Chapter 80 Spirit Mountain

Green trees rose around the camp like enormous pillars holding up the sky. Their trunks were wider than houses, covered in silver moss and thin glowing lines that pulsed softly beneath the bark.

Their branches disappeared high above the ground, tangled together beneath the clouds and forming a green canopy so thick that the early morning light filtered through in pale golden rays. Long vines hung between them, swaying gently despite the lack of wind, and tiny buds of flowers along their length opened whenever the light touched them, releasing faint sparks of green and blue into the air.

The ground was just as strange. Flowers in shades she had never seen before grew between the roots, some with glasslike petals and others glowing softly at their centers.

A cluster of deep purple blossoms folded shut when one of the hunters walked too close, only to open again after he passed. Tiny butterflies drifted above them, their translucent wings scattering points of light that faded before reaching the ground, while something small and golden darted through the grass before disappearing beneath a fern.

Xue Yao slowly turned, taking in everything at once. ’So this is what another world is supposed to look like. Not prisons, angry wolves, and old men trying to tear through my memories. This.’ For the first time since arriving in the Beast World, she felt as though she had truly stepped somewhere that could not have existed on Earth.

Even on earth, nothing had looked as heavenly as this. Those changes had always felt wrong, as if nature itself had become sick. The Spirit Mountains felt alive in a completely different way. Every leaf, stone, and flower seemed to have its own consciousness.

A great shadow passed over the camp.

Xue Yao looked up just as a flock of enormous birds circled above the mountains. Their wings were wide enough to block the morning light, and long silver feathers trailed behind them like ribbons before the entire flock vanished into the clouds.

A moment later, a distant roar rolled through the forest. It came from somewhere far beyond the outer trees, deep enough to shake the leaves and send a faint tremor through the soil beneath her boots.

She unconsciously swallowed. "So this is the Spirit Mountains," she murmured, unable to hide the wonder in her voice.

Little Ancestor walked over and stopped beside her, looking far too proud of a place he had clearly done nothing to create. "Our clan only hunts in the outer region," he explained as he pointed toward the endless forest beyond the camp. "The mountains are divided into layers. The spirit beasts near the outskirts are the weakest, so ordinary hunting groups usually stay here."

Xue Yao followed the direction of his finger. Even the so-called outer region seemed to stretch forever, filled with trees so tall she could barely see their tops. "Those are the weakest?" she asked, glancing toward the place where the roar had come from. ’Of course they are. Why would anything in this world ever be simple?’

Little Ancestor nodded. "Most of them are low-ranked spirit beasts, but the farther you go, the stronger they become. The middle region has beasts that ordinary hunters avoid, and the inner region..." His hand lifted toward the distant mountain peaks hidden behind layers of mist and cloud. "Brother usually hunts there."

Xue Yao stared at the mountains. Even from this far away, they did not look real. Pale cliffs rose through the clouds, their upper slopes hidden beneath a slow-moving mist that glowed faintly wherever the sunlight touched it. An enormous figure moved behind one of those clouds, its shape impossible to make out before it disappeared again.

"And we are definitely not going there," she said.

Little Ancestor shook his head immediately. "We’d die if we do."

The other four wolves nodded so quickly that their ears bounced. One of them pointed at Tie Tou and added, "We’re staying in the outer region, and Tie Tou isn’t allowed to wander off."

Tie Tou looked offended. "I only got lost once."

"It was three times," A-Hui corrected quietly.

Tie Tou lowered his head and muttered, "Everything looked the same."

Xue Yao looked around at the glowing vines, silver moss, blue flowers, and trees wider than fortress towers. She could understand his problem, though she had no intention of saying so. "Good," she said as she raised her arms above her head and stretched the stiffness from her back. "Then let’s stay where the beasts are weak, the paths are easy to remember, and none of us get eaten."

Little Ancestor blinked at her. "You’re leading?"

Xue Yao looked at the five little wolves gathered around her. One carried a bow nearly as tall as he was, another was still protecting a cloth bundle of snacks, and Tie Tou had already managed to turn in the wrong direction while listening to the conversation. ’Wonderful. I came here looking for a chance to escape and somehow became responsible for five children.’ She bent down, picked up a straight branch from the ground, and tested its weight in her hand. "If we’re going hunting, someone has to make sure you all come back alive."

She gave the branch a few quick swings. It cut through the air with a soft whoosh, each movement smooth and controlled despite its uneven weight. Little Ancestor watched closely, his ears lifting with surprise. "You know how to fight?"

"A little," Xue Yao replied with a small smile, then rested the branch against her shoulder.

Years of martial arts lessons had settled too deeply into her body to disappear. Her mother made her repeat the same movements until her arms shook and her legs refused to move, always saying that when fear took over, the body could only rely on what it remembered.

Back then, she had complained endlessly. During the transmigration, those lessons had kept her alive more times than she could count. Against the stronger spirit beasts in these mountains, a branch and some old techniques probably meant very little, but against weaker animals, it was still better than having nothing.

And not to mention she had her magical drumstick, and her unparalleled sequence of emotional damage and biodegradable disaster of a weapon she had... any beast who ran into her is as good as running into bad luck.

Her gaze shifted back toward the camp. The hunters had already separated into several groups, each taking a different path into the forest. Some remained behind to unload supplies and prepare the temporary camp, while the stronger warriors followed a broad trail toward the mountains. At the front of that group walked Lie Lang.

Even at a distance, he was easy to recognize.

The other wolves moved around him without needing orders, leaving a clear space wherever he passed. He never once looked back as he led them beneath the ancient trees, and before long, the forest swallowed the entire group.

Xue Yao quietly memorized the direction they had taken. ’So that leads toward the inner region and the strongest beasts. In other words, that is absolutely not where I should go unless I suddenly become tired of living.’

Then she turned her head toward the opposite side of the camp. Fewer hunters had gone that way, and beyond the last line of supply carts, the forest opened into a narrow path almost completely hidden beneath silver ferns. No guards watched it, and no one seemed interested in checking that side of the mountain.

A small smile tugged at her lips. ’And that is the direction no one is watching. I only need one good chance. I’m not stupid enough to run into an unfamiliar forest today, especially while surrounded by five little wolves, but now I know where to look.’

Little Ancestor clapped his hands, pulling her attention back to the group. "This way," he announced before pointing toward a path leading away from the hunters.

Xue Yao looked at him, then at the four cubs already gathering behind him with eager expressions. She tightened her grip around the branch and followed. The six of them slipped between the ancient trees, moving in the opposite direction from the main hunting party until the noise of the camp gradually faded behind them. Soon, only the soft calls of unseen birds, the rustling of glowing leaves, and the quiet sound of their footsteps remained.

Xue Yao rubbed her chin as if she had miraculously grown invisible beards. ’Hmm, I’ll escape once I get the chance, after all the pups already know their way and can take care of themselves... Mama, Bai Xue Yao is coming home!’

The farther they walked, the quieter the forest became.

Before long, the sounds of the hunting camp had disappeared behind them, leaving only birdsong, rustling leaves, and the occasional cry of a spirit beast somewhere in the distance. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy overhead, spilling across the forest floor in scattered patches of rays.

Xue Yao looked around as they walked, unable to hide her curiosity. This was nothing like normal forests. Everything here looked clean and full of life, as though the mountains had been untouched for thousands of years. Even the air felt different. Every breath left her feeling lighter than before.