Don't force me to use my right fist.

Of course, this was a last resort when all other options were exhausted. He felt he didn't have the patience to let Sawa live alone for a thousand years.

The advantages of longevity species are highlighted here, making it a good last resort.

At this point, only a sliver of sunlight remained on the mountainside, and no light could be seen in the forest ahead of Sawa, as the treetops blocked out all light.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely hesitate before entering such a place, but Zuoyou was different. After taking out the enchanted, cool pumpkin head from his backpack and putting it on his head, he strode inside.

The stranger the place seemed, the more curious Sawa became about it.

As Zuoyou approached the forest, he discovered that he wasn't the only one; many other animals and creatures seemed to be drawn by the aura and were hiding in the darkness, moving closer to the source.

"So, that thing must have only recently appeared in this location?" Saya, stroking his chin, made his deduction. If it wasn't only attracting things with special abilities, then no one in the nearby village had mentioned it yet, and the number of animals appearing here was clearly on a scale comparable to that of the entire region. Whatever the reason that thing was attracting people there, one thing was certain: it had only recently begun emitting this alluring aura.

Soon, after Saku went deeper into the jungle, some noisy fighting sounds came from ahead.

However, judging from the noise, Saya clearly realized that it couldn't possibly be the sound of human fighting.

He resolutely continued forward, and a clearing that had appeared for some unknown reason came into view in front of Saya.

A large opening appeared in the bushes overhead, and light seeped through, illuminating the open space that resembled a fighting ring.

The surrounding area was filled with the eyes of various scarlet animals, but they all seemed to be afraid of something, hiding in the darkness, their gazes fixed on the two animals fighting in the clearing.

Looking around, the first thing Zuoyou saw was a giant wolf the size of a calf. It's as if all the animals in this era have eaten some kind of superfood; they're not even worthy of appearing if they don't grow up a bit, right? The other animal fighting it was a wild boar that was even more robust, about the size of a small car. Its tusks had grown to be almost as thick as spears, making it look extremely imposing.

Unfortunately, all Sawa was thinking about was which of the two things tasted better.

Compared to these two creatures, which were clearly similar to the large bird from before and were on the verge of becoming monsters but were still one step away, Saya was more concerned about the large tree that seemed to exist only as a background element.

The scent emanating from that obviously unusual fruit above was the key reason that attracted the group of animals.

"The kind of cliché plot where they fight over rare and precious treasures?" If it were those two guys, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger to get the item.

That makes sense, since this area is still considered the territory of that giant serpent from before. If there were equally powerful beasts and monsters here, it wouldn't have been able to occupy this place.

"No matter what the problems are, I'll take this thing for now."

Sawa, who had just gotten up and joined the fierce battle between the two beasts, flashed between them and stopped their heads from colliding with one hand.

"Stop right there, everyone. I have an announcement to make. This thing is mine now. You guys don't have any objections, right?" Even though Zuo You's hands were as thin as toothpicks to these two monsters, it felt as if their heads were being clamped by a giant pair of pincers. Pressure was constantly being transmitted from both sides of their heads, as if their heads would be crushed at any moment.

Although the two beasts had not yet developed the intelligence to communicate, their animal instinct to fear power drove them to squat down and lower their heads.

After seeing that they quickly submitted, Zuoyou didn't have any intention of killing the two creatures. After all, they were wild animals, and as long as they didn't actively attack humans, he was still very concerned about environmental protection.

Releasing his grip on the two beasts' heads, Saya looked up at the strange fruit that was even emitting a glow. He leaped slightly, reaching out to pluck it directly from the tree.

However, a sudden change occurred. The moment the fruit touched Saya's fingers, it unleashed a massive burst of demonic power, like detonating a bomb, and swallowed Saya whole.

At the same time, the seemingly ordinary tree came to life, its tendrils reaching out from the ground towards Saya's location while also binding the other animals that had submitted to him.

At the very center of the explosion, the black-haired boy, who had been waiting for the demonic energy to dissipate before moving his hands to emerge, raised his hand and severed the vines that were trying to bind him. He then said with an expression that said, "Just as I expected."

Chapter 391 The Way Back

Saya admitted that this thing was somewhat unexpected, but that was all.

Judging from the current state of this tree spirit, it might be a bit stronger than the so-called mountain god serpent in the back mountain. If that thing can be considered to have reached the bottleneck of becoming a demon, then this thing is clearly a demon.

