The Thornback Boars lay motionless on the forest floor, their acidic blood hissing where it touched the roots. The air slowly stilled, and only the faint glow of corrupted qi drifted upward like dying embers.
Zu Tian withdrew his blade, breath steady.
Around him, disciples steadied themselves. Yen Mo wiped blood from his lip; Li Xueyao let her frosted blade dissolve into a trail of cold motes. Bai Kuan flexed his bruised arms but grinned, still riding the thrill of combat.
For a moment, no one spoke.
It wasn't the fight that left them quiet — it was the forest.
Every tree felt like an eye.Every shadow like a waiting mouth.
Zu Tian lifted his gaze. Above, the canopy shuddered as though stirred by a breath far too large to belong to any normal creature.
"Everyone," he said, his voice low but clear, "don't let the boars distract you. If these were only the outer guardians… the deeper regions will be worse."
The disciples swallowed hard.
They all knew it.
This place wasn't merely dangerous.It was designed to test intruders.
The territories ahead were said to hold relics of the ancient war — fragments of spirit-weapons, beast-cores steeped in primordial qi, and rare herbs formed from the residue of clashing divinities.
But nothing in these lands came freely.
Where treasure gathered, so too did things that once fed on the corpses of fallen titans.
And now those things sensed new prey.
A cold wind passed through the undergrowth, carrying with it the faintest murmur — like whispers caught between broken stone.
Zu Tian's brows tightened.
"That sound…" Yen Mo whispered, clutching his sword tighter. "It felt like words."
"It wasn't," Li Xueyao murmured. "It was hunger."
The boars had proven one thing clearly:
None of them would survive alone.
Even Bai Kuan, sturdy as ironstone, had been shaken by the first charge.Yen Mo's quick reflexes saved him, but not without cost.Li Xueyao's ice slowed the beasts but couldn't stop all of them.
Only Zu Tian's final strike ended the battle — yet even he knew he only succeeded because the others bought him seconds.
"We move together," Zu Tian said, scanning the forest. "Eyes sharp. No wandering off. The Scarlet Gorge tests groups… it doesn't bow to lone heroes."
His broken sword pulsed faintly, as if agreeing.
Yen Mo nodded quickly. "Senior Brother, should we mark our path?"
"No." Zu Tian motioned toward a set of strangely-shaped roots — twisted, arching upward like ribs. "The forest will shift behind us. Trying to mark anything will only mislead us."
"So how do we navigate?"
"We follow the qi," Li Xueyao answered before Zu Tian could. Her gaze drifted toward the faint red mist deep inside the woods. "The treasures of the gorge exude ancient remnant energy. It pulls toward the heart."
"And so do the beasts," Bai Kuan muttered.
Zu Tian sheathed his blade.
"Then we'll be ready."
The First Depths
As they advanced, the forest opened slightly, revealing a half-collapsed stone stairway draped in moss. Strange bone fragments — far too large to belong to any mortal beast — jutted from the earth like pale monuments.
At the base of the stairs, a faint crimson glow flickered.
Yen Mo's eyes brightened. "A treasure?"
But Zu Tian sensed something else. Something breathing.
"No," he whispered. "A Beast."
The moment the words left his mouth—
the moss shifted.
What they had thought were overgrown vines slowly uncoiled, revealing talons of wood and bone. A massive creature rose from the earth, its body shaped like a stag but built of living roots, bark, and skeletal remains. Its antlers burned with inner scarlet flame.
A Root-Forged Spirit Beast — born from ancient qi and carcasses of the beasts that once fought here.
Li Xueyao inhaled sharply. "This… this is a first vein Guardian!"
Bai Kuan cracked his knuckles, excitement surging. "Finally… something serious."
Zu Tian stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
The beast lowered its flaming antlers.The air thickened with killing intent.
"Positions," Zu Tian ordered. "This is our first true battle. Fight smart — not brave."
The disciples moved instantly:
– Li Xueyao drew her frost qi, forming a half-moon barrier.– Yen Mo circled the flank, blade low.– Bai Kuan advanced up front, muscles tensed.
Zu Tian gripped the broken sword — the weapon humming faintly as if tasting the coming conflict.
The guardian roared.
The battle began.