Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: The Forbidden Land

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Li Chuan stared coldly at the crowd on the brink of madness, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
“So, you’ve already done it, haven’t you?”
Li Chuan was certain that this group had resorted to killing someone because some players refused to lead them.
How could people be so despicable!
Teng Lili snapped back, “So what if we have? We’re all going to die anyway. Why should we care about others?”
“You choose: die with us, or take two people inside!”
“That’s right! If you don’t let us live, you won’t survive either!”
...
At this moment, all the evil within human nature was laid bare.
Li Chuan silently put away his crossbow and drew his longsword.
“You’re right; in a place like this, it’s truly foolish to care about anyone’s fate but your own!”
With the ferocity of a speeding car, Li Chuan charged forward.
“Stop him! Release the plant spirits!”
“Hurry, stop him! My plant spirits can’t move; if they’re released, it’s certain death.”
“Come on! If he gets through, we lose another chance to survive!”
...
Everyone shouted, but only two released their plant spirits.
Li Chuan was quite familiar with plant spirits.
Two hugging trees.
As long as you don’t get too close, these low-level plant spirits had no offensive power at all.
“Cold-blooded executioner! Come with us to the grave!”
A burly man wielding a wooden sword fiercely blocked Li Chuan’s path.
Side roll!
Weak point strike!
The longsword sliced across the man’s throat.
[Weak Point Strike—113]
[Ding! Killed Lv5 Zhao Zhi, +20 copper coins, +50 experience]
A small box dropped; Li Chuan swiftly pocketed it and pressed onward!
Two more players stepped forward and simultaneously released their plant spirits.
They were Thornwood and Bloodthirsty Vine.
One was tanky, the other had entangling abilities.
Li Chuan didn’t confront them head-on; three consecutive side rolls put distance between him and the plant spirits.
Teng Lili, seeing Li Chuan right before her, froze for a moment before gritting her teeth and lunging to grab him.
Swoosh!
A streak of crimson followed the longsword.
[Weak Point Strike—101]
[Ding! Killed Lv4 Teng Lili, +20 copper coins, +40 experience]
Another small box dropped.
[Weak Point Strike—111]
[Ding! Killed Lv5 Liu Xu, +20 copper coins, +50 experience]
[Weak Point Strike—121]
[Ding! Killed Lv5 Liu Zhe, +20 copper coins, +50 experience]

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...
[Ding! Ten kills achieved, title upgraded to ‘Cold-Blooded (Green)’]
Holding his bloodied longsword like a god of war, Li Chuan stood before the barrier. Along the path he had carved, eight player corpses lay scattered.
“Is there anyone who still needs me to solve their survival problem?”
The survivors kept their distance, their faces a mixture of fear, shock, and sorrow.
“If not, I’m going in.”
Li Chuan turned and strode through the barrier.
[You have entered the mission location: Aman Forest—Forbidden Land. All regional chat channels unlocked.]
[Voice, video, screenshots, and team functions enabled.]
[Beginner Quest Four: Reach the white area of the map within twelve hours! Completed.]
[Quest rating: Good]
[Rewards: 80 copper coins, 80 experience points, 5 low-level HP recovery potions, 5 low-level MP recovery potions, 1 secondary profession transfer book.]
In the foggy white expanse, Li Chuan held his sword at the ready, extremely vigilant.
[Warning: Tewari desiccant powder—massive inhalation causes dehydration, dangerous!]
Li Chuan paused, then reached out to touch the white mist surrounding him.
“This isn’t fog? It’s dry powder?”
He continued cautiously scanning the area.
Many had entered this region, yet none were visible.
Right, the system just notified him that the chat channel was unlocked.
Forbidden Land area chat channel.
Current surviving players in the region: 214
The death rate was no longer as terrifying.
*Cough cough.*
The dry powder irritated Li Chuan’s throat.
Supreme Fungus: “Damn it! Someone is hiding in the white mist attacking my plant spirits!”
Little Monk Bujie: “My plant spirit’s dead! Why? Damn it, who ambushed my plant spirit? No!”
Liu Changhe: “Damn! There’s a monster! Don’t let it—”
Don’t let what!?
Sweat breaking out, Li Chuan had just entered this Forbidden Land and was already drenched in cold sweat.
What on earth was happening in the white mist?
Black Friday: “I severely wounded a person with a strange tumor growing on his shoulder!”
High Cold: “Everyone! Stay alert! Watch your plant spirits carefully. If anyone approaches, kill them immediately!”
Dong He Liushui: “Received.”
Willow Waist: “Whoever’s causing trouble, I advise you to behave. Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you!”
Liu Haizhu: “Received.”
...
As Li Chuan hesitated over whether to release the Miracle Tree, a sharp cold wind suddenly struck from his side.
Side roll! Side roll!
Two consecutive side rolls avoided the fierce strike.
Li Chuan gripped his standard-issue crossbow, ready to counterattack, but when he turned, all he saw was thick white fog, obscuring everything but whiteness.
Damn it!
Li Chuan took small steps backward.

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Thud.
Suddenly, his back pressed against something solid.
Side roll!
Longsword sweep!
Crack!
The sound of the sword striking wood rang out.
Li Chuan focused his gaze.
It was a strangely shaped dead tree!
Identification:
[A pitifully dead tree.]
Li Chuan was somewhat puzzled by the bluntness of the identification feature.
However, the shape of the dead tree resembled a humanoid figure writhing in agony, clawing at its chest.
From within the dense fog came intermittent sounds of fighting, human screams, and angry curses.
Unable to see his surroundings clearly, Li Chuan felt profoundly lonely and fearful.
Tense, he leaned against the dead tree and solemnly took out a temporary photosynthesis capsule.
No matter what, he decided to plant it here.
Just as Li Chuan made up his mind, a fierce wind, strong enough to nearly knock him off his feet, suddenly blew through.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Li Chuan quickly grabbed the dead tree beside him.
Whoosh—
The wind came and went quickly, ceasing after several violent gusts.
With it vanished the white desiccant powder that had enveloped Li Chuan.
Standing there, perplexed, Li Chuan murmured,
“What kind of hellish place is this?”
The scene before him was bleak: a ruined forest of dead trees, the ground and trunks choked with dense, dry, dark brown vines, so thick they resembled countless overlapping fishing nets covering the entire area.
Looking up, the gray sky nearly blocked the light of the two suns.
Though the powder had receded, it had not vanished completely; instead, it had retreated about a hundred meters away, forming a white misty barrier.
This scene starkly contrasted with the lush prosperity of the Unruly Land.
Many people were scattered not far ahead of Li Chuan, standing near the middle of two barriers. Almost every one of them had a plant spirit nearby.
Li Chuan could tell these were players like himself who had only recently entered from outside the barrier.
Though gathered, the players were spaced variably; some guarded small areas alone with only their plant spirits, while others planted theirs close together, forming groups—one such group numbered over twenty players and as many plant spirits.
Li Chuan’s eyes caught sight of a tall woman in a white trench coat within that crowd.
Her skin was remarkably pale, her figure tall and slender, and her demeanor cold and aloof—wherever she stood, she stood out like a crane among chickens.
Identification triggered.
[High Cold (High Place, Too Cold): Human race]
[Lv10, Mage, Weakness marked.]
This was the “Saintess” of the region? How could it be a woman, and a stunning beauty at that?