The Portal of Wonderland - Chapter 190

Chapter 190
All the beast-souls captured by Shi Mu from the Crow Horn Tribe had been gobbled-up by Yan Luo within a few breaths’ time .




The blue soul-flames in Yan Luo’s eyes flickered, and then stabilized . Its soul-flames seemed to have gained some strength . Moreover, their color had turned into sky-blue .
A layer of faint radiance emerged on the surface of the bone-spear in Yan Luo’s hand . The spear-head was glistening with a dazzling yet cold luminescence; as if it had grown more incisive than before . In addition, a few charm characters were carved on its surface; they looked like earthworms .
Shi Mu couldn’t comprehend the situation clearly . Yan Luo was a human-skeleton whom he had always neglected . He couldn’t even comprehend when Yan Luo had made such a wonderful attainment, and had advanced to the Xian Tian realm . It had even surpassed Shi Mu in terms of its cultivation-level . Now, Yan Luo had swallowed-up a number of beast-souls . And, it didn’t seem to be far from breaking through the middle-stage of the Xian Tian realm .
The beast-souls from Shi Mu’s bag had disappeared at the time when he had woken up in front of the three-headed python cave’s entrance . And, Shi Mu had now come to realize that Yan Luo must’ve consumed the beast-souls he had gathered back then .
The soul-flames in Yan Luo’s eyes had become tranquil by this time . It took a step forward, and walked to Shi Mu’s side . After that, it hung the beast soul bag back on his waist . However, it continued to fumble with Shi Mu’s waist; as if it wanted to find something else .
"There’s nothing else . All the beast-souls have already been consumed by you," Shi Mu said in a dumbfounded tone as he prevented Yan Luo from further exploration . He didn’t seem to know if he should laugh or cry .
Shi Mu even pushed Yan Luo a few times . Yan Luo finally gave-up . It shook its wandering head, and then stood to one side .
Shi Mu had kept these beast-souls in order to make progress in the secret totem technique . He needed to refine these beast-souls and transform them into his own energy so that they could easily be absorbed by his sealed totem .
He had planned to wait until his cultivation had got promoted as required . After that, he had to enhance the strength of the three-headed python totem with the help of those beast-souls . Unfortunately, all the beast-souls had been devoured by Yan Luo .
Shi Mu sighed . Suddenly, his flickering gaze gleamed with a pleasantly surprised look .
Yan Luo had forged its way into the Xian Tian realm . This signified that it had become a formidable support for Shi Mu . After all, the strength of the contract still existed .
It seemed that Yan Luo could enhance its strength at an alarming rate through the absorption of beast-souls . Moreover, it didn’t require to refine the beast-souls into energy .
Therefore, Shi Mu could hunt more ominous beast-souls, and collect their souls for Yan Luo’s rapid growth . Then, he could help Yan Luo to quickly escalate its strength by absorbing the collected beast-souls .
Shi Mu arrived in front of Yan Luo, and established a communication with it through his mind .




Yan Luo had already attained the strength of a Xian Tian primary-stage warrior . But, its intelligence didn’t seem to have made a progress . Its intelligence was still at the level of a six or a seven-year-old kid . However, Shi Mu succeeded in pulling out some fragmented information from Yan Luo’s mind . He put those scattered pieces together, and perceived the way through which Yan Luo had stepped into the Xian Tian realm . It was now clear to Shi Mu that Yan Luo had achieved this feat mostly through the consumption of souls .
Shi Mu interacted with Yan Luo through his mind . But, he became exhausted after some time . He then sat down cross-legged, and instructed Yan Luo to keep a watch on his magic weapons . After that, he began to practice .
Now, Shi Mu didn’t have to worry about anything since he had Yan Luo – a Xian Tian warrior – by his side .
The night passed away quickly .
Shi Mu opened his eyes as the color of the sky resumed its brightness . His eyes were emitting two cold lights .
He then adjusted his breathing as he had been sitting in meditation for the entire night . His body supplemented the black Qi that had eroded due to over-extraction . His cultivation had also made a little progress .
Yan Luo still stood calmly to one side while holding the spear in its hand .
Shi Mu was about to stand-up, but he felt slightly giddy; as if a spell of dizziness had been cast upon his consciousness .
He smiled wryly at the thought that Yan Luo had become a Xian Tian warrior . So, summoning it to this world required an enormous consumption of Shi Mu’s spiritual power . Moreover, his spiritual power wouldn’t be able to endure if he still tried to hold Yan Luo here for a few hours .
He waved his hand to make Yan Luo return to the Dead Spirit World . After that, he remained seated with his legs crossed for some more time . Then, he forged ahead towards the Wonderful Sound Sect .
*** ***
After half-a-month… in the Chen Prefecture of the Da Qi Kingdom… in the depths of Lingshang Mountains…
Shi Mu looked towards the two purple mountain peaks in front of him; they were shrouded in a layer of purple mist . He felt a fit of fluctuation in his heart .
He retracted his vision after a moment . He then strode in the direction of the left purple peak .
The mountain-road was narrow and very difficult to tread on . Therefore, Shi Mu abandoned his horse-cart before he entered the depths of the purple Lingshang Mountains . He carried the bundle of leather on his back, and tied-up the meteoric iron to his left arm .




