The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1268 - 675: The First Night in Mubei Forest

"Woo—woo—"

The cold wind swept up the snow on the ground, striking Zhao Douan’s face. Even though he was already a half-step Celestial cultivator, unafraid of hot or cold, he still shivered involuntarily. It felt as if he had crossed a seasonal boundary, from early summer into the depths of winter.

In front of him lay a thick expanse of snow-covered tundra, vast to the point of having no visible boundaries. Only the forest of hardy trees like pines and firs stood ahead, seemingly towering over the entire path forward. They stood silently in this tranquil world, as if they had existed for countless ages.

"Is this the Mubei Forest?" Tuoba Weizhi’s dark eyes returned to normal as the Priestess, who had emerged from the golden gate, curiously surveyed this icy world. To her, after being trapped in the La Garden for six hundred years, this journey was truly an eye-opener. In just a few days, she had traversed the Capital, sailed the sea, and now reached the far northern lands.

Zhao Douan turned back, seeing behind him a golden gate standing in the snow. But now, the gate was slowly fading, disappearing into the air. In the blink of an eye, only the four-person team was left.

Their clothing was somewhat thin, but fortunately, their cultivation levels sufficed. The "weakest" among them, the Empress, moved outside with a puppet body unafraid of the cold, and she looked at the closing gate with fresh curiosity, saying, "So this is how you all travel between the gate and the Capital."

This was her first time passing through the underground gate, and she felt a similar sense of novelty.

Zhang Yan Yi, dressed as a priest, turned his head, squinting at the endless snowy plain behind them. He flipped his hand, and a small compass appeared in his palm. He roughly calculated and said, "We have indeed reached the northernmost edge, at the boundary of Mubei Forest, just a step away from the ’boundary’."

"Boundary?" Zhao Douan caught this term.

Zhang Yan Yi put away the compass, patiently explaining, "If a cultivator only enters the snowy plain, their cultivation will wane, but not too severely. Strictly speaking, this tundra is still part of the Yu Country territory, though sparsely populated. From here, traveling far south, you’d reach Jubei City and Yanshan King’s territory, under the jurisdiction of Iron Pass Road. Of course, Yanshan King has long since surrendered. But if we continue north, we will cross a boundary line, upon entering which, we will be subject to the mysterious powers of Mubei Forest, facing suppression.

Zhao Douan nodded, "Just like the Great Laba in the Southwest Territory and the Sea God in the Silent Sea? Speaking of, what divine beings exist within Mubei Forest?"

"Unknown." This time, the Empress answered him, Xu Zhenguan’s fingers rubbing the hilt of a slender sword at her waist. She wore a pure white cape, its furry trim accentuating her delicate oval face. She said sternly, "The Mubei Forest has always been a mysterious forbidden zone. Our understanding of its interior is minimal, and those who have entered in history have remained tight-lipped about it."

Zhao Douan nodded, suddenly turning to Tuoba Weizhi, "Do you recall anything?"

He hadn’t forgotten that there were relics of the Da Qi Dynasty explored in the Southwest Territory and the East Sea, and he didn’t believe the previous dynasty would have ignored exploring this forest.

Tuoba Weizhi looked towards the northern forest, her eyes filled with great bewilderment. She shook her head, "I do not know."

Don’t know, or just won’t say? Zhao Douan had always harbored mistrust towards this gender-swapped Crown Prince.

"Let’s go, we’ve arrived, so let’s not waste any more time." Zhao Douan exhaled, speaking.

His breath quickly condensed into white frost in the cold air.

The four-person team immediately moved forward, approaching the forest. But as soon as they crossed an invisible boundary, Zhao Douan’s expression suddenly changed. He stopped, his face fluctuating, "Is this the suppression you mentioned? Isn’t it a bit harsh?"

At that moment, he distinctly felt as if he had been placed under some sealing technique, his Qi mechanism circulation dreadfully slow, and the Dragon Essence in his Qi Sea unresponsive, no matter how he called.

"With my current inner strength, even adding this body, I’m afraid it’s only at the Mortal Realm!"

Zhao Douan said.

Tuoba Weizhi’s face, now darkened, looked equally concerned. She stared at her hands, trying to muster strength, with some panic, "Me too. The divine power bestowed by the Laba God is also minimal!"

Even half-step Celestials have been reduced to this? Is this even playable?

Zhao Douan glanced over the Empress, who was merely a puppet with no combat power, and looked expectantly at the Old Heavenly Master.

Only to hear Zhang Yan Yi tighten the black priest’s soft robe around himself and say mildly, "Why look at this poor priest? This poor priest is also reduced only to Divine Chapter Realm mana."

Damn...a Heavenly Human Realm peak reduced to Divine Chapter... Zhao Douan felt a chill in his heart, finally understanding why the Mubei Forest was deemed a "forbidden zone," inaccessible to the strong.

He distinctly recalled that in the ’Martial God Map’ he saw countless beasts within this forest.

A Divine Chapter Realm entering it, one wrong move and they might be bitten to death by the beasts.

Zhang Yan Yi continued indifferently, "And from now on, my mana will be incomparably precious and cannot be used lightly; otherwise, once exhausted, it would be hard to replenish."

The situation just got worse...

Zhao Douan suddenly stared fixedly at Old Zhang, "Are you really not afraid of death?"

Zhang Yan Yi met his gaze, suddenly smiled, and sighed as he looked forward, "Afraid, how could I not be? All emperors throughout history feared death; can this poor priest be any different? So, over the years, I have come here many times, but have never truly stepped inside. However, now there is no longer any possibility of retreat."