Chapter 368. Returning to Shennongjia, Changes in the Forbidden Land, Strange and Unsettling
"Has this place always been this strange? Even divine perception can't be expanded?"
Jiang Haokong looked toward the vast forest in the distance, where mist was constantly rising. When he tried to investigate it carefully, he found it was completely useless.
His divine perception could leave his body, but once it did, it felt as though it had entered the boundless starry cosmos.
He could sense almost nothing.
Only chaos.
He immediately concluded that this place was definitely being restricted by some kind of power. In other words, within this region, divine perception was less useful than the naked eye.
"It wasn't like this before. Perhaps it only changed recently." Jiang Ningxian spoke, her expression growing somewhat grave. This was not her first time here. Before, divine perception had still been useful, but now things had come to this.
Divine perception was being completely suppressed, making it impossible to sense anything in the distance.
One could only rely on sight.
Yet, even sight was limited, because great clouds of mist kept rising all around them.
"Shennongjia has never been an ordinary place since ancient times. It is only natural for it to undergo such a change," Lu Yuan spoke, no longer paying attention to the changes in the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token within his mind.
Back in the old era, once certain modern instruments entered Shennongjia, they would lose their function.
That was why this place had long been listed as a forbidden land.
Even after the arrival of the New Era, ordinary Awakened still did not dare venture inside recklessly for fear of accidents.
And now, after examining it carefully, Lu Yuan found that both divine perception and vision were being restricted here.
Of course, his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes still had some effect and could pierce part of the mist, but even then, he could not see much.
"Did the Nine-tailed Fox King send you any message?" Jiang Ningxian asked. She knew that once they entered, determining the exact direction would likely depend on experience alone. It was only because all three of them were so powerful that they dared come in.
If it were ordinary people, they would not dare enter so casually.
The reason was actually very simple.
After the Global Awakening, Shennongjia's territory had become vastly larger. Even if one used methods like tearing through the void, it would still be difficult to determine direction.
Trying to leave the place would not be an easy task.
"Not yet." Lu Yuan shook his head. "In a place like this, many methods and even divine abilities start to malfunction.
"How about we head to the ruins of Shennong's Altar first? I can determine the way there. As for where the Nine-tailed Fox King is, we can figure out a solution afterward."
The Nine-tailed Fox King had discovered traces of one of the Nine Cauldrons, so they definitely had to find her. But since they did not know her exact location, there was no point waiting outside the whole time. It was better to enter Shennongjia first and think of another way afterward.
"That works. We really should pay our respects to our ancestor first." Jiang Haokong nodded in agreement.
Although Shennong's Altar was not the burial place of that ancestor of his, it was still a site deeply connected to him. As a descendant, the fact that he had not come before had already left him somewhat uneasy. Now that he was here, he naturally had to pay his respects first.
"Then let's go."
Lu Yuan said no more. He immediately led the Jiang siblings onward and entered Shennongjia.
Shennongjia seemed to have changed drastically. The forest had grown deeper, and there were endless banks of mist and patches of marshland.
The more frightening fact was that the energy field in this place was extraordinarily strange. Once one entered it, it became very difficult to determine one's exact position, and it was easy to get lost.
So the three of them did not descend straight to the ground. Instead, they traveled through the air.
Just like that, more than half a day passed.
"Something has changed up ahead."
Jiang Haokong had sharp eyes. Pointing toward the east, he continued, "There's a ruined structure there. Is that Shennong's Altar?"
"Yes." A glint appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes. The ruins in the distance looked somewhat familiar to him, and he immediately recognized them as the place he had once visited—the place where he had obtained the Human Sovereign's blood essence.
Without that fortunate encounter, it would likely have taken him a very long time to refine his physique to its current level.
After that, the three said nothing more and slowly drew closer.
Not long afterward, a massive ruined structure appeared before them.
There were twelve enormous stone pillars there, each carved with a different figure—the twelve zodiac animals.
It was exactly as Lu Yuan had seen it before. Yet, those zodiac carvings seemed different from before. They were fiercer, each one looking as though it might burst free in the next moment and tear him to pieces.
At the center was a small plaza, upon which some kind of formation had once been inscribed, though the passage of time had already weathered it.
This was Shennong's Altar.
Compared with before, its outward appearance had hardly changed at all but the aura it gave off felt as though it was an entirely different place.
"This place is different from before." Jiang Ningxian spoke. This was also her second time here, and she immediately sensed that something was not the same.
"I agree. If I had to put it into words, the aura has become much fiercer."
Lu Yuan nodded. Then he walked over to one of the zodiac pillars and lightly touched it with his hand.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
In an instant, waves of light emerged across the plaza. Those lights directly transformed into the twelve zodiac animals, which began running endlessly across the space.
But if one looked carefully, it became clear that their expressions were filled with anger, as though they were... fighting.
"This is different. Something major must have occurred here." Jiang Ningxian immediately turned to Lu Yuan and continued, "Don't you have that little cauldron with you? This is an altar; offer a sacrifice and see whether anything happens."
She knew what the mysterious little cauldron could do, so she suggested it directly.
Since this was Shennong's Altar, any change here was bound to be extraordinary.
They had to investigate it thoroughly.
"All right."
Lu Yuan did not refuse. The two of them had known each other for so long that there was already complete trust between them.
Honestly, he also wanted to know what had changed at Shennong's Altar. The last time he had done this, he had obtained the Human Sovereign's blood essence.
As for what would happen this time, there was no way of knowing.
But precisely because of that, he had to find out.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan stepped into the plaza and closed his eyes. At the same time, he took out the mysterious little bronze cauldron, cut open his palm, and began the sacrifice.
"Sis, that is—"
The moment Jiang Haokong saw the little bronze cauldron, confusion first clouded his eyes, but very quickly astonishment took over, as though he wanted to say something.
But Jiang Ningxian shook her head and said softly, "Since he obtained it, it belongs to Lu Yuan. We should say nothing more. Besides, watch carefully what happens next. I have a feeling this won't be simple."
Hearing that, Jiang Haokong nodded as well. At the same time, a powerful aura rose from him. If danger appeared, he could act in an instant.
On the other hand, because of Lu Yuan's sacrifice, something had already happened!
