"Where is this?"
The surroundings were unfamiliar, seemingly a barren wasteland devoid of life.
Huh, where are the others?
After his shock, Chen Fan realized that those who had entered before him were nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on?"
Chen Fan was surprised.
Could it be that the teleportation array had sent people to different locations?
But there was no trace of any array formation around.
"What is happening?"
With his mind full of questions, Chen Fan started walking through this lifeless wasteland.
It was a place of endless desolation.
A layer of mist seemed to cover the sky, and his spiritual sense could not penetrate it, being blocked and returning.
After the Immortal Gate, it turned out to be such a place.
Chen Fan walked aimlessly, hoping to find the others.
Unfortunately, after walking for three to four hours, he still hadn't found any of his companions.
But he did notice something unusual: the mist overhead had not changed at all from three hours ago.
Continuing forward…
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Fan was almost sick of walking, when finally, something different appeared ahead.
On the boundless wasteland, a statue emerged.
Chen Fan quickly approached the statue.
As he got closer, he finally saw the appearance of the statue.
The statue was of a person, so eroded by the years that its form was barely discernible. Only the shape of a sword behind it could be made out.
It was worth mentioning that a familiar aura was circulating around the statue.
"The aura of an immortal."
This was the same aura that had emanated when the Immortal Gate opened that day.
"Is this truly the Immortal Realm?"
Chen Fan was a bit dazed.
A group of people had stepped into the Immortal Gate with excitement, only to find utter desolation.
This place seemed to have been ruined for a very long time. In recent days, Chen Fan hadn't even absorbed a trace of heavenly spiritual energy.
"What on earth is going on?" He was truly bewildered.
He wondered how the others were doing, and if they were in the same state as he was.
"Alas."
In the end, all he could do was sigh.
There was no point in thinking about it; he could only pray that the others were alright.
He continued to observe the statue but could not discern anything special about it, so he gave up.
Continuing forward…
Step by step, he walked onward.
At a certain moment!
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Chen Fan's eyes lit up, and he looked ahead.
There were people.
Although he couldn't see them yet, he could sense a fluctuation.
It was a very ordinary fluctuation, and Chen Fan quickly walked towards it.
A moment later, he finally saw signs of human activity.
But… something seemed amiss.
The people ahead were ordinary folks, farming, tilling the land with manual labor, painstakingly cultivating the soil.
With his mind full of questions, Chen Fan slowly approached.
His approach also startled the farmers.
The busy villagers looked up and saw Chen Fan approaching.
"Hi…"
Chen Fan had just raised his hand to greet them.
But as the villagers saw him, terror flashed in their eyes, and they turned to run.
Chen Fan: "…"
This was quite awkward, and Chen Fan was speechless.
But he couldn't do anything about it; he had to bite the bullet and chase after them.
He had finally met people, and he couldn't let them go.
If he missed this village, he didn't know when he would see people again.
Yes, it was indeed a village.
On the plain ahead stood a village, not large but not small either.
People stood at the entrance of the village, holding farming tools, warily watching Chen Fan as he approached.
As he got closer, the crowd began to stir.
About a thousand meters from the village, Chen Fan stopped.
"Villagers."
Facing the situation, he could only speak proactively: "I have been wandering here for a long time. You don't need to be afraid of me. I just want to ask you, what place is this?"
The crowd stirred even more intensely.
Chen Fan remained silent and still, watching from afar.
Perhaps sensing no hostility, the agitated crowd slowly calmed down.
From the crowd, an old man, leaning on a walking stick, stepped forward: "Leave quickly. You are not welcome in our village."
"Sorry, I cannot leave."
This suggestion was not good, and Chen Fan decisively refused: "I have finally encountered you, and I will not leave without understanding. I will not go."
"You…"
"Grandpa Village Chief, let's beat him away."
"We are already in such a miserable state, we can't let him harm us..."
"..."
The villagers erupted in a clamor.
This made Chen Fan even more confused.
"Villagers, even if you ask me to leave, can you at least tell me why?" Chen Fan was unwilling to retreat like this.
He could refrain from harming others, and he had no intention of doing so, but the prerequisite was to know the reason.
What was the reason that made these people so afraid of seeing him?
The villagers also sensed Chen Fan's stubbornness.
Finally, it was the old man, the village chief, who stepped forward.
"Grandpa Village Chief, don't go," someone pulled the old man back, not wanting him to take risks.
"It's alright."
The old man shook his head: "If I don't explain it to him, he won't leave. I'll go and talk to him."
"But..."
"It's alright, he probably doesn't have any ill intentions towards us."
An old fox is wise.
The old man, who was nearing a hundred years old, could see people's hearts through their eyes.
The old man walked out of the village and towards Chen Fan.
"Hello, uncle," Chen Fan said politely.
The old man nodded: "Young friend, how did you get to this place?"
Chen Fan did not hide anything and replied: "I passed through a beam of light and appeared here."
"What?"
The old man's expression immediately changed, showing fear: "You, you came from the Wasteland?"
Wasteland?
What Wasteland?
The old man's face changed drastically, but his eyes were cautious: "Go, leave quickly, I beg you. If anyone finds out you came from the Wasteland, we will be doomed."
"..."
Chen Fan was speechless.
But he still couldn't leave, and he refused with a shake of his head: "You haven't told me what I want to know yet."
He desperately needed to know where this place was.
"You..."
The old man was extremely anxious, and finally, he gritted his teeth: "Alright, I'll tell you, but you must promise that after I finish, you will leave this place immediately. No matter who asks, do not say you have been to our village."
"Agreed."
Seeing his quick agreement, the old man hesitated for a moment.
Finally, he chose to believe: "This is the Land of Exile."
"Land of Exile?"
"Yes."
The old man did not want to waste time and immediately explained: "This realm is called the Immortal Domain, and the Land of Exile is below the Immortal Domain."
The old man pointed to the mist above: "Only by parting the mist above can one enter the Immortal Domain. This place has become the Land of Exile because it was contaminated by the Wasteland and has been abandoned."
"Oh,"
Understood.
The Immortal Domain was above the mist.
"Then what does Wasteland mean?"
"I don't know much, only some rumors."
"Rumors are fine too."
"It is rumored that the people of the Immortal Domain originally moved up from the Wasteland. Because that land was contaminated, it had to be abandoned. Those who were not contaminated came here and established the Immortal Domain. As for those who were severely contaminated, they could only remain in the Wasteland."