After Xue Wei had exhausted the stories he could tell of the time after their separation, Wang Xiaoyun finally turned quiet and the trio advanced in silence.
From time to time, Wang Xiaoyun's eyes flashed dangerously. When she looked at Hei Gou, her face would display unconcealed displeasure, but she said nothing.
Hei Gou pretended that he did not see it, whereas Xue Wei was wondering what exactly he should do to make her opinion of beasts change.
Xue Wei did not hate beasts. He hated specific individuals such as Chu Huiyin, but the beasts as a whole were not a group he hated.
It was the same with humans. Although almost the entire human race was hunting him, he did not hate them. But he hated some of them - especially those that had caused Tie Haolong's death.
Xue Wei had taken off the face mask when he had headed into the forest beneath Goat Mountain because he wanted Wang Xioayun to recognize him, but now that they were together again, he placed the mask back on his face.
It would be hard to deliver the Seven Star Nightflower to Wan Qiang if his appearance suddenly changed.
Wang Xiaoyun had been informed of everything about them, so she knew he would look different for some time. She only looked on curiously as Xue Wei placed the mask on his face, and saw how his features changed from a somewhat handsome young man to a figure so average that he would not stand out in a crowd.
Hei Gou smiled slightly when he saw her naive and innocent curiosity, but the moment she noticed his smile, her face distorted. It was clear that she could not comprehend why Xue Wei put so much value on a Primordial Beast, even if he had saved his life before.
They soon reached the location of the formation. Although they could not see anything, Xue Wei could feel a vibration running through the energy in the region.
Wang Xiaoyun was the strongest in their group, a genuine fourth layer Heavenly Warrior, whereas Hei Gou was only a sixth layer Sky Warrior in Qi-level despite his Heavenly Warrior-level physical strength, so she covered their rear as they approached
"It is really not needed," Xue Wei had said with a laugh. "We have never encountered a Primordial Beast in our travels so far, much less a Fierce Beast."
"Don't be complacent. Just because you have not encountered them yet does not mean that you will not encounter them ever. I will ensure that no one can assault us from behind and at the same time keep an eye on your friend in case he is going to betray us."
"I told you he is not like that!" Xue Wei got upset when he heard that. Wang Xiaoyun realized she had said too much. "I apologize," she said meekly. Hei Gou accepted the apology rather quickly so that there would be no drama.
Xue Wei gave Hei Gou a thumbs up. He was a true friend indeed. It was no understatement to say that Hei Gou was a proud figure. Although he had never been treated well in the Celestial Dog Clan, he had always had pride in his bones.
After running away, all he saw forward to was imminent death, but Xue Wei had given him a new lease on life. So although Hei Gou could typically not handle others insulting him, he would ignore the hurtful words that Wang Xiaoyun said when considering what she had gone through and what she meant to Xue Wei.
"But Wei, I don't understand," Wang Xiaoyun suddenly spoke out after walking for some time. "Beasts have done such terrible things to you. Just like me, the Ice Harpy changed your entire life and framed you in front of all the humans. Does it not make your blood boil? Do you not want revenge on all the beasts for what they did to you?"
"You are mistaken," Xue Wei sighed for the umpteenth time, unsure of how to make her understand. "Although the Ice Harpy framed me and caused my entire life to be turned upside down, those were her actions alone. I cannot hate all beasts because of one beast's action."
"In fact, I got some great assistance from another beast, a Lightning Sparrow. It risked its life to help my friend and I escape the encirclement in the middle of the city."
"Also, the humans were the ones who decided to use dirty tricks to try and capture me. The humans are the ones who are currently chasing me. If I were to hate a race, I fear that the race I would hate would be my own kind."
"But everything was started by the Ice Harpy! Had it not been for her, you would have never encountered these problems, and then no one would have found fault with you. Don't you think that the beasts are at fault for starting it all?"
"If I were to blame someone, it would be Chu Huiyin." Xue Wei nodded his head. "But not all beasts are the same. I fear that the Ice Harpy is insane in her head; the few interactions I have had with her have revealed her madness to me quite visibly."
"Chu Huiyin?" Wang Xiaoyun spat out the name. "You are not a Primordial Beast, so how come you know her real name?"
She looked tentative and a little guarded as she asked this question. Her eyes showed a slight trace of distrust, but it vanished as soon as it had appeared.
"I have had a few interactions with her before," Xue Wei answered honestly. "She was in her human shape and was causing havoc in the kingdom of Heping."
Then Xue Wei went on to explain the entire process in which he had met and gotten to know Chu Huiyin. He could understand that Wang Xiaoyun was worried – Chu Huiyin was after all her most hated foe, so knowledge on the subject was more than welcome.
