27: The mysterious ruler of the Nico Forest!

Outside the Infinite City, somewhere in Nigu Forest.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled light spots on the damp forest floor.

The air was filled with the unique scent of decaying leaves and soil, and occasionally, the calls of unknown birds echoed, making the forest seem even more profound and silent.

Several figures moved silently, like shadows blending into the forest.

Their movements were light, their footsteps making almost no sound, each landing precisely avoiding dead branches and loose stones, as if they had a natural understanding with this forest.

Leading them was a female Elf, dressed in form-fitting emerald green leather armor that accentuated her agile and elegant figure. She had the distinctive pointed ears of the Elf, and a waterfall of silver hair was simply tied behind her head, revealing a clear forehead and a pair of emerald green eyes.

She carried a longbow carved with intricate patterns on her back, and a quiver hung at her waist, each arrow's fletching glowing with a faint light.

Liora, the captain of the Elf investigation team dispatched to Nigu Forest, was a genuine sixth-tier powerhouse.

Behind her, five similarly dressed Elves followed closely, three males and two females, all with restrained auras and vigilant eyes scanning their surroundings, clearly experienced warriors.

"Captain, the 'Page of Star Whisper' guidance is nearby," a male Elf whispered, holding a strange, faintly glowing leaf in his hand. The leaf's veins formed complex, subtly profound patterns.

This was an item the Elf had created using a secret method, utilizing a fragment of the world book they possessed, and it was their reliance for this journey.

More than ten days ago, a disturbance in a world book fragment pointed to the distant northeast, alarming the Elf high command, who were then in a standoff with the Goblin army.

Any variable could affect the future course of the war, so Liora's team was ordered to follow the 'Page of Star Whisper' guidance all the way here.

Liora nodded slightly, her emerald eyes scanning the surroundings. "Be careful, Fael. Although we've avoided Goblin scouts so far, this area feels... a bit strange to me!"

Another female Elf named Ayla interjected, "Yes, Captain. The natural aura here seems... a bit too 'calm,' so calm it feels like it's being suppressed by some force."

Liora stopped, listening intently for a moment; besides the wind and insect chirps, there was nothing else.

"The world book's reaction won't be wrong. We must find the source of the disturbance. This area is close to old human activity zones, perhaps we can find some 'natives' to inquire about the situation."

When mentioning humans, Liora's tone involuntarily carried a hint of condescension. This was not intentional, but stemmed from the Elf's long-standing sense of superiority and their perception of the human race's current state—weak, scattered, barely surviving under the Goblin's iron hooves, even needing the Elf to “save” them.

"Humans?" Fael frowned, somewhat dismissively. "What could those races, who can barely protect themselves, possibly know? They probably don't even dare to approach this area. We should just find the source of the disturbance directly; why waste time?"

"You shouldn't say that, Fael," another slightly older male Elf, Calandir, said in a calmer tone. "We are not familiar with this area, and having someone lead the way is always faster than us fumbling around on our own. Moreover, the elders also instructed that if we encounter surviving human settlements, we can... 'appropriately' offer some help, provided it doesn't affect the mission."

The word "appropriately" in his speech subtly revealed the Elf's general view of humans—objects to be patronized and guided.

Liora was noncommittal; in her opinion, relying on those frail humans for valuable intelligence was like climbing a tree to catch fish.

If not for the need to complete the mission as quickly as possible, she would not even bother to deal with those short-sighted races who only cared about their immediate survival.

In her view, the reason the human race had fallen to this state was certainly due to the powerful Goblin, but their own civilization's backwardness and their weak strength were also major causes.

If not for the Elf containing the main Goblin forces in Twilight Forest, the human race would probably have been completely exterminated by now.

"Alright, let's find the cause of the disturbance first," Liora interrupted her team's discussion, her gaze returning to the front. "Stay alert, pay attention to sensing the surroundings, especially underground..."

