207: Chapter 207 System Malfunction! Forced Incursion into the Northern Dead Zone

Su Changge slid down along the rock wall and collapsed on the ground, no longer able to maintain his so-called "Master" persona. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, took off the jade crown from his head, and tossed it aside.

"Exhausted to death. Acting as a Master is truly a miserable chore that no human can bear."

Su Changge complained in a low voice as he pulled out some dried food he had snatched from the hall and chewed it in large bites. The dried food was a special jerky made by the Blood Race, harder than stone. He struggled to gnaw on it, his jaws aching, before he could barely tear off two pieces. He then took out a water skin and gulped down several mouthfuls of clear water, finally recovering a bit of his energy.

With a thought, he summoned the System panel to check the intrusion countdown.

The countdown had changed to fifty-seven days and twenty-one hours; another day had quietly passed. Su Changge's heart sank; time was tight, and he had to speed up.

He took out the map of the Northern Region gifted by the Old Priest and spread it on the ground, identifying his position by the dim moonlight. He was currently to the northwest of the Blood Race settlement, about two and a half days' journey from the Side Gate of the Northern Region. The mist at the Side Gate was relatively thin, and fewer people came and went, which perfectly suited his intention to sneak in.

Su Changge memorized the route, folded the map, and tucked it into his chest. He then took out the communication jade talisman given by the Old Priest, held it in his palm, and tried to activate it.

The jade talisman remained motionless, not even a faint light flickered. Su Changge tried repeatedly several times, but the result was the same. It turned out that once he left the specific range of the Blood Race hall, the communication jade talisman lost its effect.

Su Changge was secretly delighted; this was for the best, as no one could disturb his peace anymore. Even if he accidentally revealed a flaw in the Northern Region, no one would know.

Su Changge rested on the ground for half an hour, and his physical strength finally recovered to about seventy or eighty percent. He put his jade crown back on, smoothed his robes, and once again assumed a profound and unfathomable posture. Even though there was no one around, he was always prepared to play the image of a Master, just in case.

Su Changge stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and continued heading toward the West Slope.

Along the way, there were only bare rocks and rare trees. The fierce wind carried sand and gravel, blowing against his face and blurring his eyes. Su Changge traveled through the night until the horizon slightly brightened, only then finding a wind-sheltered cave to stop and rest.

He took out the remaining dried food, gnawed on two pieces, drank a few gulps of water, and then leaned against the cave wall and fell into a deep sleep. A Physical Body at the Qi Refining First Layer was ultimately fragile; traveling all night was enough to make it overwhelmed.

Su Changge slept for a full four hours before being startled awake by the howling wind outside the cave. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and summoned the System panel to check the time.

Another half day had been delayed, and the countdown had changed to fifty-seven days and eleven hours. Su Changge did not dare to delay any longer, hurriedly packed his belongings, and walked out of the cave.

The wind outside was even stronger, and the Blood Clouds hung low in the sky, as if a rainstorm was imminent. Su Changge tightened his robes and continued toward the West Slope.

After walking for about an hour, Su Changge's footsteps suddenly stopped. He smelled a faint scent of blood drifting from the depths of the valley ahead.

Cold sweat instantly soaked Su Changge's back. Could he have encountered a Vicious Beast? He hurriedly hid behind a huge rock, poked his head out, and peered into the valley.

Several Blood Race corpses lay across the valley, all with their hearts pierced by a single sword strike, devoid of any breath of life. Standing beside the corpses were several Human Race Cultivators dressed in black robes and tight-fitting clothes, the long swords in their hands gleaming coldly as they meticulously searched the corpses for belongings.

Su Changge's heartstrings tightened. Why would Human Race Cultivators appear here? Looking at their attire, they were not locals of the Blood Abyss Realm but rather shared some similarities with Cultivators from the Eastern Desolation Cultivation World. How could they have set foot in the Blood Abyss Realm?

