Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The profound cave seemed bottomless, as if directly leading to the Heart Core of the Earth.

Carefully feeling their way out, although it appeared not to be their first time to the surface, their behavior clearly showed a deep wariness of the Mortal Realm.

Tap, tap...

Their movements were uniform, striving to avoid making any unnecessary noise.

Skillfully bypassing ordinary-looking bushes and tree stumps, their eyes inadvertently checking the traps they had laid during their last visit.

After patrolling around an area thousands of steps in diameter, none of the traps appeared to have been triggered.

It was hard to say whether this was good or bad; the group returned to their starting position, the lead creature's eyes flashing with a hint of regret, yet there was also a sense of relief in their heart.

They had come for a 'hunt', but the results of hunting were often accompanied by the crises of Life and Death.

Even though her loyalty to 'Mother' was unquestionable, having witnessed a dreadful scene, she knew well that not all deaths were the same.

Being killed by 'prey' was different; those corrupt and evil lives would not allow the dead to rest in peace.

Not being able to return to nature after death - that was the real source of her Fear.

"Continue forward."

"Direction, due north."

The leader spoke, a pleasant voice not belonging to Humans emanating from her lips.

Seeing nothing amiss, her companions also breathed a sigh of relief, ready to continue their unfinished tasks.

Every time they came to the surface, they would expand their exploration range and set up new traps.

Until one day, when they would capture enough 'prey', or attract a being beyond their imagination, then declare this exit as a restricted area with their deaths.

Thus, repeating the Cycle again and again.

Except for a few very stable passages, even those leading directly to the Underworld, most pathways to the surface were sometimes stable and sometimes broken.

With what they called 'the Breath of Mother Earth', new fractures would always emerge. Thus, for them, as long as they wished, they would never lack portals to the surface.

After a brief rest, the group carefully continued to probe their surroundings.

Following the river upstream, they advanced.

Upon reaching the edge of their previous exploration, a mere couple of hundred steps took them almost half a day.

Until sunset approached, the leader glanced at the sky, preparing to return with a mix of regret and relief.

Another day returned without success, but most of their time was indeed spent this way.

"Alright."

"Let's stop here for today, and we'll continue the next time.

"Prepare, rear guard to front guard, retreat in order, remember to be careful..."

"—Wait!"

The voice that was usually subdued suddenly became urgent, followed by a sudden raising of the hand. At the leader's signal, the group immediately halted.

Due to their positions, those at the back couldn't see beyond the first person's line of sight, nor did they know what she saw. But under her urgent command, the whole team's movements were neat and regulated.

In an instant, the entire forest was left with only the sound of rapid breathing and the rustling of leaves in the wind, with only the leader continuing to closely observe her discovery.

Across the small river, two thousand steps away, several green caterpillars chewed on fallen leaves, and some were spitting out fine white threads, weaving cocoons for their transformation.

The creatures and nature peacefully coexisted, seemingly indistinguishable from any other place.

However, such an ordinary scene in the eyes of the leader was not so ordinary; a hint of dread and excitement flickered in her dark pupils.

There, a faint red line subtly twisted around a green caterpillar, looking like a natural pattern and nothing out of the ordinary. If any human were here, they would probably assume it was just tree resin, or a random mutation in the caterpillar.

But for the captain, who had encountered the 'prey' more than once, she knew all too well what it was.

It represented their chance, as well as a natural disaster for the area.

"Recorder, record."

"Crack number 8-3-7251, today a life carrying a Corruption Trace was found."

"The source of the corruption is unknown, but preliminary estimates indicate it should not exceed a High-level Evil Creature; it's hunt-able, then to be sacrificed to the great Mother, and after returning, request support."

"Now, continue my previous command."

"Rear guard to front guard, let's carefully retreat."

No response, but the entire team uniformly turned and retreated.

As cautious as on their way here, not stirring any noise.

Until they returned inside the pitch-black cave entrance, no further accidents occurred.

Standing at the cave entrance, the leader took one last look at the riverside thicket, knowing that the next time she came here, there might no longer be any living creatures.

When a region showed signs of corruption, soon everything here would be contaminated. They are the tentacles of the Mother of Flesh, tainting the Divine Authority of Life in that foul manner.

Only the great Mother Earth could save all this, and they, were nature's most steadfast defenders.

Sasa...

Her figure disappeared at the entrance of the cave, and the forest once again fell into Silence.

Thousands of steps away from the cave entrance by the river, the special green caterpillar continued to feed on leaves, with only the unspoken trees witnessing everything that happened.