Master Why are you here too

The Forest of Life and Death, a land of terror, a forbidden domain.

Due to the presence of the unique Crimson Trees, the forest has become what it is today.

No one knows how the Crimson Trees came to be, but it is widely known that they possess a peculiar trait—they absorb and accumulate bloodthirsty and baleful energy.

The vast Forest of Life and Death, covered in Crimson Trees, has absorbed so much of this energy over the years that the entire area is now shrouded in it.

From a distance, the bright red Crimson Trees have condensed into a mist-like aura of bloodthirsty energy, making the forest appear like a sea of blood.

Though he had yet to enter the forest, Chen Chang'an could already sense its strangeness.

The outskirts of the forest stretched for dozens of kilometers, barren and lifeless, with even the soil dyed a deep crimson.

There was no sign of life whatsoever, as if this place were a forbidden zone for the living.

"No wonder no one comes here."

"Unless they have business here, who would be foolish enough to seek death in such a place?"

Chen Chang'an couldn't help but sigh. For an ordinary person, even entering this place would be difficult, let alone leaving alive.

The nearly tangible bloodthirsty energy had a severe effect on people. Only someone with a special constitution like Chen Chang'an could remain unaffected.

As he flew closer to the forest, Chen Chang'an found no trace of living beings nearby.

Without hesitation, he accelerated and plunged straight into the Forest of Life and Death.

The moment he entered, his brow furrowed.

The oppressive sensation was overwhelming, and his vision was severely impaired, as if he had stepped into a world painted entirely in red.

Silence.

An eerie, absolute silence.

Not a single sound could be heard within the forest. The ground resembled a bloody swamp, forcing Chen Chang'an to remain airborne, refusing to land.

"According to the innkeeper, the Purifying Baleful Grass is pure white—an anomaly in this forest."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find."

Chen Chang'an scanned his surroundings, but all he saw was an endless expanse of crimson, with no other colors in sight.

"Break!"

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed several sword beams that sliced through the thick mist of baleful energy. Yet, despite tearing through it momentarily, the beams quickly dissipated into the fog.

"It seems this won't be as easy as I thought."

With no other choice, Chen Chang'an pressed forward cautiously, hoping to find the Purifying Baleful Grass soon.

Hmm?

Suddenly, as he advanced, several crimson figures appeared, encircling him.

"They've completely merged with the aura here?"

Chen Chang'an noticed that these figures flickered in and out of existence, their color and presence blending seamlessly with the environment.

Even he couldn't immediately pinpoint their exact locations.

"Are these creatures unique to the Forest of Life and Death?"

Though he possessed an undying body, Chen Chang'an remained vigilant, moving slowly while keeping a close watch on his surroundings.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Moments later, more figures emerged—this time in greater numbers—and they lunged at him without hesitation.

Chen Chang'an countered by using his fingers as swords, sending sharp beams of energy flying toward them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, the attacking figures were obliterated. It was clear these creatures weren't particularly strong.

Chen Chang'an focused on one of the fallen monsters and examined it closely. It was humanoid in shape.

However, its entire body had turned a deep crimson. Aside from its form, there was nothing remotely human about it.

Chen Chang'an guessed that these were Blood Corpses—humans who had entered the forest in the past, died, and were gradually corrupted by the environment until they became like this.

This was likely still the outer region of the forest, which explained why the Blood Corpses weren't too powerful.

As Chen Chang'an ventured deeper, their strength increased. Now, the Blood Corpses he faced were all at the Divine Transformation level.

"How strange. Why are there so many of them?"

"Did that many people really come here to die?"

Chen Chang'an noticed that the further he went, the more Blood Corpses appeared. Initially, he encountered three or five at a time, but now they came in groups of over a dozen.

A rough estimate suggested he had already slain hundreds of them on his journey.

Apart from the Blood Corpses, however, he hadn't encountered any other dangers in the forest so far.

But did the Purifying Baleful Grass truly exist? Why hadn't he seen any trace of it yet?

Just as he was pondering this, something unusual caught his attention ahead.

In this sea of crimson, any other color would stand out starkly.

What was this? Could it be... that he had already passed through the Forest of Life and Death?

Chen Chang'an furrowed his brows slightly, his figure flashing as he dashed forward.

Passing through a crimson sea of trees, he discovered an entirely normal area—devoid of bloodthirsty energy, scarlet trees, or the blood-soaked red marshes that stained the ground elsewhere.

This place was like a pure land within the Forest of Life and Death, so ordinary it was almost surreal.

"Chen Chang'an? Why are you here too?"

A sudden voice made Chen Chang'an pause in surprise. When he focused his gaze, he was stunned to see his master, Mu Yunyao.

"Master?"

"Why are you here?" Chen Chang'an asked, astonished.

Mu Yunyao's presence here was something Chen Chang'an had never anticipated. Though he had occasionally suspected she might be following him, there was no way she should have arrived in the Forest of Life and Death before him.

"You have the nerve to ask?"

"It's all because of this kid from your Chen family."

"Only at the ninth level of the Divine Ability Realm, yet he dares to barge into the Forest of Life and Death."

A member of the Chen family? At the ninth level of the Divine Ability Realm?

Chen Chang'an looked over and saw Chen Yunxuan lying on the ground not far away, his body saturated with bloodthirsty energy, seemingly severely injured.

Hmm?

When did Yunxuan come to the Central Heaven Domain? And how did he end up in this chaotic region?

"If I recall correctly, based on the timeline, Chen Yunxuan should have just finished participating in the Four Domains Martial Assembly, right?"

"Given his strength and speed, there's no way he could have reached this place in such a short time."

"Which one of you is real?" Chen Chang'an asked warily, his gaze sharpening as he studied Mu Yunyao.

At his words, Mu Yunyao's expression darkened. She sneered, "Chen Chang'an, you’ve grown bold, haven’t you? Now you even dare to suspect your own master?"

"Should I explain myself to you?"

Chen Chang'an shrugged nonchalantly, replying with a faint smile, "If you can explain, that would be ideal."

"Otherwise, I truly can’t bring myself to trust you."

Mu Yunyao stared at him for a moment before taking a deep breath and cursing, "You wretched disciple."

"Fine, I’ll tell you what happened."

"Thanks to your Spirit Immortal Fruit, this kid’s cultivation broke through to the ninth level of the Divine Ability Realm. He couldn’t care less about the Four Domains Martial Assembly anymore."

"All he wanted was to come to the Central Heaven Domain, but he was tricked into this chaotic region instead."

"I was originally following you near the City of No Return when I sensed his aura, so I came after him."

"Thankfully I did, or else this so-called genius of your Chen family would have turned into a blood corpse here."

After hearing Mu Yunyao’s explanation, Chen Chang'an nodded with a smile. It did make sense.

"So, Master, you’ve really been following me all along?"

"Obviously. I never left."