The Portal of Wonderland

The young man raised his head to look at Shi Mu, and a look of hesitation peeped through his eyes.

“I don’t have enough time to waste on you. You’ll see the consequences yourself if you don’t speak out now!” Shi Mu’s face revealed a trace of impatience as he said.

“I’ll speak… But, can you promise me that you’ll let me go after that?” the young man clenched his teeth, and said.

“I have no interest in your life,” Shi Mu replied.

The young man let out a sigh of relief when he heard his reply. He then said, “We had received a mission from our Sect… We were supposed to render assistance to a fleet of carriages. The images of you two were also there in the mission, and it was also mentioned that we might bump into you…”

His voice hadn’t even faded when a yellow light flashed on the ground. Then, a large number of sharp and brown light-arrows drilled out of the ground, and pierced the young man.

Shi Mu was startled. He raised his hand, and several fireballs darted out to block those yellow light-arrows.

A loud rumbling sound rang out for a moment…

Those light-arrows started to shatter and disperse under the attack of those fireballs.

Shi Mu’s response had been extremely fast. However, half of those arrows had still succeeded in penetrating the young man’s body. This had happened because these light-arrows had appeared too suddenly and too close to that young man.

The young man screamed in response. Then, his body softly tumbled to the ground, and his pupils rolled back.

A golden light gushed into Shi Mu’s eyes, and he whirled around at once. Then, he ran his gaze all around.

“Shi Tou… In the north…!” Cai was hovering in the air. His voice rang in Shi Mu’s mind.

Shi Mu directed his gaze towards the north, and saw a grey silhouette nearly a thousand feet away from him. Suddenly, that silhouette jumped over a boulder, and swept into the distance in a swift manner.

“Where will you run?”

Shi Mu gave a low shout. Simultaneously, he turned his hand, and the blue shuttle emerged. It held up Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu, and dashed behind the grey figure like a rainbow.

That silhouette seemed to be that of a Star-ranked magician if one were judge from the waves of magic power that it was exuding. It was also hard to guess what kind of magic spell that person had cast to accelerate his speed to such an astonishing extent.

Furthermore, this person seemed quite familiar with the terrain of this valley. That’s because he would especially look for either some narrow and remote roads or a path with plenty of obstacles. In addition, he would often jump, and abruptly change his direction. And, this would leave Shi Mu’s flying spirit tool incapable of bringing its extraordinary speed into play.

However, Shi Mu still had Cai by his side. He was constantly hovering in the air, and providing Shi Mu with a panoramic view of the surrounding from above. Therefore, this person’s tricks eventually ended in vain.

Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu got closer to that person in no time. In fact, there was hardly a hundred feet of distance between the two sides at the moment.

A cold look flashed through Shi Mu’s eyes at this moment. He wielded his hand, and the golden sword light shot out. Then, it transformed into three sword-lights in a flash, and hacked towards the grey silhouette.

A layer of grey radiance flared up on the grey silhouette’s entire body as he realized that he was about to be chopped down. Then, he cut his way through the sword-lights in a dangerous manner. It seemed for a moment as if he had turned into a group of fuzzy grey shadows as he evaded those sword-lights. After that, he again changed his direction, and flew into a small valley nearby.

Shi Mu let out a cold snort, and the radiance of the blue shuttle under his feet brightened. Then, it seemed as if it had turned into a blue shadow as it flew forward to follow that silhouette.

“Shi Tou, be careful. You can’t enter!” Cai’s voice resounded in Shi Mu’s mind at this moment.

Shi Mu’s complexion changed. He wanted to stop the shuttle, but he was already too late to do so. Then, something flashed before his eyes, and the surrounding scenery suddenly underwent a huge change. Suddenly, a layer of yellow light-screen baselessly emerged over their heads… as well as around their bodies. This light-screen then shrouded them from all sides. After that, the surrounding light-curtain released a faint pressure that fell upon those two.

“A magic array!” Shi Mu’s complexion changed. He waved his hand to receive the blue shuttle. Then, he landed on the ground with Zhong Xiu.

The yellow light-screen looked very thick. Also, there was a thick layer of yellow mist inside the light-curtain. It was so thick that the situation beyond the light-curtain wasn’t clearly visible to them.

However, Shi Mu didn’t even need to see outside since Cai was outside the magic array. Therefore, Shi Mu was able to see the situation outside the array through Cai’s field of vision.

Shi Mu immediately made Cai move far away from the valley so that the opposite party wouldn’t be able to catch him. After all, Cai hardly possessed any fighting skills.

The grey-robed man outside the magic array brandished both of his hands, and shot out a streak of yellow light. That light dashed, and submerged into the magic array.

