After walking for half a day through the outskirts of the Great Forest, their journey had become far less stressful compared to the earlier battle with the wolf.
Along the way, they only encountered a few hungry animals that leapt at them from the shadows. But for Bai Da, these posed no real threat. He dealt with them swiftly, and with each small encounter, their confidence in surviving within the forest grew stronger.
Ling Ye didn't even need to draw his dagger. Bai Da handled everything with ease, and fortunately, they didn't come across any true predators.
This naturally eased their nerves and made their travel much smoother. Nothing particularly dangerous or unusual happened during this stretch.
The only noteworthy discovery was a somewhat rare herb, one known to help the body recover faster.
Luckily for Bai Da, Ling Ye had some knowledge of medicine and knew how to prepare it properly.
Of course, preparing the medicine took time. In fact, they spent nearly two hours carefully processing the herb before Bai Da could finally use it.
For the medicine to take full effect, they had to wait.
After spending nearly three hours preparing it and allowing it to settle, Bai Da could finally feel the results. Most of his lighter wounds began to close on their own, the flesh knitting together at a visible pace. As for the deeper cuts, the medicine helped, but only slightly. They remained, though no longer as severe.
Still, Bai Da felt far better than before, afterall he is almost back to his peak condition.
That alone boosted their confidence. Even if they encountered another predator, they believed they could either escape safely, or, if necessary, fight.
They were that confident and with renewed energy, they continued following the Fate Guiding Compass, making much better progress than before.
As Ling Ye checked the compass again, something he had done countless times that day, he suddenly noticed a change.
This time, it wasn't because they had strayed off course, because the needle shifted slightly and this time… as it means they no longer needed to go deeper into the Great Forest.
A bright smile appeared on Ling Ye's face. Without saying a word, he changed direction.
Bai Da noticed it soon after. Though he didn't ask any questions, he followed immediately. His eyes shone with quiet relief, after all, they had been dangerously close to crossing into the inner region of the forest… a place he had no desire to enter.
Now heading west, they walked for another two hours.
Then the compass shifted again, south. That could only mean one thing, their fated encounter is close.
Ling Ye's heart began to race at this thought alone and excitement surged within him, but beneath it lay something heavier and tension is rising, because now, things were about to become truly dangerous.
The sun was already beginning to set, the light fading fast. Soon, darkness would swallow the forest, leaving them with little to no visibility and in the Great Forest… night was far more dangerous than the day.
Knowing this, Ling Ye had to make a decision.
He could search for a safe place to rest and wait for daylight or risk everything and head straight toward the encounter, hoping they could find shelter there.
Ling Ye was not someone who took risks without reason normally, but this time… he didn't want to wait any longer.
He wanted to take this risk, even if they encountered a predator, then so what? He hadn't come this far to play it safe.
His blood began to burn.
Although Ling Ye's cautious mind resisted, warning him to stop and wait, but his heart roared louder, urging him forward, pushing him to risk everything and Ling Ye chose to listen to his heart.
"So what if I die?" he muttered quitly under his breath. "So what if there's nothing at the end?"
His grip tightened around the handle of his Dagger. "I've already been denied the path of cultivation… cursed to live as a mortal for the rest of my life." Ling Ye's is voice grew colder. "If that's already the case, then why should I fear life or death?"
A faint, almost desperate smile appeared on his lips. "Better to risk everything and die chasing something… than to live a lifetime in regret."
At this point, no one could have changed his mind and his resolve became absolute.
Without hesitation, Ling Ye stepped forward, walking toward that fated encounter, toward a future where he would risk everything.
Behind him, Bai Da followed in silence, he had seen the moment of conflict in Ling Ye's eyes, but chose not to speak. He had already made his own decision to follow Ling Ye and take the risk, even if it meant fighting in the darkness of the Great Forest, or even it meant Death.
Though he would have preferred to wait until morning… he said nothing, instead, he placed his fate entirely in Ling Ye's hands and walked on.
The two of them continued walking through the forest, over small hills, through dense undergrowth, and past lurking dangers.
Some of the animals they managed to avoid. Others they were forced to kill and only a few escaped with their lives, but even when they became tired, they never stopped moving.
The sun had nearly set, its last light fading behind the trees, while the moon had already begun to shine down through the gaps in the canopy.
Still, they pushed forward, until, at last… they arrived.
The Fate Guiding Compass in Ling Ye's hand pointed steadily ahead, toward a small mountain rising before them.
Both of them stopped, standing at the foot of the mountain, hesitation crept into their minds, as Mountains were rarely a safe place to stay.
They were natural territories of predators and as the old saying went, the higher the mountain, the stronger the beast that ruled it.
Ling Ye even recalled something he had once read back in the clan.
Mountains formed in places where spiritual qi gathered, slowly shaping the land over time, because of this, such places became rich in energy, perfect for beasts.
Animals that lived in these areas could gradually evolve, growing stronger, becoming something far more dangerous and because of that, Mountains were never empty. They were contested grounds for animals, countless beasts fought for dominance over them, battling day and night to claim the territory, which meant only one thing.
If something ruled this mountain, it definitely wouldn't be some weak animal.
These constant battles only ended when one of them evolved into a true beast. Once that happened, it would abandon the mountain and search for a place with purer, denser qi, usually deeper within the Great Forest.
That was why the inner regions of the forest were said to be filled with terrifying beasts.
Knowing this, Ling Ye recalled another detail from the book and in rare cases, some beasts after evolving, they did not leave the place they evolved, no, Instead of moving deeper into the Great forest, they remained on the mountain where they had evolved, choosing to rule it until the end of their lives.
This was exactly the kind of situation Ling Ye hoped they would not encounter. After all, even a newly evolved beast was said to be capable of fighting and killing, cultivators and if such a creature could kill cultivators… then what chance did mortals like them have?
Bai Da noticed the change in Ling Ye's expression. His gaze had turned sharp and cold, and without hesitation, Ling Ye unsheathed his dagger.
The sudden shift confused Bai Da, he quickly looked around, scanning the surroundings once, then twice, then a third time, until he is truly sure there is nothing, only the same old towering trees and the small mountain before them.
Just as he was about to voice his doubts, Ling Ye suddenly stepped forward and began ascending the mountain.
"Tsk." Bai Da clicked his tongue in frustration. Though he didn't understand, he didn't hesitate to follow.
Gripping his sword tightly, he stayed close behind Ling Ye, ready to strike at any moment.