"Huh? Why don't they like humans?" Evan Yang felt uneasy hearing this, and his vigilance rose. If a few powerful 'pig' monsters showed up, he might not even have a chance to escape.
The piglet had no idea what Evan Yang was thinking. After chattering with the Jade Rabbit, it led Evan and the rabbit forward.
Evan Yang didn't say much, carefully following close behind until they reached a cave. He glanced at the strange characters carved above and muttered, "What are these three characters, anyway?"
"Big brother, that's beast script. But these three characters are pretty complicated—I don't know how to pronounce them either," the Jade Rabbit said, looking a bit aggrieved.
"Even you don't know?" Evan asked curiously.
"You think I'm some celestial rabbit? That I know everything?" The Jade Rabbit replied, a little childishly and annoyed.
"Uh, I was just joking, don't get mad. Let's hurry inside before we get lost." Seeing the piglet not far ahead, Evan quickly picked up the Jade Rabbit and headed into the cave.
The cave sloped downward, and Evan felt himself descending. "Whew, it's so dark, but at least there's a faint light. Better stay alert—if anything doesn't like me, it'll be trouble."
Following behind the piglet, Evan didn't dare relax for a moment, afraid monsters might appear and seal the exit, making escape impossible.
"Jade Rabbit, how deep is this place?" Evan felt uneasy, like he was walking into a bottomless pit.
The Jade Rabbit shook her head, not knowing either.
Ahead, the piglet walked slowly, occasionally glancing back at Evan Yang and the Jade Rabbit, signaling them not to fall behind.
"We've come this far down, might as well go all in." Evan thought, then took the Jade Rabbit and followed closely behind the piglet.
They finally stopped in a spacious underground area. To Evan's surprise, he saw a river. "How is there a river here?"
"Big brother, that's an underground river. Lots of places have them. You're such an illiterate," the Jade Rabbit said, glaring at him. Evan almost retorted that only spirit beasts would live so deep underground.
The piglet looked at Evan, then at the Jade Rabbit, and after chattering for a bit, the Jade Rabbit said to Evan, "Big brother, the piglet says there are other spirit beasts ahead, so we need to be careful."
"Got it." Hearing there were other spirit beasts, Evan nodded, not daring to be careless.
Once Evan was ready, the piglet led the way again, but this time it moved much slower, cautiously scanning left and right as if afraid of running into other spirit beasts.
Evan, closely following behind, also looked around warily, keeping alert to his surroundings.
The river was long, its destination unknown. Evan followed the piglet along the river, heading deeper.
It was quiet at first, but suddenly the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Just as Evan was about to decide whether to retreat, five or six black bears appeared around him, each holding special weapons and pointing them at him.
One of the black bears stepped forward, chattered to the piglet, then let out a roar.
"Jade Rabbit, what's going on now?" Evan had no idea what they were saying or what kind of spirit beasts these were. More importantly, their cultivation was actually equivalent to Foundation-Building great perfection.
The Jade Rabbit, nestled in Evan's arms, explained, "Those spirit beasts are guardians here. They saw the piglet bring you in, so they've stopped you and are interrogating the piglet now."
Evan watched as the black bear gestured with its huge paw in front of the piglet, worried for its safety. "Is the piglet in danger?" he asked.
"Looks like it might be," the Jade Rabbit said, uncertain.
Just as the Jade Rabbit finished speaking, a black bear took the piglet away, while the other bears surrounded Evan and the Jade Rabbit.
"Big brother, what do we do now?" The Jade Rabbit asked anxiously after the piglet was taken away.
In such an unknown place, Evan didn't dare act rashly. He told the Jade Rabbit, "Ask them what they want, and where they took the piglet."
The Jade Rabbit then started talking with the lead black bear.
The lead black bear was startled at first, then grew angry and began speaking a long string of words Evan couldn't understand.
"These must be intelligent spirit beasts," Evan thought, seeing how clever they acted. The Jade Rabbit continued her conversation with the lead black bear from Evan's arms.
Spirit beasts are divided into several ranks. Those with awakened intelligence are far stronger than the ones that can be slaughtered at will. It's said that divine beasts like dragons and phoenixes exist in the world, though no one has truly seen them.
There are also many spirit beasts whose quality can't be judged—like the Jade Rabbit. Evan didn't know what type she was, and watched curiously as she spoke with the black bear.
Finally, the Jade Rabbit spoke. "Big brother, the piglet was locked up by them, and their goal is to bring us to the Lord of the Deep Beasts to let him decide our fate."
