He needs to get to the city center quickly.
In areas outside the central region, the spiritual herbs and rare fruits grow haphazardly and irregularly. They can be found in any corner of the region. Generally, it's first come, first served, and those who obtain them immediately flee. Therefore, conflicts arising from spiritual herbs are relatively rare in these areas. Instead, more deaths occur due to purges by others and acts of murder and looting.
But things are different in the central area! According to disciples who had previously managed to return by chance, this central area is vast, occupying almost a third of the entire forbidden area. It is surrounded by stone walls, forming a large circle. Starting from the perimeter of the four bronze gates, the entire area is divided into three outer layers, much like the peel, pulp, and pit of a fruit—distinctly layered, quite peculiar!
The space between the first and second levels is only about a mile wide. The flowers, plants, and trees growing within this area are all rare and precious, almost unheard of in the world. However, very few can be used as medicinal herbs or have any real effect on cultivators; most are only for ornamental purposes. This level feels more like a garden.
This shows the true identity of the original owner of this forbidden area.
The true elixirs of heaven and earth are concentrated in the last two layers.
The entire area was surrounded by stone walls, and the sky above was filled with powerful wind-based forbidden spells. Without the cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator, anyone who encountered it would die. Therefore, the only way to enter was through the entrance below.
And so, the scene before us came to be.
Several highly skilled disciples have joined forces to set up a checkpoint here. Anyone whose cultivation level is insufficient will be killed and robbed as soon as they get close.
Han Li was originally within the ambush range, but the Feng Yue boots he was wearing made the surrounding cultivators wary. After some struggle, Han Li was finally allowed to pass.
Upon entering the second floor, Han Li was soon forced to smile bitterly by reality.
The second level was a massive ring-shaped mountain range, perpetually shrouded in impenetrable fog. Han Li tried various methods, but none allowed him to move freely within it.
He had previously learned a little about the situation here by exchanging information at the entrance. But he hadn't expected the reality to be so difficult, and he was completely helpless.
Left with no other option, Han Li could only wait for the arrival of the Hidden Moon Sect. This was because they possessed a magical artifact called the "Moonlight Pearl." This item could neither attack nor defend. Its sole function was to emit a strange light that could suppress various forms of mist and poisonous miasma. It was a special magical artifact specially crafted for this location by the Hidden Moon Sect.
The Hidden Moon Sect once used this magical artifact to dispel the mist in the valley and obtain a large quantity of spiritual herbs. From then on, they soared to become the number one sect in the Yue Kingdom.
However, as the saying goes, walls have ears! News of the Hidden Moon Sect's successful acquisition of rare medicinal herbs in the forbidden area using the "Moon Sun Pearl" spread quickly. Soon after, the other six sects, unwilling to let the sect keep the spoils to themselves, came knocking on their door.
Unwilling to incur the wrath of the masses, yet unwilling to relinquish the precious pearl, the Hidden Moon Sect, after much haggling and bargaining with the other six sects, finally succumbed to the pressure and offered up the pearl, making it a shared possession of the seven major sects.
Then, this treasure would be held in rotation by the seven sects. After each expedition to the forbidden area, the sect that originally possessed the treasure would hand it over, and another sect would take over its safekeeping.
However, regardless of which sect possesses the treasure, once inside the forbidden area, its disciples must use the treasure within a pre-determined timeframe under the supervision of disciples from other sects. They must not deliberately rush or delay the opportunity to dispel the fog.
In this way, all disciples who arrive at the central area in time can enter the crater to collect spiritual herbs at the same time, which is extremely fair.
The opening time is fair, but entry is not. Just like the gatekeepers Han Li encountered before. To enter, one must be qualified. Those disciples who lack sufficient cultivation and come hoping to get in by chance don't even qualify.
Han Li rushed as fast as he could and arrived a day ahead of schedule. Seeing that he couldn't enter alone, he could only wait on the outside.
The second level of the forbidden area is a valley, while the third level is a tall tower.
Unfortunately, to date, no one has ever gone inside the tower.
There is a restriction between the second and third levels, which disciples at the Qi Refining stage cannot pass through. However, disciples above the Qi Refining stage cannot enter the forbidden area, thus creating a vicious cycle.
Han Li didn't actually have any interest in the third level. He wasn't the future Old Demon Han yet. Right now, he was at most the first generation of Han the Runner. His mind was only focused on collecting spiritual herbs, refining Foundation Establishment Pills, and becoming a true cultivator.
The next morning, after one night, an extraordinary phenomenon finally appeared in the valley. A huge beam of white light shot into the sky and condensed into a sphere of light resembling the sun.
