Chapter 199: 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 ma.s.sive 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 astonis.h.i.+ng 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 acc.u.mulated 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 racc.o.o.n 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 lords.h.i.+p 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 refres.h.i.+ng 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 mult.i.tude 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 pa.s.sing 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.
Pus.h.i.+ng 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.