Chapter 86: A Land Forsaken by the Gods, Where Simplicity Prevails

A blossom of blood burst open in the sky above the Forsaken Land, debris scattering in all directions, and a figure was sent tumbling through the air. Although this was just the edge of the Forsaken Land, there were still people about. The explosion high above attracted the attention of many, but some, after a flicker of interest, chose to ignore it—conflict was nothing unusual here, and they had no wish to get involved.

Others tried to pinpoint the location, darting toward where the figure from the explosion was likely to fall, hoping to scavenge a corpse or two and make a windfall.

As time passed, at what was likely the epicenter of the explosion, a figure suddenly appeared in midair, bare-bottomed, plummeting downward.

Zhou Tian’s face was blank with confusion, the wind chilling his nether parts. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

After a while, his memory returned. He had been engulfed by the bloody tide unleashed by the divine spear, and his resurrection count for the day had been conferred to the [Divine Word]. Now, it seemed, his Undying System had reset his resurrection counter, and he’d come back to life.

But as he struggled to breathe and felt the ground of the Forsaken Land rushing ever closer—as well as the pain of his most sensitive part slapping against his chest—he realized things were not going well.

The ancient ship had exploded far from the land, so it would take some time before he hit the ground, falling freely.

With nothing better to do, he covered himself to keep his dignity and prevent his view from being blocked, then turned to take in the sights of the Forsaken Land.

It was unlike the barren wasteland he had imagined. Even here on the fringe, the land was covered in dense jungle.

He seemed to be in a mountainous region, and in the distance, a towering primordial mountain pierced the clouds. Zhou Tian couldn’t judge how far away it was; even with his sharp eyesight, he could only make out its general outline. The mountain was wreathed in clouds halfway up, majestic and imposing, its slopes covered with ancient trees.

Thunderous roars occasionally echoed from the mountains, as the lords of those wilds declared their dominion.

The ground loomed ever closer. Zhou Tian sighed. From now on, I too shall be...

Splat!

His body shattered on impact, brains splattering. This time, Zhou Tian felt no pain; the moment he hit the ground, he was reduced to a bloody pulp.

Since he had already used up his daily resurrection, there was nothing to do but wait. For a long while, all that remained was a blurred mess of mangled flesh.

A short while later, an old man appeared at the spot where Zhou Tian had been reduced to meat paste. He wore a white silk robe, his face aged, and at the sight before him, his eye twitched. All he could make out from the carnage was two gleaming buttocks—one on the ground, the other somehow flung into a tree.

He sighed. He’d thought to kill someone and loot their belongings, but instead found himself faced with this ghastly scene. With a flash of white light, he vanished.

Some time later, a leopard crackling with electricity strode out of the forest with elegant steps. It was nearly ten meters long and three meters tall. It sniffed at the remains, then, with a distinctly human-like expression of distaste, spat a bolt of lightning, charring the flesh black and sending up a savory aroma. Yet it didn’t eat, merely turned around and walked back into the forest, as if it had done so purely out of spite.

Several other beastly creatures passed by: a lion with a purple horn, a crimson tiger with wings at its ribs, and a five-colored divine ox with a single hoof. All instinctively avoided the area, as if something terrifying lingered there.

Another day passed. The passage of time in the Forsaken Land was different from that of the Continent of Futu, but regardless of the reckoning, the Undying System operated on a twenty-four-hour cycle. When the time was up, Zhou Tian’s figure reappeared at the same spot, the charred remains vanished without a trace.

"Why do these trees look as if they've been struck by lightning?"

As soon as Zhou Tian revived, he saw the blackened bark all around him, perplexed by what had happened.

He didn’t dwell on it. He plucked a few large leaves from a nearby tree to cover his vital parts—not out of prudishness, but to spare others’ dignity—then picked a direction at random and vanished in a flash.

This was his ninth death. The range of [Blink] had extended to nine hundred meters, a considerable distance.

The trees in this forest were immense and densely packed, making it impossible to tell direction. Zhou Tian could only keep blinking in a single direction.

After half a day, he finally blinked his way out of the forest and onto a plain. Luck was with him; not far away, a wisp of smoke was rising into the air.

He oriented himself and blinked again, soon reaching the source of the smoke.

It was a small village, scattered with only a few dozen households. At the village entrance stood a massive tree, its canopy shading nearly half the village. Beneath it sat an old man, eyes half-closed, leaning against the trunk, while a few children played nearby. It was a scene from a pastoral idyll.

Zhou Tian stopped a short distance from the village. The old man, whose eyesight seemed sharp, stood up and walked over, his stride steady and powerful—not at all like a frail elder, but rather with a bearing of a dragon or tiger. It made sense; to survive in the Forsaken Land, a villager’s weakness would spell disaster.

Zhou Tian also stepped forward. He needed to find out where he was and get some clothes—he couldn’t go on wrapped in leaves.

The elder, with a kind and benevolent appearance, approached and greeted him:

"Young man, why are you dressed like that?"

"Sir, I had a bit of an accident. Could I borrow some clothes from you?" Zhou Tian answered politely, meeting courtesy with courtesy.

"No problem. Who doesn’t run into trouble while traveling?" the old man replied easily, his demeanor aged but full of righteous camaraderie. He reached into the void and handed Zhou Tian a plain robe.

Zhou Tian was moved. He hadn’t expected such kindness in the Forsaken Land. He accepted the robe and asked,

"Sir, could you tell me where this place is?"

"This place? Young man, do you see that ancient mountain?" The old man pointed to the distant sacred peak.

Zhou Tian nodded, following his gaze. Was that mountain some famous landmark?

Suddenly, a short sword burst through Zhou Tian’s chest, agony flaring through his mind as the blade glowed with blood-red light, snuffing out every trace of vitality before he could utter a word. The old man, a survivor of many years in the Forsaken Land, knew well that even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it must use its full strength.

So this is the Forsaken Land’s rustic hospitality, Zhou Tian thought as he died.

Damn it!