They didn't take the road.
Lin Yue insisted on that immediately, even as Ben leaned against a tree, fighting to stay upright.
"The roads belong to sects," she said, her voice low but urgent. "They patrol them, tax them, and kill anyone who looks out of place. Especially now."
Ben wiped sweat and blood from his brow, nodding weakly. "Off-road it is. Been doing that since… forever."
She glanced at him, then back toward the forest. "You joke when you're injured," she said. "Is that how you survive?"
Ben shrugged, the motion sending another wave of pain through him. "It's either that or scream."
They moved deeper into the wilderness, away from the smoke and the echoing horns. The forest here was denser, older—trees with trunks wider than houses, their roots coiling over stone like sleeping beasts. The air felt heavier, saturated with Qi that pressed against Ben's skin in an unfamiliar way.
Not hostile.
But not welcoming either.
The Omnitrix pulsed faintly, responding to the ambient energy.
Ben ignored it.
For now.
They walked in silence for a long time. Lin Yue moved with practiced ease, navigating the terrain with a familiarity that told Ben she'd spent most of her life avoiding places like roads and sect halls.
Finally, she stopped.
Ben nearly walked straight into her.
"We rest here," she said.
Ben glanced around. "This… mossy rock in the middle of nowhere?"
"Yes," she replied. "It blocks sound. And scent."
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not secretly some elite spy?"
She snorted quietly despite herself. "If I were, I wouldn't be this poor."
Ben lowered himself carefully onto the rock, wincing as his injuries protested. His body felt like it had been beaten from the inside out. Even breathing was work.
Lin Yue crouched nearby and began unpacking her satchel—what little had survived the fire. A few herbs, some dried roots, a small knife, and a waterskin.
"That's it?" Ben asked.
"That's all I had," she said softly.
Ben stared at the items, guilt gnawing at his chest. "I'm sorry."
She paused. "For what?"
"For dragging you into this," he said. "You could've walked away."
Lin Yue didn't answer immediately. She crushed a root between her fingers, releasing a sharp, medicinal scent.
"My parents were killed by a sect patrol," she said calmly. "I survived because I hid and stayed quiet."
Ben stiffened.
"They said my father didn't bow fast enough," she continued. "That my mother talked back."
She looked at him then. "Staying quiet doesn't always save you."
Ben swallowed hard.
"Murim doesn't forgive weakness," she said. "But it also punishes kindness."
"Sounds fair," Ben muttered.
She handed him another bitter decoction. He drank without complaint this time.
As the warmth spread through his body, exhaustion finally caught up to him. His vision blurred, the forest swaying gently.
"Sleep," Lin Yue said. "I'll keep watch."
Ben hesitated. "You don't trust me to?"
A sad smile touched her lips. "You're barely conscious."
"Fair," he admitted.
He leaned back against the rock, eyelids heavy. The last thing he saw before drifting off was Lin Yue sitting upright, knife resting across her knees, eyes sharp and alert.
He dreamed of Earth.
Of Bellwood. Of Grandpa Max's terrible cooking. Of battles where collateral damage was frowned upon, not expected.
Then the dream twisted.
Bellwood burned.
Sects replaced Plumbers. Cultivators walked through streets, crushing buildings underfoot, declaring ownership.
Ben woke with a sharp gasp.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
Then pain reminded him.
The forest was darker now, moonlight filtering faintly through the canopy. Lin Yue sat exactly where she had before, posture rigid.
"You're awake," she said quietly.
Ben rubbed his face. "Bad dreams."
"Good," she replied. "That means you still care."
He frowned. "That's… not comforting."
She gestured toward the darkness beyond the trees. "We're close."
"Close to what?" Ben asked.
Lin Yue hesitated.
"Neutral ground," she said. "Or what passes for it."
Ben sat up straighter despite the pain. "Define 'passes.'"
She exhaled slowly. "A border zone. No sect claims it openly. Bandits, exiles, failed cultivators… people with nowhere else to go gather there."
Ben considered that. "So everyone's dangerous."
"Yes."
He nodded. "Sounds like my kind of place."
They set out again before dawn, moving carefully as the forest thinned and rocky terrain replaced soil. The air grew sharper, colder.
As the first hints of sunrise crept over the horizon, Ben sensed something change.
The Omnitrix hummed.
Not loudly.
Not urgently.
Just… aware.
Ben glanced down at it, frowning. "You feeling this?"
Lin Yue looked at him sharply. "Feeling what?"
"Like the world's watching," he said.
She didn't laugh.
"That's the border," she said. "Qi behaves differently there. Less… orderly."
The forest ended abruptly.
Before them stretched a wide, broken valley scarred by old battles. Craters pocked the ground. Rusted weapons lay half-buried among stones. In the distance, ramshackle structures clung to cliff faces like parasites—wood, metal, bone, and cloth stitched together into something that barely resembled a settlement.
Smoke rose from dozens of small fires.
People moved below.
Some openly armed. Some not bothering to hide their Qi. Some with eyes too sharp, too dead.
Ben exhaled slowly. "Wow."
Lin Yue's voice dropped. "Once we step down there, no one will protect us. Not law. Not sects. Not mercy."
Ben glanced back the way they'd come.
He imagined sect elders. Cultivators. Horns. Fire.
Then he looked forward again.
"Then we'd better learn how to protect ourselves," he said.
They descended into the valley.
Almost immediately, eyes turned toward them.
Ben felt it—attention sliding over his skin like knives. Conversations quieted. Hands drifted toward weapons.
A man with a scarred face stepped forward, blocking their path.
"You're lost," he said, gaze lingering on Ben's wrist. "This isn't a place for children."
Ben met his eyes. "Funny. I was thinking the same about you."
The man's smile widened.
Bad move.
Ben didn't transform.
He let the Omnitrix pulse—just enough.
Heat shimmered faintly around him. Diamond glinted under his skin.
Not a threat.
A promise.
The man hesitated.
Lin Yue stepped forward. "We're passing through," she said. "We'll pay."
The man considered them, then stepped aside. "Passing through costs extra."
Ben leaned in slightly. "So does interfering."
For a tense moment, no one moved.
Then the man laughed and waved them on. "Welcome to Blackstone Valley," he said. "Try not to die."
As they moved deeper into the settlement, Ben felt something settle in his chest.
This place wasn't safe.
But it wasn't hunting him either.
For the first time since arriving in Murim, Ben wasn't running.
He was standing on ground that didn't belong to anyone.
The Omnitrix pulsed again.
Location Logged: Unaligned TerritoryThreat Level: VariableOpportunity Level: High
Ben smiled grimly.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Behind them, far beyond the valley, sect banners fluttered as elders finally confirmed the reports.
An anomaly had crossed into neutral ground.
And Murim never let prey escape forever.