After leaving the Eastern Capital and surviving the pursuit of the Fourth Dragon Lady, Noe found himself wandering aimlessly. His journey was a drift without a compass. At times, he would stay with Doan Chinh for a few days; at others, he would return to Demon Valley Village or visit the spirit beast gardens on the Immortal Mountain. He never stayed long, rarely lingering more than a few days before moving on.

  His path led him through eerie graveyards where he performed rites to guide wandering souls to peace, and across mass graves on old battlefields. Wherever he went, he remained a shadow, avoiding unnecessary contact. He helped those in need and vanished before a name could be tied to his deeds.

  During these travels, Noe spent much of his time conversing with spirits, helping them find forgiveness so they could depart the mortal coil without lingering regrets. He encountered various Exorcists and Celestial Masters—practitioners of the Immortal Race lineage—as well as those who followed the path of Merit Cultivation, known as Divine Cultivators. Noe himself fell into this category as a Shaman. His talents included healing and communing with the Earth Gods (deities with physical forms, such as Forest Gods or Land Gods) and Earth Spirits (incorporeal entities existing as pure energy or avatars).

  He was also recognized as a Druid, a path similar to a Shaman but with the added ability to speak with animals. Druids typically lived in seclusion to harmonize with nature. Both paths sought to accumulate merit, channeling the power of the Earth Gods to move mountains, part seas, or summon rain.

  However, not all who touched the spirit world did so with grace. There were those who communicated with spirits illicitly or became pawns of the deceased. The most pitiable were the Spirit Mediums. These individuals allowed spirits to possess their bodies to speak to the living. Most of these spirits were weak, desperate to feel the sensation of being human again, which inevitably led to complications. Many Mediums had inadvertently awakened their Yin-Yang Vision, attracting ghosts that preyed on their greed or lust. Their faces were often sickly pale, their eyes vacant, and their voices would shift abruptly as if another soul had seized their throat. Noe helped them whenever he could, just as he had helped Doan Chinh, before disappearing back into the wilds.

  Then there were those clever—and cold—enough to enslave spirits. These were the Necromancers. While some were not inherently evil, they all bore a dark reputation for their constant contact with corpses, skeletons, and the restless dead. Noe disliked them all on principle. To him, the dead had suffered enough; they should not be used as tools. He still remembered the hollow, haunting void in the eyes of a skeletal army he had once seen commanded by a Necromancer—a sight that refused to leave him.

  While passing through an old battlefield between the Western Wolf Kingdom and the Little Yellow Kingdom, Noe heard a familiar sound. Someone was playing a leaf as an instrument. The melody was gentle but saturated with sorrow—a folk song mourning fallen brothers-in-arms.

  Noe followed the music and found Han Thuong lounging precariously on a tree branch, leaf to his lips. Sensing an approach, Han Thuong stopped, his hand instinctively dropping to his weapon. When he recognized Noe, he relaxed and offered a warm greeting.

  "Where have you been lately?" Han Thuong asked. "We’ve looked everywhere for you."

  "I have no fixed abode," Noe replied. "I drift like a boat without a rudder."

  Han Thuong teased him with a faint smile. "Oh? Our Noe has days like that too? I remember you always being the one who knew exactly what to do."

  Noe deflected the question. "And you? I heard you’ve become a general, commanding over a thousand men. With such fame, why are you sitting here looking so somber?"

  Han Thuong looked down at his hands—calloused, scarred, and seemingly stained with the permanent hue of blood. He clenched his fists until his nails bit into his palms, stifling a heavy sigh. The smile on his lips couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes.

  "It’s true," Han Thuong whispered. "But that fame was built on the bones of my soldiers. It wasn’t worth it."

  His leaf-music wasn't just a song; it was a requiem for a young, innocent soldier who had fallen at his feet during a brutal skirmish. The boy had spoken of returning to his family and his green rice fields. Now, he was just a name burned into Han Thuong’s memory, a ghost that appeared every time he closed his eyes.

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  "That is the burden of a soldier," Noe said softly. "To fight for the glory of one's master. Those who died by your hand likely hold no grudges."

  As he spoke, Noe tried to use his prophetic powers to glimpse Han Thuong’s future. He failed, as always. The closer he was to someone, the more the veil thickened. He couldn't even see his own fate.

  During this period, the Little Yellow Kingdom entered an era of total reform. New laws turned the kingdom into a massive production engine. The production of Flying Wooden Birds and Flying Wooden Dragons surged for the war effort, while Wooden Oxen and Horses were crafted for civil labor.

