Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 210: The Suffocating Forest (Part-7)

A deep, agitated roar suddenly echoed through the forest. The beast clearly sensed their approach, its cry carrying restlessness and hostility.

Zora and Prince Kael exchanged a glance, both of them growing more solemn.

"Master," White said quietly, "that beast is likely bound by a restriction."

"A restriction?" Zora’s brows lifted slightly. "Then that means this monster is probably a guardian of the ruins."

With this realization, her certainty deepened. The presence of a guardian beast was not something ordinary ruins possessed. This was no minor discovery. They had truly stumbled upon a great treasure.

Black nodded. "I can faintly sense powerful fluctuations. They should be the aura of a formation or seal."

Neither Black nor White was unfamiliar with ancient ruins. They had encountered similar places before.

To ordinary spirit warriors, such ruins were deadly traps. To them, however, they were opportunities laced with danger.

"The suffocating miasma ahead is thinning," Zora observed.

"As expected," she continued, a faint smile curving her lips, "there’s no miasma at the very center of this forest."

Soon after, the white fog vanished completely from their sight.

Before them stretched a vast open space, its scale comparable to a small city. The trees and vegetation that once thrived there had collapsed and withered, revealing something massive hidden beneath the earth.

Even Prince Kael, usually composed, showed a flicker of surprise.

"It really is an ancient ruin," he murmured.

Zora smiled softly. "If it weren’t for the sudden disturbance caused by the beasts, this ruin might have remained buried for who knows how long."

"In fact," she added thoughtfully, "it’s probably been rising gradually from underground. If not today, then tomorrow, it would have fully emerged."

"And that’s exactly why the suffocating miasma outside keeps spreading outward."

Her clear eyes reflected understanding as the truth fell neatly into place.

Prince Kael looked at her with undisguised amazement. This was his first time seeing an ancient ruin with his own eyes, yet Zora showed no shock at all, as if she had seen such scenes before.

Given her cultivation, that reaction was unusual.

From her extraordinary medical skills to her composure now, Prince Kael had long sensed that she was hiding so much from the world. Even so, he realized he might still be underestimating her.

Zora noticed his gaze and understood his thoughts. She made no effort to hide anything.

Some truths, once revealed, could never be concealed again.

After a brief moment of surprise, Prince Kael returned to his usual calm. Whatever her past or origins might be, it didn’t matter to him.

What mattered was that she was standing beside him now.

It would still take some time before the ruins fully emerged. With nothing to do but wait, Zora and Prince Kael closed their eyes and quietly regulated their breathing, conserving their strength.

Only by maintaining peak condition could they seize the opportunity when the ruins finally revealed themselves.

"Zora, I finally found you!"

Not long after, Reesa’s delighted voice rang out from behind. In the blink of an eye, she dashed forward, appearing right in front of Zora, her face glowing with excitement.

Zora opened her eyes and smiled lightly. "You’re finally here."

Sebastian and Miel followed closely. Their gazes fell on the cracked ground ahead, where traces of an enormous structure were faintly visible beneath the earth. Shock spread across both of their faces.

"It seems our conjecture was correct," Sebastian said slowly. "Who would have thought there would be ancient ruins hidden in the White Mountains?"

Miel’s eyes shone with unconcealed delight. "In normal circumstances, the emergence of ancient ruins would draw countless forces into fierce competition. Fortunately, the suffocating miasma concealed it for so long."

"The mercenary union’s blue-rank task has already attracted attention," he continued. "Most people may not have guessed the truth, but those old foxes from the major forces are well-informed. Some of them may already have noticed the signs."

Sebastian’s expression tightened slightly. Indeed, those veterans of powerful factions were never to be underestimated.

"We were the first to pass through the miasma," Sebastian said. "Judging from the current situation, the ruins should fully surface by tomorrow."

As mentors, both Sebastian and Miel were knowledgeable, yet even for them, seeing true ancient ruins with their own eyes was a first.

The inheritance of an ancient powerhouse was enough to drive anyone mad with desire.

Baldwin and the others stood there in a daze. Something that existed only in legends had suddenly appeared before them.

"Ancient ruins...?" Reesa murmured, eyes wide. She felt as if a huge fortune had fallen straight from the sky. This was only her first trip into the White Mountains, yet she had already encountered such a miracle.

Baldwin swallowed. "I never imagined I’d see ancient ruins in my lifetime. If I could obtain even one treasure from inside, my entire life would change."

Marcus and Alaric Von Seraph also stared ahead, their eyes gleaming. The ruins exuded an irresistible allure, tugging at everyone’s ambitions.

"Master, something’s wrong."

White’s previously excited voice suddenly turned solemn. "I can sense several auras approaching rapidly."

Zora’s expression shifted. "Are they strong?"

White paused briefly before answering, "They feel like young spirit warriors, not old monsters who’ve trained for centuries."

"Then they’re probably juniors from certain factions," Zora said softly.

A faint, knowing smile curved her lips. She was no stranger to such situations. Ancient ruins were often battlegrounds where major forces sent their younger generations to temper themselves and fight for fortune.

However, she failed to notice the subtle change that flickered through Prince Kael’s eyes the moment those auras drew closer.

"Haha! I never expected ancient ruins to appear in such a remote corner of the White Mountains!"

A loud, arrogant male voice suddenly rang out from behind, brimming with confidence and undisguised delight.

"The news you all received was really fast," Sigmund said with a hint of regret and mild frustration. "The moment I heard about it, I rushed straight to the White Mountain Range. I didn’t expect to arrive only to find you already here."

Despite the words, the confidence between his brows gave him away. This setback clearly hadn’t shaken him much.

"With news this important, how could we possibly stay ignorant?" a lively female voice chimed in. "If you want to pick up a bargain, it won’t be that easy."

"Fiona, I don’t like the way you put that," another young man replied with a lazy chuckle. "Since we’re all here, it’ll come down to ability in the end."

Zora and the others looked up.

Four young spirit warriors descended slowly from midair.

Two men and two women, all dressed in luxurious attire. Their faces were youthful, their expressions proud and composed. The kind of confidence that came from growing up as the chosen heirs of cultivation families was etched into their very posture.

It was the sort of arrogance refined by privilege, something honed over years rather than flaunted crudely.

Clearly, they hadn’t expected to encounter anyone else at the heart of the Suffocating Forest either.

"Someone arrived before us?" Sigmund’s eyes flickered with displeasure. This outcome was far from what he had anticipated.

Fiona was equally surprised. Ordinary spirit warriors simply couldn’t pass through such dense, suffocating miasma.

"Who are they?" she asked quietly, her gaze sweeping over Zora and the others. "I’ve never seen them before."

That was what puzzled her most.

Anyone capable of crossing such a terrifying miasma should have a notable background. Yet none of these faces stirred any recognition.

Then, Fiona’s gaze abruptly fixed on Prince Kael.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"Prince Kael Moonstone?"