Chapter 164: The Forest of Elves

There were multiple reasons why Chu Yun was in such a rush to head to Moon Lake, and the massive horde of undead entrenched within it was chief among them.

To Chu Yun, Moon Lake was an exceptionally lucrative grinding spot for experience and drops. The clustered undead formed a veritable treasure trove. He wanted to raise his level a bit before the elite forces from various nations arrived, and it would be ideal if he could advance to Tier 3.

Reaching that milestone would grant him a new mirror skill, and all his attributes would see an improvement, providing greater security for the adventures that lay ahead.

Even if he failed to reach Tier 3, improving his attributes and acquiring new spells would still be worthwhile.

Paimon’s flight speed was quite fast, and the aura of a Tier 3 elite monster was sufficient to deter most aerial creatures. Even monsters stronger than Paimon typically avoided easily starting conflicts or fighting to the death among themselves.

For powerful monsters, the bulk of their diet consisted of lower-tier creatures. Unless they encountered a delicacy they particularly favored, killing the opponent would help elevate their own strength, or there was a vast disparity in power, battles rarely broke out between high-tier monsters.

The higher the tier of a monster, the more it cherished its own life, knowing how to weigh advantages against disadvantages and how to flee.

The wind was a bit strong atop Paimon's back, and without a specialized riding saddle, the journey was actually quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, the distance from the Elven Forest to Blackstone City was not particularly far, and at Paimon’s speed, traveling through the night meant they would arrive before dawn.

As for the army from Blackstone City, even if they also marched through the night, they would likely be much slower. Reaching the destination by tomorrow evening would already be considered very fast. After all, nighttime brought numerous monsters; while a larger group offered more safety, it also drew greater attention from the beasts.

Under normal circumstances, that might not have been an issue as most weak monsters would yield and back away, but now, with the monster surge, their sanity had significantly deteriorated.

Chu Yun encountered similar situations; along the way, the occasional brainless creature would try to attack Paimon, only to ultimately dissolve into experience points and vanish.

Since they were flying along the Carlos River, there was no need to worry about directions. Chu Yun concentrated on meditation upon the dragon's back to restore his mental energy. Whenever his reserves were full, he practiced various spells; increasing his proficiency could significantly boost his casting speed.

This upcoming battle would take place inside the lake. Although there was no water within the barrier itself, both the journey to reach the barrier and the preliminary mob-grinding required dealing with the aquatic environment.

The fire-type spells Chu Yun excelled at would likely prove of little use in the early stages, so he was currently focusing his practice on Annihilation Divine Thunder and Elemental Lances.

Elemental Lances possessed extreme adaptability, functioning effectively in a wide variety of environments, making them spells worth prioritizing in his training.

"Ice Lance!"

"Water Lance!"

"Lightning Lance!"

……

---

After a night of rapid travel, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Chu Yun finally arrived in the skies above the Elven Forest.

Before even descending into the Elven Forest, Chu Yun noticed that the atmosphere in the outer perimeter was somewhat tense, as a flock of hunting falcons soaring through the air converged toward him.

Human soldiers had gathered in large numbers on both banks of the river, belonging respectively to the border garrisons of the Elunor Kingdom and the Karachia Kingdom.

Adventurers attempting to enter the outer reaches of the Elven Forest were intercepted by the border forces; some underwent simple questioning, others were recruited, while individuals with criminal records were directly arrested.

Because the outer periphery of the Elven Forest did not belong to the elven territory, the elves did not react too strongly, though they felt some dissatisfaction regarding the actions of the two kingdoms.

The primary objective of the two nations was to recruit adventurers. Compared to the scattered operations of solo adventurers, organizing into teams to mount an offensive was far more effective.

Faced with the surrounding hunting falcons, Paimon, who was somewhat fatigued after flying for a full day, grew thoroughly displeased.

"Roar! (Scram!)"

A powerful aura erupted outward into the surroundings, causing these ordinary hunting falcons, which were merely Tier 1 or Tier 2, to frantically flap their wings and flee.

Having grown stronger, Paimon's temper had also flared. Aside from Chu Yun and his friends, it was no longer as polite to others as it used to be—let alone mere hunting falcons.

Ignoring the border troops down below, Chu Yun flew straight toward Moon Lake.

Over this period, the elven forces had been stationed around Moon Lake to prevent the undead army from spreading elsewhere, while continuously clearing out the enemies crawling up from the lake.

Since the vast majority of the undead here were skeletal entities, swimming proved exceedingly difficult for them; most either advanced along the lakebed or simply dug tunnels.

Consequently, it was not unusual for enemies to suddenly burst forth from the soil. These tunnels spread underground like a spider's web, and the contamination of the lake water expanded steadily along with them.

An increasing number of creatures within the Elven Forest were becoming corrupted into the undead. These undead entities, newly transformed and located some distance away from the Godhead fragment, did not confine themselves to guarding the vicinity of the fragment, but instead roamed randomly in all directions.

Part of the reason the border troops surrounded the outer perimeter of the Elven Forest was to block these undead creatures.

The upstream areas were slightly better off, but the polluted downstream areas were far harder to control. These undead entities, transformed after drinking the river water, were not restricted to operating around the City of Death; they were currently running rampant everywhere.

This indirectly reflected the powerful contaminating potency of the Godhead fragment. Presumably, this piece of the godhead either possessed a very high grade or was exceptionally intact, otherwise, its influence would not be this potent.

Many speculated that this might be a fragment of the Goddess of Death!

As the natural nemesis of death, the Church of Life had also dispatched a large number of elites to rush toward the Elven Forest upon receiving news from the elves. Unfortunately, the headquarters of the Church of Life was located too far away, and they likely wouldn't be able to make it in time.

The fact that the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death were two sides of the same entity was known to very few gods. Compared to the resplendent Goddess of Life, the Goddess of Death had always remained extremely mysterious, and very few had ever laid eyes upon her true appearance.

During his flight, Chu Yun spotted several undead creatures prowling about the elven forest. He casually killed one, feeling a slight sense of relief when he confirmed that he could still gain experience.

If all those undead yielded zero experience, it would simply be maddening.

"Ahead lies Moon Lake, which is currently in a state of lockdown. Please land in the designated ground area for inspection." A squad of elven air cavalry mounted on pegasi intercepted Chu Yun, blocking his path.

Chu Yun reined Paimon in, signaling it not to act recklessly, and then descended toward the ground in accordance with the elven squad's instructions.

Paimon, acting as a Tier 3 wyvern, drew the attention of quite a few elves. Upon landing, a female elf with a pair of curved scabbards strapped to her waist approached Chu Yun, accompanied by her subordinates.

"Greetings, adventurer. I am Talina, the officer in charge of the southern sector of Moon Lake. Please present your adventurer's certificate or other documents that verify your identity," Talina said politely.

Chu Yun nodded slightly, then presented the mage badge and the credentials issued by the Blackstone City Mage Association following his successful qualification assessment.

"Ah, so you are Mr. Chu Yun. Your brave performance in the battle to subjugate the Earth-Devouring Beast was truly admirable."