Old Bar held the map made of beast skin with both hands, a legacy from his ancestors bought with blood and life. The black mist around the Black Forest wasn’t retreating for the first time. This mist would disappear for a period at specific times, sometimes for three to five days, sometimes up to half a month. The intervals between the mist’s disappearances were long, and with the Yasenman tribe’s civilization becoming increasingly backward, information was lost. In later times, it was mostly passed on by word of mouth. Moreover, with the appearance of the Insect Tribe, the lifespan of the Yasenman People drastically shortened. So by the time of Old Bar, the situation inside the Black Forest was only half-understood. Cold disaster, Undead, Dark King, Assimilation — these were all the information Old Bar knew, but the terrain inside the Black Forest was recorded very clearly by the Yasenman tribe. "We’re not in danger for now." Umbrella Brother looked at the battered dagger on the ground with an expression that said, "Are you joking?" "Relatively speaking." Old Bar’s words made Umbrella Brother and Little Confused tense up inside. If this wasn’t considered dangerous, then what would they face next? As they were discussing, a roar came from afar. Little Confused swallowed hard, and the usually cheerful Bubu Wang tucked its tail. "If I’m not mistaken, that should be the roar of the Undead. Let’s go, that’s what we’ll face." Old Bar lowered his eyes, knowing more about the Black Forest than the others, so he had already prepared himself for death. Although Umbrella Brother felt somewhat nervous, he still walked at the forefront, as it was the Main Tank’s responsibility. Su Xiao was positioned behind Umbrella Brother, followed by Little Confused, Bubu Wang, and finally Old Bar at the rear. The team quickly delved into the Black Forest. Moving fast was dangerous, but they had no choice. Although Old Bar said there was enough time, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If they couldn’t leave the Black Forest before the Original Seed was exhausted, even Su Xiao would die from erosion, with a fatal check every five seconds after half an hour, which was a hopeless situation. After advancing for ten minutes, the team halted due to a herd of ’rhinos’ appearing ahead. Although unsure if they were rhinos, these creatures resembled them but were much larger. With over three hundred rhinos gathered together, they were chewing on the ground’s tender grass, periodically raising their heads to look around, with ears perked. The more Su Xiao looked at the herd of rhinos, the stranger they seemed. Rhinos typically have few natural enemies, so they often appear lazy. However, the ones before him were different. "Should we go around them? This number of rhinos could be troublesome." Umbrella Brother’s suggestion was quite reasonable, but Su Xiao stepped directly out of the hidden bushes. All the rhinos lifted their heads to look at Su Xiao, ceasing to eat, their big eyes full of panic. Su Xiao continued forward. If this were on Earth, the rhino herd might have charged forward. An unexpected situation occurred: the rhino herd scattered and fled like frightened deer, showing no intent to fight Su Xiao. Su Xiao neither drew his blade nor released his aura; he stood before the rhino herd with an ordinary person’s aura. "These rhinos are such cowards." Little Confused also stood up from the bushes, with a few leaves still on their head. "These might be animals on the lowest rung of the food chain, similar to rabbits or deer on Earth." This wasn’t good news. Such a deformed ecological environment indicated that the place was very dangerous. After advancing for half an hour, the surrounding trees gradually thinned, and a tall stone wall appeared ahead. The stone wall was gray-brown, with an uneven surface, having been built by intelligent life and worn by time to its current state. This was a ruin, scattered with stones and half-collapsed circular stone pillars. Entering the ruins, the group spread out to check the surroundings. Old Bar’s voice called; the group moved towards Old Bar. Old Bar crouched in front of a low stele, where some faint text could be seen. The text was too blurred, only partially recognizable. Though Su Xiao couldn’t read the text, he had seen it before — it was the language of the Yasenman people. "The Thirteenth Star, Cold, Experiment, Failure..." Old Bar shook his head: "The script is too blurred to make out much." This information wasn’t very useful, so the group spread out again. Five minutes later, the group gathered at the other end of the ruins, continuing their journey into the depths of the Black Forest. "Any information to share?" Umbrella Brother still led the way, with steam rising from his gloves. Su Xiao remained ever vigilant of their surroundings. No one spoke from behind. "Little Confused, Little Confused!" Umbrella Brother called twice. A puzzled Little Confused, who had been lost in thought, looked at Umbrella Brother. Little Confused scratched his head and smiled apologetically. "Woof, woof woof woof~." Bubu Wang barked a few times, but Umbrella Brother and the others didn’t understand what it meant. "It says it smells something strange." Su Xiao translated for Bubu Wang, causing Umbrella Brother and the others to glance at Bubu Wang, then at Su Xiao. "How can you ’hear’ what it’s ’saying,’ or rather, the meaning of its barks?" Umbrella Brother and the others exclaimed in wonder. Su Xiao remained calm, interpreting Bubu Wang’s meaning was simple enough, but it required long-term companionship. Old Bar at the back shook his head, indicating he found nothing. The team became unusually quiet; apart from the sounds of stepping on dry branches and leaves, there was not a single sound. Contrary to their expectations of constant danger, apart from the initial encounter with a venomous insect, the team hadn’t encountered any danger in three hours of penetrating the Black Forest. Initially, they could hear the roars of animals or occasionally see wild beasts pass by, all characterized by being inedible. Having survived the erosion of the Source of Black Mist, they all carried toxins to some extent. After four hours on the move, the surroundings became even quieter. Not even the sound of wind could be heard, only the possibility of hearing a pin drop. In such silence, Su Xiao could hear everyone’s breathing clearly. Umbrella Brother’s forehead bulged with veins; the current situation was worse than having a beast or two attack. He was under immense psychological pressure. Umbrella Brother cursed under his breath, his eyes bloodshot. Under this torment, the team ventured five hours into the Black Forest. "They’re becoming more and more." Su Xiao suddenly spoke, causing Little Confused behind him to shrink back in fright. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Sca... scared me to death, don’t speak suddenly." Little Confused wiped the cold sweat from their forehead, clutching their chest in anxiety. "What’s becoming more?" With bloodshot eyes, Umbrella Brother looked at Su Xiao. "The things following us. Otherwise, why do you think it’s so quiet? It’s those things that scared off the wild beasts." Su Xiao placed one hand on his sword hilt; his perception was the sharpest, so he was the first to notice the surrounding abnormalities.