Bi Ji's Past
However, Bai Yushan keenly sensed that this forest was somewhat different from the Star Dou Great Forest he had imagined.
It's too quiet.
Apart from the occasional bird call, there was almost no sound from other Soul Beast. Normally, the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest should be a paradise for low-level Soul Beast, bustling with all sorts of Soul Beast. But now, it was eerily quiet, as if some terrifying being had scared all the Soul Beast away.
Bai Yushan turned his head and glanced at Bi Ji beside him.
Her face was somewhat pale.
A faint sadness lingered in her emerald green eyes, as if she had returned to a place that stirred her emotions. Her steps were slower than usual, and she would stop every now and then to stroke the rough bark of the ancient tree beside her, her gaze distant, as if she were reminiscing about something.
Bai Yushan did not disturb her.
Although he was carefree and unrestrained, it didn't mean he was oblivious to people's feelings. He could tell that Bi Ji was in a bad mood. She seemed to have something on her mind, but she was unwilling to say it.
Since she was unwilling to talk about it, he didn't ask.
Everyone has their own secrets, and everyone has a past they don't want to touch. He respected Bi Ji's choice.
The two of them walked silently through the dense forest, one in front of the other.
Perhaps it was because she had returned to her hometown, but Bi Ji's mood became increasingly depressed.
Images from the past kept flashing through her mind. Some were clear, some were blurry, some were warm, and some were sad, like a revolving lantern, flashing before her eyes one by one.
The Emerald Swan, this species, is inherently full of contradictions.
They are recognized as the strongest healing-type Soul Beast on the continent, their bodies condensing the purest life force of nature. The life force contained within a Emerald Swan with 100,000 years of cultivation can even be compared to that of "Gold of Life" shrunk a thousand times in size.
Gold of Life —what does that even mean?
That is the most precious natural treasure on the continent, containing endless life energy. Even a small piece can instantly restore a person on the verge of death, and can even cleanse the marrow and meridians, and enhance their talent.
The vitality of a 100,000-year-old Emerald Swan is comparable to that of Gold of Life shrunk a thousand times.
It's easy to imagine how terrifying the vitality of the Emerald Swan is.
For this reason, the Emerald Swan is a "great tonic" for any Soul Beast. As long as one can devour an Emerald Swan, even a young one, one's cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds, and one can even gain powerful life recovery abilities.
For human Soul Master, the Emerald Swan's Soul Bone and Soul Ring are extremely valuable. Especially for healing-type Soul Master, if they can obtain an Emerald Swan Soul Ring, their healing ability will undergo a qualitative leap.
Historically, more than one faction, coveting the value of the Emerald Swan, organized large-scale hunting parties to venture deep into the Star Dou Great Forest in an attempt to kill the Emerald Swan.
Each time, it triggered a fierce and brutal battle.
The Ferocious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest fought to the death against human Soul Master in order to protect the Emerald Swan. And the human Soul Master, for the sake of the Emerald Swan's Soul Ring and Soul Bone, also rushed forward one after another, never retreating even in the face of death.
Those battles left corpses strewn across the fields and rivers of blood flowing.
Ultimately, it ended with the retreat of the human Soul Master.
However, the Emerald Swan clan suffered a severe blow as a result, its numbers dwindled, and it was almost on the verge of extinction.
In stark contrast to its powerful healing abilities, the Emerald Swan itself is far too fragile.
Especially in their early years, they have almost no ability to protect themselves. Their combat strength is pitifully weak; even an ordinary Soul Beast with a hundred years of cultivation can easily kill them.
Their only ability is healing.
While treatable, it is utterly meaningless when faced with an absolute power disparity.
No matter how fast you treat, if the other side swallows you whole, how can you continue treating?
Therefore, the Emerald Swan clan must rely on the protection of powerful Soul Beast or clans in order to survive.
Without protection, Emerald Swan cannot survive more than a hundred years in the dog-eat-dog world of Soul Beast.
The hardships that allowed Bi Ji to grow into Ferocious Beast that is nearly 500,000 years old are far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.
In her childhood, she also experienced those days of constant uncertainty, where she could be devoured by other Soul Beast at any moment.
At that time, she was still very weak, with a cultivation level of only a few thousand years. In the Star Dou Great Forest, she was not even considered the worst. She spent every day in fear, hiding in a secluded cave, afraid to make a sound or go out, for fear of being discovered by other Soul Beast.
Until one day...
While she was out foraging for food, she discovered an injured little Soul Beast.
It was a very ordinary little Soul Beast, with a cultivation level of only a hundred years. It was covered in blood, on the verge of death, and clearly not going to survive. Its mother had already died not far away, obviously hunted down by other Soul Beast.
Logically speaking, Bi Ji should have turned around and left.
In the world of Soul Beast, meddling in others' affairs often means inviting death. She can barely protect herself, so how could she have the time to care about the lives of others?
But when she saw the despair in the little Soul Beast's eyes, her heart softened in the end.
She carefully walked over and, with her still very weak healing abilities, slowly and gently healed the little Soul Beast.
It took her three days and three nights to pull the little Soul Beast back from the brink of death.
However, she herself was weakened for a long time due to excessive exertion and almost became food for a passing Soul Beast.
But she never expected that this act of kindness would change her destiny.
The little Soul Beast's father was a powerful Soul Beast with ten thousand years of cultivation. In his search for his own child, he discovered Bi Ji and her child. When he saw Bi Ji risking her own safety to heal her child, he was deeply moved.
So it made a decision.
It wanted to protect this kind little Emerald Swan.
With the protection of this Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Bi Ji's life finally became easier. She no longer needed to hide in the cave in fear every day, no longer needed to worry about being devoured by other Soul Beast at any time. She could cultivate and grow in peace.
Her kind nature also attracted more and more Soul Beast during this time.
She would heal wounded Soul Beast, provide shelter for weak Soul Beast, and use her own life force to save those on the verge of death.
More and more Soul Beast who had been healed by her chose to follow her and protect her.
They spontaneously gathered around Bi Ji, forming a small group centered around Bi Ji. They searched for food for Bi Ji, kept watch Bi Ji Bi Ji, and drove away malevolent Soul Beast.
Under their protection, Bi Ji was able to grow rapidly in a relatively safe environment.