Chapter 1227: Section 1228: Bustling
This was a lush forest in the Abyss, a rarity to behold, with trees of strange shapes and dark green leaves quivering on twisting branches.
The somber sky overhead made the woods look like those from human scripts, inhabited by bizarre figures and terrifying magical creatures.
At this moment, in the heart of the woods, a vast amount of grey mist began to spread unexpectedly.
Not far from the grey mist, a pair of somber magic butterflies were flapping their wings, scattering a large amount of deadly dust that resembled a colorful starry sky.
The suddenly emerged grey mist spread rapidly, catching the unsuspecting somber magic butterflies within it.
Trapped in the mist, the somber magic butterflies initially fluttered wildly, but soon after, they swayed and fell to the ground, lifeless, unmistakably dead.
The misfortune brought about by the grey mist wasn’t limited to the somber magic butterflies. Nearby trees and plants also underwent drastic changes within the mist.
Tree trunks withered in an instant, dark green leaves wilted, and the flowers and plants, emitting a foul stench, drooped to the ground listlessly.
Even the ground, which had been fairly fertile, turned barren without notice.
The grey mist continued to spread for about half a minute, then ceased abruptly as several shadows appeared out of nowhere in the forest.
“Shopkeeper, the land has changed, I can feel the moisture in the ground! We must have reached our destination, right?”
The speaker was Greerwu, who had just left the Continent of Yuantan.
Angel nodded. Although they were still enveloped by the scent of death, the connection he felt with the land in his heart had vanished, evidence that they had indeed left the Continent of Yuantan.
It was just unclear if they had successfully arrived at the rumored land of Moliayi, or the outer Ancient Cold Ruins.
Angel was holding Kulangduo’s Heiyu feather with great care as he walked forward.
Greerwu and Popota quickly followed. The deathly aura outside was emanating from Garm, extremely potent, and only Angel’s Heiyu feather could immunize against its corrosion.
Having walked only a short distance, Angel saw the somber magic butterflies already dead on the ground, a species of abyssal insect highly sought after among witches, but now regrettably deceased.
Soon, they stepped out of the area affected by the deathly aura.
Angel put away the feather and observed the surroundings. It seemed they were inside a dense forest.
Beneath their feet, black and gold patterns flickered, soaring straight up into the sky. Popota and Greerwu also joined him, overlooking the land from midair.
“It’s a sky I’m all too familiar with,” said Angel, gazing at the long-missed grey canopy and inhaling the fragrance of plants in the air. After a moment of reflection, he turned to Popota. “Did you notice anything? Do you have any recollection of this place?”
Although Greerwu was an Abyss native ‘resident,’ he had never been to the uppermost layers of the Abyss and was unfamiliar with this place. On the contrary, Popota had been to the Abyss several times due to his unspeakable plans and knew the area well.
After a glance, Popota had an idea: “We should now be in the central zone of the Ancient Cold Ruins. I remember this forest; a bit further east, there is an underground cave commonly used as a resting spot by travelers of the Ancient Cold Ruins. The Sacrificers’ Ridge is to the northwest, and the Grey Layers to the south.”
“What are your plans for what comes next?”
Angel paused, “Just follow me for now; we’re heading to Ice Valley.”
Since Popota definitely couldn’t leave on his own, Angel had to take him along to avoid his dying en route.
“Ice Valley is not far from here; just fly north,” Popota nodded. He had no objection to wherever Angel decided to go, even the infamous and cursed Ice Valley.
Angel looked at Greerwu, “What about you? Where do you plan to go?”
A look of hesitation crossed Greerwu’s face. After a while, he spoke, “I plan to take Lord Aoluxiya’s soul and leave first, find a safe place for its Unsealing, and then I will probably join Lord Aoluxiya…”
“I understand. I hope everything goes well for you,” Angel nodded. He had grown quite fond of Greerwu over the past few days.
“Shopkeeper, how long will you stay in Ice Valley?” Greerwu suddenly asked.
“It could be a while. I have to wait until Toby’s curse is lifted,” Angel replied. “Why do you ask?”
“If time permits, I’ll come to Ice Valley to find you in a few days.” Greerwu paused before adding, “You promised me, the experience journey!”
Angel was taken aback for a moment before nodding, “Okay.”
While they were talking, a commotion suddenly arose not far away.
A dozen figures skimmed through the low air towards them.
“Catch her! She’s hiding in the woods!” As the figures drew nearer, their voices carried over.
When Angel had a clear view of their attire, he noticed that they were all humans dressed in various wizard robes; their exact features were a bit unclear. But judging from the speed of their flight and the energy fluctuations around them, they appeared to be mere apprentices.
“Huh, there’s a strange grey mist ahead? She’s stopped!” The voices came again.
Angel found that the group stopped in midair, not far from them.
“Looks like they are Wizard Apprentices from some smaller organizations. I recognize several of the insignias on their robes—Moses family, Valley of Breeze, and the Magic Flute Taoist Institute…” Popota whispered to Angel.
Angel nodded, his mind involuntarily recalling Wodell’s words not long ago. Wodell had said that the Moriai land was quite lively nowadays. Could this liveliness be referring to this group of people?
As Angel looked at the newcomers, the group of Wizard Apprentices also took notice of Angel.
“There seems to be someone over there?”
“Don’t mind him, the power he wields is about the same as ours, probably an Apprentice of some organization on a training journey.”
“That one by his side is a Demon, right? The one with the dark skin, that kid.”
“How could it be a Demon? Even a little demon would be as strong as an Official Wizard. It’s impossible for it to be following an Apprentice. Probably it’s a Half-Blood Demon cub from some stronghold city.”
After murmuring among themselves for a bit, they no longer paid attention to Angel, and Angel was happy to be ignored. However, among the crowd, one Apprentice in a green wizard robe took a careful look at Angel, his eyes flickering slightly as if he had thought of something.
Angel didn’t know what this group was up to and had no intention of getting involved. He was about to leave when suddenly, an explosion erupted from the forest beneath them!