The Portal of Wonderland

“I’m humbled to be personally dealt by the Jin Fairy! Yu was even bitten by the Black Demon Snake. But I wish for the Jin fairy will be careful for now on. She must especially be careful in the dark of the night. One never knows when the ghosts of their acts may appear to haunt them,” Yu Qian Ji looked at Jin Xiao Chai. He had regained his calm very quickly, but had spoken these few words in a very gloomy manner. Then, he rolled up his sleeve. Suddenly, strong winds began to blow inside the room. None of the people present in the room were able to keep their eyes open. He moved his hand and flashed a disk-like thing. He then transformed into a divine-light and then faded away into the wind.

Then, the loud sound of a whip was heard.

The wind stopped to blow inside the room.

It wasn’t clear when Jin Xiao Chai had repositioned herself to stand on the floor. She held a shiny-black whip in her hand. The entire surface of the whip was covered with blue-green barbs.

The whip’s lash-marks could be seen at the place where Yu Qian Ji had stood.

Shi Mu swallowed a cold lump of air as he saw this.

Previously… there had been no effect on the hundred-year-old iron wood floor when Ma Fei Yun had tried to penetrate it with his dagger. But, this woman had left a deep mark with just a single lash of her whip.

It was obvious that this woman was very formidable.

“I dislike Senior-Star Level Warlocks. They run away whenever they encounter unfavourable turn of events. It’s so boring!” Jin Xiao Chai pouted. She flicked her wrist and the black whip rolled back; it then disappeared without any trace.

Then, she turned around and took out a chunk of a jade ornament from her sleeve. She pinched it, and broke it into pieces. Suddenly, dark gases rolled-up around her entire body. Then, her body transformed into an exceptionally fiery and beautiful figure of a woman.

Her face remained the same as that of Han Xiang Xiu’s; however, it was much prettier now. But, her figure turned more rounded; especially her breasts. The teenagers looked at her with dry mouths; it was difficult to remove one’s eyes from her.

“What do the three of you think; don’t I look prettier than before? Hehe… I remember… you two were looking at me before,” Jin Xiao Chai asked with a faint smile as her eyes swept across Shi Mu and other teenagers.

The teenager with curly hair and wide mouth looked at the woman in a foolish way when he heard these words. His face had started to become pale.

Shi Mu remained silent. He closed his mouth tightly, and didn’t say a word.

Jin Xiao Chai smiled when she saw this.

The struggle that had unfolded outside also seemed to have come to an end. The blue-robed man and the black-robed man wearing a tiger-mask walked-in moments later.

“Sister Jin, thanks for coming over. Otherwise, the two of us wouldn’t have been able to deal with Yu Qian Ji — the Senior-Star Level Warlock,” the blue-robed man addressed Jin Xiao Chai with a smile across his face.

The black-robed man wearing a tiger-mask didn’t say anything. However, he hadn’t removed his eyes from Jin Xiao Chai since the moment he had seen her. In fact, his eyes were filled with a fiery-hot color.

“I was just following the command my master gave me. Yu Qian Ji has been bitten by the Black Demon Snake. If he is able to save his life… serious illness is unavoidable.”

“I’ve heard that Yu Qian Ji has been studying the laws of the Senior-Star Level Warlock for some time now. But next year… he will have completed thirty years of cultivation and will reach an advanced level of the Senior-Star Level Warlock. Then, he will become one of the very best Senior-Star Level Warlocks in the Three Kingdoms. If we could delay his practice even for six more months… then Sister Jin will be able to establish her foundation,” the blue-robed man said with a smile.

“I hope that you can hinder his practice. Brother Bone, you’re looking at this Young Sister with such expressions in your eyes… it seems that you want me very much, ah. If it’s so… then wouldn’t it be better for you to go to my master and talk about a marriage proposal?” Jin Xiao Chai spoke as she turned around and her eyes fell on the black-robed man. It seemed as if she had pursed her lips, and was laughing at him.

“Sister Jin, you seem to be joking. I’ve always regarded you as my younger sister. How can I possibly think like that?” The man wearing the tiger-mask suddenly quivered. He removed his eyes from Jin Xiao Chai’s body when he heard these words. Then, he hurriedly explained himself.

