After leaving the “Lingzhu Pavilion,” the group was unaware that someone was following along their trail.
They randomly chose a direction in midair and flew for a while when Zhu Yurun suddenly grew excited, struggling toward the front-left and repeatedly calling out, “A good-smelling aura! A good-smelling aura!”
Xiao Lingyu immediately became alert. Based on Zhu Yurun’s reaction, whatever lay in that direction must be something extremely rare and valuable. Almost instantly, Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei changed direction and followed Zhu Yurun’s guidance.
Two hours later, Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei stood side by side in midair, looking ahead. What entered their vision was a vast, boundless forest. Since the secret realm had no human activity, the entire forest was filled with ancient trees whose roots intertwined and stretched for thousands of years. Because there was no sunlight in the realm, only a faint layer of mist covered everything, making the forest appear gloomy and eerie.
Xiao Lingyu instinctively disliked this forest. Holding Zhu Yurun, who was struggling to rush inside, he hesitated. Although there were many dangers within the secret realm, what lay before them felt different. Standing at the forest’s edge, he felt only deathly silence—there was not a single sound, as though the entire forest was lifeless.
Chu Mingwei noticed his hesitation. “Lingyu, are you worried?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded. “This forest feels very strange. It gives me an uneasy feeling.”
Chu Mingwei agreed. As a cultivator of thunder-based techniques, he was especially sensitive to yin and sinister energies. He faintly sensed something inside the forest was silently watching them.
“Lingyu, there seems to be something spying on us from within,” Chu Mingwei said.
Hearing this, Xiao Lingyu immediately felt it as well. No wonder something felt wrong.
The two of them decided to leave. After all, treasures were not worth risking their lives. Every opening of a secret realm caused countless cultivators to perish, often because they sensed something strange yet still clung to hope, ultimately meeting their demise.
At that moment, just as they were about to leave, a divine sense suddenly swept past them.
“Senior Brother… help…”
“Mo Shaohan!” Chu Mingwei and Xiao Lingyu exchanged shocked glances. The voice they just heard was Luo Shaohan’s.
At this point, they could not leave.
Chu Mingwei extended his divine sense toward the direction of the voice, but strangely, no matter how he searched, he could no longer detect Luo Shaohan. Worse still, the feeling of being watched became even stronger as their divine sense entered the forest.
For safety, Chu Mingwei insisted that Xiao Lingyu stay outside while he entered alone. Naturally, Xiao Lingyu refused. In the end, Chu Mingwei could only repeatedly remind him to stay close.
Once inside, the forest felt even more suffocating. The silence was oppressive, like a massive tomb—cold and damp.
The ground was covered with decayed leaves and branches accumulated over unknown years. One step could sink a leg deep into the mud. They could not fly, nor could they step firmly on the ground, so they could only use light-foot techniques to move forward carefully.
As they advanced, Xiao Lingyu suddenly noticed a shadow flash behind them. When he turned around sharply, there was nothing.
“Lingyu, what’s wrong?” Chu Mingwei immediately asked.
“I saw something just now, but when I turned, it disappeared. Even divine sense can’t detect it.”
Chu Mingwei frowned. He regretted not forcing Xiao Lingyu to stay outside earlier.
Xiao Lingyu squeezed his hand. “Senior Brother, don’t worry. I have ways to protect myself.”
Chu Mingwei smiled faintly and tightened his grip. No matter what, he would protect him.
Zhu Yurun was now riding on Zhu Xier’s back while the latter flew along reluctantly. Zhu Yurun kept insisting there was a “good smell” deeper inside the forest and refused to return to the beast storage pouch no matter what.
As they went deeper, the surrounding light dimmed further. A thin mist began to rise.
At that moment, Old Ghost Head suddenly spoke in a low voice.
“Little Yuzi… this place… seems like the burial ground of the demon race.”
“What?” Xiao Lingyu exclaimed.
Old Ghost Head continued, “Look at that giant tree ahead—the one thick enough for ten men to embrace. At its top, there is a strange symbol.”
Xiao Lingyu looked carefully. Indeed, there was a faint mark at the top of the massive tree—shaped somewhat like an eye, but not quite. It was so subtle that it looked like part of the bark’s natural texture.
Old Ghost Head sighed. “There are more than ten similar trees nearby. The deeper you go, the more of these markings you will see.”
Chu Mingwei examined it carefully. “What does this symbol represent?”
Old Ghost Head replied slowly, “I am not entirely sure. In ancient times, every demon was born with a natural mark on their body. Demon hierarchy was strict, and their ranks were determined by the color of these marks. Gold was the highest level. As far as I know, only three beings in the entire demon race had golden marks—they were known as the Demon Holy Sons.”
“Demon races, though long-lived, eventually die. Unlike human cultivators who build elaborate tombs, demons return to nature after death. They choose a tree before dying and merge their bodies into it. Over time, their physical form fuses with the tree, and their mark transfers onto it. They believed this was a form of eternal life.”
Xiao Lingyu found this strange. It didn’t match the earlier description of demons being cunning and desire-driven.
Old Ghost Head snorted. “What does their personality have to do with how they bury themselves?”
Xiao Lingyu said nothing.
Old Ghost Head continued, “The closer to the center of the forest, the higher the demon’s rank when alive. This tree has a black mark, meaning it belonged to a low-ranking demon. We are still near the outer edge.”
Chu Mingwei looked toward the direction where Luo Shaohan’s voice had come from. If that direction leads inward, then Luo Shaohan was already deep inside. How did he get there?
Before they could decide, Zhu Xier suddenly shouted.
A faint humanoid shadow appeared behind a tree, staring at Zhu Xier without expression.
Zhu Xier immediately retreated and released a burst of demon fire.
The shadow dissipated instantly, turning into scattered mist.
Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei rushed over. More white shadows soon appeared all around them, drifting like spirits. Xiao Lingyu swept them away with his Water Moon Wheel, and they all turned into white mist upon contact.
Chu Mingwei activated his artifact but stopped when he realized they posed no threat.
The shadows stopped attacking and simply floated around them.
At that moment, a black-robed man stepped out from the forest edge.
He stood silently, gazing at the entire forest. Then he gently placed his hand on a nearby tree. Golden light spread, and the forest—once dead silent—slowly came alive. Branches swayed, trees stirred, and vitality returned.
He smiled faintly and stepped inside. Wherever he walked, vines and roots parted to form a clear path.
Inside the forest, Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei were startled. The entire forest had changed in an instant. Even the wandering shadows seemed to awaken, drifting aimlessly rather than watching them.
They tried asking Old Ghost Head, but even he did not know what had happened.
Soon after, Chu Mingwei finally located Luo Shaohan’s position.
They arrived at a massive swamp deep within the forest.
Xiao Lingyu frowned at the rotting mire, bubbles rising and bursting constantly. Something seemed to sink and rise beneath the surface.
Chu Mingwei was equally troubled. Luo Shaohan was definitely beneath this swamp—but how to get him out was the problem.
At that moment, Old Ghost Head suddenly warned, “Be careful. Someone is coming.”
A faint figure appeared across from them.