Chapter 698 - 697: Robbers

Chapter 698: Chapter 697: Robbers

The Desolate Bone Forest was ranked among the top eight most dangerous places in the Celestial Realm. To enter carelessly and stumble into one of its hazardous zones meant certain death.

The reason it was called the Desolate Bone Forest was largely due to the countless skeletons found within. It had practically every kind of bone imaginable, from Dragon Bones and Phoenix Bones to the remains of many other races.

These were all very valuable items, so many Cultivators came here to try their luck, hoping to find precious skeletal remains. If they found any, they could either sell them for a high price or absorb them—both excellent options.

After all, most of them were human, and their own Bloodlines were a shortcoming. If they could absorb the Bloodline of a powerful race, it would surely be beneficial to them.

The problem was that these remains were now extremely difficult to find. Most had already been excavated, and what was left was buried deep in the most dangerous zones. To venture there carelessly would only end in death.

To put it plainly, people came here to search for skeletal remains or rare Spirit Medicines. Other than that, there was nothing else to be found; there were no legacies or inheritances here.

The Desolate Bone Forest was formed in the aftermath of a frantic, large-scale battle during the war in the Celestial Realm. Due to the vast number of skeletons and rivers of blood, the trees that grew here were exceptionally bizarre. Not only were they thick and massive, but crucially, some had even gained sentience.

The result of gaining sentience was that they would attack. Just like in the passage to the Netherworld, they would lunge at you without warning, which could be fatal. Of course, these Tree Demons were also worth a good price, and many apothecaries would purchase them.

As for avoiding ambushes, you could forget it. A single moment of carelessness could get you killed here. There was no safety to speak of.

"Tianyun, what are we doing here in the Desolate Bone Forest?" Shi Xueyun was familiar with the major locations in the Celestial Realm. Although she hadn’t been able to venture out herself, she had learned about the general situation from books. Had she not, she would have had to waste time and effort just to get her bearings.

"They’re in here," Yi Tianyun said with certainty.

’There’s no way the Soul Guidance is wrong. If it is, then I’ve just wasted three million Madness Value.’

"They’re in here? That can’t be right. This is the Desolate Bone Forest," Shi Xueyun said, puzzled. "Is this a case of the most dangerous place being the safest?"

"I don’t know about it being the safest, but at the very least, we’ve attracted some company." Yi Tianyun shrugged helplessly. At some point, three Spirit King Stage experts had surrounded them, their eyes filled with greed.

"Well, look what we have here. A kid from who-knows-where not only brought a peerless beauty with him but also has a phoenix for a companion. Looks like it’s a mutant phoenix, too. A Blue Phoenix. Not bad, not bad at all!"

"I wonder which major family’s disciple is out for training. He looks so young. Tsk, tsk, look how gorgeous and delicate this little lady is. Much more delicate than any I’ve ever seen..."

"Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot today! We’ve barely been lying in wait, and a fat sheep has already come to us. Our luck is really something!"

They had only just arrived and were immediately targeted. It was obvious these people had been lying in wait nearby and that this was their usual business. What’s a faster way to make money than robbing people? Rather than braving the dangers inside, it was much better to wait outside for some fat sheep to emerge.

"Worthy of its reputation as a dangerous place. These robbers probably account for half the danger here, don’t they?" Yi Tianyun quipped.

"Tianyun, let’s just ignore them. If my sister is in there, she must be in grave danger. We have to hurry inside and see," Shi Xueyun said, not bothering with the robbers. Her heart was filled with worry for Jiao Linghe’s safety.

"Well, well, Boss, these two don’t seem to take us seriously," one of them said with a sinister laugh, finding the situation rather amusing.

"They look like disciples from a big family who just came out for training. They’re used to acting arrogant and probably think they can run wild here, too. But that just makes it more interesting. Kill the man, and leave the woman. Later, the boys and I will..."

SWISH!

A glint of cold light shot out, pinning the leader directly to the ground. It was followed by a WHOOSH as the vicious Immortal Fire erupted and consumed him. He didn’t even have time to scream before he was burned to a crisp. In truth, the cold light had already pierced through his head and shattered his soul along with it. How could he possibly have survived?

"Ding! Successfully killed a robber at the Third Layer of the Spirit King Stage. Obtained 250,000,000 Experience, 40,000 Madness Value. Obtained Martial Arts: Poison Dragon Palm, Soul-Controlling Technique. Obtained Items: Poison Dragon Armor (Low-Grade Sacred Artifact), Poison Dragon Boots (Low-Grade Sacred Artifact), Poison Dragon Pill, 1,000,000-Point Experience Pill."

’Killing a Spirit King Stage expert can now drop Sacred Artifacts. It’s such an easy way to profit. I’m already numb to Sacred Artifacts. I can get a whole pile of them just by killing randomly.’

’It’s gotten to the point where I have no desire to improve my Forging Technique. It was useful before, but now I can get plenty of weapons just by killing a bunch of this scum.’

"Boss!?"

Their boss had been killed in an instant. The one who killed him was the very same youth they had just been mocking. He had slain their leader with a mere flick of his wrist, scaring them witless. They turned to flee, running faster than they ever had in their lives, but how could their speed possibly match Yi Tianyun’s attacks?

With another casual lift of his hand, two more cold glints of light shot out, pinning them dead to the ground or to the massive trees. This time, however, they weren’t set on fire. Instead, they began to wither away, ultimately crumbling into piles of sand that fell to the ground. It was a terrifying sight.

To think a full-grown person could just be turned into sand like that—the power was astounding.

This was the effect of the Desolate Ancient Desolate Set. After equipping it, he could unleash terrifying power with a mere wave of his hand. Even more frightening was its critical hit effect, which directly caused desertification upon impact.

"Looks like I should put the phoenix away. Otherwise, it’s just going to invite trouble," Yi Tianyun said as he recalled the Blue Phoenix. It wasn’t that he was afraid of trouble; he just wanted to find his parents quickly. If they were constantly being intercepted, they’d never even make it inside.

"Mm." Shi Xueyun nodded in agreement. Staring at the sand on the ground, she was truly shaken. ’It seems Tianyun’s power is even greater than before?’

"Let’s go." Yi Tianyun put his arm around her and flew deeper into the forest. Flying wasn’t forbidden here, but being airborne wasn’t necessarily any safer. It was still extremely dangerous.

Regardless of the danger, Shi Xueyun felt no panic in her heart. She knew that as long as Yi Tianyun was by her side, he would not let even the slightest harm come to her.

’Sister, are you really in here...?’ Shi Xueyun’s beautiful eyes filled with anticipation. If she was here, then they wouldn’t have to search all over for her.

As for how Yi Tianyun had managed to find this place, she didn’t ask. She knew that all she had to do was follow him.