Chapter 812: As Expected
Compared to the atmosphere around Kongshan, Xiao Shun appeared quite leisurely in Laogua.
As dusk approached, he finally stood up, deciding to venture into the rainforest, which was akin to entering a dragon’s den.
Even though Laogua had set up a perimeter around the outskirts of the rainforest, to a cultivator like Xiao Shun, these were merely walls of air.
He easily evaded a squad stationed there, and soon, Xiao Shun found himself within the rainforest.Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.
The moon overhead spilled a silvery glow across this unique woodland, casting mottled spots of light through the gaps in the branches onto the muddy forest floor. The sounds of frogs and insects filled his ears, resembling a heavenly paradise!
Of course, this “paradise” was only so for Xiao Shun.
To the residents of Laogua, this place had never been a scenic spot but rather a deadly land of no return!
At this moment, Xiao Shun was merely on the outskirts, so along the way, he encountered numerous colorful snakes and insects but no other people.
The rainforest was vast; he walked for two hours and still had not reached deep into its core.
Glancing at the somewhat sparse trees, Xiao Shun chuckled softly and continued forward.
Another half-hour passed, and suddenly, he heard the faint sound of surging waves in his ears.
His hearing was extraordinary; the sound, though faint, must have come from a great distance.
After a quick assessment, Xiao Shun felt he was nearing the center of the rainforest.
He did not intend to clash with the “wild Gu people” who resided here. He simply wanted to reach the edge of the Poison Fog Swamp without alerting anyone.
Not much further on, he saw a faint firelight filtering through the trees. Looking in that direction, he spotted a row of small houses constructed from dried yellow leaves and branches, a strong sense of life hitting him immediately.
There, presumably, was the village of the “wild Gu people.”
The “wild Gu people” were the indigenous inhabitants of this rainforest, having lived there from generation to generation, sustaining a peaceful life with the abundant resources of the forest.
Though they were a group of Gu cultivators, they generally did not harm ordinary people and lived carefree lives.
Despite some past grievances with Ada, Xiao Shun had no desire to disturb these formidable Gu cultivators. Instead, he chose a different path, avoiding the village and continuing deeper into the forest.
After more than three hours of trekking, he finally reached an open area.
Stopping, Xiao Shun saw a mass of impenetrable black fog in the middle of the clearing, recognizing it as the area of the Poison Fog Swamp.
At the edge of the black fog, the originally flat terrain gradually sank, indicating a depression in the center.
Relying on his vision alone, Xiao Shun could not see through the fog, and he dared not activate his spiritual vision for fear of attracting the attention of an “Eternal Elder.”
From a conversation with Ruan Jinshui, he strongly suspected that such a being might be hiding within the fog, using the dense poison to nourish its body.
Pausing for a moment, Xiao Shun tried to take a few steps closer to observe more.
Just as he moved, the black fog in front of him suddenly roiled as if stirred by some force, becoming agitated.
Instantly, a black arrow formed from the fog shot towards Xiao Shun!
Seeing this, Xiao Shun immediately drew back, dodging the black arrow.
Just as he realized the danger and thought to retreat, an incredibly aged voice suddenly emanated from the mass of black fog behind him.
“Heh, for five hundred years, you are the first cultivator I’ve seen!” Xiao Shun involuntarily halted, his face filled with wariness as he glanced behind him.
The mass of black mist was still churning, but beyond that, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.
Even though there was no apparent incident, Xiao Shun’s alertness did not diminish in the slightest. His body slightly bowed, ready to leap backward at the slightest sign of trouble.
Moments later, that aged, feeble voice came through once again.
“Young man, are you from the Hidden Families, daring to trespass into my secluded retreat?”
The voice gave Xiao Shun a feeling of imminent doom, as though the person speaking from within the black mist must be an old man with frosty temples and cold teeth.
After pondering for a while, Xiao Shun carefully asked, “Who are you?”
“Interesting, heh heh…” The old tone carried a hint of playful laughter, sounding very much like a night owl.
Immediately after, the person continued, “Had it been anyone else who dared not answer my question, they would already be dead. But considering you are the first cultivator I’ve encountered in over five hundred years, I’ll give you a chance to live. Tell me, who sent you here!”
This time, the person’s voice, still as solemn as ever, was filled with a menacing threat!
However, Xiao Shun seemed unconcerned, and lightly laughed.
“Heh, if you truly had the power to kill me, you wouldn’t need to waste so much breath talking!”
As soon as the words fell, the black mist fell into a dead silence, even the swirling mass of mist paused.
Clearly, Xiao Shun’s guess was correct; the being hidden within the black mist had not yet returned to its peak condition and was utterly incapable of appearing to crush the provocateur into dust.
After a long pause, the voice came through again.
“A clever young man, indeed, to guess my predicament!”
Xiao Shun shrugged, “It’s not that hard to guess, especially since I’ve been suspecting it from the moment you attacked me!”
“To be so observant at such a young age, truly fearsome!” The voice paused briefly, then continued, “Young man, how about we make a deal?”
Hearing this, Xiao Shun was taken aback.
With his heart full of suspicion, he asked, “What deal?”
“Help me with a task, and I will reward you handsomely!”
“What task?”
“With your ‘Consolidation’ level of cultivation, you must be from the Hidden Families. If you could go to the Gu Clan for me, I will give you everything in this place, along with a ‘Poison Spirit Stone’,” the person slowly explained.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shun was startled.
From the conversation just now, he had pinpointed this person’s identity.
This person was definitely the head of the Gu Clan, He Guantian!
As Xiao Shun was still in shock, the voice echoed once more near his ear.
“From the look on your face, young man, my guess is not wrong! But since you haven’t chosen to leave, it means you aren’t one of the Gu Clan’s enemy forces. A great opportunity lies before you, make sure you seize it!”
Hearing this, Xiao Shun lightly laughed and said, “Heh, why do you want me to do this task? You know those ‘Wild Gu People’ hold you in reverence like a deity, they would never refuse if you asked them!”
The other party answered, “Common folks cannot enter the lands of the Hidden Families; it’s the rule!”
This was the first time Xiao Shun had heard of such a rule, unaware of why such a regulation existed within the Hidden Families.