Abandoned Land

The standoff didn't last long.

When the Yao Beast approached the old man's corpse for the third time, sharp bristles on its spine suddenly shot towards Li Ji'an and the other four. They moved like a gale, swift as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, they were deeply embedded in the ground before the five of them.

"Go!" This alone proved that the Yao Beast before them was far stronger than any Spirit Beast from the Immortal Bestowed Dynasty.

Li Ji'an, with his strength as a Vital Energy and Blood Grandmaster, felt confident he could handle it. However, the other four were in danger, and he didn't know what other desperate measures the beast might have.

The presence of the Yao Beast greatly increased everyone's sense of crisis.

The vague worry they had initially felt due to their ignorance of the cultivation world intensified.

Not daring to venture further into the depths of the Fallen Dragon Ridge wilderness, Li Ji'an led the four of them eastward along the edge.

Although Guangling had claimed that there were no such things as thousand-mile senses or Spirit tracking Immortal Methods in the desert Forbidden Land, and the old man had also said they had no soul lamps left, making it impossible for their clan to determine their life or death or sense their location, Li Ji'an had read too many Xianxia novels before his transmigration. He had preconceived notions about some of the methods used in the cultivation world and didn't dare to believe them easily. That was why he hadn't dared to take the spoils of war, and for the same reason, he decided to avoid them from afar and head east.

"Brother Li, save some for later. This white deer is enough for us to travel for another half a month," Dong Jiangling shouted excitedly to Li Ji'an, carrying a snow-white deer from the woods.

In the past year, they had traveled tens of thousands of miles eastward.

Fortunately, they were all Martial Path experts at Blood Transformation Perfection, possessing sufficient endurance for hunger and cold.

Moreover, there were plenty of wild beasts on the edge of the wilderness. Following Li Ji'an's instructions, they avoided powerful Yao Beasts that might be dangerous, hunted wild beasts, and managed to get by smoothly.

They had even attempted to hunt a few Yao Beasts that Li Ji'an judged to be less dangerous, which eased their apprehension about the cultivation world here considerably.

"No need!" Li Ji'an sat on the ground, opened his eyes, and shook his head.

During this past year, apart from the initial period when he led the group in hunting, the other four gradually regained the confidence they had in the Immortal Bestowed Dynasty. After that, he rarely made a move himself, spending most of his time continuing his cultivation.

Because upon arriving here, he discovered that his Vital Energy and Blood cultivation, which had reached a bottleneck in the Immortal Bestowed Dynasty, seemed to have the possibility of a breakthrough again.

"Recently, there have been significantly more signs of human activity. There should be a human settlement nearby. There's no need to conserve food anymore. Replenish yourselves well and maintain your best condition at all times," Li Ji'an explained.

"Alright, we'll listen to Brother Li," Dong Jiangling and the other three agreed without hesitation.

In a foreign land, surviving in the wilderness, Li Ji'an, with his powerful strength and extensive knowledge, had subtly become their leader.

He was the hope and backing of their small team.

Furthermore, after Li Ji'an "executed the immortals," Dong Jiangling completely locked away his love for Zhao Shuyao in the depths of his heart once more.

"Brother Li, if we encounter people from this place, should we integrate?"

Li Ji'an gazed into the distance, towards the direction they had come from and the northwest. "It's been a year, we should be out of danger."

"We can finally cultivate immortality!" The four of them were incredibly excited.

Li Ji'an looked at them, harboring doubts about their ability to cultivate.

Firstly, there were spiritual roots, and secondly, age.

However, he couldn't completely dismiss it, as he didn't know what this real cultivation world was truly like.

"Brother Li, that group of beasts took in Blood Slaves for over a hundred years in our Immortal Bestowed Dynasty. Their crimes are heinous. Do you think the seniors who were brought here before are still alive?" After getting through the initial period of apprehension and with the hope of cultivating immortality, the anger hidden deep in their hearts finally erupted.

Li Ji'an shook his head. Ning Sujin had said that her cousin's Ascension to the Immortal Realm was a great omen of disaster, and Ning Yutan's also indicated great disaster.

Now it was clear that the true ominous sign lay with these cultivators who received them.

