Ah, is this person me? Well, that’s nothing… What the heck! Jiang Baiyu was curled up in a small corner, hugging his knees, his eyes vacant. The mysterious and profound starry eyes had vanished, returning to their original state, and he had detached from that strange, mystical state that connected him to the void. He fell into a state of self-reflection for the one hundred and eighth time, regretting his reckless and perverse actions.

How could it be so natural, so justified, to just smack his lips and then, feeling unsatisfied, decisively bite down, shamelessly snatching the remaining essence of energy? Jiang Baiyu could recall every detail; he simply couldn’t forget. A moment of pleasure turned into a memory of a cremation ground! He was so afraid that the person in charge would poke him in the middle of the night! It felt like something that ancestor could do.

Jiang Baiyu was brainstorming in his head when the four people who had been unconscious gradually woke up, one by one, dazed and confused, not knowing where they were. Suddenly, Jie Yan flipped over and sprang up, his gaze clearing the formation space, and he froze in shock. Jing Yanhang’s first reaction was to grab Jie Yan, and with such force that Jie Yan stumbled backward, barely managing to keep from falling. This little incident snapped both of them back to reality.

Jie Yan forcefully swatted Jing Yanhang’s hand away, scolding, “What are you doing?” Almost causing someone to fall, Jing Yanhang felt embarrassed and instinctively scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly, “Just a little accident!” Jie Yan rolled his eyes, surveying the surroundings, his brows furrowing deeply, his expression darkening. Jing Yanhang looked around, “It seems we’re trapped in the formation again.”

His gaze fell on Lou Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhu, who clearly had just woken up as well, their faces filled with confusion, their memories stuck in the past. The miraculous dew that fell from the sky had an incredible power, luring their bodies to walk into the trap. They exchanged glances, all unharmed, but Bai Xianzhu, with sharp eyes, noticed that his senior brother looked a bit disheveled, his clothes stained, which altogether looked like dirty black handprints.

Lou Yuzhu looked down and saw the stains on his own clothes, “What happened?” Bai Xianzhu shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. Their gazes involuntarily drifted toward Jing Yanhang and Jie Yan. The four of them had executed tasks together in the academy, so they had developed some tacit understanding; seeing their expressions, they knew the others were also clueless. Instantly, their attention focused on Jiang Baiyu, who was lost in thought, hugging his knees. When they woke up, he was already like this.

Before anyone could speak, Jie Yan had already quickly walked up to Jiang Baiyu, his expression grim, his tone urgent, “Senior Jiang!” When Jiang Baiyu’s gaze focused, he asked, “Do you know what happened, Senior Jiang?” His anxiety carried a hint of questioning. Jing Yanhang hurriedly stepped forward, pulling Jie Yan back behind him, wearing a flattering expression, smiling like a blooming flower, “We just woke up, and looking at Senior Jiang, you woke up the earliest. Truly impressive!”

Jiang Baiyu’s gaze sharpened, glancing at Jie Yan, then landing on Jing Yanhang’s smiling face, noncommittal. Jing Yanhang continued, “When I woke up, I took a look, and this formation seems different from the last time. If it can’t be completely dismantled, damaging it once will just allow it to repair itself, and it can even change its structure, attracting more people into the trap.”

Lou Yuzhu’s brows furrowed deeply, his tone serious, “I didn’t expect the legends about Tianquan Forest to be true, and we stumbled right into it. But we didn’t ascend as the legends say; instead, we fell into this trap formation.” Bai Xianzhu added, “That miraculous dew is truly amazing for the body. Could it be that Tianquan Forest really has a fountain of youth?” The four of them were filled with confusion; the events before their consciousness sank were too bizarre, and upon waking, they felt that the legends and reality were severely mismatched.

Finally, Jiang Baiyu spoke, unhurriedly, “I know you’re all anxious, but don’t rush. Calm down and take a deep breath. What I’m about to say might be hard for you to believe, but it’s all what I witnessed with my own eyes.” Then he revealed the truth he had seen, breaking through the illusions. The so-called heavenly gate didn’t exist at all; it was merely an illusion that obscured the truth. The real situation was a connection to another place, where three little monsters randomly snatched unfortunate souls for a feast. The so-called dew was actually the soup boiling in a cauldron, sprinkled with a few drops to lure prey into the trap.

He didn’t mention the big monster or the person in charge; as for the cauldron, it had been taken away by the person in charge. Hearing this, the faces of the four grew paler, especially Lou Yuzhu. If Jiang Baiyu hadn’t rushed in to save him, he would have already been caught by the little monsters and thrown into the cauldron for soup. The fates of the other three were similar; with such a large monster, one person’s worth wouldn’t be enough for a buffet, and more people would inevitably fall victim.

