The Portal of Wonderland

“Ah! Ah!”

Two spine-chilling screams burst forth. The two relatively weaker disciples of the Dark moon Cult were struck by the sword-shadows, and fell into a pool of blood.

The other two disciples were relatively stronger. So, they promptly stimulated their magic tools and magic charms, and resisted the attacks. And, they only sustained a few injuries as a result. So, they again broke into a run, and galloped far into the distance.

Whiz whiz!

But then, two black arrow-lights flashed past, and rendered the two men’s escape impossible. The vulture-tailed arrows pierced through their bodies, and nailed them to the ground. They struggled for a moment. Then, their breathing stopped.

The three barbarians looked at Shi Mu with a petrified look on their faces. Shi Mu hadn’t budged from his place this entire time. But, he had still managed to kill all five people of the Dark Moon Cult in a fraction of second even though they weren’t weaklings. In fact, he hadn’t exerted even a little strength. It seemed as if he had merely put his hand behind his back.

Moreover, the cold and indifferent expression on Shi Mu’s face left them with a sense of unfathomable mystery.

“Thank you so much for your timely help, Your Excellency. We will always remain grateful to you,” The two middle-aged barbarians retracted their totems, and returned to their original appearances. Then, they touched their chest, and expressed gratitude to Shi Mu in a respectful manner.

“You don’t have to be so polite. It was just a trivial matter,” Shi Mu replied.

The green-robed girl was struggling to stand up on the other side. But, it was impossible for her to budge at the moment since she had been hit by the poisonous needle of the lanky man a moment ago.

“How are you, Young Lady?”

The two middle-aged barbarians were alarmed to see her condition. They quickly rushed over to her.

Shi Mu cast a glance at that green-robed girl. Then, he released his spirit sense, and swept over the body of the lanky young man. His eyes rested on the lanky man’s left hand. There was a grey ring on one of his fingers.

Shi Mu took the grey ring off his finger, and instilled a wisp of his spirit sense into it. He explored it for a moment. Then, he waved his hand, and took out a white jade bottle. He then pulled open the bottle’s cork, and sniffed it. He nodded to himself after that, and walked forward. He gave the bottle to the girl and said, “This thing should be the antidote. So, you take it.”

“Thank you, Mr!” the girl thanked him in a soft voice. Then, she picked up the jade bottle with her weak and powerless hand. She poured out a pill, and swallowed it.

Meanwhile, Shi Mu went over to the corpses of the other four disciples of the Dark Moon Cult, and collected all of their belongings. Simultaneously, he retrieved the two vulture-tailed arrows that he had just shot.

Shi Mu was surprised to notice that all five disciples of the Dark Moon Cult had a storage ring. However, the space inside those storage rings wasn’t very large; it was only around ten feet. But, it was still crowded with spirit stones. In fact, each person’s storage ring contained nearly twenty-or-thirty-thousand spirit stones. In addition, there were also some spirit grasses and ores in their rings.

“The Western Continent is indeed blessed with a bountiful amount of valuable resources!” Shi Mu inwardly exclaimed in surprise.

But, he was disappointed to find that there wasn’t a single map in the five people’s storage rings; he wanted the map more than any other thing at this time.

The green-robed girl finally stood up. It seemed that the poison in her body had almost been dispelled by the pill.

“Many thanks for rescuing us, Mr. Otherwise, we three people might have ended up in a very miserable situation,” the girl performed a ritual to convey her gratitude to Shi Mu.

“Don’t mention it,” Shi Mu replied in a casual manner, but his eyes were sweeping over the surrounding area.

There were plenty of red fruit-trees in the vicinity, and all of them were laden with many red fruits just like he had previously seen. Those fruits were emanating captivating rays of light.

“Does Mr want to pick some fire-attribute peach fruits?” The girl saw Shi Mu’s expression. Her beautiful eyes flashed as she asked.

“This fruit is very beneficial for my practice. But, I had heard what you people had said to the Dark Moon Cult’s people. These fruit trees belong to your family, don’t they?” Shi Mu said.

“It doesn’t matter since Mr has saved our lives. You can pick as many as you please. These fire-attribute peach fruits are a kind of Yang-attribute spirit fruit. They are indeed a top-class supplement for those who practice Yang-attribute cultivation arts. In fact, it has the ability to increase the Real Qi in one’s body by a substantial margin,” the girl explained.

The two middle-aged barbarian men stood behind her at the moment. Their complexion changed when they heard these words. They were about to speak something when the green-robed girl raised her hand to stop them.

