AWB Chapter 123 The Twisted Zone
Chapter 123 The Twisted Zone
Chapter 123 The Twisted Zone
Deep in the Huai Mountains.
This place is far removed from civilization; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a primeval forest. There are no roads or traces of human life here; the only things that exist are the tracks left by unknown wild animals.
For ordinary people accustomed to city life and lacking wilderness survival experience, this place is a suffocating death trap.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. If it weren't for the fact that the trees here were the same as most plants on Earth, Tang Zijun would probably have wondered if she had been pulled into a dream world again.
In other words, Tang Zijun's body had been enhanced, and his physical qualities and abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have dared to come to this place so easily.
The mysterious Huailing Mountains have been the subject of many myths and legends throughout history, including some strange tales.
But Tang Zijun knew very well that for those who stepped into this place, the eerie legends were not a threat; the unpredictable weather and the difficult roads were the real dangers.
With the knight's sword clearing the way, Tang Zijun carefully stepped over a clump of weeds, then stopped when she saw the rock in front of her.
"Hiss—this is the third time it's turned back, isn't it?" Chang Lei also saw the familiar stone, which still had the mark that Tang Zijun had carved before.
Tang Zijun turned her head. "I told you the previous route was wrong. I saw this stone twice, and you didn't believe me. Now you do?"
"This can't be right. How can this wretched place be even more effective than my deception?" Chang Lei flipped through the map repeatedly. "I remember we came in this direction; there should be a stream there."
"Come on, compasses have been malfunctioning for a long time. Without direction, a map is just a blank sheet of paper."
Tang Zijun stood before the rock, looked at the mark she had left, and frowned slightly.
Although he had anticipated that this journey to find the secret realm would be difficult, he never expected it to be this troublesome.
Since finding the intersection between the secret realm and the real world is crucial, it's unrealistic to try to determine the route through the reversed world. Furthermore, the reversed world lacks a division of east, west, south, and north, making it difficult for them to accurately determine their direction.
Chang Lei casually put the map away and curiously looked around at his surroundings.
"I hadn't noticed it before, but now it seems that the natural energy in this place is quite concentrated. It looks like a natural convergence point of natural energy."
"You know about this?" Tang Zijun asked, somewhat surprised.
"I wouldn't say I understand it, I'm just more sensitive to this kind of energy." Chang Lei shook his head and continued, "Generally, places with disordered magnetic fields are caused by special energies, some man-made, some naturally formed."
"Although I have never been to a secret realm, I can sense that the energy reaction around here is somewhat similar to the energy residue on those skeletons."
Tang Zijun looked at Chang Lei. "Can you trace the source of these energies? If the energies are the same, perhaps we can find the entrance."
"It's a bit difficult; the energy is too weak."
Chang Lei shrugged and began to speak.
"Moreover, look at the surrounding environment. These plants haven't mutated, which proves how scarce the energy is. It's estimated that it leaked out accidentally from the secret realm."
"How do you know so much about these things?" Tang Zijun asked casually.
"If you are willing to observe the Reverse World more closely, you can find some clues. These ancient things have left many traces in the Reverse World. Although there were no greedy beings when the beings in those secret realms ruled the real world, the Reverse World still exists."
Hearing Chang Lei's answer, Tang Zijun nodded thoughtfully.
The Reverse World is a mirror image of the real world, and its history can be traced back to when the world was just formed. Perhaps the greedy beings have not been around for very long, but these planes have gone through countless years.
It seems that after this matter is over, I should study more. I can't just occupy a huge treasure trove without knowing how to use it.
As dusk fell, the two had unknowingly wandered through the forest for most of the day.
Whether it was good luck or bad luck, Tang Zijun didn't encounter any wild animals along the way. Apart from a few unknown birds, there was nothing else, not even a few insects.
As the sun set, the forest was much darker than outside, almost pitch black.
Feeling the temperature drop around him, Chang Lei shrank his neck. "I think we should call it a day."
As he spoke, he unscrewed the kettle and poured all the water inside onto the ground, creating a small puddle.
"Quick, let's borrow a light. If we can see the light, we can go back. I'm also hungry. Let's go down the mountain and ask the locals. Maybe they know more about this place."
"If I don't smoke, where would I get the anger?" Tang Zijun replied casually, then added, "Besides, we don't need to leave. Don't you think it's getting lively around here?"
