Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 214

Chapter 214: CONCEALING
Li Hua felt her connection to the surrounding vegetation dim slightly as the mist created interference patterns in the ambient energy. The spectral predators were among the most feared denizens of the Forbidden Zone—semi-physical beings that could materialize partially or fully from the mist they generated, their claws capable of severing both flesh and spiritual meridians with equal ease.

“They’re near,” Mo Xing observed quietly, his playfulness entirely gone as he studied the mist patterns with experienced eyes. His hand tightened slightly around Li Hua’s before reluctantly releasing it to prepare for potential combat. “At least five distinct signatures, possibly eight.”

Whatever privacy the forest had granted Li Hua and Mo Xing dissolved as the expedition shifted to battle readiness. The intimate moment between them receded before more immediate concerns, though the memory of it remained a warm certainty beneath their focused exteriors as they prepared to face the approaching threat.

Elder Fu raised his hand, executing a series of precise gestures that the elite disciples immediately recognized. Without verbal command, they flowed into a defensive formation. Li Hua and Mo Xing moved to their assigned positions at the formation’s outer perimeter, their movements perfectly synchronized with the other elites.

Mei Lin, recognizing the severity of the formation being deployed, felt her cultivator’s composure crumble. “Wait! You must be joking right? Qin Yueru isn’t even conscious yet!” her voice rose with poorly concealed panic as she pointed toward the female junior cultivator being supported between two male disciples. “We can’t possibly engage multiple Mist Leopards while protecting an incapacitated member!”

“Shut up!” Liu Fei snapped, her usual composed demeanor cracking as she rounded on Mei Lin. The elite disciple’s patience, already worn thin by days of the beast charmer’s complaints and dramatic displays, had finally shattered. Her eyes flashed with cold contempt rather than mere anger. “First you use names when we’re specifically instructed not to, and now you’re announcing our vulnerabilities at maximum volume? Do you intend for all of us to die?”

Mei Lin paled slightly at the elite disciple’s rebuke. “I simply meant—”

“You simply meant to display your fear and undermine our defensive cohesion,” Liu Fei cut her off with clinical precision. Her eyes narrowed with contempt as she assessed the senior disciple. “If your courage falters so easily, deploy your concealment artifact and remove yourself from our formation. Better an acknowledged absence than a liability in combat.”

The biting tone conveyed years of accumulated irritation—this wasn’t just about the current crisis but about Mei Lin’s persistent pattern of self-centered behavior. Liu Fei’s hand moved instinctively to her sword, essence rippling along its scabbard as if responding to her exasperation. Several nearby disciples exchanged knowing glances, suggesting this confrontation had been brewing for some time among the sect’s upper ranks.

Elder Fu cleared his throat, the subtle sound somehow commanding immediate attention from all disciples despite its gentleness. “Although her approach lacks discipline, Mei Lin does raise a valid concern. Confrontation with Mist Leopards would deplete energy we cannot spare,” he stated with calm authority, defusing the tension between Liu Fei and Mei Lin. “We still have considerable distance to cover before reaching the Eternal Lake. Deploy your concealment techniques and protective formations. We’ll attempt to move beyond their hunting territory without engagement.”

The group responded with disciplined efficiency, each cultivator activating personal concealment methods. Senior disciples assisted juniors with formation deployment, while the elites established a layered protective barrier around the unconscious member.

Li Hua surveyed the rapid preparations before glancing up at Mo Xing. He met her gaze with a slight tilt of his head, the subtle gesture conveying a clear message: I’ll follow your lead in this. The silent communication reflected their deepening connection—no words needed when understanding had become so intuitive.

A soft smile curved her lips in acknowledgment before she activated the Breath of the World technique she had used earlier, her spiritual signature once again dispersing until it became indistinguishable from the ambient energy of the Verdant Expanse. She layered this with the Void Cloak method—making her presence unreadable to spiritual probes.

Mo Xing deployed his own concealment with characteristic elegance, his form seeming to lose definition at the edges until he appeared more like suggestion than substance.

The expedition prepared to continue their careful advance through the mist-filled expanse with disciplined formation. Despite Mo Xing’s near-perfect concealment, Li Hua maintained peripheral awareness of his position through their intertwined fingers—their continued physical connection reinforcing the subtle spiritual resonance they shared that transcended ordinary perception.

Moving cautiously through the misty territory, the group followed Elder Fu’s lead with practiced stealth. The elder glanced back several times, his weathered features briefly showing concern when his spiritual senses failed to detect Li Hua and Mo Xing among the disciples. Yet each time, he chose to continue leading the group forward rather than calling a halt. Li Hua recognized this decision as tacit acknowledgment of their capabilities—Elder Fu trusted that their absence from his perception represented superior concealment rather than actual separation from the group.

For nearly an incense stick’s burning time, they navigated the increasingly dense mist with methodical precision. The Mist Leopards’ spectral forms occasionally materialized at the edges of visibility—mercury eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence as they circled the expedition but never directly engaged. The effectiveness of the group’s combined concealment techniques seemed to create just enough uncertainty to discourage the hunters from committing to a full attack.

Finally, the mist began to thin, revealing the distinctive transition zone where the towering vegetation of the Verdant Expanse gave way to the more traditional forest structures of the Whispering Forest proper. The disciples maintained their concealment until they had completely crossed this threshold, only releasing their techniques when Elder Fu gave the signal that they had successfully evaded the hunting territory.

Li Hua allowed her essence to recoalesce gradually, her form becoming solid again as she released the Breath of the World and Void Cloak methods. Beside her, Mo Xing’s outline sharpened from shadow to substance, his golden eyes immediately seeking hers.

Behind them, the Verdant Expanse stood as a wall of towering green sentinels, its massive plant structures already appearing dreamlike and impossible from just outside its boundaries. They had successfully traversed one of the Forbidden Zone’s most notorious regions, learning its secrets without being consumed by its dangers—an achievement few expeditions could claim.

The days following their exit from the Verdant Expanse blended together as the expedition resumed its journey through the more familiar terrain of the Whispering Forest. Though “familiar” remained a relative term in the Forbidden Zone, the traditional forest structure—with its massive trees and canopy that filtered sunlight into dappled patterns—provided a welcome respite after the alien environment of the plant jungle.

Elder Fu set a demanding pace, and the disciples responded with the discipline that had been forged through their trainings.