Chapter 4: Da Yuan Tan (Part 1)

Amidst the torrential rain and flashing lightning, the ancestors of the ancient Mi Luo family descended to the ground, each holding a altar atop their heads. This was not the right time to travel—although they weren’t afraid of the lightning striking the altars, being struck by thunder was still very painful. If their souls were accidentally harmed, it would be an unwarranted disaster.
A group of ancestors hovered less than half a meter above the ground, carrying the altars above their heads. Countless runes drifted down, taking on the shape of shields under the wash of rain—various and bizarre in design.
Guo Shier found it amusing. The scene was eerie; if he had seen such a group of ancestors hovering above the ground in his past life, he would have been terrified. He said, “The thunderstorm is too intense. Brother Li Ran, should we continue on our journey?”
Li Ran turned and asked, “Xiao Hai, what do you think? Should we keep going?”
Hai Mi Luo said with a wry smile, “This place isn’t suitable for resting either. Let’s move forward—ideally away from the storm area.”
Li Ran nodded. “Alright, everyone, boost your defenses to avoid being struck by lightning.” Although such lightning couldn’t kill experts at the ancestor level, it could still cause minor injuries if they were hit.
Guo Shier said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, come over here. I’ll protect you…”
Li Ran laughed. “You can’t protect them. Ignore them; this kind of lightning won’t kill them.”
Eagle Demon said, “Let’s go. This lightning is far inferior to that of the Small Thunder Mirror.”
Juehu Mi Luo laughed. “You still remember the Small Thunder Mirror? Hehe, that’s where the real world of lightning lies.” He had met Guo Shier and the others there. Back then, they hadn’t even reached the Virtual Form Altar and were unbelievably weak, but now they were already professionals with sixth-tier altars.
The group flew close to the ground, leaving trails of white mist across the grassland.
…
A day later, the ancestors of the ancient Mi Luo family finally broke free from the storm area. Before they could fly far, they encountered another hunting group of three people, all quite strong—one with a seventh-tier altar and two with fifth-tier altars.
When the three saw a large group of altar-level experts approaching, they grew nervous and immediately activated their altars, showing a vigilant stance. The leader, a professional with a seventh-tier altar, said, “Don’t come any closer…”
Hai Mi Luo said, “Friend, don’t be nervous. We’re just passing by.”
Seeing that Hai Mi Luo had no ill intentions, the professional relaxed slightly and stepped forward, saying, “Wandering professional, seventh-tier altar. I’m Fan Zhen Tong, and these are my two partners.”

The other two stepped forward and said, “Wandering professional, Pu Zhe.”
“Wandering professional, Milo.”
It was a woman still full of charm, with a calm expression. Her gaze swept over the crowd, still carrying a hint of wariness.
Hai Miluo said, “Hello, we are professionals from the Gu Miluo family. I’m Hai Miluo.”
Fan Zhen Tong added, “Pleasure to meet you…” He exchanged polite greetings. It was clear he was a bit distracted; though there was no hostile look in his eyes, his attitude was rather perfunctory.
Hai Miluo asked, “Are there any good hunting grounds around here?”
Fan Zhen Tong replied indifferently, “We’ve only arrived recently and haven’t found any decent prey yet.”
Hai Miluo smiled, “We happen to need to rest. May we invite you to join us?”
Guo Shier was puzzled. Hai Miluo seemed overly enthusiastic—was he trying to rob them? He looked at Hai Miluo uncertainly but found that Hai Miluo was indeed sincere, with no ulterior motives at all.
Fan Zhen Tong hesitated for a moment before saying, “We’ve just arrived too and don’t know much about this continent…”
Hai Miluo smiled, “It doesn’t matter. We’ve been here for a while now and can introduce some information.” He looked at the three of them expectantly.
Guo Shier suddenly realized that since Fan Zhen Tong and the others were wandering professionals, they had no family ties. With such high professional ranks, how could Hai Miluo not try to gain their allegiance? Just like him in the past—whenever he said he was a wandering professional, any family would treat him politely.
Fan Zhen Tong seemed to have thought of this as well, and his expression softened completely. He glanced back at his two companions, seeking their approval. Seeing them nod, he smiled and said, “That’s good. I’d like to learn more about this place. Hehe, we arrived in such a hurry that we haven’t sorted anything out yet.”
Hai Miluo nodded and said, “Juehu, take some people to set up the camp.”
Juehu Miluo nodded and said, “Yes.” He immediately asked a few elders to help clear the ground, set up the camp, and construct hidden symbol houses.
Once professionals determined that the others had no hostility, they usually enjoyed exchanging information. In the outside world, lacking timely information could be very disadvantageous.
The camp was set up in less than five minutes. A row of hidden symbol houses stood on the ground, and a small area was marked in front of them using spells. After the ground was enchanted with spells, it became as smooth as marble. When they removed the spell power later, the ground would gradually return to its original state.

