Panicked cries filled the streets of Green Forest Town. When Loran and his companions rushed out of the Old Elven Ruins, they saw several villagers running toward the town center with bitten children in their arms. Bloodstained strips of cloth wrapped the children's arms, with tiny black insect holes faintly visible beneath them. The skin around the holes had turned an eerie blue-black, and the children's eyes had begun to lose focus, as though they had lost consciousness.
"Soul-Devouring Insects!" Elder Aila hurried forward and lifted the cloth. Green light fell from the elder's fingertips onto the holes, and the blue-black markings immediately stopped spreading. "They're more dangerous than Bone-Eroding Insects. They don't eat flesh. They burrow into blood vessels and feed specifically on fragments of people's souls. Those bitten gradually lose their minds, eventually becoming mindless walking corpses."
Liya immediately opened the vine box and took out the Life Crystal Core, bathing a child's arm in pale green light. The core's power seeped into the insect hole, forcing out a black insect the size of a fingernail. The moment it hit the ground, a small fireball spat out by Lei Lin burned it to ash. The child's unfocused eyes gradually cleared, but the child gave a weak groan and passed out.
"The core can force out the adults, but the eggs are still inside." Liya's expression was grave. "Only a combination of nature power and light power can completely remove the eggs. Otherwise, once they hatch, they'll devour the soul from within."
Loran immediately summoned the townspeople to the square and gave everyone instructions for the purification. "Villagers with a talent for nature affinity, follow Lady Liya. Mix Spirit-Calming Flower juice with morning dew and apply it to the bites. Guards and anyone with a foundation in light magic, come with me. Use basic light spells together with the core's radiance to guide power into their bodies and remove the eggs. Elder Aila, sorry for the trouble, but please take Snow Spirit Qilin and Icefield Wolf to find the Soul-Devouring Insects' nest and prevent more of them from spreading."
The square was soon divided into three areas. Liya stood on the eastern side, surrounded by villagers holding children. She dripped Spirit-Calming Flower juice into morning dew and stirred it with her staff before having the villagers apply it to the wounds. Pale green halos flowed around the wounds, and the sounds of the eggs moving gradually weakened. On the western side, Loran condensed a strand of pure white light at his fingertips and slowly channeled it into the victims' bodies together with the Life Crystal Core's power. With every infusion, the victim coughed up a mouthful of black phlegm-the remains of the purified eggs.
The search party led by Elder Aila faced the greatest tension. Snow Spirit Qilin spread luminous white ice mist along the streets. Wherever the mist encountered the Soul-Devouring Insects' aura, black ripples appeared, pointing the way. Icefield Wolf ran along the bases of the walls, constantly sniffing with its golden nose. Whenever it found an insect hole, it dug out the underground passage with its claws. The Soul-Devouring Insects' nest lay hidden in an ancient well in the east of town. Countless insect holes covered the well's walls, and black insects writhed inside them like a tide. Blackish-purple slime also gleamed at the bottom, clearly secretions from the Insect Clan.
"We must destroy the nest, or the insects will keep coming out." Elder Aila waved a staff, and pale green vines burst from the ground, winding around the well's mouth to form an airtight net. "Snow Spirit Qilin, freeze the slime at the bottom with your ice mist and stop the insects from climbing up. Young Loran, we need you to purify the entire nest with your three-element power!"
Loran hurried over at once, pure white light rising from the knight's sword in his hand. He leaped into the air and aimed the blade at the well's mouth. The power of Three-Element Unification condensed into a pillar of light that plunged straight toward the bottom. "Purification: Nest Destruction!" The pillar pierced the vine net and surged into the well. The blackish-purple slime instantly boiled, and the Soul-Devouring Insects' screams rose from below. Countless insects were forced out of the nest, only to be blocked by the vine net and finally burned to ash by Lei Lin's flames.
By the time the last Soul-Devouring Insect was eliminated, the sun was already sinking in the west. Green Forest Town's crisis had been resolved for the moment, but no one looked relieved. The appearance of the Soul-Devouring Insects meant that the Insect Clan of the Rotting Soul Abyss had begun an organized invasion, and this was only the beginning.