“I see. Thank you so much for this.” Shi Mu smiled, and then quickly ran up to a fruit tree. Then, he started to collect the peach fruits.

He plucked off forty or fifty fruits in a row. In fact, the trees in a small nearby area were completely stripped off their fruits in a matter of moments before he finally stopped.

The two middle-aged barbarians’ faces revealed a depressed look when they saw the bare branches of the fruit trees. But, the young girl still had a smile on her face.

“Are they enough?” the girl asked.

“I have collected plenty of them. They should be enough for me for some time,” Shi Mu replied with a smile.

The green-robed girl looked at Shi Mu, and her cheeks got smeared with a rosy glow. It appeared as if she wanted to speak something, but she couldn’t.

“May I venture to ask your respected name, Mr? We are the tribal people of the nearby Giant Tree Tribe.” The grey-haired middle-aged barbarian had noticed the green-robed girl’s facial expression. So, he stepped forward, and asked.

“I am Mu Shi, and I belong to the Fierce Snake Tribe. I was just passing by; that’s all,” Shi Mu slightly separated his clothes from his chest, and showed a corner of his chest totem while he was speaking.

“Fierce Snake Tribe!” The two middle-aged barbarians were alarmed by this. They then exchanged a glance.

Shi Mu noticed the changed expression in the two men’s eyes, and a thought tumbled in his mind.

“So you are Mr Mu. This young girl is Lu Tang. I am the daughter of the Giant Tree Tribe’s Chief,” the green-robed girl said without revealing any strange looks on her face.

“Young Lady Lu Tang. I’m sorry for being disrespectful to you.” Shi Mu cupped his hands in obeisance, and said.

“Mr Mu, you might as well come and sit for a moment with our small tribe if you are not in a hurry to continue with your journey. Allow this young girl to perform the duties of a good host,” The green-robed girl looked bashful while inviting him.

“Young Lady, the Fierce Snake Tribe belongs to the Vicious Barbarians’ group. But, you are inviting this man to our tribe. I’m afraid…” the grey-haired middle-aged barbarian’s complexion changed, and he said in a soft voice.

“It doesn’t matter. I will explain this to my father and the elders,” the green-robed girl said.

The two people were discussing while keeping their voices low. But, Shi Mu was still able to listen to their conversation clearly.

“I would rather accept this invitation reverently instead of declining it courteously since Young Lady Lu Tang has herself invited me,” an idea crossed Shi Mu’s mind as he replied.

After all, this was a fortuitous opportunity for him to inquire about this continent. So, he was unlikely to let this chance slip by so easily.

“Mr. Mu, please.” The girl’s eyes got smeared with a hint of happiness. She immediately took the lead, and walked in the direction of the valley.

Shi Mu stepped forward, and followed her closely.

The group of pedestrians soon arrived outside a valley where they saw the corpse of the tree-man. The green-robed girl and the two barbarians looked shocked when their eyes fell on the corpse.

“Radish Shuttle Tree Demon!”

Lu Tang threw a look at Shi Mu, and asked, “Mr Mu, have you slain this Radish Shuttle Tree Demon?”

“Yes.” Shi Mu didn’t deny it.

The girl nodded slowly. Simultaneously, her elegant eyebrows creased, and she exchanged glances with the other two barbarian men.

“What’s the matter? Could killing this tree demon trigger some kind of trouble?” Shi Mu asked.

“It’s not like that. The fact is that these Radish Shuttle Tree Demons have always lived in the Eastern Mountain Range. I hadn’t expected that one of them would show up here. It’s a bit strange, that’s all.” the green-robed girl replied.

Shi Mu’s eyes flashed. He wanted to know more about this Radish Shuttle Tree Demon. But, it wasn’t the appropriate time to ask about this matter.

The four people continued to walk forward. Half an hour passed like this. Then, the group of people arrived in front of a village that was built by the hillside.

Most of the buildings in this village were wooden. But, they didn’t give off the slightest sense of oldness or shabbiness. They rather had a special implicit charm about them.

There was a mighty ancient tree in the middle of the village. It was considerably large in size. In fact, it was simply beyond comparison. Moreover, it was faintly emitting splendid green radiance.

In addition, there was a wooden wall which surrounded the whole village from outside. Some people were on top of that wall, and were taking rounds to keep watch over the surroundings.

This tribe didn’t appear too big from the outside. It seemed that there should be at most a thousand people in this tribe.

These four people had barely arrived at the tribe’s entrance when they bumped into several people head-on. The leader of this group was a tall and dignified-looking middle-aged man. He wore a solemn expression on his face.

