For the next half an hour Nerissa proceeded to explain Aster, how did she end up such a precarious situation earlier.

First and formal, she isn’t the only one from the sect that entered this place, Aster didn’t know how Nerissa looked so he didn’t recognize her in the crowd of nearly twenty thousand participants earlier.

But there was a group which arrived a few seconds after Aster had entered through the formation on the wall, they were personally brought by a high ranked elder of the Steel Tower sect.

And they were none other than the fake Holy Son Edward and the girl from the purple lotus faction, Julia, was also tagging along, apparently the Supreme Elder of the Blacksmith Peak tried to register Edward and two of the girls that were with him that day.

But Angela finished the register of Aster’s group first and Nerissa had taken a spot previously, so only two more spaces were left and ultimately Edward brought Julia, they even got slowed down since the VIP space gate was naturally used by Aster, and he got the access to it denied in a 2v1 decision, from the Supreme Elders of the four peaks.

But still the Supreme Elder of the Blacksmith Peak had some connections with the Fritz, so even if he took a longer route and arrived late, they were allowed to enter, why are they being mentioned by Nerissa you ask.

Well, basically because she saw them earlier, or more accurately she had the disgrace of seeing them, the contact of the Supreme Elder in the Fritz gave Edward some privileged information and he was able to go through a safe shortcut to the middle area of the forest.

So, they were among the first group that deepened into it, Nerissa was too, she didn’t approach them or even tried to enter in contact with them, but her bad luck started because there was a small hidden space on the ground at a certain part of the forest.

Nerissa doesn’t know what happened in that space, but when she was just passing by to go deeper into the forest, she saw Edward and Julia coming out of that hidden place and running for their lives.

Then the ground trembled and after an explosion of dust, a huge arm made out of black bones came from within the ground, before the upper half of an undead the size of a house broke through the entrance to that hidden place.

Edward and Julia coincidentally ran on the same direction as Nerissa and for some reason the undead went after her, instead of the ones who provoked it, maybe they were unable to steal anything and the undead chose the biggest source of “nutrition”.

That was her supposition because that undead was full to the brim with yin energy, ad its black bones and the blue flames burning on him suggested.

𝒪𝗏𝔩xt.𝑐𝔬𝓜

“I was only able to deflect some of its long-ranged attacks from afar, because that thing was stuck on the ground, but then a blue flash came after me and the next thing I knew is that I was cut, the impact sent me flying, but I managed to get up, the second attack however I managed to get a glimpse of it, probably because I was way farther from that thing, and its control over it loosened up”.

“I was able to block its attack and got to see it, it was a giant dagger which seemed to be made with a black crystal, though I blocked it with my sword I was still sent flying once again, I’m a body cultivator so I didn’t die but that’s when my organs suffered damage”.

“Luckily that second attack pushed me out of the range of that thing, so I just ran until I could no longer feel the aura of that thing chasing after me”.

“It seems like its influence is limited to affect up to a certain area of the forest, also that thing appeared even when the three suns were still on the sky, about an hour earlier than any of the other skeletons or spirit beasts I would say”.

Aster heard Nerissa’s story and he had a couple of questions to make.

“Has something like this happened ever before, like those hidden places appearing?”, he asked.

Nerissa shook her head in response.

“No, the forest is the only thing that is supposed to be here, at least up to the limit of the middle and deep areas, no one has dared to enter that place due to the strong ominous feeling that it gives, in fact my suspect is that the thing that attacked me came from there”.

Aster was lost in his thoughts for a moment, he literally inspected Nerissa’s body a moment ago and in a rough calculation, her battle prowess should be around the middle stage of the Sea of Knowledge realm.

That being said, even if she met a Genesis Manifestation, she should have been able to defend herself, at least enough so that she could safely take her leave.

In other words…

“A Void Manipulation realm undead, it should be aiming to become a Corpse King and that’s why it went after you, who were the bigger source of yin present at the moment”, concluded Aster.

Nerissa agreed with Aster’s judgement, the enemy should be at least that strong to make her miserable, at least in a direct confrontation, she still didn’t know why she couldn’t access her ring properly nor activate her life-saving treasures to fightback, she is Valentina’s disciple after all, so she has quite a few things to deal with a lot of situations.

Aster saw her ring and she even had a few talismans which weren’t worse than what Lilia had given him, it was understandable since Valentina is an energy soul cultivator, unlike Lilia who did those talismans with the scarce knowledge she has about runs, that she caught up thanks to her Fey sister.

She should have been able to defend and escape from even a Law Integration threat, Nerissa touched her sword which seemed to be made out of some kind on blue jade, with a happy expression on her pretty face.

“Luckily this “Waterfall” which my master gave me, was able to block the second attack of that thing, otherwise I would have died”.

Aster looked at her sword and he quickly understood why despite having parried the attack of a Void Manipulation undead, using some sort of large yin accumulation crystal as a flying dagger, it was perfectly fine, that sword was a low Immortal grade treasure, its sturdiness was quite something, despite it being a light one-handed sword.