That night, everyone gathered around a map in the lord's manor's council chamber to finalize the details of splitting their forces. Liya placed the Illustrated Catalog of Plants and the Life Crystal Core into her backpack. Beside it lay an Elf Clan token prepared by Elder Aila. "The Life Council in the Elven Forest has always been cautious about external crises. I need to bring the core and the ancestors' image fragments to persuade them to send the Nature Guard to assist with forging the warship. But the council's conservative faction has always opposed cooperating with outsiders. I'm afraid they'll obstruct us."
Chief Tongchui patted the Evil-Breaking Warhammer at his waist, his face full of confidence. "I know the Fallen Star Iron mine tunnels in the Blackstone Mountain Range. I went mining there with my dad back in the day! The remnants of the dark dwarves are definitely still roaming around the tunnels. This is the perfect chance to wipe them out completely and save ourselves trouble later. I'll bring the best smiths and guarantee we'll smelt Fallen Star Iron billets within half a month!"
Elder White took out a letter bearing the Radiant Temple's seal and handed it to Loran. "The temple's Holy Spring Guard will reach the Blackstone Mountain Range in three days to help infuse the Holy Spring's power. But I've received word that several priests from the temple have gone missing recently. Before disappearing, all of them had contact with 'foreign merchants.' Eggs similar to those of Soul-Devouring Insects were found in those merchants' bundles. I suspect the Insect Clan has already infiltrated the temple. I'll need to investigate discreetly on this trip to avoid alerting them."
Loran took the letter, running his fingertips over the temple emblem on its seal as a trace of worry rose within him. "The temple is the heart of the continent's light power. If the Insect Clan really has infiltrated it, the consequences would be unimaginable. Elder White, you must be careful. If you encounter danger, send word immediately with a Radiant Ice Dove. We'll send reinforcements."
Finally, Loran looked at the two qilin beside him. Scorch marks from battle still lingered on Lei Lin's fiery wings, and Snow Spirit Qilin's ice mist was thinner than before. The effects of the damage to their origins were gradually showing. "After I return to Fallen Maple Territory, I'll consolidate the guard and choose promising people to train in basic three-element spells. Meanwhile, I'll look for medicinal herbs that can temporarily nourish the two qilin's origins." He took out the lord's badge Old Byrne had given him earlier. "With this badge, I can mobilize the resources of the surrounding towns. We should be able to collect plenty of Warm Sun Grass and Ice Soul Flowers to temporarily ease the depletion of their origins."
Early the next morning, villagers crowded Green Forest Town's gate to see them off. Liya rode a Deer of Wind, followed by ten elven warriors. The vine box rested on the Deer of Wind's back, and the Life Crystal Core's pale green glow shone through the gaps, scattering tiny spots of light across the ground. Chief Tongchui led fifty dwarven smiths toward the Blackstone Mountain Range, carrying mining tools, their heavy footsteps echoing through the streets. Elder White took two Saint-level knights with him and galloped toward the Radiant Temple on radiant warhorses, leaving a pale golden afterimage behind them.
Loran stood at the gate, watching the three groups recede until they disappeared from view. Lei Lin rubbed his head against Loran's arm, and golden-red flames condensed into a small flame in Loran's palm, as though comforting him. Snow Spirit Qilin held the ice talisman out before him. Its light pointed east, reminding them that they still had a much longer road ahead.
"Let's head back too." Loran swung onto his horse, and Icefield Wolf followed beside it as the group set off toward Fallen Maple Territory. Along the way, he could not help looking back toward the east. That was the direction of the sea of clouds, where the Qilin Holy Land lay, and where the challenge they would have to overcome in the future awaited.
Three days later, in Fallen Maple Territory.
Thirty guards were training in the courtyard of the lord's manor. Loran stood on a raised platform, holding his knight's sword as he demonstrated the fusion of basic three-element spells. "Light power protects the heart meridians, flame power strengthens attacks, and ice power controls the enemy. The three aren't separate. They need to blend like flowing water..."
