Mu Fan took two steps back. Just as he steadied himself, that "branch" suddenly curved through the air and shot toward him,
it was a snake whose patterns were almost identical to the surrounding branches and leaves.
The moment it moved, Mu Fan activated a Talisman and threw it out. A whole stack of fireball talismans scattered forward as if they were worthless.
At the same time, Mu Fan retreated, avoiding being caught in the blast.
Clusters of basketball-sized fireballs merged into a massive sphere nearly six feet wide, scorching the air until it warped.
The tree-patterned snake opened its mouth and spat venom, which collided directly with the fireball. The venom evaporated instantly, turning into black Qi that dissipated into the air.
Mu Fan retreated further. A faint light flashed from his Storage Pouch, and an Intermediate Magical Artifact, the green light sword, shot forward at high speed.
The tree-patterned snake twisted violently, shattering the fireball. The green light sword struck immediately after, its tip pressing into the snake's body, forming a shallow dent before being deflected. Still, a tiny droplet of blood seeped out.
Mu Fan let out a long breath of relief.
This thing's defense was weaker than those transparent flying insects, he could fight it.
While controlling the green light sword to entangle the snake, he took out another stack of Talismans. These were different from the previous ones,.
They weren't meant for killing, they were meant to help control the battlefield, Freezing Talismans.
He threw one.
Frost erupted instantly, spreading from the snake's head downward. In the blink of an eye, more than half its body was covered in ice crystals.
It wasn't completely frozen, but it was enough.
Mu Fan gripped his bright silver spear and rushed forward. Just as the snake shattered the ice, he lashed out, sending it flying.
At that exact moment, the green light sword, having completed its arc and gathered momentum, struck again it again with immense force.
Clang!!
The snake was pierced mid-air. The sword drove it backward, its tip slowly sinking deeper until it nailed the creature firmly to a tree trunk.
Hiss..hiss!
The snake writhed in pain, spitting venom wildly, but the distance made it no real threat.
Mu Fan reached for the snake-patterned blade at his waist, but hesitated. Since it carried poison, it might not be effective against a creature of the same nature. Instead, he took out another Magical Artifact.
A fist-sized blue sphere covered in short spikes, the Armor-Piercing Bead.
"Go."
The bead shot forward, striking the snake's head before bouncing off. Then it curved midair and struck again.
Again.
And again.
After more than a dozen impacts, the snake's head was completely crushed.
Only then did Mu Fan step forward to collect the corpse.
The body of a Yao Beast was valuable material for Artifact Refining, and those within a Secret Realm might possess even more unique properties.
Hiss… hiss… hiss…
Mu Fan's eyes contracted.
It felt as though the entire forest had come alive.
Snakes.
Countless tree-patterned snakes.
Their bodies blended seamlessly with the trunks and leaves. As they moved in large numbers, the forest itself seemed to sway and shift.
Mu Fan swallowed hard. He put away his spear and instead took out a rectangular black shield, over two feet long and more than a foot wide.
In his other hand, he gripped a thick stack of Talismans.
Scanning his surroundings, he locked onto the direction with the fewest snakes…
…and ran.
By now, he had already determined that the Yao Beasts here operated within territorial zones.
The lake belonged to the transparent flying insects.
After crossing a buffer zone, he had entered the domain of the tree-patterned snakes.
Between the two, he would rather force his way through the snakes.
At least… he had already killed one.
⸻———x——————
One day later.
In a narrow valley connecting the forest and a desert, wind-eroded pits lined the stone walls.
Inside one of the caves, Mu Fan sat cross-legged, black Qi faintly visible on his face.
He had been poisoned.
The venom of the snakes had diffused into the air. At first, Mu Fan had held his breath, and the small amount hadn't affected him. But later, he realized the toxin could also seep in through contact.
During his escape, his rectangular shield had been corroded and battered beyond repair.
Only then had he managed to break free from the forest.
He speculated this valley was another buffer zone, and beyond it, the endless desert likely held dangers of its own.
Thus, he had chosen to stop here.
Swallowing a detoxifying medicinal pill, Mu Fan circulated his Qi, expelling the poison while restoring his condition.
As his cultivation technique operated, the black Qi on his face gradually faded.
He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes, clenching his fists.
"The toxin is gone… but it still affected my body. I'll wait a bit longer."
His Endless Vitality physique showed its effects. Like a Yao Beast's regenerative body, it accelerated recovery.
He was already very satisfied with this level of resilience.
Taking out the damaged shield, he examined it briefly before putting it away with a sigh.
It was useless now.
"Fortunately, I didn't get entangled with those flying insects… otherwise I might've lost even more Magical Artifacts."
"Losing one shield and some Talismans… that's still acceptable."
"I just hope… the desert isn't another nightmare."
He paused, frowning slightly.
"We were randomly teleported into the Secret Realm… but I haven't seen a single person yet. Just how big is this place?"
"Master Jiang's experience is… completely useless."
Shaking his head, he continued resting until his body fully recovered.
⸻
At the boundary between the valley and the desert, Mu Fan stopped.
He didn't step forward immediately.
Instead, he observed.
The desert appeared calm. Occasionally, a faint breeze stirred the sand.
Yet something felt… off.
"I can't pinpoint it… but something's wrong."
After a moment, he exhaled.
"There must be Yao Beasts hidden beneath."
With his bright silver spear in hand, he took out a thick round shield and slung it over his shoulder.
He poked the sand for a while and when nothing happened.
He stepped onto the desert.
After walking some distance, Mu Fan suddenly realized something strange.
This desert… wasn't hot.
During the day deserts should be scorching and dry.
Yet here, the temperature was mild, almost cool.
Even… slightly cold.
He looked up at the sky. It remained unchanged, offering no clue of time.
"In normal deserts, it's hot by day and freezing at night… Could it already be night here?"
"…Do Secret Realms even follow such rules?"
He couldn't be sure.
So he pressed forward, remaining cautious.
As he walked it grew colder.
And colder.
Mu Fan's Physical Body had long been strengthened through AFK cultivation and further enhanced by Jiang Yi's restriction.
Yet even so..
he felt the chill seep into his bones.
"No ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator could endure this…"
He raised a Qi barrier.
But it only reduced the cold by twenty to thirty percent, while consuming far too much Qi.
"Not worth it."
Instead, he circulated Qi within his body, relying primarily on his Physical Body to endure.
Two to three miles later, he was forced to use fireball Talismans for warmth.
But each one only lasted a short time.
After two hours the cold had reached a terrifying extreme.
Mu Fan sat cross-legged, circulating his Qi with everything he had, occasionally activating Talismans to assist.
As he began considering returning the way he came..it passed.
The temperature returned to its initial coolness.
Mu Fan frowned, thinking carefully.
"Two hours…"
"From cool… to cold… to extreme cold… then back again…"
"A cycle."
"I'll confirm in another two hours."
Two hours later it repeated exactly.
His guess was correct.
Mu Fan stared at the sand beneath his feet, hesitating.
Since entering the desert, he had avoided disturbing anything beneath the surface.
But now
he wanted to know.
He drove his spear into the sand and dug downward.
At about one foot deep…the spear suddenly jolted.
A clear boundary.
Mu Fan revealed a bitter smile.
"I've heard of 'hidden dangers beneath the surface'… but this…"
Beneath the ordinary sand were particles like ice crystals.
"Cold sand…"