But that doesn't mean that Saiyu is helpless against this thing. To be honest, Saiyu feels that even if this thing grew for several hundred more years, it still wouldn't be enough to carry the shoes of all the strange creatures he has encountered.

However, according to Zuoyou's opinion, as a tree spirit, it might be a little too weak.

You see, the tree spirits in Sōyū's memories were all thousands or tens of thousands of years old, while the tree in front of him looked no more than a hundred years old. So why could it suddenly transform into a demon?

How could they design such a vicious trap, like a fishing bait, to lure other creatures?

Completely bewildered, Sawa casually brushed aside the vines that were stubbornly reaching out to him. After glancing at the struggling animals, he decided to make the first move.

Let's leave any questions for later. What if killing so many animals at once disrupts the ecological balance of this area? WH didn't even bother to take the diamond sword out of his backpack. Instead, Zuoyou walked empty-handed towards the main body of the large tree that was frantically waving its vines around.

The vines that stretched towards him were cleaved in two by his bare hands. Even the sharp tree roots that suddenly jutted out from the ground couldn't penetrate his iron armor. Soon, Sōyū arrived in front of the tree trunk that had inexplicably sprouted an ugly human face. After flexing his hands, he didn't waste any words and slammed his fist into the tree trunk.

Crack! The sound of something breaking came from in front of Zuoyou's fist. The tree spirit, which had been waving its vines wildly, froze, and the human face on the tree trunk showed an expression of extreme pain.

As Sōyu withdrew his fist, the vines binding the other animals drooped limply, and the tree trunk, as if crushed by something, crumbled into a pile of sawdust.

Sōyū clapped his hands, looking bored. He had to admit he was a little disappointed; these dishes were just too weak, completely failing to pique his interest. w.hl

What annoys Sōyu even more is that if the monsters he fights are weak, he gets less experience and combat items accordingly.

The other bound animals, having escaped the entanglement of the vines, quickly fled from the area. The aura that had drawn them there had vanished, and they naturally wouldn't approach such a dangerous place again.

The area became deserted almost instantly, leaving only Zuoyou and the pile of wood chips in front of him, as well as specks of moonlight that had somehow fallen through the gap in the sky.

"That's not right. If this thing is a monster, then logically it would be impossible for it to let that snake go. There's no reason for the nearby villages not to take action. This thing is also a monster that can't move on its own."

Sōyū looked down at the pile of wood chips and muttered to himself with a puzzled expression.

Even if this thing had just turned into a monster, logically speaking, the snake before it shouldn't have been unaware of its existence. Moreover, the fact that this tree can now use such an evil fishing method means that it has grown to its current state by absorbing nutrients from other creatures.

In other words, the surrounding animals and humans must not have had the space to survive as they do now.

As Saya crouched down and rummaged through the pile of wood shavings, his eyes suddenly lit up as he found what had been troubling him.

Holding a pure black, fragment-like object much smaller than a fingernail, Sōyū stood up and looked up again at the strange, large hole in his head.

"This is suddenly getting interesting," Saya muttered to himself, squinting at the fragment in his hand.

In front of him, the system displayed information about the object that he didn't know and thought was a fragment of the karmic crystal that Sawa liked the most.

[The corrupted Shikon Jewel shard]: It contains a vast amount of demonic power, but unfortunately, it seems there's no way to utilize it.

Upon suddenly encountering something from his childhood memories, Saya finally resolved the doubt that had been troubling him for so long.

Judging from the appearance, this thing must have accidentally fallen here from somewhere and gotten stuck in this tree, which then transformed it into a monster. This also explains why it is so weak yet still so evil.

If this thing is contaminated, it does indeed have side effects for Saga.

Putting everything else aside, at least Saya believes that the final boss of the anime series that is the source of this thing, named Naraku, is definitely a guy worth challenging.

To paraphrase Sōyū's favorite line, it should be said to the system, "That monster is worth a fight!"

Moreover, as if remembering something, Sawa smiled and narrowed his eyes as he put away the black fragment. It was as if the problem that had been troubling him had been solved, and he became incredibly relaxed.

"If we have this thing, and this time period is based on the background of that anime series, then I think the way back shouldn't be a particularly difficult problem."

Saya snapped his fingers, put his hands on his head, and walked leisurely toward Shibata Ai's direction.

