They chatted for a while.
These people really were the so-called reclusive monsters.
Legends of Immortal Island had existed since the Mist Era. They had come to see whether it could help them advance further.
Instead, they had arrived brimming with confidence, only to be subdued by an Old Monk who had once been a tree.
The earliest of them had come more than six hundred years ago.
He had it even worse than Monkey Brother.
Even the latest arrival had been here for over a century.
They knew little about Immortal Island. Jiang Qiao also asked about the Mist Era, but by their account, it had been chaos upon chaos.
Only after a tremendous effort had the world finally returned to normal.
Beyond that,
nothing they said caught Jiang Qiao's interest.
The conversation ended.
Jiang Qiao lost interest in them. He waved a hand and pointed back the way he had come. "Head toward the shore. There are a few boats there. You can leave on one of them."
"Take care of your injuries."
"This era's a mess. The Supernatural Revival has gotten pretty bad."
"Once you get back,"
"you'll be able to do some good."
The experts had wanted to say more, but they felt the chill drifting out of the deeper woods. Their vitality was nearly exhausted, too. They knew staying would only make them a burden.
They bowed once more,
then supported one another as they shuffled out of the woods.
Their footsteps rustled through the undergrowth and soon faded away completely.
In the entire forest,
Jiang Qiao was alone again.
"That Old Woman was strong. She'd come a long way along the Seventh Tier path."
"Too bad."
"She ran into Tree Monk."
Jiang Qiao surveyed the clearing.
Tree Monk's strength had been terrifying, roughly at