The sunrise warmed the inhabitants of the forest. Small and large animals began their activities. The night predators took turns to rest.
The soldiers led by Gu Huang began to pack up the camp and their belongings. The wood used for the campfire had turned to ash. Zhang Jiangxi threw the ash into the trees so as not to leave any traces. They were already on their horses and ready to continue their journey to monitor the Xiao Clan. Before leaving, they devised a strategy: the wounded soldiers were placed in the middle, and the healthy ones were placed at the back and front alongside Gu Huang and Zhang Jiangxi.
As they had just walked a few steps from their resting place, they heard the voice of a young girl screaming and a bear.
"Help!"
Gu Huang and his troops turned toward the scream, then hurried toward it.
"There is a voice calling for help. Let's help them. Quickly, hurry!" said Gu Huang. His soldiers answered loudly, 'Yes!' Their voices echoed in the dense forest, causing birds and herbivorous animals that were eating to run away in panic.
They spurred their agile horses toward the girl's voice, but the further they walked toward the sound, the quieter it became until it disappeared. Gu Huang ordered his troops to slow their horses. He felt a strange premonition.
Gu Huang's right hand was raised up, signaling them to stop.
"Everyone! Wait a moment." Gu Huang looked sharply, his eyebrows lowered, his jaw hardened, toward the ground below in the tall grass. He saw a poisonous bear thorn that had been cleanly pulled out down to the bone, as well as traces of unusual grass cuttings. The grass was cut like shards of glass. In other parts, it also looked like there were ice flowers beginning to melt.
Zhang Jiangxi turned toward Gu Huang. He saw his face was very serious, then he began to ask.
"General Gu Huang, what's wrong? Why is your face so serious?" said Zhang Jiangxi while giving a salute.
"See for yourself, right below you," Gu Huang moved the direction of his pupils, which had initially turned to Zhang Jiangxi, then lowered his pupils downward.
Zhang Jiangxi initially looked confused until he saw for himself in front of him there was a fresh poisonous bear thorn. He also saw the grass neatly cut leading toward a mountain.
"Sir... Is there a hidden warrior in this forest?" Zhang Jiangxi stared at Gu Huang, his pupils slightly narrowed, his lips trembling a little.
"I don't know... But judging from the attack power, this person is definitely stronger than the Empire's special rebellion soldiers. I will check it with a fragment of my spiritual awareness."
"Alright! General Gu Huang," said Zhang Jiangxi.
Gu Huang closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. His eyes shone orange, like gold and copper. He released his spiritual awareness and followed the trail of the cut grass. His vision stopped at the mouth of a cave at the foot of a large mountain. As his spiritual awareness tried to enter the cave, suddenly his spiritual awareness was destroyed. Before being destroyed, his spiritual awareness saw a shadow like the silver fox spirit he had seen last night.
"Kuakh!" Gu Huang was thrown backward, almost falling from his white horse. He vomited blood onto his horse, leaving bloodstains on it. Fortunately, Gu Huang's back was caught by Zhang Jiangxi.
"General! What happened to you?! What did you see!" Zhang Jiangxi exclaimed in panic, causing his horse to almost go berserk uncontrollably.
"Calm yourself, Zhang Jiangxi. I am fine." Gu Huang tried to sit up straight again, his right hand wiping the blood from his mouth.
"It would be best if we do not disturb whoever is back there. It's better we finish the mission first, and only after that do we report this matter to the Emperor," Gu Huang continued.
"Very well, then, sir."
"Everyone, let's continue our journey!" Zhang Jiangxi exclaimed while raising his hand and swinging it forward.
The troops led by Gu Huang moved forward to find the village mentioned by the Emperor. They continued deeper into the forest, avoiding the mountain area. After several hours of searching, the results were nothing. Gu Huang did not give up so easily. He made a plan to find that village.
"Everyone, stop!" Gu Huang asserted, raising his right hand and clenching it into a fist. The one hundred troops he led immediately pulled their horses' reins to stop.
"General Gu Huang, what's wrong?" Zhang Jiangxi asked, his head tilted slightly.
"I want to propose a plan for searching for that village. We cannot stay too long in this forest. Resources and wild animals could attack at any time," Gu Huang paused for a moment, then continued.
"The plan is that we will divide into several groups to search for it. Remember, when the sun is about to set, you must all return to this place. Each group must have at least 20 people, and each group must report every incident, even trivial ones." Gu Huang explained. He began to divide his groups. Gu Huang with 20 of his soldiers was in Group A, while Zhang Jiangxi was in Group C.
"Everyone has their respective groups?" Gu Huang asked, looking around at his soldiers. His soldiers answered in unison, 'Yes, General!'
