7 The Mystifying Woman

Sending the last array flag imbued with Sect Head Kahn's spirit energy, a thunderous blast blew the array into pieces.

Before the group, they witnessed something dramatic. The mist spread out, flowing in all directions, enveloping the entire group. The trees seemingly grew closer, further binding the group in the mist.

From head to toe, the entire area was engulfed in the wispy vapor, causing people from the party to panic. The scholars with their vast knowledge and even the array formation masters looked at the situation terrified. For all they knew, this could be a trap array placed by the expert to all those who dare disturb whatever was inside. Even worse, this array could very well kill them all in the case it was a killing array.

One of the array masters, on the verge of panicking, asked, "Sect Head... did you fail?" His face was pale, his legs were shaking, ready to collapse at any moment, and sweat dripped from his forehead to the ground.

"I..." Sect Head Kahn choked up. He was unable to determine what had happened. His face was a light shade of pink, both from fear and embarrassment.

Then, one of the scholars broke. Wailing, he attempted to charge out of the mist, only to run into a very large tree. The trunk was so wide and sturdy that it was the only thing he could crash into as his vision was obscured. Banging his head on the tree, he fell over onto his back, his head bleeding profusely.

That's when a majority of the group turned wild. It was as if they were monkeys, trapped in a confined space, looking for a hole to breathe through.

Some attempted to run out of the mist in different areas, each time getting knocked back by the trees, unable to find a gap. Their faces convulsed and distorted. Even though their endeavors of smashing the trees with their fists, shoulders, kicks, bodies only ended up in them destroying themselves.

Bones crunched, blood spewed everywhere, and this wouldn't stop until they fell unconscious.

The only ones who kept a cool head were Sect Head Kahn, the elders, and very few scholars and array masters.

"This is madness..." One scholar fell from fear and his eyes watered like sprinklers. Making exasperated and troubled noises, he rolled over and clutched his sides. The only things that could be sensed were his fellow scholars' cries and wails of pain.

The mist grew hotter as time passed, causing everyone to grow exhausted and tired.

Then, the mist in one area began to gather. Swirling in a clockwise motion, and all those who kept their sanity were able to feel the differences in the air as it rolled around. One by one, everyone began to collapse into a dream-like state. Only Sect Head Kahn remained standing to watch the spectacle.

Out of the mist, came a woman. A beautiful woman that could be seen as a fairy floated in front of the group. They stood, unmoving, enchanted by the beauty before them. She was transparent yet opaque, a domineering aura emerged from her lotus-like self. Wearing a hanfu dress that was white, but had a tinge of pink, her eyes opened. Her long black hair draped down, and her blue eyes seemed to shock any who looked into them for too long.

Her power was also not to be laughed at, controlling the aura of the profound, the rumored seventh stage, Boundless Mind.

"You, who have broken the seal, state your reason." Her voice was like music to the ears, lulling the unprepared into a trance. Although it was very elegant sounding, her voice also held some power and authority behind it.

Sect Head Kahn looked at her bewildered. Familiarity washed over him, his eyes beginning to water.

"Are... are you Reyna?" His voice was soft and quivering with sadness. Slowly, he put one foot in front of the other and managed to reach her. Putting his hand up, he tried to stroke her face, but his hand passed through, causing his tears to fall.

"You... haven't you...?"

Looking at his hand passing through her face, her eyes held a tinge of contempt. "Sect Head Kahn, make no mistake. I did not appear before you for your sake. I am the protector of this place. Lay out your reasoning to destroy the sacred land I have prepared."

At this point, Sect Head Kahn fell down to his knees. He bent down and lowered his head for the first time in his life.

"Please... Reyna, forgive me... I've wanted to see the reason for the disturbance but never did I think that you'd...." His throat constricted from his sorrow. Crying his heart out, nobody would have thought that this was the sect head of the Moral Timere Sect.

"Impudent man, breaking the array I've so carefully set out and then apologizing when you realize who I am. Only a fool would be brave enough to do this."

Not raising his head, he continued to beg for forgiveness. Forgiveness for being harsh on his daughter, forgiveness for neglecting his family, and forgiveness for letting his wife die.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to use my strength, for I have only a small portion of what I am really capable of. Promise me this; never come here again. Never disturb the peace that I've set for my grove. If you promise me this, you will not lose your life here, and I am able to set up my array one last time."

Still sobbing, the sect head agreed. "Yes... I will never again..."

Satisfied, the woman of the mist known as Reyna nodded and dispersed. The mist gathered once again, the trees reverted back to their normal positions, and the array formation was set up. Looking at it, the array looked as if it were never broken in the first place.

Getting up and cleaning himself, the sect head looked around. The area was silent aside from the breeze. His subordinates began to stir as well, their wounds completely healed.

