The Star Dou Forest had never been quiet.
But tonight, its noise felt… wrong.
Crickets stopped mid-song. Nocturnal birds refused to cry out. Even the wind threading through ancient branches seemed cautious, as if afraid to disturb something listening.
At Shrek Academy's edge, Zhao Wuji woke abruptly, sweat soaking his back.
"…That feeling again," he muttered.
Not killing intent.
Warning.
Deep within the forest, spirit beasts stirred.
A thousand-year Wind Wolf lifted its head, fur bristling, pupils shrinking as a pressure rolled through the undergrowth. Farther in, a ten-thousand-year Earth Python coiled tightly, scales scraping stone as it withdrew into its den.
And deeper still—
Ancient existences shifted.
In the academy, Lin Chen opened his eyes.
The system interface had already unfolded.
[Alert: Large-Scale Spirit Beast Agitation Detected][Cause: Bloodline Resonance — Secondary Trigger][Epicenter: Xiao Wu | Suppressed]
Lin Chen exhaled slowly.
"So the forest noticed," he murmured.
Footsteps approached.
Zhu Zhuqing appeared silently at his door. "You felt it too."
"Yes."
"Is Xiao Wu in danger?" she asked.
Lin Chen shook his head. "Not yet. But the forest is… curious."
As if summoned by his words, a distant roar rolled across the land—not loud, not furious, but old.
Zhu Zhuqing's fingers curled.
"That wasn't an ordinary beast," she said.
"No," Lin Chen agreed. "That was a boundary marking itself."
Outside, Tang San stood beneath a tree, Blue Silver Grass swaying around him as his spiritual perception extended outward.
His face paled.
This pressure…It's older than anything I've sensed before.
Back in the forest, a massive shadow stirred beneath a lake untouched by moonlight. Golden pupils opened slowly, reflecting starlight.
A voice—ancient and slow—rippled through the depths.
"The Rabbit stirs.""The Shadow follows.""And something… walks beside them."
The presence paused.
"Not a hunter.""Not prey.""A variable."
Back at Shrek Academy, Zhao Wuji gathered the teachers.
"No students leave the grounds," he ordered grimly. "Not until this passes."
Yu Xiaogang adjusted his glasses, jaw tight. "This level of agitation doesn't pass."
Lin Chen stood apart, gaze fixed toward the forest.
The system pulsed again.
[Decision Point Approaching][Recommended Action: User Intervention]
Lin Chen's eyes hardened.
"If I don't move," he said quietly, "it will come closer."
Zhu Zhuqing turned sharply. "You're going alone?"
"No," Lin Chen replied. "I'm going first."
The wind howled suddenly, branches bowing as if acknowledging his presence.
Far away, deep within the Star Dou Forest, the ancient golden eyes narrowed.
"So," the voice echoed, amused."The one who touched fate… comes."
Above the canopy, clouds churned, moonlight fractured.
The forest had awakened.
And it was waiting.