35: Chapter 35 Birch Forest

In the White Birch Forest, Bai Xue had built a simple shelter using branches and animal hides. Chen Yuanji lay inside with herbal medicine applied to his chest. Lu Yao squatted beside him, using a damp cloth to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The middle-aged man's palm strike had injured his internal organs; while not fatal, it would require at least three to five days of recuperation. The inner core in his Dantian was still functioning normally, but every time he circulated his Qi and blood, a sharp pain would shoot through his chest.

"Don't move around," Bai Xue said, lying outside the shelter with her golden eyes half-closed. "There are cracks in your lung lobes. Moving too much will only worsen the injury."

Chen Yuanji didn't move, merely staring at the branches above his head.

"I wonder how Elder Shen is doing."

"That old man is in the Void-Piercing Realm. Even though his cultivation has dropped, he has plenty of life-saving tricks," Bai Xue said. "He won't die."

Chen Yuanji fell silent for a moment and didn't ask further. Lu Yao approached with a bowl of hot soup and helped him sit up.

"Brother Chen, have some soup. It's good for your injuries."

Chen Yuanji took the bowl and sipped slowly. The soup was very hot; as it entered his stomach, a warm current of air rose, and the pain in his chest seemed to lessen slightly.

"Lu Yao, you shouldn't have followed me out," he said, putting down the bowl. "The tribe was at least somewhat safer."

"The tribe isn't safe anymore either." Lu Yao lowered her head. "That person from the Tiandao Sect knows the tribe's location and could return at any time. If I stayed there, I would only bring trouble to my clansmen."

Chen Yuanji looked at her and said nothing more. Lu Yao was right; the Tiandao Sect had already set its sights on the Deer Clan Tribe. Even if he weren't there, those people wouldn't let the Deer Clan go. They had never cared about the lives of the Yao Race.

"Bai Xue." Chen Yuanji looked at the white wolf outside the shelter. "Tell me the details about the location of the Middle-layer Ruins."

Bai Xue looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her golden eyes. "You want to go now? Your injuries haven't healed yet."

"I'll go once they are healed," Chen Yuanji said. "The Tiandao Sect won't give me much time. Zhou Xuanji could personally arrive at any moment. When that happens, I won't even be able to run."

Bai Xue was silent for a moment before using her claws to draw a simple map on the muddy ground. "The Middle-layer Ruins are to the northeast of the Mist Forest. From here, cross the White Birch Forest and then go over two mountains to find a dried-up riverbed. Follow the riverbed upstream to the end, where there is a cave. The ruins are inside that cave."

"What is the guardian Yao Beast?"

"A Golden-Winged Peng," Bai Xue said, a cold light flashing in her eyes. "It's at the Peak of the fourth rank, extremely fast, and can fly a hundred miles with a single flap of its wings. Its nest is right above the entrance to the ruins. Any creature that enters the ruins will be attacked by it."

"How can we lure it away?"

"It can't be lured away," Bai Xue shook her head. "Its duty is to guard the ruins, and it will not leave. The only way is to defeat it."

Chen Yuanji fell silent. Peak fourth rank was equivalent to the Peak of the Human Race's Faxiang Realm. With his current strength, let alone defeating it, even escaping with his life would be difficult.

"That's why I said going in with your current strength is just seeking death," Bai Xue looked at him. "You must be at least at the Late Stage of Dan Power to have a chance of dealing with the Golden-Winged Peng."

"Is there no other way?"

"There is," Bai Xue said. "Find an ally. A sufficiently strong ally."

Chen Yuanji thought of Shen Wuchang, but his fate was unknown. Even if he were still alive, in his current state, he wouldn't be able to defeat a Peak fourth-rank Golden-Winged Peng.

"There is one more way," Bai Xue said suddenly. "Bypass the Golden-Winged Peng."

"How?"

