LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 219: Entering Whispering Pine Woods
"This is Whispering Pine Woods," Chen Tian whispered to himself as he marveled at the towering pine trees in front of him.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of pine, and the soft rustling of leaves provided a soothing melody, but Chen Tian could sense something else in the woods.
It was an eerie feeling that sent shivers down his spine.
Despite the tranquility of the surroundings, a sense of unease washed over him, making him question whether he should continue further into the woods or turn back.
"This place is full of Yin energy," Chen Tian whispered to himself, sensing the dense amount of negative energy lingering in the air.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he cautiously scanned the area for any signs of danger.
When he left the sect, Chen Tian has never encountered any beasts stronger than the Meridian opening realm because the sect took care of all the beasts that were strong enough to endanger their disciples.
But here in these woods, he could feel a malevolent presence lurking. He knew he had to stay alert and rely on his training to navigate through this treacherous territory.
A place filled with Yin energy meant that the woods were likely haunted by ghosts and undead.
'I just need to be careful from now on; if a Foundation Establishment Realm beast or Undead appeared, I would be in serious danger,' Chen Tian thought to himself.
He tightened his grip on his sword and continued cautiously through the dense forest.
The moment Chen Tian stepped into the woods, an eerie silence fell upon the surroundings.
The air grew colder, and a strange mist began to form around him.
He could feel the weight of the Yin energy pressing against his senses, making it harder to breathe.
"I should finish my task quickly and get out of here," Chen Tian muttered under his breath. According to the map, the Shadowfang Serpent lives deep within these woods, and its venom is said to be deadly, as it could paralyze a person within seconds, leaving them at the mercy of the serpent's deadly bite.
Not only that, but they are also skilled at camouflaging themselves, making them difficult to spot.
Chen Tian cautiously moved forward, his senses on high alert.
His spirit sense scanned the surrounding 10 meters for any signs of movement or danger.
With the help of the map in his hand, Chen Tian didn't have a problem navigating through the dense woods.
He also noticed how the number of beasts increased as he ventured deeper into the forest.
When he was close to the sect territory, he would find one or two beasts every few hours. It was clear that the territory close to the sect was closely guarded as sect members kept it in place.
No beast higher than the Early Meridian Opening Realm was spotted.
However, as Chen Tian continued his journey, he observed a gradual change in the beasts he encountered.
Farther away inside the forest, he started encountering beasts at the Middle Meridian Opening Realm and occasionally even a few at the Late Meridian Opening Realm.
This indicated that the sect's influence and control diminished the further he ventured into the forest, making the surroundings more dangerous and unpredictable.
The sound of the beast's growls and rustling leaves would send a shiver down anyone's spine.
A smile crept on Chen Tian's face.
For any cultivator, it would be a terrifying experience, but Chen Tian was the opposite, as it only meant more opportunities for cultivation, perfect for his cultivation practice.
"Hehehe!" A sinister laugh escaped his lips as he eagerly anticipated the challenges that awaited him.
Chen Tian had always been drawn to the thrill of danger.
How did you think he rose to power in his past life?
He always thrived in the face of adversity, seeking out the most treacherous battles and dangerous situations. His past life was filled with countless stories of daring escapes and near-death experiences, all of which contributed to his reputation as a fearless cultivator.
Chen Tian's thirst for power and his willingness to take risks set him apart from his peers, and it was this relentless pursuit of strength that ultimately led to his rise to power.
Now he wanted nothing else but to get stronger, surpass even his past life achievements, and strengthen his position as one of the most formidable cultivators of all time.
He was also hoping that in this life he would finally enter the dream realm, a realm that was the dream of every cultivator in the Nine Heavens.
The realm beyond the heavens, the god stage.
'Maybe with the help of the Chaos Dantian, I will finally be able to transcend my past limitations and achieve godhood,' he thought to himself.
The Chaos Dantian was something about which even Chen Tian's knowledge was limited. He only knew that it came from the Chaos War, a war that changed all the realms and reshaped the cultivation world.
Something from that era wouldn't be easily understood or controlled. But Chen Tian had always been a risk-taker, willing to explore the unknown to reach his goals.
So Chen Tian didn't hesitate and continued deeper into the forest.
Any beast that came his way, Chen Tian would immediately defeat and absorb the beast's body.
He didn't want to store them, as advancing his cultivation from the 3rd stage to the 4th stage of the Meridian Opening Realm would be a great opportunity for him to gain strength.
It was time for the hunt to begin, and Chen Tian relished in the challenge. With each defeated beast, his powers grew stronger, his cultivation reaching new heights.
The forest became his training ground, and the growls and rustling leaves became his battle cries.
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On the forest entrance, two men stood, looking inside the dense forest.
They were none other than Ma Chen and He Hu, who were tasked with killing Chen Tian.
Both of them decided to try to kill Chen Tian inside the Whispering Pine Woods, as it would make the Immortal Sword Sect unwilling to investigate their disciples' deaths.
If Chen Tian died outside the woods, it would be a problem, as the territory before was prepared for the sect disciples to practice, and only low-level Meridian-opening beasts were present.
The sect would investigate how their disciples died, but if it happened outside the territory prepared by the sect, where beasts stronger than the Meridian Opening Realm are present, the sect would not bother with investigating the deaths of mere low-level cultivators. This gave Ma Chen and He Hu the perfect opportunity to carry out their plan.
"How many low-level cultivators died prior to entering this dangerous forest?" Ma Chen wondered.
"Let's get over with this mission and leave this place," Ma Chen said to He Hu.
"Hehe, sure, when we get the money from Hu Jianyu, let's go and have some fun," He Hu said in a knowing tone.
Of course, Ma Chen knew exactly what his friend meant, and he was not opposed to the idea, it would be good to relieve some stress in a more relaxed setting after an intense mission.
What was better than the opportunity to have the company of a woman?
"Sure, let's attack our prey when he least expects it," Ma Chen replied with a mischievous grin.
"From what I've heard, he took a mission to kill five Shadowfang Serpents. Shadowfang Serpents are known for being in the Early Meridian Opening Realm, and since that kid took the mission, he probably has a way to deal with Meridian Opening Realm cultivators, so we should be careful," Ma Chen added.
"All right," He Hu nodded as he took Ma Chen advice seriously.
Both men didn't think that Chen Tian was hiding his cultivation and believed that he had a high-level technique or a treasure to deal with cultivators from the Meridian Opening Realm.
They knew that underestimating their prey was a bad idea. Therefore, they decided to proceed with caution and not underestimate Chen Tian's abilities.
They believed that he must possess a powerful technique or a valuable treasure that would enable him to successfully eliminate the Shadowfang Serpents and potentially pose a threat to cultivators from the Meridian Opening Realm since he dared to take a mission when he was only in the 8th Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.
With their weapons and killing intent concealed, they cautiously entered the Whispering Pine Woods, confident that the dense foliage and treacherous terrain would provide them with ample cover and an advantage over their target.
They knew that if they succeeded in eliminating Chen Tian here, the Immortal Sword Sect would never suspect foul play, allowing them to escape any consequences for their actions.
Not only that, but the money they would get from completing this mission would be enough to elevate their cultivation levels and gain favor with Hu Jianyu.