Si Ruo didn’t want Bao Gu to keep asking about Si Yan, so she changed the subject and asked, “What was up with that lamp just now? Was it the array’s core?”
Bao Gu grunted in response and said, “The formation in the Ancient Wilderness Mountains definitely wasn’t formed naturally.
Someone used the unique terrain here to set up a powerful array.” She thought about how dangerous the road ahead was, how it would only get harder and slower the further they went.
Even if they didn’t break the formation and just passed through the life gate, it would still take time to calculate.
There were plenty of formation masters here, and if they had enough time, breaking every formation in this place wouldn’t be a problem.
But what she lacked most right now was time.
With a thought, she summoned the Duobao Spirit Monkey, who had been holed up in Monkey Ridge of the Xuantian Mountains brewing wine.
Ever since the people of Xuantian Sect moved into the Xuantian Mountains, the Duobao Spirit Monkey had been guarding Monkey Ridge, afraid someone would come and take all its precious spirit treasures, never leaving its wine-brewing spot.
Now that Bao Gu had pulled it out, it bared its teeth in annoyance, bouncing up and down on Bao Gu’s arm, clearly wanting to be put back.
After a few jumps, it suddenly sniffed hard, its round eyes darting around, and with a happy “Zhi!” it darted into the woods.
Bao Gu shouted, “Monkey, get back here!”
The Duobao Spirit Monkey turned into a streak of golden light and landed next to Bao Gu, scratching its head in confusion and letting out a “Zhi—”.
Bao Gu said, “My senior sister, Little Martial Aunt, and Holy Aunt are in trouble.
They’re trapped deep in the mountains in a deadly place.” She split off a wisp of spiritual sense and projected what had happened to Yu Mi and the others into the Duobao Spirit Monkey’s mind.
The monkey’s eyes went wide.
It blinked hard, then covered its eyes, unable to watch.
Bao Gu said, “You lead the way.”
The Duobao Spirit Monkey let out a “Zhi”, clinging to Bao Gu’s arm and gesturing frantically with its other paw.
Bao Gu understood what it meant: I’m sealed by the laws of this world and can’t fight.
Let me go back to Monkey Ridge.
She said, “If there’s danger, we’ll handle it.
You just need to get us to my senior sister as fast as possible.”
The Duobao Spirit Monkey stopped struggling, let out a resigned “Zhi”, then flipped onto Bao Gu’s shoulder, pointed straight ahead, and called out, “Zhi!” as if to say, “Let’s go!”
Bao Gu turned to glare at the monkey, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
“Monkey, if we don’t reach my senior sister in two hours, I swear I’ll move Monkey Ridge somewhere you’ll never find it, even if you die trying.”
The Duobao Spirit Monkey shrieked, turned into a golden flash, and shot forward.
Bao Gu called, “Keep up!” She tapped her toes, rode the wind, and raced after the monkey.
The Kan Gang guards, the construction hall people, and the Yuo Nation group all followed closely.
Everyone behind Bao Gu stepped exactly where she stepped, and those behind them followed in turn, forming a tight line with barely any gaps.
A team of over a hundred people stretched out in a line, darting through the forest like a flying dragon.
Si Ruo had taken the healing medicine Bao Gu gave her, and with her cultivation at the peak of the Void Tearing stage—just half a step from the Tribulation Crossing stage—her injuries were already nothing.
She stuck close to Bao Gu, matching her speed exactly, never leaving her side.
Her gaze stayed on the Duobao Spirit Monkey, her divine sense constantly scanning the surroundings.
Si Ruo sensed countless beasts lurking in the woods, even some with auras as strong as the Void Tearing stage.
But with so many of them, all powerful and imposing, not a single monster dared to block their way.
What surprised her most was that little golden-furred monkey.
Four years ago, when Bao Gu released news of the Ascension Road map, slaughtered the entire Wangxian City, and wiped out the Wangxian Sect’s 150,000-strong army, the whole cultivation world was shaken.
Every faction started digging into Bao Gu’s background.
Bao Gu rarely went out, so Yu Mi became the main target, and the spirit child and Duobao Spirit Monkey around Yu Mi were also investigated.
According to what Si Ruo had heard, the Duobao Spirit Monkey was just a treasure-hunting thief, extremely sensitive to valuables, fast, able to vanish into thin air, and would snatch any treasure it saw, owner or not—hence the nickname “thief monkey.” But who would have thought this monkey was actually a master of formations!
Bao Gu’s skill in geomancy and formations was well known in the cultivation world, but judging by what was happening, this monkey’s formation skills were even higher than Bao Gu’s?
Before, Bao Gu had to focus hard, calculating as she walked, and it took her an hour just to cross a mountain.
But with the monkey leading the way, they zipped through the forest, crossing a mountain in just a few breaths, not even pausing for air, not needing to calculate the array’s position at all, as if it was just strolling through its own backyard.
Si Ruo was seriously impressed by the monkey!
The Duobao Spirit Monkey led the group, darting through the mountains.
Its route was wild, often taking the group right through monster dens.
Looking around, there were swarms of monsters everywhere.
Even if most of them weren’t very strong, the sheer numbers—tens of thousands—were enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.
Whenever they followed the monkey into a den, the monsters would go berserk, chaos breaking out everywhere.
