The night sky was starless and moonless, and the land was a vast expanse of darkness.
Yet there was one mysterious place that, even in the dead of night, shimmered like moonlight, its beauty as if from a dream.
Legend told that in the Ancient Era, a Moon God had fallen here. Endless moonlight had bathed the secluded woods, and this was the origin of the Moonlight Forest.
Countless ages had passed, making it impossible to know the truth of the legend. However, the Moonlight Forest truly did shimmer in the darkness, and this was because of a plant that grew within it called Moonlight Grass!
There was light only where Moonlight Grass grew. The plant was more abundant in the outer reaches of the Moonlight Forest, so even in the dead of night, specks of light still dotted the darkness, guiding the way forward.
Deeper in the Moonlight Forest, the Moonlight Grass became scarcer. In the forest's depths, it had all but vanished, leaving only an endless, unbroken darkness. The only exceptions were a few small lakes, their shores ringed with the glowing grass.
A delicate figure burst from the woods, appearing before a small, radiant lake.
The woods behind her were black as ink, but the lakeshore shimmered with a lunar glow.
The abrupt transition from darkness to light dazed the woman for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. She knew this place was treacherous and that she couldn't linger. She had to pick the Spirit Communication Flower and retreat at once.
She was like a fairy beneath the moon, with skin of jade and a willowy, enchanting figure. Her eyes were like clear autumn pools. With the swift, startling grace of a swan, she skimmed across the lake's surface like a fleeting shadow, landing on a patch of Gray Jade Mud that rose from the center of the small, radiant lake.
A Spirit Flower grew upon the Gray Jade Mud, emitting a faint, beautiful spiritual glow.
The woman reached out a slender hand, about to pluck the Spirit Flower.
'With this Spirit Communication Flower, I'll only need one more Spirit Medicine. Then I can concoct the Ancient Medicine and repair Chen'Er's Qi Sea and Spirit Vein!'
'Chen'Er, I will make you the invincible young man you once were.'
A smile touched the woman's face, one of breathtaking beauty. This was, of course, Jiang Ling'Er.
She had ventured deep into the Moonlight Forest, barely surviving the journey. Several times, she had nearly been killed by its perils.
All the companions who came with her were dead; she was the only one who had escaped. But her pursuer hadn't given up the chase, and she had nearly died at his hands on several occasions.
Her opponent was at the Innate Third Realm, while she was only at the Innate First Realm. The gap in their Cultivation was too vast; she stood no chance in a direct fight.
If not for the mysterious Spirit Cultivation Step Technique she practiced, combined with her skill in concealment, she would never have escaped.
She could have chosen to flee toward the outer forest, where her chances of survival would have been much higher. But Jiang Ling'Er had plunged deeper into the Moonlight Forest without hesitation, because the rare Spirit Medicines she sought could only be found in its depths.
Just as Jiang Ling'er was about to pluck the Spirit Communication Flower, a sudden, overwhelming sense of crisis washed over her.
Her Divine Sense was remarkably sharp, allowing her to perceive danger a step ahead of its arrival. In that instant, if she abandoned the Spirit Communication Flower and fled, she still had a chance to escape unharmed.
But in that moment, a resolute glint flashed in her eyes. Her outstretched hand didn't falter; instead, it shot toward the Spirit Communication Flower even faster.
At the same time, a figure shot from the dark woods and across the glowing lake. A Palm Seal tore through the air, smashing toward Jiang Ling'er's back.
BOOM!
Jiang Ling'er was sent flying. She coughed up blood, her exquisite face turning pale as paper, like a blooming flower instantly wilting.
But she had managed to grab the Spirit Communication Flower. Using the force of the blow, she shot into the dark woods and vanished into the vast, endless night.
The figure that appeared was clad head-to-toe in black, with a hood covering his face, leaving only a pair of cold, sinister eyes visible.
He was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the woman to survive his palm strike, much less still have the strength to flee.
