by Tinalynge
Chapter 1 – A Whole New World
Hui Yue breathed in the fresh crisp air. He was standing within a mountain range that was filled with ancient trees. No living creatures were near him, and he was standing on shaking legs, unable to fully comprehend that he had finally escaped the underground world.
In the end, three years were spent under the surface; two years together with his friends and one year on his own. The last year had tempered him immensely and now he dared not befriend anyone, nor stay too long in one place. He knew that currently his friends were waiting for him at the capital of Taiyang Kingdom, however, Hui Yue was no longer within the borders of Taiyang Kingdom, but in Shenyuan. The most mysterious place on the entire continent.
Around Hui Yue were massive trees. Trees so tall that it was impossible to see the top. They had small vines hanging down them. The temperature was humid and many plants were growing on the ground. Looking around one could see nothing apart from plants, even magical beasts had long since vanished. As Hui Yue moved around, he felt the fresh air surrounding him. The air was clean after a hard rainfall cleared it up.
Having stayed within the clearing for some time Hui Yue looked around him, and with a determined nod of his head, he started moving towards the east while staying in the mountain range. He was looking for an area where it would be possible for him to cross the border. A place to leave behind the dangers within Shenyuan and enter the safe and familiar area known as the Taiyang Kingdom.
The landscape which surrounded Hui Yue was filled with an astonishing forest; a forest which had not been touched for eons. A forest filled with plants of every shape and size. Hui Yue traveled through the forest for a very long time before he came across the first magical beast.
The beast he came across was not a highly ranked beast. It was instead an Iron Blood Bat. It was living its life within the tree tops, so far above the young white-haired man that he was incapable of fighting it.
As Hui Yue moved further and further into the forest he came to see that it was not because there was a lack of magical beasts, but that the forest was so vast that the beasts were few and far between. Some of them lived in small packs while others lived on their own. Some of the beasts were high ranked and Hui Yue had to tiptoe past them while others were weaker. Hui Yue could beat these and get a meal with meat for once.
Traveling through the forest one day took another and Hui Yue was astonished to see that no matter how far he went it was impossible for him to get past the mountain range. It was as though he was captured within a ravine. A ravine which stretched all the way to the Center Palace not allowing for anyone to enter or exit. That was as long as they were incapable of flight.
The ravine in which Hui Yue was currently trapped went on and on; the forest which filled the ravine seemed to go on as far as the ravine itself. On the ground, Hui Yue was starting to feel that the only way to exit this dangerous country was through the Center Palace. The palace through which his friends had originally escaped.
Traveling through the tunnel-system had been smooth and straightforward. All the caves and tunnels were created for man to travel through, however, within this forest, it was no longer an easy feat to travel forward. He had to cut his way through each and every bush, finding small animal trails to travel upon, and he could rest no longer than a few hours at a time.
The further into the forest Hui Yue went, the more magical beasts he met on his way. All of them were various strength as though there was no inner nor outer areas of the forest, all the beast’s races living in their own territories.
From time to time, the sounds of battle would echo throughout the forest as some beasts were fighting for new territories, But none of the beasts wished to battle against Hui Yue because the white-haired young man no longer suppressed his Saint ranked aura.
Only now and then would the young man suppress his aura when he needed to hunt, or if he wished to hone his skills.
At first, the travel through the forest was rushed. Hui Yue was determined to hurry his way through the forest, however, as one day took another he no longer rushed. Eventually, he took the time to cultivate for a few hours every day. The more he moved through the forest, the more he allowed for himself to return to nature. His affinity with Earth was constantly increasing.
Hui Yue also spent time on training his affinity with Fire and Metal. Although he did not use the Metal element much, he still wished to cultivate in every affinity he had. He still wished to merge the three elements together.
Traveling further and further into the distance, more and more elemental affinity accumulated within his body. His strength was rising constantly as the speed with which he was traveling slowed down.
After traveling for three months, Hui Yue reached the eighth star of the Grandmaster rank. His speed of cultivation surged over the past year and three months when he had been traveling on his own. Finally, the young man arrived at a large valley within the forest. A clearing in which a small village was next to the stream of water that Hui Yue was following.
Standing within the forest and looking down over the valley, Hui Yue was suddenly uncertain as to whether or not he should avoid the village; however, before he finished contemplating a voice sounded out ending the silence. The voice of a small child.
“Mother, Mother! A strange beast has appeared!” The voice of a small girl rang throughout the valley and within moments the quiet village became active.
Adults rushed from their houses and looking at these creatures Hui Yue was instantly taken aback.
The adults were all half animal half human. Each was some variation between the two with either more beastly appearances or more human.
As they saw Hui Yue they all grouped together and stared at him with vigilance. Seeing them all together, Hui Yue paid more attention to their appearance.
