First Exploration of the Primordial Wilderness, Infinite Mysteries

The two short and one long knock from the rock lizard still echoed in my ears. I stood up and sheathed Flowing Abyss behind my back. The spirit beast lay on the ground, its ears pressed to the earth, its tail swaying gently. It looked up at me, a hint of unease in its eyes.

I knew it didn't want to leave.

I walked over and crouched beside it, placing my hand on its neck fur. "The valley is safe now, but we can't stay here forever," I said. "There are more things outside that we don't know about. Only when we figure them out can we truly protect this place."

It stared at me for a moment, its nose twitching, then slowly stood up and moved to my side.

I took out the directional compass the System had given me from my embrace. It was a reward I'd earned a few days ago by answering questions. The surface was etched with a circle of fine lines, and a small light flickered in the center. I infused a trace of spiritual power into it, and the light immediately pointed east. There was an area there that I had previously sensed with my spiritual sense; the spiritual energy fluctuations were unstable, as if something was active underground.

"Let's head that way," I said.

We walked out along the mountain pass. The soil underfoot turned from black to gray, and the grass became sparse. The further we went, the stronger the wind became. There was a faint metallic scent in the air, not of blood, but more like the smell of stones that had been baked through by the sun.

After about half an hour, the terrain began to descend. Ahead, a cracked plain appeared, the ground covered in deep fissures, as if torn by a colossal beast. I stopped and looked at the compass again. The light still pointed forward, unwavering.

"Something's wrong with this place," I said.

The spirit beast let out a low growl and scratched the ground with its claws.

I opened the System interface and activated the environmental analysis function. A few seconds later, a line of text popped up: [Detected residual traces of laws, recommend low-altitude gliding to avoid sharp edges].

I had never encountered true law power, but I knew it was the remnant of the rules that governed the operation of heaven and earth. This was not a place to force one's way through.

I took out the Cloud Slippers, a low-level flying magic item rewarded by the System. They looked like a pair of gray cloth shoes and felt very light when worn. I channeled spiritual power to activate them, and a thin mist rose from under my feet, lifting me half a foot off the ground. The spirit beast couldn't fly, so I had it walk along the ground, keeping pace with it.

As soon as we entered the Spirit Severing Plain, the air changed. It was hot one moment and cold the next, and the spiritual power flowing through my meridians became sluggish. Sometimes a strong surge would suddenly erupt, almost shattering my control. Whenever this happened, I would stop to regulate my breathing and take note of the surrounding changes.

Along the way, I saw a tree root buried in the sand. Half of it was exposed, showing golden, thread-like patterns. I leaned closer to examine it, but before I could reach out and touch it, the System suddenly presented a question:

[Question: What kind of divine wood remnant is this?]

There were four options. The first said it was a remnant root of Fusang, the second said it was a fragment of Jianmu, the third said it was an old root of a Peaches of Immortality tree, and the fourth said it was ordinary ancient wood.

I stared at the question and thought for a moment. Fusang was associated with the sun, Jianmu connected heaven and earth, and the Peaches of Immortality grew in Kunlun. None of these were things that should be found in this barren wilderness. But the golden patterns on this root were very peculiar, like traces left by a massive amount of spiritual energy being absorbed and then instantly drained.

I remembered Zhen Yuanzi mentioning that in ancient times, some divine woods were used as pillars for formations. They were later damaged in great battles and scattered everywhere. Such remnants usually had a faint resonance that could affect the surrounding spiritual energy.

Although this root was dead, the golden patterns were still slowly flickering, indicating that it still had residual effects.

I chose the second option.

[Correct Answer]

[Reward: One low-level Purification Talisman]

A yellow paper talisman floated into my backpack. I put it away and glanced back at the tree root. It lay quietly in the sand, like a forgotten bone.

Continuing forward, the ground fissures became wider and wider. Some cracks were bottomless, emitting grayish-white gas. We walked around them, trying to step on the more intact parts of the ground.

