The master and disciple walked through the mountain forest, the surroundings utterly silent, with no sign whatsoever of Demon Beasts living here.

Only when the sea breeze brushed through the woods could the trees be heard whispering with a soft rustling sound.

Inhaling the salty, bitter sea wind, Du Yu grew increasingly alert inside.

This place was too quiet,

A silence that made one's heart race with unease!

"Master Qing, are these Begonia Trees?"

Yang Qingqing shook her head, "They only look similar. Normally, Begonia Trees don't grow taller than eight meters."

Du Yu craned his neck and looked up—the begonia trees in this forest varied in height, and not to mention eight, there were even towering giants of fifty or sixty meters.

And as far as his eye could see, there wasn't a second tree species in sight!

This lush forest was, astonishingly, monotonous to the extreme...

Du Yu pressed his lips together. Beautiful as it was, every corner here radiated a bizarre aura.

Even the ground beneath Bai Yujing and the Desolate Silver Lynx wasn't normal soil, but gravel.

To be honest, after leaving the coastal reef area, Du Yu had thought they would enter an ordinary mountain forest.

But the earth beneath their feet hadn't changed in the slightest.

Could these begonia trees really draw sustenance and survive from mere gravel?

"Meow~" The Desolate Silver Lynx felt something, its long tail as hard as steel suddenly stabbing deep into the ground and stirring it fiercely.

Bai Yujing paused slightly ahead, turning back to look.

Du Yu was lowering his head to study the deep pit below, his expression grim.

The Silver Lynx's tail was thrust nearly a meter and a half underground, yet still there was no sign of normal soil, only endless shards of rock.

"Let's go." Yang Qingqing drew her Demon Soul back into herself and also tried to communicate with the begonia trees, but got no response at all.

"Yes." Du Yu urged the lynx forward, quickly catching up with his master.

The deer and the lynx raced swift as lightning, dashing through the eerie begonia forest—within a blink, the two speed kings both slammed on the brakes.

Bai Yujing's forehooves rose, like a galloping steed yanked hard by the reins.

The Desolate Silver Lynx twisted its body, skidding sideways, crushing untold gravel beneath its paws.

Before them lay a vast clearing.

The uniform begonia trees dared not encroach upon this place.

And at the very center stood a towering ancient tree, reaching into the sky.

"Whoa there~" Du Yu whispered in awe.

Such a beautiful flowering tree—perhaps even surpassing the Mother of the Demon Spirit Realm·Twin Trees!

The ancient tree soared, but its branches did not droop low.

Each branch grew up and outward at a slant, in the lush green leaves bloomed boundless flowers.

Deep red blossoms, so stunning they left one entranced.

All the way here, Du Yu had grown used to unblossoming begonia trees graced only by green leaves—this sudden flash of crimson completely caught his eyes, leaving him transfixed for a long while.

Yang Qingqing sat sidesaddle on the deer's back, sending forth another wisp of Demon Soul.

The woman's ethereal outline slowly floated before the giant tree, one hand stretched before it.

Du Yu looked at the tree, then at the Immortal Master's gently furrowed brow, foreboding stirring in his heart.

And sure enough!

The towering giant was indeed a demonic plant, and it did respond to Yang Qingqing, but the first thing it said was tinged thickly with scrutiny: "Deviant."

Yang Qingqing raised her eyebrows a fraction. "You mean, I've strayed from the proper path?"

Giant Tree: "Your body is awash in Demon Beast energy, but you have pitifully little Spiritual Qi."

This reply let Yang Qingqing confirm that this giant tree had existed in total isolation from the world.

At the very least, it saw Demon Tamers not as worldly orthodoxy, but as heretical deviants!

And these ideas thrived before the Twin Trees of the Divine withered, before Demon Tamers ascended the stage of history.

So then, this tree didn't just come from Great Xia—it was even on the same side as the Human Race's Spirit Masters?

Yang Qingqing suddenly turned, just as Du Yu's Demon Soul also drew near.

She didn't stop him, instead asking kindly, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sea Tree·Shatang."

Du Yu's Demon Soul pressed a palm against the bark, and upon hearing that answer, couldn't help but arch an eyebrow.

Its name even had a title before it.

Yang Qingqing, ever considerate, stopped using the Demon Soul to pass thoughts and switched to speaking aloud, making it easier for Du Yu to hear.

She asked, "And where is this place?"

Shatang: "Sea Realm."

"Sea Realm." Yang Qingqing murmured, "How far is this from Great Xia?"

Shatang: "Deviant. Great Xia is a place you may never return to."

But Du Yu didn't think so. "Since we made it here, surely we can go back the way we came?"

"Heh, heh..." Sea Tree·Shatang suddenly laughed.

The laughter was thick with ridicule, as if it mocked Du Yu's naivety.

Du Yu wasn't put out, only waited for Shatang to finish before asking again, "Is that not the case?"

Shatang: "Mountain and Sea Realm—none return who come."

"Mountain and Sea Realm." Du Yu mused, nodding slightly, "So, aside from this Sea Realm, there's also a Mountain Realm?"

Shatang: "Deviant, you're quite clever."

There really is?

Du Yu: "We are looking for companions—four humans, three men and one woman. Have you seen them?"

Shatang: "Seems you've come to the wrong place."

Du Yu's mind spun—so the second team was teleported to the 'Mountain Realm?'

Yang Qingqing suddenly spoke up, "There's been some misunderstanding—we are not deviants.

Today's Great Xia is no longer a time when the Human and Beast Races are locked in mutual destruction."

The Demon Soul communicated, while Yang Qingqing, in her true body, patted Bai Yujing's head. The Dust Spirit Immortal Deer responded with a gentle step of its snow-white hoof.

