The Portal of Wonderland - Chapter 222

Chapter 222
One month later . . .




It was noon; the scorching sun was high up in the sky .
A desolate mountain-range was covered in silence . Several traces of streams and springs – that once flowed – could be seen everywhere on the mountain . It was hard to tell the reason, but they had dried-up . Moreover, the skeletons of a few animals could be seen around the dried-up water sources .
The most conspicuous sight was a remnant cave along the side of the road . It seemed from the traces on its surface that this cave had been artificially created by people a few years ago .
A tall silhouette was approaching towards the place from a distance . He was walking out slowly from the depths of the mountain-range .
That person was clad in black clothes . The color of his skin was bronze . His facial features were outlined distinctly . His eyes were sparkling brightly . He had a head-full of jet-black hair with a ponytail that seemed to have been tied-up in a casual manner . The end of his ponytail seemed as if a black current would fling and splash with his movements . He carried a black blade and a short stick on his back, and they were hung an intersecting position . In addition, a stone tied-up to an iron chain was wrapped around his waist . All these characteristics gave off an ambience of wild and unrestrained aura around that person .
This person was none other than Shi Mu .
He had once attempted to let the parrot find the traces of Jin Xiao Chai and others after he had gotten rid of Zha Gu . But, he hadn’t been able to find their trails or footprints . It seemed as if they had disappeared from the world .
Therefore, he had to continue his journey alone . Fortunately, he had gotten his hands on a detailed map after he had killed Zha Gu . Therefore, he hadn’t bumped into any exceptionally perilous situation during this month… except for a few ominous beasts .
He would continue on his journey during the daytime, and would summon Yan Luo on moonless nights . Yan Luo would accompany him in practicing and refining his Cultivation and martial arts . And, he had gradually gained expertise in all kinds of offensive skills as a result .
Suddenly, he stopped on a hilltop . The parrot Cai flew from his shoulder without even receiving his instructions . And, it flew straight into the sky .
According to the map, Shi Mu had already stepped out of the scope of barbarians Wasteland . He had entered into the territory of the central mainland a couple of days ago .
However, he had travelled here only to notice that the entire route was almost the same – a piece of barren and desolate land . This area wasn’t much different from the barbarians Wasteland .
He had expected that the central mainland would be blessed with abundant sources of spiritual aura . But, the present scenario seemed to be inexplicably different from what he had imagined . And, this had left him to believe that there was some problem with Zha Gu’s map .
Shi Mu re-adjusted his direction, and began to walk down the mountain .
Three days later…
Shi Mu appeared outside a small frontier town .
This small town was situated next to a mountain-range . It extended to a considerably wide area . It was labelled on the map as the ‘Overlooking the Mountain’ Town .




The rear part of the Overlooking the Mountain Town stood by the side of a tall and huge mountain-range that extended to a vast area . Therefore, this town had got its name due to its proximity to the mountains .
There were several artificially-dug water channels and drainages around the town . This made it evident that this place must’ve been a fertile land with plentiful sources of water . But now, these channels had dried-up . The traces of desertification had also begun to appear on the land . It now looked like a barren land .
"Shi Tou, we can finally have a feast to our heart’s content . " Cai’s eyes sparkled as it gazed towards the town in the front . It then flapped its wings, and shouted in an excited manner .
Shi Mu didn’t say anything . He started to walk in the direction of the town .
He soon realized that most of the buildings constructed in this town were exceptionally magnificent and beautiful . However, the streets were sparsely populated, and gave the feeling of a desolate bleakness . There was no pedestrian on the streets and the restaurants alongside the street . They all were empty . They seemed to be narrating the story about the bleakness of this place .
Suddenly, a burst of weeping and wailing sounds were heard from the front .
Shi Mu’s mind moved into action, and he started to walk forward . He then turned around a corner, and saw the source of the sound .
There was a group of four people . They all were dressed in beastly-robes . They were shouting and yelling at people . They were using spears to thrash a dozen or more young and robust men . The hands of these young men had been tied-up . And, those beastly-robed men were pushing these young men to move forward .
The young men’s faces were smeared with a hint of resentment . But, none of them dared to speak anything . They merely continued to move forward .
Dozens of women, children, and elderly people could also be seen around these young men . They were kneeling on the ground, and were weeping as they asked for mercy .
The four beastly-robed men were Hou Tian warriors . Three of them were Hou Tian middle stage warriors, and the fourth one was at the advanced stage of the Hou Tian realm . He was a triangle-eyed middle-aged man, and seemed to be leading this small group .
Shi Mu could indistinctly draw the inference of the current situation from the wailing and pleading voices .
These warriors seemed to have barged into the town in order to capture a few people for mining .
"Emissary Xiang, please stay . "
A grizzled-haired elderly man hurried past Shi Mu by taking the support of a petite man’s arm .
The complexion of the triangle-eyed man sank . He turned around, and looked at the grizzled-haired old man . Then, his face got smeared with impatience .
"Emissary Xiang, please be generous, and don’t punish them too severely . I request you to let them off the hook . This town doesn’t have many young men . I’m afraid that the people left behind will starve to death if these people were to leave the town as well," the grizzled-haired Town-Chief pleaded as he pointed his finger at the young men who had been tied-up .
"Old fool, we’ve already paid enough rewards for them . In fact, we’ve paid more than twice of what we used to . Even one-tenth of the total rewards would be considered enough for all of you . But, you’re still urging for more remuneration…? I have to take these people at all costs," the triangle-eyed man replied .




