Rise of the Peerless God of War

Chapter 16

The valley turned into a nightmare.

What had been beautiful moments before became a hunting ground where every tree, every flower, every blade of grass wanted them dead. The sakura forest came alive with malevolent intelligence, branches reaching like grasping fingers and petals falling like razor rain.

This isn't a test anymore. This is war.

"Move!" Draven shouted as a massive branch swept toward Jin's head. "Don't stop moving!"

The valley spirits have decided we're not welcome here. They're trying to kill us.

But why? What changed?

The trees launched coordinated attacks that should have been impossible. Petal storms erupted from different directions simultaneously, forcing them to dodge in patterns that led them straight into other traps. Branches moved like whips, trying to grab and strangle them. Roots burst from the ground like spears, aiming for vital organs.

They're not just attacking randomly. They're hunting us.

Working together like a pack of predators.

"Jin!" Lyra screamed as a root punched through the ground where he'd been standing a split second before.

Jin rolled aside, his earth magic creating barriers that barely held against the valley's assault. "These aren't normal trees! They're trying to kill us!"

No shit. The question is why.

What triggered this? What made the guardian spirits decide we're enemies instead of potential allies?

Draven ducked under a branch that could have taken his head off, his mind racing through the academy heroes' memories. There had to be something, some explanation for why the valley had turned hostile.

Wait. The celestial weapon fragments. We got too close to them.

The valley thinks we're trying to steal them. Trying to claim power we haven't earned.

"It's the fragments!" he called out to his friends as they fought for their lives. "The valley thinks we're grave robbers!"

Grave robbers. Treasure hunters. People who would steal from the dead for personal gain.

The kind of people the guardian spirits were left here to stop.

Another wave of petal storms forced them to take cover behind Jin's earth barriers, but the barriers were cracking under the relentless assault.

We can't keep this up. The valley has unlimited resources and we're already exhausted from the journey.

We need to get out of here.

But where? The whole valley is trying to kill us.

"This way!" Draven said, leading them away from the crater and deeper into the forest.

Following paths that exist only in memory. Routes that Captain Marcus Hale used during the great battle.

Places where the defensive enchantments might be weaker.

The trees followed them, branches reaching across impossible distances to continue their attacks. Poisonous pollen filled the air, making their eyes water and their lungs burn. The ground itself shifted beneath their feet, trying to trip them into deadly falls.

Environmental warfare. The valley itself is the weapon.

And we're losing.

"I can't breathe," Sera gasped, her shadow magic struggling to hide them from the trees' supernatural senses.

The pollen. It's not just poisonous—it's magical. Designed to disorient and weaken intruders.

Lyra's wind magic cleared the air around them, but it was a temporary solution. More pollen clouds were already forming.

We need shelter. Somewhere safe to rest and plan.

But there is nowhere safe. The whole valley wants us dead.

That's when Draven saw it—a grove of sakura trees that stood perfectly still while the others thrashed and attacked. Their blossoms were a deeper pink, almost glowing, and the air around them felt different.

A sanctuary. A place where those who show proper respect can rest without fear.

Just like Captain Hale's memories showed.

"There!" he pointed toward the grove. "Those trees aren't moving!"

Because they're not guardians. They're protectors.

They'll shelter anyone who understands what this place really means.

They fought their way toward the grove, using every trick they'd learned. Jin's earth magic created rolling barriers that deflected the worst attacks. Lyra's wind cleared the poisonous air and pushed back the grasping branches. Sera's shadows confused the trees' targeting, making them strike at empty air.

Working together. Fighting as a team.

Showing the valley that we understand what cooperation means.

What sacrifice means.

When they finally reached the grove, the change was immediate. The oppressive weight of the valley's hostility lifted, replaced by something that felt almost welcoming. The trees here were ancient, older than the others, and their blossoms glowed with a gentle inner light.

Safe. For now.

They collapsed onto the soft grass beneath the trees, exhausted and shaking from the close call.

"What the hell was that?" Jin asked, his voice hoarse from the poisonous pollen.

That was the valley testing us. And we failed.

We got too close to power we hadn't earned the right to claim.

"The valley's defenses," Draven said, drawing on Master Elena Brightwater's memories of this place. "They're designed to stop grave robbers and treasure hunters."

And apparently, we looked like grave robbers.

We approached the sacred ground without understanding what it meant.

Without showing proper respect.

"So how do we get to the tomb?" Lyra asked, using her wind magic to clear the last of the pollen from her lungs.

By proving we're worthy. By showing the valley that we understand what it means to sacrifice everything for others.

By becoming the kind of people who deserve War God Tianlong's legacy.

"We show respect," Draven said. "We prove that we're not here to steal, but to learn. To carry on the legacy of those who died here."

The legacy of heroes. The responsibility of protecting others.

The burden of carrying the hopes of the dead.

As they rested in the sanctuary grove, Draven found himself telling stories from the absorbed memories. He couldn't reveal where the stories really came from, so he attributed them to his grandfather's war teachings.

"Grandfather used to tell me about the battles fought here," he said, his voice carrying the weight of inherited knowledge. "About the heroes who gave everything to protect people they'd never met."

Heroes like Captain Sarah Moonwhisper, who died buying time for civilian evacuations.

Heroes like Master Thomas Ironwall, who held the eastern pass for six hours against impossible odds.

Heroes like War God Tianlong himself, who sealed a dimensional breach at the cost of his own life.

"They weren't fighting for glory," Draven continued. "They were fighting because someone had to. Because the alternative was letting innocent people die."

Fighting because that's what heroes do. They stand between the darkness and the light.

They sacrifice everything so others can live.

His friends listened in fascination as he shared tale after tale of courage and sacrifice. With each story, Draven felt the grove's atmosphere growing warmer, more accepting.

The spirits approve. They understand that I carry the memories of their comrades.

That I'm not here to steal their legacy, but to continue it.

As the sun began to set, painting the valley in shades of gold and crimson, they prepared to continue their journey toward the tomb.

The tomb where War God Tianlong waits. Where the Flower Blade technique is hidden.

Where I'll finally claim the power I need to protect the people I care about.

But as they rose to leave the sanctuary grove, Draven felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air.

Something's watching us. Something that isn't part of the valley's defenses.

Something that's been following us since we arrived.

"We're not alone," Sera said quietly, her shadow magic detecting movement at the edge of perception.

No. We're definitely not alone.

And whatever's out there, it's not friendly.

It's not part of the valley's guardian spirits.

It's something else. Something that shouldn't be here.

Something that's hunting us.

The valley held its breath, and in that silence, Draven heard the sound that made his blood run cold.

Footsteps. Multiple sets. Moving with purpose through the forest.

The Shadow Moon Sect. They followed us here.

They've been waiting for us to lead them to the tomb.

And now they're closing in.

The real danger wasn't the valley's defenses.

It was the enemies who had been tracking us all along.

The ones who wanted to steal War God Tianlong's power for themselves.

The ones who would kill anyone who got in their way.

Including us.

The hunt was about to begin.

And we were the prey.