CHAPTER 348: CHILD OF FORTUNE! MYSTERIOUS BARRIER! NINE YAO SWORD! GHOST MONKEY! FORBIDDEN LAND!

“Of course not. I was stopped by a middle-aged man in a blue robe. He helped me open the passage that led here, and that’s how I was able to enter. But I didn’t expect this place to be so perilous.”

Xu Chunfeng shook his head.

Hearing this, Li Yanchu was stunned. This guy’s luck was unusually strong, which was the hallmark of a true “child of fortune.”

Then, the two of them arrived at the foot of a mountain peak, when suddenly an invisible barrier appeared ahead.

Bang!

Immediately, Xu Chunfeng charged straight into it, and he grimaced in pain.

“Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!” Xu Chunfeng stomped his feet in frustration.

Li Yanchu’s gaze sharpened, and his divine sense immediately spread out. He discovered that ahead was a very peculiar barrier.

Through it, he could clearly see the scenery of the mountain peak and even hear sounds, and he could distinctly sense the aura coming from the jade cicada, indicating that Fang Qinglan was still ahead.

He reached out his hand, and felt an extraordinarily gentle yet incredibly resilient force.

“How could a place like this have such a strange barrier?” Li Yanchu muttered to himself, then looked at Xu Chunfeng.

“Daoist Wangquan, what are you staring at?” Xu Chunfeng asked in confusion.

Li Yanchu shook his head and spoke in a low voice, “There’s a very peculiar barrier up ahead. It completely blocks the way. We can either go around it or break through. What do you think?”

When in doubt, consult Chunfeng. That statement was not wrong at all.

Xu Chunfeng said urgently, “Go around? This damn thing has already humiliated me enough! I’ll break it right now and see how it dares block our way!”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu slightly nodded. Meanwhile, Xu Chunfeng stepped forward, his gaze cold.

Just then, a crimson radiance flickered, and its powerful light illuminated several zhang around him. He swung his sharp axe, and a surge of tremendous energy appeared along the saber, flashing dazzling white beams.

With a loud roar, Xu Chunfeng’s axe suddenly slashed forward.

Bang!

A heavy, muffled sound rang out between the brilliant white beam and the black barrier.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The barrier did not break, yet Xu Chunfeng was blasted backward several dozen meters by the force. A trace of shock appeared in his eyes, and his entire body radiated light as he summoned all his strength into the axe.

Immediately, the glow along the sharp saber intensified, pressing down bit by bit. Unfortunately, this mysterious barrier that appeared before the mountain peak responded to the axe’s powerful strike by emitting an overwhelming force, which reverberated the power embedded in the axe back.

When he saw this, Xu Chunfeng’s face went pale, and he was unable to control his body as he was forced backward like a kite with a broken string. It was as if he had been paralyzed.

Li Yanchu’s eyes flickered, and in a blur of movement, he appeared right behind Xu Chunfeng, supporting him with a gentle surge of inner force.

“This thing is even tougher than I imagined!” Xu Chunfeng frowned.

Even a child of fortune can’t handle it? Li Yanchu nodded slightly, and a feeling of awe arose in his heart.

Suddenly, faint murmurs began to sound; at first the voices were indistinct, but gradually they grew louder and clearer. The strange combination of eerily sinister spirits and shrill female voices gave an uncanny, sinister impression.

At this time, Xu Chunfeng’s brows knit tightly. If they kept attacking, it could very well trigger something truly terrifying.

Earlier, the middle-aged man in the blue robe had given him a booklet, which recorded the wandering souls, vicious spirits, and malevolent entities in Fengdu. The descriptions were concise yet vivid.

Thinking of this, Xu Chunfeng fell silent.

“Let’s go around instead!” Li Yanchu said.

This place clearly exudes a sinister aura, why should we comply with their demands? I’ll break the door down!

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow, knowing this could easily backfire. Destroying the barrier would release a dense wave of yin qi and ghostly aura, and it would attract a large number of spirits.

The two of them explored the surroundings briefly and soon returned, because at some unknown point, this strange barrier had already surrounded them, forming a confined space!

