Broken Ridge Forest was quieter than Astra expected.
No constant roars. No endless rustling.
Just the soft whisper of wind through leaves, the crunch of boots on undergrowth, and the occasional distant cry of some unseen bird.
The deeper they went, the more the neat mountain paths faded into wild growth. Tree roots twisted across the ground like sleeping snakes. Light filtered through overlapping branches in fractured patterns.
Han Qing walked at the front, relaxed but alert.
Bai Ruyin was near the middle, fingers sometimes brushing her sleeve where she kept her formation bead.
Astra stayed somewhere toward the back of the group, eyes calm but never idle.
Lin Wu lingered on his flank, a little too close. His face wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Of course.
Astra pretended not to notice.
"This area used to be safer," Han Qing said over his shoulder. "Recently, beast activity increased. That's why the elder wants us to check."
"Senior Brother," one disciple asked nervously, "are there… Rank 3 beasts here?"
"Sometimes," Han Qing replied. "That's why I'm here."
Relief flowed through the group.
Astra didn't relax.
This forest felt wrong. Astra thought although I cant pin point where is the wrong but he can fell there is something very wrong about this forest….
Not in a way that screamed danger—but in a subtle, off-beat rhythm, like a heartbeat slightly out of sync.
Spirit energy is a bit… agitated.
He glanced at Bai Ruyin. She had the faint frown of someone who noticed the same thing.
Their eyes met briefly.
She said nothing.
He said nothing.
But each knew the other wasn't blind.
"Hold," Han Qing said suddenly, raising a hand.
The group stopped.
He crouched near some disturbed soil. There were claw marks in a nearby tree trunk—deep, jagged grooves splintering the bark.
He touched one with his fingers, then examined a smear of dried blood.
"Fresh," he murmured. "Not more than two days."
"So the beasts are closer to the outer edge now…" Bai Ruyin said quietly.
Han Qing nodded.
"We'll proceed. Stay tighter. If something moves—"
He didn't get to finish.
A low growl rolled through the trees—
followed by a much closer snarl.
Bushes to their left exploded.
A massive wolf-like beast burst forth, its fur black with streaks of bone-white, eyes glowing a feral red.
A Ridgebone Wolf. Rank 2, maybe 3.
"Formation!" Han Qing barked.