Before she finished speaking, an indescribable chill suddenly descended!

It wasn't a physical drop in temperature, but a coldness that seemed to freeze the soul, instantly seizing the minds of all the Elves present.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify; the wind, the chirping of insects, all sounds vanished in an instant, leaving only a deathly silence.

The light and shadows of the forest seemed to be manipulated by an invisible hand, becoming distorted and blurred.

Liora's pupils contracted sharply, her muscles instantly tensed, and her right hand swiftly gripped the longbow on her back.

The five Elves behind her reacted almost simultaneously, drawing their weapons and assuming defensive stances, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Among them, the lowest were fifth-tier powerhouses, with keen senses; for them to simultaneously feel such a strong sense of crisis, the newcomer was absolutely extraordinary!

"Who's there?!" Liora sharply demanded, her voice sounding somewhat dry due to the invisible pressure.

She could feel a vast and icy aura locking onto them, like a mountain pressing down, making their proud speed feel sluggish.

In the silence, a figure appeared without warning beside an ancient tree ten meters in front of them.

He stood there quietly, as if he had been there from the beginning.

The newcomer had a tall, straight figure, dressed in simple black close-fitting attire of an unusual style, not common on the Adlan Continent. The longsword at his waist was particularly striking; its scabbard was ancient and faintly glowed with a pale green light that subtly flickered.

His face was stern, with distinct features, and his pair of dark eyes were as deep as a cold pond, devoid of any emotion, merely observing them calmly.

They felt a subtle yet incredibly solid oppressive force emanating from him, and a faint, pale green, fire-like energy fluctuation subtly swirling around him, imperceptible to the naked eye but clearly sensed by the soul!

This feeling... was even more suffocating than facing the battle-hardened overseers of the Goblin King's court!

...Bai Xiao didn't answer immediately, his cold eyes just slowly swept over the six Elves.

The moment his gaze touched them, Liora even had the illusion that she was completely seen through, from the inside out, and her soul trembled slightly.

She forced herself to calm down, her fingers gripping the bow turning white from the effort.

"Who are you, sir?" Liora spoke again, trying to keep her voice steady, but the uncontrollable tension in her tone still betrayed her nervousness. "We are Elves from Twilight Forest, and we mean no harm, we are merely..."

"My Lord wishes to see you."

Bai Xiao's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Liora's heart sank. The other party had directly stated his position, and from the looks of it, there was no room for discussion.

She could feel the aura locking onto them growing stronger, as if it could turn into a thunderous attack at any moment; they, it seemed, had no choice.

Who was this person? When did such a terrifying existence appear in Nigu Forest? Could he be the source of the 'variable'?

Countless thoughts flashed through Liora's mind, but at this moment, the most pressing question was—how to deal with this unfathomable powerful enemy?

She took a deep breath, attempting to communicate: "Sir, we are only here to investigate a disturbance concerning the safety of the entire continent, not to intentionally offend..."

Bai Xiao's gaze remained unchanged, but his tone grew a few degrees colder.

"I only say it once."

The air seemed to freeze completely.

Liora felt a chill rise from her spine, instantly spreading throughout her limbs.

She had no doubt that if they made any attempt to escape or resist, the next moment would bring a devastating blow.

Who... exactly was this person?!

Liora, who had always been confident in her own strength and the Elf's prestige, for the first time felt such intense helplessness and fear in front of a being other than the Goblin.

Her previous disdain and arrogance towards humans were, at this moment, shattered by the absolute oppressive feeling brought by the person before her.

"Understood... Please lead the way, sir." Liora uttered these words with difficulty, each word seemingly draining all her strength.

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Xiao turned around and walked away...

Liora watched his retreating back, a sense of humiliation almost overflowing in her heart, but more than that, there was the relief of surviving a calamity and a bewilderment towards the unknown.

She bit her lower lip, gave a glance to her equally shaken companions behind her, and whispered, "Follow him, stay alert."