Meanwhile, it couldn’t be said when five more disciples of the Dark Moon Cult had appeared around the magic array. They held jade tokens, magic flags, and other things in their hands. And, all of them were reading the same incantation in a loud voice.

The brown magic array got activated as these people cast spells. Then, it condensed into a huge egg-shaped light-screen, and enveloped Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu in it.

A spurt of golden gleam gushed in Shi Mu’s eyes, and he swept his eyes over the surroundings. He got a panoramic view of the magic array in this way. He saw that several tiny magic characters had emerged in the magic array, and had started to move on its surface.

Shi Mu had a limited understanding of the magic array. However, he had gained a very profound understanding of the magic charms whilst browsing through them. After all, a magic array was nothing but engraving complex and complicated magic spells on the ground. So, both of them had precisely the same foundation.

According to his observation… this array should simply be an Earth-attribute trapping magic formula. It was sturdy, but it didn’t command any attacking characteristics. Therefore, Shi Mu felt confident that he could get rid of this array if only he spent some time.

Wait a moment… Take some time…

Suddenly, a glimmer of understanding flashed through Shi Mu’s mind, and he realized these people’s goal.

Zhong Xiu’s voice resounded at this moment, “Big Brother Shi, this magic array is purely a trapping and restricting magic formula. It doesn’t have the ability to kill or injure people.”

“Yes, these people’s actual goal isn’t to ambush and kill us. That grey-robed person from a moment before must’ve deliberately led us here so that he could trap us with the help of this array.” Shi Mu said.

“In other words, the Floating Cloud Carriages should be nearby. I think these people are trying to buy some time for the fleet. After all, things will become very troublesome once the fleet enters the Hidden Wind Valley,” Zhong Xiu’s complexion slightly changed when she heard Shi Mu’s conjecture. And, she immediately grasped the crux of the whole story.

“Let’s try to break this array as soon as possible… We might still be able to catch up with them in time!” Shi Mu said in a lowered voice. Then, he extended his hand, and pulled out the black blade that hung on his back.

Zhong Xiu gave him a nod. Then, she also waved her hand, and drew out the white jade harp.

A dazzling black light gleamed on Shi Mu’s chest, and he underwent the totem transformation in an instant. After that, he grasped the blade with both of his hands. Simultaneously, he stimulated his Real Qi, and poured it into the blade with full force.

However, Shi Mu’s facial expression changed the next moment.

His Real Qi had clearly gushed into the black blade. But, the blade hadn’t shown the special reaction that it had exhibited before. In fact, it hadn’t even revealed the sparkling and translucent blade-light.

Shi Mu was dumbfounded in the face of this situation. There was a somewhat awkward expression on his face. He had wanted to spur the black blade’s special ability like when he had killed that corpse. But, he wasn’t able to.

On the other hand, Zhong Xiu had already begun to play the harp. Water-like blue ripples had started to emerge in the air as the crisp sound of harp resounded. They again changed into blue long-spear, and dashed towards the yellow light-curtain.

Then, a regiment of bright yellow and blue light started to emerge on the surface of the array. Simultaneously, the light curtain started to vibrate by the impact of this bombardment.

“Put more strength, and trap them firmly!” the gray-robed man outside the light-curtain shouted as he saw an unusual change in the magic array.

Then, a miraculous light flashed behind his head, and four shadows of a star-like lights emerged. The movement of his hands sped up as a result. Simultaneously, two shadows of starlight emerged one after another behind the heads of the surrounding people.

The magic array stabilized under the joint action of the six Star-ranked magicians.

As for Shi Mu… he tried a number of times, but his black blade still didn’t show any special response. He couldn’t help but pucker up his brows as a result.

“Could it be that the previous success was nothing but a coincidence?”

This kind of thought started to whirl in Shi Mu’s mind. However, he immediately suppressed the feeling of anxiousness and impatience that had just sprouted in his heart; he knew that he couldn’t cling to this matter for the time being.

He then took a decision on the spot, and gave a loud shout. Simultaneously, he wielded his black blade, and the blade turned into a black blade-light. He then hacked it towards the yellow light-curtain.

The yellow light-curtain revealed a violent tremor as an expansive yellow light was hacked down on it. Then, the yellow light turned into a yellow mist, and drifted away.

Shi Mu then started to shuttle back and forth in the light curtain; it seemed as if he had turned into a black silhouette while he was scuttling in the light curtain. Simultaneously, a series of electric currents and thunderbolts started to attack the magic array in a fierce manner. Shi Mu also continued to wave his hand, and shot out fireballs continually.

