Chapter 169 Hysteria Forest

Hysteria Forest

Xue Bai was confident in his potential, so while going against this random peak stage Domain Lord Grand Duke wasn't very hard in his mind, he didn't think it was worth his time.

Being on the side of an underdog was fun and all, but if Xue Bai wanted to save time and grow quicker, joining the side of the Grand Duke would accelerate all of his plans.

"No, that wouldn't work. The people here think that I'm some Young Master from the Central Continent or some other great power. If I change sides so quickly, he'd be suspicious of the whole facade." Xue Bai shook the idea out of his head.

If the Grand Duke could manipulate and control the entire empire from the shadows, then he had to be a smart man. So if Xue Bai swapped sides so quickly after awakening, there was no way he wouldn't become suspicious of Xue Bai's origins.

And while Xue Bai did have a huge background, if he died here, no one would know.

Maybe a few years or decades into the future, Li Rou, Xue Feng, or maybe Yue Zifeng might find out he teleported here and take revenge, but for now, he was without a lifeline.

"I can only be against him then." Xue Bai sighed.

Hopefully, the Grand Duke didn't have an extremely strong back. If he did, then Xue Bai would have a lot more trouble taking care of him.

"There are some really capable people in the Northern Continent, though. Maybe I should recruit them?" Xue Bai thought aloud.

He knew that in order to control an empire, it took more than just one person with a lot of talent. Capable subordinates and a great deal of wealth were also necessary.

Thinking this far, Xue Bai eventually hatched a reasonable schedule for his week-long excursion.

"Hopefully, she lives there even this early in the plot. If not, then I can only give up on him."

–

"Your Majesty, are you sure that it's a good bet to bet everything on that boy? We know nothing about him. What if he goes over and submits to Long Tian? Wouldn't that wolf just kill us all, then?" Eunuch Lu asked Feng Fei as they realized that Xue Bai wasn't coming back.

Feng Fei could only sigh in response.

"What can I do, Old Lu? Just wait to be slowly strangled to death and fall ill out of depression like Mother? The only reason Mother is still alive is that she has a Dharma Idol realm cultivation base. If I suffer the same fate, I won't even last a week." Feng Fei spoke as she sat on her 'Throne.'

"The only reason that Long Tian hasn't killed me, mother, and you is because he is still wary of Uncle Hai and that we have been obedient to his schemes. But while he is wary of Uncle Hai, it doesn't mean he is scared of him. So the second we try to fight or change up the situation is the day we die." Feng Fei continued.

"Then what about that boy? Though he is certainly of noble descent and from a prestigious clan, he is our land now. The dragon can't bully the local snake. And while I couldn't scan him with my Spiritual Sense, it's not hard to tell that he is extremely weakened right now. His cultivation base is high for his age, but it also looks like he was stuck in the void for a long time. What if his cultivation doesn't continue growing but instead stagnates and even declines?" Eunuch Lu said.

Feng Fei only laughed in self-depreciation.

"Old Lu, you're right. Yes, he is weakened. Yes, he looks to be in dire straits. Yes, he is a severe underdog. But at the end of it all, what else can I do? I'm not resigned to hand over our Gen Empire to that wolf. So I can only bet it all on that boy."

"Old Lu, what if one day you were drowning in an ocean and fighting for your life, but just as your head was submerged in the water, a rope was thrown at you? What would you do?" Feng Fri asked.

"Of course, I'd grab it. It's the last chance to save my life." Eunuch Lu answered matter of factly.

"Our situation is the same, and that boy is the rope. He is the only hope we have, and I'm going to latch onto it." As Feng Fei spoke, her eyes glowed with more and more determination and resilience.

She wasn't resigned to such a horrible and pitiful life. She wanted to get away from Long Tian's puppet strings, help her mother, and avenge her father. However, determination alone couldn't change the world. So in order to accomplish her dreams, she needed help.

And Xue Bai was her one and only hope.

Eunuch Lu could also see her resolve and didn't question it any further but instead changed the conversation topic.

"Then do you believe his words earlier? That he really knew where a natural treasure that could give you a set of Martial Veins was?" Eunuch Lu asked.