The moment Xue Wei finished talking, a relieved smile appeared on Wang Xiaoyun's face. She nodded her head.
"But for now, let us enter the formation," Xue Wei said. They had been standing in front of it for some time, inspecting its appearance for any hidden mechanisms.
Most formations were invisible until triggered, but this one was like a barrier of energy that had shrouded everything on the inside, causing Xue Wei to frown.
If it was shrouding the inside, how did the Elders back at the Black Iron Fortress figure out that there was a Seven Star Nightflower inside?
Xue Wei was puzzled, but he guessed that someone else had already once been inside the formation, but this person had failed to bring it out with them. Although the formation only allowed beasts and humans under a certain age to enter, there were bound to be many beasts within the formation.
This was the beasts' territory. If there were treasures, they were likely to have claimed them already. But legacies were impossible for beasts to make use of since they only used innate abilities and were incapable of learning martial arts.
It was precisely those skills that Xue Wei was hoping had been left behind, due to their lack of worth to the beasts. With the loss of his heritage ring, he had also lost his repository of new skills to learn, so although he already acquired some very awesome abilities, he was in dire need of sword arts.
"Let us enter!" Xue Wei said and took a step towards the barrier. He walked through what felt like a waterfall of energy before entering the formation.
When he was inside, he took a deep breath and noticed that the energy within was filled with heaven-and-earth essence, so much so that the circulation of Qi within his body quickened like a surge of adrenaline, almost intoxicating.
Behind him, Hei Gou and Wang Xiaoyun had followed, looking around curiously and also quickly sensing the difference in energy from outside to inside.
"So we are to find a specific herb somewhere in this formation," Wang Xiaoyun said as she started observing their surroundings.
"Right. It should be close by to our current position, somewhere on the outskirts of the barrier, so my suggestion is that we follow the rim of the barrier until we find it."
They quickly set out on the task and kept their eyes pried and ears open. They did not encounter any living creature on their trip, but this was no surprise as no living being had been spotted by them ever since Wang Xiaoyun had joined up with them.
From time to time, she would glance at Xue Wei with doubtful eyes, but after a bit of time she would shake her head, and the doubtful expression in her eyes would soften and turn warm.
Neither Xue Wei nor Hei Gou noticed anything; both were busy watching their surroundings and looking for the Seven Star Nightflower.
They had not walked for long before the dense forest suddenly opened up to a meadow that stretched as far as their eyes could see with a river running on the side of it. There were no signs of life on this grassy meadow. However, magical herbs were sprouting here and there in the shadows of the trees that were bordering the meadow, and in small clusters in the grass itself.
"Let's take them!" Xue Wei grinned. Although they were here for the Seven Star Nightflower, it did not mean that they would pass up on other valuables that they came past.
"Leave the roots so that they can continue to flourish here," Xue Wei ordered. Wang Xiaoyun and Hei Gou nodded their heads. Although they could use the herbs' roots, they felt that it would be such a shame to take them all, since it would mean that it would take a very long time before the herbs would once more be growing wildly in the meadow.
After working for an hour excavating the herbs, the trio had harvested a significant stash of them.
When Xue Wei had first acquired his storage treasure, he had found numerous jade bottles and boxes containing the herbs he and Hei Gou had partially consumed prior to this. So now he took out the empty ones and placed the new herbs within them.
"Let us go to the river and get something to drink as we wash up," he said. They had soil on their hands from harvesting the herbs, and their throats were parched because they had been standing in the sun for a full hour with their entire focus on the herbs.
Although they were cultivators with a lot of strength, harvesting herbs required the most outstanding amount of focus, as a single mistake in the process of gathering it meant the herb would lose some of its medicinal properties.
It was not easy to maintain complete focus for an entire hour, so it was best to take a small break before they continued on their search for the Seven Star Nightflower.
They walked to the riverside and saw that it was a very turbulent river of fresh water.
After pausing for an hour and eating some of the rations they had brought with them, they felt rested and much better than they had done before. They also managed to rest their minds and let their mindset reach the peak again.
They were about to leave when Xue Wei sensed a change in their surroundings. He frowned and looked behind them. There, three figures slowly walked out from the thicket of the forest and entered the meadow.
These three had noticed Xue Wei and his friends at the same moment that Xue Wei saw them.
Their faces were filled with incredulity, but then a sinister smile flickered across their faces.
"Hei Gou!" one of them yelled out loud. "You ran so far! You even dragged others into your matter! Come now, and face your death!"