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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 11 Living Forest
Sanjiaozhu also arrived in the hall, reporting to the Great Palace King that the Second Lord was no longer in the Great Palace Kingdom. The Great Palace King understood the Second Lord's temperament; his departure at this time must be due to some strange and unusual reason.
However, the Second Lord's absence did not hinder the meeting. The Great Palace King nodded to indicate he understood and said, "Sanjiaozhu, please take a seat."
Sanjiaozhu lowered his head in acknowledgment, but there was a slight expression of wariness on his face. He seemed to harbor some hostility towards Yang Guizhi and Yuanming, trying not to look at them. Yang Guizhi noticed that Sanjiaozhu's expression was somewhat off, while Yuanming's encouraging gaze reassured her that she need not take it too seriously.
"We come sincerely to unite," Yuanming declared loudly, his voice resonating with authority. "You should not doubt this."
Sanjiaozhu scoffed, "If it's a sincere union, then why are you shouting?"
Yuanming's face turned pale. Four Palace Master Ying Fei interjected to mediate, saying, "Sanjiaozhu, this is not the time for jokes, especially from you. You are the Formation Guardian! The Evil God has been resurrected; everything is now out of balance, and we are all threatened."
"He can only be considered half-resurrected," Sanjiaozhu replied absently.
Four Palace Master could hardly tolerate Sanjiaozhu's attitude. "Even if he is half-resurrected!" she insisted sternly. "The Evil God is still one of the most dangerous threats in the world; he will inevitably draw closer to us!"
Due to Four Palace Master's agitation, her tongue nearly got tangled as she spoke. The people in the hall reacted differently to her emotions; the Great Palace King looked at her with slight surprise, while Yang Guizhi and Yuanming exchanged glances and frowned simultaneously. From Four Palace Master's reaction, it seemed their internal relations were not very good.
---
The Flying Wolf and his group moved forward in silence. Xia Lian appeared to have something to say but found herself unable to voice it. Meanwhile, Flying Wolf remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings to ensure there were no large hunting black bulls nearby. His focus was entirely on the river; he thought about avoiding any casualties and ensuring everyone he brought out returned safely.
After crossing the riverbank, the trees grew denser as they entered a thicket. Flying Wolf silently led the way forward; their direction was correct.
The militia members expressed no opinions either, simply using their axes to clear away obstructing vines. The axes were sharp and made quick work of anything in their path. The militia hoped that no Demon Beasts would appear, but even if they encountered one, they would not be afraid.
The leaves on the surrounding trees completely obscured the sky, and the path ahead seemed to lead to a dead end. Flying Wolf decided to turn back. No one voiced any objections, but as they retraced their steps, it became apparent that they had lost their way. The dirt path they had followed had transformed into a thicket, clearly indicating they were heading in the wrong direction.
Flying Wolf stared incredulously at the bushes. "It seems like there wasn't this thicket when we came through."
"Indeed, there wasn't," Xia Lian replied. "Let's try going to the right."
The group followed Xia Lian's lead, but several members of the Militia tripped over protruding tree roots. The fallen Militia cursed as they reluctantly got back on their feet, only for a few more to stumble over the roots again.
"Why are there so many tree roots here?" the Militia complained.
Some began to feel uneasy, gripping their weapons tightly. Suddenly, a root sticking out of the ground coiled around one Militia's ankle, lifting him off the ground. His legs flailed as he tried to use his weight to free himself from the root's grasp.
Flying Wolf rushed forward, attempting to grab the Militia's foot but failed.
Just then, a branch overhead swung down toward him. Flying Wolf dodged just in time, but his foot caught on another protruding root, causing him to stumble. He was about to fall onto the rough ground when he instead collided with something soft—someone's body.
Gasping for breath, Flying Wolf caught a glimpse of her face through a shaft of light filtering through the canopy. "Xia Lian."
Xia Lian helped him regain his balance. "It seems we've entered Li Yun's wasteland known as the Living Forest."
At the back of the group, some Militia were shouting. Flying Wolf and Xia Lian turned to see one of them raising a machete, preparing to strike at a branch. But Xia Lian shouted, "Don't cut it! They mean us no harm!"
The Militia froze mid-motion, though confusion lingered in their eyes. "Mean us no harm? What does that even mean?"
"This is the Living Forest," Xia Lian explained. "If we clash with these trees, we'll never escape."
"Living Forest?" Many were taken aback, including Flying Wolf, who looked at Xia Lian for clarification but received none.
Xia Lian calmly approached the Militia.
As she got closer, she saw a Militia entangled by the unfriendly trees, being dragged into a tree hole. Some branches were wrapped around the Militia's head, as well as his body and weapon. The Militia struggled to breathe, his body tightly ensnared.
The Militia nervously exclaimed, "Help me!"
Xia Lian replied calmly, "Don't be afraid, I will get you out."