"He didn't look to be lying, and even if he was, what would he gain from it? If he were boasting shamelessly, then it would only come to light and ruin the trust between us." Feng Fei shook her head and said.

Though she did think of that same possibility, she couldn't believe that someone like Xue Bai would be so stupid to do it.

"Then what about Long Tian? He knew about us taking in the boy. Do you think he has some countermeasures?"

"It's definitely a possibility. However, I think that Long Tian is getting complacent. Most likely, Long Tian is underestimating the boy's background and talent, thinking that no matter how fast he could grow, Long Tian would be able to kill him before he grew into someone powerful enough to contest him." Feng Fei spoke after a moment of thought.

"Also, Long Tian doesn't have the information that we have. He still thinks the boy is 16 with only a peak stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivation. But he doesn't know that the boy had that cultivation base at 13. A 16-year-old peak stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivator is definitely a genius but only in the top percent, not someone who can lead a generation, but a 13-year-old? That's someone who could not only lead a generation but even has a chance to ascend! The former would at most have a low black-grade Martial Vein, while the latter is most definitely an earth-grade one at the minimum."

Eunuch Lu was silent for a moment as he thought over the words of Feng Fei, but even after a few minutes, he couldn't find anything wrong with her words.

"Then I wish you the best of luck, your Majesty." Eunuch Lu spoke respectfully and left after giving her a deep bow.

He was only a servant, so that meant he couldn't change the mind of his lord but only advise her. So as long as she could understand and defend her own opinions, then he was fine. As for whether it was right or not was something they could only wait and find out.

'May the heavens bless our Feng Imperial Family.' Eunuch Lu could only pray in his heart.

–

Unlike what was happening in the Imperial Palace, for Xue Bai, two days quickly passed in peace, with him heading further and further away from the Imperial City. Eventually, with a steady and reliable pace, he reached his destination.

In the Baishen Plane, there were many locations that were known for two things; Many resources hidden inside waiting for lucky cultivators to find, and extremely high lethality. Therefore, these areas were quite fitting, named Forbidden Areas.

And the Mountain Province had two of these Forbidden Areas, one of which was Xue Bai's destination.

The Hysteria Forest

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, there was an extremely powerful wood element cultivator who had cultivated all the way to the Immortal Origin realm from the Northern Continent. And one day, he thought of returning to his homeland and visiting the clan that he had left behind so many centuries ago.

However, to his shock, an up-and-coming force had destroyed his clan in an act of strength to prove their power and fearlessness.

Enraged, the wood element cultivator killed the clan and cast a spell that turned their clan estate into a forest. But that still didn't soothe the anger of the cultivator as he cast a curse onto the trees within the forest to where they will constantly emit a hallucinogenic agent.

The hallucinogenic agent had a myriad of possible abilities, but usually, they would give the cultivator who breathed it in hysteria, which gave the forest its name.

So ever since the curse was placed, the Hysteria Forest was covered in a thick mist that would cause any person to go insane should they stay in it for too long without any countermeasures.

And annoyingly enough, the wood-type nourishing natural treasure that Xue Bai needed was inside the forest.

Thankfully he also knew how to navigate the forest safely, so as long as there were no unforeseen circumstances, Xue Bai was hopeful of his chances of getting his goal and leaving just as quickly.

–

As Xue Bai arrived at the boundary of the Hysteria Forest, he noticed that there was already a good amount of adventurers forming teams or resting.

However, after they all saw Xue Bai's low cultivation base, he was quickly ignored.

Everyone who dared to come to the Hysteria Forest was at least in the Qi Sea realm or above, so a Bone Strengthening realm pup was of no interest to them. To them, Xue Bai was just marching to his death.

Xue Bai also didn't care for their opinions and calmly rode into the forest. He knew how to get to the treasure both safely and quickly, so he didn't need either a guide or a team to come with him. So if anything, he wanted to be by himself.

The first goal of his week-long excursion was to find a middle black-grade natural treasure that was hidden inside a gorge.

So after looking at his map once more, Xue Bai quickly set a course for himself and set off.