Bai Shijue sat on top of a giant lotus, floating midair while playing his Guqin near the Loom forest. He played his Guqin to spend his time, and the rest of the sect elders sat piously, looking up and worshipping.

Bai Shijue wouldn't play his Guqin in public. He knew the melody coming out of his plucked strings would hypnotize everyone and make everyone voluntarily worship him like a God.

But he couldn't hide his worry for Han Shun.

He was afraid that something might've happened to the young man inside the forest since he was alone. 

[Pupa, are you sure he is alright? Maybe he is hungry, thirsty, or wants me to cuddle him because he feels cold? Maybe he wants me to brush his hair because it is entangled with the leaves?]

[Pupa: Geez, you treated him like some sort of princess. He is fine. If he dies, then we will restart immediately.]

[Pupa: Besides, Han Shun is incredibly powerful for his age. He can handle everything himself.]

Bai Yunyu sighed, he just wanted to enter the Loom forest and assist Han Shun in any way possible, but that stubborn young man refused, even accusing his Bai Gege of looking down at him and his power.

[Seriously, a young man like him is difficult to control.]

After Bai Shijue finished his music, a sect elder suddenly ran toward him and reported, "Master Bai! There is a rampaging beast inside the Loom Forest! It has taken the lives of many cultivators!"

"What?!" 

Bai Shijue's eyes widened, and he got even more surprised when the sect elder told him there were victims of this rampaging beast. 

Bai Shijue quickly hopped off the floating lotus and flew towards the Loom Forest. 

The other sect elders followed him from behind, thinking they could at least aid Master Bai in any way possible.

One thing in Bai Shijue's mind right now was Han Shun.

He was scared that Han Shun might've accidentally encountered the rampaging beast.

Bai Shijue saw the huge sabertooth tiger surrounded by thick dark energy.

"How could a dark entity like this enters the Loom forest?!" Bai Shijue claimed as he stood in front of the sabertooth, followed by the other sect elders who acted like a backup for Master Bai. Though, everybody knew that Master Bai didn't need any backup.

Bai Shijue observed the beast. He was checking whether Han Shun was eaten by this monster.

But once he saw no sign of Han Shun around, he sighed in relief. At least Han Shun was safe. Unfortunately, there were plenty of dead cultivators on the ground as they were gored by this sabertooth tiger. 

[Pupa: You need to kill this thing soon before it gets bigger.]

[I know.]

Bai Shijue flew until he was floating right in front of the beast's eyes. 

"GRAAAHHHH!" The giant sabertooth tiger spotted a bright light coming from the man, which enraged the tiger even more. The tiger opened its mouth, ready to bite and crunch Bai Shijue before swallowing him.

But Bai Shijue grabbed the sabertooth tiger's snout in one hand and asked, "Who sent you?"

"Grrrhhh…"

There was no answer from the tiger. 

Of course, a few legendary beasts could speak like normal humans and even had a humanoid form. And there were also legendary beasts who acted like regular animals.

But one thing to be sure, they were all intelligent.

Bai Shijue tried to pry inside the tiger's head to see who controlled this sabertooth. 

Besides, there was no way it could be engulfed with dark energy without a cause. There must be someone hiding while controlling this beast. That man must've been a powerful demonic cultivator because he had successfully injected dark energy into this tiger, turning the poor tiger into the strongest beast and the most savage right now.

Bai Shijue entered the tiger's subconscious mind, but he couldn't find anything other than a sabertooth tiger chain with a dark chain. He found no face of the real perpetrator, and the tiger's mind had been corrupted. 

Bai Shijue returned to reality after a fruitless search inside the tiger's mind and looked at the giant sabertooth. "Poor thing, you've suffered a lot."

"I will end your suffering. Worry not."

Bai Shijue closed his eyes and gathered the energy around his palm until he created a bright purple energy ball.

He aimed the energy ball right in front of the rampaging beast and shot it point blank, "Garlic Gun!"

All the sect elders witnessed how the purple energy ball in Master Bai Shijue's hand turned into a giant purple beam that decimated the rampaging monster until nothing was left except for the rainbow crystal that fell to the ground.

Bai Shijue floated down and took the rainbow crystal to realize that it was also corrupted.

That means whoever did this must have been someone with a terrifying dark power only that evil god could have.

Bai Shijue clenched his fist and crushed the corrupted rainbow crystal. He looked at the sect elders waiting for his order, "There is a powerful demonic cultivator who has slipped into the Loom Forest, and he is still roaming free inside this forest."

"But, how could that be?! Master Bai, Loom Forest has a powerful heavenly barrier created by yourself!" One sect elder said.

"That means this man is far stronger than we expected," Bai Shijue explained.

"Maybe… the demonic cultivator is one of the participants!!" One sect elder said, and people started looking at each other full of alert.

Bai Shijue frowned and shook his head, "None of the participants are strong enough to contain such powerful dark energy inside their bodies. I also doubt it since I would've noticed it first when I observed the participants."

[Except Han Shun, Han Shun is strong enough to contain such powerful dark energy. But he's been living with me every day, and I haven't noticed a single trace of dark energy.]

[Pupa: …] 

"The demonic cultivator must've slipped in before the hunting started. He is still in here. Form a party of three for each sect and start searching!" 

"Yes, Master Bai!"