036 The Emerald Tower

After several days of bitter struggle, Duan Shanyue finally managed to hold on until now.

Relying on fragmented memories and experience, he had stumbled his way into the deepest reaches of the Emerald Forest. Naturally, he had been met with the same treatment as others, and without the assistance of a powerful NPC, his situation was far more difficult than the one Duan Qing and his group had faced.

Yet, he gritted his teeth and pushed through.

As one of the heavy hitters of "Jianghu," the largest guild currently in the game, Duan Shanyue’s strength was unquestionable. True to his standing, he had led many of his guild brothers deep into the rugged mountains and dangerous terrains across the World of Freedom, overcoming countless obstacles and paving the way for the guild to establish its foothold. It was precisely because of this that he understood deeply just how terrifying the secluded depths of the World of Freedom—like the Emerald Forest—could be.

It was truly a place that devoured everything.

Vaulting over a gnarled, protruding root that looked like a wall, he ducked low, dodging a steel needle that flew from behind. These were not actually made of steel, but were merely seeds ejected by a vine-like plant. However, in Duan Shanyue’s eyes, they were as sharp as steel needles.

When he had passed this way before, he had caught a glimpse of these vines coiled around a tree trunk out of the corner of his eye. Had he not seen their lethality earlier, he would never have made such an exaggerated evasive maneuver—the vines were as wide as a person, and the tree they coiled around was as thick as a house. Their light green color stood out vividly in this environment, so the moment Duan Shanyue first spotted them, he had fixed his attention on them, allowing him to perceive their subsequent attacks clearly.

He had no desire to be skewered.

The roar of a beast rang out. Ignoring his own wounds, he scrambled up from the ground. A small, greenish snake-like creature seemed to be lunging at him from the left, clearly not something to be trifled with. Without breaking stride, he threw a punch with his right hand in that direction.

With an explosive crack in the air, the small creature was blasted away by Duan Shanyue’s powerful blow, landing in the bushes far away. Duan Shanyue continued his frantic run as dark shapes scrambled over the "wall" of roots behind him.

They were large, black gorillas, armed with all sorts of makeshift weapons. One of them let out a strange cry and pointed in Duan Shanyue’s direction.

Rounding a massive tree, Duan Shanyue snatched a fleeting moment to look back, then gritted his teeth again.

Damn it, these gorillas have become monsters; they can actually use weapons! He had previously had to perform a roll just to dodge a crossbow bolt fired from behind!

Duan Shanyue was nearly losing his mind. Which bastard had died at their hands, essentially gifting them weapons? And by what logic had these monkeys learned to use them?

This place, this bizarre forest...

He had had enough!

However, nature provided him no time for complaints. Another axe flew by, grazing his scalp. He ducked his head, swallowed his grievances, clutched his tattered, falling-apart leather armor, and continued his flight.

In a place like this, he thought with a self-deprecating smile, no matter how many people came, they would all end up fleeing in disgrace just like him. Perhaps in such a place, having more people was not a good thing; the numerical advantage was useless here, and it would only draw more monsters to hunt them down...

A strange sound came from ahead. He paused for a split second before running toward it—he could distinguish that it was a human voice.

Although this was not the first time he had heard human voices since he had been left alone, the feeling of excitement surged in his heart at this time and place.

Like a drowning man reaching for a straw, he vaulted over another gnarled root and charged forward.

***************

When Duan Qing saw the figure rushing over from the side, he was genuinely startled—he already had pursuers behind him, and in a place like this, if more strange things were to appear...

However, his surprise was clearly not as great as Xue Linghuanbing’s reaction.

"Duan Shanyue?"

In the past two years, the strength of Wings of Freedom had soared, gradually occupying the second position in the guild power rankings and naturally standing in opposition to the number one guild, Jianghu. The two guilds had clashed in several games, so everyone knew each other's strength well.

Although Xue Linghuanbing had only begun to come into contact with these things in the last two years and had never dealt with Duan Shanyue directly, she had certainly conducted her own research and investigations as a capable, motivated, and driven elite of the new generation. Duan Shanyue’s name had been renowned in the professional scene for a long time, and his fame was such that he could be recognized while walking down the street. Thus, the moment they met, Xue Linghuanbing blurted out his name.

Hearing her own guild name mentioned by the other party, Duan Shanyue gave a bitter smile. Although he did not want anyone to see him in his current disheveled state, he bit the bullet and ran over. Only when he got closer did he see the group that appeared to be composed of beginners, as well as the two individuals who were clearly not.