Du Yu's true body urged the lynx alongside them as well.

Only, Sea Tree·Shatang paid the Desolate Silver Lynx no mind.

It was the Dust Spirit Deer that brought a rare silence to Shatang.

Humans and the Beast Race had been like fire and water, each wishing doom upon the other.

But in this vast world, the Beast Race was sprawling and complex.

There had always been creatures who stood apart from the flames of war.

Among them, one or two species even became symbols of pure goodness—perhaps even the very embodiment of "kindness."

The Dust Spirit Deer was undoubtedly one such!

Yang Qingqing: "How long have you lived here?"

"A very long, long time. I can no longer recall."

Yang Qingqing considered, then said softly, "Since the Divine Tree withered, the Spirit Master role among the Human Race fell, and the Beast Race rose to dominance.

To survive, humanity had to find another path.

The ones once called deviants gradually became the Righteous Path instead, and after hundreds of years of transition, today's Great Xia belongs to the Demon Tamers.

Humans and the Beast Race now live peacefully side by side, and have entered an unprecedented era of prosperity."

Shatang: "Nonsense. How could the Divine Tree ever wither?"

Yang Qingqing replied calmly, "My Demon Soul is linked with you—do you believe I am lying in the slightest?"

Yet again, Shatang fell silent.

The master and disciple exchanged a glance, and at Yang Qingqing's slight shake of her head, Du Yu held his tongue, giving Shatang time to digest.

"I actually know it all." At last, Shatang responded, "I just cannot bear to accept it.

Long, long ago, groups of Demon Beasts were exiled here, and all claimed the Human Race's era had ended.

The Divine Tree chose the Beast Race, and cast humanity aside.

When those Demon Beasts died, no more living beings entered this place.

So, thousands of years have really passed in the world..."

Yang Qingqing in her true body walked to the tree and merged with her Demon Soul.

Her slender jade hand gently pressed the bark, feeling its alien texture. "The world outside has changed.

If you wish, I can take you to see today's Great Xia Kingdom."

Shatang: "Demon Tamer, your Demon Pet, and your unreserved Demon Soul convince me to trust you.

But..."

"What is it?"

"But you still cannot leave this place."

Du Yu immediately said, "We were brought here by a bell."

Shatang: "Exactly. Like all deviants, like all Demon Beasts, you were exiled here."

"Exile?"

Shatang: "Here, you may grow old in peace.

Or, if you cannot endure it, I can send you on your way."

"No, Brother Tree!"

Du Yu looked pained, quickly explaining, "We weren't exiled—this is a misunderstanding, please let me explain..."

Du Yu quickly clarified their situation, and Shatang listened in silence.

Du Yu: "So, you haven't seen any newcomers or new beasts in hundreds of years?

After so long, for us to suddenly appear here, it's because that bell amassed centuries of energy and reemerged into the world!

We're not enemies of that bell—we want to help it.

To learn its story, to help it adapt to this world and fulfill its lingering wish.

But that bell ignored all reason, and just teleported us both here!"

Shatang: "Mountain and Sea Bell."

"Huh?"

Shatang: "Its name is Mountain and Sea Bell."

"Ah." Du Yu nodded, "Now you know what happened—can you help us and let us leave?"

For a third time, Shatang fell silent.

Du Yu waited, suffering the long pause, and was about to ask again when Yang Qingqing suddenly spoke:

"Ever since you were transplanted here, you have guarded this Sea Realm, and your code is to prevent any being from leaving. You've never helped any life escape, have you?"

Yang Qingqing understood the convictions of living beings profoundly.

The stronger the creature, the firmer their faith.

Just as in the Demon Tamers' path, neither Yang Qingqing nor Du Yu could tolerate a shred of doubt along the way of cultivation.

In a sense, this too was one of the laws of Heaven and Earth.

Shatang was truly friendly to Yang Qingqing—or perhaps, this human's attempt to understand brought it rare comfort.

At last, Shatang replied, "Unless the Celestial Gate opens, the Sea Abyss appears, the Mountain and Sea cannot be left."

Du Yu: "Celestial Gate?"

"The Mountain and Sea Bell is the only way to open the Celestial Gate, and thus, how you two were exiled here."

Du Yu: "And... what about the Sea Abyss?"

"At the bottom of the deep sea, there is an abyss leading even farther below.

It's said one can leave the Mountain and Sea Realm via that abyss—but I don't know where it is."

"Ah..." Du Yu was utterly at a loss. This endless sea—who knew where it would end? And the conditions beneath its surface must be even more complicated!

To find that special abyss—

How was that any different from searching for a needle in the ocean?

Besides, the two had neither water-type Demon Pets nor the ability to dive deep!

"Forget about the sea. That's nothing short of suicide."

Just then, a branch reached down.

The deep red flower and leaves slowly unfurled, revealing a fruit shaded with yellow and blush-red.

"If you eat this fruit, for one day, you can move freely in the sea and need not fear drowning."

Du Yu's expression froze—what kind of magical fruit was this?

Shatang: "But you'd best not take this path; in the sea, Demon Beasts still live."

Du Yu: ???

Meanwhile, outside the Mountain and Sea Bell, at the military encampment—

Lin Shiwei sat astride the Wind Trace Steed, writing furiously.

The message Yang Qingqing sent back via the Contract Threads was relayed in full by the Wind Trace Steed's Demon Soul.

Gradually, Lin Shiwei let out a deep breath, visibly shaken inside.

Where her pen had paused, a powerful line of words appeared—iron hooks and silver strokes: "In the Sea Realm's deep sea, Ancient Demon Beasts still survive."

The Sea Realm—had it really been isolated from the world for centuries?

And that Demon Beast hadn't died of old age. That meant—it was very likely an Ancient Demon Saint!

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