Lou Yuzhu’s face was the whitest, while Jie Yan’s expression was the darkest. He wanted to refute but found no words, biting down hard on his teeth, making a grinding sound. Bai Xianzhu gasped, “So that’s how the black handprints on Senior Brother’s clothes came to be!” Jiang Baiyu nodded, “I suspect the legend of Tianquan Forest, that so-called ascension was actually being caught by the monsters for a feast. But those who witnessed it were blinded by the illusion, thinking the person was enlightened and ascended during the day. It’s even possible that the witnesses themselves were also attracted prey; the monsters, having eaten their fill, didn’t go after them, allowing them to escape a calamity. But they themselves didn’t know, thinking they had encountered a chance, only to miss it.”

Following this line of thought, Lou Yuzhu pondered, “Because of the legend, people often enter the mountains seeking opportunities; those who disappear might have been lured by the monsters into the trap. The missing people can’t tell others the truth, and since they were bewitched, they wouldn’t even know how they died, leaving outsiders unaware of the truth, allowing the legend to continue spreading and attracting unsuspecting seekers.”

Bai Xianzhu questioned, “But why did ordinary people nearby start disappearing from their homes, heading toward Tianquan Forest? The legend has been around for a long time, and no one knew the truth until this time when ordinary people were harmed, and the strange disappearances caused panic, prompting our investigation.” Jiang Baiyu replied, “Perhaps it’s because the instigators of this disappearance are the three little monsters.” Those little brats only knew how to fish for prey to eat, unaware of moderation, and when the little fish entering Tianquan Forest no longer satisfied their appetites, they lured more fish into the trap.

Jiang Baiyu suggested, “I recommend checking on the missing persons you rescued after we get out; they might possess certain qualifications.” Jing Yanhang’s mind raced, and he almost instantly understood, “Senior Jiang means the missing persons might have cultivation potential?” A voice suddenly interrupted, “But how can Senior Jiang prove that what you’re saying is the truth?” The air suddenly turned cold. Jie Yan clenched his fists, his expression extremely unwilling. He suppressed his emotions, his eyes dark with an unshakeable gloom, “We all lost our senses, yet only Senior Jiang remained rational, and what he saw was particularly different. How can we prove that what Senior Jiang saw is the truth, while what we saw is an illusion?”

Jing Yanhang quickly tugged at Jie Yan, signaling him to stop talking. But Jie Yan completely ignored it, slapping Jing Yanhang’s hand away, his eyes tinged with red veins, glaring at Jiang Baiyu. A figure stepped in front of him, and it was Jing Yanhang, smiling at Jiang Baiyu, “He’s not fully awake yet, Senior Jiang, please don’t mind.”

“Get out of the way, don’t block me!” Jie Yan was like someone who suddenly became rich, only to wake up and find himself not only broke but in debt, his mindset completely shattered. Jing Yanhang wrapped an arm around his shoulder, half his weight leaning on him, playfully asking, “What did you see that makes you so reluctant to wake up? If we could really ascend on the spot, would we be in this ghostly place? Those three little monsters are gone, but who knows if there are other monsters waiting to catch us?”

“Brother, I know you’re focused on cultivation and eager to ascend, but let’s not fall for such deceptive tricks.” Jie Yan stood there for a long time, suddenly shaking off Jing Yanhang’s hand from his shoulder, turning his back, surrounded by a low-pressure atmosphere. Jing Yanhang coughed forcefully, “Let’s continue; let him be quiet.” He straightened his expression, “Although this formation has changed, its essence hasn’t. We can find a way out now, but once we do, the formation will quickly repair itself. Even if we inform others of the truth about Tianquan Forest, the legend has been around for so long that without witnessing the truth firsthand, it will be hard for everyone to believe. Even we, having experienced it ourselves, if it weren’t for Senior Jiang breaking the illusion and not being bewitched, we would probably have met the same unclear fate as others.”

“Only by thoroughly investigating what’s going on and destroying it at the source can we end this trap. Since the monsters can reach in, we can also go over there.” “I don’t know how many monsters there are, what that place is like, or how this harmful trap was set up.” Jing Yanhang paused, his tone serious, “If we set a trap, it usually won’t just be one, right?”

“I have two suggestions: first, we go out and guard the area around the trap to prevent others from stumbling in, and send someone back to the academy to report; second, we do something big.” Then he quickly added, “I choose the third option!” Jing Yanhang smiled, his eyes bright, “Rationally, I know we should report to the academy; this matter is truly extraordinary and unfathomable. My intuition tells me it might involve a big secret. But if we don’t dare to take any risks, why bother with cultivation and pursuing immortality?”

He was full of spirit, “Let’s quietly go over and investigate. If we can’t win, we’ll hurry back and report to the academy!” Young people have a spirit of adventure, their hearts like the blazing sun. With Jing Yanhang saying this, Lou Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhu were both stirred. He even elbowed Jie Yan, “What do you think?” Jie Yan coldly snorted, crossing his arms, stiffly saying, “Does what I think matter? Haven’t you already made a decision?”

Jing Yanhang grinned, “What does Senior Jiang think?” Jiang Baiyu replied, “Heroes see alike; of course, we go.” He thought casually, maybe hitting a few more would help ease the tension. Thinking of the monsters reminded him of the person in charge, and thinking of the person in charge made him recall the smack, which was soft and a bit cool, like ice cream.