Another Encounter

A spatial rift tore open quietly in the depths of a tranquil forest.

Ei stepped out, carrying Qian Qizhou, and the rift behind them sealed shut instantly.

She glanced at the surrounding scenery with a hint of surprise.

Towering ancient trees stood with lush, dense foliage, and the forest was filled only with the rustling of leaves in a gentle breeze and the occasional distant call of a bird.

Shouldn't a forest in this small world be teeming with soul beasts? It was far too quiet here.

However, there was no time to dwell on this; the time for this projection avatar was running out.

After only a moment, Ei stopped before a stone wall covered in climbing vines.

With a flick of her fingertips, the stone wall and the vines silently crumbled into fine powder, replaced by a cave that offered shelter from the wind and rain.

After settling Qian Qizhou inside, Ei vanished from the spot.

Time slipped away in the silence; outside the cave, the light shifted, and a day passed in the blink of an eye.

Qian Qizhou's eyelashes fluttered a few times, his consciousness struggling to surface from the deep sea like a sunken ship.

However, the first thing to return was his perception—excruciating pain.

It felt as if every bone in his body had been crushed and then forcibly pieced back together, the agony so intense he nearly lost consciousness again.

He let out a muffled groan, struggling with agonizing slowness to pry open his heavy eyelids.

His blurred vision gradually focused.

What met his eyes was not his familiar room, nor any place he recognized.

Instead, he saw rough, grey-brown rock with natural veins, and the air was filled with the scent of soil, moss, and a faint, indescribable freshness.

He froze for a moment, recalling his final memories before losing consciousness.

Awakening his martial soul... the rupture... destroying the Pope Palace...

But what happened after that? And where was this?

Enduring the piercing pain, he turned his neck with extreme difficulty, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings.

It was a small cave, the entrance mostly obscured by naturally hanging vines, allowing only a sliver of light to filter in and illuminate the dry ground within.

Clearly, the power he had unleashed earlier had exceeded his body's limits, resulting in this intense physical trauma.

However, another more primal, more urgent need soon eclipsed the pain—hunger.

Including the day spent awakening his martial soul and the day he had been unconscious, he hadn't eaten for over two days.

His stomach was completely empty, accompanied by waves of burning, spasmodic contractions.

If he didn't eat something soon, he feared he wouldn't die from the pain, but would instead quietly starve to death in this nameless cave.

He could not just sit and wait for death!

Leaning against the cold stone wall, he moved his body with extreme slowness, inch by inch.

Every movement tugged at the injuries all over his body, causing black spots to dance before his eyes.

After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to prop himself up, his legs trembling violently, barely able to stand steady.

But there was no choice; Qian Qizhou took a deep breath, endured the dizziness and agony, and, bracing himself against the rough stone wall, moved step by step, with immense difficulty, toward the light at the cave entrance.

His steps were unsteady, and he nearly collapsed several times, held up only by the sheer will not to starve to death.

The short distance seemed to have exhausted every ounce of his strength.

When he finally pushed aside the hanging vines and stumbled out of the cave, the slightly harsh sunlight made him squint instinctively.

Fresh air flooded his lungs, dispelling some of the lethargy.

He leaned against the rock face outside the cave, panting rapidly, scanning the strange environment before him in confusion.

A dense primeval forest, towering ancient trees, and bushes and weeds covering the ground.

Food... where could he find something to eat?

Just as Qian Qizhou leaned against the rock wall, his vision blurring from pain and weakness as he aimlessly searched for anything to fill his stomach, a shout filled with shock and disbelief rang out from not far away.

"Xiao Zhou?!"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Qian Qizhou endured the dizziness and turned his head in confusion.

He saw a swift figure darting through the woods nearby, ice-blue hair whipping in the wind.

Who else could it be but Guang Ling Douluo?

In an instant, Guang Ling rushed to his side, his face etched with shock and bewilderment, and caught the swaying Qian Qizhou.

"Xiao Zhou! Is it really you?! How are you here? What on earth is going on?" Guang Ling's tone was filled with disbelief.

Why was Xiao Zhou here all by himself? In the middle of the wilderness—where was that person?

Qian Qizhou leaned against Guang Ling, his mind struggling to process the sudden appearance of the person before him. "Guang... Ling? How did you find this place?"

Guang Ling supported Qian Qizhou, carefully helping him sit down against the trunk of a large tree.

He then quickly retrieved some fresh water and easy-to-swallow dry rations from his personal soul tool.

"Don't talk yet, just eat something first." He pressed the food into Qian Qizhou's hands, and only when he saw him begin to wolf it down almost instinctively did he let out a sigh of relief.

Once Qian Qizhou had slowed his pace and his breathing had steadied, Guang Ling scratched his head and said nonchalantly, "Ugh, don't even ask."

He waved his hand dismissively. "After you were taken away by that... uh... person, I found Spirit Hall to be incredibly boring, so I just packed up and left."

"Originally, I just wanted to wander around and see if I could pick up any news about you."

"I happened to be passing through this forest, so I thought I'd try my luck and see if there were any decent natural treasures. That way, if I ever ran into you again, I could help you build your strength back up."

He turned back to look at Qian Qizhou, who still looked somewhat dazed. "I just never expected to run into you here."

Qian Qizhou's frantic eating slowed. His fingers tightened around the rations, and he lowered his head, falling silent for a long moment.

The wind blew through the forest, leaving only the rustling sound of leaves rubbing against one another.

After a long while, he muttered something extremely softly, the words barely escaping his throat: "...Thank you."

However, before Guang Ling could respond, Qian Qizhou suddenly jerked his head up, asking with belated realization, "Wait... who did you say took me away?"

Was this something that happened after he lost consciousness?

He had absolutely no memory of what transpired between leaving Spirit Hall and arriving here.

"How did I get here? Who was it that took me?"

Hearing this, Guang Ling froze, his expression turning to one of astonishment.

"You don't know?" he asked instinctively, his brows knitting together. "You didn't see that person?"

Looking into Qian Qizhou's eyes, which were filled with confusion and suspicion, Guang Ling realized that he truly had no idea.

He clicked his tongue, raised a hand to rub his temples, and his expression grew complicated.

"Fine, since you've forgotten, I'll tell you." Guang Ling simply sat cross-legged, facing Qian Qizhou, and recounted everything from the moment Ei appeared to the time she took him away.

Upon hearing this, Qian Qizhou was stunned. "Lightning? Purple hair? Extremely powerful?"

Wasn't this Ei? Could a god really descend into the mortal realm? And she had even saved him.