There was a woman who seemed a lot like Lan Feng. She looked human, apart from the fact that her entire body was covered in small feathers. The phoenix inside him had celestial, blue feathers, whereas this woman instead had feathers of a more brown, natural color.
There were a wolf whom Hui Yue saw that looked similar to how he himself looked when the red mist took over. Except that this beast was gray. It stood on its hind legs, and its hands were very human like but with sharp claws instead of nails. Its face was wolf-like with a snout and piercing eyes.
Other of the beasts had tails of different animals alongside fur on their skin. The children all seemed to be more beastly than human, and Hui Yue was taken aback by looking at them.
Just as they were alert when they saw Hui Yue, the white-haired man was alert as he saw the beastly humans. He instantly allowed for Lan Feng to release his suppressed aura, an aura which instantly radiated outward shocking every beast in the valley.
“Great Lord, we are sorry for mistaking you,” One of the beasts cried as the others joined in. “Great Lord, please forgive us.”
They all seemed to be shocked upon feeling his aura, however, Hui Yue frowned as he heard them call him milord.
“Milord please come stay in our humble village to relax while you are on your journey,” The feathered woman said and Hui Yue quietly nodded his head as he once more suppressed Lan Feng’s aura and stepped forward.
At first after entering the forest, Hui Yue had used Lan Feng’s aura as a means to frighten other beasts, however, once he had accidentally wandered into the territory of another Saint ranked beast. His aura was a challenge to the beast to protect its territory. Had Lan Feng not taken over and fled at their highest speed, then Hui Yue would likely not be alive any longer.
Having faced such a situation, it was obvious that he no longer wished to jeopardize his safety by challenging more Saints.
Having faced death more than a few
times during his journey through the forest, Hui Yue was quite astonished to see the way he was treated the moment he entered the village. Everyone called him Lord and they were all frightened by his presence but still excited whenever he was not around them.
Using Qi to fortify his hearing, he caught a lot of gossip from within the village. Gossip which just led to more questions for the already confused young man.
“We have a Lord of the Forest visiting us, how come such an important person appeared?” A raccoon man asked the mouse by his side. The mouse did nothing but shrug, although the whiskers on his face were constantly moving. His nose quivered and the head turned from side to side, “Be quiet!” He said, “What will you do if his lordship hears us. Who are we to question his actions?”
Hearing about the Lords of the Forest, Hui Yue frowned and asked Lan Feng. Though the phoenix was just as uncertain as the human and both of them started to discuss the best way to gain more information.
Being in the valley it was possible for Hui Yue to see the sky for the first time this year. The sky was vast and blue a refreshing sight to see. A longing was within his heart as he looked out at the sky, a longing for his friends who were waiting for him at the capital. At the same time, he felt excitement growing within because he knew that he was within Shenyuan. This was possibly the only place where he could get information about the Great Sin and the Dark Age.
Hui Yue was given a house to stay in, and outside his door was a multitude of different magical beast children. All of them were looking at the door, waiting for Hui Yue to exit so that they could see him once more.
As soon as the young man stepped outside he was met by ten sets of big black eyes. All of them looked at him with veneration. The small beasts were so adorable that Hui Yue could not help but smile and pet them on their heads. This caused all of the beast children to smile and play around.
Walking past them, Hui Yue’s face no longer looked carefree and gentle, but instead was filled with authority as he asked a passing beast man, “Where is the village chief?”
The beast man was taken back by the question and he stood stuttering on the spot for a moment before he finally managed to point towards a house which was slightly bigger than the others.
Looking at the village, and its layout, Hui Yue was reminded of his old home. As he walked towards the village elder’s house he could not help but think about his mother, father, and younger brother back at the outskirts of the magical forest.
Pushing the melancholic thoughts from his mind, Hui Yue headed towards the house with steady steps as he decided to get some more information about these Lords of the Forest.
Chapter 2 – Lords of the Forest
Arriving at the village chief’s home, Hui Yue was taken aback as he saw how many demon beasts were working hard on preparing a banquet. One after another was bustling and rushing about, either setting the table, collecting food, or in any other way ensuring that the gathering they were preparing would be perfect.
Everyone was so busy that none of them noticed the white-haired young man who was leaning against the chilled walls in the shadow of one of the village houses. A smile was on his face as he observed everyone.
Although Hui Yue was in a rush to get information about the Lords of the Forest, he had no intention of interrupting them while they were busy preparing a celebration for him. It had been a long time since he had last interacted with any other person and the friendliness he encountered here was enough to touch his heart.
Although the bustling villagers had not noticed Hui Yue straight away, it did not take too long before he was noticed. When he was the preparations came to a halt and they all bowed deeply towards the young man; fear and veneration were both present within their eyes.
