Chapter 66: A Mission Suddenly Appears

"Big Cat, let's go for a spin!"

Shangguan Ruoyun and Qin Chuan were once again seated on the back of the Shengong Leopard. As the beast surged forward with all its might, scenery flashed past them on either side.

The fresh fragrance of wild grasses and flowers, the pure and pristine air—everything was simply wonderful.

"The spiritual energy here has grown stronger again."

Qin Chuan noticed that the ambient spiritual energy here was significantly denser than in the forest. While this was a good thing, it could very well be a bad thing as well.

He recalled the gigantic beast he had seen earlier.

The more abundant the spiritual energy in a place, the stronger the monsters it could nurture, and the greater the level of danger would be.

In that primeval forest, the strongest monsters they had encountered were only of three-star rank.

However, it was painfully obvious that the skeletal remains of the beast they had seen earlier possessed a strength that undoubtedly surpassed three-star rank.

As for just how powerful monsters above the three-star rank truly were, Qin Chuan had not yet fought any of them and was therefore unable to jump to conclusions.

"Oh! What is that?"

After the Shengong Leopard sprinted for several kilometers across the grassland, they spotted a strange stone structure standing in the distance. It looked massive and extremely conspicuous.

Consequently, Qin Chuan shouted, "Big Cat, go over there and check it out."

With their master issuing an order, how could the Shengong Leopard dare to disobey? It rapidly sprinted toward the target.

When they finally arrived at the location, they were astonished to find that this was no mere boulder at all.

It was clearly a gigantic stone monument.

This stele was not only towering but also carried a somewhat eerie aura.

That was because this stele stood in the exact center of a square ritual altar, with four separate statues erected at the four cardinal directions of the altar.

The stone carvings looked immensely ancient and of extraordinary craftsmanship. It was impossible to tell how many years they had existed here, exuding a profound sense of antiquity.

The stone statues surrounding the altar had bizarre appearances and primitive designs.

One had a human head and a snake body, holding a stone in its hand.

This immediately made Qin Chuan think of the ancient deity Nüwa, or perhaps an ancient race—the Medusa.

The second stone statue had a human head and a fish body, which was fundamentally the design of a mermaid.

Furthermore, it held a trident in its hand; Qin Chuan even mistook it for the legendary trident of the Sea God.

If one watched too many movies, it was inevitable to jump to such conclusions.

The third stone statue had a human head and a wolf body, walking upright, with a massive spiked club hoisted over its shoulder.

This should be a werewolf, a recurring creature in Western folklore.

The final stone statue possessed a pair of wings with a compact design, wore a queen's crown upon its head, and held a bow and arrow in its hands.

This was completely the depiction of an elf.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan grew puzzled and remarked, "Could this altar have been built by these four races in the past?"

"Perhaps. It's unknown how long ago this was built; who knows, there might even be traces of human activity here."

An altar like this must have been constructed artificially, meaning there were definitely humans here—or if not humans, then at least some intelligent race.

It was quite likely built by one of the four races depicted in the statues.

Even so, as they gazed at the stele soaring straight into the clouds, they were still left somewhat speechless.

"This stele is absurdly huge."

"It certainly is tall. This thing is probably no less than a hundred meters high."

"This definitely wasn't built by humans. Humans couldn't possibly build a stele this large. But what on earth did they build such a massive stele for? Could it be used for sacrificial rituals?"

"This might well have been built by those four races. It's just strange—those four factions seem to have nothing whatsoever to do with one another. Why would they be carved on the four corners?"

"This looks almost like standing guard or suppressing something. Could this stele serve some other function?"

"Surely not. What could be so strange about this stele? Isn't it just a big slab of stone!"

...

The two of them walked around the altar once and finally discovered a small stele at the back, two meters wide and three meters high, which provided instructions on how to use the main monument.

"The Heaven-Shaking Stele of the First Tier of the Forbidden Land: Only by completing the stele's trials and fully illuminating the entire monument can the gate to the Second Tier of the Forbidden Land be opened."

After reading this, the two of them instantly froze in a daze.

This monument turned out to be the key—or rather, the gateway—to unlocking the second region of the forbidden land.

Following that, they continued reading downward and discovered that this was a quest board. The board also stated that the quest list would refresh daily, each person could only claim one quest at a time, and once a quest was claimed, it would be locked so that no one else could take it.

Every single quest was entirely unique.

As for the method to open the second tier of the forbidden land, it was surprisingly simple: as long as 100 quests were completed, the Heaven-Reaching Stele would transform into a portal, allowing them to smoothly enter the second tier of the forbidden land.

"So this forbidden land actually has different tiers? The place they are currently in is merely the first tier!"

"The first tier has already caused devastating losses to the lucky chosen ones, and half the nations on the planet of Kyushu have suffered incalculable damage. The crucial point is that the natural disasters are still ongoing. At this rate, they are genuinely not far from national destruction."

"The first tier is already this terrifying and arduous; if we go down to the second tier, just how horrifying would that be?"

"I never expected this stele to be called the Heaven-Shaking Stele. I thought some monster was suppressed beneath this stone monument, but as it turns out, it's just a teleportation passage."

"I wonder what the second tier of the forbidden land looks like. I really want to see it."

"The first tier is already this terrifying; I'm afraid the second tier of the forbidden land will be even more terrifying."

...

"100 quests?" The two of them were momentarily speechless. "Then when on earth is this going to be finished?"

"Let's check out what the quest contents on here are first." Qin Chuan turned his attention to the quest details.

Quests:
1. Slay a two-star bronze blood wolf and bring back its beast core. Quest reward: a two-star weapon.
2. Gather ten blue-flame flowers. They must be uprooted completely without the slightest damage. Quest reward: Fire-attribute superpower.
3. Collect ten three-star beast cores. Quest reward: Strength +10.
4. Challenge the guardian beast king of the first tier of the forbidden land, whose strength is at the three-star silver rank. Lasting ten minutes counts as success, and slaying it rewards a three-star cultivation manual.
5. Find ten pieces of Tai stone no smaller than a fist. Quest reward: A three-star defensive armor.
...

There were a total of ten quests, each completely different from the rest. Furthermore, a person could only claim one quest at a time. Upon claiming a quest, a rough directional guide would be provided, but the final outcome would still depend entirely on one's own strength.

Upon viewing this quest board, everyone was struck with astonishment once more.

"Good grief, quests have even appeared now."

"Why does this feel like an online game to me? It's somewhat like watching them play a game."

"This truly is a game—a national fortune game, a game wagering an entire country."