The Portal of Wonderland

Figures flashed on either side of the boulder. Three men in gray robes appeared and marched toward Fang Bozheng with a respectful bow.

“Greetings, noble clansman!”

“Has there been any movement from the traitor?” Fang Bozheng asked.

“Not once did we see the traitor,” a middle-aged man responded.

Fang Bozheng nodded as he turned around to explain to Shi Mu.

“Sect fellow Shi Mu, this is the only entrance and exit of the Serene Moon Mine. Ever since the traitor fled here, I’ve sent countless men to stand guard. However, he was never seen since then. There was an incident where two men snuck into the mine but it has nothing to do with this particular traitor. Based on our intel, the man was never been seen even once.”

Shi Mu nodded as he began walking inside.

“Sect fellow Shi, please wait a moment,” Fang Bozheng suddenly said as he flipped his palm, unleashing a small cloth bag with a white charm spell on top.

Inside the bag were dozens of black balls that emitted a pungent scent. The white charm spell inscription on top seemed to radiate a special type of fluctuation.

“This ball is the Semblance Shen Vine I talked about. Please hang on to it! This white charm spell is a transmission portal spell. If you’re in a dire situation, your life as your top priority. Use it if you must. If you ever encounter the traitor still alive deep in the mine, don’t go easy on him. He’ll show no mercy. He’s skilled in using illusions to confuse his opponent before brutally slaying them,” Fang Bozheng said.

“Thank you, leader Fang.”

Shi Mu blinked and did not refuse. After taking the two items, he turned his hand toward the audience before walking deep into the mine, disappearing from sight.

“The three of you will continue to stand guard. If there is the slightest change, report to me immediately!” Fang Bozheng told the three guards.

“Rest assured that we will carry out our task without a single doubt!” the three guards answered in unison.

The other clansman of the Fang clan looked at each other before leaving under the leadership of Fang Bozheng.

Shi Mu walked slowly toward the cave as his eyes flashed, on alert with his surroundings.

The deeper the mine, the more blue ore could be seen on the wall. The blue ore emitted a crystalline blue light that reflected the dark and mottled inside of the cave. Under Shi Mu’s sharp eyes, it was not much of a hindrance.

As the cave deepened, the power of the strange magnetic field increased. Shi Mu felt as if he was swimming in the magnetic field. The speed of his inner qi had greatly reduced to the point of stagnation.

After a fragrant incense, Shi Mu suddenly stopped in his tracks with a hint of indulgence on his face.

The inner in his body continued to flow, but if he were to continue for long, he was afraid that he would not be able to make it.

His eyes flickered and he let out a low sigh as his body began to glow. Numerous golden scales emerged, covering his entire body.

At the same time, he opened up his mouth and spit out the Wishful Steel Staff as it changed into the right size right in his hand.

After doing all this, Shi Mu felt a little safer now and continued forward.

After more than a dozen feet, the magnetic field was getting stronger by the minute. The inner qi within his body was now completely imprisoned.

However, the strength and power of the yin and yang on his arms were swayed as well. Fortunately, the golden scales on his body did not disappear because of the magnetic fluctuation. Instead, it covered the surface of his body tightly.

In addition, it was quite gratifying that the infuriating energy accumulated in the Wishful Steel Staff could be affected by the magnetic field yet it still managed to change in size.

With a sharp buzzing sound, white light flew from the side and hit Shi Mu’s head.

Shi Mu’s expression changed slightly as he tried to evade it. The white light slammed on the wall behind him instead.

His eyes flashed and noticed the white light seemed to be like a spiderweb of sorts.

His thoughts were interrupted by a huffing sound as a disc-shaped black shadow came flying toward Shi Mu. It was so fast that it was trailed by afterimages.

Shi Mu fixed his eyes and his body shook slightly. He was once again able to escape the attack of the black shadow. He slammed his staff right onto the black shadow with full force.

Peng!

The black shadow was thrown a few feet and crashed into the wall nearby.

It was a huge spider with blue-grey markings. Its whole body exuded a light metallic luster, and its mouth was filled with fangs. Its bright green eyes looked at Shi Mu with a chilling deadly vibe.

Shi Mu was not afraid of this spider. He had read about it in the jade slip provided by the Fang Clan.

However, he was also secretly surprised. This spider was clearly hit by his Wishful Steel Staff but seemed to be just fine without any injury.

Xiu xiu xiu!

The blue spider stabilized its body and immediately launched another attack. This time, it opened its mouth and spat webs at Shi Mu.

Shi Mu snorted and his body swayed, easily escaping the attacks of the spiderweb as he rushed toward the blue spider.

The spider’s eye flashed but it did not try to evade. It seemed that it had the intention of goading Shi Mu to charge right at it.

Just as Shi Mu charged, the spider leaped into mid-air with its two front claws shining in faint icy-blue light, squatting toward Shi Mu.

