Chapter 74: The Dark Forest

In the empty hall, Ravenna, dressed in a splendid golden feathered gown, wearing a golden crown and elaborate makeup, walked out of the Magic Mirror with a smug expression.

Looking at the vanished Fulade, a cold smile flickered at the corner of her mouth.

Ravenna turned back toward the hanging Magic Mirror and chanted, "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in this world."

As a surge of light rippled, the golden liquid transformed into a golden mirror spirit, standing before Ravenna.

"Ravenna, what is your command?" the Magic Mirror said.

"You were right; Fulade truly is a nuisance."

"Fortunately you warned me, otherwise he would have succeeded."

After a moment of silence, the Magic Mirror said, "Ravenna, his strength is great; you must be careful, the Dark Forest won't hold him for long."

Ravenna's expression grew serious as she said, "I've never truly seen through him; hearing you say that, you must know his exact strength."

"Yes. His life tier far exceeds yours; in this era of scarce magic, he is among the strongest."

"The strongest!?" a flash of heat passed through Ravenna's eyes, then she frowned and asked.

"Could it be that I am not one of the strongest?"

The Magic Mirror paused briefly and said, "You and your sister Freya both have the aptitude to break through Level Two Life Tier, yet even now you are not among this world's strongest."

As the Magic Mirror answered, Ravenna fell silent, her gaze flickering, exceedingly profound.

After a brief moment, Ravenna asked, "How long can the Dark Forest trap him?"

"I don't know; perhaps a few days, perhaps a few weeks, perhaps he will die there."

A flash of light shone, and when Fulade opened his eyes, he found himself no longer in the secret hall.

Above him was a sky without a hint of daylight.

A thin layer of gray mist obscured the view of the sky.

Looking out, it was a vast forest; unlike ordinary woods, its gloom created a terrifying, sinister atmosphere.

On the barren branches, a flock of crows cawed.

The soft, damp ground was littered with the skeletal remains of various animals and humans.

As Fulade moved through the eerie forest, a creaking sound occasionally rose from beneath his feet, the crisp crack of breaking bones.

"I never expected that, in the end Ravenna the woman still outwitted me," Fulade sighed, quite annoyed.

"However, it's not surprising that the Magic Mirror possesses such power."

Fulade realized that, after all, he had underestimated Ravenna and the Magic Mirror's abilities.

"What is this place, where have I been sent?"

As Fulade kept moving and scanning the surroundings.

A strange green gas continuously erupted from the ground.

When the green gas entered Fulade's nostrils, a faint dizzy sensation rose.

A layer of blood‑colored energy instantly enveloped his body.

Fulade looked toward the source of the green gas emission.

He saw, in the moist, soft black mud, multicolored fungal plants sprouting throughout the forest.

These fungal plants emitted a faint magical fluctuation.

"No wonder—these strange gases must be the magical spores they emit," Fulade quickly concluded.

Observing the eerie, gloomy surroundings, Fulade knew that since Ravenna had sent him here, the place surely concealed unknown dangers.

The most pressing issue now was to escape this place quickly.

Determined, Fulade suddenly surged upward, intending to break through the sky.

Yet as Fulade entered the gray mist spreading through the sky, countless dead branches on the ground seemed to activate, each uprooting itself. Waving the dead branches like a soaring giant serpent, they swarmed and enveloped Fulade.

Within the gray mist, dark specters emitted shrill screams, swooping in from all directions.

In an instant, Fulade found himself surrounded on all sides.

Watching the ghostly souls spreading like a blanket around him, Fulade's gaze hardened.

"Hmph, these souls and tree demons that don't even reach Level One Life Tier dare to block me!!" Fulade snorted coldly.

As his words faded, scorching blood flames, locked onto by Fulade's will, instantly turned into soaring fire‑breathing dragons, sweeping toward the approaching specters and dead wood.

Shrill screams rang continuously.

Not only the souls, but even the uprooted dead trees let out mournful wails.

Yet as time passed, the surrounding souls not only failed to diminish, but seemed to gather in ever greater numbers.

This made Fulade's attempt to break away from the sky increasingly difficult, almost impossible to move.

However, it is worth noting that in the Dark Forest, with the massive death of surrounding tree demons and the intense blood flames burning in the dense woods,

the tree demons farther away, already sluggish, were too fearful of the flames to replenish themselves.

Only then did Fulade slowly exhale a sigh of relief.

He couldn't help but frown, "How can there be so many souls and tree demons here?"

How many had he killed before? Fulade hadn't counted carefully, but there were still over a hundred.

Yet Fulade knew clearly that, though their level was low, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

If this continued, sooner or later he would be slowly worn out to death by these souls and tree demons.

Taking a deep breath, Fulade's eyes flashed with red light.

Raising his arm, countless bats materialized from nowhere, forming black streams that gathered around Fulade, dense and swirling.

Like a massive black vortex, it began to continuously crush the gathering specters.

As the numerous souls died, they turned into a faint gray mist.

"This place is void‑restricted!!"

A furious, violent roar suddenly echoed from deep within the dark forest.

Accompanied by rumbling tremors of the ground, it seemed as if a terrifying beast was approaching.

From afar, a colossal Giant over twenty meters tall was striding toward this place.

But shrouded in forest mist, it remained vague and indistinct, making the Giant's appearance unclear.

"Hmph, can't just sit still." Fulade's eyes turned cold as he glanced at the sky, where countless ghostly phantoms were still swarming in from all directions.

Fulade transformed into a bat swarm, actively swooping toward the Giant's silhouette.

Boom—boom—boom!!

As they drew nearer, the Giant's features became increasingly clear.

When their eyes met, a fierce roar erupted, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.

It was a Forest Giant covered in moss and various plants.

A pair of enormous green eyes, a set of large curved horns on its head, and rough skin bearing a hard, wood‑grain‑like keratin layer.

With each step, huge pits kept forming in the ground.

Within those pits beneath its feet lay many tree spirits, emitting their dying, miserable cries.

PS: All you godfathers, keep reading, don't forget to keep reading these days!!! Monthly votes!! Recommendation votes!! I need all kinds of support!! Thanks to everyone first!!!

(End of chapter)