Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 98 - Entering the Forbidden Area

Based on Dugu Zhuo’s experience, rescuing these people wouldn’t be difficult, but the real challenge was how to enter Wuliang Temple.

Wuliang Temple was a sect in the game, and like the Wushuang Sect, its location was hidden. Disciples could only enter through a teleportation array. Clearly, Ao Tian and the others’ problem couldn’t be solved with just verbal instructions; they would need to reach the location in person.

So, Dugu Zhuo sent a message to Black Cat: “Where is Wuliang Temple? How did you lead your teammates into the sect?”

In the game, only disciples of a sect could use the teleportation array, and if there were players from other sects in a team, they couldn’t teleport.

After a while, Black Cat replied, “Every temple has a karma forest, and different karma forests are connected. We found a passage in the Karma Forest of the Tan Ye Temple.”

I see, Dugu Zhuo thought, and then asked Ye Zhou, “Do you want to go? I’ll teach you how to eliminate inner demons.”

“Yes!” Ye Zhou replied.

It was only 8:30 PM now, and he had been given permission. Even if he played until 11, no one would stop him! Ye Zhou thought confidently.

Dugu Zhuo certainly wanted Ye Zhou to accompany him, so he took Ye Zhou’s hand and prepared for the two of them to go and rescue the others.

However, before they could take two steps, White Tiger grabbed Ye Zhou’s pants leg.

“Do you want to go too?” Ye Zhou asked.

White Tiger growled, “This is a Nascent Soul level dungeon. Your strengths might not be enough to escape unharmed.”

Currently, White Tiger was the most powerful in terms of magical power in the Wushuang Sect. After the apprenticeship ceremony and selling a batch of figurines, he had even leveled up from 60 to 70. White Tiger couldn’t help but sigh, the speed of leveling in the game was incredible. In his past life, it had taken him more than ten years to reach the middle stage of the Nascent Soul.

Dugu Zhuo shot a displeased look at White Tiger, and White Tiger protested with a growl.

White Tiger: “Did you think I want to disturb you two? I’m just worried that you might die in the game.”

“I was thoughtful and helped you get rid of Godly Pen Xiao Ma earlier. I’m a good brother,” White Tiger thought, licking his paw.

Dugu Zhuo still had a somewhat plastic brotherly relationship with White Tiger, so he said, “Keep quiet and pretend you didn’t see anything.”

White Tiger growled unhappily, “See what? If you two are cultivating together, can I not sense the changes in your Qi? What’s there to hide?”

Ye Zhou: “…”

Ye Zhou stared at White Tiger, who was far too clever, and blushed after realizing what he meant.

He tugged at Dugu Zhuo’s sleeve and whispered, “Although it’s unlikely, could White Tiger be like you?”

Dugu Zhuo vaguely replied, “Not exactly, but there are similarities.”

“Then, is he an ordinary NPC?” Ye Zhou asked eagerly.

Dugu Zhuo helplessly replied, “No, White Tiger has gained intelligence.”

Ye Zhou recalled White Tiger’s mention of dual cultivation and blushed deeply, feeling as if he might explode. What was he even talking about? Due to his physical condition, he didn’t even know what that kind of physiological experience felt like.

“How… how can you jump so far ahead!” Ye Zhou said, flustered.

“Exactly!” Dugu Zhuo firmly supported Ye Zhou, glaring at White Tiger and saying, “Humans and beasts are different. Beasts are more open-minded about these matters and will cultivate together to increase their vital energy. But humans must treat each other with respect, gradually progressing. Only when emotions have developed and both parties desire further contact should they begin cultivation. How can you disregard everything for the sake of cultivation?”

Ye Zhou felt much more comfortable after hearing this and subtly leaned a little closer to Dugu Zhuo.

White Tiger, who had been lectured out of nowhere: “…”

He looked up at Dugu Zhuo with innocent blue eyes, thinking, who spent over a hundred years going crazy in the past life, yet still claimed he disregarded everything for cultivation? He was trying to become a holy spirit tiger, and unless he met another beast with a similar bloodline, he would never dual-cultivate or mix his vital energy with that of another race. He was still a pure-hearted tiger after two lifetimes!

