CHAPTER 09 - A Miniature World?

At the farthest part of the village, the west forest can be seen and a cliff was situated at the middle of it. It was high and massive.

Qiang Ping was currently climbing it dragging his severed legs which makes up the weight he's carrying. Because at the top of the cliff itself, the herb could be seen alone.

He struggled far just to reach it, but he can't avoid stumbling and picking wrong choice of rocks that delays him from moving forward and also, warning him that he was up far from the ground. If he can take glimpse below, he can't help but to shiver but still, managed to get himself climbing forward.

Chao Lei. Just wait.

Despite of the pain experienced from cultivating, Chao Lei managed to ride a horse and quickly went to Qiang Ping's whereabouts.

She only had one guess.

And that's the West forest. According to her learning's at the Manor, west forest was the edge of the village and seldom visited.

And that's the only place that has potential for the herb to grow.

She cursed herself for being stupid, she mindlessly mentioned it to He Jian for she believes that the herb's existence was seized here but as how knowledgeable Qiang Ping is, he knew it and really went out alone to pick it!

Hold on hold on

Qiang Ping has struggled far and was almost there! He can barely see the line separating the top and the side of the cliff he's currently climbing. He smiled and tried to fasten his pace when the dark clouds hanging in the night sky suddenly cried for rain with a bit of thunder.

The real struggle was on. Qiang Ping still managed to climb using only his bare hands, with the vigorous drops of rain which started to be the another hindrance.

But he gritted his teeth and is determined to fight it all.

"Qiang Ping!!" he then started hearing things, a call.

"Qiang Ping!!!"

It was a faint call from below.

"QIANG PING!!"

He turned below and faintly see a woman riding a horse.

He widened his eyes, he knew that figure.

"Chao Lei?--" before he can make any moves again, a lightning struck his direction in a swift manner.

Chao Lei gasped in horror when that man figure above was stricken down. "QIANG PING!!!!"

After the lightning stroke the figure, it immediately fall down which made Chao Lei cried more. She rode his horse towards the direction he's falling to.

"Qiang Ping... Qiang Ping..."

She didn't take off his eyes to the falling figure. She's controlling the horse in a fierce way, her usual calmness was nowhere to be found.

And when the figure finally landed on close, Chao Lei took force and jumped from the horse to catch him.

She held him tight and swiftly landed on the ground with Qiang Ping on her arms.

Tears were already falling in her face plus the heavy rain, they are both wet and seeing the unconscious Qiang Ping with blood dripping on his head. She cried more.

She looked around but it was a remote area, no houses, no inns no villagers. Only tall trees with big bodies.

She ran forward for the nearest big Willow tree. They were shaded with the thick leaves of it which made Chao Lei be grateful to the tree, she then focused on Qiang Ping whose in a complete miserable state.

She started checking his pulse, it was unstable. She nervously placed her hand on the bloody forehead of Qiang Ping and was going to transfer some remaining qi's into it. She will execute a divine light medicine, this technique takes up a huge of qi's essence and in order to execute this, she needs to sacrifice all her qi's essence in her body. And that means all her hopes to return her body to its former state will be lost.

But it doesn't matter, as long as Qiang Ping is saved, that's enough.

But before she could even move. She was stunned of what she saw, the wounds and scratches from Qiang Ping body, was gradually healing itself!

The bloods scattered was moving back from the open wound, like his body was calling the bloods to come home.

....

"Your Majesty! It is confirmed. The array points point this direction about the First General's whereabouts."

The group of armored men was silently examining a big willow tree located at the bottom of Mountain Han.

"Miniature World?" His Majesty asked.

The second general bowed.  "Indeed it is Your Majesty."

"The key. I need the key."

Second General hesitated but ended up saying, "We still haven't found the key sire---"

"And you dare to call me for an unprogressive mission?!" The emperor's exclaimed. Its been  years after the war here and  the Emperor was still eagerly searching for Chao Lei.

And now that it has been confirmed that she was trapped in a miniature world, Yijun was getting dizzy on how to retrieve her back. This willow tress was a miniature world, inside is a fake world. The miniature world is created by a person that reaches the peakest stage of cultivation, the only way to open it was the key and up until now, no trace of it.

"Details about this kind of world." His Majesty asked.

"This miniature world has the black qi only emitted by the Dark Lord  and inside was the upper level black spirits that the Dark Lord himself made."

The emperors eyes almost bulged with the second general's words.

"And you say Chao Lei is in it?!"

The second general nodded truthfully.

The emperor trembled in fear.

It's unsafe there truly unsafe.

"And the Dark Lord itself was in it."

....