Xu Le tried several times but gave up trying to make contact. Looking at the boundless forest, Xu Le followed his sixth sense and randomly chose a direction to begin flying at supersonic speeds.
After an unknown amount of time, a huge gray-white stone tablet pierced the sky, with the following inscription in oracle bone script: "My name is Jinghongzi. I passed away here. Those who are destined can inherit my legacy by holding my three Xuan Tie tokens."
Xu Le slowly descended, walked to the stone tablet, and placed his palm on it.
Xu Le was somewhat surprised that this stone tablet, which was several hundred feet long, was entirely made of black iron. Three meters above the top of the stone tablet, there were three square-shaped grooves.
Xu Le flew up, took out the Xuan Tie Token he had obtained from Yi Ming, and compared it with the token. Sure enough, they were exactly the same.
Xu Le put away the Xuan Tie Token and, looking at the sorrow conveyed by the words, understood most of what had happened.
Xu Le guessed that it must have been an immortal from a higher world who was severely injured and happened to fall into this world, eventually passing away here. However, he was unwilling to accept his fate, so he left behind his legacy.
Xu Le carefully searched the vicinity and found that, apart from the woods, only this stone tablet remained. Xu Le tried to lift the stone tablet using the power of the Chicken Talisman. However, as soon as his mental power touched the stone tablet, it was as if it had entered a quagmire, unable to stir up even a ripple.
After trying for a long time, Xu Le, covered in sweat, gave up on this unrealistic idea and left a mental imprint on the stone tablet so that he could find it next time he came.
"It seems we have no choice but to search for the other two Xuan Tie tokens."
Xu Le enveloped his body with his thoughts, flew into the sky, and plunged into the white mist.
After Xu Le left, a huge eye appeared on the stone tablet, turning around as if it were thinking about something.
A purple light shot out from the giant eyeball, and wherever it went, whether trees or animals, their life force seemed to be absorbed, and their bodies quickly turned grayish-white, like sculptures. A gust of wind blew, and all the stone sculptures turned to ashes and disappeared completely.
The area around the stone tablet was empty and deathly silent. A hint of satisfaction appeared in the large eye on the tablet; it closed, and the tablet returned to its original state.
------------
Chapter 40: Rescuing People
Xu Le flew upwards at supersonic speed through the white mist. To avoid colliding with anything, Xu Le used his telekinesis to create an eggshell-shaped shield around his body.
Although we flew upwards from the location of the stone tablet, it seemed to be the same as where we had come down before, with no obstacles during the flight.
No matter how far he traveled, the white mist had already enveloped Xu Le. If Xu Le hadn't come down from above, he would have really thought this was an endless, bottomless pit.
This was even with Xu Le using the Rabbit Talisman to increase his speed to the speed of sound. If it were someone else, falling off a cliff, it would take about half a month to reach the ground, depending on the falling speed. However, after half a month, that person would either be scared to death or starve to death. Moreover, the gravitational acceleration would be enormous when falling from such a height.
Although the deathly stillness filled with white mist made Xu Le somewhat irritable, he remained cautiously prepared for any possible situation. After all, this was the place where that powerful figure had passed on his legacy; there might be some arrays or traps hidden there.
About half an hour later, Xu Le felt the white mist around him thinning, and the stone wall beside him came into view, but it became narrower and narrower until it could only accommodate one person at a time. Finally, it was too narrow for Xu Le to pass through, but a light appeared in the distance, seemingly indicating a cave entrance.
Although he had found an exit, the narrow stone wall could no longer aggravate his pain. Having made a decision, Xu Le stretched out his right hand, and flames gathered in his palm.
Bang!
A huge pillar of fire burst from the cave entrance, shooting straight into the sky, kicking up a lot of stones and dust, and a figure flew into the sky amidst the dust.
"Cough cough cough!"
Xu Le coughed, choked by the dust, and used his telekinesis to disperse the dust and fine particles around him. Only then did he see his surroundings clearly. After observing the environment, he realized that he was no longer on the cliff edge, but in a dense forest, and the exit was a large hole that had been blasted open.
Xu Le estimated that before the fire pillar blasted it open, the hole was only ten centimeters in diameter, big enough for small animals and insects to fit in. Humans would just think it was some kind of animal's nest and wouldn't pay any special attention to it.
"Shadow Legion, heed my command, come at once!" The demon mark on Xu Le's feet began to glow, and shadow magic gathered. Before long, clusters of black shadows appeared on the ground, and then transformed into shadow warriors.
"Where am I? How much time has passed since I left?" Xu Le couldn't perceive the exact time within the white mist. His watch and other similar items all malfunctioned and turned into a pile of scrap metal within the mist.
“It’s been three hundred li from where we left. Master, you’ve been gone for three days. The caravan will be arriving in Chaoge soon.” Upon hearing Xu Le’s question, a rather tall, shadowy warrior stepped forward and answered him.
"What? Three days have passed!" Xu Le was somewhat surprised. He felt that although his journey had taken a long time, it only felt like it had taken about a day and a half. Could it be that the white mist affected his perception or that the white mist had the effect of an array?
It's somewhat similar to the Chinese legend of the woodcutter who went into the mountains and saw two old men playing chess. But when he returned home, everything had changed. He had been watching that game of chess for decades.
"Forget it, we still need to get to Chaoge. These guys should be getting impatient soon." Xu Le asked for directions, then soared into the air and vanished instantly, leaving behind a sonic boom. The shadow warriors disappeared upon seeing this, merging into the ground.
……
On the other side, a long procession snaked along the official road like a winding python. In the middle of the procession was a luxurious carriage, inside which sat two ordinary-looking boys and girls, who seemed somewhat out of place compared to the carriage's opulence.
"Brother, where did you think Immortal Brother went back to? Why hasn't he come back yet?" Wan'er tucked her hair behind her ear and asked Yiming beside her with a hint of disappointment.
"Don't worry, I can already sense Master's presence. I believe Master won't abandon us." Yiming was more composed than before, leaning against the window and closing his eyes to rest.
"Alright then." Wan'er received this ambiguous message from her brother, and her interest waned. She picked up the pastries on the table and began to taste them.
"Brother Yiming, do you know when the immortal will return?" Hua Wuxi's deep voice came from outside the carriage, but it was tinged with weariness and worry.
He had originally planned to be overly attentive on the journey, hoping to leave a good impression on the immortal. But to his surprise, Xu Le flew away as soon as they set off.
How could he not worry? If his family's rivals found out, they might use this incident to attack him, saying that he acted rashly and disturbed the immortals.
"Lord Hua, there's no need to worry. My master's magic is boundless, and he will surely arrive when we do." Yi Ming had blind faith in Xu Le, acting like a devoted fanboy.
"That's all I can hope for." Hua Wuxi sighed softly. He didn't get a satisfactory reply, but he was helpless. This wasn't his servant, whom he could beat and scold at will.
Those two siblings are servants of immortals, officials of the seventh rank before the prime minister. Their future status may not necessarily be lower than mine.
Just as Hua Wuxi was worrying, the scout returned with a report that there were more than a dozen bandits robbing people ahead.
Slap! Slap!
The whip cracked twice in the air. Hua Wuxi sneered. He was in a bad mood, and these few lowly bandits dared to mess with him.
He ordered the march to be sped up, and then Hua Wuxi led a group of cavalry ahead, leaving about two hundred infantrymen to guard the carriage.
After riding for several hundred meters, Hua Wuxi saw the bandits reported by the scouts.