Chapter 4242 — An Invitation

"Nan Zhou? Well, it's a vast place in its own right, and it's also ringed by any number of lesser islands and sea regions—take our Zhenduan sea region here, or the Wei Arc sea region off to the side. All of them fall under Nan Zhou's sway. But if we're talking about what folks commonly call Nandao, that's a different matter altogether. That refers specifically to the main body of Nan Zhou—the territory of the spirit beast clan. And the ground under our feet right now? That's Nan Zhou." The man in blue was nothing if not patient, carefully laying it all out for Wei Zhao and his companion.

"Ah, so that's how it is..." Wei Zhao nodded. He had known only that Nandao belonged to the spirit beast clan, never dreaming there was such a thing as Nan Zhou. Now, at last, he had it straight.

"You two are going to be the death of me..." The man in blue took one look at Wei Zhao's expression and was struck speechless all over again. "You don't know a single blessed thing, do you? I've seen newcomers before, but never the likes of you two—not one shred of common sense between you..."

"The two of us hail from Beidao," Wei Zhao said with a laugh, glossing over it smoothly. "We've never been here before, nor heard anyone speak of such things, so..."

"Good heavens, you're from Beidao?" The man in blue was startled, then nodded slowly in sudden understanding. "That's so far away. Not many from Beidao make it out this way. Small wonder you've never heard any of this—and I did wonder. A local of Nan Zhou would know these things as a matter of course; there's no not knowing them."

"Ha, so I thank you for clearing it up for us. If you hadn't taken the trouble to explain all this, the two of us would still be stumbling about in a fog, unable to make head or tail of what goes on here." Wei Zhao smiled and cupped his hands in thanks.

"Heh, it's no trouble—I'm just standing here with nothing better to do than wag my tongue a bit. No need for thanks." The man in blue waved it off, then paused. "Wait—are you two looking to join a party?"

"Hm? Join a party?" Wei Zhao blinked, then caught himself—the man was recruiting people to go to the Rufeng Forest. He hesitated.

As things stood, he and Huang Xiaotao couldn't possibly get back to Wei Arc City for the next month; they'd have to linger here in Zhenduan City, and every inn in the place was packed to the rafters. They could hardly sleep out in the street. Seizing this rare chance to make a trip to the Rufeng Forest wasn't such a bad idea—who knew, they might even find the Wandu Golden Core Fruit.

But every scrap of information they had so far was hearsay, and they had made no preparations whatsoever in advance. And if the Rufeng Forest was as rich in rare treasures as all that, then by the principle that risk rises in proportion to reward, it went without saying that dangers lay thick upon the ground. To plunge in rashly would mean braving no small measure of risk.

Huang Xiaotao stood to one side watching Wei Zhao, waiting for him to decide. For her part, she need only follow Wei Zhao; there was no need to rack her brains over anything else.

"Oh, stop dithering—we're just two short!" the man in blue burst out, all impatience. "If I'm not mistaken, you're both Golden Core cultivators of some skill, aren't you? Of course you are. I've heard tell of the rules up Beidao way—they'd never let you take a long cross-island assignment like this without Golden Core strength!"

Though this man in blue was a cultivator of the mid Golden Core stage, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao kept their aura tightly reined in. He had no convenient cheat of the sort Wei Zhao possessed, and could only judge by rough experience—he couldn't be entirely certain.

"That's right. We're both early Golden Core," Wei Zhao said with a nod. There was no point in hiding it.

"Mm. A touch low in strength, but early Golden Core will just barely do. Come on, hurry and join up—if you dawdle any longer and miss your chance at the Rufeng Forest, you'll regret it till your dying day," the man in blue urged.

He had been shouting himself hoarse in this square for a full day, but because his own strength was hardly outstanding, no one had so much as asked after him. Even if the two before him were only early Golden Core cultivators, snaring two at once was an unexpected delight—otherwise, as he himself had said, the miasma in the Rufeng Forest cleared for only so long, and if he kept waiting, the chance would wither on the vine.

The quick ones had long since set out; by now they'd likely stuffed a whole sack full of rare treasures. And here he and his lot were, short of numbers, able to do nothing but stare and waste away the hours. Who wouldn't be eaten up with anxiety?

Wei Zhao exchanged a glance with Huang Xiaotao and at last decided to agree. So long as the two of them joined forces, they were all but invincible among Golden Core cultivators; even in the Rufeng Forest, their safety should be reasonably assured. Still, before that, there were a few things he had to ask.

"So how many of you are there now?" Wei Zhao nodded.

"Four at present. Add the two of you, and that makes six exactly." The man in blue brightened at the sign that Wei Zhao was inclined to join.

"Then why not find a few more? The more the merrier—more hands, more strength. Wouldn't it be far safer for everyone to go as a larger party?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.

"Ha, I see you really don't know!" The man in blue gave a resigned smile and explained patiently. "There's only one way into the Rufeng Forest—the Rufeng Road teleportation formation. There's no other route. It sits right on the edge of Nandao, you see, and by water or by air you'd be terribly exposed to spirit beast attacks—deadly dangerous."

"The Rufeng Road teleportation formation? Don't tell me it's restricted as to the number of people?" Wei Zhao hazarded a guess.

"Just so. That formation takes exactly six at a time—no more, no less. Only with precisely six can you be teleported into the Rufeng Forest. But where you land is random; there's no telling where you'll come out. With luck you might plant your foot square on a rare treasure; with rotten luck you might drop straight into some dragon's den or tiger's lair. The one thing you can count on is this: you'll be somewhere in the Rufeng Forest..." The man in blue shrugged.

This Rufeng Road teleportation formation was of great antiquity. Everyone knew how to use it, yet no one had ever fathomed its workings. Years of accumulated experience came down to a single word—random. Beyond that, there was no pattern to it at all.

"If that's the case, then what if six go in and one or two of them happen to fall along the way—wouldn't they be unable to get back out?" Wei Zhao asked.

"That's nothing to worry about. The Rufeng Road formation only sets a requirement on how many go in; there's no limit on coming back. Even a single person can make the trip out just fine." The man in blue smiled and shook his head. (To be continued...)