The sky didn't change, but the light seemed to have been absorbed by something. On the distant horizon, several stone pillars stood faintly. Their shapes were regular and did not appear to be naturally formed.

"That's the target," I said.

The spirit beast's ears twitched, and it refused to move forward.

I took a few steps forward, but it remained in place. I retreated and patted its back. "You wait here. I'll go ahead and take a look."

It shook its head and followed me a short distance before stopping in a relatively flat area and lying down. This meant it wouldn't leave, nor would it get too close.

I walked towards the stone pillars alone.

The closer I got, the heavier my head felt. It was as if someone was banging a drum inside my head, each beat making my temples throb. I slowed my pace, stopping to catch my breath every ten steps.

At a hundred paces, I stopped.

From this distance, the stone pillars were arranged in a circle, each one carved with dense symbols. The lines were curved and complex, and I couldn't tell what language they were. But I noticed their arrangement – five main pillars on the outside, seven secondary pillars on the inside, and one central pillar that was the tallest, with a piece missing from the top.

This structure looked somewhat familiar.

I recalled a question I had answered during a quiz: about the relationship between star positioning and array core layout. The example diagram the System had provided at the time was a five-pointed, seven-rayed star with a central main star. Such arrangements were typically used for observing celestial phenomena or guiding stellar power.

The stone pillar cluster before me was likely a disused observatory.

I closed my eyes and extended my spiritual sense. As soon as the signal touched the nearest stone pillar, my head throbbed violently, like needles pricking my temples. I immediately withdrew my spiritual sense and took a few deep breaths.

I couldn't directly probe without damaging my soul.

I sat down and took out the information record from the quiz I had answered correctly. It mentioned the geological changes in the early Primordial Wilderness, stating that the Eastern Wasteland had been an area of frequent activity for the ancient divine race. Later, due to fault lines, most of the ruins sank underground.

This stone pillar cluster might have been left from that era.

I opened the System again, looking for new questions. As soon as I clicked it, a prompt appeared:

[Infer what type of array hub this place once belonged to?]

I looked at the question, reviewing the details I had observed in my mind. The five outer pillars corresponded to the five cardinal directions, and the seven inner pillars were arranged according to the deviation angle of the Big Dipper. Although the central pillar was incomplete, there was a groove at its base, which should have been used to place some kind of core crystal.

This design was more than just for observing stars. It could also gather stellar power, convert it into usable spiritual power, and possibly even open spatial portals temporarily.

I chose the answer "Star Power Gathering Array."

[Correct Answer]

[Reward: Fragmented Map Piece (marked "Edge of Eastern Wasteland"), supplementary information on early Primordial Wilderness topography]

A yellowed piece of paper fell into my backpack. I took it out and spread it open. It showed rough topographical lines. The westernmost part was marked "Unknown Valley," which was the valley I lived in. Extending eastward was a serrated mountain range, and further out were several blurred markings labeled "Forbidden Zone," "Sunken City," and "Broken River."

So, the place I had been staying was just a small corner of it.

I put the map away, and for the first time, I felt a sense of direction.

I don't have to venture into dangerous territory immediately, but at least I know where to look now.

I stood up and started walking back. Seeing me return, the spirit beast immediately got up and took a few steps to greet me. I patted its head, "I saw some things, useful for us."

It nuzzled me without making a sound.

We returned the way we came, and when we reached the edge of the rift valley, I stopped. I looked back in the direction of the valley, its outline no longer visible. Ahead lay a mountain range floating in the air, shrouded in mist, its full appearance unclear.

"Let's go there first," I said, pointing at the floating mountains.

The spirit beast looked over, a low rumble coming from its throat.

Just as I was about to step forward, the System suddenly popped up another notification:

[Detected unknown energy frequency, source: floating area ahead]

[Initiate exploration prediction database?]

I stared at the text.

Before I could even confirm, a blue light flashed and disappeared in an instant from the peak of a distant mountain.