Chapter 7

In the depths of this boundless forest, Ling Daotian, his clothes reduced to shreds like willow fluff, stood leaning against a massive tree branch, over ten zhang tall, his cheeks flushed and a trickle of blood still seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn, what a close call!"

After a long while, Ling Daotian, having barely suppressed his fear, shock, and lingering dread, couldn't help but shake his head and laugh bitterly, "I should have known. In a world with such vast and boundless elemental energy, how could this vast, endless forest only have monsters of level four or five? Given the extreme abundance of elemental energy in that Cold Water River, it would be strange if there weren't a few powerful monsters. I was truly too careless this time."

Just arriving in this special world, which was comparable to a paradise, and with the world's rules similar to leveling up by defeating monsters, Ling Daotian had been overjoyed. Relying on the power of the Pure Yang Ninth Rank Soul Devouring Demon Dagger he had blood-sacrificed, he had gained more in one day than he had in ten years of hard cultivation on Earth. This experience had made him forget his caution, and without thoroughly investigating the surrounding environment, he had merely set up a traceless array and entered deep meditation.

This was simply courting death!

"I can't do it. This forest is so vast, it's almost unbelievable. To cross it and find a human settlement with just the resources I have now is far too dangerous!"

Ling Daotian muttered to himself, calculating in his mind. At present, his only protective treasure was a Pure Yang Ninth Rank magical weapon, which was only a partially unsealed Demon Dagger. While its offensive power might be sufficient, it offered little in terms of defense.

The forest beneath his feet was so vast that it seemed to have no boundaries. The entire forest lacked not only high mountains but even small hills. This place, which superficially resembled the Amazon rainforest of Earth's timeline, was actually a thousand times more dangerous. Without any means of self-protection, attempting to cross the forest was absolutely out of the question.

"What I need now is a magical weapon array that combines defense, illusion, and entrapment. Given my current realm, the most suitable one for the current situation is the Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner."

The Profound Yin Beast Gathering Banner!

It was the most popular and famous set of magical weapon arrays in the Heavenly Lust Sect!

This set of magical weapon arrays combined entrapment, illusion, defense, and attack, making it suitable for use in almost any environment and situation. The requirements for cultivation to refine it were not high, so he quickly decided to refine this treasure.

However, the materials needed to refine such a magical weapon array were numerous. Even with his nearly nine thousand soul points, he might not be able to exchange for all the required materials. He would need to engage in more killing first.

This forest, with its towering trees, was ten times taller than the one he had initially landed in. Thick, dense vines hung from the branches and leaves of the giant trees, their emerald green leaves contrasting with the black vines. Under the silver-white moonlight, it seemed as if they were draped in a white veil. From a distance, the dense vines looked like countless black snakes hanging down, creating a deeply terrifying scene.

Ling Daotian, upon landing here, felt a chill in his heart as he scanned the area. In a daze, the forest before him seemed to transform into a massive, ferocious beast, and with just one glance, he broke out in cold sweat, his entire body covered in goosebumps. His right foot, which had just lifted, immediately dropped, and his entire mind focused on the dense forest less than a hundred meters away.

"This place is a bit eerie!"

After cultivating to the point of refining the Great Yin Nether Liquid and the Life Transformation Water, his physical body, refined and nurtured by the Great Yin True Liquid, had begun to transcend the mundane, entering a realm of wonder. Various extraordinary phenomena began to manifest in him. At this moment, the sudden chill in his heart, the rapid flashes of thought in his mind, and the myriad of speculations and ideas that flooded his mind allowed him to quickly form a general idea of the situation ahead.

"If the place I initially landed in was like the primitive forest near the border village outside of Beiqi City, then this evil forest before me is probably comparable to the evil forest outside of Bai Ri City. Damn, without a map, life is truly unbearable. This kind of unknown and unpredictable situation is really a nightmare!"

His figure quietly retreated, and in an instant, he had moved back over a thousand meters. Without stopping, he continued to use the Lingbo Microstep to glide through the air, following the direction where the elemental energy was slightly thinner, and sped away.

This flight lasted for several hours. By the time the moon set and the sun rose, he had already crossed a distance of several hundred miles. At this point, the Great Yin True Liquid in his body had been consumed by more than half. To conserve his strength and out of caution, Ling Daotian finally stopped and landed beside a small stream.

"Damn, this kind of life, where danger lurks everywhere and pitfalls abound, is truly unbearable. I must find a human settlement as soon as possible. Otherwise, wandering around in such a world, I will eventually fall into a pit."

The previous mental sensations had left Ling Daotian deeply frightened. The elemental energy in that evil forest was ten times more abundant than where he had initially landed, and the yin and malevolent aura could even manifest in the sky. This place was practically a demonic domain, a deathtrap for him.

If he were to step into it carelessly, it would be a certain death. Such a situation, where one could unknowingly step into a deathtrap, was truly a nightmare, not just a pit, but a bottomless pit!

"Elemental energy, elemental energy..."

