"Hiss...!"
However, just as Chen Mu was passing through a dense and damp forest, a huge python, three or four zhang long and thicker than Chen Mu's waist, blocked his way.
"Embrace the primordial unity, and transform Tai Chi into internal energy!"
Despite the python's devastating impact, Chen Mu simply deflected it with a light touch, shifting the force of the impact to the side. Then, he exhaled and delivered a powerful punch to the python's head.
Five Elements Collapse Fist!
Chen Mu's punch may seem simple, but in reality, all the joints in his body resonate as the punch is thrown.
The moment the strike is launched, the power first arises from the soles of the feet. With the help of the ground's reaction force, the body acts like a giant spring, continuously amplifying the power. When the power finally enters the fist, it transforms into a terrifying spiraling explosive force, striking the opponent's body fiercely.
With a loud "plop!", blood splattered everywhere, and the giant python's head exploded with a hole the size of a bowl. Its massive body immediately went limp.
Although this giant python had not yet reached the level of releasing Spiritual Power, its physical body was tough and no weaker than that of a martial artist in the Qi Nourishing Realm. However, it couldn't even withstand a single move from Chen Mu.
"Walk!"
This was Chen Mu's first time fighting a beast of this level, but the result was pretty much what he expected. Without delay, he continued moving forward.
To traverse this Nimble Mountain Range, besides the ferocious beasts that can be seen everywhere, there are also various strange and unusual terrains. Therefore, even though Chen Mu was confident in his strength, he still dared not be careless and had to stop to recover his strength after running for a while.
Whoosh! Splat!
As evening fell, Chen Mu used the long spear on his back as a long spear and shot and killed a wild boar. He then found a recessed rock wall and set up camp to rest.
"It's too dark to move around at night. Let's set off again when it's light tomorrow."
Their bodies are now those of ordinary people, but they lack night vision and can only obediently sleep at night like ordinary people, taking turns keeping watch.
"I'm so hungry, I haven't felt this way in ages."
Mingye sat by the campfire, gazing longingly at the fragrant roasted wild boar meat sizzling above.
"Yes! Sometimes I really miss that feeling of being an ordinary person."
Chen Mu handed a roasted pig leg to Mingye, then picked up another one for himself and began to tear into it.
"That's easy. After you return to the Chen Kingdom, you can destroy your cultivation."
From now on, you just need to focus on studying runes; leave all the fighting and killing outside to me.
Mingye ate much more gracefully than Chen Mu. She used a stone knife to cut off pieces of the beast meat, placed them on a stone plate, and then ate them bite by bite.
"Great idea! I'll think about it."
Chen Mu looked up at Mingye and smiled happily.
Both he and Mingye understood that these words were just jokes. Pan Emperor Continent was about to undergo a major upheaval, and no one could remain unscathed. If they were to progress even slightly slower, they could be reduced to ashes at any moment.
However, in the ups and downs of life, having someone willing to support you from behind, even if you never need to use them, brings an unparalleled sense of happiness.
"Go to sleep! I'll keep watch for the first half of the night, you can take over for the second half."
Half an hour later, both of them had eaten and drunk their fill. Chen Mu squatted to the side with his spear on guard, while Mingye gave up the stone wall recess that could protect him from the wind and rain.
"Good!"
Mingye nimbly climbed inside the stone wall and closed his eyes to rest.
Nothing more was said that night.
The next day, Chen Mu and Mingye continued their journey.
This time, they encountered a vast swampy area spanning tens of kilometers.
Although they could find a way to bypass it, it would take them at least another month to get around this terrain as ordinary people. At this rate, it would take them at least several years to cross the Nimble Mountain Range.
"I can't waste time here; I still have four trials in the grotto-heavens to complete."
Chen Mu looked around the swamp and spent an afternoon making two pairs of shoes specifically designed for use in swamps.
"The reason people get stuck in swamps is simply because the contact area is too small. As long as you use shoes to increase the contact area, you can move freely across the swamp."
To avoid any other dangers in the swamp, Chen Mu also reinforced his shoes and added backup mechanisms to ensure the safety of this trip.
After everything was ready, it got dark again, and Chen Mu and Mingye had no choice but to set up camp and rest, and set off to cross the swamp the next day.
Camping near the swamp, where snakes, insects, and rodents were rampant, Chen Mu searched for a long time but couldn't find any herbs that could repel them. It wasn't until it was almost completely dark that he finally found a huge tree hole and climbed inside.
"The tree hollow smells very fishy; it must be the den of some wild beast."
We need to be on high alert tonight; that beast could return at any moment.
Chen Mu is very skilled in wilderness survival, after all, he grew up in this kind of environment.
Although the fishy smell here was unpleasant, it had a repellent effect on some mosquitoes, so they decided without hesitation to set up camp and rest here.
There were no wild boars around, only cold-blooded animals. Chen Mu didn't pick and choose, and directly caught two long snakes, skinned and deboned them, and boiled them into snake soup to nourish his weak body.
" Chen Mu, this is a wild fruit I found today. I don't think it's poisonous. Why don't you try it?"
Today, while Chen Mu was making shoes, Mingye picked some wild fruits and shared some with Chen Mu.
"Mmm, so sweet!"
As the sweet juice entered his throat, Chen Mu exclaimed in admiration.
He could tell that Mingye had deliberately saved the ripest and most perfect fruit for him, and his heart immediately warmed, and he smiled happily.
Chen Mu didn't sleep well that night, remaining vigilant for the return of the wild beasts. But this time they were lucky; they didn't encounter any attacks until dawn.
"Let's go! into the swamp."
They prepared their provisions early in the morning and set off. The swamp was vast, and they hoped to cross it before nightfall; otherwise, they might have to rest in the middle of the swamp that night.
Splash!
With swamp-specific shoes designed by Chen Mu, they could move swiftly across the swamp without slowing down at all.
After a series of close calls, Chen Mu and his companion finally crossed more than 60 kilometers of swamp and reached the other side of the swamp as darkness fell.
For the next month or so, they tried climbing smooth, mirror-like mountain walls, jumping across huge canyons hundreds of meters wide, and even using ropes to climb over the tops of two mountain peaks.
Each time, Chen Mu used his extensive knowledge of wilderness survival, as well as principles of physics and mechanics, to successfully resolve the difficulties.
Therefore, they traversed the Nimble Mountain Range and completed the test of Nimble Grotto-Heaven in just over a month.
After completing the trial of the Nimble Grotto-Heaven, Chen Mu saw seven divine objects floating and rotating around him. This result undoubtedly confirmed Chen Mu's guess that Han Zishu had not completed the trial of the Nimble Grotto-Heaven.