He finally arrived at the foot of the mountain after some time . He looked-up only to see the cloud of purple mist everywhere . There was a ten-feet-wide bluestone mountain-road that meandered all the way to the top of the mountain .

There was a wooden pavilion on the roadside . Two green silhouettes could be seen sitting in the pavilion . But, it was hard to see them clearly as the entire area was shrouded in a cloud of mist .
Shi Mu kept walking . He proceeded towards them along the mountain-road . The two green silhouettes sprang-up as Shi Mu arrived closer to the pavilion . Their statures rose and fell a few times before they arrived in front of him, and blocked his way .
The two silhouettes turned out to be two girls who were dressed in the Heavenly Sound Sect’s uniform . One of them was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl; she looked extremely beautiful . The other one was a tall girl . She was also pretty, but her lips were slightly thinner .
The aura around these two maidens didn’t seem formidable . They were probably at the primary-stage of the Hou Tian realm .
"Stop right there . This is the entrance to the Heavenly Sound Sect . Everyone isn’t allowed to climb-up the mountain," the beautiful girl stretched out her left hand, and shouted at Shi Mu in a commanding tone .
"I’m Shi Mu – a disciple of the Black Demon Sect . I’ve come here to look for a female disciple . Her name is Zhong Xiu . I would request the two of you to let me pass," Shi Mu stopped and replied with a faint smile .
"Taking Lady Zhong's name is a taboo . How can you speak her name so casually? Moreover, not everyone can meet her," the girl with thin lips retorted before the beautiful girl could speak anything .
Shi Mu was dumbstruck as he heard the words – "Lady Zhong" . Suddenly, he remembered the matter pertaining to her entry in the sect . Ye Hong Yao had once mentioned this matter before him . So, he felt relieved in his heart .
"This is the order-token of the Seven Sect’s Union . It’s very important for me to meet her . So, you must look for your Lady Zhong," Shi Mu pulled out a seven-angled purplish-golden token from his bosom, and said lightly .
"So, Brother Shi is the Union’s messenger . In that case… please come along with me to the mountains," the girl with thin lips twitched the tips of her eyebrows and said . The eyes of the beautiful girl brightened-up; she quickly shot a meaningful glance at the thin-lipped girl .
The beautiful girl pulled the other girl close to her, and whispered a few words in her ear . She then turned around, and flashed a faint smile towards Shi Mu . After that, she took the lead and proceeded to climb-up the mountain .
The girl with thin lips looked towards Shi Mu in an awkward manner and smiled . After that, she returned to the pavilion .
But, Shi Mu remained expressionless . He quietly received the order-token, and put it in his bosom . After that, he followed after the beautiful girl, and started to climb-up the mountain .