The one in the blue robe, carrying a massive staff, had a noble and composed air, and since no ID was visible, she must be a powerful NPC. And the other one...

"You are..."

"Run!"

There was no time for explanations. Since they were all players, Duan Qing did not stop the man from joining them. Christine glanced at the ragged man without a word, her eyes already fixed on the direction from which he had come.

"Watch out behind, there's a group of gorillas..." Duan Shanyue, showing the chivalry of Jianghu, did not forget to warn them: "They have weapons!"

They had weapons?

Time only gave Duan Qing and his group two seconds to think. From behind a giant tree to the front-side, a gorilla leading the pack emerged, wielding a rusted, large machete.

Although the blade looked somewhat dull, its edge still reflected an eerie blue light, clearly having been sharpened.

With no time to ponder just how high the intelligence of these gorillas was, Duan Qing pulled the dazed Meng Zhu and continued to run toward the other side.

Amidst the chaotic sound of footsteps, the disorganized group sprinted forward. In the blur of retreating tree shadows, the shrubs along the way were caught in the crossfire, constantly being trampled on their escape route. The rugged-voiced man who had just joined asked hesitatingly: "You're that girl from Wings of Freedom..." Duan Qing did not turn his head, letting out another roar.

"Whatever grudges you have, discuss them later! We have a group behind us too..."

*Crack!*

A crisp sound echoed abruptly through the forest.

It sounded like glass shattering on the ground. Duan Qing looked back in astonishment. The sparse gaps in the area behind them were suddenly filled with irregular ice crystals of varying sizes.

It was as if a hailstorm had just occurred where they had passed, and judging by the scene, it had already ended—the spaces between the massive trunks were packed tight with frozen, ice-blue water, as if that stretch of forest had been buried in ice and snow.

The instantaneously formed world of ice and snow temporarily separated the two groups.

The sound of running footsteps slowly ceased. A Niu’s mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time. The young girl muttered something to herself, and Duan Shanyue, who had stopped near them, was also struck dumb: "Impressive..."

Duan Qing panted for a while before asking the composed figure who had put away her staff: "Just now... *huff*... why didn't you... take action?"

Christine moved her hips as she walked forward step by step, completely indifferent to the fact that her form-fitting robe exposed her alluring curves to everyone present: "If I had done that, those monsters would have dealt with themselves, and besides..."

The shrieks and roars of the gorillas sounded, mixed with the whistling of blades and axes from the other side of the ice wall. Duan Qing realized they had clashed with the killer bees; as for who won or lost, it no longer concerned him. At the very least, they could rest for a moment right now—

"...besides, we should be almost there."

Hm?

Mulling over the meaning of those words, Duan Qing, who had just been about to sit down, slowed his movements involuntarily, his expression turning solemn. The young girl led the dazed youth over, and her voice instinctively lowered: "Uncle, Uncle, are we almost..." Up ahead, the figure in the black cloak had already run out. From this vantage point, there was a source of bright light ahead.

Duan Qing shook his head and sighed. Duan Shanyue, on the other side, also sensed the anomaly and slowly followed. Whatever question the girl had asked, he could no longer hear, or perhaps he had already heard it and was now answering: "That’s why there’s no need to hold back your strength anymore, because we are almost there..."

Finally coming to an end... or perhaps, far from it...

Duan Qing slowly stood up and led the remaining two toward that direction. Up ahead, the blue-robed figure was standing there, one hand touching her forehead, the other hanging naturally. As Duan Qing approached, he heard Christine’s soft, sweet voice:

"Yes... I can see it now..."

Then, Duan Qing saw it too.

The midday sun poured down from the sky, illuminating the area ahead. As he approached, the first thing that met his eyes were endless tree trunks, but in the near distance, the trunks turned into branches and then into crowns—the terrain ahead actually sloped downward, and the height difference appeared to be quite significant. Further away, the treetops were already below their feet; the staggered crowns were intertwined, yet they continued to extend downward at a certain gradient, all the way into the distance. At the end of that stretch, a turquoise tower stood tall, rising proudly from the vast green ocean.

That was not the tower’s original color. Although it was far away, the tower was truly massive, so Duan Qing could still discern some mottled grey-black on its surface—that was likely the original color of the stone. As for the prominent large patches of green, they were likely vines and moss covering the tower's body.

