Chapter 40: Taohuang Rushes Against the Thunder

  Vote for Dream Cup again, under Lao Ao Shu's introduction, there are four big "I want to vote" below, muah muah!

  Liu Lei, entwined by the beast ape, had no choice but to walk with a hard scalp.

  As for Chen Mo, he followed the little monk in front of him and ran happily. Passing through layers of forests and half a lake, with several changes in scenery along the way, it was unclear whether it was due to the sky or other reasons, but as they went deeper inside, the colors of the landscape became increasingly quiet and profound.

  The surrounding trees, initially ordinary in species, now have many that are silently nameless, some of which are extremely strange and even terrifying. However, this place is lush and vibrant, with a sense of life being particularly exuberant, the spiritual energy is also very abundant, and it's rare to find no eerie atmosphere.

  Xiao Ba suddenly stopped and looked around, seemingly having arrived at his destination.

  It stood up and then tiptoed into a thicket of extremely lush wormwood.

  Mugwort?!

  Chen Mo's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped something. He slightly furrowed his brow and looked around. The color of the tall grass in front of him was a new green or tender green, while the surrounding trees were dark green and almost black. Even the grass on the ground was the same color, crawling along the ground. As a result, the only bright spot stood out particularly eye-catching.

  What's behind this clump of grass?

  Thinking of this, I pushed aside the thistle bushes and followed. After walking for a short while, suddenly there was an open space in front of me, and a dark cave entrance appeared.

  Chen Mo wouldn't rashly walk in, who knows what kind of thing is waiting for him inside?

  He hesitated at the entrance of the cave, his face cautious, but Xiao Ba arrived here and became like a changed "turtle", abandoning his usual greedy and timid style, swaggering in like a newly rich landlord.

  Chen Mo reluctantly followed along, and it wasn't until they went inside that he realized he might have been overthinking things.

  Inside, it's a completely different scene, unlike the narrowness and darkness of the cave entrance. The further you walk in, the more spacious it becomes. There are many natural fluorites growing on the surrounding mountain walls, emitting pale blue and light green glows, illuminating the inside even more.

  Before long, there was another sudden flash in front of me. It turned out that I had already reached the end of the road and arrived at the belly of the mountain, a vast cave.

  In the belly of the mountain, there is another cave heaven. Against it, a mountain spring drips down from the dome above, forming a small pool that is less than one zhang (about 3 meters) in size.

  Misty vapor inside the pool, surrounded by sparse flowers, grasses and shrubs, some of which have small fruit.

  At a glance towards the back, there is a simple stone bed, surrounded by some stone utensils such as pots and pans.

  Suddenly, Chen Mo seemed to have caught something and took a few strides to the edge of the pond. In the hazy mist, a cluster of deep green leaves was revealed, which looked very familiar, similar to what Xiao Ba had in his mouth earlier.

  Not daring to slack off, with a wave of his hand, the mist was dispersed. On top, several sky-blue fruits were revealed, with fine, shimmering halos surrounding them, exuding a cold and eerie aura.

  "Frosty Spirit Fruit!"

  Chen Mo let out a low cry, his eyes bulging out. This place actually grows second-grade spiritual medicine? And there's so much of it! He remembered that last time, he almost didn't make it back for just one Scarlet Flame Spirit Fruit, but this time, he seemed to have obtained three with ease, and his heart suddenly became excited.

  Sniffing, there seemed to be a fishy smell around. There were some brown hairs left on the ground, huh? It seemed to be the hair of that brutal beast ape from just now. Chen Mo hastily and vigilantly looked around in all directions, as that beast ape was a fourth-stage demon beast. Although it was only one stage higher than the third stage, it was truly a crucial difference of heaven and earth.

  No signs of beast apes, it seems they're still entangled with that spiritual master.

  "Squeak squeak!" Xiao Ba proudly showed off around the Frosty Spirit Fruit, seeking praise.

  "You're quite capable, aren't you? Not only did you drive away the tiger and swallow the wolf, but you also managed to kill two birds with one stone." Chen Mo praised as he patted Xiao Ba's head.

  Chen Mo took out the jade box from his bag and carefully picked three cold air-forcing Cold Ice Spirit Fruits into it. This made Xiao Ba jump up and down, her eyes welling up with tears as she pitifully stared at her master.

  Hiss, is this glutton a turtle or a monkey?

  With a scowl, he slapped it with a loud smack: "What's your hurry? You won't starve to death, here, take this demon core first and calm down."

  After being given a demon core, Xiao Ba finally started chewing quietly.

  This pool is somewhat strange, it's clearly a cold and desolate place, but the water in the pool has been boiling non-stop, and there are many spiritual grasses and wild fruits around, giving him a feeling of having found a treasure trove.

  Turning a corner, there was another bookshelf, and next to it was a set of stone tables and chairs.

  Chen Mo walked in and took a look. The bookshelf had already rotted, and the things on it were long gone. He couldn't help but shake his head, feeling a little regretful.

  The dust on the stone table and chairs was as thick as that on the bookshelves, clearly no one had lived here for a long time. Chen Mo waved his sleeve, covering his nose and mouth, and shook off a lot of dust before he could see what was on the table, his eyes slightly surprised.

  On the table was a Go board, with a simple layout that even Chen Mo could understand. What was strange was the pieces, which were not black and white, but red and blue. The material of the pieces was also unknown, seeming to be made from bone, stone, or wood. The lines etched onto the surface of the stone table were fine and clear, completely out of place with the uncarved areas outside.

