Forbidden Land

The two left their respective imprints on the Jade Tablet, and Yi Feng took the map drawn by Piaomiao Hong before departing.

Watching Yi Feng’s retreating figure, Piaomiao Hong’s gaze lingered for a long time.

She didn’t know if he would ever return.

Perhaps…

He would accomplish his wish?

Though she had never been to that place herself…

The reason she hadn’t gone was precisely because she wasn’t qualified—a testament to its danger.

Since the black mist began to spread, humanity’s exploration of the Black Domain had never ceased.

Over the years, their understanding of the Black Domain had proven far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

At the very least,

the Black Domain wasn’t solely inhabited by mindless, mutated demons.

Many possessed high intelligence, living in organized settlements akin to human cities.

They maintained strict order, discipline, and their own set of rules.

Far from being frenzied beasts, they resembled a higher race that had descended upon the world.

This discovery shocked the major factions of Yunxing at the time.

It suggested that the emergence of the Black Domain wasn’t an accident or a careless mistake—it was a deliberate, orchestrated act.

Behind it all, there must have been an invisible hand pulling the strings.

The location Piaomiao Hong marked for Yi Feng was a demon city discovered by humans.

After stumbling upon it, countless human factions united, dispatching their finest experts to investigate. Yet, not a single one returned alive.

The losses were so severe that, over time, humanity abandoned further exploration, silently labeling it as a high-level forbidden zone.

While they ceased probing this particular city, their exploration of other regions within the Black Domain continued.

They classified the explored areas into distinct danger levels, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 9.

Here, Tier 1 represented the extreme, while Tier 9 was the least severe.

Most of the classified zones were Tier 8 or Tier 9 forbidden lands, with Tier 7 being exceedingly rare—strictly off-limits to humans.

As for the Demon Gathering City, its actual tier remained unknown, but humanity tentatively labeled it as a Tier 6 forbidden zone.

This made it the first and only Tier 6 forbidden land in human history, currently the highest-level restricted area.

As for zones above Tier 6, while the classification system accounted for them, no such places had been officially designated yet.

Here’s hoping

there never will be.

“Hey, you know where we’re headed, right?”

Seated atop Manman’s back, Yi Feng pulled out the map Piaomiao Hong had drawn and held it up to the creature’s face.

“Blurp blurp.”

Manman let out a strange noise.

“Just get me to the destination.”

Yi Feng stretched lazily before leaning against Manman’s shell and dozing off.

Whoosh!

Manman streaked across the sky, leaving a blur in its wake.

Since it was a forbidden zone within the Black Domain, they naturally had to enter its depths.

Below stretched endless barren land, with countless shadowy figures darting about.

“Croak croak!”

A toad suddenly leaped out from nowhere, landing squarely on Manman’s head.

“Hey, Toad, get off me.”

Manman rolled its eyes upward, voice tinged with irritation.

“Oh, come on, Slowpoke, don’t be so stingy. With ol’ Skelly gone, you think you’re the big boss now, huh?”

“Piss off!”

A ripple of energy surged from Manman’s head, flinging Ha Benwei away.

In the distance,

a tiny star-shaped speck marked Ha Benwei’s disappearance.

“Croak croak!”

Soon, the croaking returned as Ha Benwei popped up again from who-knows-where.

“Fine, I won’t waste my breath on you. Serious talk—up ahead’s the old boundary wall. You sure you wanna cross?”

Ha Benwei asked earnestly.

Manman fell silent.

After a long pause, it finally spoke. “Too many things have slipped beyond control, straying from the original plan.”

Pausing, it glanced at the vast Black Domain before adding, “Seems like someone’s working behind the scenes to sabotage it all.”

“Most importantly, our master’s set on courting death. Who are we to stop him?”

“Worst case, the universe collapses. Not like I’m gonna die anyway…”

“You, though? Better start planning your escape, short-legs.”

“Bullshit!” Ha Benwei snapped. “If you won’t die, you think I will?”

“But seriously, even if the master wants to die… can he?”

“Is dying even the point?”

Manman shot the toad a sidelong glance. “He’s probably just using it as an excuse to do something else, don’t you think?”

The toad only half-understood.

“Eh, forget it. This whole scheme’s way above our paygrade. Let’s just stick with the master and enjoy the ride.” Manman sighed. “Take a page from Skelly’s book—living it up, drowning in wine and women, surrounded by lackeys. Disgusting, really…”

It trailed off for a moment.

“Hey… you ever know what it’s like to be with a woman?”