The cave fell silent once more.
Only the faint, rhythmic glow of the crimson-veined tree illuminated the darkness, its eerie light pulsing like the heartbeat of some ancient creature buried deep beneath the earth.
Nearby—
the fox spirit remained motionless in cultivation.
Silver spiritual energy drifted quietly around her body while the surrounding cave walls reflected dim crimson shadows across the stone floor.
Lizarius slowly turned his head toward the cave entrance.
Toward the distant forest hidden beyond layers of stone and earth.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Within his mind—
cold calculations moved silently.
*I cannot allow those cultivators to continue searching this close to the valley.*
The humans were already spreading deeper into the Azure Root Forest.
Observing.
Tracking.
Searching.
Gathering information piece by piece like insects crawling through cracks.
Eventually—
one of them would stumble too close.
Too close to the hidden cave.
Too close to the secluded village.
Too close to the child.
Too close to the things Lizarius still considered useful.
That outcome was unacceptable.
The white lizard's tail shifted slowly behind him, scraping lightly across the stone.
*Then the solution is simple.*
Fear.
Humans retreated quickly once fear became large enough.
And sects always grew cautious when too many disciples disappeared without explanation.
At least temporarily.
But after a moment—
his eyes narrowed further.
*Foundation Establishment cultivators are no longer sufficient.*
Killing weaker groups would only increase suspicion gradually.
It would create caution—
but not true restraint.
Not enough to force the sects to stop entirely.
No…
to truly carve fear into their minds—
he needed to make them understand one thing clearly.
This forest was dangerous.
Dangerous enough that even stronger cultivators could die within it.
And for that—
larger bait was necessary.
*A Golden Core cultivator.*
The thought surfaced naturally.
Calmly.
Without hesitation.
If enough Foundation Establishment disciples vanished—
eventually a Golden Core expert would descend personally.
Especially after Elder Han's death.
Humans valued pride strangely.
The greater the danger became—
the more certain individuals insisted on confronting it themselves.
Lizarius understood that very well.
His gaze drifted toward the darkness beyond the cave.
Toward the vast forest stretching endlessly beneath the night sky.
*Good.*
Because compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators—
Golden Core experts were far more useful.
More evolution points.
A golden core itself.
And perhaps most importantly—
more information regarding the outside world.
The white lizard slowly floated upward from the cave floor.
The storage ring wrapped around his tail glimmered faintly beneath the crimson light.
Then—
his body gradually began fading once more.
Turning transparent.
Invisible.
Only his golden eyes remained visible for a brief moment within the darkness.
Cold.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Then even those vanished.
And the cave returned to complete silence.
—
A week later—
panic had already begun spreading throughout the Azure Sky Sect.
The mountain pathways, once filled with relaxed disciples and lively discussions, now carried visible tension everywhere.
Groups gathered beneath stone bridges and pavilion corridors, whispering anxiously among themselves.
"…Still no response?"
"They disappeared three days ago!"
"I heard another patrol vanished near the western forest!"
"That's already the fifth group this week!"
"No… seventh."
Fear spread quickly within large sects.
Especially when Foundation Establishment cultivators began disappearing like mortals walking into a cursed land.
Inside the sect mission halls—
identity tokens belonging to missing disciples continued dimming one after another.
Some shattered completely.
Others simply went silent.
Neither outcome was comforting.
Several disciples standing near the contribution board stared pale-faced at the newly posted emergency notices hanging across the walls.
All missions related to the Azure Root Forest had been suspended indefinitely.
Outer disciples were strictly forbidden from entering the region.
Even many inner disciples had already begun avoiding conversations regarding the forest entirely.
Because by now—
everyone understood one terrifying truth.
People sent there…
did not return.
And worse—
nobody knew how they died.
No bodies.
No survivors.
No traces.
Only silence.
Inside the Azure Sky Sect's main hall—
the atmosphere had grown far heavier than before.
Massive spiritual flames flickered quietly along the towering stone walls while gathered elders spoke one after another with increasingly grim expressions.
"This has already become a severe loss for the sect."
