The moment they arrived, everyone was moving—clearing space for the next group and setting up camp. These hidden realms could last days or weeks, so camps were prepared for recovery and rest as needed.
Xue Yanluo wanted to look around on his own and test his theory at the same time: this place had no sun, and they wouldn't need their parasols. He lowered his head, and the daylight fell on him—soft and calming, with no trace of burning, pain, or irritation on his skin.
Nearby stood a small mountain that had already been secured, and Xue Yanluo decided to climb it. From the top he could see a large part of the hidden realm, but one thing in particular held his eye—three pillar-like structures rose in the distance, pointing at the sky.
From this far away he couldn't be certain of their color, though he could tell it was a light one, closer to white than black. Could those be the cores? One… two… three… It could be… That simple? This new black-level pillar doesn't seem so difficult after all… New…? Xue Yanluo shook his head and pulled his attention from the distant pillars, turning back toward the camp.
Xue Yanluo took out the scroll to check the mission the emperor had given him. He pinched the emblem between his fingers and pulled hard to tear it open, then pulled even harder just in case, but the emblem wouldn't tear. Are there specific requirements for opening this? How am I supposed to know what to look for…? Xue Yanluo sighed and put the scroll away again.
Looks like they're almost done… Where are those two? He looked around, then after a moment closed his eyes and made the crystal in his heart resonate—he had learned this trick a few days ago and had been waiting for a chance to use it.
Two pulses came back in response, and he located the pair near the middle of the camp. Both pulses moved quickly toward him, and within a few minutes they were standing before Xue Yanluo.
"I see you've discovered there's no need for parasols in this world."
"He figured it out," said Bao Qingcao, nodding toward Hua Zhenfeng, "when he left his inside the tent."
"Ah… You did… well," said Xue Yanluo, attempting to offer a compliment.
"Since the sun isn't a concern, this place will suit us well for getting fully used to our new bodies. Flee from any fight you can't win—if you can't escape, use my name as a shield."
"Yes, my lord."
"Are you sure? That could tarnish your name."
Xue Yanluo waved a hand, dismissing the concern, and smiled. "A name is nothing but letters—change one and its whole value shifts. Don't worry about something so trivial."
Hours later everyone was ready, and the incursion was about to begin. These first steps into the realm had to be taken with great care, since they had no knowledge of what lay inside or what enemies might be waiting.
Beyond the camp stretched a vast forest of unruly trees—rather than growing upward, they twisted and knotted around each other, as though they were weaving the forest itself instead of simply being part of it.
These trees had brown bark, and Xue Yanluo watched a soldier use a branch torn from another tree to prod the bark—it released a yellowish liquid that clung to the branch and couldn't be pulled free.
After that, Xue Yanluo looked again at all the trees knotted together and began to understand something of what this place was. At times, birdsong could be heard echoing among the trunks, and if you came close enough, you might be lucky enough to find one that was still alive.
Many birds had perched on the branches and ended up there forever, unable to decide until death whether the branch was a bed or a cage.
Other times the birds were dead, and the wind slipping through the gaps between trunks whistled through their bones—as though the poor creature's soul were singing from somewhere below.
Bao Qingcao scooped up a handful of dirt and threw it at the trees. It hit the ground, and the yellowish liquid that had come out to claim its new victim trembled confused and retreated into the trunk.
"What the hell—are these trees alive?" asked Bao Qingcao, a shiver running through her.
Xue Yanluo looked around at the hundreds of trees woven together and frowned, his voice sharp with urgency. "This could be terrible. We need to get out of here as fast as possible. I'll go tell General Huo myself."
He reached General Huo and told him what had happened. The general nodded and sent two knights to test two different trees at a distance from each other—both tests came back with the same result: the trees, or the liquid, were alive.
General Huo gathered a few people and gave them orders, and within minutes the entire army was ready to move. He had also dispatched messengers to warn everyone still inside the forest.
The forest shook with the tremor of the army's march, and many trees shuddered, releasing large quantities of yellow liquid.
General Huo frowned and swept his gaze across every direction. "This forest wants to eat me… Ha—what grand ambition," he mocked and ordered the entire army to veer right.
Nearly fifteen hundred soldiers had entered the hidden realm on their side, and a few dozen of them had died when yellow liquid dripped on them from the trees above—with every tree knotted into the others like a great net, it was nearly impossible to watch all of them at once.
The forest shook, and the leaves in the treetops danced wildly without any wind, moving of their own will. Leaves fell onto many soldiers who felt sharp stings the moment they made contact—driving through even their armor.
Some tried to brush them off, sweeping a hand across to bat them away, only to make things worse as thousands of tiny needles drove into the skin of their hands. The leaves were packed with thousands of small but incredibly tough needles.
General Huo looked up, and his grip on his spear tightened. "Everyone — run forward!" he roared, coiling his legs beneath him and dropping his back, shooting ahead instantly.
That single order was enough to wake the entire army, and they broke into a stampede. It looked like chaos, yet the formation held perfectly—everyone pressing forward, trusting that those in front would not stop and those behind would not overrun them.
Two minutes later, General Huo, still running, glanced upward again, eased his pace, and stopped. He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly while the rest of the army caught up.