Alien Species Invasion? I Kill Them Back.

Chapter 81: Chapter 79: Three Pure Ones Blessed Land

[Three Pure Ones Blessed Land, a place that gathers wind and pools water. Its unique geography has created an environment of great biodiversity, and its long history has given rise to rich legends of gods and ghosts. You have solved the riddle and found this place. The Maze trial will now commence for you. A one-of-a-kind reward will be granted upon successfully clearing the Maze—do you accept the trial?]

Huangfu Miaomiao read the quest prompt that popped up, reciting it word for word to Feng Ling.

From Feng Ling’s perspective, she could see the air around Li Qing ripple in waves. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"What’s the one-of-a-kind reward?" she asked Huangfu Miaomiao.

"It’s probably referring to the Maze Master’s Card," Huangfu Miaomiao replied. "Normal Cards can be duplicated, but a Maze Master’s Card is unique. There are 122 Mazes, which means there are 122 of these one-of-a-kind Cards."

Pei Xianjue’s eyes lit up as she looked at Huangfu Miaomiao. "No wonder the research institute could never find the Maze entrance. It turns out only an Alien Species can trigger the Maze. Quick, accept the quest and give it a try."

Huangfu Miaomiao looked at Feng Ling.

Feng Ling thought for a moment, then asked Pei Xianjue, "Once we accept the quest, there’s no turning back. Are you sure you’ve thought this all through?"

Pei Xianjue nodded quickly. "Don’t worry, we’re all mentally prepared. The tourists on the mountain have all been evacuated to the base, and the Special Attack Team is standing guard below. They won’t let anyone up the mountain without my command."

Liang Zhou and Baozi, standing behind her, had no objections.

Seeing this, Feng Ling said no more. She nodded at Huangfu Miaomiao, signaling her to accept the quest.

Filled with excitement, Huangfu Miaomiao confirmed her acceptance.

The large golden exclamation mark above Li Qing’s head transformed into a golden cartoon smiley face. The face slowly rose, gradually expanding as if trying to cover the entire Sanqing Mountain.

At the same time, a strange fog began to appear nearby.

Normal fog should be a pale white, but this fog was a light gray with a faint greenish tint, like the wash of an ancient ink painting. It even lent the surrounding rocks, pines, and cypresses an added touch of ancient coldness.

Long howls echoed from the distance, perhaps from some kind of ape, or maybe another animal declaring its territory.

Feng Ling could clearly feel the light dimming and the temperature dropping. A damp chill filled the air.

"This place... it seems different now," Baozi said in a low voice.

"It really is different..." Pei Xianjue murmured, cautiously surveying her surroundings.

The mountain was still the same mountain, but many details had changed. The most obvious was that the man-made hiking trail they had taken to get here was gone.

Everything related to modern industry—the concrete steps, the cable cars, the small souvenir shops in the rest areas—had all vanished.

Everyone silently observed their new surroundings.

Li Qing spoke up. "I will wait for you here. When you need to leave the Maze, have the player speak with me, and I will reopen the Maze gate."

He sounded just like a proper quest guide.

But upon hearing this, Feng Ling frowned. "No. You’re coming with us."

Pei Xianjue froze for a second, then looked at Feng Ling. "But if something happens to the Maze Administrator, won’t the Maze spread its pollution? This is the entrance to the Maze; it’s relatively safe. Shouldn’t he stay here?"

Feng Ling’s brow was deeply furrowed. "The first sentence of the quest prompt was ’Three Pure Ones Blessed Land.’ That means this Maze is built on a blueprint of, at the very least, the entire Sanqing Mountain. Do you have any idea how big Sanqing Mountain is?"

Pei Xianjue was stumped. "It’s... probably very big."

"I looked up some information online before I came. The main body of Sanqing Mountain is 12.2 kilometers long from north to south and 6.3 kilometers wide from east to west. The elevation rises sharply from 200 meters at the base to 1,816 meters at the peak," Feng Ling said. "Now there are no man-made trails, no signposts, and we’re surrounded by a thick fog so we can’t even tell east from west. This place has truly become a Maze. Without a guide, forget finding the Maze Master—I doubt we could even find our way back to where we started."

Feng Ling’s words silenced everyone.

In truth, they had brought pathfinding equipment.

Feng Ling, for example, had brought a drone, but with the mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, its visibility was limited, making its usefulness extremely marginal. As for the terrain scanner, it was better suited for exploring caves; using it on the 12.2-kilometer-long, peak-studded Sanqing Mountain would be a joke.

Pei Xianjue did pull out a compass, but she probably figured it would be nearly impossible to find the Maze Master with just that, so she quietly put it away again.

As a Daoist of Sanqing Mountain, Li Qing had lived on this mountain ever since this all began. He was, indeed, the best possible guide.

Finally, Li Qing himself broke the silence. "I can go with you."

Feng Ling wasn’t surprised in the least. She bent down, released the two critters from the Pet Box, and said, "Everyone grab your gear. The mountain paths will be rough, but food and water are also crucial. What you bring, and how much, is up to you."

The packages airdropped by the helicopter just moments ago were still on the ground.

Pei Xianjue, Liang Zhou, and Baozi each shouldered a pack.

The Cat Spider and Cat Owl frolicked about, darting around in every direction. They had been trapped in the box for several hours and were about to go stir-crazy.

"Are these little Pollution Bodies you’re raising? They’re actually kind of cute," Pei Xianjue said.

Feng Ling sighed silently. "No, they’re my Card Ability."

She felt a little bitter. So far, aside from acting cute, the two she had hatched were almost completely useless. She had to go through the trouble of carrying them everywhere, and their destructive potential far exceeded that of ordinary Pets. Without the Nest to suppress them, there was no telling how much trouble they could cause.

"HISS!"

The Cat Spider caught a small animal from behind a rock and scurried over to Feng Ling, presenting it as if it were a treasure.

Feng Ling couldn’t help but frown. The small animal had been pinned by the Cat Spider’s fangs and was a bloody mess. It looked like a cross between a mouse and a Rabbit, but its four paws had grown to resemble human fingers, complete with long fingernails. The sight was deeply unsettling.

"Is this a Pollution Body from the Maze?" Feng Ling asked, looking at Li Qing.

With a grave expression, Li Qing nodded. "Yes and no. Although the genes of Maze Creatures are in a constant, unstable state of mutation, evolution, and collapse, they still maintain a special kind of equilibrium. Compared to the Pollution Bodies outside, Maze Creatures retain regular routines and survival patterns."

"You mean they have a few more brains than the Pollution Bodies outside?" Feng Ling asked.

Li Qing considered this for a moment, then gave a precise answer. "...That is one way to put it."

The Cat Owl flapped its wings and flew to a treetop, having apparently spotted some prey. Suddenly, it dove! It snatched a lizard with a human-face pattern from a rock—

It lowered its proud head, tore into the lizard’s hide, and began devouring the fresh flesh and blood.

The Cat Spider also began to rip and tear at the prey under its fangs, starting its meal.

"Looks like all the creatures here are mutated Pollution Bodies. They all look so strange..." Pei Xianjue said, glancing around warily.

Who knew what other monsters lay hidden in the quiet mountain forest.

"Giant Python Peak... it’s gone..." Li Qing murmured, gazing in a certain direction.

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