137 A Little Shadow and the Forest of Danger’s Longevity 2 (1/2)

A book bound in goldleaf clutched to her chest, a young girl finished exchanging the goods stored within the leather bag that had followed her from Jiang'an.

She dumped the contents onto the crystalline floor, a quaint expression on her countenance.

The jars of cosmetics were carefully set aside atop of a nearby table on the platform, and a bundle of herbs wrapped in fabric took its place.

The young girl stuck her hand within the leather bag, searching around for any additional articles of weight.

The grey sachet of money and the blue silk pouch of yuebing… could remain in the leather bag.

However, An Fei didn't think much of the satchel of scarlet fabric, and tossed it to rest besides the discarded bottles of cosmetics.

Having accomplished her task, the young girl dusted her hands, hauling the bag over her shoulder with a wistful sigh. An Fei headed towards the elevating disk at the corner of the platform, her mind being preoccupied by an issue that continued to nag at her consciousness.

The herbs… since they originated from the Sanctum… surely they wouldn't corrode upon entering the mortal realm?

…it would be perfect if their efficacy was suppressed to the minimum… since she only needed them for the taste.

Three sharp raps, and the young girl's figure hurtled downwards at a breathtaking velocity.

With a slight thud, An Fei shakily stood at the base platform of the Archives of Time, her eyes twitching in annoyance.

”This experience is always undesirable…”

The young girl shook her head to dispel her grievances, and strode out of the grand library of the Sanctum.

Facing the finite length of the second corridor, she took a moment to ponder on what to accomplish next.

”I… can temporarily settle my food problems by eating yuebing,” An Fei murmured to herself, the fingers of her right hand gently rubbing at the base of her chin.

”If I arrive at the location where I previously was, I have a stream nearby to satiate my need for water. As for creatures and animals… I…”

…don't have a weapon to settle a dispute or hunt…

The young girl's voice trailed off into a discomforting silence, and she gazed towards the crystalline wall with a faraway glance. Finally, An Fei released a heavy sigh, slapping her cheeks with both hands.

”Armory!”

Clenching her arms tight for security, the young girl strode throughout the corridor to stand before a door to her right, her limbs trembling in a slight fear and unease.

After a moment of deliberation, An Fei pursed her lips, before reaching out with a dainty hand to push at the door of sky-blue crystal.

The door slid inward without a single sound of dissent, and the young girl stepped forward to re-enter the mystical armory of the second gateway –

Bang!

”Ergh!”

…only to be repelled by the sudden storm of tangible light that rushed towards her figure.

Startled by the sudden tsunami of divine essence pressing against her body, An Fei sank to the ground in a confused heap.

Her mind rang with the unceasing tolls of agony and luxury, mired in a heavy daze that possessed her soul.

The young girl's mouth hung slightly open, unintelligible sounds escaping her throat in a momentary, drowsy lull.

Soon after, the unusual sensations began to diminish, one margin at an instance as a warm current surged throughout her body.

The fog in her pitiful consciousness receded centimeter per centimeter, until clarity had returned to An Fei's vision.

To her surprise, the previous sensation as though wading in waist-high water had vanished, her movement unhindered by the sea of colored light that encompassed her entire body.

Rubbing her temples with a rueful smile, An Fei slowly strode into the armory, allowing her eyes to feast on the hundreds of weapons carefully settled onto their racks.

Unbeknownst to her, the reforged eight extraordinary meridians were greedily absorbing the divine essence emanating from the weapons stored in the armory, a myriad of various attributes and fluctuations becoming assimilated and comprehended into the consciousness of the eight dragons within the young girl's body.

Alas, the young girl only cared about the fact that she was now free to move around in the dense sea of divine essence without suffering harm.