Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 594 - 397: Legend and Reality (Double-Length - ) (Part 2)

Chapter 594: Chapter 397: Legend and Reality (Double-Length Chapter) (Part 2)

"However, if this were the Jade Pool, there should be the palace of the Queen Mother of the West next to it, but all around are just trees and mountains, not even a shadow of the palace," interjected Da Pao beside him.

In the "Mu Heavenly Son," it’s recorded that the Western Zhou Son of Heaven, King Mu of Zhou, Ji Man, once rode eight steeds that could travel thirty thousand li a day, departing from Beijing and traveling thousands of miles along Tianshan to meet the Queen Mother of the West at the Jade Pool.

When King Mu of the Western Zhou and his entourage arrived, the Queen Mother of the West, dressed in splendid attire, stood by the Jade Pool to welcome them with the most grand etiquette, and then invited them into her palace for a feast.

King Mu presented the Queen Mother of the West with a large quantity of silk goods and precious gifts such as jade tablets and discs, pleasing her greatly.

Because the scenery of the Jade Pool was so breathtakingly beautiful, King Mu became enchanted, indulging in revelry day after day and forgetting to return...

So according to these ancient texts, there should indeed be a palace by the Jade Pool.

Just as everyone was immersed in speculation about the Jade Pool, a sudden tremor, akin to an earthquake, came from behind, accompanied by the crackling sound of tree trunks being broken, as if something heavy was crashing through the forest, causing even the stones on the ground to tremble.

"Mooo!" A deep roar erupted from the forest, making everyone’s ears buzz with the reverberation.

Immediately following, the tremor became more intense. The trees at the edge of the forest fell in waves, as several enormous elephants charged out from among the trees.

Their bodies were covered in gray-brown skin, swinging their long trunks. Their four feet stomped on the ground, each step causing the earth to quake, and the trees along their path shattered into flying branches.

Typically, an adult elephant stands about three meters tall, and even the largest African elephants don’t exceed five meters, but these huge creatures charging towards us were almost as tall as a two-story building, nearly twice the size of those in zoos.

"Not good! They’re coming our way!" shouted Brother Quan first.

Qi Yun stared at the charging elephants, his heart pounding wildly. Before he could react, Brother Quan and Xiao Wu grabbed him on either side and started running frantically towards the valley.

Behind them, Da Pao directly hoisted Ignacio onto his back and sprinted after them.

De Gaulle and the others did the same, fleeing for their lives towards the valley, knowing that even a slight bump from these behemoths might shatter their bones.

The group fled chaotically. Against such colossal beings, the weapons they brought were like toys, utterly useless.

They didn’t dare stop until they reached a slope in the valley ahead. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"No... they’re not coming for us, they’re heading towards the river," Da Pao said, setting Ignacio down and catching his breath.

Qi Yun looked up into the distance and indeed saw the group of enormous elephants heading toward the opposite side of the stream. Their massive figures gradually diminished and soon disappeared at the forest’s edge.

He plopped down on a stone, still shaken, and took out a cigarette to calm himself.

"The footprints we saw earlier in the forest were left by these guys, right?"

"Judging by their size, it’s very likely," Ignacio nodded, also sitting down to support himself. "But... judging by their earlier state, it seemed like they were fleeing from some danger, just like us."

"Fleeing from danger?!" Qi Yun froze, holding his lighter mid-air.

What could possibly threaten creatures that enormous? What terrifying thing could be chasing them?

He cautiously peeked in the direction they had come from, but after a thorough scan, found nothing.

"Xiao Wu, did you see anything chasing them earlier?"

Among everyone present, Xiao Wu, trained in internal martial arts, had the most acute senses. Nothing escaped his eyes and ears.

Xiao Wu slowly shook his head. "I couldn’t see clearly, just caught a glimpse of a shadow, and it vanished in a flash."

Vanished in a flash?

Qi Yun’s expression grew heavy. What kind of creature could frighten elephants into fleeing and move so swiftly?

He hoped he wouldn’t encounter such a thing...

He put the cigarette back into its pack, not wanting to spoil the environment, then turned to De Gaulle and asked, "Since we’re sure this is the place, what’s the plan?"

After what just happened, he realized that this place held not only ethereal beauty but also hidden dangers. They needed to achieve their goal and leave as soon as possible.

"I don’t know either." De Gaulle put down his water bottle and sighed. "The diary my ancestor found was incomplete, and the information I have is limited."

Qi Yun frowned at this. From their very first meeting, this guy had been reluctant to share more than a snippet of information each time.

Now he even claimed he didn’t have a follow-up plan, which Qi Yun didn’t quite believe.

"Why don’t we find a place to rest first and decide tomorrow," De Gaulle suggested.

Qi Yun glanced at him, then looked at the sun in the sky. It was already close to seven o’clock, with about two or three hours until sunset, so he nodded in agreement.

Nighttime was indeed not ideal for exploring, especially in such an unknown place.

Given the earlier turn of events, they felt that the edge of the forest was not necessarily safer than the lakeside, so they finally chose a relatively flat area at the bottom of the valley to set up camp.

They backed up against the hillside, providing an open view that allowed them to observe any distant movements while staying close enough to the lake for easy access to water.

Brother Quan took An Zai on a patrol around the area, gathering some dry wood along the way. Then they began to build a fire and prepare a meal.

The flames crackled as Qi Yun poked at the campfire with a stick and asked De Gaulle, "Regarding the secret of immortality, your family has been pursuing it for so long. There must be some clue, right?"

"At least you should have some hypothesis?"

De Gaulle sensed Qi Yun probing him and answered sincerely, "From Louis I to now, more than a thousand years have passed. Many events occurred in between, and numerous clues were lost during wars, including that family diary."

"So we don’t have complete information, only fragments to guess from. The secret of immortality... must be related to some location or object within this area."

Qi Yun watched for any changes in his expression, trying to detect any signs of deception, but De Gaulle appeared forthright, making it hard to find any obvious flaws.

He redirected his gaze to the fire, poked it with the stick, and said no more.

After a simple meal, darkness fell. Qi Yun initially thought of assigning Xiao Wu and Brother Quan to keep watch, as vigilance was necessary in such an environment.

However, De Gaulle volunteered to take on the task, offering to let his men stand guard for the night.

Qi Yun didn’t refuse and agreed with a smile.

Taking the opportunity of stepping away to relieve himself, he secretly pulled Xiao Wu aside, instructing, "I suspect this guy plans to do something behind our backs tonight. Keep a close watch on them."

Xiao Wu nodded silently, indicating his understanding.

The two didn’t talk much more. Pretending to adjust his pant leg, Qi Yun added, "Don’t act rashly. Get me if something happens." Then he turned back to the camp.

Returning to his tent, Qi Yun didn’t fall asleep immediately. Instead, he reflected on everything that had occurred that day.

The mysterious passage, WWII-era German soldiers, the peculiar energy field, the inexplicable disappearance of time, and this seemingly ethereal realm...

After about an hour, complete silence fell outside, even the crackle of the fire waned, leaving only a deathly stillness.

Unconsciously, Qi Yun drifted into a hazy sleep.

He dreamed of a vague scene: a magnificent palace richly adorned with resplendent gemstones, encircled by lotus-shaped structures, breathtaking in its brilliance.

Just as he planned to approach and investigate, someone suddenly called his name.

"Boss."

"Boss!"

Groggily, Qi Yun opened his eyes to find Xiao Wu inside the tent, shaking his arm.