As they pushed deeper, the architecture began to change.
The treehouses grew larger and stronger. Compared to the ones on the outskirts of the empire, these ones were on a whole other level. Their branches alone are thick enough to compare to the stumps of those small trees.
And with the thickness so wide, the living structure had also changed in this area.
The houses were not built on the tree’s branch like so man-made nest. Instead they were built directly inside the trunk of the wide tree.
With the inside of the trees hollowed out, there was enough space to make them as big as a small courtyard of a small noble family in the Feng Empire.
Stone steps spiraled upward around bark-covered towers, and bridges made of vines and branches stretched between treetops.
They passed chambers carved into living wood, so shaped like lotus petals, others resembling flowing streams.
Still, there were no people. No guards. No residents.
Wuhan paused after walking for a while and looked around. "The whole empire is deserted..."
Even beyond his vision, as far as his soul sense could feel, he could not find a single living soul.
"Every elf in the empire was captured after the royal family was overthrown." Sylvheriel spoke with a plain tone without looking at him. Her eyes were wandering straight ahead, in the direction of the golden glow that pierced the dense cloak of green leaves.
"I was powerless to save them on my own, and my mother used a life protection artifact to send away from the continent." Sylvheriel finally turned his attention to Wuhan and raised her hand to lift a pendant with golden tal surrounding a cracked green gem in a protective embrace and continued, "She said that this thing would lead to my destiny, and I would be able to save the elven race."
Wuhan listened to her words from one ear while glancing at the locket hanging from her neck and thought, ’Her mother must have made up a story to make her run away without feeling bad and really took her words to heart.’
Inwardly shaking his head, he looked away; he took his soul sense back at the sa ti. He was not Noah, who could keep his soul sense active as long as he wanted.
He could only keep it active for a short while before feeling the drain on his soul power.
As for the pendant on the elven priestess, he could sense so sort of residual energy in there, but that was all there was to it. It felt more like a broken artifact than so kind of treasure.
He concluded that it was a one-use item that allowed her to escape and was no longer usable.
They resud their journey without another word.
Even though there was no sign of life around, none of them allowed themselves to relax. The silence of the abandoned empire was unsettling—too unnatural, especially in a wild forest like this.
The group moved with quiet vigilance, eyes scanning every shadow, ears tuned to every rustle.
The winding bridges of vines and wooden paths creaked under their weight as they moved deeper into the empire. Only Sylvheriel looked like the most relaxed of them all.
But that was to be expected since she was not a soldier but a caretaker of the world tree. She had never even held a blade in her life.
The tree trunks around them stretched so high they disappeared into the leafy canopy above, blocking most of the sky.
The golden glow in the distance—the castle—grew brighter with the sky behind it darkening.
But the tension in the air also grew heavier.
And the vigilance of the group was not for naught... They were ambushed on their way towards the castle!
First there was only silence, but then—
A sharp whistle tore through the silence. It was so fast that it barely registered as a sound.
Wuhan’s instincts flared. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur speeding straight toward Sylvheriel, the weakest link of their group.
His muscles tensed, ready to react, but soone was faster.
In a flash, Captain Black Sword stepped forward, his blade already drawn.
Clang!
The black sword, dark as night and smooth as glass, sliced through the air, cleaving the shiny blur with a sharp wave of his sword.
A second later, two pieces of the thing that had attacked them fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Everyone froze. The soldiers instantly spread out, guarding the periter with weapons raised.
Wuhan’s eyes darted to the object on the ground.
An arrow.
Cleaved in half from the middle. It was crafted from so unfamiliar bone-like material with a shiny silver tip of a crystalline material. The arrow was not ordinary; he could feel it.
There had been no sound of a bowstring. No warning.
Sylvheriel looked down at the arrow in wide-eyed shock, her hand hovering near her chest where the projectile would’ve struck if not for the captain’s quick reaction.
Wuhan stepped closer, his expression dark. He glanced at the surrounding trees but didn’t spot any movent.
Whoever shot that arrow was either hiding too well or had already moved.
"Stay alert," he said coldly, eyes scanning every tree and rooftop. Before he could even release his soul sense, the sound of sothing heavy stomping on the ground echoed in the surroundings.
Whatever peace this forest had once held, it was gone now.
The thing that attacked the group could escape all of their senses and attack them from a distance, which showed how trained and strong it was.
The air around them suddenly shifted.
It was subtle at first—a faint tremor in the ground, followed by the rustling of leaves far too rhythmic to be the wind. Wuhan’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword as he instinctively stepped in front of Sylvheriel.
Then ca the sound—thud... thud... THUD—heavy hoofbeats striking the earth, steady and deliberate. The trees ahead parted as sothing erged from the deeper shadows of the forest.
Wuhan’s eyes widened ever so slightly in wonder and alertness. He had never seen sothing like that ever in his life.
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