Chapter 010: The Forest

Throughout the journey, Gannon had kept emphasizing that it was all Du Fan’s choice. Du Fan had long been annoyed by this and was too lazy to say anything. He knew he had no other options under these circumstances, so he simply ignored Gannon.

The group slowly stepped onto the riverbank, while the water behind them quickly receded. Du Fan sneered inwardly, realizing that Gannon was trying to block his path, forcing him to make a decision with no real choices.

The canyon ahead seemed unremarkable. Du Fan faintly heard what sounded like Gannon’s cold laugh, then saw him wave his hand lightly in front of him.

Immediately afterward, Du Fan felt the world around him shake, accompanied by a buzzing sound in his ears. Everything before him became blurred.

Eventually, his vision returned to normal. Although he guessed vaguely what kind of spatial magic Gannon had used, seeing what lay before him still made him frown.

A vast forest stretched before Du Fan—trees towering everywhere, thick weeds on the ground, and various sounds drifting in, as if this place were some kind of utopia.

“Is this the Gate of the Abyss?” Du Fan couldn’t help but frown as he asked.

Gannon slowly shook his head, his eyes showing a hint of confusion. But after a moment, he said solemnly, “Of course not this is the Gate of the Abyss… But it doesn’t matter… Because the Gate of the Abyss is deep within this jungle…” As he spoke, he seemed to look up at the sky and added, “There’s only half a day left… If we can’t reach it by sunset…”

His last words carried great weight, yet there was a hint of joy beneath them. It seemed he was talking to himself, but he spoke loudly on purpose. The implication was clear: if anyone dared to ruin his plans, High Priest Gannon would not hesitate.

Du Fan was surprised by Gan Nong’s attitude when suddenly Gan Nong turned around sharply. His jade-like face took on a hint of rosy color as he said in a low voice, “Young Master Du Fan… this is where the Abyss Gate lies. There’s also a passage near the Abyss Gate that leads to the abyss inside the Great God Temple. It can be considered the only way out of here. As for above us, though there’s nothing blocking us, I’m afraid nothing other than the terrifying flying abilities of the dragon race can get us out of here… So what will you do next? Will you follow me, or go on your own? Oh… I almost forgot to tell you… this place is different from the outside. Even if you follow me, I can’t guarantee your safety… To reach the Abyss Gate safely, Young Master Du Fan, you can only pray to the God of Light and rely on fate!”
Du Fan snorted and said coldly, “It’s still my own choice, right?”
“Yes,” Gan Nong smiled. “Young Master Du Fan, you’re really clever…”
After saying those ambiguous words, Gan Nong turned around, not giving Du Fan another glance, and headed deeper into the forest.
Du Fan gritted his teeth. He glanced at Ringtone but had no choice but to follow Gan Nong. Although Gan Nong said he couldn’t guarantee their safety, facing a place even he found tricky alone would be better off ending things with a dagger.
As he followed Gan Nong, Du Fan frowned inwardly.
The forest ahead was overgrown with weeds, making it no easy path to traverse. An ordinary person might at most use a sword to cut through them, but this High Priest Gan Nong didn’t take the usual route. It seemed he had an almost imperceptible cyclone around him—whenever he approached the weeds, they were torn apart. In just a short while, a path seemed to open up for him through the forest.
At first, Du Fan and Ringtone walked with trepidation, but after some time, they found no other dangers aside from a few small beasts passing through the bushes occasionally.
Du Fan wondered inwardly. Given Gan Nong’s character, there was no need for him to deceive them. Yet when he spread his mental energy slightly, he detected nothing unusual. Could it be that Gan Nong was just trying to scare them?

