Sect master wen arrived before the sixth elder’s peak.

He saw Lin Mo meditating in the courtyard, all injuries healed.

When they brought him to the sect, from the forest, his body seemed to be frozen and locked. Now, he seemed fine.

Noticing a presence, Lin Mo opened his eyes to see the Sect Master in the courtyard.

Lin Mo went ahead and bowed in greeting to the sect master.

“You’re all healed,”

“Yes.” Nodded Lin Mo.

“Do you know what happened in the forest?” asked the sect master.

“I only know a giant chased us, and after that, I can't recall what happened,” Lin Mo added. “I seemed to black out in front of the giant.”

“Hmm,”

While the sect master was questioning Lin Mo, the door to the building slid open and Sixth Elder in bamboo hat stepped out.

The Sect Master explained the recent changed that occurred inside the forest and how the layers appeared to be merging.

“What does the Sixth Elder think would be the best action?” asked the sect master.

Contemplating for a while, the Sixth Elder answered, “Maybe destroy the forest.”

“Destroy an entire forest?” the sect master smiled wryly. “Who could accomplish such a feat?”

“Indeed, on second thought, it’s currently impossible for anyone.”

After a brief talk with the Sixth Elder, the sect master left the peak.

The sect master didn’t’ had to stay too long in the courtyard. It was not surprising for the sect master, as talks with the Sixth Elder were always short and direct.

…

On the way down, the sect master appeared to be pondering.

“I guess he doesn’t remember anything. To think that kid did all that unconsciously is still shocking.”

At the beginning of the clash between Lin Mo and the forest tyrant, Sect Master Wen arrived at the scene, ready to interfere whenever necessary.

He witnessed the clash between the two and was amazed to see Lin Mo, a junior disciple, gaining the upper hand against a beast of that caliber.

He recognized the secret skill, Lin Mo used, as he was very familiar with it himself.

Their founder, Sage Li, created this skill—it was her ultimate art. Later, it was forgotten, as only a rare few could fully master it.

So far, even his talented daughter, Lina, had only grasped the first few steps.

In the forest, during the moment when Lin Mo one-sidedly suppressed the tyrant, he seemed to pause, and the giant countered.

Seeing that Sect Master Wen was about to interfere when suddenly he sensed a strong spiritual sense sweep across the forest.

“This is...!”

A while later, after the tyrant’s retreat, a group of Elders arrived on the scene.

They observed the destruction of the forest all around them and were left with mouths agape.

They wondered what kind of battle took here.

They found the only witnessed to this destruction laying on the rubble unconscious.

An elder approached Lin Mo’s unconscious body.

“Stop! It could be a beast taking a human form,” an elder in white attire spoke.

Hearing the words, the other elders became a bit wary. As they had seen the surroundings, this possibility was not far-fetched.

“Move, that’s the disciple from our sect,” someone came forward.

If Lin Mo saw him, he would recognize this old man.

He was the mission hall elder.

Those elders surveyed the surrounding destruction carefully, not missing a detail.

“What kind of battle took place here?” They appeared bewildered.

The surrounding trees were cleanly cut. From the cuts, they could identify that it was done in a single strike.

Not just one or two, but an entire section of this layer was cut clean.

“Could it be two high-ranked beasts fought a battle here?” an elder speculated.

“How could a high-ranked beast breach the barrier?” another argued.

Their argument grew as more elders joined in with different speculations.

Then, a voice interjected. “Maybe there’s something wrong with the barrier.”

It was the Sect Master Wen. He floated in the air. “We should check it, while we are all gathered here.”

“What do you think?” asked the Sect Master Wen looking in a different direction.

Two figures appeared in the air, a man in white attire, and the other a woman in grey.

They were the two sect masters, from the Sun and Moon Sword Sect.

The elders below noticed them and bowed towards their respective sect masters.

“Maybe your sect’s disciple knows something of this battle,” stated Sun sect master in white.”

“We can ask him after he wakes up. He was the only witness here.” Replied Sect Master Wen.

“He could only be collateral damage in this destruction,” remarked a Sun Sect Elder.

“That’s possible. What could he have done with his meager realm,” said the Moon Sect Master in grey.

“Take him back and mend his injuries.” Ordered sect master Wen.

With his command, none dared block the mission hall elder from taking Lin Mo and leaving.

“Should we go?” Asked Sect Master Wen

The two sects master nodded and the three disappeared from the scene.

As they progressed deeper, the contrasting change in terrain and vegetation compared to the first two layers became visible.

The eeriness of the forest grew as they delved deeper. The further they went; the forest became more eerie and dangerous until it became too suffocating for anyone to continue.

Of course, those three were fine.

After countless years of accumulating power, the sages of the past successfully placed a barrier dividing each layer of the forest, restricting the entry of beasts above a certain realm.

Now, after generations had passed, it seemed that the barrier around the first two layers was weakening.

On the way deep into the forest, they noticed changes in the terrain and formation of the land. It seemed that changes had taken place inside the forest.

To verify their conjecture, the three sect masters entered further deep into the forest.

After passing one more layer, they found themselves between the boundary of the fifth and sixth layers.

In front of them lay an abyss, shrouded in eternal darkness.

Far ahead, they could see the other side. Yet, the three sects' masters dared not cross this boundary.

Even if they were the sect master of their respective sect, they knew their strength well and knew when to call quits.

The place ahead was an absolute danger zone for the three with their strength alone.

It would take an expedition of sages to venture further beyond this abyss.

“Why does it look like the layers are merging?” Sun sect master wondered.

“This has never happened before,” Sect Master Wen spoke.

They had entered this deep in the past, yet the other side of this boundary was never visible. This time, it became visible, indicating that it was nearing.

There was no record of such merging left behind by the sages, as it had never happened before.

“Let’s return. I don’t like this place,” said a woman in grey looking at her gloomy surroundings.

The dense forest blocked nearly all light, with tall trees extending to the skies.

Some attributed it to the mysterious energy of the forest, while others claimed it was due to this land being cursed. But none could be certain about the cause of this strange nature of the forest.

They swiftly returned to the safety of the second layer.

The group of Elders had done their quick investigation and found out the culprit behind the havoc.

“A forest tyrant, no wonder,” said Sun sect master.

They had guessed it before, seeing the large footprints. As there were only a few beasts this colossal.

“It must be still hiding in the second layer,” Said the Moon sect Master. “Keep searching.”

“But what was its opponent?” asked the sun sect master.

Elders shook their head.

They had no answer to that. No matter how they searched it, there were no prints or clues of its opponent.

They kept their search going and until further investigation, the forest became a restricted area.