Chapter 305: The Full Moon
“Finally, we can rest!”
Tong Zhou let out a long breath. After walking for an entire day, the physical fatigue was manageable, but the mental exhaustion was the real strain.
After all, they had to stay constantly alert—not only for dangers that could appear at any moment, but also for the temptations of the Lost Lands. Their nerves had been stretched tight the entire time. Even extraordinary users couldn’t endure that indefinitely.
Still, in just a single day, Tong Zhou noticed that his mental strength had improved quite a bit.
“Is it because I’ve been resisting the temptation?”
A hint of delight rose in his heart. Compared to increasing one’s total extraordinary energy, improving mental strength was far more difficult. Yet after reaching the [Longevity] stage, every advancement required communication with the Mansus. In the Great Dream, those with insufficient mental strength would struggle to perform well.
His mental strength was already decent, but the stronger it became, the greater one’s resistance and affinity toward the extraordinary. Even one’s “will” in the Great Dream would grow more resolute. No extraordinary user would ever refuse such an improvement.
He could feel the accelerated circulation of extraordinary energy within him. Compared to when he first entered, both his total energy and now even his mental strength had improved. If he could stay longer… go deeper…
—Smack!
A slap landed on his forehead, startling him.
“What was that?!”
The large-built boy jumped up from the ground, looking at his teammate in confusion.
“What was that? You should be asking yourself. The moment we stopped to rest, you let your guard down. Your eyes were already drifting just now.” Qiu Hou narrowed his eyes slightly, rolling them subtly.
These muscleheads without brains were really troublesome.
With Qiu Hou’s reminder, Tong Zhou suddenly came to his senses. Just now, he had merely been examining his own condition—but before he realized it, he had already fallen into the temptation of the Lost Lands.
Thinking back to that moment, when he had felt an almost fanatical urge to rush deeper inside, a chill ran down his spine. If his teammates hadn’t been here… would he have been able to wake up on his own?
“Are we still going deeper tomorrow?” Tong Zhou asked after a moment of silence.
“Yes.”
Chu Xiaoyue answered without hesitation.
The deeper they went, the stronger the temptation—but if they could resist it, the rewards would far surpass those at the outer edges.
“Hold on to your true self. Don’t forget who you are, and why you’re here.”
Moonlight from the Lost Lands filtered down through the leaves, illuminating Chu Xiaoyue beneath the tree. Her silver-white hair and eyes seemed to merge with the light, almost unreal.
Like something out of a dream—an elf, Xu Zhi thought.
But what exactly lay within the Lost Lands?
What kind of thing held such overwhelming allure for extraordinary users, drawing everyone toward its depths—even herself?
The answer was clearly not something she could find right now. Xu Zhi didn’t dwell on it and simply set the question aside.
She looked up at the bright full moon in the sky. Whether the moon here was always like this, or whether tonight was special, it shone with an almost sacred brilliance. Even the mist could not obscure its light.
Pure and beautiful.
Looking at it, Xu Zhi couldn’t help but recall the “moon” she had once seen in the Federation world—so close it seemed within reach—and the words someone had once told her:
“You’ve only ever lived on the far side of the moon.”
So… was this the world under true moonlight?
Such clarity—something she had never seen before.
She lowered her gaze, then lifted her head again, her usual gentle smile returning.
Standing beside her, Ji Muge was still on edge from Tong Zhou’s earlier situation. She suddenly paused in thought—was it just her imagination, or had the “little devil” beside her felt slightly different just now?
Probably just her imagination.
“Rest in the trees. Don’t sleep too deeply.”
After speaking, Chu Xiaoyue casually leapt onto a tree branch. The others followed, each finding a spot nearby to rest for the night.
Xu Zhi did not lower her guard. She first used the [Eye of Secret] to confirm that the trees were normal. Of course, even ordinary trees here contained extraordinary energy.
Soon, everything quieted down.
The night in the Lost Lands was dangerous—not a place for reckless action. The forest wasn’t suitable for lighting fires, and the temperature was low enough that an ordinary person would likely suffer from the cold overnight. For extraordinary users, however, it was merely uncomfortable.
When the full moon reached its highest point, the white mist spread across the forest began to stir—as if drawn by some invisible force—flowing, churning, dancing across the ground.
For a brief moment, the forest became utterly silent. Even the usual insect sounds disappeared, as if everything had suddenly frozen.
Xu Zhi had not fallen asleep; she was only resting with her eyes closed. She sensed the anomaly, but did not act rashly. Even her breathing remained steady.
After two or three seconds, the disturbance faded. The insects resumed their sounds, as if nothing had happened.
Only then did Xu Zhi slowly open her eyes.
She first checked her surroundings—nothing unusual.
Then she looked toward her teammates.
And in that instant, her pale gray pupils contracted slightly.
Qiu Hou was gone.
“Wake up.”
She immediately called out, her voice low but urgent. The others had not been deeply asleep—at her voice, they woke instantly.
Without speaking, they instinctively scanned their surroundings—and quickly noticed Qiu Hou’s absence.
“…Did you find anything?” Chu Xiaoyue asked, looking at Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi immediately activated the [Eye of Secret] and examined the tree where Qiu Hou had been.
She quickly found something unusual.
“There’s the aura of vines inside the tree.”
“It should be from what was left on him.”
“But he’s not inside the tree. He was likely taken.”
No wonder they hadn’t noticed—Qiu Hou had been “eaten” by the tree itself, silently taken away.
Chu Xiaoyue turned to Su Ran. “Can you track him?”
Su Ran closed her eyes for about five seconds, then opened them and nodded, pointing in a direction.
This was her ability. Normally, it was used to leave a healing mark on teammates—but it could also allow her to sense their location.
It was still the middle of the night—not safe. But Qiu Hou had gone missing. A lone extraordinary user, especially one not specialized in combat, was in grave danger.
They had to act immediately.
“Move.”
Chu Xiaoyue made the decision without hesitation.