An antique welcome-pavilion appeared on the roadside after a short while .
"Brother Shi Mu, I admit that I didn’t act sensibly… and neglected you . Anyways, you take some rest here . As you know Lady Zhong commands a very honorable position . So, let this little girl go and inform her first . " The girl led Shi Mu towards the welcome-pavilion . She then turned around, and spoke in an apologetic tone .
"No problem," Shi Mu replied with a faint smile .
Both of them had arrived at the pavilion whilst talking . The girl smiled at Shi Mu, and then departed .
Shi Mu sat down in the pavilion in a calm and comfortable manner . He leisurely swept his vision towards the mountains . He could faintly see the summit of the purple palace and numerous lofty flying bridges .
A green silhouette hurriedly swept down the mountain’s top after a while, and proceeded towards the direction of the pavilion .
Then, an exceptionally pretty maiden appeared outside the pavilion . Her skin was snowy-white in color . She looked at Shi Mu with a happy expression on her face .
The maiden had long and dark hair that was gracefully floating in the wind . The black-shade of her elegant eyebrows looked natural on her face . A pair of beautiful eyes – looking as bright as limpid autumn water – had the power to even arouse the soul of a dead . Her jade-like refined nose stood erect on her pretty face . Her pure-white oval face seemed extremely delicate and graceful – like a piece of snow . Moreover, her perfectly sketched and slender figure – looking like a willow tree – bore a resemblance to a heavenly fairy .
"You’re . . . Zhong Xiu? Where’s the birthmark on your forehead?" Shi Mu was dumbfounded . He asked subconsciously .
The space between her eyebrows resembled that of Zhong Xiu’s . Otherwise, Shi Mu wouldn’t have believed that this incomparably pretty girl was the shy and feeble little girl from his past .
"Brother Shi, I’m Zhong Xiu . I’ve learnt the ‘Art of Thousand Jade Sound-waves’ from my Master . The birthmark gradually disappeared from my forehead as I started to practice it . What’s the matter? Do I look ugly?" A hint of happiness flashed across her pupils as she saw Shi Mu’s expression . She took three or four steps forward, and entered the pavilion . She then sat down beside Shi Mu, and replied with a playful smile .
"It’s nothing like that . Sister Zhong looked very gorgeous back then . Now, she looks even more beautiful – like an angel . I almost didn’t recognize you . I had never expected that you would make your way to the Hou Tian consummate-stage within a few years . You should now let your Brother catch up with you, ah!" Shi Mu quickly resumed his composure . He sensed that this girl’s cultivation had already advanced to the Hou Tian consummate-stage . So, he touched his nose and spoke .
"Hehe… My Elder brother Shi is already too fierce to deal with . I heard that you had been to the barbarians’ forbidden area in order to help Princess Huo Wu to form an alliance with the barbarians . You helped in resolving such a big crisis of our race . You’ve indeed made a remarkable contribution . You’ve now become a celebrity within the Seven Big Sects!" Zhong Xiu giggled while gazing at the extraordinary splendor in Shi Mu’s eyes .
"Hehe… That was just a lucky move… that I made in desperation," Shi Mu smiled bitterly, and replied while shaking his head .
Zhong Xiu was surprised . She wanted to ask more to get a better clarity . But, she didn’t dig into the details as she noticed Shi Mu’s reluctance to recount this incident . Suddenly, her eyes fell on something . She stretched out her hand to pick-up the fallen leaf from Shi Mu’s shoulder .
Shi Mu subconsciously flicked his body backwards to avoid the touch . The fallen leaf floated in the air, and fell on the ground . Zhong Xiu's hand stopped in midair .
Suddenly, an air of awkwardness pervaded the Pavilion .
"Lady Zhong, I . . . "
"Oh, by the way, Brother Shi, I once went to the Black Turtle Sect to look for you . But, I came to know that a group of disciples had been kidnapped by the Black Demon Sect of the neighboring country on that day . . . " Zhong Xiu calmly retracted her hand, and said with a faint smile .
Shi Mu was moved as he heard these words . Then, a string of past events began to flow in their conversation . There was an awkwardness between them as they had met each other after a long time . But, that wall of awkwardness soon melted away . Then, intermittent bursts of laughter and giggles began to resound in the Pavilion .
" . . . Brother Shi, both of us have now joined a Sect… and have officially become the part of the martial arts world . But, the happiest moments of my life were when we lived together in the Jin’s mansion . . . By the way, what’s your next plan? " Zhong Xiu’s beautiful eyes turned as she said in a spooky manner .
"To be honest… there’s a girl whom I admire a lot . I don’t know her name yet . But, she once said that I can go to look for her once I break through the Xian Tian realm before turning thirty-years-old . So, I’ll return to my Sect… and devote more time to practice, "Shi Mu replied while scratching his head .
"So… that's how it is . . . then I would like to give Brother Shi my best wishes to step into the Xian Tian realm… and then happily embrace the beauty he admires . I too have to attack the bottleneck of the Xian Tian realm soon . So, I don’t know when we’ll meet again . " Zhong Xiu’s elegant eyes revealed a trace of gloominess . She then said with a smile on her face .
"Oh, that’s right . This matter has almost slipped my mind . Lady Zhong, this is for you . This would help you in breaking through the bottleneck of the Xian Tian realm . " Shi Mu tapped his head . Then, he pulled out a fist-sized fruit from his bosom, and passed it to her .
"Brother Shi, this… don’t tell me that it’s the Green Frost Fruit? It’s such a precious thing . You should keep it for your practice . I really don’t need it . " Zhong Xiu was startled . She then said .
"Lady Zhong, you can accept it . I have one more with me . " Shi Mu flashed a smile and fished out another Green Frost Fruit from his clothes .
"This… Brother Shi, thank you so much . " A hint of redness bloomed across Zhong Xiu’s charming face as she saw another fruit .
Shi Mu felt relieved . Zhong Xiu was doing a lot better than what he had expected . Shi Mu conversed with her for some more time . He then bid her farewell, and set out on his journey .
Lady Zhong Xiu remained seated in the Pavilion for some time . She pressed the Green Frost Fruit against her chest . And, her beautiful pupils became hazy as she looked at Shi Mu’s departing figure .

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