The night had long settled over the Black Veil Forest. The campfire crackled softly, but suddenly—

  the flames shivered.

  A ripple passed through the surrounding qi, thin yet sharp like a needle tracing across the skin.

  Lin Xian’s expression instantly changed.

  His eyes narrowed, the Cosmos Eye flickering open for a breath.

  This forest... I should have sensed this earlier. Something is wrong.

  Mo Zhen rose to his feet without hesitation, his aged gaze turning razor-sharp—a drastic shift from his usual gentle demeanor. His body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the pressure of what approached.

  Mo Yue’er’s fingers froze above the strings of her guqin. A moment later, she drew a cold breath.

  “Grandfather… Brother Lin… we’re already surrounded.”

  Xiao Jin, who had been curled up lazily a moment before, suddenly arched his tiny back.

  His furs stood on end, and a low hissing growl vibrated from his throat.

  Small as he was, the little emperor’s instincts were far sharper than any human’s.

  Then—

  A rustling.

  A whisper.

  A chill that did not belong to the wind.

  From between the ancient trees, shapes emerged.

  At first, they looked like the shadows cast by the flames.

  But then those shadows detached themselves from the ground.

  Pairs of gleaming, hollow eyes flickered in the dark.

  Mo Zhen’s breath tightened.

  “This aura… they’re not ordinary forest beasts.”

  They stepped fully into view—

  shadow-like beasts, their forms half-corporeal and half-bestial, like wolves carved from smoke and malice. Their bodies pulsed in and out of existence, as though sliding between realms.

  Even the air seemed to grow colder around them.

  One step.

  Another.

  More shapes materialized, one after another, until the forest floor was drowned in shifting black silhouettes.

  Not a single one was below the Spirit Foundation Realm.

  Mo Yue’er’s face paled.

  “It’s… too many.”

  The beasts moved in perfect silence, their paws making no sound, as though the world itself refused to acknowledge their existence. Their breath carried no warm—only a bone-deep chill that scraped along the spine.

  Xiao Jin’s golden eyes glowed fiercely as he bared tiny fangs.

  Lin Xian swept his divine sense outward—

  —only for it to be swallowed whole.

  His expression darkened.

  A suppression field? No… something more sinister. Even my sense is being dampened.

  The shadows closed in, their outlines twisting unnaturally, as if made of living nightmares.

  It felt like the entire forest was holding its breath.

  Mo Zhen asked in a low voice,

  “Lin Xian… what are these creatures?”

  Lin Xian stared ahead, calm yet grim.

  “Their qi feels distorted… tainted by Void Essence.”

  He clenched his fist.

  “And they’re hunting for us.”

  The moment he finished speaking—

  the first shadow beast lunged.

  —

  The shadow beasts surged forward like a collapsing tide of darkness.

  Mo Yue’er’s breath tightened, but her gaze did not waver.

  Even though her Core Formation strength was sealed, even though she now stood at the same level as these beasts—

  she did not retreat.

  With a crisp clang, Mo Yue’er revealed a second guqin and placed it gently across her knees, her long white sleeves flowing like moonlit silk.

  Her fingers hovered above the strings.

  And this was no ordinary guqin.

  ?Qingluan Mingyue — Azure Luan and the Blue Moon?

  The guqin’s body shone with the deep blue of a midnight sky, its polished surface shimmering like faraway constellations.

  Inlaid upon it was a spectral silver luan, wings spread as if ready to ascend toward the heavens.

  Above it, a single round moonstone glowed faintly—cool, serene, and ethereal—

  as though the instrument cradled a piece of celestial moonlight.

  Even before she played, the guqin hummed softly, filled with a cool, dreamlike aura, like a stolen fragment of a forgotten star realm.

  Mo Yue’er exhaled deeply—

  —and struck the first chord.

  ?Seven Strings of the Unseen Blade?

  A sharp, ringing note burst outward like a silver blade.

  ZING—!

  A crescent moon of pure sound tore through the nearest shadow beast, slicing its body in half. The creature dissolved into drifting ash-like darkness.

  The ground quivered.

  The other beasts let out eerie, breathless growls—soundless yet full of killing intent—as they lunged at her from three sides.

