Chapter 998: Chapter 610: Tribesmen
“These are the things you receive after passing the trial.” After the elder finished speaking, he flipped his palm, and three Miracle Flower Fruits appeared directly in his hand, then handed them to Liu Hun.
Seeing this, Liu Hun frowned slightly. Although he felt that this old man was suspicious, at this moment, he couldn’t say much. After taking the Miracle Flower Fruits, he asked the elder with a somewhat grave expression, “Why is the cost of passing this trial lifespan?”
Although Liu Hun had previously promised Cheng Feng that he would heal their bodies, Liu Hun had no way to do so; it was merely to comfort Cheng Feng at that time.
But at this moment, having finally encountered such an opportunity, Liu Hun naturally didn’t want to miss it. Even if he knew a bit of the reason, he might also be able to think of a solution.
“In this world, the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth is becoming increasingly scarce. You should be able to feel this, especially as an adult wanting to step into the world of cultivators. This is the price to be paid. Even I cannot change this, for I am merely a Gatekeeper. These rules are not up to me; they are dictated by this world,” the elder calmly explained to Liu Hun.
After saying this, the elder ignored Liu Hun, turned, and disappeared into the mist behind him.
Staring at the suddenly vanishing figure of the elder, Liu Hun couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The elder moved without warning, and no one knew how strong his power was.
But the elder’s words just now caused Liu Hun’s heart to sink to the bottom. In this world, there are never any free gains; if you want to gain great power, then you must pay a certain price.
However, this cost for Cheng Feng and Zhang Fan was simply too vast.
“No matter what, I will definitely think of a way!” Liu Hun took a deep breath and then looked at the three Miracle Flower Fruits in his palm.
After hesitating for a moment, Liu Hun shook his head, placed the Miracle Flower Fruits on the ground, and then re-entered a state of cultivation.
Any cultivator desires instant success, but through previous life’s death, Liu Hun understood that to become stronger, only with a solid foundation could it be possible. If he ate the Miracle Flower Fruit now, perhaps his power would only reach the Innate Nine Layers in the future, and this result was not what Liu Hun wanted to see.
So he did not choose to eat the Miracle Flower Fruit. As for how Xue Lan and Zhang Fan would choose when they woke up, Liu Hun wouldn’t inquire, nor did he have the right to ask.
Everyone has their own choices, and Liu Hun would not impose his own thoughts on others.
After about half a day, Xue Lan and Zhang Fan slowly opened their eyes.
“Boss, Liu Hun.” As soon as the two opened their eyes and saw Liu Hun simultaneously opening his eyes, they couldn’t help but call out.
“I’m fine.” Sensing a hint of worry in their eyes, Liu Hun smiled slightly, shook his head, and replied.
Pausing for a moment, Liu Hun handed the two Miracle Flower Fruits on the ground to them and said, “These are the rewards for passing the death trial. Whether to eat them or not is your choice, I won’t interfere.”
“Boss, what on earth are these Miracle Flower Fruits? Could they have adverse effects on the body if eaten?” Zhang Fan, who had felt a faint sensation within his body during the recent cultivation time, was quite excited and nervous but held it back and asked Liu Hun with some doubt.
“It’s not that eating them has bad effects; on the contrary, after consuming them, your power can directly increase to the Innate Fourth Layer or even Fifth Layer, and Xue Lan’s would elevate two levels; but for a cultivator, the foundation is crucial. If the foundation is unstable, breaking through the Innate Realm in the future might be difficult,” Liu Hun told them honestly.
Hearing this, Zhang Fan chuckled, took a Miracle Flower Fruit, and ate it. As he chewed, he couldn’t help but smack his lips and comment on the great taste.
Xue Lan gave Liu Hun a deep look, hesitated briefly, and also took the Miracle Flower Fruit, nibbling on it.
Watching their actions, Liu Hun sighed inwardly but kept silent.
Zhang Fan’s decision to eat it didn’t surprise Liu Hun at all, but Xue Lan, knowing what it meant, didn’t hesitate.
What Liu Hun didn’t know was that for Xue Lan, she didn’t care what level of power she could reach. She only knew that during that death trial, her power was so weak that if she could be stronger, perhaps Liu Hun wouldn’t have gotten such severe injuries.
This was Xue Lan’s fundamental thought!
After the two consumed the Miracle Flower Fruits, in just a moment, Xue Lan’s power surged to the Innate Eighth Layer, and Zhang Fan’s power soared to the Innate Fifth Layer.
Liu Hun didn’t expect Zhang Fan’s power to immediately reach the Innate Fifth Layer, which surprised him somewhat.
However, Liu Hun didn’t dwell on it; he put away his Miracle Flower Fruit and turned to walk toward the mist outside.
