Chapter 288: Startling Change

Chapter 288: Startling Change

After dealing with the Horned Demon's Necromancer, the tide of Skeleton troops that had been overwhelming them suddenly lost control and shattered into countless fragments.

With the Skeleton army's pressure lifted, the escort team turned their attention to the Bloodborn Demons.

This group of Bloodborn Demons were Abyssal Summoners, each possessing formidable strength.

If it were only the Elf Guard, facing such a force might have resulted in the entire squad being wiped out.

With the Human Mystics joining the battle, they managed to withstand the Bloodborn Demons' assault.

Lu Heng drew his sword and charged into the midst of the Bloodborn Demons, moving with ease as if in an uninhabited realm.

Each swing of his sword took the life of a Bloodborn Demon.

Most Bloodborn Demons, when gravely injured and near death, would choose to self-destruct, releasing a crimson blood mist that sprayed for several meters. Anyone who came into contact with this mist would be corroded by its toxins.

As a result, as the Bloodborn Demons' numbers diminished, some Elves and Humans also began to sustain injuries.

Lu Heng repeatedly used Shadow Traverse to dodge the crimson blood, slaying Bloodborn Demons left and right, their heads rolling and blood mist filling the air.

A series of kill data appeared, and energy data flooded the screen.

[Killed Bloodborn Demon Summoner, absorbed 3000 Demon Energy.]



[Killed Bloodborn Demon Summoner, absorbed 3500 Energy.]



Amidst the slaughter, Lu Heng accumulated enough energy, causing an energy tide to surge within him, breaking through his level limit.

[Origin Energy Level increased to 36, all attributes +4, Agility attribute +1.2]



Rift Slash, Dragon Breath Slash, and Wind Dragon Extinction Slash were unleashed in quick succession, and the Bloodborn Demons began to show signs of defeat.

Over twenty Bloodborn Demons simultaneously cast defensive skills, but none could withstand the devastating power of Rift Slash and Dragon Breath Slash.

After Wind Dragon Extinction Slash swept over a dozen Bloodborn Demons into the sky, the remaining demons broke and began to scatter in all directions.

The Human Mystics and Elf Guard continued to pursue and slay the fleeing Bloodborn Demons.

At this moment, one of the Human Mystics quietly withdrew from the battle circle and approached the box on Captain Eric's mount, his eyes gleaming with greed.

He quickly made his decision, reaching out to open the box.

Just then, another Human Mystic simultaneously placed his hand on the box, and both men exchanged a glance, seeing the greed in each other's eyes.

The first Mystic brandished his sword, forcing the other back, and then punched the box open, intending to reach in and retrieve the Moonwell Spring Water.

At that moment, Su Muyu, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation, noticed their actions and shouted, "What are you doing!"

Realizing they had been caught, the two Mystics stopped attacking each other and decided to retrieve the Moonwell Spring Water first.

As they reached into the box, a Celestial Phoenix swooped down, knocking them to the ground.

One of them cursed, "What's with the holier-than-thou act? Who wouldn't want the spring water that can boost Skill Levels? Whoever gets it, it's theirs."

The two Mystics lunged at the box again, but before they could touch it, a figure flashed before them, and Lu Heng stood in their way, sword in hand.

Gritting their teeth, they snarled, "If you don't want it, get out of the way. Why are you stopping us?"

Lu Heng's expression turned as calm as still water. He had already held a meeting to remind these individuals, yet someone still dared to take the risk.

In truth, anyone would be tempted by the knowledge that Moonwell Spring Water could enhance Skill Levels.

Lu Heng was no exception.

Although he could use Divine Incarnation to upgrade skills, it would consume Divine Energy.

Obtaining Moonwell Spring Water meant directly upgrading skills, equivalent to a substantial amount of Divine Energy.

Therefore, Lu Heng was also tempted, but he knew he had to draw a line between what could and couldn't be taken.

Moreover, even if he wanted it, this was not the way to go about it.

"Do you think you could get the Moonwell Spring Water if I didn't stop you?" Lu Heng asked as he reached into the box, took out a crystal flask, and held it up, shaking it slightly. "Look closely! Is there anything in here? I've already warned you, and you still want to act foolishly!"

