Chapter 169: The Third Zone (1/2)

She was curious, tempted even. But Elder Xiang's words deterred her. Out of a seven, only Shanguan Lei and Ge Yun survived. All of them had a higher cultivation so the chances of her doing better was next to impossible.

Anqing looked at the map, determining at their position and gauging the distance. They had a couple of kilometers before they reached the second pavilion.

”Let's go, its been almost seven days and we only have thirty. We shouldn't squander it”, she said and looked at her comrades.

”We should rest for the night. I'd rather not bump into that centipede again.”

Xukun walked towards the broken trees, grabbing twigs and branches to make a fire.

”I guess you're right. As much as I'd like to keep moving, I think I've had enough for today. Ming Yue, what about you?”

She gave a nod and helped set up for the night. In the back of her mind, she thought about the fourth and fifth zones, where monsters like the centipede dwell. What would the last three pavilions hold? After all, it was a point where few people dared to travel to.

The following day, they reached the second pavilion without so much as a hiccup. The journey there was quiet, as if the inhabitants were still afraid of yesterday's carnage.

This pavilion was different from the first. Similar in style but this one stood above a pond, one that flowed into a multiple streams that splintered into the third zone. There were much less people, only twenty to thirty. Ming Yue took a quick look at the lower floor before leaving the pavilion. There was nothing here that she had not already seen before.

”We should be careful here. I've never gone this far but from what I've gathered, this is going to be different. Many of the insects reside within the water so we must be careful with any surprise attacks. Furthermore, don't fall into the water, it isn't normal water and once you fall in, you cannot get out.”

Xukun looked at the two as he spoke.

”Of everything here, the most dangerous thing that we should watch for is the Diving Dragonfly. It likes to dive into the water and come from below, using its speed to knock us into the water. Unlike the Stone Lion Centipede, it is much smaller and is said to be the size of an average man.”

This area was certainly different from the first two zones. From the map, there was more water than land, which had been separated into islands. Stone bridges connected one to another as a single path. These bridges had no rails to them, it was merely a pathway. If one wasn't careful, they could lose their balance and fall.

Ming Yue walked into the Third Zone to study the water.

It was somewhat green, perhaps from moss or any plants that lived within. Strangely, it seemed incredibly still and she decided to dip her finger in.

”This...how heavy!” she thought.

This water was unlike anything she'd seen. It was dense, incredibly so. She cupped some into her hands and weighed it. Just a handful felt like she was holding fifty kilograms. Letting it flow from her fingers, she watched as it joined back without so much as making a splash.

If she were to fall, death was a certain fate.