Fang Yuan had already activated the Lion Hair Armor, protecting his entire body securely. He was fully alert, quickly scanning his surroundings, and realized he was on the mountainside of a peak.
Around him, ancient trees towered to the sky. Even as an Immortal Zombie over two zhang tall, he didn't even reach a third of the giant tree's height.
Looking up, he could see the sky through the gaps in the dense foliage.
This sky was half-green and half-blue, extraordinarily serene. In the cyan sky hung six enormous star figures, like six full moons, colored red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white.
Fang Yuan opened a tiny slit in his Immortal Aperture, and Hei Lou Lan instantly appeared, her feet landing on the mountain rock.
A sharp light flashed in her eyes as she swept her gaze around. "Is this the inside of the Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven?"
"That's right. Let's go. The Desolate Beast, Star Demon Bat, that I want to kill should be nearby." Fang Yuan said.
Since they didn't know the exact location of the Star Demon Bat, the two casually chose a direction and headed off.
As they walked, they continuously employed investigation methods. After becoming Gu Immortals, their True Essence was unlimited, allowing them to use Mortal Gu to their heart's content.
They had also made ample preparations before entering.
Although neither had an Investigation killer move, they had prepared a large number of Investigation Gu Insects from various paths. They were not only keeping their eyes and ears open, but also feeling the slight vibrations through their feet on the ground, detecting any strange smells with their noses as they breathed, while simultaneously spreading their divine sense to cover the surroundings. They had achieved a comprehensive, all-directional investigation.
Time slipped by, but this forest seemed to have no end.
"A full quarter of an hour has passed. Something's wrong!" Hei Lou Lan stopped, her expression turning serious as she spoke to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan nodded, his voice low. "You're right. We entered the Starry Sky Grotto-Heaven. It's been this long, yet we haven't encountered a single beast. There's nothing but trees and mist. No matter if we go up or down the mountain, or walk in any direction, the scenery is exactly the same."
Hei Lou Lan looked up. "Let's fly up."
The two cautiously flew upwards.
The cyan sky was completely empty. If they flew up into the sky, they would be extremely conspicuous and could easily be discovered by groups of beasts, which would then swarm and besiege them.
Therefore, to be safe, Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan had initially chosen to travel close to the ground.
Now, they took the risk to try, but the result was disappointing.
The higher they flew, the thicker the strange mist became. It eventually grew so dense that it blocked their vision, to the point where they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.
Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan urged their Investigation Gu in the thick fog, but they were severely limited.
They discussed for a while, and being cautious, they were unwilling to continue taking such risks, and fell back to the ground.
"Could it be that the Starry Sky Heaven Spirit has already started targeting us?" Hei Lou Lan speculated.
"The situation here is either a unique law of this Grotto-Heaven, or it's an illusion. It's silently interfering with our sense of direction and blocking our true senses. Unfortunately, I don't have an Investigation killer move yet." Fang Yuan said.
"Don't you have any Wisdom Path methods? Wisdom Path is also good at solving this kind of predicament." Hei Lou Lan frowned and asked.
Fang Yuan shook his head. "I do have some Wisdom Path methods, but they're very special and can't determine directions. Do you have an Investigation killer move?"
Hei Lou Lan snorted softly, clenching her delicate fists. "No Investigation killer moves, but I have plenty of attack killer moves! My Strength!"
As she spoke, she struck out with both fists, unleashing surging fist force.
The fist force gushed out in all directions, rapidly condensing into Strength Path phantoms.
These Strength Path phantoms had bloated bodies, like violent bears, with triangular eyes and jagged teeth. It was exactly the masculine image Hei Lou Lan had disguised herself as before.
Fang Yuan stepped back a few paces at the right moment, giving Hei Lou Lan enough space.
All these Strength Path phantoms pounced simultaneously toward Hei Lou Lan's main body. The phantoms merged into each other, quickly enveloping Hei Lou Lan's main body, forming a giant Strength Path phantom.
This killer move had astonishing power. Hei Lou Lan had used it during the expedition to the Northern Plains, directly blasting apart the Flying Bear Phantom Image.
Now, she swung her fists again.
The giant fist smashed heavily into an ancient tree beside her.
The sturdy, thick ancient tree was immediately broken in two by Hei Lou Lan. The lower half remained in the soil, but tilted severely, churning the earth and exposing the roots. The upper half flew directly outward, whooshing through the air, crashing into other ancient trees along the way and knocking down two or three.
Boom, boom, boom...
Hei Lou Lan's fists and feet flew wildly. Her heavy punches and flying kicks shook the mountains, sending earth and stones flying, toppling ancient trees, and dispersing the thin mist.
Fang Yuan flew into the air, his field of vision greatly expanded.
He saw that this forest was only about a hundred li in circumference, yet earlier he and Hei Lou Lan had been circling around here.
Outside this forest, he could see beasts roaming, insects chirping lightly, streams gurgling, and wildflowers gently swaying in the wind—a scene full of natural life and vitality.
"It seems this forest itself is very unique. It should be a species of tree that is now extinct. The source of your intelligence is a bit suspicious. The location we entered just happens to be in this forest." The giant Strength Path phantom transmitted a divine thought to communicate with Fang Yuan.
Even though Fang Yuan had rich experiences in his previous life and a broad perspective, he couldn't recognize the origin of this kind of tree.