Chapter Seventeen: Twilight Forest

“A treat?!” Ling Xiaolei’s eyes lit up the moment she heard the words. Her purse was completely empty these days. “Is it really anything I want?”

“Go ahead!”

Just like that, Ling Xiaolei shamelessly abandoned her pursuit of knowledge and pounced on the street food stall with the ferocity of a starving wolf.

Dusk was falling. The sun sank slowly behind the distant mountains, its last rays spilling like water across the street and gradually fading. Then the deep darkness of night draped over the neighborhood, and rows of streetlights and neon signs burst into life overhead.

A small wooden table separated Hei Yu and Ling Xiaolei. They sat outdoors, just outside the restaurant, with the cool night breeze quietly stirring the air. She shoveled drumsticks and skewers into her mouth with both hands, chasing them down with big gulps of her drink.

“So, what did you want with me?”

Hei Yu got straight to the point. “I want to go to the Twilight Forest.”

Ling Xiaolei nearly spat out her drink. “What? Twilight Forest? Are you out of your mind!” She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and tore off another piece of fragrant roast chicken. “Do you even know how far that is? Not to mention the dangers along the way—just the trip there and back will take at least half a day! And why do you want to take me with you?”

“I have a plan,” Hei Yu said. “If it works, we can advance in our training much faster than anyone else! At night, almost no one sets foot in the Twilight Forest. I can use dark magic freely. As for you, you can cast a barrier with your Dark Elf powers to contain the destructive force of the dark arts.”

“You mean… you want us to train in the Twilight Forest? Didn’t Master Shi say that place was only for late-stage intermediate mages? We’re nowhere near strong enough!”

“Leave fighting the monsters to me. You just need to support me,” Hei Yu replied earnestly, but Ling Xiaolei was left more confused than ever.

“Are you done eating?” Hei Yu didn’t want to waste any time. He pulled her up and started leading her away.

“Boss, the check please!”

“Hey, wait!” Ling Xiaolei protested, waving her greasy hands. “I haven’t even agreed to go with you yet! Are you really set on going to the Twilight Forest?”

Hei Yu led her into a narrow alley and up a steep, secluded stone staircase behind the street, heading for the hillside.

“I’ve already scouted the way these past few days. Don’t worry, there’s no problem at all!”

His confidence made Ling Xiaolei feel as if she’d boarded a pirate ship with no chance of escape. But, having already accepted his hospitality, she truly had no way out.

Standing at the top of the hill, Hei Yu gazed down at the dazzling lights of the nighttime market. The sky was already thick with stars, and the low houses and all kinds of shop signs lay at their feet.

The night wind stirred his bangs. Hei Yu gathered the dark power within him; wisps of black mist coiled from his back, blending seamlessly with the night.

Ling Xiaolei paced nearby, still half-convinced. “I can’t guarantee my beginner’s barrier will hold. Even if it does, how do we get to the Twilight Forest? We have class tomorrow! If we go now, can we even get back in time…?”

Before she could finish, she suddenly felt her body lighten—her cheek was pressed against Hei Yu’s chest. He’d swept her into his arms. Before she could react, a pair of black wings unfurled from his back. With a sudden gust of wind, they lifted off, soaring into the night sky.

“Ah?! Put me down!”

Ling Xiaolei shrieked in terror. It was her first time flying, and the Holy City shrank rapidly beneath her feet, the brilliant buildings merging into a single patch of light. Frightened, she clung to Hei Yu’s neck, close enough to hear his heartbeat.

Hei Yu flew fast, crossing the city gates in a blink. In the sky, he was just a tiny black speck, completely invisible to those on the ground.

Beyond the gates stretched an endless forest. The wind was cooler here, and Hei Yu soared freely, wings beating as he circled in the air like a bird finally breaking free from its cage.

They passed over woods, a shimmering river, and a vast, desolate former battlefield. Not far ahead loomed a forest of towering trees, glowing faintly with phosphorescence—the Twilight Forest.

Hei Yu landed in front of the Twilight Forest and set the thoroughly startled Ling Xiaolei down on the ground. She collapsed onto the grass, dizzy from the speed of their flight.

“We… we actually made it?”

“This is your first time flying. It’s normal to be dizzy. You’ll get used to it,” Hei Yu said.

Hei Yu’s gaze drifted toward the old battlefield. Under the moonlight, the silent, barren plain was shrouded in mist. Not a blade of grass grew, and broken swords, spears, and halberds still stood embedded in the earth, giving the place an eerie, desolate air.

“So this is the old battlefield…”

Beyond the battlefield, the magnificent Holy City was just a silhouette, shrouded by the trees.

Hei Yu couldn’t help but sigh. “Five thousand years ago, the humans and the demons fought here. What a war that must have been…”

Ling Xiaolei coughed softly and got to her feet. “So you do know some history… Remember the Archangel statue in the Holy City? People erected that statue on the southern edge of the battlefield to honor the god who led them to victory. The Holy City was later built around it.”

Seeing Ling Xiaolei had recovered her strength, Hei Yu said eagerly, “Well, we’ve reached the Twilight Forest, and it didn’t take much time at all, did it? We’ll get back just as quickly. Now, let’s not waste any more time—let’s train!”

With that, he strode straight into the forest.

The Twilight Forest was home to countless plants older than ten thousand years. At night, their gathered spiritual energy made them glow with a faint light, which gave the forest its name.

The two walked side by side, picking their way through the pathless woods. Unlike ordinary forests, the trees here were immense, blocking out the moonlight and rendering the woods as silent as the deep sea. Each trunk was at least two meters thick; even the smaller ones exceeded a meter in diameter. Mushrooms and dandelions grew up to three meters tall, glowing softly like natural lanterns, while fireflies drifted everywhere on the wind.

“So this is the Twilight Forest… It’s every bit as beautiful as the legends say,” Ling Xiaolei marveled, gazing around.

“Don’t let your guard down,” Hei Yu warned. “The beasts that prowl at night are far more dangerous than those by day. They’re experts at concealing their presence. In a forest this ancient, every area is ruled by its own ‘lord.’ If we trespass carelessly, we’ll surely draw their attention.”