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin stood nearby, occasionally breathing fire or ice mist to help the guards understand the spells' characteristics. But Loran noticed that Snow Spirit Qilin's ice mist was growing thinner and thinner, while Lei Lin's flames had lost some of their former heat. Their origins were being depleted faster than he had imagined. If they could not find the Qilin Holy Land soon, the two qilin's strength might gradually decline.
"Big Brother Loran, we've collected the herbs!" The little girl with pigtails who had previously studied swordsmanship under Loran ran over, carrying a cloth bundle filled with Warm Sun Grass and Ice Soul Flowers. "When the herb merchants in the surrounding towns heard we needed to save the two qilin lords, they brought out all their stock. They even said that if it wasn't enough, they'd go gather more deep in the mountains!"
Loran accepted the bundle, warmth welling up in his heart. He handed the herbs to Old Byrne and instructed him, "Brew these into a medicinal decoction with morning dew and give it to the two qilin once a day. It can nourish their origins temporarily. Also, have the guard strengthen patrols, especially in the forest to the south, to prevent Soul-Devouring Insects from spreading into Fallen Maple Territory."
Old Byrne nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something and took a confidential letter from his sleeve. "This arrived this morning from Chief Tongchui in the Blackstone Mountain Range. He says they've found Fallen Star Iron in the mine tunnels, but Evil Iron Golems are guarding the depths. Those golems are stronger than the earlier ones, and they're coated in Insect Clan slime that can corrode sacred power."
Loran unfolded the letter. Faint traces of blackish-purple slime still stained the paper, clearly a sample Chief Tongchui had deliberately left. He condensed a strand of pure white light at his fingertips and lowered it onto the slime. The slime actually corroded a small hole in the light. It was more corrosive than the evil power of the Evil Bone Plane.
"It looks like the Insect Clan has already joined forces with the remnants of the dark dwarves." Loran tightened his grip on the letter, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes. "Chief Tongchui needs reinforcements. I have to send people to the Blackstone Mountain Range. Meanwhile, there's still no word from Liya or Elder White. I wonder whether they've run into trouble."
Just then, Snow Spirit Qilin suddenly raised her head toward the sky. The light on the ice talisman began flickering violently, and a trace of black appeared within its luminous white glow. It was a danger signal, pointing toward the Elven Forest.
"Liya's in trouble!" Loran's heart tightened, and he immediately summoned the guard. "Prepare the warhorses. We're going to the Elven Forest! Snow Spirit Qilin, use the ice talisman to pinpoint Liya's location, as quickly as possible!"
Snow Spirit Qilin immediately channeled her power. The ice talisman unfolded in the air, turning into a simple map. A green point of light on it represented the Elven Forest, and beside the light was a black cross marking the danger's location. Lei Lin spread his fiery wings and carried Loran onto the horse's back. Icefield Wolf tensed as well, ready to depart at any moment.
"Uncle Byrne, I'm leaving the territory's town in your hands!" Loran tightened the reins, his gaze resolute. "We'll return as soon as possible. Until then, you must hold Fallen Maple Territory!"
Old Byrne stood at the gate, watching Loran and his companions gallop away. He tightened his grip on his wooden staff. "Don't worry, eldest son. Fallen Maple Territory will always have your backs!"
In the setting sun, Fallen Maple Territory's red walls shone with a warm glow, yet they could not hold back the distant crises. The danger in the Elven Forest, the golems in the Blackstone Mountain Range, the infiltration of the temple... Clue after clue intertwined, pointing toward an increasingly clear truth: the Insect Clan of the Rotting Soul Abyss had long since planted countless hidden threats across the continent, and what they were about to face was a war even harder than the Evil Bone crisis.
Loran sat on Lei Lin's back as the wind howled past his ears. He tightened his grip on his knight's sword, pure white light dancing along its blade. No matter how many dangers lay ahead, he had to keep going-for the two qilin, for Fallen Maple Territory, and for the peace of the entire continent.
Dark clouds were gathering in the direction of the Elven Forest. A new storm was about to arrive.