Shi Mu’s arm waved and the Wishful Steel Staff in his hands suddenly stretched in size several times. It turned into a black shadow, coming down right onto the spider’s head.

The shadow of the staff made a harsh whistling sound as faint white air appeared around it.

“Art of the Azure Falcon Technique!”

Ou!

The spider’s head shattered and fresh blue blood splashed out in all directions. Its body smashed onto the wall and twitched a few times before it stopped moving.

Shi Mu waved his hand and retracted the Wishful Steel Staff. He did not bother to look at the spider again, and continued walking forward.

He did not go far before sensing a similar entity coming toward him from the front. It was another blue spider.

Shi Mu had now familiarized himself with the attack pattern, so it did not take long for him to slaughter the creature without needing to resort to the Heavenly Staff Technique.

He continued to move forward and encountered some other monsters from time to time.

There were spiders, scorpions, and even bats.

The monsters had a metallic luster on their surface. Their torso was hard and they could catch up to the speed of any ordinary spirit weapon.

However, they all had a relatively simple attack method. They would use their body as a weapon. Although Shi Mu could not channel the power of his inner qi, the Heavenly Staff Technique was enough, so there was no need for him to put in extra effort to slaughter them on the spot.

Peng!

In Shi Mu’s hands, the Wishful Steel Staff smashed and swayed into three sticks. At the same time, they hit onto a mantis-like monster, sending it flying across the cave.

Boom!

The mantis-like monster smashed into the rock wall and fell onto the ground. Its body twisted into several segments as blue blood spurted out of its mouth. The monster could never survive that injury.

He sighed a little and gasped lightly.

At this point, Shi Mu had completely explored the area outlined by the Fang clan

His inner qi could not be activated any longer. The power of the yin and yang in his arms was restricted as well. Facing countless monsters with physical strength alone left him exhausted.

Shi Mu reached his hands into the jade bottle and poured out a white pill.

Without his inner qi, the exertion of the drug was much slower, leaving him slightly stunned.

Shi Mu was about to continue forward when he suddenly sensed something.

His face changed slightly and quickly guarded himself against any potential attacks.

Sha sha sha…

A burst of sound came from upfront as a huge figure began to show itself in front of him.

It was a giant scorpion, four or five feet long, with a body as thick as a bucket. Every part of its body was not only bright but sturdy as well. Its claws scraped across the ground.

Shi Mu’s face was dignified for the first time. This scorpion gave him more pressure than any other monster he had encountered before.

The scorpion cocked its head and stared at Shi Mu with fierce green eyes as he took the lead in launching its attack.

It opened up its mouth and shot black lightning directly at Shi Mu, along with the disgusting stench of its breath.

Shi Mu was originally going to use the Wishful Steel Staff to crush the black light. His expression changed as he swung his feet, ducking away.

Pak!

The black light rolled over Shi Mu’s body, hitting him onto the ground as a splash burst out in all directions.

It turned out to be black poisonous water. The ground sounded as if the ice had reached its peak temperature, melting instantly into a large pit.

Shi Mu shrugged. Seeing that the ground below him had corroded and melted proved how strong was the poison.

A sudden burst of pain rolled up in his right arm. He noticed that a few small holes had appeared on his arms. Drops of the black liquid had splashed onto his body, corroding his golden scales away.

Fortunately, it was only a few drops piercing through the golden scales, and the corrosion never reached his skin.

Chi chi!

The scorpion let out a sharp scream as its body twisted in odd ways. It was now a few feet taller, like a bow trying to shoot a flash of attacks at Shi Mu who was standing right in front of it. Both of its front claws crossed and smashed toward Shi Mu.

Shi Mu was unable to prevent it. He raised his hand with the Wishful Steel Staff to block the attack.

Peng!

His arms were numb and his chest hurt so badly. He was blown out by a giant force and flew out more than ten feet before slamming hard onto the ground.

A deep scar appeared on his chest. The scales were broken and blood began to flow.

Shi Mu immediately jumped back to his feet and his face was pale as a ghost.

Fortunately he was able to block the attack with his Wishful Steel Staff or there would have been two scars on his chest.

Woosh!

The scorpion flew in like a green shadow, not even giving Shi Mu the time to catch his breath.

Shi Mu snorted. With quick footwork, he got out of the way in time.

Three yellow plaques flew out and broke into three clouds.

The yellow plaques quickly deformed, turning into three light brown cages around the scorpion

It was none other than the Entrapment Charm Spell!

The body of the scorpion turned stiff as it had nowhere to go. All it could do was struggle and turn its head around.

“Now die!”

In a flash, Shi Mu appeared in the sky above. The Wishful Steel Staff in his hand rose several times before transforming into a black shadow, slamming onto the skull of the scorpion.