Free Web NovelChapter 335: Chapter 331: Gloomy Forest, Land of the Fallen God
The Far South Continent.
Hope Port.
BWOOM.
A ship’s horn blew a long blast.
A massive expeditionary fleet sailed into the harbor, dropping anchor.
Countless cultivators used the Teleportation Skill to move supplies in an orderly fashion, making for a bustling port.
The Ghostly Flood Dragon, however, reversed its Primordial Magnetism to ascend, hovering high above Hope Port.
WHOOSH.
The cold wind blew as clouds drifted by.
Su Ye stood at the ship’s bow, looking down. His Divine Sense swept over the entire city like radar.
He was both sniffing out hidden dangers and inspecting Hope Port’s development over the past ten years.
The result?
"It’s alright," Su Ye nodded slightly.
Hope Port’s scale had expanded by a fair amount compared to when it was first built.
Numerous buildings stood tall. Around the city’s perimeter, high walls rose from the ground. Combined with the third-rank array covering the ramparts, it looked just like a small, heavily fortified immortal city!
However, Su Ye’s fingers gently cradled his chin as he murmured to himself.
"Hope Port’s industrial structure is a bit one-dimensional..."
The city’s main industry was still serving as a transshipment port, gathering resources produced by the various strongholds in Aino City’s territory.
These resources were then consolidated and shipped to the Yaoguang Islands to be sold by the Nanyaoguang Corporation.
At most, they performed some preliminary processing, producing low-level talismans, magical artifacts, and pills to sell to the pioneering families of the Far South Continent.
But this only met a fraction of the demand. They still relied heavily on logistical supplies shipped from the Yaoguang Islands and the company headquarters.
Of course, Su Ye knew there was nothing to be done about it.
Hope Port’s cultivator population was very low, consistently hovering around a thousand or so.
Unlike Weiyuan Immortal City, it didn’t have a steady stream of millions of Loose Cultivators coming to pioneer the land.
’After all, the gray wall hasn’t dispersed, and I haven’t announced the existence of the Far South Continent to the outside world. It’s only natural that no Loose Cultivators have come...’
’Hope Port’s low level of development is unavoidable...’
Still, as a transshipment port, the current Hope Port was more than adequate.
Moreover, Su Ye could sense that within Hope Port’s territory, the Far South Continent’s [World Rejection Level] had become almost negligible.
The rules of this place had begun to align with those of the Yaoguang Islands.
This increased Su Ye’s heavenly favor, making him more favored by the Celestial Dao... But beyond that, the most direct change was the completion percentage of his [Pioneer Certificate: Aino]!
[Pioneer Certificate: Aino]
[Order heaven and earth, shine upon all directions]
[Holding this Pioneer Certificate grants 6 experience points daily]
[Completion: 30%]
This left Su Ye quite satisfied.
"Not bad..."
’At this stage, I can’t be too demanding.’
He swept his Divine Sense around one more time.
Su Ye now had a rough grasp of Hope Port’s current development.
Then, Su Ye sent out a summons with his Divine Sense, calling for the local governor.
Inspecting Hope Port had just been a whim. The real purpose of Su Ye’s trip was to plunder the outside world for more resources to advance his own cultivation!
Therefore, he needed more detailed and accurate intelligence!
Furthermore, the [Fallen God] incident mentioned in the reports... Su Ye was somewhat concerned about it and hoped to obtain more real-time information.
...
Hope Port.
The Governor’s Mansion.
"Mmm..."
Ziyuan leaned languidly in a plush chair, her demonic purple eyes bewitching and captivating.
She rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Her waterfall of purple hair cascaded down, nearly touching the floor even as she sat.
Her long, slender, jade-like legs were crossed, a pair of bright silver, diamond-studded high heels hanging casually from her toes, dangling with a tantalizing sway.
The Sun-Eating Demon Emperor, Ziyuan!
The strongest combatant in the Nanyaoguang Corporation besides Su Ye himself!
As such, it was only natural that this fourth-rank great demon was part of the current expeditionary force!
Another reason was that Su Ye didn’t feel comfortable leaving Ziyuan alone in the Yaoguang Islands while he was away on an expedition.
She was too dangerous!
With Ziyuan’s power, if she took the opportunity to stir up trouble, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Su Ye knew full well that loyalty was not something that could withstand testing. What’s more, Ziyuan had been subdued by force, making her loyalty highly questionable!
’Therefore, the best way is to take precautions... to control the risk in advance and ensure she never finds an opportunity to rebel.’
This was also an act of mercy on Su Ye’s part.
’After all, no matter how you look at it, she is one of my bedmates...’
’I’d rather not have the situation devolve to the point where I have to kill her with my own hands...’
Su Ye glanced at Ziyuan, thinking to himself.
...
Just then.
SWOOSH!
A streak of Escape Light descended outside the door.
Phantom Zhenren had arrived. She wore a black-gold magical robe, a gold hairpin slanted in her hair. Her pretty face held a new air of confidence and composure.
This member of the Spirit’s Four Shadows was now the governor of Hope Port!
As a reward for being one of the first to pledge allegiance, she had been granted this high-ranking and well-compensated position of governor!
Compared to seven years ago, both her mentality and her cultivation had clearly improved.
"Greetings, Mr. Su!"
"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"
Phantom Zhenren bowed, her attitude respectful and humble—she knew very well who she depended on for her current status and privileges.
"At ease," Su Ye nodded slightly.
"Tell me the latest news regarding the [Fallen God] matter."
"Yes." Phantom Zhenren straightened up.
"At present, we can confirm one thing."
"The Fallen God incident was caused by the divine kingdom of a Far South Continent deity manifesting and falling from the Spirit Realm into the mortal world."
"According to Aino City’s records and our analysis, the fallen deity is named the [God of Mist Forest]. He is a rather ancient being."
"According to the records, He existed even before the Goddess of Fertility ascended to godhood..."
"His primary domains are quite varied, covering areas such as [Change], [Life], and [Nature]..."
Phantom Zhenren’s voice was steady.
She explained in eloquent detail.
It was clear she had done her homework on the pantheon of the Far South Continent.
"The [Land of the Fallen God] is located in a primeval forest several thousand miles southwest of Aino City’s territory."
"Several native city-states are adjacent to it."
"These native city-states have shown great interest in the Land of the Fallen God. As of now, several third-rank existences have already arrived at the periphery, where they are loitering..."
"Loitering?"
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixing on Phantom Zhenren, waiting for her to continue.
"Yes, loitering," Phantom Zhenren confirmed with a nod.
"After the god fell, a strange transformation occurred in the primeval forest."
"All the trees began to grow wildly, blotting out the sky. At the same time, a dense fog filled the forest."
"This fog is quite strange. It can prohibit flight, obstruct Divine Sense, and even cause hallucinations."
"Moreover, from the edge of the Fog Forest, one can faintly hear the roars of inhuman monsters..."
"So far, not a single one of the exploratory teams sent in, whether by us or the natives, has made it back alive..."
"We even conducted an experiment, having someone step into the Fog Forest and immediately turn back... but..." Phantom Zhenren shook her head.
"I suspect this forest has become a kind of maze-like barrier!"
