"Hmm, act according to energy, Colonel Ian, this is a wise decision." Rein smiled and said.

"Haha, thank you Lord Rein for your praise. However, we haven't done nothing; we monitored their team's direction through the Witch Array and they all seem to be heading south to the several elven villages in the forest."

"Oh?" Rein raised his eyebrows.

Elven villages? Are they going to capture elves?

"Lord, look at this map here and here."

Ian took out the terrain map near outpost seven, with several green dots representing nearby elven villages, yellow dots representing elf outposts, and three red lines representing the direction of those suspicious teams.

Just as Ian said, the opponent's direction is very purposeful, almost heading straight toward several elven villages.

"Colonel Ian, is there anyone in particular you've noticed?" Olena asked.

"Yes! In one of the teams, there was a person whose mere glance sent chills down my spine; their eyes were like a snake, piercing into the soul. I vaguely saw snake patterns on their robes."

"It should be the Secret Snake Sect's team; we've received relevant intelligence, but the specific personnel are unclear. Lord Rein, if we have precise information, I'll contact you immediately." Olena whispered softly in Rein's ear.

"Hmm."

Rein nodded; merely an eye contact over such a distance could make a Peak Knight shiver, indicating indeed their strength is considerable.

"Nothing else could be discerned."

"Because our outpost seven can scout with binoculars only covering about seven to eight kilometers, any farther, if teams enter, we can only roughly monitor their movement through the Witch Array." Ian explained.

Rein nodded.

If they intend to capture elves, then the situation Anna's side might not look good; he needs to set off immediately.

He decided to first find Anna and Lambert, ensure Anna's safety, then head to the Valziger Ruins to meet Sect Leader Moria.

Of course, if he could conveniently locate the 'Ancient Tree Heart' while meeting with Anna, that would be even better.

"Olena, I'm setting off now, leave the Hellfire Demon Statue here, Claire can barely control it, if not, just self-destruct." Rein instructed.

Since finding Anna first requires covert movements, bringing the Hellfire Demon Statue would be too conspicuous, better used for guard duty at the outpost.

With Beyonce, Claire, and the Hellfire improved Demon Statue here, Olena's rear support team is relatively safe.

Additionally, as a First Level Peak Wizard, Claire is tasked with communication with Rein; they've brought a small communication device similar to previous tablets, operable within a certain area range.

"Alright, Lord Rein, wishing you a safe journey." Olena understood the urgency, not attempting to dissuade.

Although Colonel Ian was surprised by Rein's swift action, considering Rein might have confidential missions, it's best not to ask further.

"By the way, Lord Rein, that forest is peculiar, whether animals, plants, or even the water are strange. After one of my teams got injured, I deemed guarding the outpost more important and haven't sent anyone inside again." Ian suddenly added.

"Oh? How strange?" Olena asked curiously.

"The animals seem mad, red-eyed attacking people, the plants seem alive; a cut can bleed!" Ian said solemnly.

"Thank you, Colonel Ian, I will be careful." Rein nodded, stood up, and walked outside.

However, he didn't walk downward but returned to the top of the outpost.

With a subtle thought, Rein saw a huge blue-purple mixed bird shoot out from the airship's cabin, call towards Rein once, then soar into the sky, while a giant war dog affectionately ran to Rein and nuzzled.

Just as everyone thought Rein would ride off on the Blood Feathered Horned Eagle Beast, he cast two Floating Techniques, jumped down from the twenty-odd meter high outpost top with the Spiritual Greyhound 'Qu Qi', floating toward the forest.

This action left everyone including Colonel Ian, quite astonished.

Actually, Rein considered that until he found Anna, he didn't plan to ride the Blood Feather Beast in the air because it's too noticeable.

As Rein and Qu Qi entered the forest, the Spiritual Greyhound seemed at ease, sniffing everywhere, appearing quite excited.

Because of the telepathic connection with these two war pets, Rein doesn't need to whistle or gesture to command them, only a subtle thought is enough for synchronized cooperation.

About ten minutes later, as Rein approached the problematic area.

Rein noticed that suddenly there were far fewer small animals in the forest, and the surrounding trees began to twist and deform strangely.

Furthermore, the ground showed numerous enormous pits seemingly abruptly.

These pits weren't like scattered craters from meteor impacts, but looked as if something had been pulled from the soil.

"Could it be the Elven Clan's Ironwood Guardians?"

Rein recalled the intelligence mentioning a unique elven creature—Ironwood Guardians.

These usually disguised as giant trees, indistinguishable from ordinary ones, but Ironwood Guardians can actually move using their roots.

Additionally, their defenses are strong, and they have massive strength, capable of using Nature Witchcraft, with powerful combat ability.

Rein observed for a while, then continued forward.

After a few minutes, as he faced the large gray mist appearing ahead, Rein noticed the surrounding trees all showed a peculiar deep red color.

Even the ground appeared mildly red as though washed by blood-colored rain.

This made Rein slow his pace slightly; pondering, he transformed a blade, gently slicing a tree embraced by two people.

"Szz!"

Suddenly, deep scratches appeared on the bark, from which faint red fluid flowed, spreading peculiar waves from this tree outward.

"Seems to be contaminated by some special energy." Rein mused at the sight before him.

"Woof woof!"

Suddenly, Spiritual Greyhound 'Qu Qi' barked cautiously, scanning vigilantly, and swiftly closed in towards Rein.

...

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.