“Boss, if the Miracle Flower Fruit is really that terrifying, then why are we…” Zhang Fan stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the giant strange flower tree ahead, and spoke to Liu Hun in a low voice.
Seeing the glimmer of greed in Zhang Fan’s eyes, Liu Hun also glanced at it with some temptation, but eventually, he shook his head.
He then said to Zhang Fan, “One’s insatiable desire can lead to one’s downfall. The strength of that old man is beyond our imagination, and since he left us here, he naturally isn’t worried about this issue. If we are too greedy, it might not be worth the risk.”
After Liu Hun finished speaking, Xue Lan couldn’t help but nod. She had the same thought as Zhang Fan for a moment. If they really harvested all those strange fruits, they could create a batch of cultivators, a temptation hard for most to resist.
But after Liu Hun’s words, Xue Lan thought it over and understood.
If it were that easy and simple, the old man wouldn’t have left them there so freely.
After walking out of the mist, the group saw Wen Xiaodao and Miao Yu pacing back and forth with worried expressions not far ahead.
As soon as the two saw Liu Hun and the others, a gleam of joy appeared in their eyes.
“Thank goodness, Liu Hun, you’re finally out. If you didn’t come out sooner, we both might have been torn apart by the Dragon Head.” Wen Xiaodao quickly approached and sighed in relief when he saw Liu Hun.
Seeing the worry etched on the faces of the two, Liu Hun smiled slightly and said, “Why don’t you take Xiao Lan and Zhang Fan back to rest for a bit? I’ll be back later.”
“Liu Hun…” Xue Lan started to speak, but Liu Hun shook his head, saying, “Besides rescuing Zhang Fan from the City of Death, there’s something else I must do. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
“Liu Hun, do you need our Dragon Sect’s assistance?” Wen Xiaodao and Miao Yu, although unsure of what Liu Hun intended to do, could sense from his demeanor that his task might not be simple.
“No need, this is my own affair, and I’ll handle it myself.” Liu Hun nodded to the two and said, “Please take care of Xiao Lan and Zhang Fan for me.”
…
Having entered the trial of death this time, it could be said that Liu Hun gained nothing and didn’t advance his cultivation one bit, which was due to his two lifetimes of soul.
If he had consumed the Miracle Flower Fruit, there might have been some benefit, but Liu Hun chose not to, resulting in nothing but rescuing Zhang Fan, even nearly dying in the process.
Yet he still felt uncertain about the task he had to do, always holding a reverence for that place in his heart.
After about nearly two hours, Liu Hun arrived at the foot of a large mountain, gazing at the uninterrupted mountain range ahead, each peak taller than the last. Taking a deep breath, Liu Hun’s face showed a bit of seriousness as he walked step by step onto the green stone slabs ahead.
Soon, at the end of the green stone slabs, Liu Hun looked up at a huge stone gate with a somewhat worn plaque hanging on it, the characters appearing weathered from wind and rain.
But upon closer inspection, one could still see the character for “Ghost” on it.
“Old man, although you hid your origins well back then, you probably still don’t know that I stumbled upon them; if it weren’t for being reborn, perhaps I would never have come to this place, but this time, not just for you, but for me, I must make this trip.” Liu Hun murmured softly to himself, and with eyes full of resolve, he moved forward swiftly.
This place was precisely the territory of the Ghost Doctor Clan, and no one would have thought that they would hide in such a secluded mountain. Liu Hun could locate this place because of the old man’s notes; otherwise, the miasma outside alone would have been enough to stop him.
Just as he reached the door, Liu Hun saw two young boys, about ten years old, dozing on the ground, their clothing archaic in style. If it weren’t for coming from the outside world, Liu Hun might have thought he had come to a paradise.
“Wake up!” Seeing the small gatekeepers before him, Liu Hun furrowed his brow and called out softly.
“Master, disciple… disciple was not sleeping, definitely not sleeping…” Awakened by Liu Hun’s words, the two young gatekeepers instantly stood up straight with sleepy eyes and said in a panic.
However, just as their words fell, they realized it was a stranger, and the two quickly rushed to a large bell nearby, grabbing a giant iron rafter and banging it hard; their mouths did not forget to exclaim in panic, “Intruder alert!”
Liu Hun glanced at the large bell. The iron rafter alone must weigh several hundred pounds, but to the two ten-year-old boys, it seemed as if they were effortlessly wielding a toothpick.
“Hiss! Merely this strength already shows an Innate Fifth Layer realm; otherwise, it would be impossible to do so easily. The Ghost Doctor Clan truly lives up to its name!” Liu Hun murmured softly despite feeling a bit shocked internally.