“Coward! Forget it! We may have forced away the Black Turtle Sect’s soldiers… but we’re still inside the borders of the Da Qi Kingdom. We shouldn’t lower our guards yet. We should set out on our journey right away! We shall only be at ease once we’ve returned to our Sect,” Jin Xiao Chai’s mouth twitched as she commanded and casted-away the matter.

The blue-robed man obviously didn’t have any objection.

Then, they discussed the matter once again. After that, they departed from the room and locked it again from outside.

Those three hadn’t looked at Shi Mu and the others from start to finish; not even once.

Shi Mu exhaled a long breath as he saw them leave. The expressions of the teenager with curly hair and wide mouth, and the other teenager, also became relaxed.

The other unconscious boys and girls started to wake up one-after-another. Humph! Humph! It seemed that the teenagers were regaining consciousness because of the medicinal Dan which had been administered to them earlier; the one which had been provided by Yu Qian Ji.

“Brother Shi Mu, will you explain everything to the others? It seems that we can’t go the Black Turtle Sect… and can only join this Black Demon Sect. I can’t if this is our good fortune… or a disaster!” the teenager with delicate features and long hair draped around her shoulders forced a smile as she spoke to Shi Mu in a powerful voice.

“No problem! But I will have to ask the two of you to tell me about the Black Demon Sect. I see that both of you don’t seem to have a conflict about joining the Black Demon Sect,” Shi Mu mumbled, and then asked.

The teenager with delicate features and long hair draped around her shoulders, and her companion, looked at each other. Then, she slightly nodded her head and said, “It’s needless to maintain secrecy about the Black Demon Sect. This Sect and the Flaming Breeze Sect are at par with one another. They are located in the Yan Kingdoms. In fact, they are strong as the Black Turtle Sect. As far as the matter of plundering the Sects and taking away each other’s disciples is concerned… this has happened many times…”

*** ***

One-and-a-half months later…

In the northern part of the Yan Kingdom… huge swamps and various kinds of smells covered the entire area.

Shi Mu and other boys and girls were suspended in bamboo baskets. These baskets were hanging on both sides of a dozen giant water-buffaloes-like animals. These animals slowly advanced on a wet-mud path.

The bodies of these giant water buffaloes were abnormally huge. A yellow light was coming out of their hoofs. Their hoofs didn’t submerge into the swampy ground as they walked. It seemed as if they were walking on a solid ground.

The blue-robed man and Tiger Bone were mounted on top of huge lizards of their own. However, there was no trace of Jin Xiao Chai.

The travellers were silent. The only sound that could be heard was the ‘plop’ sound of the hoofs of those huge buffaloes as they came in contact with the swampy-water.

Suddenly, a thick fog started to appear in front of them. The fog was multi-colored, and looked exceptionally beautiful.

The blue-robed man took a huge sigh of relief as he saw the fog. Suddenly, he raised his hand and the water buffaloes came to a halt.

Tiger Bone took-out a purple bamboo token from his bosom. Then, he mumbled something. He then suddenly dashed towards the fog.

‘Pop!’

A white light beam spurted-out of the purple bamboo token. The light beam dispersed the fog, and a road was exposed.

The blue-robed man urged his mount-lizard to start moving as he took the lead. The huge water buffaloes followed him closely.

Tiger Bone broke-off to walk at the end; after everyone else.

Sometime later…

In the middle of a jungle filled with grotesque-shaped trees… Shi Mu and the teenager with long hair were being carried by a tall elderly man. The man was wearing black clothes. He was jumping from the top of one tree to another. It seemed as if they were being carried by the wind.

Shi Mu and the teenager with long hair draping over her shoulders looked into the distance.

A dozen huge pillar-like-and-black peaks vaguely seemed to be standing at the far edge of the woods.

“Hehe… these two young people seem to be optimistic. They are known as the Thirteen Peaks of the Black Demon. Even the Black Turtle Sect won’t have any authority to ask you back once you enter the Black Demon Sect.” The black-robed elderly man then gave a loud and hollow laughter. It was eerie enough to raise goose bumps.

Several other people were following them; they were dressed in black too. They carried the other boys and girls in their hands, and were jumping on the tree-tops as well.