Seeing the fear, the young white-haired man could not help but sigh. Having been noticed he straightened up and headed towards the village chief who welcomed him earlier. He gestured towards the village chief’s home and the chief instantly understood as he led the way; his hands were slightly trembling and his throat suddenly went dry.
Knowing that he was intimidating the village chief, Hui Yue quickly wanted to get the facts straightened up. He quickly entered the house where he was shown towards the living room with a few wooden chairs.
Taking a seat, Hui Yue gestured for the village chief to do the same. As he did the two were now seated across from each other.
“Lord, have mercy,” The village chief instantly said as his trembling increasing, “No matter what we have done to offend you, master, please take out your anger on this humble servant!”
Hearing his words, Hui Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and he quickly placed a hand on the chief’s shoulder, a calming hand.
“Don’t worry I am not unhappy,” He said quickly. Some of the man’s trembling stopped as the chief lifted his head in surprise. His eyes were round and full of disbelief as they met Hui Yue’s big blue, honest ones.
“You’re not unhappy?” A meek voice sounded out and Hui Yue nodded his head with a gentle smile on his face.
“I think there has been a major misunderstanding,” Hui Yue said with a sigh, “I am not one of these lords you speak about. I am a newcomer to this entire area,” He continued, “I was born within the Taiyang Kingdom, and I grew up and used to live there. Some things happened which caused me to enter Shenyuan, but I am very new to this area.”
“You are not a Lord of the Forest?” The chief was now completely stunned. His eyes were unable to widen any more than they already had; his face filled with disbelief.
“That is correct, but perhaps you could tell me about them?” Hui Yue asked politely and the stunned and confused village chief nodded his head.
Although Hui Yue was not a Lord of the Forest as they had at first assumed, he was still a Saint ranked expert. A saint ranked beast capable of taking complete human form meant that he was incredibly strong. The village chief had no wish, whatsoever, to anger the man.
“Shenyuan is split into sixty-four prefectures and each are controlled by a Lord of the Forest. The entire Shenyuan is one large jungle with a few clearings, valleys, gulches, and so on here and there. The lord of this Thousand Fang’s Ravine is Lord Yen Zhiquang. He is a Black Breathed Razor Wyrm, one of the strongest beasts we have within the forest. I’ve heard that once he even defeated a divine beast!”
Having started speaking about him it was almost impossible for the village chief to stop. His eyes shone with pride as he mentioned the lord of this prefecture. Taking a quick breath, the elderly man continued his explanation of the place in which Hui Yue had arrived.
“The Lords of the Forest are the strongest Saint ranked beasts within Shenyuan. Anyone who feels confident can challenge these lords, however, it is really rare for a Lord of the Forest to lose such a duel. Most of these lords have sat on their thrones for eons already.”
“Although these areas are prefectures, there is one person whom even the lords have to respect. Within the deepest parts of the jungle is a prefecture which is controlled by a woman whom everyone respects. She is known as the strongest of all. She is a Single-Horned Jasmine Eagle and she has devoured many men throughout the years, both men and beasts alike. Her name is Wan Qiao.”
As soon as the name was spoken, Hui Yue felt a change in Lan Feng’s soul; his emotions turned into a mixture of panic and dread. These unexpected emotions affected Hui Yue causing the young man’s face to turn unsightly in front of the village chief.
‘Explain it later,’ Hui Yue told Lan Feng before he steeled himself causing a smile to reappeared on his face.
“I’ve been traveling by the side of this ravine, did you call it the Thousand Fang’s Ravine? I’ve spent a very long time traversing it now. How is it possible for me to exit Shenyuan and return to my own home back in the Taiyang Kingdom?”
Hearing his question the man was quiet for some time before he finally spoke, “Entering into Shenyuan is hard,” He started, “However, even though it is hard t
o enter, it is even harder to leave. Only the Lords of the Forest are allowed to leave Shenyuan’s borders, and only if Lady Wan Qiao is in a good mood. Usually, anyone who enters Shenyuan will stay here for the rest of their lives.”
Pausing slightly, the man pondered for a moment before he continued, “I think it is possible to leave if Wan Qiao says yes and helps you, even if you are not a Lord of the Forest. But who has any connection with such an exalted creature such as lady Wan Qiao.”
Having heard the words, Hui Yue quickly thanked the village chief before he went back to the house which had been lent to him. As he arrived the children once more came to look at him, however, this time Hui Yue had no time to play around with them and he quickly passed by them into the house. He sat down with his legs crossed and his consciousness slowly entered the dantian cave where he saw a shocked and horrified Lan Feng seated.
‘I take it that you know this Wan Qiao?’ Hui Yue asked. In spite of being a question, it was much more a statement but Lan Feng still nodded his head.