Even so, the appearance of this tower was visually striking, as it seemed to be located in the very center of this basin.

Duan Qing looked around and finally realized from the height difference that this was indeed a basin. They were likely standing on the edge of this basin. Looking to the side, the slope formed by the giant tree canopies stretched out in an arc, extending toward the center and finally converging at that very spot—where the tower stood. If one observed more carefully, Duan Qing would notice that the arc of this basin formed a circle—a very regular circle.

A few unknown birds flew overhead. Looking at the turquoise tower at the center of the circle, a huge question arose in Duan Qing’s heart. The tower was one thing, but the surrounding terrain did not look like it was formed naturally at all...

The sound of stones sliding underfoot came *swish-swish*. Duan Qing sensed danger, stepped back, and looked down, only to realize that the ground ahead was not a slope at all, but a series of cliffs. The cliffs appeared very high; looking down at them made one feel dizzy.

Duan Qing retreated two steps, calmed his nerves, and opened the system menu, finding what he was looking for in his Adventure Log's map.

It read: Emerald Forest, Outer Perimeter of the Emerald Tower.

He swallowed hard, organized his thoughts, and turned toward Christine, only to find that the alluring, mature woman was looking at him with an inscrutable gaze, as if she were waiting for him to ask.

"You... ah, no, you..."

The whistling sound of a longsword reached Duan Qing’s ears.

Duan Qing looked over in astonishment. Near the edge of the cliff not far away, the black-cloaked figure was holding a sword with both hands, confronting the man in the tattered leather armor.

Noticing Duan Qing’s gaze, Xue Linghuanbing blurted out: "I didn't break our agreement; he’s the one who started it."

"Heh, you might not believe it, but it really was me who started it, but..."

"A cold tone can't hide your anxiety, little ice doll," the man with the ID "Duan Shanyue" said leisurely. He crossed his arms; despite his leather armor being covered in wounds, he still maintained a look of complete confidence: "I recognize you, a rising star in the first team of Wings of Freedom. You seemed very active a while ago, but you've disappeared lately. I was wondering where you’d gone..."

He opened his hands: "Thanks for the hospitality from Wings of Freedom back then, this debt of gratitude..."

Xue Linghuanbing gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to speak, Duan Shanyue pushed off with his feet, launching another charge.

"It always has to be repaid!"

He raised his hand and slashed down. Although the momentum was imposing, facing a charge as heavy as a mountain, this momentum seemed insufficient. In the afterimage of his rush, a flash of white protruded from the stream of light—it was Duan Shanyue’s fist.

With a *bang*, Xue Linghuanbing’s sword was struck head-on by the fist. The fist was clearly equipped with a knuckle-duster-like weapon, which was why he dared to clash head-on with the longsword. The recoil sent the black cloak flying, along with her body.

A blue flash brushed over the armor hidden beneath the black cloak. Amidst the swirling air, Duan Shanyue was also blown back by the sword, taking several steps before landing on his butt. While he marveled at the young girl’s courage, he was secretly surprised by the strength of her attributes. The woman who had fallen into the bushes, however, knew that it was just the attribute of her set gear kicking in.

But this level of intensity should be more than enough for her to handle—

A sound of wind breaking came from behind.

"A little brat from a newbie village..."

Duan Shanyue turned abruptly, lowered his center of gravity, and threw a punch: "Still want to get involved?"

The expected sword did not collide with his fist. The blade that had reached his face suddenly withdrew, then traced a bizarre arc before his eyes, disappearing into his peripheral vision.

His pupils constricted, but he did not turn his head. Relying on instinct, he shifted his left fist, striking toward the right.

*Bang!*

Another dull thud. A figure flew out, landing on the fallen leaves and kicking up a cloud of dust. Amidst the coughing, Duan Qing’s voice rose from the pile of leaves: "*Cough, cough*... in a hurry, it’s really hard to concentrate..."

Or perhaps, he had regressed quite a bit in these past few years... Duan Qing thought silently.

The exchange had looked dangerous, but Duan Shanyue’s body remained as steady as a mountain, though his inner state was far from as calm as his exterior.

He stood there, looking in that direction, and only after a long while did he hesitantly utter a word.

"...The Waltz Step?"

Dusting off the dirt and withered leaves, Duan Qing slowly stood up.

"Ancestral technique. Scared?"