Su Changge pressed himself against the rock, not even daring to breathe loudly. Those few Human Race Cultivators had extraordinary cultivation, at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage. If he were to show himself, it would be no different from striking a stone with an egg.

He hid behind the giant rock, waiting quietly for those people to leave.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, those people finished looting the corpses and turned to leave toward the Northern Region. Su Changge only dared to emerge from behind the rock after seeing their figures disappear without a trace.

He stepped into the valley, his gaze sweeping over the Blood Race corpses, his heart heavy. Were these Human Race Cultivators here for the Northern Region? Then, was the cry for help he heard outside the mist earlier from one of them?

Su Changge's mind became increasingly uneasy. Was the Northern Region actually so noisy now? Human Race Cultivators, the Blood Race curse, and those unknown Extraterritorial Heavenly Demons. With his mere Qi Refining First Layer cultivation, wouldn't going deep into it be seeking his own death?

Su Changge stood in the valley for a long time, hesitating several times, before finally gritting his teeth and continuing toward the West Slope. Staying here was also a dead end; only by moving forward would there be a glimmer of hope.

Su Changge spent a day and a half, and his figure finally appeared before the entrance of the Northern Region's West Slope.

Ahead, a boundless black mist barrier rose from the ground, piercing straight into the blood-colored sky, enveloping the entire Northern Region. The mist here was even thicker than what he had seen at the main gate of the Blood Race hall, as black as solidified ink, so much so that even the eternal Blood Sun in the sky could not penetrate it in the slightest.

A grim chill blew against his face. Before even getting close, Su Changge's Qi and blood throughout his body came to a standstill.

He stopped a hundred meters away from the mist barrier, not daring to advance another inch.

A Physical Body at the Qi Refining First Layer was after all a mortal frame. This bone-eroding Yin Qi unique to the Northern Region was far from what ordinary cold winds could compare to. He wrapped his robes tightly, rubbing his frozen fingers, a great sense of alarm rising in his heart.

This place was dangerous beyond imagination.

Su Changge stood in place, his thoughts racing, and finally sank into his Sea of Consciousness to summon the light blue System panel.

He had to test it first; if he rushed in blindly, he probably wouldn't last even a single breath.

"System, exchange for an Investigation Light Orb."

A ball of soft blue light condensed in his palm, then turned into a stream of light, silently shooting toward that patch of darkness.

The next moment, the light orb touched the edge of the mist barrier and unexpectedly vanished silently, like snow meeting boiling water.

Su Changge's heart sank abruptly.

He refused to believe it and spent several times the cost to exchange for a more powerful light orb once again. The light shone brightly and broke through the air.

The result was exactly the same, still like a clay ox entering the sea.

Even the System's great power can be swallowed?

Su Changge hurriedly questioned the System.

A cold notification sound rang out in his Sea of Consciousness.

[Warning: Detected unknown Law region, some functions restricted]

Only this one sentence, with nothing further.

Su Changge's heart went cold; this chill had nothing to do with the Yin wind outside, it emerged from the bottom of his heart. The System, his greatest reliance, had actually failed at this moment?

He suppressed his horror and, holding onto a final shred of hope, tried to exchange for the Protective Golden Light.

Hum.

A circle of brilliant golden light rose from his body's surface, condensing into a thick protective shield. Warmth flowed through his limbs and bones, dispelling the surrounding gloom and cold.

Fortunately, the protective special effects could still be used.

Su Changge felt slightly relieved and tried one after another to perform special effects like Pressure Release and Sword Light Condensation, all of which could be executed smoothly.

Only the investigation-type functions had completely failed.

He looked up at the countdown in the corner of the System panel.

Fifty-six days and eighteen hours.

Not much time left.

Su Changge's fists were tightly clenched, his knuckles turning white. He gritted his teeth, a flash of determination in his eyes.

I'll risk it! Staying here is waiting for death; rushing in still offers a glimmer of hope!