Ferocious Beasts Retreat, Valley Safe

I stared at the figure on the mountain ridge. They stood high above, and the rune token in their fingertip turned to ash, scattering in the wind. They didn't look at me, turned, and left as if they had never appeared.

I didn't chase.

My body had reached its limit. My left hand trembled uncontrollably, making even gripping my sword difficult. The battle just now had depleted most of my spiritual power, and now every movement felt like my meridians were tightening. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, and decided to deal with the immediate matters first.

My spiritual sense swept out. Within ten miles, there were no more abnormal fluctuations. The soil on the north slope was no longer disturbed, and the rock strata below the east cliff were quiet. I withdrew my senses. My legs went weak, and I almost fell to my knees. I quickly grabbed onto Flowing Abyss to steady myself.

"Stream Demon," I said, my voice hoarse. "Can you still hold on?"

The semi-transparent figure in the shallow puddle swayed gently, a form of response. Its light had dimmed considerably, almost blending into the mud and water. The feathered bird stood on a broken stone, its left wing wrapped in a spiritual leaf. Blood was still seeping, but it didn't cry out.

I rummaged in my bosom and took out the basic healing rune from the System's reward. I had gotten it from answering questions a few days ago and hadn't used it yet. I couldn't afford to save it for later now. I directly activated it, and two faint beams of light flew towards the Stream Demon and the feathered bird, respectively.

The runes landed on them, emitting a layer of pale green ripples. The Stream Demon's body slowly brightened, and the feathered bird's wing stopped bleeding. The mist cicada perched on a broken branch, its wings trembling slightly, the frequency faster than before. It should be fine.

"Thank you," the Stream Demon's voice was very soft, like the wind blowing across the water.

I nodded, not speaking. At this moment, actions were more important than words.

I turned to look at the north slope. The wood spirit's main body was tilted, a crack running down its main trunk, and more than half of its branches were broken. It had been responsible for holding back the ferocious beasts at the front and had borne the greatest pressure. I walked over, placed my hand on its roots, and slowly channeled my remaining spiritual power into it.

"Hold on, don't fall."

It swayed its remaining branches and leaves, as if nodding.

The rock lizard emerged from the ground three times. The last time, it tapped the ground twice, short and forceful—no more tremors. I knew it was confirming the safety underground. This little guy was always cautious and wouldn't jump to conclusions easily.

I breathed a sigh of relief but didn't lower my guard. The leader's eyes before leaving were wrong. It didn't seem completely controlled, but rather... forced to obey orders. Moreover, the residual energy of the black mist reminded me of someone.

Ancestor Kunpeng.

The moment this name surfaced, my heart sank. If he was truly manipulating things from behind the scenes, then this attack wasn't the end, but the beginning.

But thinking about it now was useless. The immediate priority was to restore the valley to a defensible state.

I took out the incomplete Earth Vein Guidance Map. I had obtained this in the secret realm last time and hadn't had a chance to study it. Now was the perfect time. I opened it and saw several intersecting lines, with labels like "spiritual vein direction" and "node reset." There were many parts I didn't understand, but thankfully, Zhen Yuanzi had taught me some basics.

I took out the Mystic Light Mirror and placed it at the array core. With the mirror facing up, I activated the restriction. A beam of white light shot out, penetrating the ground. Soon, I felt a subtle vibration beneath my feet, as if something had been activated.

"Wood spirit, extend your main root."

It understood my meaning. A thick root slowly emerged from the ground, approaching the light beam from the Mystic Light Mirror. I guided spiritual power into the mirror, and the white light extended down the root, as if clearing a blocked passage.

A few minutes later, I felt a faint flow of spiritual energy. Although unstable, it was a start.

"Alright, that's enough for now," I said. "You can rest."

The wood spirit retracted its root and stood quietly in place, no longer swaying.

I looked around. The battlefield was still a mess. Debris was everywhere, scorched earth emitted residual smoke, and vines and ice were mixed together like a tangled rope. The incomplete spirit gathering array was buried underneath. Fortunately, it wasn't completely destroyed, just scorched around the edges.

I dug it out, blew off the dust, and put it in my embrace. I'd repair it when I had time later.

"Everyone listen up," I raised my voice. "We are now entering alert duty. Rock lizard will continue to monitor underground, mist cicada will report every half hour, feathered bird will patrol from high altitude, Stream Demon will control water to prevent sudden fires, and wood spirit will restore its main body and be ready to deploy barriers at any time."

No one objected. They returned to their posts, not quickly, but they were all moving.

I walked back to the center of the ruins, stuck Flowing Abyss into the ground, and sat down leaning against it. The spirit beast walked over and lay down beside me, panting. It was also injured, with several patches of burnt fur, but it could still walk and fight.

I reached out and stroked its head. It nuzzled my palm.

A System notification popped up:

[Composite Defense Completion Rate: 87%, Reward settlement in progress]

[Received: 3x Low-Grade Healing Pills, 10x Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 1x Introduction to Basic Arrays Jade Slip]

I didn't rush to claim them. These items were important, but not urgent. What I needed most now was time to recover.

I closed my eyes and tried to circulate the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art. Spiritual power flowed slowly through my meridians, like a dried-up riverbed reconnecting with its water source. With each cycle, I felt a slight recovery, but the speed was very slow.

About an hour passed, and the sky was fully lit. Morning mist drifted in from the valley entrance, covering the scorched earth. Strangely, on the burnt ground, some tender shoots had actually emerged. They were glaringly green, yet undeniably real.

I opened my eyes and looked at the new shoots, feeling a complex emotion.

We had won this battle, and the valley was still here.

But I knew this was only temporary peace.

The outline of the distant mountain ridge was clearly visible, the place where that person had stood just now. Why did they appear? Why did they destroy the rune token? Was it to silence someone, or... a warning?

As I was thinking, another System notification popped up:

[Abnormal energy residue detected. Source highly consistent with events related to "Northern Desolation Secrets." Initiate quiz?]

I stared at the text, unmoving.

Answering the quiz meant the possibility of getting clues, but also the risk of exposing more. If the questions involved Ancestor Kunpeng, I didn't dare to imagine the penalty for a wrong answer.

Just then, the rock lizard tapped the ground twice below the east cliff.

It wasn't the warning rhythm.

I suddenly opened my eyes and looked north.

A small black dot was moving on the mountainside, getting closer and closer. Only when it climbed into the bright light could I see clearly—it was a dead ferocious beast cub, impaled on a broken branch and hung from a deadwood.

Its chest was cut open, and a stone was stuffed inside. Several words were carved on the surface of the stone:

"Next time, it'll be you."