After walking for a while longer, the dense forest ahead gradually thinned out. The ground was covered with thick layers of fallen leaves and rotten branches, and the atmosphere around them became somewhat eerie.
But at that moment, Du Fan felt a shiver run through his body. His incredibly powerful mental energy seemed to be unrestrained by anything, unable to extend any further. He couldn’t help but frown and said, “Stop! Stop… Something’s wrong… This place is wrong!”
The High Priest Gan Nong, who was ahead, suddenly turned to look at Du Fan and said, “How so… Lord Du Fan… Have you also noticed something amiss?”
Du Fan frowned and replied, “Indeed!”
Reinsound hesitated for a moment before asking, “What have you noticed?”
Du Fan tilted his head and thought for a while before saying, “I don’t know exactly what it is… But my mental energy suddenly can’t extend any further… It’s as if something is blocking me.”
Reinsound was momentarily stunned. She quickly closed her eyes, but after a moment, she let out a scream. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with fear.
Gan Nong glanced at her, then suddenly sneered and said, “Reinsound, it’s better if you stop experimenting… With your mental energy, you might go crazy if you’re not careful. Didn’t you want to see what I’m here for? If you go crazy, you won’t be able to see anything.”
“However, Young Master Du Fan…” Gan Nong looked at Du Fan doubtfully. “You’re at most at level three… Oh… is it level five now? Well, though I don’t know why you suddenly reached level five, it’s surprising that your strength allows you to extend your mental energy here without being harmed. It seems Young Master Du Fan has quite a few secrets. Tell me, what exactly did you see? I’m quite interested…”
Du Fan remained silent, merely staring at Gan Nong coldly.
Gan Nong smiled darkly and said, “It’s fine if you don’t speak. But I’ll give you a warning… This place is by no means as simple as you think. Even I dare not extend my mental energy, yet you still have the audacity. Is it ignorance that makes you fearless?”
Du Fan snorted and said, “What could there be here?”
Gan Nong whispered, “You don’t need to look at me. I don’t know either… But it’s precisely this uncertainty that makes things interesting… Well, I don’t have time to waste, so it’s better if we hurry up!”
Immediately afterward, Gan Nong seemed to sneer again, “I’m really curious to see what kind of ‘good things’ you’ve prepared for me…”

He spoke so softly that only he could hear clearly, but his tone seemed to carry a hint of disdain toward what was about to appear. As they talked, they had walked another distance; the forest ahead grew sparser, yet the trees were incredibly tall—some so large that several people together might not be able to wrap their arms around them. Du Fan thought to himself that these trees must be at least a thousand years old, making them truly rare and precious. After taking a few more steps, Gannon, who was at the front, suddenly stopped. With a cold laugh, he said, “It’s here!” No sooner had he spoken than a bizarre, eerie howling sound arose, like the cries of ghosts under the moonlight. The trees around them made a rustling noise, as if they were trembling. Du Fan frowned slightly and asked, “What is that?” Gannon shook his head and said, “Don’t look at me. I don’t know what it is either…” Du Fan sneered, “Can’t even your True Eye see through it?” Gannon seemed to sigh deeply before whispering after a moment, “If… it were a future I could see… would I still need to come in? Young Master Du Fan… don’t you understand? You are a pawn who can change fate. So when I’m with you, I can’t use my True Eye to see the future… If it’s a future I can see, then it means nothing to me…” Before he could finish speaking, Gannon’s expression changed abruptly. A rustling sound arose, as if countless people were scratching against glass, causing extreme discomfort. The ground around them also trembled, as if an earthquake was coming. Du Fan covered his ears and frowned, “What’s going on?” Lingsound screamed, “Something is approaching us!” Gannon took a deep breath. After seeming to hesitate for a moment, he threw a beam of white light at Du Fan and Lingsound. Then, with a soft sigh, he said, “This is all I can do to help you… From now on, even I might struggle!” As he spoke, Gannon turned to Du Fan and gave him a faint smile. Du Fan noticed that Gannon’s smile was forced, truly extremely forced. His heart pounded violently, a sense of crisis overtook him, and then, with a loud crash, a large tree not far ahead fell to the ground, revealing a huge and eerie figure in front of the three of them.

Du Fan rubbed his eyes and tapped his forehead; he suddenly understood why Gannon’s smile seemed so forced…