Someone spread thick animal skins on the ground, and Hai Miluo invited the three to sit down. Among those present, in addition to Hai Miluo and Feng Miluo, there were Li Ran, Guo Shier, and Fang Miluo; the rest had returned to the Hidden Talisman House to rest. Professionals also needed proper rest. An elder came over and laid out various foods and fruits, while Guo Shier brought out a few bottles of liquor. Fan Zhen Tong, Pu Zhe, and Mi Luo thanked them before sitting down. Not all professionals were in a competitive relationship; they could also become friends. When traveling outside, everyone was cautious and generally unwilling to offend professionals of the same rank unless absolutely necessary. Only a few arrogant or those accustomed to ruling their own families would act recklessly and show disrespect. Guo Shier and the others introduced themselves one by one. When it was Li Ran’s turn, he only gave his name without revealing his rank. He was used to hiding his rank; according to Guo Shier, it was like pretending to be weak while actually being strong, though no one there understood that phrase. Fan Zhen Tong and the others didn’t pay much attention to Li Ran. As long as he intended to hide his rank, others couldn’t detect anything unusual and could only assume he was a professional around the same level as them, or even slightly lower. Hai Miluo briefly explained what he knew. Fan Zhen Tong said with a smile, “We’ve been here for two days, just exploring the area. We’ve killed two level-9 mutated talisman beasts. Hehe, it seems there aren’t many mutated talisman beasts here, and we haven’t seen any high-level ones yet. It would be great if we could find a few abnormal talisman beasts.” Guo Shier said, “The abnormal talisman beasts here are very powerful. The highest we’ve seen were level-16…” He didn’t mention that they had hunted down level-16 abnormal talisman beasts because the professionals present didn’t have the strength to do so. If they had said that, Fan Zhen Tong and the others wouldn’t have believed it. Mi Luo was surprised and said, “Level-16 abnormal talisman beasts? Aren’t those comparable to mutated talisman beasts at level 20 or above?” Guo Shier replied with a smile, “They seem even more powerful…” Fan Zhen Tong said, “We can’t afford to deal with level-16 abnormal talisman beasts. Maybe we can fight against level-15 ones. We’d prefer to encounter level-11 or 12 abnormal talisman beasts, or level-15 or 16 mutated talisman beasts. Anything higher… we can’t hunt.” Pu Zhe spoke little, and Mi Luo also didn’t say much at first, but as the conversation progressed, she became more active and asked, “Have you heard of the Great Abyss Pool?” Hai Miluo shook his head and said, “No, I’ve never heard of any Great Abyss Pool.”

