After leaving Ten Thousand Beasts City, the group hurried away, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the crowded place.
High above, Feng Qiwu was a little faster than the others, scouting the path ahead.
A Phoenix was an exceptionally eye-catching sight, no matter where it went.
They traveled through sparsely populated areas, yet they still couldn’t avoid attracting appraising stares.
"Why did you suddenly stop?"
The wind from Feng Qiwu’s flapping wings made the surrounding leaves rustle. Standing below, Chu Liangyu felt much of the heat on her body dissipate with the gust.
He lowered his phoenix head, replying with some hesitation, "It looks like there are a lot of people up ahead, but I can’t see clearly."
Chu Liangyu frowned. She didn’t quite understand what Feng Qiwu meant.
’He’s high up in the air. Just how far away could it be for him to say he can’t see clearly?’
Chu Liangyu didn’t press him. Instead, with a single leap, she easily jumped onto his back and looked into the distance with him.
Ahead, there were no trees, only dense weeds reaching half a person’s height.
A gentle breeze made the field of weeds ripple like waves, but occasionally, something could be seen moving against the wind within the growth.
The things were hidden among the weeds, making them difficult to see clearly.
"News of what happened in Ten Thousand Beasts City couldn’t have traveled here this fast. Let’s go take a look."
Feng Qiwu said nothing and quickly brought her to the edge of the weeds.
Chu Liangyu jumped down, and only then did she truly appreciate the height of these weeds.
She was over 1.7 meters tall—by no means short—but standing before these weeds, her head wouldn’t even poke out from the top.
’Once we go in, getting lost is inevitable.’
’Wait, I can’t apply conventional thinking here.’
’Just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t!’
"Female Master, you mean...?"
Chu Liangyu gave Xiang Qiancheng a rare, gentle look and explained, "This thicket is too dense. The beast forms of the others aren’t as bulky as yours."
"So, I’ll need you to lead the way."
Xiang Qiancheng touched his forehead, momentarily chagrined.
’Bulky?’
’Is that supposed to be a compliment?’
He didn’t know whether to be happy or not, but it wasn’t a big deal either way.
He agreed readily. "Alright."
Chu Liangyu’s plan worked perfectly. This way, they could once again see Feng Qiwu high in the air.
However, the soil underfoot was extremely moist, and after only a few steps, their feet were caked in a thick layer of mud.
This made walking exceptionally difficult, so they had to stop periodically to clean the mud from their feet before continuing.
They weren’t wandering aimlessly; they were headed for a place that might be suitable for building a new home for their tribe.
It had all begun two days earlier, with the sole surviving Elder among the rescued Elves.
His weathered face was the very picture of exhaustion. Looking at the lost and directionless crowd, he offered a suggestion. "Since you are looking for a new place to build your tribe’s home, I happen to recall a good location."
At that, Chu Liangyu’s eyes lit up. Fixing her gaze on the Elder, she said, "Please, tell me."
"The Beast God Temple."
"What?!"
Without exception, their voices were filled with shock and confusion.
The Elder, however, simply smiled kindly and explained, "The Beast God Temple is desolate now, but its location is exceptionally good. Wouldn’t it be an even better place to build a new settlement?"
"Why would the Beast God Temple be desolate? Isn’t there anyone maintaining it?"
From what Chu Liangyu had seen and heard along the way, the Beastman civilization here was clearly much more advanced.
In the heart of every Beastman, the Beast God was equivalent to the Creator God. ’So why would His temple be abandoned here?’
"That... I do not know either."
Chu Liangyu’s curiosity was piqued, but being unable to get an answer left her with a nagging itch.
"Alright, then let’s go check out the Beast God Temple."
Chu Liangyu made the final decision, agreeing to his suggestion.
In her spare moments, Chu Liangyu kept pondering this question, frequently spacing out and appearing lost in thought.
"Are you okay?"
Chi Yizhong noticed she was spacing out again. He waved a hand in front of her eyes, his face etched with concern.
’How can someone space out even while they’re walking?’ He really couldn’t understand it.
He suspected Chu Liangyu must be ill to be acting like this.
"Huh?" Chu Liangyu’s reaction was a beat slow. Recalling his question, she gave a relaxed smile and replied, "I’m fine. I was just thinking about something."
A rustling sound rose from the weeds, different from the noise they made while trampling a path forward.
It was faint and fleeting, impossible to pinpoint. If you weren’t paying close attention, you might dismiss it as your imagination.
Chu Liangyu’s lips parted slightly, but she swallowed the words she was about to say, subtly scanning her surroundings instead.
Her intuition told her something was following them.
Licking her dry lips, Chu Liangyu raised her head. Her voice was neither high nor low, but just loud enough for everyone to hear as she warned, "Stay alert."
"Whoa, what is this thing!"
Yu He had apparently stepped on something. After instinctively jumping away, he stared at it, a mixture of shock and uncertainty on his face.
’A stick insect?’
At first glance, it looked just like a common dead twig. If it hadn’t moved just now, no one would have ever noticed it.
Except this thing was far too large. Long and coiled, it was half as tall as the weeds themselves.
Once startled, it instantly came to life, darting into the weeds with incredible speed.
"It’s just a bug. What’s all the fuss about?" Chu Liangyu shot him a sidelong glance and continued walking past him.
However, they had only taken a few more steps when the rustling sound that Chu Liangyu had heard earlier started up again.
This time, it wasn’t just her; everyone heard it.
The group instinctively gathered together, waiting in silence. But besides the rustling, there was nothing else.
Chu Liangyu furrowed her brow, wondering, ’Am I overthinking this?’
"Why have you stopped? Keep moving."
Feng Qiwu’s voice rang out. Chu Liangyu nodded, and they started walking forward again.
The expanse of weeds seemed endless, as if they would never reach the other side.
The sky gradually darkened. By now, they were exhausted to the point of collapse and in desperate need of rest.
Having no other choice, they could only halt temporarily within the sea of weeds.
After nightfall, the rustling sound seemed to grow even more active, and Chu Liangyu strangely felt she could hear a sense of glee within it.
The idea was too absurd, so Chu Liangyu shook her head and pushed it out of her mind.
After arranging for two people to take turns on watch, Chu Liangyu could hold out no longer and fell into a deep sleep.
Strangely, the incessant rustling that had been going on stopped the moment Chu Liangyu fell asleep, vanishing without a trace.
For the rest of the night, there were no other sounds besides the occasional chirping of insects.
Unnoticed, beneath the weeds, an inconspicuous little sprout stealthily poked its head out.
The tip of the sprout looked all around. When it saw that no one had noticed it, it couldn’t help but tremble with glee.
It even looked a little smug.
Two small shoots sprouted from its thin stem like a pair of hands, and it worked hard to pull itself out of the ground.
After a good long while, the entire little sprout finally pulled itself free.
It looked around again, its gaze locking onto Chu Liangyu.
Its tiny body straightened up. Waving the two little twigs it had just grown, it bounced and hopped its way over to her.
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