  "A single move can decide life and death, advancing and retreating can distinguish the strong from the weak...". After the dust was wiped off the edge of the stone table, twelve ancient characters with distinct bones appeared. Chen Moi wasn't interested in these things, but looking at these twelve characters, they didn't seem to be carved by a sharp tool, and there was a kind of inexplicable atmosphere hidden inside. Looking closely at the strokes, they were very ordinary, but if you just glanced at them, you would definitely be attracted by a kind of aura-like feeling.

  Chen Mo silently recited these twelve words, unaware that a faintly imperceptible ripple had spread out.

  At the same time, the hapless Spirit Master Liu Lei was covered in wounds all over his body, with disheveled hair and tattered clothes that made him look even more wretched. Where was the slightest hint of a powerful Spirit Master's demeanor? His mouth was stained with grass clippings, and around him was an air of desolation, as if he had been robbed of his home. The fallen trees nearby were either shattered into fragments by some intense force or still bore the clear remnants of scorching flames.

  He was panting heavily, looking at the beast ape that came hopping and jumping with its hands on the ground, his heart had already been a dead ash. But just at this moment, the beast ape seemed to have sensed something, raised its head and looked into the distance.

  "Roar!"

  The mighty roar shook the silent mountains, just like a dragon turning over, countless birds and beasts ran wildly in all directions.

  Liu Lei was suddenly shocked by the sound, which was like a thunderclap, and his internal organs churned, his throat sweetened, and fresh blood spurted out uncontrollably.

  At this time, the ape was swaying from branch to branch, advancing at an extremely exaggerated speed between the mountain ridges, and soon disappeared from view.

  "Roar!"

  Not long after, another sound, birds of all sizes on the distant mountain ridge, layer by layer, flew out, and the entire sky seemed to be covered even darker. Liu Lei sat down on the ground with a thud, his appearance as if he had been trampled by beasts for a hundred times, looking extremely miserable.

  Chen Mo gazed at the Go board, holding a blue stone in his hand, deliberating for a long time before finally placing it at 3-3. The blue dragon was barely taking shape, while the red dragon seemed clumsy but hid a killing intent. After hesitating repeatedly, he felt that he should avoid its sharp edge. Therefore, he placed this piece at 3-3, with the intention of hiding a dragon in the depths.

  "A slap." Down came the son, no regrets, landed and took root.

  "Hmm."

  Suddenly, a loud noise burst forth.

  One person and one turtle looked at each other silently for a moment, then turned their gaze towards the entrance of the cave.

  "Roar!" A loud, thunderous voice came, like a rolling hedgehog-like heavenly thunderbolt that "plowed" past Chen Mo and Xiao Ba, in an instant Chen Mo only felt his chest stuffy and unbearable, even with the protection of the mysterious energy, it was as if he had been struck by an iron hammer on his heart.

  Xiao Ba suddenly shrank down, and didn't move at all.

  This voice was familiar to both Chen Mo and Xiao Ba, it was that beast ape.

  A beast ape, with a roar that has such power? Chen Mo's eyes were still calm, but had already risen to horror. He looked at the entrance of the cave and found that it was indeed the brown beast ape, only to find that an invisible protective shield had appeared at the entrance of the cave, and no matter how hard the beast ape tried, it could not get in, and could only angrily wander around, using various methods to attack the shield.

  Chen Mo was astonished to see the chessboard, which at this moment burst forth with brilliant light.

  I've heard people say before that this continent is vast, with many things that are unknown to oneself. It's just like this chessboard, which turns out to be a "mysterious array" set up by an "array master", it seems the original owner of this cave was no ordinary person.

  The enraged beast ape let out a few roars, charging with its body, but it was as if an invisible force had blocked it in mid-air, with almost imperceptible ripples appearing on the surface.

  Obviously, with the strength of the protective cover, it is not something that this beast can blast open immediately.

  It's not hard to see that Chen Mo desecrated its most sacred thing in this cave.

  Although the beast ape couldn't break through the shield for a while, it was also trapped inside.

  Fighting this beast is undoubtedly like hitting a stone with an egg. Even Spirit Masters can't subdue it, let alone himself being only a high-ranking Spirit Disciple.

  The beast ape was still tirelessly smashing the cave, and there was also a hidden Ling Shi-level killer who would jump out at any time to end his life.

  It seems I'll be trapped here for a while.

  He scooped up a handful of water from the edge of the pool with both hands and splashed it on his face, a chill ran through his heart, and he suddenly became much more alert.

  He started to patrol around, and since entering this cave, everything has been unusual. Especially this protective barrier formed by the large array is not something that ordinary people can create.

  Upon closer inspection, on the slanting side of the cold pool, there is a spot with mottled and seemingly flat rock face.

  With a wave of his hand, the dust disappeared, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a line of ancient-style large characters written with fists.

  "Too... desolate and wild, the path of thunder... too desolate and wild, the path of thunder." Chen muttered to himself, feeling a great sense of shock and awe. From the text itself, he could feel an aura that shook his heart, as if the ancient and barren earth was filled with rolling thunder everywhere, displaying heaven's mighty power, surging and overflowing, ancient and desolate, a majestic and destructive path that could destroy the heavens and earth. Even with his good temperament, at this moment he felt like an insignificant ant, about to be torn into pieces by the endless thunder at any time.

  ……