Chapter 427

Chapter 427: Exploration

Sorry!

Wang Chen silently expressed his apology to Zuo Xiaomo in his heart.

He had promised to be Zuo Xiaomo’s guardian, but unexpectedly, such an incident occurred, and he didn’t even know if he could find his way back home. He could no longer help him in any way.

Wang Chen was also unsure if Zuo Xiaomo faced the same situation as him.

Whether he could return alive depended entirely on Zuo Xiaomo himself!

However, while feeling guilty, Wang Chen also thought that this might not be entirely a bad thing.

Previously, he couldn’t understand why the West Sea Sect allowed a guardian role during the disciples’ assessments.

After all, flowers nurtured in a greenhouse cannot withstand the storms; only eagles that soar in the clear blue sky, having endured frost and thunderstorms, can forge steel bones and iron wings.

Since it was an assessment, it should be completed independently, not accompanied by a nanny.

A flower afraid of dying should not participate.

Disciples from prestigious families like Zuo Xiaomo actually needed to experience hardships to truly grow.

In fact, Wang Chen wasn’t overly worried about Zuo Xiaomo’s safety; after all, he had lent him a powerful protective spirit tool, and Zuo Xiaomo was well-prepared.

He wished Zuo Xiaomo good luck!

Wang Chen cleared his mind of distractions and began to explore the surrounding area.

Due to the spatial suppression, he proceeded carefully, first climbing to the highest nearby hill to observe the environment.

As he looked around, he saw countless rolling hills, resembling crouching magical beasts, with no boundaries in sight.

This made his heart sink slightly.

The Nine Dragons underground palace was indeed immense; it should be called the Nine Dragons domain, and no wonder the West Sea Sect had explored for hundreds of years but had only reached the second layer, which still held many unknown areas.

At this rate, it seemed unlikely to unveil the mysteries of this ancient Subterranean Palace even after a thousand years.

After some thought, Wang Chen infused his power and leaped into the air.

His Air Snatching Technique had already reached an advanced level, allowing him to soar several dozen feet high in an instant.

However, this time, as he ascended only ten feet from the ground, he felt an abrupt increase in the spatial force around him, pressing down on him with immense weight, causing him to involuntarily fall back to the ground!

It was as expected.

Wang Chen had previously learned that flying was forbidden within the Nine Dragons underground palace; whether using a Purple Palace cultivator’s Air Snatching Technique, Lightweight Spell, flying artifacts, or flying swords, one could not fly in the air.

In other words, the aerial advantage was completely nonexistent here!

Back on the ground, Wang Chen shook his head—only by trying could one truly let go of hope.

He extended his right palm, and suddenly, a blazing flame burst forth from his palm.

A vivid Fire Crow quickly formed!

In the next moment, Wang Chen abruptly closed his fingers, crushing the Fire Crow into countless sparks that floated down like falling snowflakes.

A simple spell test revealed that he was casting spells here thirty percent slower, and using the same amount of power, the spell’s destructive power had significantly diminished.

The Nine Dragons underground palace’s hostility towards mid to high-level Qi Training cultivators was truly exasperating.

Next, Wang Chen tested the effectiveness of the talismans and artifacts, both of which showed varying degrees of weakening.

After this ordeal, he had gained a basic understanding of the spellcasting environment here.

Finally, Wang Chen took out a universal compass.

The universal compass is a small artifact used to determine direction, suitable for various environments, and is an essential item for cultivators.

However, as soon as he took the compass out, the needle began to spin wildly as if it had gone mad.

It couldn’t indicate a direction at all.

Darn!

Wang Chen almost cursed out loud.

According to his knowledge, the universal compass should work properly in the Nine Dragons underground palace.

It seemed this area was quite peculiar, as the compass was interfered with by a powerful force, rendering it inoperable.

Without options, Wang Chen could only put away the universal compass and randomly chose a direction to proceed.

He looked up at the sky; it was gray and dreary, with swirling black clouds silently rolling, subtly releasing an oppressive aura.

Wandering aimlessly in such an environment alone, not knowing what dangers lay ahead, was undoubtedly a significant test of one’s will.

But Wang Chen was fearless.

Perhaps due to habits from his past life, whenever he went out for missions or training, he would always pack a lot of supplies in his storage bag for unexpected needs.

Now, the stock of spiritual rice and spiritual wine in the Xumi Ring on his left hand’s ring finger was enough to last for decades.

As for the talismans and elixirs, he had an ample supply.

Even if he truly got trapped in this vast palace, Wang Chen had confidence in enduring for over a hundred years.

He really didn’t believe he wouldn’t find his way back!

Just after crossing a small hill, Wang Chen’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

He spotted a dark, murky pool in a depression about a hundred steps away.

By the pool grew a patch of half-foot-tall weeds, among which a few black grasses swayed gently in the wind, shedding a few specks of glimmering starlight.

Starmist Grass!

Although Wang Chen was not an alchemist nor a herbalist, he had perused numerous books and immediately recalled the relevant information from his memory.

The Starmist Grass was a type of spiritual herb that only exists in dark environments, relying on absorbing negative energy to grow, and it grew very slowly, only an inch in a hundred years.

Its external characteristics were quite distinct; the grass would secrete luminous light that scattered like broken starlight, which was very beautiful.

This spiritual herb was used in making various spirit pills and was quite valuable.

With a single glance, Wang Chen noticed five stalks of Starmist Grass, and they looked to be quite aged!

Though Wang Chen currently had plenty of spirit stones, this unexpected discovery still stirred a flicker of joy in his heart.

Exploring unknown areas could be dangerous, but risks and opportunities coexisted.

Since he had encountered it, there was naturally no reason to miss it.

Wang Chen quickened his pace.

However, just as he approached the small pool, a sudden warning arose in his heart.

Splash!

The water erupted suddenly, and a dark shadow shot towards Wang Chen like lightning, with unbelievable speed.

Wang Chen, though startled, remained composed, confronting the dark shadow head-on, and threw a punch.

His tightly clenched fist radiated a golden-red light and collided heavily with the attacker.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, the shadow was knocked back, thrashing about beside the pool.

It turned out to be a black snake as thick as an arm!

Clang!

The Chini Sword suddenly unsheathed, striking down fiercely at the black snake.

Swoosh!

This sword strike was both swift and accurate, instantly severing the snake’s head, with foul blood spraying from the wound.

The snake’s body thrashed for a moment longer before falling silent.

【Virtue +126】