Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 385: Chapter 183 Restricted Area Order_2

And Li Yelai was here and saw the majestic fortress between the distant valleys.

It was one of the gates of the Forbidden Zone, guarded by numerous Forbidden Zone Creatures and even a considerable number of Servant Armies.

And the Servant Army... was actually humans who had been transformed by the restricted area order.

”Be careful, we must not expose our Spiritual Energy from now on,” Little Mad King pointed to a building on top of a mountain range in the distance and said, ”They have established outposts on many peaks. Once they discover someone sneaking in, they will sound the alarm and bring in the Forbidden Zone Army.”

Li Yelai silently nodded, then followed Little Mad King into the mountain range.

Here, both of them had to restrain their own Spiritual Energy, relying on their physical strength to climb the mountains.

After traveling for over an hour, Li Yelai saw the distant Snow Mountains and distinctly felt the temperature around them beginning to drop.

”Are we about to reach the Extreme Cold Mountain Range?” Li Yelai asked.

”Yes, the Extreme Cold Mountain Range is a natural barrier of the Forbidden Zone. No one can enter it, and the same applies to the Forbidden Zone Creatures. Thus, this is also one of their vulnerabilities,” Little Mad King explained as he continued to approach the Snow Mountain.

When they arrived at the base of the Snow Mountain, the weather had already turned to heavy snowfall, and with a gust of cold wind, the snowflakes scattered all around.

Li Yelai could clearly feel his Spiritual Barrier stiffening, no longer fluid. And his skin began to show slight signs of cracking.

Merely the cold wind blowing down from the Snow Mountain could freeze Spiritual Energy.

It was hard to imagine what a frightening scene the battlefield atop the Snow Mountain’s summit would be.

”However, this is a good place to seal Void Realm Creatures,” Li Yelai thought to himself but suddenly heard something faint in the cold wind.

’Correct...’

A raspy and distant voice brought by the snowstorm.

”Did you hear any sound?” Li Yelai stopped and asked.

Little Mad King remained silent for a while then shook his head, ”No, what did you hear?”

It shouldn’t be; Li Yelai could hear the voice, why couldn’t Little Mad King, who was physically stronger?

Li Yelai listened for a moment but never heard the sound again and had to shake his head.

”Perhaps I misheard.”

”No, it could also be some kind of residual sound. There are legends in the Forbidden Zone, saying the mountains are frozen with the unwilling roars of powerful humans. Occasionally, creatures at the foot of the mountains might hear certain sounds,” Little Mad King explained.

Afterward, instead of climbing the Snow Mountain, they came to a rock at the foot of the mountain covered in snow.

Little Mad King, after checking the surroundings, smashed the hardened snow layer, revealing a cave in the rock.

The two filed into the cave, and the entrance of the cave was quickly covered again by the snowstorm.

Little Mad King also took out a thermos, poured it on the snow layer, and the water quickly froze, making the snow layer even more solid.

”This is one of the routes into the Forbidden Zone, you must remember this route. If we get separated during the mission, this will be your escape route,” Little Mad King reminded.

”What if I have pursuers behind me?” Li Yelai furrowed his brow and asked, ”If they are closely following me, my entering this route would expose it, wouldn’t it? If they then set an ambush here, wouldn’t I end up endangering you and the other teammates?”

”Don’t worry about me; it’s quite normal for me to stay in the Forbidden Zone for a month or so. As for others, our escape routes are different in this mission.”

Little Mad King explained, ”Hu Ben Team’s route doesn’t overlap with ours, it might be on the other side of the Forbidden Zone or possibly directly hidden within the Forbidden Zone. As long as you can escape, even if it’s discovered, at most one escape route will be compromised. Don’t die trying to protect the route; the route is there to help you survive better. Don’t get it backwards.”

Li Yelai nodded his head, understanding he wouldn’t implicate his teammates in that case.

If the situation became dire, he could just use the Heavenly Meteor Qilin to fly here, safety shouldn’t be an issue.

Soon after, the two switched on their flashlights and entered the cave.

The cave’s pathways were complex, but they had the official secret signals. If the Forbidden Zone Creatures came here, they would likely get lost.