"I don't have hearing as good as you." Chang Lei tightened his clothes. "The temperature difference in the mountains is too great. It doesn't matter to you because you're healthy, but what if I get hypothermia? If you're not leaving, I will."
Chang Lei took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. As soon as he looked up, he was startled by two eerie green pupils, and his phone almost flew out of his hand.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Tang Zijun staring intently at him.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Shhh."
Tang Zijun extended her index finger and placed it to her lips.
After a pause, he slowly began to speak.
"It's getting foggy"
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of cold wind blew by, carrying with it a putrid smell.
Chang Lei shivered and looked around warily.
Using the light from his phone's flashlight, he realized that white mist had gradually risen around him.
They hadn't noticed it before because it was too dark, but now, the white mist, like a ghost, had silently spread over and enveloped the two of them.
Vision became blurry, and the already eerie environment became even more bizarre.
Tang Zijun curiously reached out and grabbed at the air. Her palm passed through the mist, but she felt a cold, damp sensation.
Visibility was decreasing, and the road behind us had long since disappeared into the fog.
"Cough, Wolf Rider, let's... let's go." Chang Lei muttered softly, his breathing a little rapid.
"You, a high-ranking official with a penchant for greed, are you afraid of this?" Tang Zijun was somewhat speechless. "The diary clearly mentions the tree in the fog. Now that the fog is there, all that's missing is that big tree."
"I don't want to be afraid, but the problem is that my human nature is influencing me. What can I do?"
Chang Lei opened his mouth, but he felt his legs go weak.
"Don't tell me you're really planning to keep searching here."
"We've come this far, I can't give up."
As they were talking, Tang Zijun suddenly frowned and turned her head sharply to look to her left.
The latest novel is first published here!
The sudden action startled Chang Lei, who immediately shone his flashlight in the direction.
But amidst the light, there was only a thick, grayish-white fog, and faintly, one could see the fog churning in the air.
"Turn off the lights."
"what?"
"Turn off the flashlight."
Tang Zijun repeated the sentence again, and Chang Lei immediately pressed the power button. The only light disappeared, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness once again.
Chang Lei approached Tang Zijun in fear, transparent, eerie green energy creeping onto his palm as he warily observed the surroundings, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
Tang Zijun, however, did not move, her eyes fixed on the darkness, her expression slightly puzzled and cautious.
After a long silence, Chang Lei asked in a low voice, "What did you see?"
There's something in the fog.
Tang Zijun spoke calmly, paused, and then added.
"Your lights will reveal our location and alert those things."
There's something in the fog!?
Upon hearing this, Chang Lei's eyes widened immediately.
He didn't sense anything was wrong, but under these circumstances, Chang Lei understood that Tang Zijun couldn't possibly be joking with him.
With a flick of his finger, the dark green energy immediately flew towards the thick fog in front of him, but in an instant, Chang Lei found that his energy had suddenly disappeared.
It wasn't that I came into contact with anything, nor did it seem like I was scattered by some entity; my deceptive energy simply vanished into thin air, less than two meters away.
That's strange.
"What's wrong?" Tang Zijun frowned.
"The situation around us is a bit complicated." Chang Lei wasn't sure how to describe his guess, so he asked, "Can you still hear the sounds of those wild animals?"
"Sure, it's quite lively around here," Tang Zijun replied subconsciously, but he quickly realized something was wrong.
They could clearly hear the sounds of birds and beasts running a kilometer ahead, but the next moment, the sounds stopped abruptly, as if the small animals had suddenly vanished into thin air.
At the same time, a familiar voice rang out again in the distance behind them, and even the running speed remained unchanged.
Tang Zijun licked his lips, first ruling out the possibility that the wild beasts here could teleport.
"There's something wrong with this fog." Chang Lei slowly crouched down, groped around on the ground for a while, and then stood up with a strange expression. "Sure enough."
"What did you find?" Tang Zijun turned around.
"The water I just poured on the floor has disappeared."
Chang Lei stood up again.
"It's not quite right to say it disappeared; it should be that it was moved to another place. Just now, I felt that the spatial pattern here was similar to the Reverse World, and now it seems that it's because of the fog."
Tang Zijun frowned. "We haven't taken any action, but things around us are changing. Is this fog altering the environment?"
"It's this fog that's distorting the space here," Chang Lei said with absolute certainty.
"Doesn't that mean we're very close to that secret realm?"
"No."
Chang Lei slowly shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"We're probably already inside the secret realm."
(End of this chapter)