The two Mystics' expressions froze as they saw the crystal flask in Lu Heng's hand, their bodies going limp as they sat on the ground.

The crystal flask in Lu Heng's hand was empty, not even containing ordinary river water.

In fact, from the start of the battle, Captain Eric hadn't glanced at the box, making it obvious, yet some still fell for the trap.

After the battle ended, Fiona returned and ordered the Elf Guard to capture the two Mystics.

Lu Heng opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately held back.

These two Mystics who attempted to seize the Moonwell Spring Water were not among the team's sixteen members; they were two of the additional four.

The Mystic Warriors, with their military backgrounds, maintained good discipline and resisted the temptation.

Fiona had her subordinates take the two Mystics away, intending to bring them back to Colossus City for punishment.

With the Bloodborn Demons' assault repelled, over thirty Bloodborn Demons had been slain.

Since everyone participated in the battle, they were all considered to have contributed to the kills.

Thus, the participating Mystics completed their first task, killing twenty Abyssal Summoners.

After the battle, the escort team continued on their journey.

This time, the team's speed increased significantly, and they arrived at the Moonshadow Forest the next day.

Upon reaching the Moonshadow Forest, Fiona took out the Moonwell Spring Water and delivered it to Elder Serene.

Serene held the spring water and walked to the fence, using the water to irrigate the seeds in the soil, drop by drop.

Fiona stood behind him, asking, "Elder Serene, how is the progress?"

Serene's expression remained calm. "We're still working on it. For now, we can slow down the Abyssal pollution, but we haven't found a way to purify it."

In fact, on the day they were teleported to the Moonshadow Forest, Lu Heng had already noticed that this Elven Elder was attempting to purify the Abyss through the life force of the trees.

In essence, he was seeking a way to purify the forest's trees.

The giant trees of the Moonshadow Forest were marred by black spots, a telltale sign of Abyssal pollution.

After traveling through many parts of the Quel'dorei world, Lu Heng found that this world was heavily polluted, with the Moonshadow Forest being one of the less affected areas.

At least the trees in the forest were still growing, instead of withering and dying from the Abyssal pollution.

This was likely due to Serene's efforts, who had probably found a way to slow down the Abyssal pollution, but not yet a method to purify it.

"How is the Queen?" Serene asked, straightening up after watering the tree, inquiring about the Queen's well-being.

He was Queen Aureana's teacher, and although he could address her by name, he chose to refer to her as the Queen.

"The Queen is well, and she asked me to greet Elder Serene," Fiona nodded in response.

"The items for Elder Augustus are ready, come with me to get them," Serene said, turning and walking into the treehouse.

Fiona followed him into the treehouse, unsure of what they were retrieving.

Lu Heng stood by the fence, listening to their conversation, but he didn't follow, as it would have been impolite.

...

The escort team had rushed for two days, and they were exhausted, so they decided to rest for the night in the Moonshadow Forest.

Night fell.

Su Muyu woke up in the middle of the night and ventured into the forest, returning to the Tree of Knowledge's space.

She stood before the ancient tree, extended her palm, and released the Life Tree Vine, helping the Tree of Knowledge heal its wounds for the second time.

"There are eight days left, and I'll be back then," Su Muyu assured.

"I've already figured it out. The fact that the Life Tree Vine accepts you means you're different from other humans. I believe you'll return," the Tree of Knowledge seemed certain.

Su Muyu remembered something and asked, "I was too nervous the last time, and I forgot to ask a few questions. I only realized them after leaving."

"What did you mean when you said the Life Tree Vine on my body was incomplete?"

After a long silence, the Tree of Knowledge replied, "The Life Tree Vine on your body is just a small portion of what those humans took."

Su Muyu's eyebrows shot up as she asked, "You mean the team that stole the Life Tree Vine still has the source essence of the Life Tree Vine?"

"Yes," the Tree of Knowledge confirmed.

"If that's the case, I'll try to continue searching for the Life Tree Vine when I return, but it will be difficult. The team that stole it is a powerful and mysterious organization." Su Muyu had made a decision, but she wouldn't rush into it.

