The forest slowly returned to silence.
The cultivators' footsteps faded as they moved toward the outskirts of the mountains.
The lynx's dark figure slipped deeper into the dense forest, its black fur disappearing between the ancient trees.
For several long seconds—
Nothing moved.
The clearing stood empty.
Wind brushed through the branches overhead.
Leaves rustled softly.
High above, the lizard remained exactly where he was, hidden within the thick canopy.
Invisible.
Unmoving.
Watching.
His golden eyes continued scanning the forest floor—not the direction where the lynx or the cultivators had gone, but the exact spot where that faint disturbance of energy had appeared earlier.
Most creatures would have relaxed by now.
The danger seemed gone.
The path appeared clear.
But the lizard did not move.
Because if that earlier disturbance had truly been another hidden observer—
Then that creature would now believe the coast was clear.
Seconds passed.
Then—
The lizard's pupils narrowed.
*There.*
A shift.
Subtle.
Almost imperceptible.
But to the lizard's senses, it was as loud as thunder.
The faint distortion in the spiritual energy moved.
Just slightly.
A ripple passing through the air between two trees.
Something invisible had stepped forward.
The lizard immediately locked onto it.
He didn't move.
Didn't react.
But his mind sharpened instantly.
The hidden creature appeared cautious.
It went still again, as if testing the surroundings.
Waiting to see if anything reacted.
Nothing did.
The forest remained quiet.
Above, the lizard watched calmly.
*So it really was watching them.*
The distortion shifted again.
This time it moved slowly across the forest floor, gliding through the shadows cast by the towering trees.
It wasn't moving toward the cultivators.
And it wasn't following the lynx.
Instead—
It moved toward the spot where the earlier blood traces had been.
Where the lizard had hunted.
The lizard's golden eyes glowed faintly.
*Scavenger…?*
Or perhaps something more cautious.
The hidden creature stopped again near the blood-stained earth.
The faint ripple in the spiritual energy bent slightly—
As if the unseen being was lowering its body to inspect the ground.
For a moment—
The lizard considered revealing himself.
A surprise strike now would almost certainly kill it.
But he didn't move.
Not yet.
Because there was something strange.
The concealment surrounding that creature—
It was different.
It wasn't natural invisibility like his.
Nor was it the cloaking technique used by cultivators.
It felt…
*Distorted.*
Unstable.
Almost like something that didn't fully belong within the world around it.
The lizard's tail flicked slowly behind him.
Lightning quietly crackled along the black scales.
And then—
The unseen creature moved again.
This time—
Straight toward the tree the lizard was sitting in.
The forest remained eerily quiet.
The unseen distortion glided slowly across the clearing, moving past the dried blood on the ground where the lizard had hunted earlier.
Step by step, it approached the tree.
Closer.
Closer.
Then it began climbing.
The movement was strange—almost weightless. The air rippled around it as though something thin and half-formed were pushing its way through the world itself.
Higher.
Higher.
Until suddenly—
The distortion stopped.
Right in front of the branch where the **invisible lizard** sat.
Too close.
Close enough that if either of them reached out, they would touch.
Yet the lizard didn't move.
Didn't tense.
Didn't retreat.
He simply stared.
His golden eyes remained calm, fixed on the faint ripple of energy hanging in the air before him.
Because in his mind, there was absolute certainty.
The same certainty someone feels when asked whether they can blink their eyes.
Of course they can.
There is no doubt.
No hesitation.
The lizard felt the same certainty now.
He **knew** his invisibility could not be seen.
Could not be sensed.
Not by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Not by demonic beasts.
Not by anything below Golden Core.
So even as the unseen presence hovered directly in front of him—
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he spoke inwardly.
*What is this?*
A moment of silence followed.
Then the familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
**[Analyzing…]**
The lizard's eyes remained fixed on the distortion.
The ripple in the air shifted slightly, as if the unseen creature was sniffing the surroundings or examining the tree.
Still, it showed no sign that it noticed him.
Then the system responded.
**[Lifeform identified.]**
**[Mountain Spirit.]**
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
The system continued.
**[Cultivation level: Sixth Layer of Foundation Establishment.]**
For a brief moment, the invisible ripple shifted again—hovering almost directly in front of the lizard's face.
Still nothing.
No reaction.
No awareness.
It could not see him.
The lizard remained perfectly still, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the darkness as he observed the strange invisible being only inches away, like heat rippling above stone.
His gaze followed its movements carefully.
Inside his mind, the system's words echoed again.
**[Lifeform identified: Mountain Spirit.]**
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
*A spirit…*
For a moment, he thought about the ghost the fox had sealed inside the banner earlier.
*So it's a ghost.*
But the system responded immediately.
**[Incorrect.]**
The lizard's eyes shifted faintly.
**[Target is not a ghost.]**
**[Classification: Natural Spirit Entity.]**
The lizard observed the invisible ripple again before speaking inwardly.
*Then what is the difference?*
The system answered calmly.
**[Ghosts are remnants of dead beings.]**
**[They originate from the soul of a deceased creature that refuses to dissipate.]**
The lizard remembered the furious ghost trapped within the fox's banner.
Its hatred.
Its obsession with revenge.
The system continued.
**[Ghosts retain memories and emotions from their former lives.]**
**[They are unstable and often driven by resentment or obsession.]**
The lizard watched the faint distortion before him.
It did not radiate hatred.
It did not feel hostile.
It simply felt…
Quiet.
The system spoke again.
**[Mountain spirits are different.]**
**[They are not born from death.]**
The lizard's golden eyes flickered faintly.
**[They form naturally from the accumulation of spiritual energy within a region.]**
**[Over long periods of time, spiritual energy condenses and gradually develops awareness.]**