The Central Region of the Forest (1)

The monsoon that terrorized the little raven residing within the Wu Ji Forest and the young girl who had promptly fled into the Sanctum abated after a full month and a half.

The soil had been completely washed away from the roots of the trees, creating a pond that encapsulated the entire forest's undergrowth.

When An Fei departed from the Sanctum, she nearly fell facefirst into the water from her unstable footing on a tree root.

Had it not been for her swift reflex, latching onto the soaked trunk of a nearby tree, the young girl would not have ended with a few mere bruises on her skin.

As she winced at the blistering pain surging at her hands touching the soaked tree trunk, An Fei couldn't help but nurse a tinge of worry.

This was bad!

"It looks like it would take a few months for the spiritual qi contained within the water and humidity to clear…" the young girl whispered to herself with a pale countenance.

"The empress' trip should arrive at the Taiyi Sect after six to eight months… by then, I have to have exited the forest. It's a pity that I've already used two whole months… I need to hurry!"

An Fei disengaged her hands from the tree trunk soaked with the rain, massaging the delicate and fragile skin besotted with a ring of violet bruises.

The young girl took a deep breath, forcibly calming her nerves as her eyes shone with a rare determined glint.

Jump!

An Fei bolstered her body with spiritual essence, reducing the effectiveness of gravity on herself as she leapt.

Utilizing the exposed tree roots that stretched above the pooled water, the young girl gradually approached the redwood tree that had received a painful hollowing.

With a slight tug towards a thin drawstring that hung out of the hollow's entrance, An Fei fished out a medium-sized leather bag, dry and untouched by the fierce monsoon.

As soon as she released the drawstring and slung the bag over her shoulder, a black shadow erupted from within the depths of the bag, dispatching a furious anger onto the post-celebration, slumbering grasses.

Caw!

The distorted cry was accompanied by a tangible shockwave of golden and violet light erupted from the little creature's body, disrupting the tranquil and submerged atmosphere of the Wu Ji Forest.

As the golden and violet wave surged through the flooded forest, the shockwave ripped apart trees and slaughtered unsuspecting and completely unlucky animals into shreds.

"Uh… Xiao Hei?"

The young girl gulped, extending her finger towards the enraged mass of black feathers with trepidation.

To her relief, the little raven did no more than direct an angry glare towards her, before perching atop of the leather bag's strap as per usual.

Caw.

"Eh… ehehe," An Fei released an awkward giggle, her finger rubbing the raven's feathery back and head to appease the little creature.

"Unlike you who could reside within the bag and be safe, I can't escape the rain. Plus, it was dry in the bag, no? There were also sufficient gingko nuts to last you for the month, so…"

The young girl rushed her words in a hasty manner, firing them at an intense velocity to prevent the little raven from refuting.

As she dispatched horrible excuse after horrible excuse onto the little creature's head, the young girl rushed through the forest at an accelerated pace, leaping from tree root to tree root.

The trunks of the trees were even utilized as a springboard if necessary, as the water was significantly deeper and higher in certain areas. As she moved, An Fei didn't spot a single blade of grass or herb.

Everything was submerged within a deadly, clear water, darkened due to the lack of ample sunlight.

Perhaps it was beneficial to the plants and animals residing within the lower strata of the Wu Ji Forest, who relied on meagre amounts of resources and sunlight to survive.

However, to her and the raven… the rainwater infused with the world's atmospheric spiritual qi was their worst nightmare.

…though An Fei didn't know why the little raven suffered the same fate as her in these circumstances, it didn't prevent her from making guesses.

"Hey, Xiao Hei, are you a variant creature?"

Caw.

The young girl suddenly tossed out a question as they whistled underneath a dense overgrowth of branches and leaves, the entire area dimmed as though it were the evening.

"I mean, you clearly have the appearance of a northern raven, but your cries are that of a crow," An Fei slowly explained, her countenance reflecting an inquisitive expression.

"Do you… have the parents of a crow and raven?"

Caw?

"Or are you of a mutant breed?"

Caw!?

The little raven's head jerked upwards in surprise at the last statement, the startled squawk escaping its beak filled with disbelief and incomprehension.

The young girl took note of the small creature's response as affirmation, her head rhythmically bobbing in an understanding nod.

"it's alright if you don't like being called a mutant breed! After all, don't mutant species in the forest display special traits?"

Caw!?!?

The crimson eyes of the little raven scattered sparks of rage and indignation, and the little creature leapt from its perch to fiercely glare at the young girl as though it wished to eat her up.

The golden beak parted to voice a tangible cry of resentment and anger as it had done before, but abruptly closed.

The little creature docilely returned to his perch, its body trembling with fear.

"Xiao Hei?" An Fei called at the little raven's odd actions, her brows furrowing in thought.

"Xiao Hei, are you alright? You… didn't suffer too much from the rain… right?"

Suffer your ass!

Little lass, if it weren't for this weak mortal body and your goddamned illegitimate child of a steel sword reflecting such murderous intent, see what I'll do to you!

The sentient being that formed the little raven fumed inside its heart, turning aside from the girl in a fit of rage.

Regardless of the young girl's attempts to cajole it into speaking, the little creature refused to open its beak, perfectly complying with the image of a sulking child.

Usually, it liked to dreamily admire the young girl's astonishingly beautiful countenance that trumped even that of Chang'ge of the Eternal Moon Palace, but the little lass had ruffled its feathers a little too much!

"Hah…"

An Fei sighed once more, electing to continue her journey into the depths of the forest in silence.

The little raven and the young girl leapt from tree root to tree root as they moved forwards, their consciousness locked within their respective thoughts.

One was wondering whether she should offer some rice wine to the little raven as an apology, while the other was craftily thinking of methods to punish the 'disobedient' girl.

–

Surprisingly, certain portions of the Wu Ji Forest had not been touched by the monsoon's torrential fury.

The inhabitants of those specific region, however, obediently lowered their heads towards the towering and depressed clouds, their throats clamped tightly as though not to speak a single word.

Even those of the fierce creatures possessing might of the Core Formation Realm and even beyond it, deigned not to raise their posture from that of a humble one.

As a result, these regions were untouched by the monsoon rain, and were permitted to witness the utter carnage that the clouds had enacted onto the poor and innocent inhabitants seeking an extra drop of water or an additional minute of sunlight.

Oh, tempestuous clouds that were much more reserved and elegant in the past… why become so enraged now? Who offended the Wu Ji Forest?

Some of the more elderly and endowed fierce creatures who had developed a certain quantity of intelligence murmured within their hearts, silently gazing at the tumultuous skies.

They watched the clouds churn and riot as they squeezed as much rain they could to hurl at the inhabitants below with a mix of apprehension, horror, and schadenfreude.

To have angered the Wu Ji Forest to the extent that the monsoon itself ruined countless innocent lives within the forest that did nothing but scrounge for scraps… the fate of such a being was bound to be non-satisfactory, perhaps beyond a certain quota of miserable.

And at that moment, the transgressor of the Wu Ji Forest unwittingly stepped into the central regions of the forest, completely oblivious of what she was about to encounter.

"Xiao Hei, look! The ground here is visible, and it's actually dry. The humidity is lower than the other places… so where is this?"

Caw…

The little raven nursed a hint of apprehension as it glanced at the relieved and cheerful young girl serving as its might, hesitating as to whether it should convey an important piece of information.

However, a single glance towards the handle-less sword hovering behind An Fei's back with the constantly emitted and uncontrollable murderous intent caused the little creature to keep quiet and adopt a timid persona.

Well, having one person being knowledgeable of their surroundings should be good enough… right?