After walking in the cave for nearly an hour, he arrived at the exit.

It, too, was covered with ice and snow. After sensing the surroundings for a while, the Little Mad King confirmed there was no one nearby before shattering the layer of snow.

As the snow fell, Li Yelai caught his first glimpse of the scenery in the Forbidden Zone.

What caught his eye was a vast expanse of jungle and plains.

Li Yelai took out a telescope and gazed into the distance, even spotting a village far away.

The buildings were generally low, with a style that was very ancient and abnormal, none of the high-rise buildings and cars in sight, though there were plumes of cooking smoke.

In the center of the village, there was also a huge angel statue, with many humans kneeling before it, seemingly in prayer.

”Is this the Heavenly Kingdom?”

As Li Yelai and Little Mad King emerged from the cave, they truly entered the Forbidden Zone.

Instantly, Li Yelai felt a force casting down from the stars of the Void Realm. For Li Yelai, it wasn’t very strong, but he still felt a bit of discomfort.

It was as if fine spider webs were entangled around his body, and although they could easily be torn apart, they were still somewhat uncomfortable.

”This is the restricted area order,” Little Mad King said, ”Ineffective against Spiritual Ability Users above the Third Awakening, but for creatures below that level, it’s extremely effective. The order will transform their bodies and minds.”

Then, Little Mad King pointed toward the distant village: ”You see there, those were all once human kin. But under the influence of the rules of the Forbidden Zone, their minds and bodies gradually twisted, becoming closer to Void Realm Creatures. Don’t be fooled by their resemblance to us; their internal structure is already completely different.”

”The restricted area order silently transforms Forbidden Zone Humans, leaving a factor in each of them. It modifies these humans’ genetic makeup.”

”With reproduction, the concentration of the Forbidden Zone factor will increase. It starts transforming humans from the embryonic stage.”

”With each generation, the new Forbidden Zone Humans will be closer to Forbidden Zone Creatures than the preceding one.”

Li Yelai pondered and asked, ”So will they eventually become pure Forbidden Zone Creatures? Turn into Void Realm Creatures?”

If that were true, it would indeed be terrifying.

Void Realm Creatures were naturally immortal, and in most cases, one could only destroy their physical bodies and banish them back to the Void Realm.

If all the Forbidden Zone Humans turned into Void Realm Creatures, wouldn’t the Forbidden Zone possess an immortal legion?

Mr. Shadow would probably be vomiting in disgust, right?

”No, only those who receive the blessing from the Mad King, or a very few individuals with extraordinarily high Talent, have a chance to become true Forbidden Zone Creatures,” Little Mad King said, carrying his bag and explaining, ”All other Forbidden Zone Humans are just shells.”

”Shells?” Li Yelai was taken aback, lifting his leg to catch up with the Little Mad King.

”Yes, although Void Realm Creatures are immortal, they need their own shells to return to the Physical World,” Little Mad King explained, ”And ordinary humans are hardly able to become shells for Void Realm Creatures; this requires a double fit of body and soul. You probably have seen it already.”

Li Yelai nodded silently. The first Void Realm Creature he encountered was a crazed woman who had used some kind of Evil Ceremony, devoured many children, and sacrificed several lives only to come forth from what was nurtured.

If there were no other constraints, that particular Void Realm Creature could have easily used the woman’s body directly.

Void Realm Creatures were immortal, wandering in the Void Realm, yearning for suitable physical bodies. Thus, Spiritual Ability Users became easy targets for them since they were more fit to be shells compared to ordinary people.

The only relief was that higher-tier Void Realm Creatures took longer to return.

If one killed a Supreme, it would take decades, or even hundreds of years, for him to return.

”With the transformation by the restricted area order, these Forbidden Zone Humans become backup shells for Forbidden Zone Creatures. Generation after generation of transformation made their bodies and souls infinitely close to those of Void Realm Creatures, yet they are not pure Void Realm Creatures. They are rather the best shells.”

Little Mad King sighed softly, ”So, even if a Forbidden Zone Creature is banished, as long as there’s a suitable shell, they can return to the Physical World in not many years.”

”We must eliminate the Forbidden Zone, or humans will never know peace!”

(The climax is coming soon.)