“If that woman went as far as to use a connection to the Fritz to sent that idiot after whatever is inside that hidden place, then there must be something good there, I don’t think it is what those armored guys are looking for, but it shouldn’t be too bad”, mumbled Aster.

The girls listened to him and they giggled, knowing what his next words would be, and as they expected he stood up and said.

“Let’s see what can stir the curiosity of the Supreme Elder, enough to sent her flying monkeys to look after it”.

Aster wasn’t being overconfident nor he was taking things too lightly, he took this decision after thoroughly reviewing all the information he currently had.

First of all, that giant undead, being dead means it won’t get the favor of the heavens anymore and thus even if its strength is comparable to a Void Manipulation, it lacks what makes a Void Manipulation dangerous for Camila and Tiana to fight against, the capacity to control space.

If it could have opened a portal, then it wouldn’t have gotten stuck and Nerissa wouldn’t have been able to escape, just with that it was enough for him to not feel any threat from it, Camila and Tiana fighting together should be enough to kill a Void Manipulation cultivator anyway.

Then there is the thing regarding one’s spatial treasure and other things which depended on runes not working, that was probably an interference caused by the strong yin radiated by that undead.

Yesterday at night, he saw that group which tried to force him to open the entrance to the cave, going through something similar, as long as he had a strong enough source of yang, then he should be fine, and he himself is a strong source of yang, so that part is covered as well.

Even if his ring doesn’t work, most of his valuable stuff is in the mind space anyway, and the mind space can’t be restrained or affected by anything in the mortal realms, according to Rya.

And lastly while the treasure that undead is probably guarding, will probably be less valuable for him than its yin accumulation crystal, if there is a treasure then all the people will father there which included those armored guys.

So instead of going through all the forest to find them, he could wait for them to come at him, not to mention he could mess with the Blacksmith Peak’s Supreme Elder too, there was no reason to not go.

“We’ll go there to take a look, you should be completely healed at this point, so if you want to, you can leave the Silicon Forest, this time things will be completely different than in previous years, so going alone will be a suicide”, said Aster to Nerissa, which made her raise an eyebrow.

In her experience the guys she has met so far would do their best to get her to stay more time near them, and yet she was being chased away by the black-haired youth which saved her earlier.

‘It’s been a while since I’m not the one taking the big sister role, but being taken care of, it sure does feel a bit weird… but it’s not unpleasant by any means’, she thought.

“Ahem, if you don’t mind, can I join your team, I have a pending score to settle with that bastard who brought that monster out of its cage, not to mention the Tsarai and Zoldia guys, you mentioned there was an aphrodisiac in their rings right, that means they need a little beating to remember who is the boss, I won’t drag you down”, she said.

The Myriad Occupation sect was the only one among the three top sects that mostly only had female members, the guys whose dreams of entering the sect and getting a court of beauties as their harem, miserably failed, almost always ended up joining the Pleasure Palace of the Tsarai Stellar System.

It has gotten to the point that there is a whole section in the Pleasure Palace dedicated for those who came from Galatia, and one of their Hall Masters was a guy who once was a gust elder at the Myriad Occupation sect but left in anger, after his try to court a Supreme Elder failed miserably.

So now he has gotten a position with a similar status to a Supreme Elder and naturally it hated the Myriad Occupation sect with burning passion, still even if personal vendettas were included, being in possession of an evil cultivation technique was enough for an Executor of the ruler families to investigate and purge a guardian sect or ruler of that Stellar System.

Not to mention the one in question is a dual cultivation evil technique, which made its owner an enemy of all the women in the galaxy, once discovered a bounty will be placed on the heads of those guys, and strong female cultivators will always accept those missions on the mission halls of the righteous sects.

Aster didn’t mind her tagging along, she was strong enough to be in his group, the girls also didn’t complain, not to mention Tiana’s next words.

“She can’t leave anymore in any case, Aster, try to send your spirit sense to the limit between the outer and middle area of the forest”, she said.

Aster frowned, he did as she told, thanks to the interference of the crystals being lessened, his spirit sense managed to reach the entrance to the middle area, or what should have been that, but was now being blocked by a dark blue crystal wall, he saw some poor bastard trying to jump it, just to be turned into a puddle of rotten liquid, due to the strong corroding effect of yin.

“Well, I guess that makes it easier, welcome to the team”, said Aster to Nerissa, he then used a stick to write a message on the ground.

Eris and Agnes couldn’t directly communicate with him, but Eris’s soul energy was still following them, so she should be able to see them, since she meddled with the surveillance formations in the forest.

“Okay, please take us there”, said Aster to Nerissa.

“Mm, just be prepared that place is already near the border of the middle area, so there is a strong yin mist lingering through the whole area”, she added.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I have a yang type treasure that can protect the whole group from the negative influence of that mist”, said Aster referring to himself.

Nerissa nodded and then they departed, though she was half immobilized after escaping, she still ran for a whole day to get back at the outskirts of the middle area, so it was going to take a few hours for them to get there.