The so-called Blood Slaves, judging by the literal meaning, were likely just expendable resources whose Vital Energy and Blood were extracted. Their fate could be imagined.

"Ning Sujin..."

The only uncertainty was Ning Sujin. He didn't know if Ning Sujin's statement of "great fortune" when she was taken away fifty-five years ago was a well-intentioned lie.

"Hmph! One day, when my cultivation is successful, I will avenge our seniors!" The four of them gritted their teeth.

Li Ji'an looked at them and said silently, "We will!"

They traveled and stopped, and half a month later.

"Friends, we mean no harm. We can also yield this Purple Gold Sable to you," a man, nine feet tall and as burly as a small mountain, shouted from a distance in the dense forest, cupping his fists.

Behind him, seven people were positioned in various directions, forming a defensive formation.

Li Ji'an stared sharply at them, his Vital Energy and Blood coiled but not released.

The other four also adopted a defensive stance, as if facing a great enemy.

This was because they had encountered these people five days ago and had retreated from them after revealing their strength.

Yet, these people had actively sought them out.

"Then what is your intention?" Li Ji'an scanned all eight people opposite him. Three of them had condensed Vital Energy and Blood, and the leading strongman was even more powerful than him. The remaining five had Vital Energy and Blood comparable to Skin Grinding, but they possessed a magical aura similar to Guangling and the old man.

The strongman chuckled freely, "Brother, we understand your caution, but there's no need. After observing you for a few days, you must be from some Abandoned Land, right?"

"Don't worry! Besides you, we've met other people from Abandoned Lands over ten years ago."

The five exchanged glances, looking at their tattered and messy clothes, resembling savages.

Li Ji'an's heart stirred. When he had interrogated the old man earlier, the old man had also mentioned that there was more than one Abandoned Land, and even the Sky Azure Domain had three.

This incident now served as confirmation.

"Then you haven't said why you're looking for us?"

"Haha, naturally, we hope you'll join our hunting party," the burly man said frankly.

"Why?"

"Because legend has it that anyone who can emerge from the Abandoned Land is blessed with great fortune and will surely bring us good luck. Moreover, I see you've also trained your bodies, making you skilled hunters."

"I'm asking why we should join you."

"This… this is hard to explain in a few words, but if you come back to our settlement with us for a few days, you'll understand. You're looking to cultivate immortality, aren't you?" The burly man scratched his messy hair, unable to explain it clearly, so he decided to let them experience it themselves.

After a moment of silence, "We appreciate your kindness, but we must part ways here. We'll meet again," Li Ji'an refused them decisively.

"Hey, hey, don't judge a gentleman's intentions with a villain's mind. My brother is being kind. Otherwise, you've just come from that cursed place, and you might accidentally wander into the territory of a high-level Yao Beast and be devoured alive."

"Heh~ As expected of people from that Spirit-Deprived Land. Do you think mastering body cultivation makes you invincible? You mistake good intentions for a donkey's liver and lungs."

Several people behind the burly man immediately became displeased and sneered.

The burly man hurriedly turned to stop them, then looked back at Li Ji'an with a hint of helplessness. "Since that's the case, we won't force you. Twenty miles ahead is the largest human settlement nearby. At least there, you won't have to worry about Yao Beasts harming you.

Of course, if you change your minds, you can always find me. My name is Chen Zhao'hu. Just ask anyone, and they'll tell you where I live."

"Farewell!" Li Ji'an nodded.

"Ah, right, I forgot to ask, which Abandoned Land did you come from?"

Li Ji'an tilted his chin up and pointed to the east.

"Whoa~ Not simple. The east is the Myriad Miles Flame Mountain Forbidden Land. To come out from there… tsk tsk, your fortune must be incredibly deep." The burly man's eyes shone even brighter as he looked at Li Ji'an and the other four.

Sorry, I was busy all day today and got delayed. Please keep reading. Yesterday we were on a trial recommendation; tomorrow, Tuesday, will determine if we can advance to the second round based on readership. Thank you to @BookFriend20180427182442222@Dāngqí@BookFriend20230718224537572 for your monthly ticket support, thank you all for your recommendation ticket encouragement, and thank you for your continued readership and comments.