Chapter 180 Black Dragon Pool
The grey-black decaying ground, muddy water pits bubbling ceaselessly, twisted and distorted trees, nameless blood-red grass underfoot, and the pungent strange smell permeating the air – all of this was what Han Li perceived when he first regained consciousness.
Without bothering to question this strange environment, Han Li cautiously scanned his surroundings, looking for any signs of others. After all, the greatest danger came from fellow disciples who entered the forbidden area together.
It seemed he was quite lucky. Apart from himself, there was no one else within several dozen zhang nearby, which relieved him.
However, he didn't relax his guard. Instead, he held a talisman in one hand and took out the set of "Golden Silkworm Mother Blades" with the other as a precautionary measure.
Only then did Han Li calm down and carefully observe the peculiar place he found himself in.
Han Li wasn't surprised to suddenly find himself in an unfamiliar place. Before the trip to the forbidden area, the supervisors had provided detailed information about the forbidden area to the disciples.
In the information, it was mentioned that anyone stepping into the forbidden area would be instantly teleported to various corners of the forbidden area by a certain teleportation formation still in effect inside. Where one ended up depended on luck.
It was possible to be transported to the core area, where there were plenty of spirit herbs to collect, or to face several demonic beasts immediately, requiring a bloody battle to survive.
And for the unluckiest individuals, they might end up in a deadly location and perish immediately, although such cases were rare.
The most common occurrence was like Han Li's situation – being transported to a corner of the forbidden area and having to explore on one's own.
The reason for these occurrences, according to the speculations of senior experts, was that the method they used to break into the forbidden area was not the correct way, thus triggering some minor restrictions and causing accidents.
As Han Li cautiously wandered around the vicinity, he compared the scenery with the information he remembered from the data. Finally, he found some very useful information accumulated by previous disciples who had left the forbidden area, which could be quite valuable to newcomers like him.
"The Black Dragon Pool is located in the northeast corner of the forbidden area, with a deep pool covering an area of dozens of zhang at its center.
Within a radius of several miles, there are many plants such as Bone Rot Flowers and Serpentwood Trees, which can be used to make poisons, but their value is not significant. "
"At the center of the Black Dragon Pool, near the water's edge, every dozen years or so, some 'Cold Smoke Grass' will randomly appear.
This is an extremely versatile kind of rare grass.
If possible, it is advisable to collect it and exchange it within the sect for certain rewards.
However, it is worth noting that lurking in the depths of the pool is a group of Grade One Lower Tier demonic beasts called Frost Toads.
However, they have gentle temperaments and won't pose any danger as long as they are not provoked. "
After recalling the information several times, Han Li had a plan in mind.
Generally, the closer one got to the center of the forbidden area, the more rare spirit herbs and powerful guardian demonic beasts there would be.
Although the Black Dragon Pool was situated slightly towards the outer edge, it was not on the outermost layer.
If he hurried, he could reach the central area within a day.
Thinking of this, Han Li decided not to use any magical tools. Instead, he jumped onto a densely-leaved tree branch, looked around, confirmed the direction, and then jumped down from the tree.
The pool was to the south of Han Li, right on the way to the center of the forbidden area, so he decided to take a look on his way.
Han Li cast a concealment spell on himself and then walked lightly along the path, proceeding cautiously. Perhaps Han Li was overly nervous, but after walking several miles, nothing unexpected happened. It seemed he was the only one in the Black Dragon Pool area.
When he heard the sound of water flowing, Han Li relaxed slightly.
After parting some curved branches blocking the way, a deep green pool appeared. Even before he approached, a chilling coldness emanated from the pool, causing Han Li to shiver.
So, this was the Black Dragon Pool? Han Li observed curiously.
The pool was not large, surrounded by a large number of Serpentwood Trees, but wisps of visible cold air rose from the surface of the water. Even at the edge of the pool, there was a layer of frost, indicating the extreme coldness of the water.
Han Li paid no mind to this. What concerned him was a low-lying area by the pool where dozens of fluffy white grasses grew. Each stalk had five leaves, was pure white all over, and emitted a faint white mist, as if shrouded in smoke, giving them a somewhat spiritual appearance.
"Yes, this is indeed Cold Smoke Grass, exactly as described in the information!" Han Li murmured softly, feeling somewhat pleased.
Although this grass had no direct relation to his Foundation Establishment Pill, the fact that he could easily obtain it from the start was a good sign.
Han Li habitually glanced around before intending to walk over, but suddenly his expression changed slightly. He bent his body and took a few steps back, hiding behind the branches again, then looked expressionlessly at the dense forest on the left.
Not long after, a figure flashed, and a man in blue cautiously walked out.
From his attire, he seemed to be from the Heaven's Peak Fortress.
This man was extremely cautious, constantly looking around and preparing for an attack, as evidenced by the tightly clenched fist, indicating his readiness to defend against an ambush.
His direction of action was towards the clump of Cold Smoke Grass.
Han Li sighed. It seemed he would return empty-handed.
The other party was so cautious that a surprise attack was out of the question. Han Li had no intention of engaging in a direct battle with this person for a few inconsequential items. It simply wasn't worth the risk!
"Come out! I see you! Stop hiding!" Not far from where the Cold Smoke Grass grew, the man in blue suddenly stopped, turned around, and shouted.
Han Li was startled, thinking he had inadvertently revealed himself and been noticed. However, he couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw the man in blue, who, despite shouting loudly, kept his eyes darting around, not once looking towards Han Li's hiding place. It was all just a bluff.
Han Li felt both amused and exasperated as he watched the man in blue shouting for quite some time before truly letting go and starting to gather the Cold Smoke Grass.
The man's overconfident behavior made Han Li hesitate.
He wondered if he should take advantage of the man's carelessness and launch a surprise attack from behind.
Before he could make up his mind, the man in blue quickly collected three or four stalks of the white grass. It seemed that he also understood the principle that one shouldn't delay unnecessarily, as he was about to sweep away all the grass in an instant.
Han Li shook his head inwardly and decided to leave. His main goal was still the three main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Before obtaining them, maintaining his strength as much as possible was the best course of action!
With that in mind, Han Li quietly withdrew. When he had moved
about a dozen zhang away, he felt relieved and was about to run away to avoid being followed after the man finished gathering the herbs.
But before he could make a move, a scream came from the direction of the pool, and from the sound of it, it was the dying scream of the man in blue.
Han Li shuddered and hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and quietly circling back. He needed to figure out what was going on to avoid falling into the same fate.
When Han Li stealthily returned to the vicinity of the pool, two fierce-looking men had appeared at the edge of the pool. Judging from their flashy attire, they were from the Spirit Beast Mountain.
At this moment, they were enthusiastically rummaging through the storage bags of the Heaven's Peak Fortress disciple, with a dozen or so large blue toads nearby. The man in blue had several large holes all over his body and was already beyond saving.
"Brother Yu, this idea is brilliant! Instead of directly confronting this idiot when we found him, we rushed to hide in the Black Dragon Pool and sprinkled some beast-repelling powder in the water.
These Frost Toads here would obediently listen to us for the time being.
Haha! I didn't expect that just making a little noise would distract him completely.
Then, the demonic beasts attacked him from behind with a sudden ambush, and a bunch of ice cones sprayed out.
This fool immediately perished. I bet he never thought he would die at the hands of a group of low-level demonic beasts.
But this guy was quite wealthy! Brother Yu, why don't we wait here in hiding and let the others take the bait?
These Cold Smoke Grasses will serve as bait!
" After dividing the spoils, the younger man, who was more greedy, kicked the corpse of the Heaven's Peak Fortress disciple and said with some greed.