"I don’t want your money . I only want my husband back . "
"Don’t take my son away . "
*** ***

The grizzled-haired Chief pleaded once again . The surrounding weak and elderly women continued to weep for mercy .
However, the triangle-eyed man remained unmoved . A few women were begging while holding his thighs . But, he shoved them away . He then urged the other people to be a bit faster, and make the young men walk .
"Elder Xiang, there’s someone blocking our way," one of the beastly-robed men said .
The triangle-eyed man was startled . He raised his head, and looked in that direction .
A tall and sturdy man appeared in his line of sight . He was clad in black clothes . A parrot sat on his shoulder . It couldn’t be said when he had walked past a few people, and had had stationed himself in front of them . He was staring at the triangle-eyed man with an expressionless face . It was none other than Shi Mu .
The grizzled-haired man gazed at Shi Mu in amazement . The weak and old people kneeling on the road looked startled . Even the captured young men – who were brimming with anger – felt surprised .
"Your Excellency’s face seems unfamiliar to me . Are you an outsider?" The triangle-eyed man sized up Shi Mu . He then asked .
"Set them free!" Shi Mu didn’t say anything . Instead, the parrot on his shoulder spoke-up .
"I would like to give a piece of advice to Your Excellency . Don’t try to stick your butt in the matters of our Bestial Mountain Sect . Be careful . Don’t invite unnecessary trouble . " The triangle-eyed man was struck dumb for a moment . But then, the corners of his eyes twitched, and he spoke-up in a raised voice .
"Get lost!"
Shi Mu didn’t budge an inch . Instead, he said, "You’re asking for death . "
The triangle-eyed man blazed with fury . He shook the spear in his hand, and a burst of green luminescence spurted out on its surface . Then, the tip of the spear trembled . ‘Chi! Chi!’ A shrill and ear-deafening sound rang out in the air . An intense gust of wind surged-up along with this .
The glaring green light on the tip of the spear started to spark in a range of three-feet . It soon took the shape of a huge green wolf-head . The triangle-eyed man then moved, and pounced forward . The wolf-head rushed towards Shi Mu at the same time .
The remaining three beastly-robed men also swooped towards Shi Mu . The long spears in their hands burst into a fit of trembles . Then, they took the form of three small wolf-heads, and rushed towards Shi Mu .




