Chapter 172 Entering the Mountains, the Golden Roc

The train sped through the southern territories of the Dragon Summer Federation. As the scenery outside the window constantly shifted, it had already traveled thousands of miles.

Inside the train, Chu Han rested with his eyes closed, his aura calm and steady. In his mind, he reviewed the information on the final three medicinal ingredients needed to refine the green lotus pill.

blood bait flower, dragon crystal grass, and star pattern fruit were all grown in the Poisonous Swamp area deep within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. That was a forbidden land where even a 7th Rank Grandmaster would not easily set foot.

After a night of rapid travel, the maglev train finally arrived at the Southern Frontier Base City at noon the next day.

The moment he stepped out of the station, a gust of wind mixed with the scent of vegetation, the stench of exotic beasts, and a faint miasma hit him in the face.

Chu Han looked up; this Base City was far more magnificent than he had imagined.

The massive alloy city walls were a hundred meters high, covered with menacing defensive cannon ports. Beyond the walls lay the boundless, mist-shrouded Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, like a lurking giant beast radiating a dangerous aura.

The streets inside the city were wide. Most of the pedestrians were Martial Artists dressed in tight-fitting combat gear with weapons at their waists, their auras fierce. 5th and 6th-rank Martial Artists could be seen everywhere, and occasionally, one could even see 7th Rank Grandmaster-level powerhouses walking with their heads held high, their external auras so strong that people dared not look directly at them.

"It really is a paradise for adventurers," Chu Han thought to himself.

As the first line of defense against the wilderness beasts in the south, the Southern Frontier Base City gathered Martial Artists, exploration teams, and merchants from all over the Federation. The air was thick with the tense atmosphere of the law of the jungle.

With his cultivation at the 6th Rank Initial Stage, he truly did not stand out here, appearing completely unremarkable among the crowd.

Chu Han did not linger and went straight to the Base City's transportation hub.

According to the information he had looked up earlier, there were three routes to the Poisonous Swamp area.

The land route required crossing thousands of miles of beast activity zones, taking three days with a medium danger level.

The water route involved taking a boat along miasma-filled waterways, taking two days and being prone to attacks from aquatic beasts.

The air route was the fastest, taking only half a day to arrive, but it was the most dangerous choice.

One needed to ride a 6th Order Peak Golden Roc, domesticated by a Beast Tamer, to fly directly over the outer regions of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

In the plaza of the transportation hub, several massive Golden Rocs stood proudly.

Their wingspans exceeded a hundred meters, their feathers radiated a metallic luster, and their sharp talons shimmered with a cold light. Their eagle eyes were as sharp as knives. Even though they were bound by specialized chains, they still emitted the pressure of top-tier exotic beasts.

Sturdy wooden cabins were built onto the backs of each Golden Roc. Several Beast Tamers were surrounding the birds, checking the equipment with serious expressions.

"The strength of these Beast Tamers is also close to Grandmaster-level."

Chu Han's gaze swept over them, feeling curious.

The methods of these Beast Tamers were indeed not simple, to be able to tame such magnificent giant birds.

Ordinary Martial Artists would piss themselves just from a single glance from these Golden Rocs, let alone ride them.

"Sir, would you like to take a Golden Roc?" A Beast Tamer immediately approached, his gaze quickly scanning Chu Han.

When he saw how young Chu Han looked, a flash of surprise and disdain crossed his eyes.

A 6th-rank Martial Artist at the Initial Stage, and so young at that, actually dared to come and ride a Golden Roc.

Although he might be a super Genius, in the Southern Frontier—especially within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains—strength was still respected above all else.

No matter how high one's talent, if it hadn't been converted into strength, one would not receive respect here.

"To the Poisonous Swamp area, a single ticket is ten million federal currency. The journey takes half a day with no stops. If attacked by beasts, you must defend yourself. Life and death are your own responsibility."

"Ten million?" Chu Han nodded indifferently. To him, who now held hundreds of billions in wealth, this amount was just a drop in the bucket. "I'll take one ticket. Can we leave now?"

"Of course! We were just waiting for one more person."

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed the middle-aged Beast Tamer's eyes, and he hurriedly led Chu Han toward one of the sturdiest Golden Rocs.

"This is 'Golden Wing.' It's our most docile and capable fighter among the Golden Rocs; it has never had an accident."

Chu Han walked toward the cabin on the Golden Roc's back. Before he even stepped inside, he felt a powerful aura rushing toward him.

The interior of the cabin was spacious but already seated quite a few people. The most conspicuous was a group in the corner.

The leader was a woman about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, dressed in a purple combat suit that outlined her exquisite figure. Her skin was fair, and her features carried a hint of mature charm. Her aura was as deep as an abyss—she was actually a powerhouse at the 7th Rank Grandmaster Middle Stage!

Beside the woman stood a white-haired old man in a gray combat suit. His aura was more restrained, yet it vaguely gave off a sense of oppression. Chu Han could tell at a glance that this old man was already at the 7th-Rank Limit, just one step away from being an 8th-Rank Grandmaster.

This old man was the strongest yet stood behind the woman, clearly one of her subordinates.

This was enough to show that the woman's identity was special, making it impossible to underestimate her.

On the other side of the woman stood a male Martial Artist in his thirties with a cold expression. His aura had also reached the Peak of Early Seventh Tier. His eyes were sharp as he warily sized up the other people in the cabin.

In addition, seven or eight 6th-rank Martial Artists were gathered around them, clearly subordinates of this force. Their overall strength was extremely formidable.

In the remaining five seats of the cabin sat five independent Martial Artists, all at the 6th-rank cultivation. They had various expressions; some were resting with eyes closed, while others gripped their weapons tightly. They were clearly experienced adventurers.

Chu Han was the last person to board the cabin.

As soon as he stepped in, he attracted many gazes.

That woman in red, Xiao Ya, looked up at him. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, as if she hadn't expected the last person to board to be such a young youth. Then, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of her mouth, though she said nothing.

Uncle Fu beside her only gave Chu Han a faint glance before looking away, seemingly indifferent to a youth at the 6th Rank Initial Stage.

The young man at the Peak of Early Seventh Tier raised an eyebrow, his eyes carrying a hint of contempt, clearly not taking Chu Han seriously.

The other five independent Martial Artists also just glanced at Chu Han before looking away.

In these crisis-ridden Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, no one would easily provoke a stranger, but they wouldn't easily trust anyone either.

Chu Han didn't care at all. He found an empty seat by the window and sat down to rest, retracting his aura to the limit. He looked like an ordinary 6th-rank Martial Artist, trying his best to lower his presence.

A moment later, following the Beast Tamer's command, the Golden Roc let out a sharp cry. Its wings flapped violently, the massive force kicking up a gale as it soared into the sky like an arrow from a bow.

Inside the cabin, Chu Han looked down, taking in the magnificent sight of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The dense forest was like a green ocean with clouds and mist swirling through it. Occasionally, massive exotic beasts could be seen moving through the woods, letting out earth-shaking roars.

The Golden Roc's flight speed was extremely fast, exceeding twice the speed of sound. Only the whistling wind and the roar of airflow could be heard as the scenery below receded rapidly.

In just one hour, the Golden Roc flew into the deep regions of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The miasma here became increasingly dense, showing a faint purplish-black color that could even corrode Origin Power.

The sense of danger in the air also grew stronger. Chu Han could clearly feel several exotic beast auras hidden in the forest below that were no weaker than the 6th rank, and there was even a vague pressure reaching the 7th rank.

"The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are indeed full of danger. Even in the sky, it isn't safe."

Chu Han thought to himself.