He really didn't need to be in too much of a hurry. If he guessed correctly, the way back would be relatively simple.

Who told the female lead in that anime called Inuyasha to be a time-traveling girl from the modern world?

If we find that well, why worry about not being able to get back?

Chapter 392 Is he in trouble?

What Sōyu didn't know was that his time travel almost caused an uproar among the girls in his class who were eagerly waiting for him to return for lunch break.

From Kaguya and Amakawa Tsubasa's perspective, Saya was just going out with Renya to solve some problem, just like before, and he should be back before lunch break.

Afterwards, Renya came over and took Kaguya to completely resolve the matter concerning Shinji Matou. Logically speaking, it should be time for that guy to come back.

But for some reason, Kaguya, who was idly leaning against her desk dealing with business related to the Hanezaki family, suddenly felt a strange pang of anxiety.

In comparison, Amakawa Tsubasa's reaction was even more pronounced. The restless bespectacled girl frequently adjusted her glasses, her fingers fidgeting with her braided hair, as if trying to banish the palpitations.

After finally getting through the lunch break, the two girls couldn't help but look at the empty table.

Saya hasn't returned yet.

This is quite unusual. Judging from his habits, he had promised Amakawa Tsubasa that he would have lunch with her, and even if he wasn't coming back, he should have informed her.

But this time, neither the phone in Amakawa Tsubasa's hand nor the one in Kaguya's hand rang.

"He's not back yet?"

Amakawa Tsubasa walked up to Kaguya and, feeling that even if he didn't know something, Kaguya would surely know something, stood in front of her and asked somewhat anxiously.

Even from Kaguya's face, she could tell that perhaps she didn't know where Sawa had gone either, but regardless, she still needed to ask.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, didn't he tell you where he went?" Even though Kaguya disliked the girl in front of her, she could only give a dismissive answer to her question. The most important thing now was to find out where Saya had gone. Something was definitely wrong. If even the two of them didn't know where Saya was, then it could only mean that something had really happened to him.

"So, who called that guy, you or me?"

With a frown, Amakawa Tsubasa sat down in front of Kaguya, fiddling with his small phone and asking a question.

Actually, it wouldn't matter much which one of them asked; the main issue is that they're both the type who rarely contact Sawa proactively—usually, he's the one who reaches out to them. But in this situation, they can't put their minds at ease without properly finding out where Sawa has been.

"Go ahead and call. I don't care where that guy went. Maybe he's off flirting with girls again." Kaguya turned her head away, but her small hand gripping the phone tightened slightly.

Without further hesitation or politeness, Yu Chuanyi directly dialed the number of the only contact in his address book that was marked.

After a long wait, a series of busy tones followed, which was incredibly frustrating.

Sōyū's phone went unanswered.

This made the two people waiting for him in the classroom even more uneasy. Putting everything else aside, Sawa had never been out of contact like this before.

"I remember you just went to help that guy out of trouble, right? Don't you know where he went afterward?" Yu Chuanyi, pursing her lips, hung up the unanswered phone and looked up at Kaguya with an indescribable gaze.

"Where he ended up, you'll have to ask that guy at the distillery."

Forcing herself to calm down, Kaguya took a deep breath and cleared her thoughts. If something unexpected really happened, the only one who could help them now was Renya from the factory.

At that moment, the commotion coming from the classroom door instantly drew their attention.

"It's gone, it's gone! Why has Ayou's location disappeared again?!"

The girl rushed to Saga's seat, fumbling for something, and grabbed her hat with both hands. The red light in her eyes was enough to startle the two people next to her, even through her sunglasses.

As Saya's adopted younger sister, she frantically searched for Saya's location, a terrifying power emanating from her. Saya's mental state was already less stable than Kaguya's, and the disappearance of Saya's presence, her pillar of support, only exacerbated her collapse.

Having finally chased her all the way from another world to this strange one, she had nothing left but Zuoyou, the only person she cared about. She absolutely could not afford to lose him.

As if a video had crashed and displayed gibberish, special effects flashed continuously from Zuo Mo's body. The girl with her head down turned her head, and the despairing aura she exuded almost made Kaguya and Amakawa Tsubasa next to her stop breathing.

Just as the two of them were about to suffocate, a scroll flew in from the doorway and wrapped around Zuo Mo, who already looked like a monster, thus suppressing her ever-expanding aura.

"You should go and calm down first."