After all, the opponent was the Creator's organization, and she didn't even know their background. Retrieving the Life Tree Vine would not be an easy task.

"I believe you can do it, child," the Tree of Knowledge's voice carried a sense of ancient wisdom and kindness.

...

After meeting with the Tree of Knowledge, Su Muyu left its space and returned to the treehouse to rest.

She lay on the bed, unable to sleep.

With her eyes closed, she wondered when dawn would arrive.

As dawn approached, a piercing, horrifying scream suddenly echoed through the Moonshadow Forest, waking everyone up.

Su Muyu's eyes snapped open, and the Celestial Phoenix flew out, heading in the direction of the scream.

The others also sprang from their beds and rushed out of the treehouse.

"Everyone gather! Let's see who's missing!" Lu Heng ran out of the treehouse, calling out to assemble the group.

Soon, Lin Zeyu replied, "Xie Shi En is missing!"

Lu Heng looked around, and indeed, Xie Shi En was nowhere to be seen, while the others were all present.

At that moment,

Su Muyu's face turned ashen, and her voice trembled as she said, "I've found Xie Shi En, and the scream must have been his."

"Where?" Lu Heng asked, already running in the direction of the scream.

The others hurried to catch up.

When they reached a clearing in the forest, they saw Xie Shi En impaled through the chest by a thick branch, pinned to the ground, with blood flowing from his mouth and pooling beneath him.

Lu Heng rushed over, feeling his neck for a pulse, and shouted, "He still has a pulse! Save him!"

But with his chest pierced, the injury was severe.

Lu Heng didn't have the skills to treat the wound, nor could he move the branch impaling his chest.

In this situation, removing the branch would only hasten his death.

Su Muyu quickly caught up, releasing the Life Tree Vine to wrap around the wound and stop the bleeding.

Then, Serene approached slowly, crouched down to assess the situation, and used Life Magic to aid in the treatment before carefully extracting the branch.

"He won't die immediately, but the injury is severe, and he'll need time to recover," Serene said, placing his palm on Xie Shi En's chest, using the Life Tree Vine to suture the wound.

Lu Heng's brows furrowed as he struggled to understand what had happened.

At that moment,

Xie Shi En's eyelids fluttered, and his lips moved slightly.

Lu Heng leaned in, placing his ear close to Xie Shi En's mouth, and said, "I'm listening. What do you want to say?"

"Pro...tect...box...lost..." Xie Shi En managed to utter a few incoherent words with his last ounce of strength before passing out.

His voice was weak and intermittent, but Lu Heng understood what he meant.

He was trying to say: The Lifesphere is lost.

The Lifesphere is lost! In other words, the attacker's goal was to steal the Lifesphere.

Who wanted to steal the Lifesphere?

Was it a Lich?

Or the 'Unknown Force' from the main quest?

Or was it the mysterious assassin who had appeared before? But why could this attacker strike within the Moonshadow Forest?

Lu Heng's mind was flooded with countless questions, but the immediate priority was to bring Xie Shi En back to the treehouse for treatment.

As his mind raced with these questions, Lu Heng gently picked up Xie Shi En, carried him back to the treehouse, and placed him on the bed. After checking the wound and confirming that there was no further bleeding, he turned and walked out of the treehouse.

Everyone gathered in the clearing in front of the treehouse, as the situation was somewhat bizarre.

If the attacker was still around, the remaining people might also be in danger.

Lu Heng paced for a moment, deep in thought, before looking up at Serene. "Elder Serene, although I'm willing to trust you, I recall you saying that the trees in this forest are your eyes. But this incident happened within the forest, how do you explain that?"

Serene remained calm and replied, "The statement that the forest's trees are my eyes is not entirely accurate. To be precise, all the trees in the forest are alive.

"They have life, they speak to me, and they tell me about interesting things that happen in the forest.

"If they don't speak, I wouldn't know what's happening. I truly didn't know what was going on until the scream was heard."

Lu Heng acknowledged her explanation, but it didn't rule out her suspicion.