Guo Shier asked, “Da Yuan Tan… is it on this continent?” He keenly sensed some secret behind it.
Milo said, “We heard a rumor before coming in, but it can’t be confirmed. It’s said that Da Yuan Tan is a gathering place for Abnormal Talisman Beasts and Mutated Talisman Beasts, with countless of them. As for why so many of these beasts gather there, no one knows for sure.”
Li Ran felt a slight stir in his heart and said, “Da Yuan Tan… there must be something that attracts those Abnormal Talisman Beasts and Mutated Talisman Beasts, right?”
Guo Shier clapped his hands and said, “I think so too… Could there be something that allows them to evolve?”
Milo shook his head. “We don’t know. The reason we came here is, first, because it’s an excellent hunting ground where we can get plenty of sacrifices. Second, it’s because of Da Yuan Tan—rumors say it’s very mysterious, and we hope to go and take a look.”
Li Ran glanced at them and said, “Your strength isn’t enough. If you encounter a large number of high-level Abnormal Talisman Beasts and Mutated Talisman Beasts, you won’t be able to resist them.”
Fan Zhen Tong agreed, “Yes, there are only three of us. Maybe we can sneak in, but once discovered, we’ll probably have to run away.”
Hai Miluo smiled and said, “Then it requires experts with absolute strength to make a difference, right?”
Fan Zhen Tong nodded. “At least someone at the eighth-tier altar or above… But so far, I’ve only seen three or five professionals at the eighth-tier altar. I’ve never seen a single one at the ninth-tier altar or above in my life.”
Hai Miluo said, “I invite the three of you… to join our Gu Miluo family as guest ancestors. Hehe, don’t reject it right away—think about it. Hehe, our family has super experts.” He secretly glanced at Li Ran, afraid that this senior might get angry.
Li Ran smiled without saying anything. Of course, he knew Hai Miluo’s intentions, but he didn’t care. Once they left this continent, he would take Guo Shier and leave. The Gu Miluo family was still too shallow to hold such a “big fish” like him.
Fan Zhen Tong was stunned for a moment and asked, “Are you trying to recruit us?”
Hai Miluo laughed. “Don’t find it strange. Haven’t you encountered any ancient families trying to recruit you?”
Milo said, “There are many ancient families trying to recruit us, but we’re not used to being restricted. Hehe, we’re used to wandering around.”

Fan Zhen Tong muttered to himself: A super expert? How advanced is that? He had been stuck at the seventh-tier altar for a long time, and his wandering was in search of an opportunity. At his current level, he needed guidance from a true professional expert; otherwise, it would be difficult for him to advance to the eighth-tier altar.

After a while, Fan Zhen Tong said, “If there are professionals at an altar above the eighth tier here, we’ll join. But… I have one request…”

Hai Miluo still smiled and said, “What request? As long as it’s within our ability, we definitely won’t refuse.” He was overjoyed in his heart. With one person at the seventh-tier altar and two at the fifth-tier altar, if such strength could be brought into the family, the family’s strength would undoubtedly increase significantly, if not double.

Fan Zhen Tong discussed it with his two companions and said, “I need guidance to advance. If the Gu Miluo family has professionals at an altar above the eighth tier, we’ll join.”

Mi Luo doubted, “Old Fan, they probably don’t have anyone at an eighth-tier altar. Could it be they stayed within the family and didn’t come out?”

Pu Zhe said, “Boss, I think… we should be cautious. At least let’s meet that expert before making a decision.”

Li Ran knew he needed to step in. He smiled slightly and said, “If you want to meet them… it’s easy.” A small altar appeared above his head. Due to its compact size, it hung there like a pagoda.

Fan Zhen Tong was stunned in fear. He pointed at Li Ran, stammering incomprehensibly. Mi Luo and Pu Zhe were even more shocked, their eyes wide as they stared blankly at the slowly rotating altar.

An altar beyond the ninth tier wasn’t something everyone could see. Even altars at the eighth or ninth tier were rare. An eighth-tier altar was somewhat more common—many professionals might encounter one if they were lucky. But altars above the ninth tier were extremely rare. Guo Shier had seen many high-level professionals, but to this day, he hadn’t encountered a single one with a ninth-tier altar. Of course, that didn’t include the two abnormal experts, Qi Wu Zhen and Li Ran, who surpassed the ninth tier.