Chapter 1456: Chapter 1316: The Battle of the Silent Forest! Chapter 1456: Chapter 1316: The Battle of the Silent Forest! Whispers of anguish drifted softly through the air, ethereal and delicate, gradually revealing a sense of sorrow.
As she spoke, Ning Manâerâs tears had already begun streaming down her cheeks, landing gently on the vines.
Crying, she grew tired, her delicate frame curling up in the small crevice of the tree roots, her eyes damp as she fell into slumberâŠ
On the desolate land stood a huge, dead tree, and beneath it, a girl in fetal position who had fallen asleep, painting a harrowing and pitiful scene.
This scene was both still and shifting through time. Every spring, summer, autumn, and winter that passed, she would curl up under the tree. Now, her weary heart had led her to sleep like this, as if she never wished to wake again and desired to be entombed alongside the old tree.
The Silent Forest became utterly silent, the sky above remaining empty, the occasional cold breeze that swept through made no sound at all.
The wind and the sand were slowly eroding the last remnants of the Old Divine Tree.
Its branches, dry beyond dry, creaked dully in the wind, and its desiccated leaves trembled on the verge of fallingâŠ
The wind picked up, and the lifeless leaves finally dropped from their branches, fluttering down slowly, alone in their descent.
The Old Divine Tree stood tall; the process of the leaves falling took a long time. After a while, the leaves that had descended from heaven to the Mortal World finally came to rest at the base of the roots.
The fallen leaves conveniently covered Ning Manâerâs makeshift wooden bed, encasing her delicate body.
The slumbering girl, unaware, instinctively clutched at the dead leaves with her small hand. Her lips curled into a faint smile of peace and vulnerability.
âŠ
Luo Lin
âChu Mu, whatâs wrong?â Pang Yue stopped and looked back at Chu Mu, who had suddenly slowed his pace.
Chu Mu didnât answer; he was holding a small Tear Crystal in his hand, lost in contemplation as he gazed at the scene within.
The image in the Tear Crystal was somewhat blurred, but Chu Mu could see the depths of the Silent Forest, where Ning Manâer lay curled up alone under the dead tree. He saw her talking to herself non-stop, saw her tiredly lie downâŠ
It was as if an injured girl was nestled in the arms of a grandfather who loved her dearly.
Through the bond of their Soul Contract, not only did Chu Mu see Ning Manâerâs current scene, he also saw her past memories.
Each segment of these memories was simple, including Ning Manâerâs current confiding and storytelling, all so straightforward. Yet, Chu Mu didnât know why, but after seeing the image presented by the Tear Crystal, his heart felt sour, and he longed to fly to the depths of the Silent Forest right now, to hold her, to comfort her.
âChu Mu?â Pang Yue called out to Chu Mu again.
Chu Mu came somewhat back to reality and glanced at Pang Yue.
âWhatâs wrong?â Pang Yue continued to ask.
âNothing major. I was just thinking of some things. How far are we from the Silent Forest?â Chu Mu inquired.
âNot far. It should take a few more days to reach it. Our previous route had some issues; otherwise, we could have arrived earlier,â Pang Yue explained.
âAlright, then letâs hurry up a bit. Ning Manâer is already in the Silent Forest, and Iâm worried that Kang Ruodong and his people might have noticed,â Chu Mu stated.
Chu Mu was truly worried about Ning Manâer.
âOkay,â Pang Yue nodded.
Everyone could see Chu Muâs urgency, and they all quickened their pace, racing towards the Silent Forest Fortress.
âŠ
About two days later, the Silent Forest Fortress finally came into view for Chu Mu and his companions.
Upon entering the Fortress city, the group of five immediately started searching for Kang Ruodong and others.
âThe Kang Ruodong you speak of, whether he is in the city or not, I do not know. However, a group of people did enter the Silent Forest a day ago, and they all appeared very strong,â a guard said.
âA day ago?â Chu Mu immediately furrowed his brow.
This news was undoubtedly bad for Chu Mu because Kang Ruodong and his group were surely after Ning Manâer, and if Chu Mu was one day behind them, they might have already taken her away.
Chu Mu became anxious, not wanting to waste any more time in this fortress city.
âChu Mu, letâs go to the depths of the Silent Forest now then. The terrain of the Silent Forest is quite complicated; they might not be able to reach the deepest parts within a day,â the Morning Crown Prince suggested.
While they were inquiring from the guard, a Divine Sect Member about 500 meters away from Chu Mu and the others was staring intently at the group of five.
After a while, seemingly sure of something, the Divine Sect Member hurriedly ran off in a certain direction.
Unaware that someone had been watching him, Chu Mu, upon receiving solid information, and his group of five immediately headed out of the city.
Just as they had rushed out of the city for a short while, suddenly, a group of people chased after them from behind, clearly targeting Chu Mu and his companions.
âChu Mu, there are about ten or twenty people behind us!â Ye Wansheng exclaimed.
Chu Mu looked back and immediately saw a familiar face.
âItâs those people from He Shangguan that we met in Lin City!â the Morning Crown Prince quickly recognized three individuals.
âWhy are they here?â Pang Yue said, puzzled.
Among that group of people were indeed He Shangguan, Cai Yun, and Wan Jun. What Chu Mu hadnât expected was that they were also heading to the Silent Forest.
That meant their arrival in Lin City wasnât a coincidence; it was very likely that, like him, they were there to inquire about the issue with Kang Ruodong blocking Ning Manâer at the Heavenly Boundary Monument.
âHow could it be him??â Suddenly, Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, her gaze fixated on a person behind them.
Pang Yue looked to see who Xiaoxiao was staring at, only to notice a young man wearing a bamboo hat.