One elder's voice carried obvious anger.
"In only a single week…"
"…more than thirty Foundation Establishment disciples have disappeared."
Another elder frowned deeply.
"And none of them left behind useful information."
"No transmission talismans."
"No surviving witnesses."
"No signs of battle."
"Nothing."
The hall remained tense.
Because thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators was not a small number.
Even for a major sect.
Foundation Establishment disciples formed the backbone of future sect strength.
They were the next generation of elders, protectors, and core leadership.
Losing so many so quickly was enough to genuinely damage the Azure Sky Sect's long-term foundation.
Another elder spoke coldly,
"Our original intention was merely to gather information regarding the White Scale Demon."
His expression darkened further afterward.
"Instead…"
"…we delivered our disciples directly into its mouth."
No one refuted him.
Because at this point—
that possibility no longer sounded exaggerated.
An elder seated near the side of the hall slowly spoke,
"All disciples currently operating outside the sect have already been recalled."
"We cannot continue allowing Foundation Establishment cultivators to investigate the forest."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Truthfully…"
"…the number of remaining Foundation Establishment disciples within the sect is no longer much greater than the amount we have already lost."
Silence followed.
Heavy silence.
Several elders visibly tightened their expressions afterward.
Because the statement was true.
The losses had already reached a dangerous level.
Another elder slammed his hand against the armrest beside him, spiritual energy surging violently from his body.
"This beast is becoming increasingly daring!"
"If we allow this to continue…"
"…it may truly become impossible to control later."
Another elder nodded grimly.
"Agreed."
"Whether this creature possesses unusual abilities or not…"
"…it remains only a Core Formation beast."
His gaze swept slowly across the hall.
"And this sect possesses seven Golden Core cultivators."
The words settled heavily throughout the chamber.
At the head of the hall—
Sect Leader Yuan remained silent upon the elevated platform overlooking everyone below.
The elder continued firmly,
"The Sect Leader."
"Six elders."
"Seven Golden Core experts in total."
His eyes narrowed coldly.
"Are we truly expected to believe seven Golden Core cultivators cannot eliminate a beast within the same realm?"
Quiet murmurs spread throughout the hall afterward.
Because despite the fear spreading through the sect—
that logic still sounded reasonable.
No matter how strange the creature was…
it should not be capable of standing against the combined strength of the Azure Sky Sect's upper leadership alone.
Then—
Elder Qiu slowly opened his eyes.
The hall gradually fell silent once more.
His expression remained calm—
but far more serious than before.
"…Do not underestimate it."
The room stilled immediately.
Elder Qiu's gaze lowered slightly.
"We already made that mistake once."
A brief pause followed.
"Elder Han died because he underestimated the creature."
"And now over thirty Foundation Establishment disciples have vanished within a single week."
His narrow eyes swept slowly across the hall.
"This is no longer a matter of pride."
"…This is a matter of understanding exactly what kind of monster we are dealing with."
Silence descended again.
Because despite how unpleasant it sounded—
many of them were beginning to realize something deeply disturbing.
The White Scale Demon…
was growing.
Too quickly.
Too intelligently.
And perhaps worst of all—
it seemed to understand cultivators frighteningly well.
It understood their arrogance.
Their greed.
Their habits.
Their pride.
That alone made it dangerous.
Then finally—
Sect Leader Yuan spoke from above.
His calm voice echoed clearly throughout the massive hall.
"We cannot allow this matter to continue unchecked."
Every elder immediately fell silent.
Sect Leader Yuan's gaze remained steady and cold.
"All further disciple investigations into the Azure Root Forest are hereby prohibited."
"No one below the Golden Core Realm is permitted to enter the region."
A faint pause followed.
Then—
his eyes narrowed slightly.
"As for the White Scale Demon…"
The spiritual flames flickering across the hall seemed to dim.
The pressure within the chamber quietly intensified.
"…we will deal with it personally."
Silence.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Because everyone present understood what those words truly meant.
The Azure Sky Sect—
was finally preparing to move against Lizarius directly.