The worst was when the monkey led them into a weasel den; tens of thousands of weasels would panic and release their stink all at once.
Luckily, everyone was strong and reacted fast, putting up a barrier to block out the smell.
The deeper they went, the more often the monkey led them through monster nests.
Eventually, they were basically moving from one den to the next, leaving chaos and fleeing monsters in their wake.
People started to notice that the monsters weren’t just running around randomly—they were fleeing in groups along certain routes.
It looked like the native beasts already knew the safe paths through the formation.
Si Ruo had a thought and sent her divine sense ahead of the monkey.
Suddenly, she understood why the monkey didn’t need to calculate the array’s positions to lead them so accurately and quickly.
The monkey was following the beast trails!
These monsters had lived here for generations and knew exactly which places were safe and which were off-limits.
The monkey was leading them along the tracks left by the beasts.
Even though it meant taking a few detours and diving into dens, it was definitely the safest route through the formation, and with their speed, the extra distance barely mattered.
They rushed forward for about an hour before the monkey suddenly stopped, scratched its head, and let out a “Zhi.” Its big black eyes stared at the pitch-black forest ahead, and it kept fidgeting.
Bao Gu stopped next to the monkey and sent out her divine sense, discovering that the whole forest was tightly sealed by banyan trees, with a faint demonic aura filling the air.
Countless eyes watched them from the darkness.
She said, “Let’s go!” and led the way in.
The Duobao Spirit Monkey jumped onto Bao Gu’s shoulder, eyes wide and alert as it looked around.
Si Ruo frowned.
“Is this a banyan forest?” She sent her divine sense along the roots of a banyan tree ahead, spreading it out, and found that the entire mountain beneath was filled with banyan roots.
Suddenly, a wisp of divine sense lashed out and shredded her own, making her head throb in pain and her brows knit.
She said in a low voice, “Prepare for battle! This whole forest is a single banyan tree.”
A banyan tree, a forest from a single trunk.
Its roots hang down from the branches, and once they touch the ground, they become new trunks.
One banyan can become a whole forest.
This one covered nearly a hundred miles and had become a demon.
For it to instantly shred Si Ruo’s divine sense, even with so many Void Tearing cultivators present, showed just how fierce it was.
As Si Ruo probed, the other Void Tearing cultivators beside her did the same, all realizing they’d run into a real monster.
If only two or three Void Tearing cultivators had come, they’d probably have turned back by now.
Si Ruo barked, “Let us pass or die!” As soon as she finished, a rustling like a breeze swept through the forest.
Clearly, the banyan demon’s answer was to attack.
Si Ruo ordered coldly, “Kill!” and strode into the woods.
The Void Tearing cultivators and Nascent Soul guards beside her drew their weapons and spread out to protect her as they charged in.
Si Yan was badly injured, but when he heard Si Ruo’s order, he tried to rush forward, only to be glared at so fiercely by Si Ruo that he stayed by her side, sword in hand, “guarding” her.
Bao Gu saw Si Ruo’s group had already gone in, so she waved her hand, signaling the Kan Gang to charge as well.
Her divine sense detected a wave of leaves sweeping toward them.
Each leaf, shrouded in demonic energy, was like a tiny, razor-sharp blade, stabbing at them in dense waves.
The Void Tearing cultivators beside Si Yan struck together, unleashing all kinds of spells and blasting the leaves to dust.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled and split open with huge cracks, and countless banyan roots shot out from below, wrapping toward the group.
The roots moved fast, and once they touched someone, they’d cocoon them up.
The roots were as hard as iron and covered in barbs.
As soon as they touched flesh, they burrowed right in.
Even the weakest here were at the early Nascent Soul stage, but against these roots, it wasn’t enough.
Someone was pierced through the chest and dragged into a crack, then wrapped up by countless roots, which swarmed in to suck out all their blood and spirit.
The others didn’t even have time to help before the person was reduced to a dried-up skeleton, not a trace of spiritual energy left.
Bao Gu’s divine sense also saw the cracks in the ground littered with the armor of Kan Gang guards, all damaged, each set containing a skeleton drained of spirit.
These must have been the guards who’d escorted Yu Mi and the others into the mountains before.
The Kan Gang commander saw this and shouted, “Form up!” At his order, the guards quickly formed a battle array, protecting Bao Gu in the center as they advanced into the banyan forest.
With so many banyan roots, killing them all was impossible—they could only defend.
Suddenly, Bao Gu noticed a patch of light ahead in the banyan forest.
Soon, the group reached the light and found that someone had set a fire here, burning the banyan trees to ash.
The fire had been huge—nothing grew for dozens of meters, and even the ground had melted and solidified into crystal.
Bao Gu rushed forward and saw that the fire had burned deep into the banyan forest, carving out a path over three meters wide through the sun-blocking trees! In the middle of the “road” were sword marks, splitting the ground, and the earth below was scorched as well.
The fire had been so fierce it burned away all the roots and even melted the soil, leaving a bumpy path deep into the forest.
Seeing the scene, everyone could imagine just how miserably the banyan demon had been burned.
A Void Tearing cultivator sighed, “That fire was fierce!”
Bao Gu smirked proudly.
“Of course.” Even though her tone was casual, she couldn’t hide her pride, as if she’d been the one to set the fire herself.