Han Li knew that the time to enter had come.
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Chapter 481 Encounter in the Forbidden Land
Since he began cultivating immortality, Han Li had never experienced such cruelty. Those who could enter the inner layer were all cultivators at the eleventh level or higher. Moreover, they were all ruthless and merciless, showing no mercy in their attacks. Even fellow disciples might not trust each other. Han Li used all his skills, slaughtering four cultivators from different sects, finally gaining a moment to catch his breath.
The inner layer consists of various stone chambers. However, although they are called stone chambers, their interiors have indeed been altered by some kind of powerful spatial magic. Therefore, the interior space is often larger than imagined.
Such a scale alone is beyond the reach of the modern cultivation world. Although most sects use similar spells to expand their cave dwellings, their widespread use and the effects of expansion are far inferior to this place. However, this place is clearly not a cave dwelling at all, but merely a medicinal garden for cultivating herbs.
Han Li eventually found one of the stone chambers, but he had to hide it before he could search it. He discovered that a group of female cultivators from the Hidden Moon Sect had come there together.
The leader of the Hidden Moon Sect was a young-looking individual, yet revered as the Founding Ancestor by those behind him. Han Li, hidden in the shadows, was greatly surprised. The title of Founding Ancestor was reserved for cultivators at the Core Formation stage and above. Could this woman actually be a Core Formation cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect?
Thinking about this, Han Li felt a lot of things suddenly become clear. Before entering the sect, Elder Ming of the Hidden Moon Sect had boasted that the Hidden Moon Sect would definitely be number one in this trial. Now it seems he did have the right to be arrogant. Because the Hidden Moon Sect, through some unknown means, had managed to get a Core Formation stage cultivator into the forbidden area.
The moment Han Li vanished, the young woman frowned. She instantly scanned the area with her divine sense, but found nothing. Her cultivation had obviously been suppressed to enter this place. Even if her divine sense was still usable, it wasn't as sharp as before.
The girl, somewhat skeptical, stopped in her tracks and gently closed her eyes. She released her vast divine sense. Indeed, in the vicinity of the basin, besides their group, she sensed no other cultivators. However, when her divine sense swept across the stone chamber, it was instantly repelled by some force. This startled the girl, but she was immediately overjoyed, a smile spreading across her face.
At first glance, she noticed that the stone hall was enchanted, which didn't surprise her. Several of the dozen or so demonic beast lairs she'd previously raided had also been enchanted. That wasn't unusual! But the enchantment here was so strong that even her divine sense couldn't penetrate it—this was the first time she'd encountered such a powerful barrier. It was far more sophisticated than the superficial enchantments of the previous places.
Han Li was pacing anxiously inside. The fact that over a dozen people from the Hidden Moon Sect had entered together made him realize that something was definitely strange about this place. Han Li was very curious, but he had no intention of exploring. At this moment, Han Li only wanted to obtain some spiritual herbs to refine Foundation Establishment Pills and successfully establish his foundation. He had no desire to get involved in something so dangerous.
Especially after he guessed that the woman leading the Hidden Moon Sect was very likely an old monster in the Core Formation stage, he had even less desire to investigate. In fact, even if she wasn't in the Core Formation stage, he couldn't possibly fight his way out against a dozen or so opponents.
Left with no other choice, he could only continue deeper into the area, hoping to find a sufficiently secluded hiding place.
Following a passage leading inside, Han Li gritted his teeth and walked straight in.
The passageway wasn't large, constructed entirely of bluestone, and was only wide enough for one person to barely pass through.
He dared not delay for a moment, fearing that the person behind him would catch up with him, so he carefully walked down.
After walking up hundreds of stone steps, the originally narrow passage gradually widened, allowing two people to walk side by side without any problem. However, the humid wind blowing in their faces made it even hotter, causing Han Li to be drenched in sweat in no time, his entire body already soaked through.
After descending nearly a hundred more steps, Han Li estimated that he had been underground for over a hundred hours when the bluestone passage finally disappeared. When he stepped out of the passage, he found himself in a strange swampy world.
This underground world was only about thirty feet high, but its circumference was several miles wide. As far as the eye could see, it was all muddy land bubbling with black water. A hot, damp wind suddenly appeared above the swamp, flowing rapidly out through the passage behind Han Li, and then bringing in fresher air from outside the passage, creating a balanced convection current.
The swamp was surrounded by tall mounds of black earth, and on the other edge, there were dozens of exotic flowers and herbs of various colors, including several kinds of spiritual herbs that Han Li needed, and there were quite a lot of them.