Family Rise by Daily Intelligence

"Eh?"

The Fish Eagle Prince pointed to the forest below.

He asked in confusion:

"Second Uncle, do you see how these trees, when viewed from above, resemble runes?"

The Fish Eagle Prince was a Talisman Array Master.

Yu Xiangzong was a layman.

He flew a bit higher and then vaguely saw that the entire forest below resembled a natural maze formed by condensed runes. In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind. Yu Xiangzong quickly glanced around and transmitted to the Fish Eagle Prince:

"Prince, do you think the Celestial Yin Tribe might be hiding around here?"

"Second Uncle, what do you mean by that?"

"If the forest below is truly a maze, then likely even the Celestial Yin Tribe can’t discern its pattern. The reason they’re offering a Condensation Pill bounty is likely to use us as pawns to blaze a trail. Moreover... once we enter the forest below, it’s likely to be very dangerous."

Otherwise.

The Celestial Yin Tribe wouldn’t be so generous.

The Fish Eagle Prince paused, evidently thinking it very likely, and gritted his teeth:

"Second Uncle, according to your suggestion, should we just return home?"

Clearly unwilling.

After all.

Compared to the White Tiger Tribe and the Celestial Wolf Tribe, their Fish Eagle Tribe needed that Condensation Pill even more.

Even if the forest is dangerous.

They still have to take this risk.

Yu Xiangzong hesitated for a moment and said:

"Prince, please wait a moment."

Saying that.

He slowly descended toward that area.

Not yet landed.

He could feel a powerful Restriction force rushing toward him. Yu Xiangzong quickly circulated Spiritual Power to resist it while carefully observing the surrounding environment. He saw a huge stone stele in the middle of the neatly arranged trees, covered with ancient runes and patterns.

Yu Xiangzong tapped his Spirit Beast Bag at his waist.

"Squeak, squeak."

A Double-Pupil Rat suddenly appeared, and after Yu Xiangzong fed it a Cyan Cloud Fruit, he stroked its head, his lips moving silently a few times. The Double-Pupil Rat’s Spirit Light flashed, transforming into a streak of shadow, and it fell into the forest below.

Seeing this, the Fish Eagle Prince became somewhat anxious:

"Second Uncle, Xiaotong is raised by you since childhood and is an extremely rare Spirit-Seeking Beast. If... something happens, wouldn’t it be a pity?"

Yu Xiangzong sighed slightly.

If it weren’t absolutely necessary.

How could he let his beloved pet take such a risk?

Yu Xiangzong watched the area below nervously.

"Squeak, squeak."

He saw the Double-Pupil Rat swiftly darting between the trees after entering the forest. Its agile figure appeared and disappeared amidst the dense leaves, cautiously exploring the surroundings with its keen senses.

Yu Xiangzong and the Fish Eagle Prince hovered in the air, their eyes fixed on the Double-Pupil Rat’s movements. Every second seemed endlessly long.

Suddenly, the Double-Pupil Rat stopped before the stone stele, raising its head and joyfully squeaked to Yu Xiangzong in the air.

Yu Xiangzong was momentarily stunned.

Because, judging by the Double-Pupil Rat’s behavior, the forest below didn’t seem to be a natural maze after all.

The Fish Eagle Prince turned to Yu Xiangzong:

"Second Uncle, what did Xiaotong discover?"

"The stone stele contains abundant Spiritual Qi!"

"If that’s the case, Second Uncle, shall we go down and take a look?"

"No, Prince, you stay above, I’ll go down alone. If there’s anything unusual, just remember, don’t worry about me, run as far as you can."

Yu Xiangzong still felt something was off about this matter. Otherwise, why would the Celestial Yin Tribe offer such a precious Condensation Pill, instead of sending their own people?

Having said that.

Yu Xiangzong summoned his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact to protect himself.

Cautiously, he descended into the forest below.

The moment he landed.

The scene in his eyes changed instantly; there were no longer any forest, stone stele, even his connection with the Double-Pupil Rat was cut off:

"What’s going on?"

Was everything just an illusion earlier?

As soon as the thought occurred.

Boom!

A killing aura rushed at him.

Following that.

An Ancient Battlefield came into view!

On the battlefield, remnants and shattered weapons and battle armor were scattered everywhere. The ground was bloodstained, emitting a pungent bloody smell mixed with decay, making one feel nauseated despite the passage of time:

"This....."

So different from what they saw from above!

Yu Xiangzong was taken aback, quickly circulating Spiritual Power to vigilantly observe his surroundings. In the distance, he noticed some blurry figures wandering. Upon a closer look, they were Resentful Spirits emitting ghostly light all over:

"Roar!"

Just as he appeared.

These Resentful Spirits seemed to immediately notice him, and ghostly green lights shot out from their hollow eyes, charging straight at Yu Xiangzong.

Yu Xiangzong snorted coldly, his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact shining brightly in his hand. With a strong swing, a powerful Spiritual Sword Qi slashed toward the Resentful Spirits. With a "sizzle," the sword Qi cut through a Resentful Spirit, causing its form only to pause briefly, without any substantial harm.

"Indeed troublesome!" Yu Xiangzong furrowed his brows tightly, surprised by the resilience of the Resentful Spirits. At this point, more Resentful Spirits noticed the commotion and swarmed toward him, surrounding Yu Xiangzong in the blink of an eye.

The Resentful Spirits emitted piercing screams, continuously launching attacks on Yu Xiangzong. Although their attacks lacked strong Spiritual Power fluctuations, they carried a sinister aura, and being hit would hinder the circulation of Spiritual Power.

Yu Xiangzong was fully defending against the Resentful Spirits’ attacks, his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact quickly moving in his hand, forming Spiritual Barriers, temporarily blocking the Resentful Spirits’ assault. However, as time went on, he gradually felt overwhelmed. The sheer number of Resentful Spirits was too much, and they seemed tireless, rushing wave after wave.

"Could it be that I’m destined to perish today?"

...

Meanwhile.

In the sky.

What the Fish Eagle Prince saw was a different scene. He saw Yu Xiangzong entering the forest, not getting lost, quickly reuniting with the Double-Pupil Rat, and gathering around the stone stele, indicating through a gesture that everything was safe below with unexpected gains, suggesting he should come down:

"Second Uncle, I’m coming down!"

Fish Eagle Prince felt elated.

Leaping forward.

He immediately dashed into the forest below.

The moment he entered the forest, the scene he witnessed was identical to Yu Xiangzong’s; likewise, it was an Ancient Battlefield, no dense woods or stone stele could be found, not even Yu Xiangzong or the Double-Pupil Rat:

"This...."

What on earth is happening?

The Fish Eagle Prince’s face turned pale.

.....

At this moment.

In an underground cave mansion far away on Dragon Transformation Mountain.

Spirit Light flowed slowly across a Spirit Mirror, displaying the scene of the Fish Eagle Prince and Yu Xiangzong falling into Dragon Transformation Mountain. The Celestial Mountain Master sitting in front of the mirror frowned:

"Send the command down."

"Activate the backup plan!"