Luo Zheng sat cross-legged beside a moss-covered stone deep inside the forest. The wind brushed past the leaves, making faint sounds, but his mind was far from calm. He slowly closed his eyes and began to sort out everything that had happened since he came to this world.
He thought,
"Almost three months have passed since I reincarnated here. In the beginning, I entered the body of a completely useless person. If I was careless even once, I would have died early."
His memories flowed one after another.
"Then by chance I found the inheritance of that old master. If not for that, hunting beasts to survive would already be impossible. Later, I cultivated alone on the mountain peak and finally reached the Initial Stage. Just when things became stable, the Tong Xuan Realm suddenly suffered a huge earthquake."
Luo Zheng clenched his fist slightly.
"I had no choice but to leave the mountain to find the truth behind it. Then destiny played another trick on me. My path changed again, but I was given a chance to cultivate peacefully inside that cave for two full months, with good resources."
He let out a slow breath.
"But the moment I left that place, I fell into a space corridor and arrived in this small world. And then… I appeared right in front of Yang Kai, at the exact perfect time."
His brows slowly furrowed.
"No. This is not coincidence. Something is clearly wrong."
The more he thought, the darker his gaze became.
"That strange voice… the one that tried to manipulate me, urging me to kill Yang Kai. The earthquake, the cave, the space corridor, this small world—none of these can be random."
Luo Zheng opened his eyes.
"Something behind the scenes is pushing things. I just don't know who, or what."
Even after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't grasp the truth.
Finally, he shook his head.
"Forget it. Thinking blindly won't help."
He steadied his heart.
"For now, I have things I must do here. First, the Cave Heaven inheritance will open soon because of Old Meng's attack. I need to go back before I miss it."
His eyes lit up slightly.
"Second, the Soul Warming Lotus. That is one of the most important early opportunities Yang Kai gets. I can't let it slip away."
He slowly stood up.
"Once I obtain these two things, there's no need for me to stay in this small world any longer."
Suddenly, he paused.
"…Wait."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I almost forgot. The space corridor that brought me here."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"I know at least two more space corridors in this small world from the novel. Going back won't be difficult at all."
***
At the same time.
Beside a giant ancient tree, the space corridor quietly fluctuated.
Old Meng stood there, staring at it with a heavy expression. Under the tree lay Yang Kai's body, motionless, already cold.
For some reason, Old Meng felt uneasy.
His face darkened.
"It feels like something troublesome is about to happen…"
Without hesitation, he took out several formation flags and quickly set up an array around the area, hiding the space corridor completely.
Then he reached into his storage bag.
he retrieved an artifact—a small, dark jar covered with strange runes.
He opened it gently.
A faint, weak soul light floated out.
Old Meng moved his hand, and Yang Kai's soul was drawn inside the jar and sealed.
"Hmm…"
Old Meng frowned slightly.
"I expected his soul to dissipate already, but it hasn't vanished."
****
A short time later.
Xia Ning Cheng slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision blurred at first, then cleared.
The first thing she saw was Yang Kai's body lying beneath the tree.
Her face instantly turned pale.
She rushed over, trembling hands touching his cold body.
"No… no… this is my fault…"
Tears streamed down her face as she knelt beside him.
"If I wasn't careless… if I was stronger… he wouldn't have died…"
Old Meng walked forward calmly.
"Don't blame yourself," he said in a low voice. "This is not entirely your fault."
Xia Ning Cheng raised her head, eyes red.
"Master… is he really… gone?"
Old Meng paused for a moment, then said slowly,
"I have methods to revive him."
Her body stiffened.
"…Really?"
"But," Old Meng continued, "for that to happen, you must first reach the same realm as your master."
Xia Ning Cheng froze, then clenched her fists tightly.
Hope ignited in her heart.
"I will do it," she said firmly. "No matter what it takes."
Old Meng turned away, his eyes calm but complicated.
In his heart, he sighed.
"Yang Kai does not have the qualifications to stand beside you. But saving him will make you cultivate with full dedication."
"Forgive me, my disciple. I am using your emotions, but this is the fastest way for you to grow."
He glanced at the small jar hidden in his sleeve.
"As for Yang Kai… whether he can take over another body or not will depend on himself. His soul is too weak to force possession."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But still… the fact that his soul hasn't completely dispersed surprises me."
Luo Zheng slowly stood up from the cold stone.
He looked around.
Everywhere were trees.
Trees after trees.
Tall, dense, and silent.
He clearly understood one thing.
He was deep inside the forest.
Most of the trees were plum trees. Their branches were tangled together, blocking the sky. Very little sunlight reached the ground.
Luo Zheng jumped onto a tree branch.
Then another.
Soon he reached the top branch of the tallest tree.
He stood there and looked far away.
But no matter where his eyes went, it was still the same.
Endless forest.
No road.
No river.
No mountain peak.
He frowned.
"So I'm trapped…"
He also didn't know in which direction he had run when escaping from Old Meng.
Feeling helpless, he chose one direction randomly.
Then he started walking.
****
Five days later.
After walking without rest, Luo Zheng finally stepped out of the forest.
The moment he saw open land, he almost collapsed.
He took a deep breath and thought:
"Last time, escaping from Old Meng drained almost all my spiritual energy. If I could use the Cloud Merging Footstep, I wouldn't need five days."
He shook his head.
"Luckily, I saved some dry food. Otherwise, I would have died inside that forest."
Thinking about the forest, his heart felt strange.
"In that forest, there wasn't even a single beast. No birds. No insects. Too quiet. Too weird."
He checked his storage pouch.
There were still a few spirit stones inside.
"These spirit stones are for life-and-death situations. I can't waste them now."
To recover his spiritual energy, he needed cloud-type spiritual energy.
And that kind of energy was only dense at mountain peaks.
Just as he relaxed a little—
He froze.
Right in front of the forest entrance, someone was sitting cross-legged.
A humanoid figure.
Black robe.
Thin body.
Cold aura.
Luo Zheng immediately released his spiritual sense.
The moment he felt it, his heart sank.
"Evil cultivator."
The spiritual energy was dark and violent. It carried killing intent.
Before Luo Zheng could retreat—
Boom!
A dark spiritual shadow rushed toward him like a ghost.
He had no time to dodge.
The attack hit his chest directly.
Luo Zheng was thrown backward and slid several steps on the ground.
Blood rose to his throat.
His eyes turned cold.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked forward.
The evil cultivator slowly opened his eyes.
A cruel smile appeared on his face.