However, if they considered her a suspect, the investigation would hit a dead end.

Serene was an Elder of the Elven race, and the Elven Guard escorting the Moonwell Spring would certainly follow her orders.

In other words, if Serene was the attacker, she had the ability to kill everyone here.

Therefore, to investigate this matter, they must first assume she wasn't the culprit.

Even excluding Serene, the situation remained grave.

Lu Heng looked around at everyone present, pondering a question.

Was the attacker among the Elves and humans here, or had they come from outside?

If the attacker was among the humans and Elves present, the scope was actually very small.

Because the attacker had to evade Serene's watchful eyes and possess the strength to severely injure Xie Shi En, indicating a high level of combat power and rank.

Lu Heng was well aware of Xie Shi En's abilities; in a head-on confrontation, someone might be able to defeat him, but it wouldn't be easy to restrain him.

Therefore, among the humans and Elves here, the only ones capable of severely injuring Xie Shi En, aside from Lu Heng himself, were Fiona and Serene.

Even Captain Eric of the Elven Guard might not possess such ability.

Lu Heng had witnessed Eric's fighting skills during the previous attack by the Abyssal Summoners, and he was quite capable.

In a direct confrontation, Eric should be able to defeat Xie Shi En, but severely injuring him would be a difficult task.

Moreover, if Xie Shi En wanted to escape, Eric likely wouldn't be able to stop him.

In other words, if the attacker was among them, it was most likely either Serene or Fiona.

Of course, there was another possibility—a group effort.

Lu Heng took a deep breath and asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, to confirm that the attacker is not among us, let's provide alibis for last night. Let's supervise each other and see if anyone left in the middle of the night."

This was a standard procedure; by supervising each other and providing alibis, they could rule out suspects and then work together to find the real culprit.

The group discussed and someone raised their hand.

It was Tao Yalun, who spoke up, "I went out to relieve myself last night, for about ten minutes, and then quickly returned."

Chen Zi Hang added, "I can vouch for that. I woke up when he left, and he didn't stay out for long."

Then, an Elven warrior spoke up, "I saw someone enter the forest last night."

"Who?"

The Elven warrior pointed at Su Muyu, "Her. She entered the forest and stayed there for a long time."

Su Muyu nodded in agreement, "Yes, I was gone for over an hour."

This statement immediately drew suspicion from many.

Su Muyu quickly added, "I went to the Tree of Knowledge's space; I can't lie about that. Elder Serene, you can ask the Tree of Knowledge to confirm."

Soon enough, Serene nodded in confirmation, "Yes, she did go to the Tree of Knowledge's space."

In the end, only Serene and Fiona couldn't provide alibis.

They both had separate treehouses for rest and hadn't interacted with anyone else the night before.

After a round of investigations, they were back to square one.

Lu Heng glanced back at the treehouse where Xie Shi En lay unconscious, took a deep breath, and wanted to get to the bottom of this, but the information was too chaotic to discern what had truly happened.

Currently, the only certain information they had was the attacker's target—the Soul Vault.

The Soul Vault again.

This Soul Vault had repeatedly attracted multiple attacks.

Unknown forces, a mysterious assassin, and tonight's attacker.

Were these three the same? Additionally, there was another possibility.

This time, the number of humans summoned exceeded fifty, a relatively large scale.

There might be a team from the Creator's Organization among them.

In other words, if there was a team from the Creator's Organization here, and they learned that Xie Shi En had the Soul Vault, they would undoubtedly take action.

Lu Heng tried to recall how many people knew about the Soul Vault.

Aside from the three in his team, only Queen Aureana and Fiona knew that Xie Shi En had the Soul Vault.

Furthermore, there was one crucial piece of information.

This attacker had the ability to act within the forest without Serene's knowledge.

Lu Heng turned to Serene again, "Elder Serene, what kind of existence could act within the forest without you noticing? Is there anyone here capable of that?"

Serene fell silent upon hearing this question. After a moment, she replied, "If we're talking about that, then among the Elves, an Archmage or a Magic Warrior who masters advanced Natural Magic could possibly do it."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end