Chapter Twenty-One: The Princess Arrives

"It was the one who fought the demons before you did, on the day of the invasion!"

"Oh!... I don't remember. All I recall is seeing a huge dragon wounded on the ground, but I didn't get a good look. Was she a princess?"

"That's her! This is big news. I have to interview her and find out exactly what happened during the demon invasion!"

Ling Xiao-lei's curiosity was insatiable; nothing could make her eyes shine like news—or good food.

"Enough, you can interview her later. Training comes first." Hei Yu grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out of the crowd. "Besides, she can't just run off while she's at school. You can talk to her whenever."

"Promise me! Come back early and go with me to interview her!"

"Fine, fine."

Inside the luxurious carriage, a jeweled curtain was gently pulled aside. A round-faced, gentle-looking girl peeked out, just in time to spot Hei Yu and Ling Xiao-lei walking at the edge of the crowd.

"Ah!... Hei Yu..."

Her cheeks flushed, and she drew back into the carriage.

When she mustered the courage to look outside again, she saw, just ahead of the carriage, an uncle with a little mustache arguing noisily with the dormitory supervisor. The students watching nearby all looked on with clear distaste, making her blush again and retreat hurriedly.

"Oh dear, Uncle Shinmoku is at it again... I know he's just looking out for me, but still! When he makes such a fuss, everyone ends up hating me! I'll just have to apologize to the dorm supervisor later... All I want is a quiet school life! Ah!"

She clutched her hair in frustration, nearly at her wit's end.

This was none other than the princess of the Divine Dragon Clan, Shin Zai Kuo, who had fought the demon clan that day.

Under the shroud of night, Twilight Forest was mysterious, eerie, and fraught with hidden dangers. After Hei Yu unlocked the first seal, the two of them strolled through the silent woods, guided by the faint glow of the plants, venturing deeper into the rarely trodden forest.

The power of darkness was a force fundamentally incompatible with everything on the continent. As soon as Hei Yu undid the first seal, every step he took left rotting, withering plants behind. The energy radiating from him caused the branches overhead to shrivel and curl up. Even the lesser night creatures, following their instincts for survival, fled in droves away from Hei Yu.

Had they not used a barrier, such unrestrained dark power unleashed in the forest would cause unimaginable destruction.

"Beasts approaching! On the left and right—packs of Nightshade Wolves are closing in fast. Be careful!"

Ling Xiao-lei responded swiftly and accurately, staff in hand, bracing herself for battle, her expression calm.

"The wolves are moving to surround us. They're fast, and their average cultivation is about fifty years—not high, but Nightshade Wolves excel at group attacks. Three wolves with fifty years' cultivation could kill a beast with a century or more of cultivation. To deal with pack-hunting Nightshade Wolves, strength alone isn't enough—speed and agility are just as crucial."

"How many?"

"One, two, three... About ten wolves on the outskirts. They could attack at any moment."

After days of training, the two had grown increasingly in sync.

By now, the Nightshade Wolves had completely encircled them, their shadows darting between the trees. The three largest wolves in front, their eyes glowing with fierce green light, suddenly leapt from the dark thicket. These three were massive, with over eighty years of cultivation, baring their fangs and drooling as they pawed the earth, their eyes murderous.

"Raise the barrier."

"Right!"

A square barrier sprang up at once. Though its range was limited, Ling Xiao-lei had already adapted to adjusting its size on the fly, keeping pace with Hei Yu's attacks and movements.

The three lead wolves lunged. Ling Xiao-lei stood her ground, calmly controlling the barrier, while Hei Yu leapt in front of her, sending a sweeping arc of black light to drive them back.

The three wolves were struck head-on, though not gravely hurt. They kept running, circling in to attack again. The rest of the pack seized the moment, leaping from the brush on both sides, fangs and claws flashing as they charged.

Hei Yu dodged nimbly, staff in hand, fending off snapping jaws and slashing claws, counterattacking with "Dark Light Slash" to batter the wolves’ flanks and heads.

After several rounds, the Nightshade Wolves had gained no upper hand. They padded around the barrier’s edge, eyes fixed hungrily on the pair. Hei Yu and Ling Xiao-lei stood back to back. Suddenly, the lead wolf threw back its head and howled; the entire pack prepared to attack again, a dozen Nightshade Wolves leaping into the air at once.

"Hei Yu!" Ling Xiao-lei yelped, shrinking closer until she was pressed against his back.

"Don't be afraid!"

Hei Yu kept his composure, his steps steady. Just as the Nightshade Wolves lunged, claws gleaming, he suddenly drove his staff into the ground. A surge of power seemed to be drawn from deep within the earth, radiating outward from his staff.

"Dark Storm!"

A whirlwind of darkness rose from beneath his feet, rapidly expanding with overwhelming force, twisting into a mighty tornado that pierced the sky.

In the chaos, Ling Xiao-lei scrambled to expand the barrier upward, pushing the violet shield to its limits. But she couldn't match the tornado's ascent; the storm burst through the top of the barrier. The bodies of over a dozen massive wolves were swept up, hurled into the sky, soaring nearly a thousand meters into the clouds.

"Ah!" Ling Xiao-lei cried out, her hands trembling. The barrier slipped from her control and shattered at once.

The howling wind thrashed the trees in every direction, and Ling Xiao-lei herself was buffeted back and forth by the storm.

As the black tempest faded from the sky, the bodies of the Nightshade Wolves began to rain down, one after another, with a heavy thud as they hit the ground, their thick fur muffling the sound. Spirits of varying size hovered above each fallen beast.

It was only when the last three head wolves, each with eighty years' cultivation, landed with a resounding crash at her feet that Ling Xiao-lei snapped out of it and punched Hei Yu in annoyance.

"Next time you're going to use a move like that, could you at least warn me first?"

Hei Yu shrugged.

"I wanted to, but there wasn't time."

She pointed to the sky, hands on her hips, stamping her foot. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? If you'd attacked sideways, you could've destroyed the entire forest!"

"I didn't know your barrier was so feeble."

"You—!"

"Enough. You take these spirits—think of it as your reward. With me being so strong and you lagging behind, it's hard to keep this partnership going for long, you know!"

The fire of Ling Xiao-lei’s fury blazed behind her.