  This industrial boom required an immense amount of timber. Soldiers who had fought the Western Wolf Kingdom—and seen forests turned into lethal metal traps of flying leaves—were traumatized by the woods. This fear only fueled the aggressive logging.

  The Druids, who loved the forest more than their own lives, were pushed to their breaking point. What began as gentle warnings turned into violent retaliations. To prevent a full-scale war between the Little Yellow Kingdom and the Forest Gods, Noe—in his capacity as the mentor to Doanh Thuong Quan—was called in to mediate. A fragile truce was reached: the Kingdom would cease logging in the east, but were given free rein in the west, specifically targeting the forests within the Western Wolf Kingdom.

  Deep within a secret cavern lay the White Wolf Yao King (2S-Rank, Lv. 910), a Great Forest God of the vast territories, currently deep in slumber. He was the Wolf Deity worshipped by the people of the Western Wolf Kingdom. Because of him, the Western people cherished the forests, never daring to disturb his sleep.

  One day, a High Arch-Druid (A-Rank, Lv. 699) appeared before the sleeping King. He knelt, pleading, "O Great Forest God, I am your servant. I beg your permission to eradicate the humans who dare desecrate the ancient woods."

  The Arch-Druid remained prostrated for half a day until an avatar of the Great Forest God manifested—a glowing White Wolf (A-Rank, Lv. 600).

  "You are a nuisance," the White Wolf spoke. "Follow me. You act only with my permission. Disobey by even a syllable, and I will kill you where you stand."

  "Yes, my Lord," the Arch-Druid stammered.

  The glowing White Wolf traveled the lands to witness the devastation. To most, he looked like an ordinary forest deity; none realized this was the direct will of the Great Yao King who held the fate of the region in his paws. After inspecting the clear-cut areas, the White Wolf shrugged. "It is nothing but small vegetation. I can regrow all of this in a single night. I am going back to sleep."

  Sometime later, the Arch-Druid returned, frantic. "My Lord! The humans have gone too far. They have not only cut the trees but destroyed your Divine Temple!"

  The White Wolf reappeared, his eyes narrowing. "Which temple?"

  "The Temple of Victory, near the Wailing Stream."

  The White Wolf’s irritation turned to alarm. "Imbeciles. That temple holds the seal of the Great Chaos Demon King. Lead me there."

  When they arrived, a thin, unending stream of black smoke was rising into the sky. The White Wolf sighed. "Humans are such a headache. No respect. Show me who is responsible."

  From a distance, they saw Noe speaking with the forest animals, persuading them to retreat deeper west into the woods for safety. Beside him were Han Thuong and Trung Hau.

  The glowing White Wolf paused. Why are there so many Starseeds here?

  He turned to the Arch-Druid. "You are a Starseed named Tzu Jing—the star of calamity and death. Open your Star-Eye. See when they shall die."

  The Arch-Druid obeyed. "My Lord, most are mere mortals with decades or even just years left. But there are special figures protected by guardian stars. One carries the Emperor Star; they will live for two centuries. As for that white-skinned, silver-haired Immortal Race man... his life is long. He will not pass until he is 950 years old."

  "Wait here," the White Wolf commanded. "I will investigate alone."

  The glowing White Wolf created a weaker avatar (B-Rank). This smaller wolf ran toward the loggers, baring its fangs. The soldiers immediately moved to kill it, but Noe intervened, blocking their path.

  "Stop!" Noe shouted. "This is a White Wolf, a sacred creature of this forest. Do not harm it."

  Being a Druid, Noe sensed the wolf's true nature. He bowed deeply. "Forgive us, Great Forest God. I will do my best to persuade them. We will replant what has been lost. Please, stay your anger."

  After a silent communion, Noe understood the message of the Great Forest God. He decided to leave the Little Yellow Kingdom, traveling the world to seek out master exorcists. He knew he had to prepare for the inevitable: the release of the Chaos Demon King.

  The White Wolf returned to the Arch-Druid. "I have a plan to teach these modern fools a lesson. Go to the King of the Western Wolf Kingdom. Offer your services as a General. Take the name: The Wolf-Morphing General."

  The Arch-Druid bowed in obedience.

  Meanwhile, at the site of the black smoke—the ruins of the White Wolf Temple—a group of black-robed figures appeared, led by the Demon Wolf General. They began constructing a structure to contain the leaking "Demon Qi." Beneath the surface, away from the light, they began building a subterranean fortress to breed and train Demon Soldiers and Ghost Soldiers.

  They were a branch of the Blood-Refining Ghost Sect.