After two days of travel, Su Chen and his companions finally erged from the dense, suffocating forest, arriving at the central area of the Forest of Death. Here, though not exactly teeming with danger, there were Spirit Beasts stronger than those on the outskirts. They might have been Level Three or perhaps Level Four, but any one of them could seriously damage this young and vulnerable adventure party.
Moreover, the most terrifying elent of the Forest of Death was not these mighty Spirit Beasts.
This was a winding mountain road. Su Chen stood at the entrance of the path, looking back at the thick forest, his eyes reflecting a complex array of emotions. The Forest of Death encompassed all, containing boundless woods, swamps, lakes, canyons, and peaks within it. At this mont, they were at the foot of "Jade Emperor’s Peak," about to begin their journey up the mountain.
Jade Emperor’s Peak, about a thousand ters high, stood isolated in the central area of the Forest of Death, surrounded by dense forests on all sides. Despite its height, it was only after a day of travel that Su Chen and his party saw it. Then, with weary determination, they hastened towards the outline of the mountain.
The reason for their relentless pace was the rumored "Zodiac Flute" on Jade Emperor’s Peak, said to command all beasts to obey its owner and reputed to awaken a mysterious Spirit Beast within the Forest of Death.
Little Moustache, leading the way, introduced it with great enthusiasm.
"How does one control it to attack others? Do you have to play a complete tune for the beasts to understand the aning?"
Xige Zhuxue asked.
"Of course not, that’s rely what I heard. The Zodiac Flute only has three holes. The top one is the summoning hole; when you need them to clear your way and kill enemies, you block the two lower holes and play, and the beasts will naturally co swarming. The second is the expelling hole; when you no longer need them, you play while blocking the other two holes, and the beasts will naturally disperse. As for the third hole, it seems to have no effect,"
Little Moustache laughed.
"Right, with summoning and expelling, what’s the third hole for?"
Xige Zhuxue asked again.
Little Moustache glanced at the scenery down the winding path, shaking his head repeatedly, "That I don’t know, because no one has ever clearly explained the mystery of the third hole, but perhaps it has sothing to do with awakening the Spirit Beast?"
The group felt a shiver in their hearts.
Spirit Beast, a being incomparably stronger than ordinary beasts. Furthermore, from Little Moustache’s tone, it seed this Spirit Beast had quite a notable origin.
"Let’s keep moving while we look for it, hopefully reaching the summit before dark,"
Little Moustache suggested thoughtfully.
The group nodded in agreent, then followed him toward the mountain’s summit...
Around dusk, when the sky was tinged with a faint twilight glow, Su Chen and the others reached the halfway point of Jade Emperor’s Peak.
The winding mountain path vanished before their eyes, replaced by a jungle overgrown with waist-high wild grass. Compared to the previous forest, this jungle provided a far more expansive view. Sparse trees stood abruptly in the silent forest, like lonely, lost elders. Beneath the tangled wild grass were small, chaotic pebbles that made a fine cracking sound underfoot, instilling a sense of dread.
Su Chen walked at the rear of the group, with Siger iruo, Xige Yun, and Sigeru in front of him, while Xige Zhuxue, for so reason, had run to Little Moustache’s team, taking the lead.
Apart from the noise from the grass and stones underfoot, the jungle was eerily silent. Su Chen occasionally glanced around, wary of potential unknown dangers. For so reason, the sight of those tall, narrow, solitary trees filled him with a tinge of unease. His entire body was tense, ready to spring into action at the slightest movent.
"Let’s take a break; I’m exhausted,"
Xige Zhuxue’s voice suddenly called from ahead.
The group hesitated for a mont, then nodded silently.
Actually, he was reluctant to rest here because he also felt sowhat uneasy. But Xige Zhuxue was a girl and a benefactor who had saved their group, so he dared not act too presumptuously.
The group dispersed and each rested under a few solitary trees.
Su Chen leaned against the back of a tree, arms crossed, scanning his surroundings with a contemplative gaze. At that mont, Xige Zhuxue suddenly peeked her head out from behind and handed him a piece of flatbread.
"For you,"
She blinked her charming eyes.
Su Chen took the flatbread but didn’t eat it, instead looking at Xige Zhuxue with a puzzled expression and asking, "Why aren’t you walking with us?"
"What are you saying? I just wanted to be at the forefront. Besides, I wanted to see how strong I’ve beco after gaining so many levels,"
Xige Zhuxue replied playfully with a mischievous smile.
Su Chen frowned slightly and sighed inwardly, "Was it sothing Sister iruo said that made you like this?"
"Of course not, stop worrying,"
Xige Zhuxue rolled her eyes, then reached out with her jade-like hand to pinch Su Chen’s face, but for so reason, she suddenly stopped midway. Her eyes grew dazed for a mont, then quickly masked it with a smile, "Ah, I’m just like this, seeing a prettier boy makes want a little advantage, hehe~" After saying that, she quickly retracted her head and disappeared from Su Chen’s sight with a bounce and a leap.
Su Chen held the flatbread, staring blankly at her departing figure, lost in thought for a long ti.
After an indeterminate amount of ti, Su Chen was jolted awake by Little Moustache’s panicked shout, "Brother Su Chen, where are you?"
As if struck by lightning, he quickly jumped from behind the tree, waving to Little Moustache, "I’m here, what’s wrong?"
Little Moustache’s face was full of panic; seeing Su Chen, his expression cald slightly as he shouted from where he stood, "My brother is missing, co quickly and gather, I’m afraid sothing has happened to him!"
Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and he imdiately ran toward Little Moustache. On the way, Siger iruo and the others also erged from behind the trees, and Su Chen hadn’t even noticed she had changed into a new dress.
"What happened, Brother Jin?"
Siger iruo urgently asked Little Moustache.
Little Moustache’s real na was Kingston; he was a descendant of a fallen ancient family from Nadas City, gathering four good brothers for special training, only to have such an incident spring up midway.
"My youngest brother, Jin Xibi, is gone! He was right here just a mont ago, then went to relieve himself, and now he’s nowhere to be seen!"
Kingston was very anxious, clenching his fists in regret.
"I should have gone with him, then this wouldn’t have happened. Damn it, if sothing happens to him, how will I face our father and the elders back ho!"
The other three were also very worried, but there was not the slightest thing they could do, other than sighing and blaming themselves.
Siger iruo quickly tried to calm them, "Don’t worry, let’s split up to search; maybe he wandered off and got lost."
Su Chen nodded in agreent, "Sister iruo is right, we should split into three groups and search. When you find him, call out loudly. Mark the way to avoid getting lost."
The group nodded in agreent, swiftly forming teams and preparing to search.
But at that mont, a blood-curdling scream shattered the calm, thunderous in the jungle!
"Ah~!"
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically!
Upon hearing the scream, they rushed toward the source, and shortly after, they arrived at a rocky slope. In the slope lay a man with bloody legs, grimacing in pain as he clutched his wound, his features twisted in agony.
The group quickly descended the slope and approached the injured man.
"How are you?"
Little Moustache Kingston asked in a gentle voice.
The man gritted his teeth, his body trembling, his face contorted from the pain, "My foot, my foot was bitten by a monster!"
"Monster?"
Siger iruo exclaid, looking around in disbelief, but the surroundings were empty, not a trace of anything, "Where’s the monster?"
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