Advancing into the Depths of the Forest

"Since everyone is here—" Tilis glanced around the group, "when should we set off?"

"Teacher and I plan to infiltrate the Black Forest tomorrow night," Luo Wei explained the situation regarding the Blood Moon Domain.

"The Blood Moon Domain, huh..." Tilis pondered, "Not a bad idea, but my suggestion is to avoid combat if possible and head straight for the central area. The monsters in the Black Forest are immortal."

"Immortal?" Helena lifted her head from her brother's embrace. "Are those monsters really that powerful? Even the witch can't kill them?"

"Wait, that doesn’t make sense?" Ophelia's magical projection scanned the surroundings. "There are so many monster corpses here. Aren’t they already dead?"

"It’s not the same," Tilis shook her head. "After Luo Wei disappeared, I tried several times to venture deeper into the Black Forest, but all attempts failed. No one understands the situation there better than I do. Within the Black Forest, the Black Goat’s Young are truly unkillable."

"It’s because of the Bountiful Mother Goddess," Luo Wei said. After all, Her authority is tied to life itself.

"Eleya must have already gone deep into the Black Forest. We need to hurry," Tilis mused. "Of course, if plans change, we should have a backup. I’ll work with my colleagues from the Hidden Order to construct a grand teleportation circle beyond the 9th tier. If things spiral out of control, at least we won’t all be trapped inside..."

"That sounds reasonable..." Ophelia nodded in agreement.

"Wait—hold on!" Evelyn suddenly interrupted.

She glared at Luo Wei in frustration. "When did I ever agree to let you go? How did you all start planning this so seriously?"

"Teacher, I really have to go there..." Luo Wei sighed.

"No, you’re not!"

"Teacher, this is extremely important..."

"Absolutely not!" Evelyn covered her ears. "No, no, no!!"

An awkward silence fell over the group, and Luo Wei gave everyone a helpless look.

"Stop being childish, Evelyn!" Tilis stared at her sternly. "Luo Wei is right—this is crucial. It’s not just about Eleya, but also the secrets of the gods, and even... the truth of this world. This might be our only chance. If we miss it because of you, and the consequences become irreversible, will you take responsibility?"

"I understand the big picture..." Evelyn lowered her head, defeated. "But just thinking about him possibly disappearing... Even if we uncover some grand secret, what does it matter then?"

If Luo Wei vanished, if he never came back—what would be the point of anything?

After she spoke, silence lingered once more.

Tilis sighed quietly. Evelyn’s concerns were valid.

She had lived through the events four years ago, and the helplessness she felt back then was still fresh in her mind.

But her determination mirrored Luo Wei’s.

After everything they’d experienced, Tilis realized belatedly that the heart of the Black Forest might not just involve the Bountiful Mother Goddess and the God of Light.

The issue here might even touch upon the very nature of this world.

Luo Wei had mentioned "bugs" to her before—he suspected there was a "bug" in the so-called "level."

Tilis didn’t understand what "bugs" or "levels" meant, but she grasped the essence of his words.

This world was flawed, and the Black Forest was the most tangible manifestation of that flaw.

This idea aligned perfectly with the answers Usoma had brought back. As Luo Wei’s "soulmate," Tilis had also sensed the "opportunity" this situation presented—a chance that could change everything.

With that in mind, Tilis made her decision. She would trust Luo Wei.

"Evelyn..."

But just as she was about to reason with Evelyn seriously—

Luo Wei spoke up.

"Teacher, before we enter the temple, I’ll give you an answer—one that will convince you."

"What?" Evelyn blinked in surprise.

"A reason why I must go in," Luo Wei said solemnly. "And a reason why I will definitely return safely."

"What’s this now..." Seeing his grave expression, Evelyn pouted. "You’re not just stalling, are you? Once we reach the temple tomorrow, how could I possibly stop you if you insist on going in..."

"That may be true," Luo Wei held her gaze firmly. "But I still hope you’ll believe in me and support me."

Evelyn turned her head away, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"Honestly..."

"All of you and your grand justifications..."

"I’m not as big-picture as you. I can’t argue..."

Shaking her head with a sigh, Evelyn slowly walked toward her tent.

"It’s late. Unlike us vampires, you all should get some rest."

"You’ll need your strength for tomorrow’s mission..."

After Evelyn left, the group exchanged uneasy glances.

Tilis curiously leaned closer. "Luo Wei, what exactly are you planning to say to convince her? Tell me."

Ophelia quipped, "It’s not another ‘since we’re already here,’ is it?"

Luo Wei shook his head. "Let’s sleep first."

...

The next day, the group set off at dawn.

Upon reaching the edge of the Black Forest, Luo Wei observed the state of the dark vegetation. Compared to four years ago, it had withered significantly, with rotting branches and decaying leaves stretching as far as the eye could see.

