She picked up a dry branch and began drawing on the damp soil with fluid movements, sketching a few points as well.
Closing her eyes, she stayed still for a brief moment before suddenly opening them. A flash of eerie crimson passed through her eyes, only to quickly return to her usual black pupils.
"So that's how it is. The divine beast will appear, guarded by a horde of beasts. The beast tide will manifest in about half an hour."
Suddenly, the sound of heavy or light footsteps approached. Yun Zhen swiftly stood up and lightly stepped on the tip of her toes, climbing up into a lush and dense tree.
She crouched there, watching the ground below with vigilance.
As expected, a large group of people came bustling along.
Among the leading figures were some familiar faces, and one of them caused her heart to tighten for a moment.
Yun Zhen understood—this was the residue of the original owner's emotions.
That man, with a face as flawless as jade, was undeniably a handsome gentleman. Yet, compared to Rong Shuo, he was nothing worth mentioning.
Like heaven and earth.
How could he compare?
This person was none other than the Sixth Prince of the Great Chu Kingdom, Chu Yunheng—the one who had annulled her engagement.
"Brother, we've been wandering around this area for quite some time already. Why can't we find the location of the divine beast's emergence?" The delicate and spoiled young lady next to Chu Yunheng pouted, her tone brimming with impatience.
Chu Yunheng ruffled her hair and replied gently, "Yunrou, let's be patient."
"I heard from Sister Su Rong that Yun Zhen, that worthless girl, also came to the Forest of Raging Flames. But now, she's already lost." A trace of malice flashed across Chu Yunrou's face before she quickly masked it.
Hearing the name 'Yun Zhen,' Chu Yunheng's brows furrowed deeply.
"Why bring up that worthless Yun Zhen? Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with this prince."
The handsome man beside Chu Yunheng, fanning himself elegantly, remarked with a roguish smile, "Ah, Your Highness, that's not entirely fair. She was madly in love with you for years. Even if she's a useless girl, she's still stunningly beautiful. Why not take her as a concubine?"
After speaking, the man, with a playful glance, turned to tease the others. "Am I right, gentlemen?"
"Right, right, haha…"
"Your Highness, even if she's a waste, she's a great beauty! Why not take her in?"
The group of loafers chimed in, enjoying the spectacle and stirring up trouble.
"Jiang Yichen, you can keep such good fortune for yourself." Chu Yunheng's face darkened.
The fanning gentleman, Jiang Yichen, gave a charming smile. "What a pity. The beauty doesn't fancy me and is dead set on you. I wouldn't dare steal what's yours, Your Highness."
"Jiang Yichen, shut up!" Chu Yunheng snapped coldly.
Jiang Yichen chuckled and rubbed his nose, refraining from speaking further.
The group continued their journey.
On the tree branch, Yun Zhen's gaze grew cold. It seemed that she wouldn't feel at ease without doing something 'nice' to Chu Yunheng and the others.
She looked up at the dense foliage above, quickly plucking several dozen leaves.
She leapt lightly to the ground, glanced at their direction, and swiftly detoured to another nearby path.
After a quarter of an hour, she arrived at a quiet spot. Calculating the route, she estimated that they would pass through here and began setting traps.
Once the traps were laid, she left. If they fell into her traps and discovered it was her, while she wasn't afraid of them, she didn't want to waste time arguing with them, especially with the beast tide imminent.
If her grievances with Chu Yunheng and his group were minor, then Su Rong was her sworn enemy.
The torment, the attempted murder, being thrown off a cliff…
Yun Zhen's gaze turned icy. Su Rong, Su Rong! The original owner treated you so well, giving you the best resources from the royal residence, yet you wanted her dead—so brutally, at that.
Su Rong, your conscience has truly been eaten by dogs!
More and more groups were entering the Forest of Raging Flames. Yun Zhen encountered several of them—some from the Great Chu Kingdom and others from foreign nations.
The continent of Yun Shang was divided into the Eastern Great Continent and the Central Spiritual Continent.
The Great Chu Kingdom was located in the Eastern Great Continent, which consisted of countless nations. Among them, the Great Chu Kingdom was merely a lower-middle-tier country.
Yet, nations were not the pinnacle of power. Towering above them were the Sacred Academy, the Alchemy Guild, the Crafting Guild, and the Beast Taming Guild.
However, only the super-nations could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these forces.
The Sacred Academy was the sacred ground that every genius in the Eastern Great Continent aspired to reach—a school that nurtured countless powerhouses.
As for the Central Spiritual Continent, it remained shrouded in mystery.
The two continents were separated by a vast ocean teeming with holy-level sea beasts. Crossing it was already a daunting challenge, not to mention the natural disasters and man-made calamities along the way.
Thus, the Eastern Great Continent and the Central Spiritual Continent had virtually no contact.
Rumor had it that the Eastern Great Continent's territory was merely one-fourth the size of the Central Spiritual Continent.
Following her calculated direction, Yun Zhen swiftly sprinted. Soon, she arrived at her destination, only to find several groups already there.
They were all guarding a pitch-black cave, waiting for the right moment. But around the cave stood countless high-level spirit beasts, with several sacred beasts crouched nearby.
The beasts all glared at the humans with fierce eyes, ready to pounce and tear them apart at the slightest movement.
Yet for now, no one moved.
An eerie balance was maintained.
Among the crowd, Yun Zhen spotted a familiar figure. Her eyes sharpened, emitting a cold gleam.
Quickly, she concealed herself behind a tree.
Her emotions surged slightly—so, Su Rong was here too! Wanting to contract the divine beast? Dream on!
Yun Zhen tore a blood-stained piece of cloth from her dress and tied it around her head, covering most of her face and leaving only her clear, captivating phoenix eyes exposed.
Deliberately, she released her aura.
"Who's there? Come out!" A sharp voice echoed.
"Boom!"
A massive tree, requiring five men to embrace its trunk, suddenly snapped in half.
What appeared before everyone was a woman dressed in an ill-fitting, oversized black robe. Her three-thousand strands of black hair were tied into a high ponytail by a single ribbon.
Her face was obscured by a blood-stained white mask, and she stood with her hands behind her back, exuding calm confidence.
"Who are you?" A middle-aged man with a kind-looking face but occasionally sinister eyes frowned and asked.
Yun Zhen sneered. "Who I am is not for you to question."
Her voice was androgynous, carrying the imposing presence of someone who stood above others.
She lightly pinched a fresh green leaf between her fingers and carelessly tossed it in the man's direction.
The middle-aged man remained vigilant, but the leaf floated gently onto his hand without causing any reaction.
"You dare to toy with me?" The man flew into a rage, unconsciously crushing the leaf in his hand.
In an instant, a loud explosion echoed.
The man's hand was blown apart, but thanks to his quick reaction and the use of spiritual energy to shield himself, his hand was not severed.
Still, though not severed, it was badly mangled, with a layer of skin blown off.
"Father!" A beautiful and delicate young woman saw this and quickly stepped forward to steady his trembling figure.
"You're so vicious!" The young woman's eyes widened as she glared at Yun Zhen. "My father only asked you a question, and you respond with such cruelty!"