This is basically like being imprisoned, Li Yanchu thought.

He pondered for a moment, then took out a bronze sword from his Universe Pouch. This thing had the property of breaking defenses.

Clang!

The bronze dagger was controlled by Li Yanchu using his Telekinetic Command, and he forcefully thrust it toward the barrier!

Crack!Crack!Crack!

The entire barrier began to collapse, revealing the mountain peak that they had to pass to reach Fang Qinglan.

Seeing this, Xu Chunfeng’s eyes widened. “This works too?!”

What kind of weapon was this bronze sword, that it could so effectively counter a strange, mysterious barrier!

In response, Li Yanchu smiled faintly as he used his Telekinetic Command to retrieve the bronze dagger.

“That old scoundrel Wang Xue’an actually did something worthwhile!”

Two ancient words were engraved on the bronze sword, “Nine Yao[1]”.

The Nine Yao Sword was specifically designed to break through physical defenses, various barriers, and formations. It was a sword of great calamity!

With the mysterious barrier shattered, the two of them approached the mountain peak, revealing a deep, hidden passage. If one didn’t look carefully, it could easily be missed. The cave entrance was about three meters high and surrounded by shade-loving plants. Among them was a vividly colored poisonous plant, its leaves patterned with eerie, countless eyes, so densely packed that it could drive anyone fearful of such things insane.

Plus, an ominous aura emanated from the place. Through the gaps between the poisonous plant’s leaves, Li Yanchu glimpsed a powerful spiritual entity within the deep passage. It was merely standing there, yet it radiated such an overwhelming pressure that one could hardly breathe.

Instantly, Xu Chunfeng wanted to swing his axe directly, to cut through all the tangled immortal plants and flowers. However, someone was faster than him!

Clang!

Li Yanchu, concentrating on his sword-controlling technique, moved with incredible speed and quickly cleared the area.

“There’s a barrier, and it can automatically detect intruders. There must be some secret here!” The adventure-loving Xu Chunfeng’s eyes lit up.

“Damn it!” he cursed the moment he leaned forward and saw a pair of green eyes within the deep passage. “So there are monsters like this too? Truly wicked!”

With that, he couldn’t help but step back.

Just as he was questioning his own life choices, the pair of green eyes in the deep passage suddenly launched a direct assault!

“Watch out!” Li Yanchu shouted a warning.

Xu Chunfeng reacted instantly, swinging his axe down with full force to unleash a clean and decisive attack.

Bang! A dull, thunderous explosion echoed from the deep passage, shaking the ears and rattling the senses.

A strange, eerie face appeared, but soon, Li Yanchu could see its true form clearly. It wasn’t a ghostly face at all; it was a monkey! Only its appearance was somewhat reminiscent of a ghost.

Whoosh!

The ghostly monkey slammed both fists into its chest, its body rising in height. Instantly, it transformed from an ordinary monkey into a shattered, horrific spirit... Its body was riddled with pits and hollows, with bare, menacing bones exposed in many places. Its heart and internal organs were almost entirely visible. The transformation was anything but majestic; it was utterly grotesque!

Roar!

The ghost monkey’s aura grew even stronger, showing no signs of struggle. Instead, it seemed to inhale the dense yin qi of the place, causing its power to surge explosively!

Its gaze swept coldly over Li Yanchu and Xu Chunfeng.

“I’ll kill all trespassers of the forbidden land!” The ghost monkey’s voice was icy, yet filled with undeniable authority.

1. Nine Yao 九曜(Nine Luminaries) is an astronomical term that originally referred to the Big Dipper’s seven stars along with two auxiliary stars, also called the “Nine Governors.” In the Indian astrological system, it corresponds to the “Navagraha,” which includes the Sun, Moon, five planets, and the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu. In Chinese folk beliefs, it evolved into nine stellar deities, comprising the five major planets (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), the Sun, the Moon, and the two hidden luminaries Rahu and Ketu, and is believed to govern fortune and misfortune in the human world. ☜