Between Anhe Country and Shan Country, where Liuyang and Da Feng Plain meet, there lies an ancient Poplar Forest, marking the boundary between the two nations.
Hou Niao did not hesitate and charged in on horseback. From the map, this Poplar Forest seemed no wider than a few tens of miles, so there was no need to dawdle.
He had only taken a few hundred steps into the forest when he sensed the deep accumulation of fallen leaves underfoot, significantly slowing the pace of his horse; even using the method taught by the Daoist Chong Ling, he couldn't prevent the horse's energy from rapidly depleting in the forest.
He was forced to slow down, or else the poor horse would exhaust itself before even leaving the Poplar Forest.
The forest was eerily quiet, lacking the normal chirping of birds and insects, nor could one see the cunning rabbits or squirrels; the ground was covered with fallen leaves, emitting a nauseating, pungent smell. The tall poplar trees densely packed, cast a gloom over the forest as if it were twilight.
This cursed place!
Hou Niao cautiously drew his Yanling Blade, immediately on guard. This was his first understanding of the region controlled by the Demon Sect, no wonder they were called demons, a stark contrast from the sunny scenery of Anhe Country along the way.
Unsure of what lay hidden here, he only thought of passing through quickly, not daring to stop and linger.
After walking a few miles, the shadows in the forest grew even denser. Suddenly, looking back, the Yanling Blade, flowing with a faint light on its blade—a unique manifestation of a cultivator's Gang Qi, though still weak yet incomparable to ordinary weapons—slashed backwards in a swoop.
As the blade passed, a spider as big as a fist was split in two, yet the resistance felt on the blade was not insignificant. This strike was premeditated, suggesting that even the spider was no ordinary creature.
It was his first encounter with a fist-sized spider, hanging between trees on its silk, appearing and disappearing without a trace, highly dangerous. Luckily, this creature was of the lowest level of demons, or perhaps not yet a demon, but evolving towards one.
In the south, there are Water Demons, in the north, mountain creatures abound; no place is truly peaceful.
With heightened vigilance and his eyes wide open, he thought: with spiders in the trees, who knows what lies beneath the thick rotting leaves.
He hadn't gone a hundred steps further when he felt the horse's back legs give out, kneeling down; prepared, he didn't fall but quickly leaped to one side, and looking back, he saw a spider clinging to the horse's leg, sucking fresh blood, its belly swollen so large it seemed the size of a bowl, and so engorged that its skin nearly translucent, about to burst.
Anger surged within him, and with a leap forward, the blade light flashed again, striking the overfed spider squarely. Instantly, blood sprayed everywhere, filling the air with a nauseating smell.
Clearly, there had been two spiders that attacked simultaneously; he only noticed the one that leaped towards him but failed to see the other biting the horse's leg.
Looking around, he saw no immediate danger. The horse's leg was swollen and purplish-black, clearly indicating the spider's venom. The horse was beyond saving.
Feeling apologetic, a perfectly good life, others would've bought it just for transportation or farming, and now it suffered alongside him in this dreadful place; watching the horse's limbs twitching and the pain in its large eyes, his heart softened, and with a flash of his blade, he ended the horse's misery.
Seeing the scent of fresh blood rise, knowing soon enough myriad creatures would be drawn by the blood, he didn't hesitate and darted forward.
Regret was already settling in his heart; he should have spent more time in Liuyang, at least the locals understood this Poplar Forest.
He soon realized that his fast boots were not suitable for running in such an environment, deeply stepping one moment and shallowly the next. After all, everything seemed rushed in this brand-new world, and his years of experience in criminal investigation could not help him. Even though he thought he was being careful, he was actually too reckless.
The only good news was that the forest was not deep, and when he noticed that the light was getting brighter, it was a sign he was about to get out.
Along the way, there were several more dangers: a large snake, a small beast, and a swarm of yellow bees... He no longer drew his knife rashly; he simply detoured when he saw the bee's nest, and though the large snake lunged and missed, it did not chase him. Only the small beast confronted him with his knife blade; they were wary of each other, and he didn't know whether the little creature had run away or was hiding in a dark place waiting to strike again?
Not one creature showed any good intentions; actually, these creatures could no longer be called animals, referring to them as monsters would be more appropriate.
Rushing forward in such a frightened manner, he didn't care if the noise he made might attract any fierce creature. He knew he could not linger in this place, unfamiliar as he was with Poplar Forest - getting out was the primary concern.
Having run for an hour and seeing the light at hand, he could not judge how many miles it would take to leave the disgusting poplar forest, but his luck was about to run out;
As he was running, he suddenly felt something was wrong behind him. Without time to look carefully, he reflexively leaped forward and backhanded his knife, only to feel a strong force hit him from behind, a force so great that he couldn't control his body and ended up face down in the disgusting sticky leaves, mouth full of dirt.
At the same time, a tremendous force pressed down on his back, immobilizing him.
Just as he was internally screaming that his life was over, he heard a voice beside his ear, "Daoist Sect's dog, you dare to run wild in Shan Country's territory?"
Hou Niao struggled to look back and saw a robust man stepping on his back, the pressure increasingly heavy, so heavy that he was almost buried in the decaying leaves.
"Looking back for what? Planning to burn incense for grandfather in the Underworld after you're dead?"
This person clearly intended to kill him. Though he could have struck a fatal blow, he preferred to torture him slowly, increasing the pressure on his foot as if intending to bury him alive in the muddy leaves.
Hou Niao didn't explain; it wasn't that he was too stubborn, but rather that he simply had no opportunity; his face and mouth were buried in the mud, how could he possibly speak?
This wasn't about being undercover; it was about becoming fertilizer. Thinking that he might die here unknown, benefitting some monster - either feeding on his blood and flesh or sucking his marrow - made him incredibly depressed.
The envisioned rise to prominence was a joke, only upon arriving at the Demon Sect's domain did he recognize the merits of the Daoist Sect.
A cultivator's breathing is much longer than that of ordinary mortals, making this way of dying particularly cruel. His so-called power was a joke now, his body shaken with no room left to resist - in the face of a high-level cultivator, he was like a lamb to be slaughtered.
Lacking oxygen, his mind began to grow dizzy and his limbs lost strength; at his life's last moment, there was no sudden awakening of all energies...
Just then, he heard light laughter beside his ear, "Junior Brother Liang, a mere Energy Induction Daoist, why torment him? Pull him up; I still have questions for him!"
Hou Niao felt the pressure on his back lighten, and then he was lifted up and dropped into the thick mud. He coughed dryly, and his tears and snot flowed freely, but his face was already so dirty that it hardly made a difference.
His heart chilled; deep in the woods, many demonic events occur, countless dispute fill the human world.