The grey-black decaying ground, muddy water pits bubbling ceaselessly, twisted and distorted trees, nameless blood-red grass underfoot, and the pungent strange smell permeating the air – all of this was what Han Li perceived when he first regained consciousness.
Without bothering to question this strange environment, Han Li cautiously scanned his surroundings, looking for any signs of others. After all, the greatest danger came from fellow disciples who entered the forbidden area together.
It seemed he was quite lucky. Apart from himself, there was no one else within several dozen zhang nearby, which relieved him.
However, he didn't relax his guard. Instead, he held a talisman in one hand and took out the set of "Golden Silkworm Mother Blades" with the other as a precautionary measure.
Only then did Han Li calm down and carefully observe the peculiar place he found himself in.
Han Li wasn't surprised to suddenly find himself in an unfamiliar place. Before the trip to the forbidden area, the supervisors had provided detailed information about the forbidden area to the disciples.
In the information, it was mentioned that anyone stepping into the forbidden area would be instantly teleported to various corners of the forbidden area by a certain teleportation formation still in effect inside. Where one ended up depended on luck.
It was possible to be transported to the core area, where there were plenty of spirit herbs to collect, or to face several demonic beasts immediately, requiring a bloody battle to survive. And for the unluckiest individuals, they might end up in a deadly location and perish immediately, although such cases were rare.
The most common occurrence was like Han Li's situation – being transported to a corner of the forbidden area and having to explore on one's own.
The reason for these occurrences, according to the speculations of senior experts, was that the method they used to break into the forbidden area was not the correct way, thus triggering some minor restrictions and causing accidents.
As Han Li cautiously wandered around the vicinity, he compared the scenery with the information he remembered from the data. Finally, he found some very useful information accumulated by previous disciples who had left the forbidden area, which could be quite valuable to newcomers like him.
"The Black Dragon Pool is located in the northeast corner of the forbidden area, with a deep pool covering an area of dozens of zhang at its center. Within a radius of several miles, there are many plants such as Bone Rot Flowers and Serpentwood Trees, which can be used to make poisons, but their value is not significant."
"At the center of the Black Dragon Pool, near the water's edge, every dozen years or so, some 'Cold Smoke Grass' will randomly appear. This is an extremely versatile kind of rare grass. If possible, it is advisable to collect it and exchange it within the sect for certain rewards. However, it is worth noting that lurking in the depths of the pool is a group of Grade One Lower Tier demonic beasts called Frost Toads. However, they have gentle temperaments and won't pose any danger as long as they are not provoked."
After recalling the information several times, Han Li had a plan in mind.
Generally, the closer one got to the center of the forbidden area, the more rare spirit herbs and powerful guardian demonic beasts there would be. Although the Black Dragon Pool was situated slightly towards the outer edge, it was not on the outermost layer. If he hurried, he could reach the central area within a day.
Thinking of this, Han Li decided not to use any magical tools. Instead, he jumped onto a densely-leaved tree branch, looked around, confirmed the direction, and then jumped down from the tree.
