Deep in the Forest, an Old Friend Returns

Gu Yuena led them to the west side of Shrek City.

Some trees have already been transplanted around the area.

She raised her hand, and silver scales flew up from her palm, splitting into nine streams of light.

The ground shook, and the air turned white.

When the white light dissipated, they were already standing inside the Ten Thousand Beast Platform.

The trees here grow extremely tall; many require three or four people to encircle them.

The tree trunk was covered with dark green moss, which shone with moisture.

The branches and leaves overlapped layer upon layer, filtering the sunlight into tiny fragments that fell to the ground and moved with the gentle swaying of the leaves.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, which felt soft and sinking underfoot, and emitted a damp and rotten wood smell.

The surrounding area was covered with ferns and low shrubs, some of which were already waist-deep.

The old tree roots emerged from the soil, intertwined and glistening with last night's dew.

In the distance, the sound of a stream could be heard, intermittent, weaving through the trees and rocks; it was silent, yet clear.

The woods were filled with sounds.

Different birdsongs fell from the high branches, some urgent, some lingering.

Several small gray-feathered animals darted past from under the bushes and quickly disappeared.

Insects are crawling on the leaves.

As the wind blew, the whole forest was filled with the rustling of leaves.

There is none of the gloom and coldness of a "secret realm" here; it is too full and too wild, instead possessing an ancient and vigorous vitality.

The air was filled with the pungent scent of grass and trees. The seven people stood in the woods, and no one moved for a long time.

Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass spontaneously sprouted a bit from his sleeve and stuck to the nearest tree trunk.

"Gu Yue, here..."

Gu Yuena walked to the nearest old tree and reached out to press the thick layer of moss on it.

She said, "The Ten Thousand Beast Platform was built to reflect the Star Dou Great Forest of ten thousand years ago. Every plant and tree here was nurtured from its ancient appearance, including the concentration of Soul Power in the air, the direction of the earth's veins, and the distribution of Soul Beast groups."

She paused, then looked at Tang Wulin: "Your Blue Silver Grass should feel comfortable here. It smells the scent of its hometown."

Tang Wulin was startled and looked down.

The piece of Blue Silver Grass that had peeked out from the sleeve had already stuck to the tree trunk on its own, its roots wriggling very gently.

He said, "No wonder, it just came out by itself."

Gu Yuena nodded. "The Ten Thousand Beast Platform doesn't suppress Plant-type Martial Soul, and this becomes more pronounced the further you go in. However, because it's so similar to the ancient Star Dou, many Soul Beast become exceptionally wary when they arrive here."

"They can't tell if you're an outsider or one of the hunters who hunted them long ago, so don't fly, and don't unleash too much Soul Power."

Xu Xiaoyan asked softly, "What will happen?"

Gu Yuena said, "They'll swarm around. This place is too much like the Star Dou from ten thousand years ago; they won't ask first."

Xie Xie shrank back upon hearing this, glancing left and right.

Several small gray-feathered animals had long since disappeared, but the birdsong still drifted in from afar, one call after another, as if sending a message to the dense forest.

Yuanen Yehui said in a low voice, "But my Martial Soul has been very quiet since I came in."

Gu Yuena glanced at her. "Because of your Titan Bloodline, half of you is recognized as an 'old guest' here. It's not making a fuss; it's waiting for you to walk over on your own."

Yuanen Yehui didn't say anything more. She clenched her fist, then relaxed it.

In the woods, the wind rose again, very light, coming from the north.

It carried a very faint scent, the scent of which was hard to tell whether it was from flowers or blood.

Gu Yuena turned around and continued walking north.

She said, "The further north you go from the Ten Thousand Beast Platform, the closer you get to the core of the ancient Star Dou Great Forest. We're heading to the northernmost point."

The others followed.

The fallen leaves rustled under their feet; the trees were still green, but that green was beginning to grow cold.

They walked north for about half an hour when suddenly things changed in the woods.

The birdsong had stopped sometime ago, and the wind seemed to have been pressed down from above, no longer blowing through the branches and leaves.

The whole forest was still moving, but the movement was extremely slight and slow; even the tips of the leaves only twitched very occasionally.

Something very heavy is coming from due north, step by step, towards us.

The ground began to tremble, vibrating rhythmically.

One after another.

Leaves rustled down from the branches, and Tang Wulin suddenly stopped.

His Blue Silver Grass all retracted, clinging to his legs, emitting a very faint tremor.

He whispered, "Something's coming."

Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan both looked north.

Gu Yuena had stopped. Her face appeared extremely calm in the shadows of the trees. She didn't speak, but simply narrowed her eyes slightly.

Suddenly, the woods to the north seemed to be parted from the middle by a pair of giant hands.

The trees didn't break; they just leaned to both sides in large sections.

A huge shadow slowly emerged from behind the woods.

Yun Jingheng looked up.