She instructed the armed Militia to step back. Without a weapon in hand, Flying Wolf frowned and said, "How can we save him without cutting the branches?"
Xia Lian shook her head at Flying Wolf and walked up to the tree. "We are just passersby and mean no harm to you. I promise we won't recklessly chop down vines when we leave."
The leaves on the tree rustled, even though there was no wind blowing; it seemed as if the tree itself was responding to Xia Lian's words.
Xia Lian appeared to understand or hear the tree's response. She nodded and continued, "Please let him go; we will leave right away."
The rustling of the leaves grew louder, but the branches that had ensnared the Militia's body and weapon began to loosen, causing his weapon to fall to the ground.
The Militia scrambled out of the tree hole in a panic. He picked up his weapon but did not swing it at the tree. Instead, he knelt before it in fear and said, "Tree Spirit, forgive me; I will never chop a piece of wood again in my life."
Although Xia Lian knew this was not a Tree Spirit, she did not correct him. The towering treetop swayed once more as she placed a hand on the trembling Militia's shoulder. "Get up; it has forgiven you."
The Militia looked at Xia Lian with trepidation and asked, "Can you really talk to them?"
Xia Lian replied, "A little bit."
The Militia stood up and respectfully backed away. Flying Wolf stepped forward with a smile and said, "Xia Lian, you've truly become wise over the years; you can even understand trees. Quickly ask them if your friend passed through here."
Xia Lian said, "I don't need to ask; I already know they have passed through the Living Forest because our direction is correct."
Flying Wolf replied incredulously, "Why were they able to get through while these trees are blocking us?"
Xia Lian smiled wryly and said, "I don't know. Perhaps it's the hostility in your heart that has manifested in the forest. They are trying to stop you from going over there to kill. Or maybe that hidden one can communicate with the forest, asking for its help. It's also possible that these trees are protecting the Li Yun Wilderness. There are many reasons why we cannot pass."
This was excellent news for Ji Zichen, but not so much for Flying Wolf and his group.
Flying Wolf asked, "So you mean to say we can't get through?"
Xia Lian deliberately raised his voice so that all the Militia could hear clearly. "You can try to force your way through, but you'll put everyone in danger. This is the Living Forest; if even a branch shifts slightly, we won't be able to discern any direction. I suggest everyone leave this place."
Flying Wolf frowned and said, "Are you telling me to let them go?"
Xia Lian countered, "Then what do you think we should do?"
Flying Wolf did not respond immediately. He thought to himself, "We have already strayed too far from the village. Everyone is exhausted now, and morale is low after suffering losses on the way."
But returning like this didn't sit well with Flying Wolf. They had made a long journey here, and it hadn't been easy. Yet they couldn't proceed through the Living Forest either.
Flying Wolf really wanted to set this place ablaze, but he knew that wouldn't work; he couldn't appear so brutal in front of the Militia.
"Xia Lian," he said, "can't you persuade these trees to let us pass?"
Xia Lian chuckled and replied, "Trees are just trees; they lack wisdom. If they won't let us through, then we simply cannot pass."
Flying Wolf compromised but did not give up. "If we can't move forward, then we'll go back out, but we won't return to the village. Once we're out, we'll find a way to circumvent this place."
Flying Wolf paused for a moment before saying, "I refuse to believe that every tree here can move."
They stepped back from the dense forest, and as they exited the range of the Living Forest, Flying Wolf suddenly asked, "Did you hear the sound of flowing water?"
The Militia nodded in agreement. Flying Wolf continued, "Good. Earlier in the Living Forest, there was no sound of water, which means that the place with the sound of water is not part of the Living Forest. The trees can move, but I doubt they can move the water veins as well."
Flying Wolf issued a command: "Let's head towards the sound of water! We will not return until we find the Fugitive!"
-
In the Great Kingdom, at the edge of every major settlement, fully armed guards patrolled back and forth. Their purpose was not only to prevent attacks from Demon Beasts but also to defend against any enemy incursions.
The Great Palace King often observed from the palace, looking out over areas beyond the main borders of the Great Kingdom. He believed that others coveted the rich world inhabited by Demon Beasts. With the right methods, Demon Beasts could be an undeniable force. The Great Kingdom already had secretly controlled Demon Beasts, though outsiders were unaware of this fact. Within the Great Kingdom, there was a secret altar.
At this altar, rituals were held to rearrange the Formation to monitor the borders of the Great Kingdom. Through mutual coordination, the Formation could not only observe but also repel ordinary Demon Beasts. In the Great Palace King's memory, no one and no Demon Beast had ever been able to enter freely unless they intentionally allowed it.
Birds could land without encountering obstacles from the Formation, which was obviously because they permitted their passage.
The Formation required a significant amount of magical artifacts to maintain. Arranging these artifacts was particularly troublesome, but within the Great Kingdom, there were many experts in Formation who could set up the necessary magical artifacts in a short time.
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