“Roar!” White Tiger shrank to the size of a kitten and raised his head to complain to Ye Zhou and Dugu Zhuo.

Ye Zhou couldn’t resist White Tiger’s pleading expression. He immediately picked up the little white tiger, rubbed his head, and said, “You’re just looking out for us, but you can’t rush it, okay?”

After a few gentle strokes, White Tiger’s mood lifted, and he decided to forgive the two of them.

Dugu Zhuo also said, “Even though you’re a summoned beast, dying in the game could be troublesome. You’re accompanying us on this adventure, and having a friend like you is a blessing in both my lifetimes.”

White Tiger felt better and waved his paw at Dugu Zhuo, signaling that this small matter was nothing. He would lead the way.

The three of them flew directly to Penglai Town, which was still bustling with activity at night.

Unlike when the game first launched, now that players have reached higher levels, most nighttime players can also appear during the day. Only the Ghost Tribe still fears the sunlight, though they can appear under the sun with the help of an umbrella.

As a result, Penglai Town has lifted its curfew, and there are now bustling night market stalls at night. Many players, who wouldn’t dare eat a late-night snack in real life, come to the game to enjoy some barbecue. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have beer, as it’s too modern to be included, so players can only drink white liquor or rice wine as substitutes.

In this town, far from the Candle Dragon’s curse, humans and monsters coexist, with Spirit Tribe children sitting on the shoulders of the Demon Tribe. The entire game world is harmonious.

However, Tan Ye Temple still has its gates tightly shut at night, and players are not allowed inside.

But this was no obstacle for Dugu Zhuo. He had an old relationship with Tan Ye Temple and easily jumped over the wall to enter the temple. The patrolling monks, seeing that the intruder was Dugu Zhuo, cooperated by pretending to sleep.

Ye Zhou: “…”

Both Dugu Zhuo and the monks at Tan Ye Temple seemed to be incredibly experienced.

They quickly made their way to the back courtyard’s Karma Forest. As soon as Ye Zhou saw the bamboo forest, he felt a wave of nostalgia. It was here, a few months ago, that he had met Dugu Zhuo.

Dugu Zhuo seemed to have had the same thought. They met here in the Karma Forest, and now, after being together, they were once again here. Could this be considered a return to the old place?

The two of them unconsciously looked at each other, and upon making eye contact, they realized they were thinking the same thing. A sweet feeling of mutual understanding blossomed in their hearts.

Together, Dugu Zhuo and Ye Zhou walked through the Karma Forest, searching for the way to Wuliang Temple. Black Cat’s directions had been vague, and Dugu Zhuo had no idea how to find it, but the familiar feeling of being a disciple of Wuliang Temple helped him discover a passage hidden within the bamboo forest.

Dugu Zhuo didn’t have the same sense of belonging, so he had to try several different places, but fortunately, Ye Zhou helped him eliminate the constantly respawning Karma Beasts, or it would have been an incredibly difficult task.

Ye Zhou knew Dugu Zhuo was busy, so he worked hard to protect him. Since they were in a team, Dugu Zhuo kept receiving notifications like “+100 experience” and “+200 experience.” Thinking back to when he first leveled up by riding on Ye Zhou’s coattails, Dugu Zhuo felt a deep sense of sweetness in his heart.

Ao Tian: “God Du, we agreed not to resurrect. Let’s just die here. After all, even if we resurrect, we’ll just get killed again, losing experience for nothing. We’re waiting for you to save us.”

Black Cat: “Did you find the entrance? My legs are numb from lying down.”

Ling Yue: “I regret it so much. I shouldn’t have started a new dungeon with anyone other than God Du.”

Lingzhi Doll: “God Du, aren’t you here yet? I’m waiting for you~~”

Godly Pen Xiao Ma: “Hoo-hoo!”

Peerless General: “What’s wrong with Xiao Ma?”

Black Cat: “It seems he’s lost his ability to speak. I don’t know what attacked him.”