Zhong Xiu saw Shi Mu’s action, and the torrent of attacks she was launching immediately sped up. The blue ripples started to condense into long spears and daggers. They then plummeted down on the light-curtain. Meanwhile, she also continued to wave her hand in order to project ice cones every-now-and-then.

Both of them were the practitioners of both martial arts and magic arts. And, their remarkable attainments in their respective fields couldn’t be underestimated either.

Shi Mu’s strength had reached the Earth-rank after having undergone the beast transformation, while Zhong Xiu was already a Moon-ranked magician. Therefore, their collaborated attacks adversely affected the radiance of the light-curtain, and the light-curtain started to flicker in a crazy manner. Simultaneously, the thickness of the light-curtain started to recede as well.

In fact, the light-curtain became very thin in no time.

“We can’t let them break through the magic array!”

The grey-robed man shouted at top of his voice as he saw that the light-curtain was unable to withstand the attacks. After that, he roared wildly, and one of the star-lights behind his head exuded a dazzling light. That starlight then ruptured with a loud sound.

The other five people complied in unison. Then, they also stimulated the star-lights behind their heads, and made them rupture.

The waves of magic power that these people were emanating rose by a big margin as soon as a wisp of grey mist seeped into their bodies. Then, their hands moved like wheels, and projected beams of light.

The yellow light-curtain again lit up brightly in response. Then, wisps of yellow light started to emerge on the surface of the light-curtain in an unceasing manner. These wisps of light then started to cover the place where the light curtain had been damaged. This gradually strengthened the magic array once again.

Shi Mu’s complexion turned unsightly as he saw this scene.

The magic array had been brought to the verge of falling apart a moment ago. But then, a strange change had taken place at this crucial time. And, this had made it even more difficult for them to break through the array in a short span of time.

Moreover, eighty-percent of the Floating Cloud Carriages had already entered the Quiet Wind Valley by now due to this prolonged delay.

Shi Mu was so annoyed that a fervent current surged up in his body, and started to rush forth from his lower abdominal area. Shi Mu then gave a low-pitched shout, and flipped the black blade in his hand. Then, he made a horizontal cut towards the light-curtain.

A faint layer of sparkling and translucent blade-light flared up on the surface of the black blade the moment.

Ka-cha! The sharp edge of the black blade left a deep cut into the light-curtain with a snapping sound.

This scene left Shi Mu stunned for a moment. Then, his face got smeared with an ecstatic look. He forthwith stimulated the movement of the Real Qi in his body, and poured it into his black blade.

The sparkling and translucent blade-light on the black blade rose sharply, and became over two feet in size as the Real Qi gushed into it.

He then held the blade with both of his hands, and exerted force with his wrists to twist it.

A muffled “Ka” sound was heard, and a deep mark was slashed on the surface of the light-curtain.

The sturdy light-curtain seemed like an ordinary clay wall in front of the black blade now. Therefore, it became quite easy to cut open a large hole in it.

Shi Mu seized this opportunity, and brandished his black blade. His blade changed into a blade-light, and hacked at the light-curtain.

Dozens of deep marks were slashed on the light-curtain in a matter of few breaths. Simultaneously, the thickness of the light-curtain was weakened by nearly half.

“Miss Xiu, leave everything else, and join me here. Attack this place together with me!” Shi Mu turned his head, and said in a loud voice.

Zhong Xiu looked in that direction, and a smear of happiness bloomed across her pretty face.

Clang Clang Clang!

The sonorous yet shrill sound spread from the harp once again, and a series of blue ripples were set-off in the air. Then, those ripples converged together, and took the shape of a thick spear-shadow; this blue spear-shadow was ten feet in length.

Boom!

The blue spear-shadow plummeted down on the light-curtain in a forceful manner. The light-curtain revealed a few sparks in response. Consequently, the light-curtain again weakened by a layer.

“How can it be possible?”

The grey-robed man had been standing outside the light-curtain this entire time. He saw this scene, and his complexion profoundly changed. He couldn’t understand what exactly had happened inside.

Suddenly, a wisp of white light gleamed on the black jade bracelet on the grey-robed man’s wrist. And then, it dissipated.

The grey-robed man’s facial expression loosened a bit. He then turned his head, and spoke to the other people in a loud voice, “The mission has been accomplished. Let’s retreat!”

The surrounding people heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this statement. Therefore, they stood up with the intention to leave.

But then, a “Ka-cha” sound was heard!

It was the sound of a large crack that had finally appeared in the light-curtain. Then, a blade-tip stuck out of the light-curtain; it was emitting a sparkling and translucent blade-light!