Recalling the previous encounter, a flash of inspiration struck Ling Daotian, and he muttered to himself, "Got it! I'm such an idiot! The places with thinner elemental energy are where ordinary humans can survive. As long as I head in the direction where the elemental energy is thinner, how far can I be from a human settlement?"

He slapped himself on the head and smiled broadly, looking joyfully toward the distant direction opposite the Great Yin Star, his mind filled with various thoughts...

...

The second day of his穿越!

This continent was incredibly vast. Based on Ling Daotian's estimation, just the area of this seemingly boundless forest alone was larger than the entire territory of China before his穿越. With the elemental energy and the Great Yin Moonlight nurturing and benefiting the land, the only result was—bigness.

All plants, animals, streams, and lakes, even ants and other small creatures, were at least ten times larger than their counterparts on Earth.

Of course, these organisms and plants were not just larger in size. Every species, herb, and other things that were extremely precious on Earth had their effects amplified by at least ten times in this world.

Thus, when Ling Daotian carefully collected and nearly filled his thousands of cubic meters of storage space with various rare herbs, he had to give up this "futile" endeavor.

"System, I want to exchange for ten zhang of thousand-year ice silk, seven roots of soul-devouring wood, seven hundred pounds of Profound Yin black jade crystal, one hundred pounds of Taiyi gold essence, one hundred pounds of thousand-year ice jade heart... and a First Rank magical weapon, the True Fire Cauldron!"

"Ten zhang of thousand-year ice silk, seven roots of soul-devouring wood, seven hundred pounds of Profound Yin black jade crystal, one hundred pounds of Taiyi gold essence, one hundred pounds of thousand-year ice jade heart... a First Rank magical weapon, the True Fire Cauldron, requires 7,200 soul points. Confirm exchange?"

Waving his hand to store the exchanged materials in his dantian space, Ling Daotian, with a pained expression, looked at the less than 1,800 soul points remaining on the system interface and gritted his teeth, "Exchange for basic sword techniques, Six Pulse Divine Sword, Nine Swords of Solitude, and the basic refining techniques suitable for this world!"

"Basic sword techniques, Six Pulse Divine Sword, Nine Swords of Solitude, and basic refining techniques require 1,200 soul points. Confirm exchange?"

"Uh!"

A torrent of information flooded his mind the moment the exchange was completed. Ling Daotian furrowed his brows, blood rushing to his face, as he felt the overwhelming pressure of receiving the techniques, similar to a transmission or灌顶. Each time, it felt as if his mind was about to burst and his head was about to explode. Fortunately, the intense "leveling up" and cultivation breakthroughs of the previous day had greatly strengthened his spirit, making him more adaptable to such information overload.

---

The second day of his穿越!

This continent was incredibly vast. Based on Ling Daotian's estimation, just the area of this seemingly boundless forest alone was larger than the entire territory of China before his穿越. With the elemental energy and the Great Yin Moonlight nurturing and benefiting the land, the only result was—bigness.

All plants, animals, streams, and lakes, even ants and other small creatures, were at least ten times larger than their counterparts on Earth.

Of course, these organisms and plants were not just larger in size. Every species, herb, and other things that were extremely precious on Earth had their effects amplified by at least ten times in this world.

Thus, when Ling Daotian carefully collected and nearly filled his thousands of cubic meters of storage space with various rare herbs, he had to give up this "futile" endeavor.

"System, I want to exchange for ten zhang of thousand-year ice silk, seven roots of soul-devouring wood, seven hundred pounds of Profound Yin black jade crystal, one hundred pounds of Taiyi gold essence, one hundred pounds of thousand-year ice jade heart... and a First Rank magical weapon, the True Fire Cauldron!"

"Ten zhang of thousand-year ice silk, seven roots of soul-devouring wood, seven hundred pounds of Profound Yin black jade crystal, one hundred pounds of Taiyi gold essence, one hundred pounds of thousand-year ice jade heart... a First Rank magical weapon, the True Fire Cauldron, requires 7,200 soul points. Confirm exchange?"

Waving his hand to store the exchanged materials in his dantian space, Ling Daotian, with a pained expression, looked at the less than 1,800 soul points remaining on the system interface and gritted his teeth, "Exchange for basic sword techniques, Six Pulse Divine Sword, Nine Swords of Solitude, and the basic refining techniques suitable for this world!"

"Basic sword techniques, Six Pulse Divine Sword, Nine Swords of Solitude, and basic refining techniques require 1,200 soul points. Confirm exchange?"

"Uh!"

A torrent of information flooded his mind the moment the exchange was completed. Ling Daotian furrowed his brows, blood rushing to his face, as he felt the overwhelming pressure of receiving the techniques, similar to a transmission or灌顶. Each time, it felt as if his mind was about to burst and his head was about to explode. Fortunately, the intense "leveling up" and cultivation breakthroughs of the previous day had greatly strengthened his spirit, making him more adaptable to such information overload.