"So there's no room for negotiation?" Evan realized this so-called lord must be formidable; even if he wanted to escape, he might not get the chance.
"If we don't go with them, they'll execute us now or throw us into the illusion formation outside to fend for ourselves." The Jade Rabbit relayed the black bear's original words to Evan.
Evan, who had been considering fighting, stopped and thought, "If I run now, I'll offend the whole spirit beast tribe and might still not escape. If I don't run, maybe there's a chance to survive."
After weighing his options, Evan told the Jade Rabbit, "Let's go with them."
The Jade Rabbit didn't know what Evan was thinking, but she wasn't dissatisfied. She began explaining to the black bears.
Seeing Evan didn't resist, the black bears didn't treat him harshly. They had Evan and the Jade Rabbit stand in the middle, surrounded by bears to prevent him from escaping.
"They're actually pretty disciplined," Evan thought, watching the black bears' practiced movements. He grew curious about what kind of tribe these underground spirit beasts belonged to.
Led by several black bears, Evan and the Jade Rabbit were brought to a secret chamber underground, where a figure stood with his back to them.
The figure raised his hand to signal the black bears, who then left the room and guarded the entrance outside. Evan, puzzled, looked at the figure and asked the Jade Rabbit, "Talk to the Lord, see what he wants."
The Jade Rabbit was about to speak, but the figure turned around with a smile. "No need," he said.
"Ah!" Evan exclaimed in surprise. The Lord could speak human language, and when he turned around, apart from blue eyes, pointed ears, fine hair, and dark blue skin, he looked just like a human.
"Little one, you've got guts, coming to this mountain," the Lord said with a smile.
"Are you the Lord here?" Seeing the other wasn't fierce, Evan summoned his courage and asked the mysterious man before him.
"Yes. What, surprised?" The Lord smiled and walked toward Evan.
Evan smiled, relaxing a bit. "A little. I'm just curious—why is everyone else in their original spirit beast form, but you...?"
"Don't you know spirit beasts can change their appearance in the later stages?" The Lord came up to Evan and smiled.
"Uh, I really didn't know that." Evan admitted, not knowing much about spirit beasts, let alone their cultivation methods.
"Let me see. Mid-Foundation-Building stage, and so young—you must be considered quite talented among humans, right?" The Lord looked Evan up and down, then smiled.
Hearing this, Evan was shocked. He'd hidden his cultivation, yet the Lord could still see through it and even knew his real age. He couldn't help but admire the mysterious man before him.
"Relax, I won't harm you. But if you want to leave here, you'll have to agree to one thing for me," the Lord said, seeing Evan's stunned expression.
Seeing the Lord wasn't making things difficult, Evan relaxed a bit and asked curiously, "May I ask what you need from me, senior?"
"I want you to kill someone, or help us escape this space." The Lord's smile faded, and he looked at Evan with a strange expression.
"What? Senior, even you have someone you can't deal with? And about this space—I'm trapped here too, I can't even get out myself." Evan saw that neither condition was something he could do, so he could only laugh awkwardly.
"Wrong. Just because you can't now doesn't mean you never will," the Lord said seriously, even giving Evan a look that could eat him alive.
The sudden change startled Evan, who took a few steps back. After steadying himself, he thought, "Seriously? Am I supposed to stay here forever?"
Seeing Evan's anxiety, the Lord put away his earlier aura and smiled. "Don't be nervous, little one."
With no other choice, Evan asked helplessly, "Senior, who do you want me to kill? And what's the story behind this space?"
"Do you want to know the origin of this space?" The Lord asked, looking thoughtful.
"Of course." Ever since entering this space, Evan had encountered many strange things and was curious about its origin and how spirit beasts could live underground.
The Lord thought for a moment and replied, "Thousands of years ago, a man came to a forest searching for the so-called 'Edge of the Horizon,' which is the area behind this mountain. He was trapped at the outskirts and couldn't enter, so he met us spirit beasts. We rarely interacted with outsiders, so we were curious about his arrival and even chatted with him. Gradually, some of our smarter spirit beasts learned human language, and he learned basic beast speech."
"And then?" Evan asked, curious when the Lord paused.
The mysterious man, also known as the Lord, looked hollow-eyed and sorrowful. "Sigh, afterwards, all the spirit beasts were sealed in this space by him, never to leave for eternity."
"Why?" Evan finally understood why the Edge of the Horizon was inside a space—it had been sealed here by force, and the space itself was mobile. So even if someone tried to find the Edge of the Horizon from outside, it was impossible unless they stumbled in by accident. More importantly, cultivation was restricted—even Foundation-Building stage cultivators couldn't do much here.