Chapter 1: The Mysterious Primeval Forest

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Upon entering the Inner World once more, Li Mingxing first surveyed his surroundings. Just as Raymond had described, Li Mingxing now found himself in a tropical rainforest. The air was thick with moisture, the trees so dense they blocked out the sky, and no matter where he looked, a sea of green stretched endlessly before him.

There was barely a patch of open ground by his side; those he brought with him were scattered haphazardly among the trees or on small clearings nearby.

Since his target this time was likely the Elven race, Li Mingxing had not brought his entire force. The three Dark Elf Blood Knights and elite Rogues under his command were left behind, as were the undead zombies gifted to him by others.

Accompanying him were only the forty-nine members of the Forest Nymph Legion, led by Aisha, as well as all his Gray Dwarves and Harpies.

As for the giant elephants he used for transportation, he had not brought them either. Glancing around, Li Mingxing understood that even if he had brought the elephants, they would have been useless here—the elephants would move slower than he could on foot amid this forest.

After organizing his troops, Li Mingxing chose a direction and set out on his journey. He had no idea which layer of the Inner World he had been sent to and needed to find some inhabited place, hoping to glean useful information.

Luck, however, was not on his side. He trekked through the forest for three days without encountering a single intelligent being. If Aisha had not repeatedly assured him they were not walking in circles, Li Mingxing would have suspected they had not left their starting point at all.

Nevertheless, during these three days, the Forest Nymph Legion under his command became well-acquainted with the art of forest warfare. They even began to learn how to communicate with the small animals and trees around them.

Because of this, their paths of cultivation shifted for the first time; some began to master the art of commanding animals in battle.

On the seventh day after arriving in the great forest, one of the nymphs finally completed her training in natural communion, gaining a skill called “Level 0 Commune with Nature.” This provided Li Mingxing and his group with clear direction.

It was then that Li Mingxing finally realized that, although they had not met any intelligent beings along the way, they were not lost. This Inner World did not have an underground, nor rivers or valleys—only an endless forest spanning the entire world.

This was the very Mysterious Forest he was tasked with corrupting into darkness. Upon learning this, Li Mingxing was both surprised and resigned. He had expected the Mysterious Forest he needed to transform to be vast, but not this vast. After all, according to legend, the Mysterious Forest was merely a dwelling place for unicorns.

Never had he imagined that the Mysterious Forest would encompass the entire Inner World. This meant that, to complete his mission, he would have to conquer the entire realm.

If this were the Adventure Layer, it would be manageable. But if it were the Mythic Layer, his actions would surely draw the wrath of the world’s gods. And if it were the Strategic Layer, his small force might not even be enough to repel the native inhabitants.

With these thoughts, Li Mingxing was all the more eager to understand the nature of this world. After letting his troops rest, he quickly set off, guided by the nymph who had learned to commune with nature, toward the nearest settlement of intelligent beings.

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Though described as “nearby,” the settlement was in fact quite far, and the forest paths were arduous. It took Li Mingxing and his group a day and a half to reach the place the nymph had described.

From atop a giant tree at a distance, Li Mingxing surveyed the settlement. It was completely hidden from view without guidance; all the dwellings were built high in the trees, camouflaged by the foliage.

Vine bridges connected tree to tree, but there was only one route into the settlement: through the largest tree nearby.

Li Mingxing could see that the heart of this tree had been completely hollowed out, with a wooden ramp spiraling upward within.

Before the entrance stood two sentries. They were not elves, as Li Mingxing had expected, but a stranger race: their upper bodies were deep violet, elven in appearance, but their lower halves were those of forest goats.

Their eyes were gentle and peaceful, yet they brandished their spears with trained precision. Their appearance reminded Li Mingxing of a species—Dryads.

Li Mingxing knew something of their kind; they were said to be descendants of a demigod, possibly distant kin of centaurs, and typically served as forest guardians. They possessed formidable abilities: slow-acting poisons, dispelling magic, and immunity to spells.

If they were as he had heard, then the likelihood that this Inner World was of the Strategic or Mythic Layer greatly increased.

This realization left Li Mingxing troubled, but he suppressed his impulse to storm the settlement. Instead, he sent Aisha and the nymph adept at communing with nature to attempt contact and seek the dryads’ assistance.

Once given the order, Aisha and the nymph leapt from the tree, swiftly making their way to the dryad settlement.

Their sudden appearance naturally drew attention. Where there had been only two sentries, ten dryads quickly emerged from the tree hollow.

Some carried massive spears, others short javelins—clearly the two castes of dryad warriors.

Seeing the dryads, Aisha and her companion slowed their pace and declared their identities as druids.

Their declaration caused the dryads to lower their weapons, though they remained wary. When Aisha and her companion approached, the eldest-looking dryad spoke, “What is the meaning of this? How can there be female druids?”

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Aisha was startled; she could not understand why the dryads were so surprised, since her identity as a druid seemed perfectly ordinary.

Just then, another dryad stepped forward. “Sister, times have changed. The era when only men could become druids is long past. Haven’t you heard? Not long ago, there was even a female Archdruid. Perhaps these two are her followers.”

“But they don’t seem like elves. They look human, don’t they?” the first dryad remarked. “Which circle are you from? We haven’t seen your like before.”

“We are the Forest Nymph Legion,” Aisha replied after a brief hesitation, “and as for our circle, we are the Druids of the North Wind.”

“North Wind? So you come from the north?” the two dryads asked after a moment’s thought.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. I possess the power of cold, and I believe all trees should be evergreen, like the pine,” Aisha replied fluently, perhaps recalling something she had heard in the real world.

“Evergreen? That is quite a notion. Welcome, then, sisters of the North Wind Circle. Is there something you need here?” The dryads, finally convinced, shed all hostility.

“It’s like this,” Aisha began, recalling the identity Li Mingxing had instructed her to assume and considering her words carefully. “Our circle is newly established. Most of our members are druid apprentices, and we lack a complete doctrine. That’s why I’m leading the group on a trial journey, to help the apprentices find their paths.”

“Apprentices? But there are only two of you. How many more are here?” the dryads asked with curiosity.

“There are fifty of us in total, all young women, myself included,” Aisha replied. “On the way, we encountered a merchant caravan. We accepted their payment to escort them safely through the forest.”

“Merchants? Humans or goblins? Goblins are not permitted passage here. If they are goblins, you may resupply but must detour five hundred miles around.”

“They are not goblins, but manticores and some gray dwarves trading in gems,” Aisha explained quickly.

“Manticores? Such powerful creatures as merchants? Well, for your sake, we’ll allow them to resupply here. But they may not enter our city—only you may.” After some thought, the dryad reached a decision.

Aisha immediately expressed her gratitude, then hurried back to their hiding place to summon Li Mingxing and the others.