Although Ronova could not manifest directly to clear the obstacles ahead for her, her vast mental force, originating from her status as a Demon God, acted like the most precise radar, silently covering the vast surrounding area.
Any potential danger—whether it was a lethal insect camouflaged by mimicry, a man-eating plant waiting for its chance, or powerful Soul Beasts emitting a mere hint of spirit power fluctuation enough to make one's Soul tremble—had nowhere to hide under Ronova's perception.
For the past few days, Caelus had been dancing on the edge of a knife.
Relying entirely on Ronova's guidance, Caelus was able to drift like a ghost, narrowly passing by the territories of Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts and even those with deeper, more terrifying auras, brushing past death time and again.
Each successful evasion made her Martial Soul more tense, for she knew deep down that good luck would not favor her forever.
"I must leave this place as soon as possible."
Caelus whispered to herself, her amethyst-like eyes pooling with an indelible sense of urgency and worry.
Through the Soul connection with her distant main body, she vaguely knew she was currently within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire.
However, the Empire was vast, and Soul Beast forests were scattered throughout; besides the few famous perilous lands on the continent, small to medium-sized Soul Beast gathering areas were as numerous as cow hairs.
She was like a small dot trapped on a giant maze map, completely unable to determine her specific location, let alone find a way out.
In this forest shrouded in strangeness and silence, every inch of shadow could hide a lethal killing intent, testing her nerves every second.
Her Golden Descendants body of Castorice did indeed contain extraordinary qualities, being naturally close to the Law of death.
She clearly remembered when an undiscriminating Ten-Year Bone-Eroding Rat roared and lunged at her; she had merely raised her hand in a panic to block, and the moment her fingertips made contact, that ferocious Soul Beast couldn't even let out a whimper before its body became like a sand sculpture blown by the wind, its life force instantly extinguished as it turned into a handful of flying ash.
This power was overbearing and peerless, a manifestation of the Law where touch meant death—it could be called a miracle.
However, the limitations of this death authority were equally fatal.
First, it did not distinguish between friend and foe. Caelus had to constantly restrain her desire to touch, being extremely careful whether walking, sitting, or lying down, to avoid unintentionally erasing a harmless small beast or an ordinary plant, which would expose her presence and invite even greater trouble.
Second, and most lethal at the moment—this death authority could not grant her any substantial defensive power or speed increase.
Facing a Hundred-Year Spirit Beast, she might still rely on Ronova's warning and her own flexibility to gamble her life and attempt a close-range touch, seeking a mutual destruction.
But the greater possibility was that before she succeeded, she would be torn to pieces by the Soul Beast's swift attacks.
As for Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts?
They often possessed long-range attack methods or powerful area-of-effect Martial Soul Abilities. She couldn't even get close; just the aftershocks of an attack would be enough to completely disintegrate her fragile body.
In the final analysis, she possessed a Martial Soul and a special Physique that stood above the mundane, yet she had not even obtained a single basic spirit ring.
Without a spirit ring, her spirit power Rank could not increase, and powerful Martial Soul Abilities were out of the question.
The basic qualities of this Golden Descendants body might be superior to an ordinary six-year-old human child, but in terms of strength, speed, and defense, compared to those Soul Beasts that could easily shatter rocks and tear the earth, it was still as fragile as thin ice, shattering at a touch.
"Ronova, in which direction is the aura of Soul Beasts the thinnest? Or rather, which way might lead to an area of human activity?"
Caelus asked again from the depths of her heart; this was her only hope currently.
After a brief silence in the Sea of Consciousness, that cold and majestic voice rang out again, providing clear guidance, but also attaching a warning:
"To the north. At the edge of that direction, there are traces of human activity. However, their auras... are somewhat strange, entwined with fluctuations of evil and chaos. Whether it is a blessing or a curse is yet unknown; weigh it for yourself."
Caelus took a deep breath. The complex scent of the forest, a mix of rotting leaves and some strange floral fragrance, rushed into her lungs, carrying a hint of chill.
She understood that continuing to linger in this forest full of hidden dangers was no different from slow suicide.
Even with Ronova's warnings, there was no guarantee she could turn danger into safety every time.
Staying in place meant only death; heading north, at least a glimmer of hope existed.
She had to take this gamble.
"Let's go."
Caelus stood up resolutely, carefully brushing off the dust and withered grass clinging to her dress. Her gaze bypassed the layers of eerie trees and fixed firmly toward the north indicated by Ronova.
Regardless, the others were humans.
As long as they were human, the possibility of communication and negotiation existed, which was far better than facing those ferocious Soul Beasts that followed only instinct.
Moreover, her current appearance—silver hair and purple eyes, as exquisite as a doll, yet carrying the harmlessness and fragility unique to a child—could to a large extent lower the vigilance of others.
This might win her a precious chance, even if that chance required her to use lies and acting to obtain it.
"Even in the worst-case scenario..."
She encouraged herself in her heart, even forcing out a slightly self-deprecating thought.
"At most, it's just death. Don't forget, Ronova, you are the Demon God who governs death, and Castorice is a Demigod symbolizing death. I've taken 'advantage' of both of you; how could I really die so easily?"
This thought, carrying a bit of helplessness and open-mindedness, supported her as she set off, carefully advancing toward that unknown human gathering place shrouded in an evil aura.
Relying on Ronova's guidance in her mind, Caelus moved like an imperceptible shadow through the woods, carefully weaving through the peril-filled forest.
She avoided strange flowers that emitted a sweet fragrance but could instantly corrode flesh, bypassed a terrifying crocodile lurking in the swamp with an aura comparable to a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast, and even held her breath as she quietly slipped past the edge of a giant spider Soul Beast's nest while it was fast asleep.
After several hours of arduous trekking, when she pushed aside a cluster of drooping vines with a metallic luster, the scene before her suddenly opened up.
On a piece of land cleared by hand stood several buildings with a sinister style, dominated by black and dark red tones.
The human aura in the air indeed became clear, but that sense of evil Ronova had warned about now rushed at her like something tangible—it was a smell mixed with blood, resentment, and something nauseating.
"Is this the place?"
Caelus's heart sank slightly; this aura made her instinctively feel discomfort and vigilance.
However, what shocked her even more was seeing some strange symbols in prominent positions on those buildings and on the black robes worn by some patrolling personnel.