"Why was I on the ground?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion. It would seem that their memory was clouded.

"Everybody, we're heading back." The sect head sent out his command and started walking back down the mountain.

"No one is to come to this area again," he rang out. The elders, array masters, and scholars begrudgingly followed him out as the morning sun rose.

...

The Hidden Grove

As the clash between the tree and the lightning exploded throughout the sect, being at the center of the event, she felt her ears burst from the deafening blow.

Whilst in the midst of her cultivation, she fell unconscious.

A beautiful lady appeared in her dreams with blue eyes that were ready to electrify any. She wore a hanfu dress that was white and pink, her impressive figure swayed, and her long black hair completed her beauty. A fairy had emerged from the depths of her mind.

"Yaila..." Her voice was sweet and caring, a lulling and enchanting effect was mixed in. "You've done well until now. Stay here, for what I've tasked you with is a very important mission. My last demand...." Her voice trailed off.

"Mother..." A tear flowed down from Yaila's face as she awoke. Her hair was slightly disheveled from sleeping on the ground, the morning sun rose. All was quiet.

"Oh, she woke up." A voice sounded through her head. She stood up and looked around.

"Who...?" Perplexed, a feeling of caution emerged.

"You can hear me?" Once again, the voice rang out. It sounded like it was from a boy.

"Ah, I see what's going on. You don't know who's talking to you!" A laugh sounded.

Turning toward the tree, Yaila was about to speak to it when her face flushed. How could a tree speak?

"Come on, I'm right here. I'm a tree."

As if a bomb exploded, Yaila's mind stirred. "Prove it," she said.

"She wants me to prove it?" Thought the tree. "Then, I might as well try something..." A thick root rose from the ground. It was green and wrapped around Yaila's waist and lifted her up.

"Let me go! Put me down!" Infusing her attacks with spiritual energy, she pounded her fists onto the root, but to no avail. Her attacks did absolutely nothing.

The tree then willed his root to lower her to the ground before going back under.

"Do you believe me now? I'm a damn tree."

Unable to fully come to terms, she reluctantly believed that whoever was speaking to her was indeed, the tree. "Yes..."

The tree couldn't see, but it could feel and sense spiritual energy in colors. What he saw in her was a light pink color.

After having the girl acknowledge him, the tree was satisfied and began examining his own body. Since he was knocked out for a while, as soon as the tree woke up, he sensed that there was another root that grew, a yellow one. He was still awake before the collision with the bolt but in that split second he saw a streak of yellow. Was it this that protected him?

Looking dejected and noticing that the tree didn't say anything else, an irritated feeling came over her. "This tree had just waved me around like it was nothing!" She thought. "I'm on even on the brink of breaking through into stage four Blood Motion and my attacks did nothing?"

Through her teeth, Yaila had to ask, "You were just planted five days ago, how could you be so strong?"

Coming out of his trance, he had thought that the answer was simple. "I absorbed energy."

Baffled by his simple response, she staggered. How was he able to say that it was so easy to become this strong by just absorbing energy? Besides, what does he even mean by energy?

As if reading her thoughts, he answered once again. "By energy I mean my roots are able to suck in this weird type of nutrient. I've decided to call it energy!"

Astounded from the tree's lack of common sense as well as its absurd power, Yaila felt defeated. She had been cultivating her entire life, albeit just recently starting it up again, but this tree had surpassed even her strength in a mere five days!

Then, the tree held his own question. "Are you lonely?" He had thought this was peculiar. A girl had been next to him and tending to him for a while and she was almost always here.

"Lonely? I am most certainly not lonely..." Her voice trailed off. When was it the last time she had spoken to one of her friends? Even then, did she even have any friends? All she could remember was being by her mother's side.

"So I was right?" The tree was very rude. She sent out a kick in frustration at the tree but it was futile.

"Did you just kick me?" The tree had felt a force on his trunk, but aside from that, he didn't feel anything much. He did notice that the girl's aura had moved next to him, so it was a bit easy to discern that he was just assaulted.

"No," Yaila replied. An awkward atmosphere between the two arose. The seemingly rude and arrogant tree, however, did not care what the atmosphere was like.

"So, where are we?"

Yaila looked up at the tree. Reluctantly, she responded, "We're at the Mountains of Arbor, it's near my Moral Timere Sect."

"'Your?' Are you the leader of it or something?"

"No, I'm the daughter of the sect head," she harrumphed. "Clearly, I'm not as old as Father. It was rude to call me the sect head when I'm still a blossoming bud!" Thought Yaila.

Suddenly, Yaila flushed. She had forgotten one of the basic standards of etiquette.

Facing the tree once more, Yaila proceeded to ask, "What's your name?"