Ye Zi did not know how she had survived these days.
It took her nearly half a month to return from the wilderness to the campsite in the Desolate Mountains. To evade the evil beasts, she carefully hid in thick tree trunks, only moving to the next hiding spot after confirming the area was safe. Though desperate, she had no choice—once discovered by the hybrid beasts, she couldn't escape their pursuit on her own.
Over a dozen sisters perished under Devil's slaughter, while the others—those with no combat skills—scattered as Iron Hand Devil descended upon the crowd. How many would survive to return to camp? Ye Zi couldn't even bear to contemplate this horrifying possibility.
The constant fleeing and hiding drained her Magic Power, limiting her to a mere dozen miles a day—especially since she had to stockpile enough for the night. When her dry rations ran out, she turned wild fruits into makeshift food. The Gongzhu Association emblem, now useless for warmth, only served to make her skin wrap tighter around her. At the thought of Sinuo, who had died here as a child, tears streamed down Ye Zi's face.
To make matters worse, by the fourth night, the evil demon's devourer she had welcomed in the tree trunk—its relentless strikes had nearly erased her memory of the ordeal. A tearing pain suddenly erupted from her chest, spreading through her body like wildfire, nearly knocking her unconscious. She bit her tongue until it bled, then mustered her strength to endure the agony. Though the demon's torment had tempted her to surrender, the thought of her twenty-some surviving sisters—some awaiting her return at the camp, others wounded and in need of her care—made her grit her teeth and persevere.
Fortunately, the demon's devouring spell had not lasted long. When she finally broke free from the torment, her body was riddled with cracks, and the blood that gushed out soaked the trunk. To avoid the demonic beast's scent, she endured the pain, stripped off her clothes, and retreated to another towering tree. Meanwhile, she nurtured the bare branches to sprout green leaves, then fashioned them into warm garments. Guided by Magic Power, the branches became her needles, and the veins her threads.
Throughout the journey, she neither ate cooked food nor drank warm water. After entering the Juejing Mountains, despite adding two extra layers to her green leaf clothing and tightly wrapping her hands and feet, the rapidly dropping temperature and ankle-deep snow still frostbitten her toes. With her numb feet dragging her along, she finally made it back to the camp.
Seeing the familiar faces of her sisters, Ye Zi collapsed to the ground.
Two days had passed since she regained consciousness. Prolonged hypothermia had caused severe foot injuries, and herbal treatments failed to halt the progressive gangrene. In a final resort, the medical team amputated two damaged toes from each of her left and right feet.
Ye Zi paid little attention to it. Surviving was already a remarkable feat, and compared to those sisters who would never return, she considered herself fortunate enough. Yet when she saw the white bandages wrapped around the arms of the living, an overwhelming grief welled up uncontrollably from the depths of her heart.
At the beginning, there were 42 sisters, but now only 6 remain.
After calming Ye Zi down, Shu Juan, the eldest among them, recounted the traveler's tale to her.
While locked in combat with the Devil, the Witch—unarmed—seized the chance to flee toward the camp. That night, they encountered a horde of wild boar-type evil beasts. With no means to resist, they scattered in panic. The group hunted by these beasts was doomed, but they had no time to dwell on it. By dawn the next day, a wolf-hybrid creature had targeted them again, leaving only eight survivors. Fortunately, after entering the Desolate Mountains, the evil beasts ceased their pursuit.
Within days of returning to camp, the two sisters began exhibiting symptoms of the Magic Power backlash. Perhaps due to the Alliance's devastating blow and bleak outlook, neither survived the demonic devourer. As the battle witches remained missing, everyone assumed they had fallen to the Devil's hands—until Ye Zi unexpectedly reappeared.
"So... what happened to the others? Hongjiao, Zhui Feng, and the Mentor? What became of them?" Ye Zi shook her head. "Only I survived." "Really..." Shu Juan murmured, her eyes betraying her anticipation. "Then rest well. And..." She paused. "Ye Zi." "What?" "When you were unconscious, we discussed that if Hala didn't return, you should take over as mentor." Ye Zi froze for a moment before closing her eyes. True, the Gongzhu Society would crumble without a new leader after such a devastating blow. But its mission—to find the Holy Mountain, a sanctuary of freedom and peace—had now become a mirage. No, the "Holy Mountain" itself was a deception, existing neither in the Desolate Mountains nor in the Wilds. With this reality, did the Society still have any purpose?
Her mind was in turmoil, yet even without looking at them, she could feel the sisters' expectant gazes. They needed someone to step forward and guide the bewildered group onward.
"We... should go find the nightingale," Ye Zi said after a long silence.
"What? Find her?" "You mean Border Town?" "What if she's lying?" "Wendy's there too." "Maybe she's already dead." The sisters were buzzing with speculation. Shuluan clapped her hands to quiet them and asked Yezi, "What if Nightingale's story is a hoax too?" "Wait outside the town in a safe spot," she said, opening her eyes. "Let me investigate first. If she's lying, I'll take over as mentor. If... I die here, Shuluan, you'll lead the sisters onward." "But I..." Yezi forced a smile. "I know your abilities aren't suited for combat or daily camp operations. But now I understand—talent doesn't determine mentorship." A mentor is a guide, not the strongest. She regretted realizing this too late. If Wendy, the patient and meticulous mentor of the Gongzhu Guild, had been there, would the outcome have been different? "Like Wendy, you're one of the guild's founding members and the eldest among sisters. You've accompanied us from the kingdom's eastern edge to the Desolate Mountains, proving yourself through experience and caution. No one better fits this role than you." Shuluan paused. "...What if Nightingale's story is true?" "Then the Gongzhu Guild wouldn't exist," Yezi said slowly. "Border Town becomes our' New Sacred Mountain.'"