Chapter 4 The Rule of Death.
Although Jonawa couldn't directly appear to clear obstacles in her path, her vast, ethereal spiritual power, derived from her demon god status, acted like the most sophisticated radar, silently covering the surrounding expanse.
Any potential danger—whether it be deadly insects in disguise, man-eating plants lurking in their wake, or powerful soul beasts whose mere wisp of soul power was enough to send shivers down one's spine—was all detected by Jonawa's perception. For the past few days, Yin Chen had been dancing on a knife's edge.
Only through Jonawa's guidance had Yin Chen, like a phantom, repeatedly and precariously traversed the borders of thousand-year-old soul beast territories, and even more terrifying ones, brushing past death.
Each successful evasion tightened her nerves, for she knew that good fortune wouldn't last forever.
"I must leave here as soon as possible," Yin Chen murmured to herself, her amethyst eyes filled with an unyielding urgency and worry.
Through a soul connection with her distant counterpart, she vaguely knew she was within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire.
However, the empire was vast, dotted with countless Soul Beast Forests. Aside from a few renowned perilous locations, small and medium-sized Soul Beast settlements were as numerous as hairs on a cow.
She was like a tiny dot trapped on a giant maze map, unable to pinpoint her exact location, let alone find a way out.
This forest, shrouded in eeriness and silence, held deadly danger in every shadow, constantly testing her nerves.
Her Golden Descendant body, that of the Distant Butterfly, indeed possessed extraordinary qualities, naturally drawn to the laws of death.
She vividly remembered a blind, ten-year-old Bone-Eating Rat roaring and lunging at her. In her panic, she merely raised her hand to block, and the instant her fingertips touched the beast, the ferocious soul beast didn't even utter a mournful cry before its body, like a sand sculpture scattered by the wind, instantly extinguished, turning into a wisp of ashes.
This power is overwhelmingly domineering, a manifestation of the law that death is instantaneous upon contact, a veritable miracle.
However, the limitations of this death power are equally fatal.
First, it is completely indiscriminate, friend or foe. Yin Chen must constantly restrain her urge to touch it, being extremely careful in every step, lest she unintentionally kill a harmless small beast or an ordinary plant, thus revealing her presence and attracting even greater trouble.
Second, and most fatally at present—this death power cannot grant her any substantial defense or speed boost.
Facing a hundred-year-old soul beast, she might be able to rely on Ronawa's warning and her own agility to risk her life to try and get close enough to seek mutual destruction.
But more likely, she would be torn to shreds by the soul beast's swift attack before she could succeed.
As for a thousand-year-old soul beast?
They often possess ranged attack methods or powerful area-of-effect soul skills. She cannot even get close; the mere aftershocks of their attack would be enough to completely disintegrate her fragile body.
Ultimately, she possesses a martial soul and special physique that transcend the mortal realm, yet she has not even obtained the most basic soul ring.
Without spirit rings, spirit power levels cannot be increased, and powerful spirit skills are out of the question.
This golden-blooded body's basic attributes might be superior to an ordinary six-year-old human child, but in terms of strength, speed, and defense, compared to spirit beasts that can easily shatter rocks and tear apart the earth, it is still as fragile as thin ice, easily broken.
"Ronawa, which direction has the sparsest spirit beast aura? Or rather, which direction might lead to areas of human activity?"
Yin Chen asked again from the depths of her heart; this was her only hope at the moment.
After a brief silence in her sea of consciousness, the cold and majestic voice sounded again, giving clear guidance, but also adding a warning:
"North. On the edge of that direction, there are traces of human activity; however, their aura… is somewhat strange, entwined with eerie and chaotic fluctuations. Whether it's a blessing or a curse is still unknown; you must weigh the pros and cons yourself."
Yin Chen took a deep breath, the complex scent of decaying leaves and a strange floral fragrance filling her lungs, carrying a hint of coolness.
She understood that remaining in this perilous forest was tantamount to slow suicide.
Even with Ronawa's warnings, there was no guarantee of escaping danger every time.
Staying put meant certain death, but heading north offered at least a glimmer of hope.
She had to take the gamble.
"Let's go."
Yin Chen resolutely stood up, carefully brushing the dust and withered grass from her clothes. Her gaze swept over the layers of eerie trees, firmly fixed on the north, as Ronawa had pointed.
After all, the other party was human.
As long as they were human, there was a possibility of communication and negotiation, far better than facing those ferocious soul beasts that only followed their instincts.
Moreover, her current appearance—silver hair and purple eyes, delicate like a doll, yet possessing the harmlessness and fragility unique to children—could significantly lower others' guard.
This might buy her a precious opportunity, even if it required her to use lies and acting.
"Even in the worst-case scenario..."
She encouraged herself, even forcing out a slightly self-deprecating thought.
"At worst, it's just death. Don't forget, Ronawa, you are the Demon God who controls death, and Xia Die is a demigod symbolizing death. I've taken advantage of you, so why would I die so easily?"
This thought, tinged with helplessness and magnanimity, supported her as she carefully moved towards the unknown human settlement shrouded in an eerie aura.
Guided by Ronawa's image in her mind, Yin Chen moved like an almost imperceptible shadow through the forest, cautiously traversing the treacherous woods.
She avoided the eerie flowers that emitted a sweet fragrance but could instantly corrode flesh, bypassed the terrifying crocodiles lurking in the mud with an aura comparable to a thousand-year-old soul beast, and even silently slipped past the edge of a giant spider soul beast's nest while it slept soundly.
After several hours of arduous trekking, she pushed aside a clump of drooping, metallic vines, and the scene before her suddenly opened up.
In a clearing that had been artificially cleared, stood several eerie buildings, predominantly black and dark red.
The human presence in the air had indeed become clearer, but the eerie feeling that Ronawa had warned of was now palpable, a mixture of blood, resentment, and a nauseating stench.
"Is this it?"
Yin Chen's heart sank slightly; the aura instinctively made her uncomfortable and wary.
However, what shocked her even more were the strange symbols she saw prominently displayed on the buildings and on the black robes of some patrol personnel.
(End of Chapter)