At the center stood a building shaped like lotus petals, covered in climbing vines. From a distance, it appeared as a blend of blue and green, dotted with clusters of white vine flowers.

Within the valley was a pool of water, one end originating from the central building. Ripples danced across the surface, as if the water were alive. Scattered around the valley were a dozen or so buildings of various sizes and shapes, most with arched roofs that extended all the way to the ground.

The valley was not large, its diameter barely several dozen meters, yet it formed a world of its own.

The crowns of the surrounding giant trees intertwined, yet miraculously left a natural clearing in the center, allowing sunlight to pour straight in. Thus, the scenery in the valley was bright and vibrant, in stark contrast to the gloom and murkiness of the rainforest.

As soon as they entered the valley, Harold Gray, Edgar Gray, and Alice Clark all visibly perked up, clearly relaxing. Eleanor Clark, on the other hand, felt as if he had stepped into a brand new world brimming with vitality. His entire body, like a parched sponge, desperately absorbed the surrounding life force, his muscles slowly stretching and awakening piece by piece.

Suddenly, a faint clicking and crackling sounded in Eleanor Clark's ears, and his vision began to fill with chaotic lines. This was a sign that some of the micro-devices implanted in his body were starting to function again.

However, after ten thousand years, these devices had long surpassed their theoretical lifespan. How many could still function properly was anyone’s guess.

Yet what shocked Eleanor Clark was not that these devices could be used, but that they had restarted at all.

These micro-devices implanted in his body were the pinnacle of the Empire’s technology at the time, each with its own purpose. The largest was no thicker than a strand of hair, the smallest no more than a speck of dust. But even with the Empire’s technological prowess, it was impossible to equip such tiny devices with long-lasting power sources.

Therefore, what powered these devices was not ordinary energy, nor even Eleanor Clark's own life force, but Shenghui!

Shenghui was a top-secret technology of the Empire era. Most people only knew the term “Shenghui.” Those who had encountered it knew only that it was an extremely powerful energy, derived from the “Shenghui Stone,” and nothing more.

Many Imperial Guards, including all Dragon Riders, owed their superhumanly strong bodies to Shenghui. Bathed in Shenghui, the human body would gradually become tougher and stronger from the inside out.

But not everyone could withstand the power of Shenghui.

Only those whose bodies met the standards of the Imperial Guard could survive the initial exposure, and even then, more than half would lose control of their bodies during the transformation, developing all sorts of abnormal growths. Of the lucky survivors, many would become irritable and bloodthirsty, with drastically shortened lifespans.

Eleanor Clark, however, was an exception.

He only remembered that, from as early as he could recall, he often stood beneath the Shenghui Stone, bathed in its radiance. Other Imperial Guards, by contrast, had to stand far away, exposed to Shenghui only briefly, and even then, the energy that reached them had been filtered many times.

Did Father or Mother ever explain why this was? Eleanor Clark thought for a moment, but his mind was hazy.

After ten thousand years of slumber, many memories had faded or vanished, especially those related to Shenghui.

Yet at this moment, he could still be certain: the mysterious force flowing through the valley was Shenghui! Only now, the power of Shenghui was extremely thin, even more diluted than what the Imperial Guards had once bathed in.

This faint energy might be enough to activate a few of Eleanor Clark's internal devices, but fully rebooting them would be quite difficult.

But how could Shenghui exist here?!

Even at the height of the Empire, Shenghui was a top secret. Now, in this nearly primitive little settlement, Shenghui had appeared—how could that not be extraordinary?

Eleanor Clark remained calm, acting as if he hadn’t sensed Shenghui at all, quietly standing behind the young woman. The valley was so small that a thorough search wouldn’t take long. There was no need to rush; with careful observation, an opportunity would surely arise.

As soon as she entered the valley, the young woman could not hide her excitement. She raised her arms high and shouted, “I’m back! Look what we’ve brought!”

The valley grew a bit livelier. About twenty or thirty people emerged from the various houses. When they saw Harold Gray holding the baboon monster’s head aloft, the place erupted.

“Baboon monster!”

“Heavens! They killed a baboon monster? How is that possible?”

“Could it be a corpse they found?”

“Impossible! Look at the blood on the cut—it’s still fresh. It’s definitely not a dead body!”

Several children ran over, jumping and shouting around Harold Gray, trying to reach the baboon monster’s head. The children here all had remarkable jumping ability. Harold Gray was tall and holding the head high, but even the smallest child, barely a meter tall, could just barely touch the monster’s head with a jump.

The side door of the central building opened, and more than ten people came out. Most were elderly, the leader’s face covered in wrinkles, his eyes somewhat cloudy. Of them all, only he held a wooden staff wrapped in colorful ribbons, and he was the most respected among the crowd.

When Harold Gray saw the old man, he ran over and knelt on one knee, presenting the baboon monster’s head. Edgar Gray stood beside him, offering the heart and liver.