Jiang Chen stood atop a moss-covered boulder, his golden-amber eyes fixed on the map in his hands. The worn parchment crinkled slightly between his fingers, its inked pathways offering him no comfort. His only two options stood before him like an iron cage—Wailing Gorge or Verdant Moon Glade.
One path led into madness.
One path led into the unknown.
His jaw tightened. Neither were meant for cultivators of my level.
The Wailing Gorge, a land filled with the whispers of the dead, a battlefield of long-forgotten titans where insanity clung to the air like a curse. The Golden Core-level threat made his skin prickle. Even at peak Qi Condensation, he had no illusions—he'd be little more than a speck of dust in that place.
Then there was the Verdant Moon Glade.
It wasn't necessarily safer—it was still a land filled with Core Formation-level dangers, but unlike Wailing Gorge, it wasn't drenched in the resentment of the dead. There was a difference between facing beasts that fought to protect their domain and specters of war that existed solely to consume the minds of the living.
I'd rather take my chances with living enemies.
He exhaled, rolling the map back up.
The choice was made.
Half a day later, as he trod through the massive, mystical forest, he noticed a faint mysterious energy in front of him.
There it was. The Verdant Moon Glade. His toughest test yet, filled with unknown dangers.
A sense of foreboding went through him. He could feel it. This would not be easy.
"That old man Zhao Yan must have known I would need to pass through here to leave this forest," He scowled.
"That old bastard clearly wants me to die! How could he expect my strength to have increased this much in such a short period."
"Forget it, no turning back now, and I'm not one to back down from a challenge," he grinned.
Jiang Chen walked toward the glade's entrance, his steps slow and deliberate.
The first thing he noticed was the air—it was… different.
Unlike the suffocating gloom of the Evernight Valley, the Verdant Moon Glade felt like it was conscious, he felt as if the air itself was staring at him.
A faint mist hovered in the air, glowing softly under the dim moonlight that bathed the land, despite it still being daytime. Towering, ancient trees stretched impossibly high, their jade-green leaves catching the silver radiance like shimmering mirrors. The very ground beneath his feet felt… aware.
Jiang Chen's instincts flared.
It's watching me.
He glanced around. There was no immediate danger—no bloodthirsty beasts lunging from the shadows. Yet, something about the atmosphere itself made him feel as if he were walking through a sacred place where no outsider should tread.
With each step forward, he felt resistance—not physical, but an undeniable pressure, as if the land itself did not welcome him.
Then, it happened.
The space before him… rippled.
Jiang Chen's breath hitched. He had felt distortions of space before—his own Starshadow Body had granted him that insight—but this was different. It wasn't teleportation, nor an illusion. It was something deeper, something that spoke of an ancient will woven into the land itself.
A beast? A formation? Or something else entirely?
He crouched low, ready for an ambush. Yet… nothing came.
Instead, the mist shifted—parting just enough to reveal a path forward.
His grip on his spear tightened. "Tch. A place like this, and I'm being guided?"
He didn't like it.
But what choice did he have?
He moved forward.
Minutes turned into hours as Jiang Chen trekked deeper.
The Verdant Moon Glade was vast, yet oddly silent. There were no roars of beasts, no rustling of leaves from hidden predators. Just the occasional distant hum, like the whisper of the wind—yet Jiang Chen knew better.
That's not the wind. That's the land breathing.
Everything about this place was unnatural.
Yet, he began to notice something—his own energy felt heavier.
The spiritual energy in the air was richer, but instead of nourishing his Qi, it felt like… it was pressing down on him.
As if… he wasn't meant to be here.
It wasn't suppression like an enemy's aura. This was something fundamental, something woven into the very fabric of the glade.
Jiang Chen exhaled, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Even the environment wants me dead," he muttered.
Then—movement.
Jiang Chen snapped his head to the side, spear raised—
Only to see… a spirit beast.
But unlike before, this beast did not attack.
It was a Verdant Moon Stag, its antlers glowing faintly with the same silvery luminescence as the mist. Its large, intelligent eyes stared directly at him.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Jiang Chen's breathing was slow, measured. He was ready for it to pounce—yet it didn't.
Instead… it snorted, turning its head as if acknowledging his presence.
Then, in an instant, it vanished—not through speed, but as if it had merged with the land itself.
Jiang Chen stood there, unmoving.
He wasn't sure what had just happened, but one thing was clear—
This place isn't just a battlefield.
It was a sanctuary, a domain with its own laws, and Jiang Chen was the trespasser.
He walked forward, his mind racing with the implications of what he had just seen.
The glade wasn't like other places.
It was starting to dawn on him—cultivation wasn't just about strength.
This place was teaching him something.
He reached into his robes and pulled out the guidebook the merchant had given him.
Time to see what else I'm walking into.
[Verdant Moon Glade – Key Locations & Phenomena]
The Moonveil Pool
A lake hidden at the heart of the glade, reflecting the sky even when covered by thick foliage. The water is said to hold a mysterious energy, one that can enhance a cultivator's attunement to the Dao of Space. However, the pool is only visible under the full moon.
The Silverwood Canopy
An ancient section of the glade where the trees grow so densely that they form a continuous ceiling above the land. Beasts here move in complete silence, appearing and disappearing at will. Some say the air itself warps, confusing those who try to pass through.
The Lunar Sanctum
A rumored land where celestial energy gathers. It is said that those who enter can experience a glimpse of higher realms. But… no one who has sought it has returned.
Jiang Chen's grip on the guidebook tightened.
The Lunar Sanctum…?
It was a vague description, but something about it made his blood stir.
A glimpse of higher realms?
He didn't know what that meant, but… he would find out.
His journey deeper into the glade continued, his body growing more attuned to its strange, ever-shifting nature.
But the deeper he went, the stronger he felt something watching him.
Not a beast.
Not a spirit.
But the glade itself.
Then—a pressure slammed down on him.
Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, barely managing to hold himself upright.
This wasn't just Qi suppression. This was… an intent.
A warning.
Something deep within the land was telling him:
"Turn back now."
His golden-amber eyes gleamed.
He grinned.
"Too late."
With a surge of Chaos Qi, he pushed forward.
The Verdant Moon Glade had acknowledged him.
Now, it was time to see if it would accept him.
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