Yet even so, the vast expanse of the Black Forest remained an impenetrable canopy, its depths teeming with foul energies.

Tilis nodded to the accompanying mages. The Hidden Order’s forces then split—one group began constructing the grand magic circle, while the other retrieved an alarming number of magical explosives.

Burning, bombardment, and torrents of wild mana—the mages soared above, unleashing devastation in an attempt to eradicate the Black Forest, a blight that had plagued the western reaches of Velun for far too long.

The relentless assault continued until dusk, turning the Black Forest into a literal "blackened forest." The choking fumes and towering plumes of smoke only dissipated after the mages collectively cast cleansing spells.

With the mages’ task complete, the vampires, led by Evelyn, ventured into the charred remains of the Black Forest.

Luo Wei surveyed the surroundings. The anguished wails and cries of the Black Goat’s Young echoed everywhere—their sinister lair had likely suffered the worst blow in history.

Yet tension hung thick in the air, for Tilis had warned them the night before: the Black Forest could never be fully destroyed.

As they pressed deeper into the forest, the eerie truth soon revealed itself.

The vegetation that had been burned to ashes seemed to revive, its twisted roots spreading wildly in all directions, dense and tangled like a swarm of snakes abruptly awakened.

A rustling noise echoed through the newly grown forest as a vast number of Dark Young emerged into view.

Seeing this, Evelyn decisively cast her blood magic. Under the cover of night, a crimson Blood Moon suddenly appeared in the sky.

All the vampires concealed themselves within the Blood Moon Domain, shielding Luo Wei and Evelyn as they moved swiftly. Tilis chanted an incantation, and a magical barrier far more robust than Luo Wei’s [Sigil Shield] enveloped the group.

As the Dark Young encircled them, dozens of black tentacles lashed out. At the same moment, Evelyn’s crimson figure suddenly materialized. A flash of blood-red light streaked through the air as her scythe cleanly severed the attacking tendrils.

Qiao’s assault was even more aggressive. Taking the front line, he unleashed a deadly web of razor-sharp blood threads, impossible for the monsters to evade. As the blood mist exploded, the air filled with the sickening crunch of flesh being sliced apart. One of the Dark Young had its tentacles shredded into countless pieces, its main body hacked into several segments.

But the moment he finished off the creature, an unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.

The scattered chunks of flesh on the ground writhed unnaturally, still pulsating with life. Even the severed lumps of the Dark Young’s tumorous mass squirmed and expanded—regenerating new tissue until, soon enough, dozens of fresh tentacles surged toward the group once more.

“How… how are we supposed to fight this?” Qiao exclaimed in shock. “Won’t they just keep multiplying the more we kill?”

The other vampires faced the same dilemma. Not only were the Dark Young unkillable, but their numbers also grew with each attack. The path forward was nearly blocked by countless writhing appendages, leaving them trapped between advancing and retreating.

“I already told you—they cannot die within the Black Forest,” Tilis said coldly. She immediately gathered her mana, unleashing a devastating 9th-circle spell to clear the way.

A storm of annihilating magic raged ahead, reducing the monsters in their path to mere scraps.

“Hurry! Don’t stop!” she urged.

The group seized the opening Tilis had created, pressing deeper into the Black Forest.

Luo Wei, leading the way, glanced back. The ground behind them was littered with minuscule fragments of flesh, yet even in such a state, the Dark Young refused to perish. As long as even a speck of their tissue remained, they would swiftly regenerate, their bodies reassembling as if matter itself were being conjured from nothing—a miracle defying both physics and biology.

“This can’t be real… How is this possible?” some of the vampires muttered in disbelief.

Even for beings with extraordinary regenerative abilities like the vampires, the sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Unlike them, however, the vampires still had fatal weaknesses. But these Dark Young… they seemed truly invincible.

“Save your strength for the retreat,” Tilis warned. “I don’t even want to bother fighting these things.”

“Agreed,” Luo Wei replied. “After all, the Mother Goddess’s authority is Life.”

In this context, it could be summarized in one word—

Immortality.

The more Luo Wei witnessed, the more he felt the Mother of Abundance was an overpowered, borderline game-breaking existence. And this was while She lay dormant. Even in slumber, Her [Authority] defied all logic. Just how terrifying must She have been in Her prime, when even the God of Light had fallen before Her?

“Only by seeing it firsthand do I understand the horror you once faced…” Evelyn’s voice resonated through the blood-tinged air. “Now I can somewhat grasp why the native deities were utterly crushed in the ancient war of the gods…”

“Because the powers of the Outer Gods defy all reason…” Luo Wei thought grimly. They corrupt at will—even deities are not spared. They refuse death—even the God of Light met his end here. It was nothing short of absurd.