Volume One: The Millennium Stream Chapter 62: Spectacle

Sun Zikai had been hiding thirty miles away, roasting a small beast while eating and waiting. He discovered that eating was also a way to absorb energy, but what he hadn't expected was a familiar voice ringing out beside him.

"Brother Kai? Why are you here?"

Sun Zikai was stunned. Tilting his head, he saw Feng Yueyi blinking her bright, limpid eyes as she stared right at him. The two of them were extremely close, their faces only a foot apart. Yet, despite his profound mastery of the Dao of energy and vitality, Sun Zikai had remained completely oblivious in such close quarters.

"Tsk," Sun Zikai muttered, turning his head in annoyance and putting down the meat in his hand. How could he not have felt a thing? Right, he had sensed a small beast approaching earlier, but deep within the forest, small beasts wandered past at all times. Now, Feng Yueyi and her big mouth were bound to ruin his operation again.

Feng Yueyi was thrilled. Turning into a chatterbox, she bounced around Sun Zikai as if she had an endless stream of questions. Sun Zikai pressed his hands against his forehead, then suddenly grabbed her and said with utmost seriousness, "I have two choices right now: either kill you to seal your lips, or believe that you can keep the fact that you saw me locked deep in your stomach."

Feng Yueyi smiled brightly. Sun Zikai let out a sigh, released her, and complained, "I really want to kill you."

"Hehe, Brother Kai, my lips are sealed, I definitely won't tell anyone. Why are you here?"

"Sneaked out."

"Just you?"

"What else? It was hard enough just getting here by myself. Who else did you expect me to bring?"

"You are amazing!" Feng Yueyi had long since become an admirer of Sun Zikai. "How did you manage to survive traveling all this way?"

"None of your business, it's confidential."

"Definitely, definitely, I won't tell a soul."

"Then why are you here?" Sun Zikai countered.

"My master told me to blend into the barbaric lands of the Northern Border and survive for thirty days as part of my training. Today is already the twenty-first day!"

Sun Zikai sniffed and said, "No wonder there's such a strange smell on you."

"Ah? Is there?" Feng Yueyi earnestly sniffed her own arm.

Sun Zikai smiled, finding this young girl quite endearing. The two of them sat down side by side. Throwing caution to the wind, Feng Yueyi began, "Brother Kai, I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else. There are actually many forbidden zones here in the Northern Border. My master said that the Zhaoge Wu clan only operates within a very small area; they have never set foot in eighty percent of the Northern Border. However, over the years, they have also marked twelve forbidden zones—and these twelve don't even include the publicly known Qiling General Realm and Five Transformations Terraced Fields. One of those forbidden zones is known to every single beast in the Northern Border. As long as you follow a beast that is traveling purposefully—any beast will do—it will lead you straight to that forbidden zone. But those forbidden zones are places of no return. A century ago, the Zhaoge Wu clan suffered a massive blow because of this and never dared to take action there again."

"Mm, but hold on a second. I'm guessing... did your master tell you never to tell anyone about this?"

"Yeah, so you must never tell anyone else!"

Sun Zikai covered his forehead again and let out a long sigh. "Mhm, alright, I know. Thanks for telling me, though I'm not happy at all."

"Don't you want to go and take a look, Brother?"

"No, I'm going back."

"Liars," Feng Yueyi pouted. "You actually just want to ditch me and go see it by yourself."

"You're not so stupid after all."

"I don't care, I want to go too. I'm the one who told you this secret; if you don't take me with you, I'll go tell my master you're here."

"What difference does that make?" Sun Zikai said, spreading his hands.

"Are you going or not?! I've wanted to go for a long time, but I didn't dare go alone."

"Sigh!" Sun Zikai pressed down on his knees and stood up. "Let's go!" He suddenly bolted forward. "I'm going home!" In the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

Feng Yueyi angrily shouted, "If you do this, I'm going to tell my master!" She turned around, hands on her hips, but was instantly startled, tumbling straight down onto the ground. Standing right there with folded arms was Wu Lanmu, staring down at her with a chilling gaze.

"Master? Why... why are you here.... um..." Feng Yueyi lowered her head timidly. How could she have known? Just as Sun Zikai hadn't noticed her, she hadn't noticed her own master. Wu Lanmu cherished this precious disciple dearly—how could she possibly bear to let her run off into the northern forests alone to fend for herself for thirty days? Feng Yueyi had been having too much fun to notice that another small beast had been trailing right behind her the entire time.

Wu Lanmu's gaze right then could have killed. Feng Yueyi lowered her head, pouted, and whispered, "Master, I didn't say much. Just talked about some trivial things, not a single extra word, I swear."

After a long silence, a heavy sigh finally broke the quiet.

Sun Zikai's execution capability was formidable. He had minimized his energy and aura to the absolute limit while simultaneously following four or five groups of small beasts. Beasts actually possessed emotions, so three or four of the air currents around them stood out from the rest. Finding a beast heading toward a specific destination was easy for him.

Though the emotional states of these four or five groups of small beasts were similar and their travel paths varied slightly, their general direction was the same. Only, the journey was agonizingly long, seeming to have no end. Sun Zikai couldn't help wondering how beasts of such different species could remember the route with such precision.

A day and a night passed, and they still hadn't reached the destination. These beasts didn't march incessantly; they rested when tired, ate when hungry, and some were even preyed upon by other beasts. By now, only two small beasts were left continuing the journey.

However, starting from the second day, the state of these two beasts underwent a dramatic change. Their routes became increasingly direct and straightforward. Paths they previously bypassed to avoid danger were now charged through blindly, and their traveling speed tripled compared to the previous day.

Another day and night passed in this manner. The two beasts were utterly exhausted, each collapsing on opposite sides of a small stream. After drinking, they fell asleep, resting for just a single hour before resuming their journey under the morning light.

This time, Sun Zikai felt they were about to arrive, for he saw numerous other beasts with the same objective—not just small beasts, but massive ones dozens of feet tall as well. All of them were utterly exhausted, as if fulfilling some kind of ritual. Before reaching the end, they had to drain every ounce of strength from their bodies, perhaps for some form of self-purification.

Beasts had faiths, too. He could sense the inner peace within these creatures. As more and more beasts converged onto a wide path, the status of "prey" vanished; "malice" ceased to exist here. Sun Zikai guessed that the forbidden zone they were approaching might well be a sacred sanctuary for the beasts.

After traversing mountains and wading through rivers, a breathtaking vista suddenly opened up before him. First, he stood at the edge of a vast basin, and then, what met his eyes was tens of thousands of beasts...