Mysterious Land

Seeing Crystal’s determined expression, Alex finally gave up trying to persuade her. He nodded in agreement, though he did not forget to warn her, "Be careful. The air is thinner here."

Crystal gave a light snort, shook off Alex’s assistance, slowed her breathing, and quickly adapted.

After walking for more than half an hour, just as Crystal was nearly losing her patience, a village finally appeared before them.

Seeing smoke curling up in the distance, Crystal wore an incredulous expression as she cried out in amazement, "There are actually people here?" She simply could not imagine anyone living in such harsh conditions. She had thought Alex was just tricking her.

Alex gave Crystal an odd look and, before she could fly into embarrassed anger, used Teleportation to bring her instantly closer to the village.

The villages on the plateau were all quite small, with only a few scattered houses and several children playing wildly outside.

Alex grabbed Crystal as she prepared to step forward and ask around. Shaking his head, he said softly, "No need. She isn’t here." After coming into contact with the villagers, Alex had already secretly used telepathy to search the area. He had found no trace of Medusa, so she clearly had not appeared here.

Crystal did not know that Alex possessed telepathy. She looked at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

Alex did not explain. He turned to check the direction, then strode away from the village without pausing for even a moment.

Crystal froze for a moment, then stamped her foot and angrily chased after him. Somewhat dissatisfied, she said, "Alex, are you deliberately brushing me off?" With Alex’s laid-back way of doing things, it was no wonder Crystal was suspicious.

Alex paused slightly and narrowed his eyes at Crystal. In a deep voice, he said, "If I promise something, I will do it." Seeing that Crystal still seemed doubtful after he finished, Alex shook his head with a bitter smile and explained, "I have telepathy."

Crystal was stunned. Then she abruptly took a step back, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at Alex warily, as if afraid he would probe into her inner world.

Seeing Crystal’s reaction, Alex curled his lip and snorted disdainfully before turning to continue onward. Although he had gained Emma’s telepathic ability through copying, Alex rarely used it. Even when he did, it was usually for targeted searches; he would not explore someone’s entire inner world, just as he had done earlier.

Crystal was angered by Alex’s attitude. She opened her mouth to say something, but did not know what to say. She could only close her mouth sullenly and fall silent.

They walked for another two hours without encountering a single village along the way, once again stirring Crystal’s dissatisfaction.

"Alex, what exactly are you looking for?"

Hearing Crystal’s voice, Alex secretly smiled. He continued walking at an unhurried pace without looking back, his voice lazy as though he had just woken up. "A Mysterious Land appeared in the Snowy Region. It’s rather strange, and there may be some clues there."

The Mysterious Land did exist, but it was still very, very far from their current location. Alex had deliberately chosen a route devoid of human traces in order to wear down Crystal’s patience until she gave up searching for Medusa herself.

Yet contrary to Alex’s expectations, after learning his objective, Crystal neither complained again nor showed the slightest impatience. She followed closely behind him, step for step, all the way to the Mysterious Land.

"This is the Mysterious Land?" Looking at the utterly ordinary valley before them, Crystal turned toward Alex beside her with a strange expression. A hint of resentment unconsciously surfaced in her eyes, and her suspicion of Alex rose again.

Alex also stared at the valley in surprise, unease growing in his heart. Could those people have lied to me?

But after giving it further thought, Alex chose to trust his telepathy. Recalling the strange stories told by the Tibetan villagers, he decided to try it for himself.

According to the villagers’ descriptions, this valley had originally been entirely ordinary. Then, at some unknown time, thunder suddenly began to rumble within it for no apparent reason. Curious, some bold villagers had tried to enter and investigate, but over the years, no one had ever managed to get inside. It was as though the entire valley was shrouded in a maze. Those who entered would wander around and eventually come back out, unable to reach its depths at all.

"That’s so amazing?" Alex’s explanation also piqued Crystal’s curiosity. She unconsciously swung her arms, seeming eager to enter and try it herself.

Alex did not stop her. The valley maze was not dangerous anyway, so it did not matter if Crystal played around inside for a while.

The instant Alex and Crystal stepped into the valley entrance together, Alex felt as though he had passed through a layer of mist and arrived in a brand-new world. All around him was a vast, snow-white plain without the slightest hint of another color. When he turned his head, Crystal had already vanished from his side.

"It feels like I’ve entered an Illusion Formation set up by cultivators in an immortal cultivation novel." Alex was not panicked in the slightest. He casually surveyed his surroundings, involuntarily recalling scenes from the immortal cultivation novels he had enjoyed in his previous life. They were remarkably similar to the scene before him.

With a shake of his head and a light laugh, Alex began moving, constantly watching for changes around him as he walked. Whether it was an Illusion Formation or a maze, Alex believed there had to be a way through it. If he remained patient and careful, perhaps he could find it.

Hard work paid off. With his precise perception of energy, Alex soon discovered the key.

The snow-white plain was not unchanging. On the contrary, it constantly shifted along with his movements. He was the center of those changes, but their source remained fixed.

"So it’s here!" With a light laugh, Alex walked confidently toward the source of the changes.

Within minutes, Alex was standing at the source. Yet to his surprise, nothing around him had changed. The snowfield was still the same snowfield.

Was I wrong? Alex was somewhat puzzled. Just as he prepared to turn around and leave, he suddenly noticed that the energy around him seemed to have grown more turbulent than before.

Alex pondered for a moment and chose not to move.

As time passed, the energy around him became increasingly violent, and a massive blizzard began to sweep across the once-calm snowfield.

Seeing this, Alex was delighted rather than alarmed. "The way through really is here!"

After waiting a little longer, the energy suddenly erupted, then vanished in an instant. The world spun around him.

Alex’s head swam, and he unconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the snowy plain had disappeared. He found himself in a lush little valley.

After hesitating for a while, Alex cautiously stepped forward and slowly walked deeper into the valley. Ten steel balls continuously revolved around his body, and Teleportation was ready to activate at any moment.

After ten years of slumber, Alex had become extremely cautious. He did not want anything unexpected to happen to him again, for fear of letting down those who loved him.

The hiatus lasted a little too long. Scorpion needed some time to recover, and updates will increase in the future.