Bai Jingshen still kept up his guard as he stepped into the portal. However, he had to put Spike at the back of his head when he suddenly felt the pressure al around him. He recognized this feeling. Although he didn't seem to move, the space in his immediate vicinity moved at unbelievable speeds. Like a car through a tunnel, Bai Jingshen raced towards the New World. He knew this was teleportation.
Even the former emperor never experienced such a violent teleportation though. It took his full concentration to not empty his stomach here. As he raced along for an amount of time he couldn't define, his excitement grew with each second. He wouldn't panic at not being able to see his teammates. He knew, that in this environment space didn't work the same way as in a stable world. In this place which most cultivators called the void, distance could only be felt if you had knowledge in the laws of space.
Suddenly Bai Jingshen had a bad feeling. He didn't know what happened, but his instincts screamed danger at him. And they proved to be right, as without any sign the tunnel suddenly began to twist. Bai Jingshen knew about space turbulence, but those couldn't happen in a stable tunnel. Under the twisting and turning, the pressure on Bai Jingshen's body gradually increased. The young man suddenly spat blood, before sitting down cross-legged, trying to lessen the surface attacked by this pressure.
Under the outside stimulus, Bai Jingshen was happy to realize how his core energy filled every part of his body. His muscles, tendons, bones, and every cell seemed to be overflowing with power. In this way Bai Jingshen was able to somewhat withstand the pressure before he saw a portal open in front of his eyes shortly after.
***
Nine suns circled in the air, illuminating the New World. At daytime they would spend life for an impossible amount of creatures. All sorts of demon beasts roamed this world. They ranged from small to gigantic, from immovable to faster than light. All of those happily cultivated the abandoned Immortal Qi in the air. Some were born weak with unlimited potential. Some were already born to be the overlords over this world. But only the strongest of them had the intelligence to realize that their world had also just been born.
They happily explored what this New World had to offer. However, their good life wouldn't last much longer. Countless portal suddenly opened, inviting the greedy human race into their world. Chaos certainly ensued, as humans began to fight against beasts, made alliances or waged wars against each other. These troubled times only ended some hundred years later, as everyone realized how immensely big this world really was. Fight over resources slowly died down, as they just existed in abandon.
However, the mighty beasts saw their freedom severely limited, as they had to suddenly gather together, so humans wouldn't be daring enough to hunt them down. One such gathering place was the Sleeping Lake Forest, named after the majestic lake at its center, which is rumored to hide a sleeping beast king.
On this fateful day a portal once again opened among the dense foliage somewhere in this majestic forest. Bai Jingshen's eyes grew wide, his whole body instantly entering combat readiness. To his surprise however, the young man found himself suddenly gliding through the air. All around him trees were standing, blotting out the sky.
He quickly stabilized his body in the air, not panicking as he raced towards a thick branch. Bai Jingshen concentrated himself. His eyes focused, as his arms shot forward, grabbing the tree branch with all his might. Some wounds opened on his arms, which were already strained from the pressure earlier. He didn't have time to care about these however, as he worked his muscles, rapidly pulling himself on this branch. The mighty tree didn't show any signs of even noticing Bai Jingshen's weight. The former emperor quickly walked towards the tribe before sitting down to take in his surroundings.
Bai Jingshen took a deep breath, feeling the incredible comfort of Immortal Qi. He observed his environment, luckily not seeing any obvious danger right now. Even the serious emperor had to chuckle, as he landed in a forest again after a teleportation seemingly went awry.
After a short moment of allowing his strained mind to relax, Bai Jingshen got serious again. He was in an unfamiliar world, intruding in a majestic forest, which certainly had many beasts living in it. Bai Jingshen turned around and hit the tree he was sitting on. It was hard to estimate for him, but he would guess this wood seemed to be a tier two or three material. Under normal circumstances this would mean that beasts with strength up to the Foundation Establishment Realm should live in this area. Concentrating his senses, Bai Jingshen was certainly able to hear load roars, crying birds and some insects in the distance.
Instead of some sort of negative feelings, the former emperor felt excitement come up in his mind. How long had it been since he found himself in a dangerous situation? How long has it been, since his blood was boiling and his whole being longed for exploration? Searching for herbs, fighting unfamiliar beasts, discovering secret realms, all of it with his life on the line. This was what strengthened a cultivator in mind and body.
With and exited look Bai Jingshen remembered his younger days. Although they seemed a bit blurry already, he was able to tap into his vast experience. The young man quickly got his priorities straight. He first checked his body and equipment. His uniform was torn in many places, his body covered in blood. Fortunately, he was able to hold onto his weapons.
Bai Jingshen decided to hide for only one more minute to wait for his team members, before moving on to search for fresh water. Meanwhile he took of his uniform and used it to wipe as much blood of his body as possible before he raised his hand and threw his uniform as far away as the dense trees allowed it.
Although it would still be able to grant him a little defense, his blood was bound to lure beasts here soon. Bai Jingshen didn't want to greet his team members naked however, so he cut something out from a nearby leave, before binding it around his private area using his weapon belt.
Just as he was done and still panting from the exhausting act, as even cutting this tree's leaves proofed to be hard, he heard a load scream behind him. Bai Jingshen turned around, only to watch his team members flying in all directions. They crashed into trees, foliage or the ground, with some able to hold onto something and some managing to dampen their fall. However, to Bai Jingshen's dismay he noticed that everyone of them was more or less injured.
Bai Jingshen carefully climbed down the big tree he was on, just now realizing how massive it actually is. He would have liked to have more knowledge about the plants around him, but sadly none of those seemed to exist in the Rising Force World or the Great Cultivation World.
Reaching the ground he made his way over towards Sam, who landed on a bush not far from him. The normally talkative man had fear and uneasiness written all over his face, while quickly taking his trousers legs to bandage his ankle. Bai Jingshen mage a small sound to grab Sam's attention before walking over towards him. The RSS member had guard up, but let out a breath as he spotted Bai Jingshen.
This situation obviously proved to much for the young recruit however, as he had to hold back his tears upon seeing Bai Jingshen. A second later his unstable emotions portrayed visible confusion as he looked at Bai Jingshen's new attire. After a short explanation though, he followed his idol and also got rid of his bloodied clothes.
Just as Bai Jingshen and Sam were talking to each other, another loud scream could be heard. The both of them saw Bloodsaber flying through the air. Contrary to the RSS members, Bloodsaber had some experience in dangerous situations, so he quickly managed to grab a few hanging vines. He dropped down to the ground and instantly used his saber to hack at the surrounding plants, while loudly yelling "fuck, fuck, fuck!"
Hearing this surely intentional signal of their guide, the RSS team conversed towards Bloodsaber's position. Unfortunately, they didn't observe the portal, as a hardly discernable shadow was flung far into the distance shortly before the portal closed.
The RSS team slowly gathered around Bloodsaber, some of them limping or holding their hands. Bai Jingshen had to support Sam as well, as the two men walked the short distance through the forest. Most of their team had already arrived before them, giving the unstable Bloodsaber some time. As their guide saw Bai Jingshen however, his eyes suddenly turned red. He held up his saber and ran at the former emperor while screaming:
"This is all your fault!"