Shi Mu’s brows twitched into a frown as he sensed the overwhelming spiritual aura of this middle-aged barbarian. He was at the primary stage of the Earth-rank. Moreover, the people beside him possessed the strength of a Xian Tian-ranked warrior.

He sighed inwardly when he saw the condition of the Giant Tree Tribe. However, this tribe had an Earth-ranked powerhouse even though it was very small. So, it seemed that the rich spiritual energy of the Western Continent had played a substantial role in their martial arts practice.

The dignified-looking middle-aged man’s face revealed a surprised look as he saw the four people. His gaze immediately turned to see the stranger — Shi Mu.

Shi Mu felt a slight chill in his heart. But, he didn’t panic just yet.

The dignified-looking middle-aged man’s eyes again revealed a surprised look.

“Father and Elders…” the green-robed girl saw the dignified-looking middle-aged barbarian there, and trod forward to welcome him.

“Chief!” the two middle-aged barbarians beside her also greeted him with deep veneration.

“I had sent you to patrol the territory. Why have you returned so late?” The dignified middle-aged man looked at the green-robed girl, and the dignified look on his face softened a bit. Then, he asked in a slightly reproachful tone.

“Father, we had bumped into the Dark Moon Cult’s people when we were patrolling the territory. And then, we were attacked, and almost killed by them,” the green-robed girl gave a brief recount to her father.

“Scoundrels! The Dark Moon Cult’s people have indeed become rampant and unrestrained!” The dignified middle-aged barbarian was infuriated after he had heard the entire story.

A few people beside him also looked enraged.

“Your daughter wouldn’t have escaped today if not for Mr Mu. Mr Mu of the Fierce Snake Tribe rescued us, and also killed those five disciples.” The green-robed girl pointed her finger at Shi Mu.

The expression in the dignified middle-aged barbarian’s eyes became gentle when he heard that Shi Mu had rescued his daughter as well as the other two tribesmen. But, his facial expression darkened the moment he heard these three words—”Fierce Snake Tribe”.

The people beside him started to gaze at Shi Mu, and became somewhat vigilant.

“I am Mu Shi. I am honored to meet the Chief of the Giant Tree Tribe,” Shi Mu said while cupping his hands in a reverent manner.

“Mr Mu, please accept my heartfelt thanks for saving my daughter and tribesmen,” the dignified middle-aged man was expressing his gratitude, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of a smile on his face. Instead, a trace of fear and vigilance had peeped through his dignified face.

“We belong to the same race at the end of the day. Besides, it was just a trivial matter,” Shi Mu said.

“The Fierce Snake Tribe is one of the influential tribes of the Vicious Barbarian Race. I wonder what Mr Mu is doing in our remote little place…” the dignified middle-aged man asked.

“I had embarked on a journey for pleasure and experience. But, I lost my way, and ended up here,” Shi Mu replied.

“Oh, you were on a journey before you landed here?!”

The dignified middle-aged man’s eyes revealed the gleam of a delighted look as he heard Shi Mu’s reply. But, his facial expression couldn’t mask the trace of distrust he still harbored. He paused for a moment. Then, he continued, “I appreciate that Mr. Mu has saved my daughter along with the other two people of my tribe. However, my Giant Tree Tribe belongs to the Peaceful Barbarian’s group. So, it’s not appropriate to invite Your Excellency to our tribe as a noble guest since you are associated with the Vicious Barbarians. I would request Your Excellency to understand my situation,”

Shi Mu’s facial expression looked slightly moved, and he let out a light sigh in his heart.

The fact was that he wanted to seize this opportunity to scout out some necessary information about the Western Continent. But, it seemed that this wasn’t the right time to do so.

“Then, I will take my leave in light of this,” Shi Mu nodded to the green-robed girl. Then, he turned around and walked away.

“Father, Mr. Mu has saved my life. Don’t tell me this is the way our Giant Tree Tribe treats a savior,” the green-robed girl’s face exposed an anxious look when she saw Shi Mu walking away. Hence, she said.

“This is our tribe’s rule! You aren’t allowed to question it! You are fully aware of the fact that this man belongs to the Vicious Barbarian Tribe. Even so, you have invited him to our family. This matter has violated my Giant Tree Tribe’s commandment. So, you must be punished. Your punishment is to go to the ancestral shrine and kneel for one whole night there. It’s a disciplinary action to teach you a lesson,” The dignified middle-aged man snorted, and walked in the direction of his tribe while flicking his sleeve.

The girl’s face revealed an indignant look. She turned her head, and looked in Shi Mu’s direction. However, he had already disappeared by then.