Chapter Thirty-Five: Meteorite from Beyond the Heavens

“There’s no doubt—the Red Moon was summoned by the Newfoundland wolves, increasing their combat strength!” After surveying the surroundings, Haoyun finally reached this conclusion.

“So powerful! They can call the Red Moon! Can humans do that?” Ruoxi immediately caught up, curiosity shining in her voice.

“That’s the nature of wolves,” Haoyun replied.

After the cataclysmic changes of the Carcinogenic Era, the world’s trees had grown ever more lush, while animals evolved in the harsh environment, growing stronger and stronger.

Birds soared overhead, casting enormous shadows upon the ground.

Fortunately, Earth’s energy hadn’t yet been fully depleted, and the world had not reverted to the age of dinosaurs dominated by animals.

Yet, as the world changed day by day, magnetic energy was gradually compressed, lost its renewability, and transformed into a non-renewable resource.

The remaining magnetic energy would no longer be supplied to the common people, and electricity returned to human society.

With the shifting of the planet’s core, electricity production was compressed, becoming even more precious than magnetic energy. Candles, at last, were used for illumination, lighting up the nights of ordinary folk.

Instinct!

“Do all powerful animals have something special about them?” Xiaoshan asked in confusion.

“It’s written in the Book of Beasts, I think! But I didn’t memorize it,” Haoyun lowered his head in thought.

“I just wonder why the Newfoundland wolves retreated!” Haopo said coldly.

“Do you remember how Father urged you to master that sword as soon as possible?” Haotian asked.

“You mean the sword made them retreat?” Haopo, prompted by Haoyun’s words, immediately thought of the sword’s uniqueness.

During the Tang Dynasty, its owner was a general who fought on many battlefields.

“The sword’s murderous aura is unusually strong—the more powerful its wielder, the more they can sense it!” Haoyun glanced at the sword Xiaoshan held.

The Blunt Blade Sword had been unsheathed for a long time, never returned to its scabbard. Xiaoshan held it with a calm, ancient composure, seemingly unaffected.

Famous swords possess spirits; its blade emitted a faint red glow, marking its distinction.

Haopo’s eyes grew hazy, gazing at Xiaoshan’s delicate face, unable to fathom why he was able to master this sword.

“He’s special—otherwise, why would he have entered the Lin family, and why would Ruoxi care for him so much?” Haoyun whispered to Haopo.

Haotian nodded in agreement.

Ruoxi always treated others coldly, with the demeanor of a proud young lady.

Why did she see Xiaoshan differently, bringing a man with no background into her home after barely knowing him? Why did Lin Feng agree?

They understood the importance of the sword to their journey, yet none tried to reclaim it.

Once something is lent, it cannot be reclaimed before its due time.

That is self-respect!

Besides, even they could not wield the sword to a tenth of its power.

After being pursued by the wolves, their journey passed without incident; not a single animal appeared again.

They eventually stopped beneath a towering tree.

A man-eating tree!

The wind blew in gusts, leaves rustling loudly, yet the man-eating tree kept swaying, its long branches undisturbed by the sudden brightness.

“This is a mature man-eating tree?” Xiaoshan stepped forward to examine it, surprise in his voice.

“Are we headed to the Forbidden Land?” Ruoxi asked, seeing the towering man-eating tree.

Such trees grew only near the Forbidden Land—there was no need to even wonder.

Man-eating tree! Meteorite! These two words flashed through Ruoxi’s mind.

The Forbidden Land was a place of death, an ominous realm.

Why was it called the Forbidden Land? Because during the Carcinogenic Era, a meteorite crashed to earth, altering the planet’s core. Around the meteorite, a lush forest naturally formed.

At the center of the forest was the meteorite, where the earth’s core trembled, fissures opened everywhere, and a moment’s carelessness could send one plunging.

The Forbidden Land’s environment was remarkable, filled with all kinds of flowers.

Yet its perimeter was barren, fraught with danger—only the man-eating tree could survive there.

Why did the man-eating tree grow so robustly? Because the land of death was littered with the corpses of animals and humans! The more it absorbed, the taller it grew.

Some might ask why, with so many corpses in the Forbidden Land, no obstacles were established. Because the man-eating tree alone was enough to deter most from entering. This natural barrier made many turn back.

Their last visit had been accidental; they didn’t know why they came here in the dead of night—perhaps to avoid being seen by others?

Yet if they feared discovery, why bring them along? Staring at the man-eating tree, Ruoxi’s mind filled with questions.

“We came for the Forbidden Land, though the journey was a bit turbulent,” Haotian said, gazing at the tree with anticipation.

“What’s inside the Forbidden Land?” Xiaoshan, learning of it for the second time, felt compelled to ask.

He’d always felt that the things within seemed different—that somehow, they belonged to him, and only by obtaining them would he feel at ease.

“There’s danger in the Forbidden Land!” Haopo replied immediately.

“I know! The man-eating tree is danger enough!” Xiaoshan jabbed the tree’s branches with the tip of his sword.

“No—it’s something even more dangerous than the man-eating tree!”

“What exactly is it?” Xiaoshan asked anxiously.

“Xiaoshan, why don’t we go back?” Ruoxi tugged at him from behind, her expression changing, a hint of fear in her eyes.

Xiaoshan met Ruoxi’s gaze, which fell upon the Soul-shocking Sword.

He was startled, eyes widening.

The Soul-shocking Sword trembled, pulling Ruoxi’s right hand along with it.

It seemed to warn them of something ominous within the Forbidden Land.

“I sense a great impurity inside—whatever it is, it’s not good!”

Famous swords have spirits, always quick to perceive their surroundings.

“But I feel my sword is excited—a kind of anticipation!

At the same time, I sense something inside I’ve lost—something that belongs to me!”

Xiaoshan’s gaze met Ruoxi’s, and for a moment, her eyes softened.

She nodded, indicating she too would enter, would accompany Xiaoshan inside.