Chapter 11: The Second Attack

About seventy kilometers away from the territory of the Forest Goddess, Li Mingxing and his party were moving in a specific direction.

This was the third time the two bodyguards had changed their route since leaving the Forest Goddess's domain. Although Li Mingxing was somewhat dissatisfied, his mission was to follow them and provide full support if attacked; therefore, he had no choice but to comply.

However, after this latest change in direction, Li Mingxing noticed something amiss. There were traces of people having moved through the area, left behind in a hurry.

Observing these marks, one of the two bodyguards sneered, "In the wild, no one is a match for a ranger, let alone someone capable of escaping the eyes of the King of Rangers."

As she spoke, the bodyguard took a bow from her back. To Li Mingxing’s discerning eye, it looked remarkably ordinary—little more than a bent branch with a vine for a string, still clinging to a few green leaves. Yet, she treated it as a treasure. Her movements as she drew the bow were incredibly slow, yet that very slowness exerted a strange pressure on Li Mingxing. Once the bow was leveled, she remarked, "You know, my archery is quite extraordinary."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a green arrow shot forth. Its trajectory was bizarre, striking a nearby tree. Li Mingxing was still wondering what had happened when blood began to drip from the spot where the arrow hit, followed by a body tumbling out of the tree.

Li Mingxing saw that the arrow had pierced the man’s forehead perfectly. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Following this, a dozen figures emerged from the surroundings. A single glance told Li Mingxing that they were either aspiring to join or already part of Apollo's forces. Though they wore silk, the style was Western, and every one of them carried a long spear regardless of their other weaponry.

Li Mingxing’s first thought was whether these were fakes; would Apollo’s true subordinates really dress like this? But before he could ponder further, the men stuck their spears into the ground and charged at them with their primary weapons.

Li Mingxing ordered Zheng and Aisha to engage while scanning for the enemy’s apprentice hero. He knew he couldn’t intervene in battles between deities, but he felt he could only rest easy if he managed to eliminate the opposing apprentice hero. After searching the area, however, he found no sign of the apprentice hero or his attendant mage. This sparked a suspicion that it might be a diversion.

He quickly dismissed the thought. He realized this was not the time for such speculation. Even if it were a trap, the Forest Goddess would handle the aftermath; his only concern was surviving the encounter. He slowly drew the sword given to him by Xingtian and charged toward a warrior wielding a blade.

Engaging the warrior, Li Mingxing discovered his opponent’s strength was not to be underestimated; his swordsmanship was at least level 6. However, the sword in Li Mingxing’s hand boosted his own skill by one level, and he had mastered the true essence of swordsmanship, allowing him to suppress his opponent completely. Yet, he held back, waiting for the best moment to strike.

Soon, Li Mingxing noticed something strange: the attack he had anticipated never fully materialized, and the assailants eventually retreated under the pressure of the two bodyguards. Aside from the first one killed, not a single enemy had fallen.

As Li Mingxing stood in confusion, the two bodyguards approached him. "Let’s go. We have a long way to travel."

Li Mingxing was increasingly baffled. Seeing his bewildered expression, the bodyguards seemed to want to say something but held their tongues. The group moved on, and over the subsequent journey, they skirmished with these troops two or three more times, yet still, there were no further casualties.

Li Mingxing observed a peculiar pattern: they were attacked without fail whenever they reached a distance of about one hundred kilometers from the Forest Goddess's territory. Conversely, the closer they were to her domain, the fewer the attacks. He also realized that their path was essentially circling the perimeter of her territory.

Just as Li Mingxing was about to demand an explanation, the sun in the sky seemed to dim. A crisp sound of hoofbeats reached his ears. Looking up, he saw a radiant chariot charging toward them. Before he could react, a surge of intense heat blinded him. He heard the two bodyguards call out, "Don't move! It's a blindness spell; it will wear off in five minutes. Gather together. The coming battle is no longer our concern."

Despite the bodyguard’s reassurance, a minute later, Li Mingxing heard footsteps approaching. The aura of light was so potent he could smell it from afar. Based on the strength of the presence and the volume of the footsteps, there were at least a hundred soldiers—undoubtedly Apollo's regular legion. Even if their apprentice hero wasn't among them, they wouldn't pass up the chance to eliminate five people as easily as swatting flies.

The two bodyguards, however, seemed unfazed, even laughing among themselves. While Li Mingxing remained puzzled, the legion bypassed their position and headed directly toward the Forest Goddess’s territory.

Only after they had moved far away did Li Mingxing ask, "What is going on? Why did they act as if they couldn't see us?"

"That is because I am here," one of the bodyguards replied. A natural aura radiated from her, and their vision was instantly restored.

Li Mingxing looked at the bodyguard; she appeared the same, but the aura she exuded felt entirely different. Though it resembled the Forest Goddess, he was certain this was not her.

"May I ask who you are?"

"The Goddess of Nature. You may call me that. I am a good friend of Yiruolan, and since you were closest to my domain, I came to give you a hand."

Li Mingxing asked, "What is the meaning of all this?"

"Nothing much. You are simply being used to lure Apollo out," the Goddess of Nature replied, clearly uninterested in further conversation. She withdrew her influence from the bodyguard and vanished.

Confronted with this increasingly bizarre situation, Li Mingxing muttered, "Can someone please tell me what is actually happening?"

"Allow me to tell you," a voice echoed from afar. Li Mingxing turned to see the apprentice hero he had encountered before, watching them with a smile. Beside him stood the mage and about ten warriors in ancient Greek armor. Their appearance left no doubt that they were Apollo's true soldiers.

The mage spoke triumphantly, "Don't think having a goddess behind you makes you invincible. I saw through your plan long ago and turned it against you. When Lord Apollo attacks the Forest Goddess's territory, she will surely possess you, using the excuse of her lost domain to seek help. That is the moment we will slay the god."

Hearing this, Li Mingxing grasped the Forest Goddess's scheme. He felt that the mage’s plan was indeed formidable, and perhaps it might even succeed. But upon reflection, he felt something was wrong. Why had the two bodyguards shown no reaction to this news?

He suddenly remembered the Goddess of Nature who had just appeared and vanished. If she knew of the situation, surely other deities did as well. How, then, could Apollo’s—or rather, the mage’s—plan be carried out?

Just then, Li Mingxing felt an unprecedented pressure in the air. Looking up, he sensed three immensely powerful forces descending upon them. In an instant, he understood the mage's full plan: the three gods following Apollo had been watching from the sidelines. They were forced to act because Apollo had, yet they were reluctant to commit too deeply. Thus, they had agreed to help the mage seal the area, preventing other deities from intervening to ruin the plan.