Talisman.

"It seems we can only first confirm whether this place is safe before making any plans," Li Ji’an calmed his mind and scanned the ruins around him.

He activated his magical power and carefully sensed the energy fluctuations around, discovering that aside from the rotten aura, there was no other dangerous presence.

After confirming there was no immediate danger where he was, he immediately gave orders for the four puppets, excluding the Invisibility Puppet, to swiftly spread out and search for Ning Sujin’s whereabouts.

The four puppets moved immediately, rapidly heading in four different directions and disappearing into the shadows of the ruins.

Li Ji’an stayed in place, sitting cross-legged, beginning to concentrate and ponder the current situation.

"Land of Absolute Spirit..." The next moment, Li Ji’an furrowed his brow and surveyed his surroundings with some surprise.

Here, there was surprisingly not a trace of Spiritual Qi.

This was completely different from what True Man Wutong mentioned years ago, saying that the cultivation civilization in Taihao Realm was flourishing, with abundant Spirit Veins within the realm.

"Besides the lack of Spiritual Qi, there’s also this strange phenomenon that devours Divine Soul..."

If he had not been well-prepared before leaving the Great Marsh Cultivation Realm, with a storage ring not only holding a large amount of Pill Medicine but also having millions of Spirit Stones left, he would not have been able to stay here long.

The four puppets and Gugu, released subsequently, turned almost every inch of the abyss’s bottom upside down, not missing even a bit of land.

Yet, they still couldn’t find a trace of Ning Sujin.

"I fear it’s space distortion that caused us to be transferred to different regions," Li Ji’an slowly opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness in them, and sighed softly.

Before stepping into the Teleportation Array, she hadn’t sensed any lethal danger, indicating that although they were separated this time, there wouldn’t be a life-threatening crisis.

"Given the situation, it’s best to leave this place first," Li Ji’an stood up, recalling the four puppets and Gugu.

He gazed upward towards the abyss; since Ning Sujin couldn’t be found, it was better to leave this eerie place, find local cultivators, inquire about the place, and then make further plans.

Li Ji’an dared not be careless and moved upwards cautiously with his power.

Two puppets scouted ahead while the other two kept watch behind.

Gugu followed closely at his side, its massive body exuding the pressure of a Tier Three Great Demon, intimidating any potential threats.

Cautiously flying for a full three days, Li Ji’an finally sensed faint light emanating from above, feeling elated and speeding up his flight.

After half an hour more, he eventually flew out of the abyss, landing steadily on a large rock.

Only at this moment did Li Ji’an see clearly that he was standing atop a mountain.

And the mysterious abyss was a cave on the mountain top leading straight downward.

"Oo~ah."

Around the cave, numerous weathered rocks indicated it had existed for a very long time.

Just as he stood firmly on the mountain top, a piercing, ghostly howl echoed from the abyss, sharp and ear-piercing, seemingly imbued with endless resentment, making one’s scalp tingle.

Oddly enough, he had never heard this sound while at the bottom of the abyss.

"Hmm?" Li Ji’an furrowed his brow, contemplating the source of the sound, and then suddenly noticed the change in the surrounding Spiritual Qi, revealing a hint of surprise in his eyes, "The Spiritual Qi here is so abundant?"

He instinctively activated his cultivation technique, a pure surge of Spiritual Qi rushed into his body, providing a comfortable sensation.

This concentration of Spiritual Qi was even denser than the Fourth Grade Spirit Vein he had sneaked into in the Ten Thousand Laws Sect core area in his previous life.

Looking around, the mountain range stretched for at least a thousand miles, majestic and verdant with thriving vegetation.

Aside from the high mountain he stood on, there were no other tall mountains, only a dense forest, lush and endless.

Such a rich and pure Spirit Vein land, if placed in the Great Marsh Cultivation Realm, would cause the True Monarchs of the Central Ten Domains to fiercely compete for it. How could it be so deserted?

"There’s something wrong with this place!" Li Ji’an suddenly paused, his face becoming solemn.

Even as True Man Wutong mentioned years ago, although the Moon Worship Immortal Dynasty had numerous Spirit Veins, the highest was merely Tier Five. This Tier Four Spirit Vein here was absolutely superior, unlikely to go unnoticed.

He attempted to release his Divine Sense to explore a broader area.

But as soon as the divine sense extended less than a hundred feet away from the body, it was mercilessly swallowed by an invisible force, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"This is by no means a good place!" The moment his divine sense was swallowed, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart, as if he was being watched by some great terror.