  Mo Yue’er’s fingers danced faster.

  Her fingers danced along the Qingluan Mingyue, each motion elegant and precise.

  She struck three strings at once—

  her movements elegant, but each flick carrying deadly precision.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  Three sound blades shot forth like moonlit arcs, splitting trees and ripping open the air itself.

  The shadow beasts were shredded mid-leap, their forms dissipating into wisps of smoke.

  But more kept coming.

  Dozens.

  They crawled out from the trees, the earth, even from behind the flickering shadows of the campfire—

  as if the forest itself wanted to consume her.

  Mo Yue’er slid back half a step, her hair fluttering wildly. Sweat formed at the tips of her lashes, but her eyes blazed with determination.

  Another beast pounced from behind—

  Lin Xian’s voice came, sharp and cold:

  “Yue’er! Right side!”

  She pivoted, her sleeve sweeping like a moonbeam.

  ?Moon-Quelling Resonance?

  Mo Yue’er pressed all five fingers onto the strings and pulled—

  a deep, vibrating hum exploded outward in a full circle:

  WHOOOM—!

  A deep, vibrating hum erupted from the Qingluan Mingyue.

  Circular jade-like shockwaves expanded outward, each wave shimmering with faint moonstone light.

  The air shook.

  The ground cracked.

  A translucent shockwave of jade-like ripples expanded from her, sending a ring of sound force through the clearing.

  Every beast within ten meters was blasted off its feet—

  their bodies convulsing before bursting into fragments of shadow.

  The shockwave continued expanding—

  trees bent, leaves swirled upward like green feathers—

  —and still Mo Yue’er did not stop.

  She leapt onto a fallen branch, using it as her platform, her guqin balanced gracefully in her arms.

  Her sleeves fluttered like a white phoenix’s wings.

  Her hair glowed silver under the broken moonlight.

  Her slender figure moved like a painting come to life—

  poetic, lethal, ethereal.

  The Qingluan Mingyue sang in her hands, its voice a deadly lullaby.

  Beasts continued lunging at her, but she met them with an unwavering calmness.

  Left hand pressing.

  Right hand plucking.

  Each strike a chord.

  Each chord a killing blow.

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  Her guqin turned into a blade of harmony; her music into a battlefield.

  One beast snarled and leaped directly at her throat—

  Mo Yue’er stepped lightly aside, the movement flowing like water.

  At the same time, her fingers slapped the strings:

  TWANG!

  A blast of condensed sound erupted point-blank.

  The beast disintegrated into mist.

  Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed, admiration flickering.

  “So this is her suppressed strength… If she were in Core Formation, this forest would’ve collapsed.”

  Even suppressed…

  Even surrounded…

  Her elegance did not fade.

  She fought like a lunar goddess descending into the mortal world—

  every note a divine judgment, every chord a moonlit execution.

  Soon, the ground around her was littered with dissolving shadows.

  Yet more beasts appeared deeper in the forest, their hollow eyes glowing.

  Mo Zhen muttered under his breath, trembling with both pride and fear:

  “My Yue’er… to think she can unleash such power even sealed…!”

  Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

  “No. She’s not done yet. She’s only getting warmed up.”

  As Mo Yue’er lifted her hands for the next strike—

  the forest roared back.

  A massive shadow surged toward her, far stronger than the others—

  The Qingluan Mingyue’s moonstone flickered—

  as if sensing a worthy foe.

  And the true battle began.

  Scene 2 – The Gathering Darkness

  The forest fell unnaturally silent.

  Not because the battle had ended—

  but because something worse was coming.

  A cold, heavy darkness seeped in from every direction, thick enough to press against their lungs like a suffocating fog.

  Even the moonlight dimmed.

  Lin Xian’s expression sharpened like a drawn blade.

  Beside him, Xiao Jin—small body tense, furs standing up—stepped forward.

  Its golden eyes fixed on the woods ahead, pupils narrowing into vertical slits.

  Mo Yue’er landed lightly beside Lin Xian, Qingluan Mingyue still in her embrace, the moonstone on the guqin flickering with faint unease.

  Mo Zhen’s fist tightened..

  Then—

  HSSSSHHHHH—

  The trees ahead began to warp.