If it weren’t for the constant reminders from these people, Dugu Zhuo might have wanted to spend the whole night in the Karma Forest with Ye Zhou, fighting monsters.

With his understanding of the teleportation array, Dugu Zhuo finally found one in the northwest corner of the Karma Forest. There were many temples in the game, and both Jiuchuan City and Beining City had several large temples. The back courtyards also had Karma Forests, all of which were interconnected. Dugu Zhuo wasn’t sure if he had found the Wuliang Temple’s entrance, but he decided to give it a try.

Whether it was Dugu Zhuo’s luck or Black Cat’s blessing from the Buddha, the first teleportation array he found led directly to Wuliang Temple.

The two of them emerged from the Karma Forest and were teleported directly to the back courtyard of Wuliang Temple, where a few bald monks were anxiously waiting for them in front of the Karma Forest.

“So many monks?” Ye Zhou was surprised to see so many people.

“Amitabha, you must be the rescue team sent by Wuhei Shidi. I’ll take you both to the back mountain,” one of the monks said.

“Master said that our resolve is not strong enough, and if we go to rescue Shidi, we’ll end up getting ourselves trapped as well. So, we can only wait here for you, young hero,” another monk said.

Dugu Zhuo looked at the monks’ concerned faces and wondered if the NPC monks of Wuliang Temple were unusually vivid.

He checked again and confirmed that they were indeed NPCs, but Black Cat seemed to be getting special attention from them. From the look of Ye Zhou, it didn’t seem like the NPCs had changed because of him, so what could be the reason? Could it be that the monks in this game were just unusually warm-hearted?

Dugu Zhuo suppressed his doubts and followed the monks to the back mountain of Wuliang Temple. The temple’s abbot was standing in front of the forbidden area, chanting sutras with a compassionate expression on his face.

Dugu Zhuo glanced at the “Do Not Enter” sign and asked the abbot, “Master, since this is a forbidden area, why let them enter?”

The abbot slightly opened his eyes and said, “There is no place in this world that cannot be entered; everything is fate.”

His words were as good as nothing, but Ye Zhou immediately understood and said, “Isn’t the forbidden area in the game meant to be entered by players?”

Dugu Zhuo: “…”

He remembered the stone tablet he could see from far away on the back mountain and couldn’t help but feel concerned. He decided that when they returned, he would set up another layer of barrier outside the forbidden area so that players could never break through it.

“Master, what is inside the formation?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

“It is a demonic obstacle,” the abbot said, looking Dugu Zhuo up and down. “You have a strong will and are brave enough to face your inner demons. The only obstacle was just cleared, so the forbidden area will cause you no harm.”

This old monk knows a thing or two, Dugu Zhuo thought, staring at the abbot.

“What about me?” Ye Zhou asked, moving closer.

The abbot glanced at Ye Zhou and said, “You appear to have a clear mind, but in reality, there are still obstacles in your heart. If you rashly enter, the consequences… well, no pain, no gain.”

Ye Zhou didn’t take the NPC’s words seriously and said to Dugu Zhuo with curiosity, “His lines are different for everyone.”

Dugu Zhuo furrowed his brow. After hearing the abbot’s words, he didn’t want Ye Zhou to enter. But that “no pain, no gain” comment made him realize that if Ye Zhou really had an inner demon, this could be a good opportunity to eliminate it once and for all.

With Dugu Zhuo here, he couldn’t let anything happen to Ye Zhou.

“Let’s go,” Dugu Zhuo said, and the two of them entered the forbidden area together.

“Wow!” Ye Zhou exclaimed as soon as he entered. “Is this the legendary mirror maze? It looks pretty fun, right?”

He turned to look at Dugu Zhuo but was shocked to see countless versions of Dugu Zhuo behind him. He reached out to touch the nearest one, only to find it was a mirror.

“Ye Zhou?” Dugu Zhuo reached toward the Ye Zhou in front of him, only to find it was also a mirror.

They were surrounded by countless versions of themselves, but they couldn’t tell which one was real.