There was a very short distance between both the sides . Therefore, the four green wolf-heads arrived in front of Shi Mu in a split-second while carrying an intense cold wind along with them .
Shi Mu’s lips moved as the spearhead arrived close to him . Then, a streak of white light flew from his hand, and condensed into a shell-like light-blue shield in front of his body . After that, several white-colored magic characters began to circulate on the surface of the protective-shield .
‘Boom! Boom!’ Intermittent bursts of explosive sounds resounded .
The four wolf-heads got ruptured as soon as they collided with the pale-blue shield . Then, dozens of glaring light beams plummeted down on the protective-shield . This triggered intense air-waves which began to ripple in all directions .
However, the pale-blue protective-shield still remained placid .
Shi Mu’s mouth opened, and spouted a group of four white Qi clouds before those four warriors could act again . The clouds of white Qi flashed forward, and passed through the chests of all the four men .
This shot was the latest usage of the Qi Explosion Technique that Shi Mu had explored during this journey . Now, he could spout multiple attacks of white Qi at a stretch if a certain amount of magic power was accumulated inside his body .
Moreover, the might of his Qi Explosion Technique had grown bigger along with the enhancement of the Art of Accumulating Spirit Power . In fact, the might of this attack couldn’t be considered weaker than a Hou Tian consummate stage warrior’s attack if it was executed properly .
However, Shi Mu hadn’t poured his entire strength into this attack .
‘Ping! Ping! Ping!’ A series of muffled sounds echoed .
Three of the beastly-robed men were closer to Shi Mu . Therefore, they couldn’t escape the attack . And, they were struck in their chests by the white Qi . The white Qi bumped into their chests, and erupted into a mass of white Qi waves . The three men were struck to fly backwards as a result . The cloth around their chest area looked tattered and badly mutilated .
The complexions of the three men turned deathly pale . The Qi and blood within their bodies began to surge . They couldn’t even get-up for a while .
However, the triangle-eyed man had held the spear in front of his chest in a horizontal manner . Consequently, the white Qi had bumped against his spear, and had ruptured . But, an enormous force had welled-up on his spear . And, this had forced him to move three or four steps backwards . This dispelled the impact of the violent Qi waves .
"Spirit-grade Magician!" His complexion changed .
His voice had barely faded when a mass of white Qi darted from Shi Mu’s hands, and arrived in front of him in a flash .
The triangle-eyed man thought to use his spear to ward off the attack . But, the mass of white Qi flashed, and transformed into a ten-feet-long white Qi chain . Then, the chain bundled him firmly on the spot .
The might of the Qi Ring Pile was almost equivalent to the strength of a Xian Tian primary stage warrior . So, the man was tied-up in a matter of a few breaths . This technique was more than sufficient to deal with a Hou Tian warrior .
"Shi Tou, great work . Now, beat them to death," the parrot fluttered its wings, and shouted in applause .
Shi Mu didn’t even cast a glance at the four men after this attack . Instead, he turned around, and walked over to the old and feeble women . He then said, "Unshackle your family members . You can go home now . "
The stunned young men and their family members burst into tears of joy as they heard this . Many dejected and resigned-to-fate people stepped forward at once . They then knelt down before Shi Mu, and pressed their foreheads to the ground .
Shi Mu felt helpless as he saw this .
Suddenly, the chain around the triangle-eyed man vanished . He then crawled-up to his feet .
The other three beastly-robed men also struggled to stand-up . Then, they moved closer to the triangle-eyed man .
The surrounding young men and women were alarmed as they saw the four men . They then drew backwards, and hid behind Shi Mu .
"Don’t dare to intervene in the matters of our Bestial Mountain Sect . Also, don’t dare to walk away from here if you’re courageous enough," the triangle-eyed man shot an intense look at Shi Mu as he said .
"Get lost!"
Shi Mu’s brows snapped into a frown . However, the parrot on his shoulder stuck out its chest, and spoke-up in an arrogant manner before Shi Mu could say anything .
The triangle-eyed man noticed Shi Mu’s gaze sweeping over him in a fierce manner . He then turned around, and fled away . The other three men also followed after him .
The young men and their family members expressed their gratitude to Shi Mu as they saw that the four men had ran away . Then, they gradually dispersed .
"This old man is the Chief of this Mountain Town . My name is Liu Dou . May I venture to ask the righteous man’s honorable last name? We’re truly fortunate that we received this help from you today," the grizzled-haired Chief stepped forward, cupped his hands and said with deep veneration .
He seemed to be anxious even though his words were giving-off the feeling of happiness .
"I’m Shi Mu . I was just passing through your noble town . " Shi Mu extended his hand, and stopped the old Chief from saluting him .
"Righteous man Shi, I can see that you’re tired and covered in dust . It seems that you haven’t even eaten a proper meal . This old man’s family happens to have opened a restaurant . Shall we go there if you don’t mind?" the old Chief invited him .
"Well, that’s great! Shi Tou and Cai are almost starving to death," the parrot flapped its wings, and shouted energetically .
Shi Mu hit the parrot’s head with his finger, and nodded to the elderly Chief in agreement .
The Chief turned around by taking the support of the petite man by his side . Then, he slowly started to walk in a certain direction . Shi Mu also started to walk alongside him at a moderate pace .

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