"When King Yan decrees your death at the third watch, who would dare keep you alive until the fifth? You've been struck by my Yama's Death-urging Palm. How could you possibly survive the night?"
The man in black muttered chillingly to himself. Without pausing, his figure blurred as he gave chase in the direction Jiang Ling'er had vanished.
...
In the dead of night, Jiang Jichen moved like a phantom—soundless, his presence utterly concealed.
Having formed a Spirit Vein, Jiang Jichen could finally tap into the vast, boundless Spiritual Qi within his Qi Sea. He could now execute the most basic of Spirit Cultivation Step Techniques.
Shadow Step. A body like a specter, steps like a phantom's shadow. When cultivated to the Great Achievement Realm, one could move without a sound, an ethereal, drifting presence.
With the cultivation experience from his past life, Jiang Jichen needed only a moment to adapt to his new body before he could use the technique freely. Though he was far from the Great Success Realm, his Shadow Step was already as smooth as flowing water, appearing effortless and elegant.
Normally, one had to reach the Eighth-level Mortal Realm to even attempt a Spirit Cultivation Step Technique. These techniques demanded an extremely high grade of Spiritual Power. Without the corresponding Realm, it was impossible to condense one's Spiritual Power to the degree required to execute them.
But this wasn't an issue for Jiang Jichen. Even after suppressing his Seven-Colored Spiritual Power Line down to a pale gold one, the grade of his Spiritual Power was still higher than that of Eighth-Level Mortals like Lü Yinghao.
Weaving through a labyrinth of ancient streets, he passed through the city gates and sped north for dozens of miles. At last, Jiang Jichen saw specks of light ahead, like embers of Starfire in the night, guiding the way.
Without a doubt, that was the Moonlight Forest.
Jiang Jichen's memories told him he had been here many times before. But he had always stuck to the outskirts of the Moonlight Forest, never daring to venture too deep. It was, after all, a truly perilous place.
Even in the outskirts, the most powerful Spirit Beasts could rival an expert at the Innate Fourth Realm. Fortunately, such creatures were rare. Most beasts in the outer forest were only equivalent in strength to a Seventh-level Mortal Warrior or, at most, someone at the Innate First Realm.
Jiang Jichen drifted into the Moonlight Forest. He was quite familiar with this area, but he had no time to waste. His primary objective was to find Jiang Ling'Er.
The forest was thick with undergrowth and ancient, towering trees. By the faint glow of the Moonlight Grass, Jiang Jichen could see the flickering shapes of Spirit Beasts.
The chirping of night cicadas and the echoing roars of beasts created a palpable sense of danger lurking all around.
Jiang Jichen activated his Shadow Step, moving like a silent, ethereal wisp, and slipped past many ferocious Spirit Beasts.
He avoided combat whenever possible, focusing only on moving deeper into the Moonlight Forest as quickly as he could.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
Dozens of miles deeper into the Moonlight Forest, Jiang Jichen suddenly heard terrified cries for help from up ahead.
Jiang Jichen circulated his Soul Power and could clearly hear the sounds of a struggle in the distance. Someone was clearly fighting up ahead, and it seemed they were in trouble.
Jiang Jichen's expression remained unchanged. He had no intention of meddling in others' affairs. Still, since it was on his way, he decided to take a look.
He crossed the thousand-meter distance in moments, appearing at the edge of the battle.
He landed gracefully atop an ancient tree. Below, in a clearing, a pack of Cyan Wolves had surrounded a tent. A dozen or so Spirit Cultivation Guards stood protectively before it, locked in a standoff with the wolves.
The ground was spattered with blood, and there were even corpses that had been torn to shreds by the Cyan Wolves. A brutal, violent battle had clearly just taken place.
Nearly a hundred Cyan Wolves stared fixedly at the guards, a cold, eerie light glowing in their eyes. They were merely waiting for the Cyan Wolf King to give the order to attack once more.