"Tweet tweet tweet..."
The bald little Phoenix saw Mu Jinyu's skeptical gaze and became very displeased. Its scarlet eyes shifted from seeking credit to showing anger, grunting a few times before curling back into Jian Ruyan's arms, remaining silent.
It was very clever; upon waking up, it was initially excited and wanted to rush into the Cursed Soul Forest. However, it quickly realized they were already inside it. So, it ceased its struggle and continued to stay quietly in Jian Ruyan's arms.
"Come, my little darling, here's your reward."
Mu Jinyu, although uncertain if the previous retreat of the evil beings was due to this little creature, still smiled as he saw its displeasure, and handed over a few Fire Attribute Spiritual Medicines to its beak.
"Swish swish swish!"
The little Phoenix tilted its head, avoiding eye contact with Mu Jinyu, while its beak moved swiftly, snatching and consuming the Spiritual Medicines in no time.
"Tweet tweet!"
Afterward, it still didn't look back at Mu Jinyu, expressing its discontent with a few more grunts.
"Getting addicted to extortion, are we?"
Mu Jinyu found it both amusing and exasperating, but in the end, he refrained from punishing it and produced another dozen or so Spiritual Medicines.
Regardless of whether the retreat of those evil beings was caused by this little creature, since they were out of danger now, Mu Jinyu was happy to offer some Spiritual Medicines as a reward for lack of a better target.
The little creature quickly devoured the Spiritual Medicines, then wriggled out from Jian Ruyan's arms, landing on Mu Jinyu's shoulder and swaying to steady itself, before using its beak to groom his hair with a fawning expression.
"Keep calling out later on, so we stay safe all the way, okay?"
Mu Jinyu stroked the little Phoenix's bald head, smiling as he spoke.
"Tweet tweet tweet..."
It chirped a few times in agreement.
Thus, all the way ahead, the little creature's cries were constant.
Interestingly, with its continuous calls, Mu Jinyu, riding the Bi Fang Cauldron, encountered several areas that made his heart race, feeling more dangerous than those controlled by Ji Ran with the Demon God Tower.
He speculated in his heart; it might genuinely be extremely dangerous evil beings at a true Unity Realm Stage level.
However, they remained stationary in their domains, never crossing over to confront these uninvited guests.
This reassured Mu Jinyu quite a bit.
"Uh..."
At this moment, Zhuo Yue, who had been unconscious, groaned, opened his eyes, and regained consciousness.
"I'm not dead?!"
Upon waking and hearing the tweeting bird, Zhuo Yue looked up to see Mu Jinyu, Wen Rou, and Jian Ruyan, and asked instinctively in a moment of daze.
"Of course." Mu Jinyu nodded.
"Alas, thank you, young friend, for saving my life, but alas..."
Discovering he wasn't dead, Zhuo Yue felt a heaviness settle over him. After all, he had dedicated his life to his iron fists, and now with his arms broken, he felt half-crippled, bringing a desire to retire to his heart.
But as he sighed this halfway, he suddenly looked down to find his arms... still there...
In a daze, Zhuo Yue looked up at Mu Jinyu and the others with emotional excitement and some disbelief, waving his arms, "My... my arms, how are they fine?"
Mu Jinyu laughed, "That's because you were just under that old thing's illusion technique earlier. In reality, you weren't injured. He just wanted to scare you to death in the illusory realm."
"Is that so?" Zhuo Yue was stunned by Mu Jinyu's explanation, then instinctively twisted his arms a bit.
His arms were indeed fine, making him believe Mu Jinyu's words.
Though his fingers and shoulders still had a faint ache, Zhuo Yue didn't think much of it, assuming it was phantom pain.
Seeing Zhuo Yue believe his words, Mu Jinyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't trying to deceive Zhuo Yue; it's just that matters of life and death are best not shared with outsiders.
If he had to explain how he helped regenerate his limbs, he'd surely have to disclose that he used Supreme Divine Medicine on him.
But such a claim wouldn't be as convincing as the illusory realm explanation.
After all, who would willingly give away Supreme Divine Medicine to a friend met only a few times between lives?
"Hey, where is this place..."
Recovered after his arms' return, Zhuo Yue finally calmed down. Then he noticed they were flying inside a cauldron-like Magic Treasure, sparking his curiosity and prompting him to extend his Divine Sense.
Seeing the eerie scene outside the Cursed Soul Forest, he was stunned, his complexion turning pale from a previously ruddy hue.
"This place can't be the Cursed Soul Forest, can it?"
He murmured to himself, looking up at Mu Jinyu with hopeful eyes, "Don't tell me we've entered the Cursed Soul Forest?"
Mu Jinyu nodded helplessly and sighed, "Yes, to avoid the pursuit from that old thing, I was forced to enter the Cursed Soul Forest."
"Ah!!" Zhuo Yue couldn't help but scream in terror, constantly muttering, "How could this happen... how could this happen..."
Mu Jinyu, not understanding why Zhuo Yue was so frightened, was about to explain that with the little Phoenix around, the Cursed Soul Forest seemed less dangerous...
Zhuo Yue suddenly looked up at Mu Jinyu, his tone somewhat out of control as he questioned, "No, didn't you kill Ji Bufan just like that? Even though Ji Ran was at a False Merged Path Realm level, given your strength, he shouldn't have been able to force you in here?"
Mu Jinyu knew Zhuo Yue's emotions were a bit off, ignoring his tone and sighing, "Because he had a Treasured Item, the Demon God Tower, I couldn't fight him!"
"De... Demon God Tower?!"
Hearing Mu Jinyu's response, Zhuo Yue was once again dumbfounded.
Having mixed in the Kunlun Ruins for years, he naturally knew the fame of this Heaven-reaching spiritual treasure.
Unexpectedly, it was in Ji Ran's hands, so it's no wonder Mu Jinyu was forced into the Cursed Soul Forest.
Seeing Zhuo Yue's stunned expression, shifting from heavenly to a hellish demeanor, Mu Jinyu frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you? Although we entered the Cursed Soul Forest, which holds deadly threats, isn't it a bit too much to react this way? We've already ventured deep, but with this little chick here, we've encountered no danger..."
"You just came to the Kunlun Ruins not long ago, you don't understand..." Zhuo Yue said, shaking his head dumbfoundedly.
He then explained how the Cursed Soul Forest curses all intruders, along with their friends and family, bringing them unexpected deaths.
This is truly killing everyone related to the Nine Tribes!
Though Zhuo Yue ventured alone in the Kunlun Ruins, it didn't mean he had no friends there, or relatives in Huaxia...
How could he accept such a cruel curse?!
He'd rather have been awake back then, choosing to take his own life outside the Cursed Soul Forest than go in with Mu Jinyu!
"A curse involving all friends and family?!"
Mu Jinyu, hearing Zhuo Yue's words, felt his heart race several times, almost leaping out of his throat, rendering him speechless.
He didn't expect the Cursed Soul Forest to be that terrifying.
But soon enough, he forced himself to calm down.
Since they're already in, there was no turning back from an unwelcome truth.
He now only hoped that the bald little Phoenix on his shoulder could also dispel this unfathomable Curse Force!