  Their shadows stretched unnaturally long…

  and from those shadows—

  They emerged.

  Shadow beasts.

  Dozens at first, then hundreds.

  Small ones skittering like ink-spilled spiders.

  Massive ones lumbering forward, their shoulders brushing the treetops.

  All of them radiating violent intent.

  But this time—

  Their eyes burned with deeper malice.

  Their bodies were denser, darker.

  Their presence—oppressive.

  Mo Zhen inhaled sharply.

  “Peak… Peak Spirit Foundation Realm! Every single one of them!”

  The ground rumbled under the sheer weight of their steps.

  Mo Yue’er’s breath turned shaky for just a heartbeat.

  “These… these aren’t like the ones before.”

  Lin Xian’s gaze remained steady.

  “No. They’re stronger. Smarter. And they’re coordinated.”

  A chilling growl spread through the entire clearing—

  not from one beast,

  but from all of them in unison.

  Grrrrrr—

  Mo Yue’er’s fingers unconsciously tightened around her guqin.

  “Grandfather… why do they feel like they have mind of their own?”

  Mo Zhen swallowed.

  “The earlier waves were just scouts. Probing our strength. These… these are the real assault force.”

  The air trembled.

  The beasts circled, enclosing them in a tightening ring of pitch-black bodies.

  Lin Xian scanned their surroundings, voice low and calm.

  “We’re surrounded on all sides. Our movement will be restricted. Be careful”

  Mo Yue’er nodded, her voice soft but steady.

  “Their qi… make me feels like walking into a swamp preparing to swallow us.”

  Lin Xian stepped slightly in front of her.

  “Stay close. Don’t get separated.”

  Mo Zhen clicked his tongue, Slight worry flickered in his eyes, yet his composure held firm.

  “This amount of dark qi… if it keeps accumulating, it could corrode us"

  The pressure thickened.

  Leaves curled.

  Branches darkened.

  Even the fire at the camp began to flicker unnaturally, its flames bending away from the beasts—as if afraid.

  Lin Xian’s lip curled slightly.

  “Tch. Their presence alone is corrupting the environment.”

  A massive beast stepped forward, its four crimson eyes staring directly at Lin Xian.

  It didn’t roar.

  It simply opened its jaws—

  and exhaled a wave of pitch-black mist.

  Mo Yue’er recoiled.

  “That… isn’t natural dark qi. It feels bizarre.”

  Mo Zhen nodded grimly.

  “Void contamination…”

  The moment the word left his lips, the beasts reacted.

  Their bodies stiffened—

  as if that single word triggered something ancient and instinctual.

  Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

  “So they’re connected to it after all.”

  The strongest of the beasts let out a low, vibrating growl that rippled through the clearing like a warning.

  Mo Yue’er whispered:

  “They’re waiting…”

  Lin Xian’s eyes flashed.

  “Yes. They’re preparing to charge in one unified wave.”

  A deep silence fell again.

  Mo Zhao’s voice trembled:

  “Xian’er… how many do you think we can kill before sunrise?”

  Lin Xian didn’t answer immediately.

  He closed his eyes for a moment.

  Letting the oppressive darkness press against his skin.

  Letting the killing intent wash over him.

  Letting the threat sink deep into his bones.

  Then he opened his eyes—

  and they gleamed with a cold, terrifying clarity.

  “Killing them isn’t the question.”

  He lifted his head slowly.

  “The question is…”

  A faint smirk curved across his lips.

  “…how many will survive long enough to regret coming here.”

  Mo Yue’er exhaled shakily—but a fierce spark lit within her eyes.

  Her fingers hovered above the strings of the Qingluan Mingyue, the moonstone pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Mo Zhen steadied his formation plate, his gaze already marking where the first strike would land.

  The beasts tightened their circle.

  Closer.

  Closer still.

  Dozens of crimson eyes igniting in the darkness like scattered torches of malice.

  The earth trembled beneath their gathering power.

  The air felt ready to explode.

  Lin Xian shifted his stance.

  Xiao Jin stepped forward, lowering its head, furs rising

  Their breaths steadied.

  Their hearts aligned.

  The pressure reached its peak—

  And then—

  The darkness surged.

  TO BE CONTINUED…