The figure was taller than the treetops, with shoulders and back like mountains, and extremely thick, grayish-brown fur, like a body covered in ancient rocks.

It simply stood still, and all the birds and beasts within miles fell completely silent.

Titan Giant Ape - Er Ming.

It first glanced at Gu Yuena, then slowly swept its gaze over Ye Xinglan, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, and Yuanen Yehui.

Finally, its gaze fell on Tang Wulin, and its eyes narrowed slightly.

He stood several dozen feet away from them, and did not go any further.

His gaze moved from Tang Wulin's face to his shoulder, and then back to his eyes.

In those enormous eyes, which rarely showed any emotion, something extremely complex began to surge.

There was astonishment, joy, and a deep, unspoken guilt that had been suppressed for many years.

Tang Wulin remained standing still.

"Are you... Xiao Wu Wulin?" Er Ming's voice fell, extremely soft.

He was so light that it was completely incongruous with his body, which was larger than a mountain.

I was afraid that if I raised the voice any louder, I would scare the child who had come from the old days back to his home.

Tang Wulin's eyes welled up with tears, and he slowly nodded.

Er Ming felt as if he had been punched in the softest spot in his chest.

He suddenly tilted his head back, squeezing out a deep, hoarse sound from his throat.

Then, like a child, he shouted, "Big brother! Big brother! Xiao Wu Lin! Xiao Wu Lin is here!"

The entire forest erupted in chaos; flocks of birds took flight, and the grasses and trees that had been lying low were swept away by a gust of wind.

The leaves fell like rain.

Xie Xie flinched in fright, Xu Xiaoyan screamed.

Yun Jingheng took a half step back, standing protectively in front of Gu Yuena and Ye Xinglan.

Tang Wulin stood there, his eyes stinging.

That cry of "Big Brother" was so forceful, it was as if all the waiting, regret, and longing of the past years were roared out from the depths of his heart.

After Er Ming roared that, his body began to change.

Its grayish-brown fur curled inwards, and its body, which was taller than the tree canopy, gradually shrank.

Bones and muscles visibly shrink and reshape.

Within moments, an extremely burly middle-aged man stepped out from the dust of light.

His shoulders were extremely broad, and his arms were as thick as saplings.

He had messy, grayish-brown hair, a weathered face, but his eyes were terribly red.

He ran towards Tang Wulin, his footsteps still pounding the ground.

Neither Yun Jingheng nor Gu Yuena stopped them.

Er Ming rushed to Tang Wulin and grabbed both of his arms.

He opened his mouth, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat, and finally could only stammer, "Okay... okay..."

Tang Wulin didn't move.

He could feel Er Ming's hands trembling.

Those were hands harder than stone, yet they were trembling uncontrollably.

He whispered, "Uncle Er Ming."

Er Ming let out a soft "Hey".

He felt like laughing, but also like crying, and finally simply pulled Tang Wulin into his arms.

The blow was heavy; Tang Wulin felt his ribs crack, but he didn't struggle.

Just then, the woods to the north stirred again.

This time, an extremely heavy and cold aura emanated from the figure, who slowly approached from the north.

He did not appear in beast form, but walked in human form.

She wore a blue dress, had long hair, and deep-set eyes and brows.

That was the Sky Azure Bull Python – the Da Ming.

Tang Wulin saw him, and their eyes met.

Da Ming's steps suddenly became unsteady. He started off steadily, but walked faster and faster until he was running.

He rushed over and, like Er Ming, hugged Tang Wulin tightly.

Two grown men, each hugging the other tightly.

Tang Wulin was caught in the middle, barely able to breathe.

Xie Xie whispered to Yuanen Yehui, "Shouldn't we pull him a little?"

Yuanen Yehui shook her head. "Don't move."

Yun Jingheng watched this scene without saying a word. He simply shifted his gaze from the three of them and looked towards the deeper north.

The Da Ming finally released its grip.

He looked at Tang Wulin, his lips moving slightly. "He looks like your father, and he looks like your mother."

Tang Wulin didn't speak, but nodded emphatically.

They stepped back and looked the child they had watched grow up from a young age up once more.

The wind blew from the north, causing their gray-brown hair and blue robes to flutter slightly.

The two didn't say anything more, they just stood on either side of Tang Wulin, with him in the middle.

After a long while, Da Ming seemed to suddenly remember something and slowly turned to Gu Yuena.

Er Ming stopped laughing and looked over as well.

Their gazes toward Gu Yuena were extremely complex. Gu Yuena stood there, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the trees, her face expressionless.

Da Ming opened his mouth, as if he wanted to call out "Silver Dragon King".

But before he could finish speaking, he swallowed the words back.

He bowed deeply to Gu Yuena, and Er Ming did the same.

Then they stopped looking at anyone and just kept saying, "Thank you. Thank you."

The voice was very low, so low it sounded like it was being forced out directly from the chest.