Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 301 Pingzhou Fuzhong

Wang Yunkai's old face was full of smiles as he explained to everyone along the way how to get through the journey, what precautions to take, and that they must stay close to him.

Everyone agreed.

Soon, Wang Yunkai led the group along a somewhat indistinguishable path for more than two hours.

Suddenly, the road ahead vanished, and the mountaintop split open, forming a huge ravine and canyon, as if it had been cleaved in two by a single palm strike.

Below the cliff lies a bottomless ravine, shrouded in white mist, its depth unknown, with the faint sound of rushing water audible.

Above the ravine, ahead of the group, stood a dilapidated bridge, teetering on the verge of collapse and neglected for years.

The bridge is tilted, and the landing point on the other end appears to be on a hillside.

“Over there…” Wang Yunkai pointed to the other end of the bridge, “Over there is Wanggui Ridge, which is within the Pingzhou Prefecture area.”

"Gazing at the boundless sky, when will I return home..." He sighed, as if recalling something.

Longing for home, longing for home, hoping for the swift return of loved ones.

This stone bridge, in a time when official roads were scarce and transportation was inconvenient, carried the hopes and dreams of countless people.

But now, this stone bridge, like him, is old and useless...

"Let's go." He waved and led the group toward the bridge.

The stone bridge was riddled with holes and gaps, and the iron chains were heavily rusted, with several broken. The railings were also incomplete, almost entirely corroded by the heavy moisture.

But that wasn't the main point. What truly made Han Yi and his group's expressions turn grim was...

In the canyons and ravines, the loud, grating cries of birds could be heard from time to time, and large birds could be seen circling and gliding through the white mist.

puff!

A black-feathered bird with a long neck, a human face, a red crown, and black feathers burst out of the white mist and landed on the stone bridge with a thud.

It flapped its wings, and a large amount of water droplets fell like scattered raindrops. On its long, sharp beak, it held a plump, silvery-white fish that was struggling, as if it had returned from hunting in the rushing river below.

Then, one after another, dozens of black goblins rushed out of the white mist, landed on the stone bridge, raised their heads, stretched their necks, and swallowed the plump, fresh fish in one gulp.

And such activity is not uncommon in the canyon; it is unknown how many black goblins breed, hunt, and live there.

Clearly, there must be a blackbird's nest here, and they've claimed this area as their territory. Blackbirds aren't individually strong... but their numbers are vast, and they have to cross a narrow, precarious stone bridge suspended in mid-air...

Even Han Yi wouldn't dare say he could guarantee whether he could pass smoothly.

All eyes turned to Old Wang.

At this moment, Wang Yunkai's expression was also grim. He stroked his beard and said, "Just as I expected..."

Judging from the frequency of encounters with black goblins and the increasing amount of bird droppings along the way, he knew that there must be a black goblin nest nearby.

However, this black goblin's nest is located near the bridge, which clearly indicates that these ferocious beasts have also taken advantage of the area's abundant resources.

"It's alright, don't panic," he said calmly, reassuring everyone.

He knew he might encounter the Black Demon's nest, and he had prepared for it in advance...

Wang Yunkai took out something wrapped in green grass leaves from his pocket.

When you unfold it, you see a blood-red paste mixed with some tiny green herbs.

"Everyone come and take a little, and apply it to your face, neck, arms, and other exposed areas." He demonstrated.

Han Yi looked at the paste-like substance in his hand, reached out, gently pinched a tiny bit of the paste, and held it up to his eyes.

Then, a pungent, tear-inducing smell suddenly rushed into my nostrils, like the hottest chili pepper, pungent and spicy, going straight into my lungs.

He sneezed several times before he could barely get used to the spiciness.

Han Yi endured the stinging sensation on his skin and applied the paste to his exposed areas.

The others were also flushed, with tears in their eyes, but they forced themselves to finish. "Alright, with this thing here, as long as you don't cause trouble, there shouldn't be any problems." Wang Yunkai slowly stroked his beard. "However, please remember, no matter what happens, you must not kill the Black Demon Bird, you can only avoid it."

"Understood," everyone replied in unison.

Then, Wang Yunkai took out several sturdy ropes, wrapped them around each person's waist, and held them tightly in his hands.

No matter how good the materials were or how much care was taken during the construction of this bridge, it has been in disrepair for many years. Who knows where the stone slabs might collapse? This is a kind of insurance.

Wang Yunkai walked at the front, followed by several guards. At the very back of the group were Han Yi and Fatty Zheng. In the safest place in the middle of the group were Tantai Xunzhen and her personal maid, Ya'er.

The handrails on both sides of the stone bridge had long since corroded down to their bases, leaving only swaying, unsupported iron chains that looked quite dangerous. Below and above the ravine, large birds could be seen circling and flying by; in the misty air, it was hard to tell if they were blackbirds.