"The ruins have more than one entrance." Bai Xue's claw drew a line on the map. "The Golden-Winged Peng guards the main gate, but there's a crack on the side of the ruins that opened during an earthquake years ago. You can enter through there. However, that crack is very narrow, only allowing one person to pass at a time, and there are Restrictions inside. One careless move and you'll be trapped."

Chen Yuanji looked at the line on the map, lost in thought for a long time.

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Bai Xue didn't try to dissuade him, only nodding. "Then once your injuries are healed, I'll take you there."

Chen Yuanji spent the following days recovering in the White Birch Forest. His injuries healed very quickly. By the third day, the pain in his chest had basically disappeared, and the cracks in his lung lobes had mostly mended. He tried to circulate his inner core; his Qi and blood flowed without obstruction, and the rotation of the inner core was even smoother than before his injury.

"That's about it." He stood up and stretched his limbs. "We leave tomorrow."

Lu Yao walked over and tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother Chen, I want to go too."

"No," Chen Yuanji shook his head. "The ruins are dangerous. If you go, I won't be able to look after you."

"I don't need you to look after me," Lu Yao looked at him stubbornly. "I've learned your skills; I can protect myself."

Chen Yuanji looked at her, silent for a moment.

"You know the Drilling Fist, but the Drilling Fist cannot break the defense of a fourth-rank Yao Beast. You know Stake Training, but Stake Training cannot dodge the attacks of a Restriction. If you go, you'll only hold me back."

Lu Yao's eyes reddened, but she bit her lip and didn't cry.

"Then I will wait for you here."

"Good."

Chen Yuanji patted her head and turned toward Bai Xue.

"Let's go."

Bai Xue stood up, shook the fallen leaves off her body, and walked into the depths of the White Birch Forest. Chen Yuanji followed behind her without looking back. Lu Yao stood where she was, watching his back disappear into the White Birch Forest, her tears finally falling.

"Brother Chen, you must come back." She crouched down, hugging her knees, and wept silently.

In the White Birch Forest, Chen Yuanji and Bai Xue moved one after the other toward the Middle-layer Ruins. The sky gradually darkened, and the fog grew thicker until visibility was less than ten yards. Bai Xue knew the terrain like the back of her hand; every step she took was on solid ground, avoiding swamps or triggering Restrictions.

"The middle layer is just ahead," Bai Xue stopped. "Once we cross this stream, we'll be in the Golden-Winged Peng's territory."

Chen Yuanji looked at the stream ahead, the water shimmering with a silvery-white light under the moonlight. "Let's go."

He stepped across the stream and entered the middle layer. The elemental energy in the air became denser but also more violent. A normal Martial Artist staying here for too long would have their Meridians torn apart by the violent energy. Since Chen Yuanji didn't cultivate elemental energy, he didn't have this concern. Bai Xue followed behind him, her golden eyes scanning the surroundings alertly.

"Head northeast, don't deviate from the path."

The two moved through the dense forest, thick decaying leaves beneath their feet and a canopy that blotted out the sky above. Occasionally, the roar of a beast could be heard in the distance—low, long, and carrying a primal aura. After walking for about an hour, Bai Xue suddenly stopped, her ears pricking up.

"Someone's here."

Chen Yuanji felt it too. A hundred yards ahead, a faint ripple of elemental energy was rapidly approaching. It wasn't a Yao Beast; it was a person. An old man in a grey robe emerged from the dense forest—it was Shen Wuchang! He limped on his right leg, and his face was covered in scars.

"Kid, this old man isn't too late, is he?"

Chen Yuanji looked at Shen Wuchang, a surge of warmth rising in his heart.

"Not late at all."

"That Faxiang Realm piece of trash was driven off by this old man," Shen Wuchang grinned. "But I took quite a hit myself; I'll need half a month to recover."

"Half a month is enough," Chen Yuanji said. "When I come out of the ruins, we'll recover together."

Shen Wuchang looked at him, then at Bai Xue, and nodded.

"Let's go. This old man will accompany you inside."

The three people and one wolf continued their journey toward the Middle-layer Ruins.