Eastern Jungle

I didn't return to the Kinkou Order; I took Akali directly back to Northrend. If I want her to grow further, it's best for her to follow Shen and learn the secrets of the Kinkou Order. But before that, she needs to learn some Shepherd's knowledge. ♖👤 ♔😾

The little girl is very determined. After hearing Kennen tell her mother's story, she was not sad at all. Instead, she looked determined and said that she would inherit the title of "Fist of Shadow".

After returning to Beiquan, I told Talon about my idea of finding outside help, but he just laughed it off:

"I had already anticipated that. General Kled is probably arriving soon, Swain is also preparing to come after finishing his business."

"That's great. Once they arrive, I'll use the teleportation array to go to Demacia and see if I can find some more help."

Two days later, Kled didn't come, but we received bad news: something had happened at the Shilana Temple in the east.

Miyue was telling me about her encounter with the gods when a voice suddenly appeared in our minds:

"Please come to the Shilana Temple immediately, a powerful enemy has appeared here."

"What kind of enemy is it, Hecarim?"

"A demon, wielding a giant magical bow and arrows, killed everyone who was struck by them, and even the plants withered!"

"Alright, we'll send people over immediately. Be careful, things have been strange lately; many powerful enemies have appeared."

"Alright, we haven't directly clashed with him yet. Please send some strong individuals over; his aura is extraordinary!"

When I heard Hecarim say that the enemy was a demon wielding a bow and arrow, Varus's face naturally came to mind. Combined with the recent frequent appearances of Vastaya, my suspicions grew even stronger, but I still needed to see for myself to be sure.

Most people here can't help with the Vastaya, and even the few strong individuals can't all go, otherwise the defenses here would be too weak.

In the end, I decided to bring Akali with me. We're faster on foot and can get there quickly. Also, if the two of us work together, we should be able to stop the Vastaya invasion.

This is where the problem arose: Akali and I didn't know the way to the Shilana Temple; in other words, most people here didn't know the way either.

"Yasuo, oh no, Father, ah, Harbinger One, let's go back to the Kinkou Order again." Akali seemed troubled, unsure how to address me.

"Call me brother, just like when we first met. Does anyone from the Kinkou Order know the way?"

"Yes, the followers of the Balance Cult are widely distributed, and there are soul imprints left by Master everywhere. He can teleport us there using secret techniques! Moreover, my etherealization is not yet mature, and I need to rely on Master's power to use it for a long time."

"Great, that makes things much easier. With Shen's help, we're even more confident!"

I knew Shen could Teleportation, but I didn't expect him to be able to bring others along.

Just two days after we parted, I rushed back to the Kinkou Order. Shen was training the disciples when he heard about the crisis in the east and immediately led us there.

The Kinkou Order has four guardian sects, and the one currently stationed in the east is Alanta's disciple, Li.

The last time I saw her was when she was Zhao Xin. Several years have passed, and she seems much more mature now.

Akali and Li had a very good relationship. After meeting, they greeted each other warmly, and then Li respectfully bowed to Shen.

"Uncle-Master, you've arrived!"

"What happened here? Report to me."

"Actually, our messenger falcons have already been sent out, but we didn't expect you to arrive first. A monster has appeared here..."

This is a brief introduction, but more detailed than what Hecarim gave.

It turns out that the chaos that occurred in the east a while ago was caused by this monster. However, at first, no one paid attention to it. A group of experts gathered and drove the monster off the cliff.

But the monster did not die. When it reappeared a few days ago, it was not only much larger, but also stronger. Its magic crossbow bolts could even kill any living creature instantly.

The various experts gathered again to pursue the monster, but were slaughtered and forced to flee. The Kinkou Order remained silent, awaiting Kennen's orders, but unexpectedly, Shen arrived in person.

"It's good that you haven't made a move yet, otherwise you'd be in big trouble. He's no ordinary monster, but a creature called the Vastaya, which cannot be defeated by ordinary power."

"The Vastaya? Well, this monster is powerful, but it doesn't provoke others much. Most of the losses among our forces in the East are due to them actively eliminating the monster."

"What do you mean? You mean the monster doesn't attack humans unless provoked by human attacks?"

"That's fair to say, but its destructive power is real; anyone or any creature struck by the magic crossbow bolt will die."

This is getting interesting. According to Li, it seems to be people's fault. At this point, I can't help but wonder, is this really Varus? Are there really such gentle beings among the Vastaya?

But there's no use thinking about it. Since we're already here, let's investigate.

For safety's sake, we didn't let anyone else follow us except for the one leading the way. Regardless of whether the monsters were hostile or not, the power of the magic arrows and crossbows was still too great.

The first time I came to Ionia, I landed in the east, and the pristine environment there left a deep impression on me.

Especially the towering trees in the dense forest, which are so large that it would take dozens of people to encircle them, is truly astounding.

It is now late autumn and early winter, with a thick layer of fallen leaves covering the ground, exuding a desolate yet solemn beauty.

As I walked, I suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. It seemed like this was the place where Poppy and I first met Jhin!

Because I vaguely remembered that the big rock next to us was smashed by Poppy, and there were many broken trees, when I discovered the cave where Kindred was enshrined, I became even more convinced!

"Is there a village called Yanglin nearby?" I asked Li.

"I heard there used to be such a village, but it was destroyed later."

"Destroyed?"

"Yes, it's the demon that appeared six years ago, Jhin. He turned everyone in the village into monsters."

Hearing Li's words, I felt a pang of sadness. Back then, Poppy and I helped the people drive away Jhin, but I never expected him to come back and kill everyone!

If we hadn't meddled in their affairs, would Jin have still gone to such lengths to wipe them out?

Akali also seemed very sad. She thought about the caravan incident, where we met. She was the caravan's cheerful one, living a carefree life, until the caravan was robbed and everything was ruined.

We were still grieving when Li suddenly stopped, made a shushing gesture, and pointed into the distance:

"Shh... He's over there, can you see him?"