Li Ji’an dared not linger for even a moment; he immediately urged his magical power, conjuring an escape light, and quickly flew towards the mountain’s outskirts.

He moved extremely fast, his figure like a stream of light, shuttling between the mountains and forests.

However, just as he left the mountain top less than a hundred miles behind, a deafening beast roar suddenly erupted from the dense forest below.

The beast’s roar echoed through the skies, trembling the surrounding trees and causing a flurry of falling leaves.

Immediately, a gigantic black hand, as large as a mountain, materialized from the dense forest, carrying an earth-shattering power, and slammed straight at Li Ji’an.

On the giant hand, black patterns swirled, exuding a thick ominous aura.

Due to the blockage of his divine sense, he sensed the opponent’s power only when the giant hand was near.

"Tier Three Great Demon, no... Late Tier Three, nearly a Demon King!" Li Ji’an’s expression changed instantly.

A late Tier Three Great Demon is more formidable than a human race’s late Core Formation True Man.

Having no intentions of engaging, he immediately retrieved a jade talisman etched with intricate runes from his storage ring and activated it without hesitation.

"Teleportation Talisman, go!"

This Tier Three Teleportation Talisman was meticulously crafted by him, capable of transporting him a thousand miles away in an instant, one of his life-saving trump cards.

But in the next moment, Li Ji’an’s face turned pale again—the light on the jade talisman merely flickered once before extinguishing completely, surprisingly failing to work!

"Boom!"

With no time to think further, the nearly Demon King’s giant hand had already slammed fiercely onto Li Ji’an’s body-protecting dharma shield.

The violent impact was like thousands of thunders exploding simultaneously, and Li Ji’an’s body-protecting dharma shield was instantly covered with cracks, as fragile as glass.

His entire body was like a kite with a broken string, smashed heavily onto the ground by the enormous force, crashing into the forest and stirring up a cloud of dust.

Enduring the pain, he raised his head and saw a massive demon beast slowly emerging from the dense forest.

With a tiger’s head and a bull’s body, its limbs were like those of a monkey’s hands, each finger sharp as steel claws, gleaming with cold light.

"Roar!" The demon beast let out a low growl as it approached Li Ji’an step by step, clearly not intending to let him go.

Li Ji’an frowned, a glint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.

He no longer held back, the spirit light flickered in his storage ring, and one trump card after another was sacrificed in quick succession.

Gugu also rushed out at the first opportunity, but facing the nearly Demon King, the dense demon qi caused it to tremble instinctively. However, it was still lesser than the suppression of its bloodline, and it quickly collaborated with Li Ji’an and five puppets to restrain the nearly Demon King.

The defense power of the nearly Demon King was exceedingly strong; even the attacks from Li Ji’an’s Fourth Grade Magical Treasures couldn’t harm its vitals.

Moreover, it didn’t care about defending its vital points at all; it was solely focused on devouring Li Ji’an, exchanging injury for injury, as if it had lost its rationale.

Li Ji’an was secretly alarmed, ultimately abandoning the idea of unleashing the full power of the invisibility puppet; doing so would excessively deplete his divine sense, and he must reserve his strength upon entering this place to handle any possible crisis.

Finally, he could only choose to enter the universe in Gugu’s mouth and take the opportunity to escape.

During the ensuing escape, Li Ji’an discovered that the demon beasts in this dense forest were far more numerous than he had imagined. In just a few days, he encountered at least ten Tier Three Great Demons.

Among them, he sensed from afar one that was definitely no weaker than the nearly Demon King that had knocked him to the ground.

Fortunately, he found that the most formidable demon beasts were concentrated in areas near the abyssal mountain top; the farther from there, the lower the rank of demon beasts, and thus the danger diminished as well.

Seven days later, when Li Ji’an finally escaped this dense forest, his whole aura was somewhat unstable, with a severe depletion of magical power.

At the instant he stepped out of the forest, he suddenly felt the invisible bindings around him disappear; the previously restricted divine sense could finally be normally extended and instantly covered a thousand-mile range.

At the same time, his divine sense sensed a figure flying straight towards him.

The newcomer was dressed in a sky-blue daoist robe, with a stable aura, cultivation reached the middle stage of Core Formation, and was the first cultivator he encountered since arriving in this unfamiliar domain.

Li Ji’an’s heart tensed up, instinctively restraining his aura, and he vigilantly watched the swiftly approaching figure...