"Everyone be careful, there are three black goblins resting on the right-hand side ahead. Be careful not to disturb them."

Old Wang walked at the front, leading the way and giving careful instructions.

The stone bridge was shrouded in mist, and from a distance, it was impossible to see what was happening. He was the most experienced person in the team, and he had to be the first to discover the problem and eliminate the danger.

Soon, one by one, everyone walked onto the stone bridge.

Just as Old Wang had said, the blackbirds that were either returning from foraging or resting on the stone bridge flapped their wings and flew away when they approached, not daring to get close at all.

The people who had been on edge instantly felt at ease. It was useful, extremely useful.

"Ya'er, are you not scared anymore?" In the middle of the group, Tantai Xunzhen looked at her good friend with concern. Although Ya'er was nominally her personal maid, the two had grown up together since childhood and were as close as sisters. She had always regarded Ya'er as her own younger sister.

Because of Ya'er's health condition, she was unable to practice martial arts, so she took good care of Ya'er on a daily basis.

Today, from the moment she stepped onto this stone bridge, Ya'er became somewhat abnormal; her face turned pale, and she appeared noticeably listless.

But that's normal. Among such a large group of people, Ya'er is the only real ordinary person. Facing such a large group of ferocious black-winged birds, and with the stone bridge under her feet looking rather flimsy, it's normal for her to be afraid.

"Miss, I'm fine." Ya'er forced a smile and refused Tantai Xunzhen's help. "Miss, you can go on your own. I've been a burden to you all the way here. I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"What are you saying!" Tantai Xunzhen asked with concern. "You are my sister, it is only right that I care about you..." The two lowered their heads and spoke in hushed tones.

only…...

As they talked...

Ya'er looked at the stone bridge she was almost halfway across. It was shrouded in white mist, and apart from Tantai Xunzhen, she could not see anyone else.

She pretended to listen to the young lady telling some interesting stories, and feigned fatigue by swinging her wrist.

The face of Qin Lang, which haunted her dreams, appeared in her mind once more…

Qin Lang…..

Her eyes looked somewhat lost.

Then, she gritted her teeth, and while shaking her hand, she tossed her hair aside and gently dropped a small, dark object.

This thing has a peculiar fragrance that spreads rapidly through the fog as soon as it is thrown out.

Humans can't smell it, but other creatures can. The flock of black-headed birds began to stir slightly.

The group slowed down, but they assumed it was normal. Old Wang's methods were already quite clever; even at such close range, no black goblin dared to attack, which was more than enough.

"Miss, I'll definitely take a good shower when I get back. I haven't showered for several days, and I smell a bit..."

Ya'er pouted and complained.

"You're still so clean..." Tantai Xunzhen's usually stern face was quite radiant today, seemingly influenced by her near-successful escape from pursuit.

"Hehe..." Ya'er stuck out her tongue mischievously. While pretending to chat with Tantai Xunzhen, she tossed a small black object about the size of a pebble into her hair.

The black object, about the size of a soybean, fell gently to the ground. In the white mist, there was no sound and nothing could be seen.

At the back of the line, Han Yi suddenly frowned and looked at Ya'er. He rushed to Ya'er and asked, "What are you doing?"

Han Yi had a feeling that something was off about Ya'er...

Who would bother walking on such a high and dangerous dilapidated bridge, and then have the time to comb their hair?

Even if there are some foreign objects, just sorting them out once is enough.

But Ya'er has a habit of flipping her hair every now and then, which is a bit strange.

"N-nothing...what's wrong?" Ya'er's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Han Yi with an innocent and blank expression, pretending that she didn't know anything.

She felt that her little actions were already discreet enough, and with the fog covering them, there was no way anyone could discover them.

Han Yi looked at Ya'er intently until she lowered her head in fear, and until Tantai Xunzhen also looked over suspiciously. Then he nodded and said, "It's alright. I just noticed you were unsteady on your feet. The stone bridge is windy, so be careful." "Okay, Brother Han," Ya'er nodded obediently.

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she was alright. However, that wretched guy surnamed Han's intuition was just too sharp…

Afterwards, Han Yi returned to the end of the group and chatted with Fatty Zheng about things in Pingzhou Prefecture.

Actually, most of the time it was Fatty Zheng who was talking, and he was listening.

Especially now that they were about to return to Pingzhou Prefecture, Fatty Zheng couldn't contain his excitement. He talked to them about their plans after returning, and tried to persuade the two brothers to join the Demon Hunting Society and establish a business together.

Hearing the faint sounds of laughter and conversation coming from behind Han Yi and that fat man carried on the wind, Ya'er felt relieved, figuring there shouldn't be any problems.

After the group had walked for a while, she once again reached out two fingers from her hidden waist bag and gently broke off a small, dark object.

This time, she decided to keep her movements smaller to avoid being noticed.

"What is this?" Han Yi's voice suddenly rang in her ear.