"Group A, including me, will go south into the forest. Group B will go west. Group C will go east. Group D will go north. And Group E, you will go southwest. Do you all understand!" Gu Huang explained. The soldiers raised their spears and shouted, 'Understood, General!'
"If you understand, leave now!" Gu Huang and the soldiers of Group A began walking south. The other soldiers also began moving in the directions commanded by Gu Huang.
Group A, led by Gu Huang heading south, found nothing suspicious. Instead, they encountered hundreds of rabbits, as if it was their habitat.
Group B, heading west, also found nothing strange. They only found a river containing fish with wings like birds—feathered.
The other two groups also found nothing suspicious.
The light was fading. Groups A, B, C, and D had returned to their marked starting point, but Group E was nowhere to be seen. Gu Huang and the troops who had returned began to worry about the troops who had not yet returned.
"Did any of you see Group E, which went southwest?" Gu Huang looked at his soldiers, but his soldiers only shook their heads—they didn't know.
"Hah... It seems we have to go after them to the southwest," Gu Huang sighed heavily, thinking about what had happened to his other troops.
They began moving southwest. After only a few steps, 15 of his soldiers returned with various injuries on their bodies, ranging from slash wounds to large tears.
"You all! What happened?!" Gu Huang exclaimed toward the wounded soldiers.
"We were attacked when we found the village the Emperor ordered us to find," one of the soldiers cried out.
"The rest of you, please help the wounded troops!" Gu Huang ordered his troops to help treat the injured soldiers.
The 15 wounded soldiers were treated with bandages and medicine pills. After they had been bandaged, Gu Huang began asking for details of the incident when they were attacked.
"Tell me in detail what happened to Group E," said Gu Huang, dismounting from his horse and sitting down with his right hand on his knee and his left hand on his other knee, which was resting on the ground, as he questioned the soldier being treated.
"We were initially wandering in the southwest direction, then we found a strange part of the forest. The trees there were like mirrors reflecting the shadows of the surrounding trees. We intended to leave from there to report to you, General, but suddenly we were attacked by people who appeared out of nowhere from within those mirror-like reflections. They carried swords, bows, and even released their pet monsters. Five of us died there, and we struggled to get away from there," recounted one of the wounded soldiers. The soldier groaned a little in pain.
"Damn! No wonder the Emperor sent a force of 100 troops. It really is proportional to the danger!" Gu Huang slammed his right hand onto his knee, hardening his jaw.
"After the wounded are helped, we will depart for there, to the village ordered by the Emperor!" Gu Huang shouted loudly, giving the order. He immediately stood up from his position and moved toward his white horse.
They all quickly returned to their horses and began to form up, with the severely wounded in the middle, while the lightly wounded gave directions to that place.
Gu Huang's troops charged through the forest as the sun fully sank. The forest was shrouded in deep darkness. The predators began to stalk from behind the trees, their eyes flashing sharp red. Fortunately, they did not attack.
They finally arrived. Gu Huang immediately threw his spear toward the reflection, channeling pure energy that caused the reflection to shatter, revealing its contents. A village with a population of around 120 or more people. However, Gu Huang felt something strange. The villagers seemed lifeless, yet they were active like ordinary humans—feeling afraid, sad, and running into their respective homes.
Jie Yang Village, Northern Part of the Empire, Ancient Abandoned Forest.
"Is this the place the Emperor ordered us to kill the rebels?" said Gu Huang, staring in wonder.
"Yes, General! This place is the hiding place of the rebels, the Xiao Clan!"
"Very well! Prepare the troops! Let us annihilate this village." Gu Huang raised his spear. They had officially declared war on that village.
Gu Huang's troops charged in and began killing the residents of Jie Yang Village one by one. Their spears began to decapitate several people in that village. Some were stabbed and dragged, causing the villagers' faces or legs to be damaged to the point where their bones were visible.
As they continued their rampage, some villagers began to pull out their teeth, eyes, and cut off their own fingers. And they began to recite a dark mantra.
"Demons and gods are one. Our teeth and eyes are merely ornaments. Our fingers are an offering. Our souls are worthy to summon you. We are willing to sacrifice ourselves. Please protect the others. Appear, wandering immortals, help us!"
Gu Huang suddenly felt an unreasonable energy emanating from the largest house, like a place of worship to the gods.
Brak!
A huge explosion was heard from there. The villagers who had performed the ritual merged their bodies, growing many eyes all around their bodies. They became one, as large as a mountain. Those eyes were initially closed, then opened. Their pupils resembled swords, with the outer part of the pupils colored red.
"Damn it! I never knew there was something like this."