This man appeared to be one of the leaders of the group, with seven or eight people following behind him.
âAnd who is he?â Pang Yue asked.
âHeâs my eldest senior brother, Huo Lei, one of the strongest young disciples in the Monster Beast Palace!â Xiaoxiao said.
The group was indeed divided into two factions: on one side were the Divine Sect members led by a man in a brocade robe, and on the other side were the Monster Beast Palace members led by Huo Lei, as Xiaoxiao had mentioned.
Strangely enough, none of them wore any conspicuous symbols of their identity, which was odd since Divine Sect members usually displayed their authoritative identity openly when traveling.
âLord Xu, itâs them!!â Suddenly, an angry voice came from behind. It was He Shangguanâs voice!
The soul pet ridden by the man in the brocade robe, Lord Xu, was very fast, quickly catching up to Chu Mu and the other four, with Huo Lei from the Monster Beast Palace also in pursuit.
âXiaoxiao, why are you here?â Huo Lei spotted Xiaoxiao immediately, furrowing his brows in clear displeasure.
âWerenât you the one who asked me to investigate that matter? So I followed the lead here,â Xiaoxiao said.
âNonsense!â Huo Lei severely reprimanded her, then continued, âYou think youâre going to the Silent Forest? Is that something you should meddle in? Return to Fortress City immediately and donât go anywhere else.â
Huo Lei spoke to Xiaoxiao with the authoritative tone of an elder.
âYouâre not my father; why should I listen to you!â Xiaoxiao was extremely annoyed. She hated it when her eldest senior brother, Huo Lei, spoke to her with such a commanding tone.
Huo Leiâs face immediately darkened.
âBrother Huo, this young lady is⊠Well, her few friends are quite arrogant. They killed two of my subordinatesâ soul petsâŠâ said Lord Xu.
âSheâs my Junior Sister, and our Master is her father. This girl is willful and hard to control. If thereâs been any offense, I ask for Lord Xuâs leniency,â Huo Lei replied politely.
âOh, so sheâs Mr. Xiaoâs daughter⊠We naturally wonât trouble Miss Xiaoxiao. We can handle this matter calmly. Itâs not a big deal, right?â Lord Xu said with a smile, quickly turning his gaze to his three subordinates behind him.
He Shangguan wanted to say more, but upon hearing that Xiaoxiao was Mr. Xiaoâs daughter, their expressions immediately changed.
He Shangguan wasnât foolish; Master Xu would never risk offending Mr. Xiao of the Monster Beast Palace for the likes of them, so he could only force a smile and say, âIndeed, the mistake was partly ours as well.â
âYou and you, follow Miss Xiaoxiao and escort her back to Fortress City,â Huo Lei commanded a few of his subordinates after a glance.
Master Xu turned to his subordinates and said, âA few of you stay here as well.â
After saying this, Master Xu turned to Chu Mu and the rest, âPerhaps you should stay temporarily in Fortress City. Once we return from the Silent Forest, weâll resolve this matter.â
Chu Muâs heart sank immediately â these people clearly intended to put them under house arrest in Fortress City.
However, Kang Ruodong had already left a day earlier, and if they were delayed any longer in Fortress City, Chu Mu genuinely worried that Ning Manâer would fall into Kang Ruodongâs hands.
âChu Mu, what do we do now?â Pang Yue asked urgently.
These people were extremely powerful, especially Lord Xu and Huo Lei from the Monster Beast Palace, who must have reached the immortal level. With the strength these two possessed, they couldnât afford a head-on confrontation.
âLetâs go back to Fortress City first,â Chu Mu said.
Chu Mu was well aware that it wasnât wise to confront these people directly. Both Lord Xu and Huo Lei were undoubtedly eager to find Kang Ruodong in the Silent Forest, and they wouldnât have time to waste here. Instead of clashing with them, it was better to comply for now, wait for the stronger individuals to leave, then head to the Silent Forest afterward.
Chu Mu was the first to recall his soul pet, and the others, with no other choice, reluctantly began the spell to return their soul pets to the Soul Pet Space.
Huo Lei and Lord Xuâs subordinates came forward and sealed the groupâs soul sense.
âMake sure to watch them until we return from the Silent Forest, got it?â Master Xu commanded He Shangguan, Cai Yun, and Wan Jun, his three subordinates.
Huo Lei also left three of his men to ensure that Xiaoxiao didnât run off again.
Watching as the subordinates escorted the five prisoners back to Fortress City, Master Xu glanced at Huo Lei, âWe need to hurry; Kang Ruodongâs already had a dayâs lead.â
âDonât worry; heâll still need to circle the middle and outer areas of the Silent Forest. We wonât be much slower,â Huo Lei replied.
After this exchange, the two men led their subordinates on a swift pursuit deep into the Silent Forest!
âŠ
After being escorted back to Fortress City with their soul sense sealed, Chu Mu and the others were confined to a courtyard.
Because of Xiaoxiaoâs presence, although He Shangguan, Cai Yun, and Wan Jun harbored deep resentment towards Chu Mu and his group, they still dared not take any overt revenge, especially since the three from the Monster Beast Palace were extremely respectful towards Xiaoxiao.
âChu Mu, Iâm so sorry, itâs my fault. Iâve caused trouble thatâs preventing you from getting to the Silent Forest in time,â Ye Wansheng said with a shamefaced expression.
Chu Mu shook his head, âItâs okay. Two days ago, I had White Three head to the Silent Forest ahead of us. It should be able to reach Ning Manâer soon to protect her. And⊠do you really think these losers can keep us imprisoned?â
(First chapter delivered~~~~~~ The third chapter will be coming around ten-thirty~~~~~) (.)
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