“Outsider, you have entered the Time Corridor.”
“A message from the Old God, Father of Infinite Trees:”
“fifth epoch, Autumn 3002, West Continent, Thousand Tree Forest.”
“Event: God Summoning Ritual - Contacting the Old God, yaobian gate.”
“Duration: Thirty minutes (2/3).”
“You have obtained additional information.”
“The figure of the Father of Infinite Trees continues to watch you.”
“The Old God of Time’s trial will continue.”
“Assist the mortals in completing the God Summoning Ritual - Contacting the Old God, yaobian gate.”
“The Father of Infinite Trees will grant you a reward: a truth of history (Witches’ War at the end of the fifth epoch), Miracle - Time Stabilization Aura.”
“So, where exactly is the Thousand Tree Forest?”
Xia De muttered to himself, already standing in an endless white mist. Information about the Old Gods could be found, but neither the Academy, the Church, nor the Prophet Association had any news about the Thousand Tree Forest. The locations of his two time travels seemed to not exist at all.
Fortunately, this time he was communicating with the Witches, so he thought Miss Felianna would be able to explain what the Thousand Tree Forest was.
Stepping forward, the surrounding white mist gradually dispersed, and the forest in the darkness enveloped Xia De. The first time he came here was at night, and it was still night now. However, the overlapping branches overhead were too dense, preventing Xia De from seeing the starry sky or the Moon.
The scent of earth and trees in the forest filled his nostrils, and his skin could feel the humidity in the forest air. His eyes were still adjusting after moving from the bright white mist to the dim forest.
In just the time it took to catch his breath, the terrifying and oppressive atmosphere of the forest surged over him. The headache, accompanied by the intertwining whisper sounds in his ears, became increasingly pronounced, and Xia De once again saw open eyes in the darkness of the forest.
Without lingering, he laboriously pushed aside the overgrown grass in front of him and walked forward. Last time, he had only pushed aside the grass to see the three Witches beneath the giant tree, but this time, pushing aside the grass still revealed only the dim forest.
“Did something unexpected happen again?”
Darkness surrounded him, and the rustling sound of wind blowing through the treetops filled the air. He widened his eyes, looking around, but this time, in the gaps between the darkness and the eyes, he could not see any light from the crimson-gold bonfire.
“Can you sense the nearby elements?”
Xia De had anticipated this situation, so he was not flustered.
“Yes, the whisper element is very dense.”
“Which direction is weaker?”
“Almost no difference.”
He extended his finger:
“Silver Moon!”
Because he didn't know what was in this forest, he only controlled his fingertip to emit a faint glow. The hazy silver light illuminated the surroundings, and the whisper in his ears immediately weakened slightly, while the open eyes in the darkness also became sparse.
He stopped in place, wanting to find a direction, but soon heard sounds coming from the surrounding bushes, as if something was moving nearby. His left hand pointed forward, and his right hand drew the holy silver two-handed Greatsword from the air.
The footsteps grew closer, but they were not hurried. Then, Xia De saw the bushes being pushed aside, and a robed woman holding a torch appeared before his eyes.
She actively took off her hood; it wasn't Miss Felianna, but the young Witch beside her. If Xia De remembered correctly, she called herself the Moon Witch.
“It’s you?”
The Witch also recognized Xia De, her pretty eyes looking at the light from his fingertip and the Greatsword in his hand with surprise:
“Good evening. We were worried you wouldn’t be able to return. The last time I saw you, I knew you had a strong Moonlight aura about you. I didn’t expect the Moon to favor you so much; you’re almost like me.”
As she spoke, her left hand, which wasn't holding the torch, also plunged into the air. After a pause, a bright yellow Greatsword, disproportionate to her slender body, was drawn out. Xia De’s holy silver Moonlight Greatsword only had rune imprints on its hilt, while the Witch’s Moonlight Greatsword had chains binding it from the hilt to the blade, making it look even more powerful than Xia De’s sword.
“Is this a Moonlight Greatsword?”
Xia De was very surprised.
The Witch swung the weapon in her hand, a smile on her face:
“You see, even though the times are different, the manifestations of extraordinary power are so similar. It’s a pity that Teacher forbids us from asking about the future, otherwise… Oh, I can’t say more, Teacher will scold me.”
As she spoke, the weapons in both their hands dissipated into specks of light and vanished.
“Come with me. You’re so bold to wander around the Thousand Tree Forest. You should have come straight to us.”
“Please wait.”
Xia De didn't move, but extended his hand:
“Can I shake your hand?”
The Witch looked at him in confusion:
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Please wait.”
She took a small bottle from her robe, pulled out the stopper, and drank the azure blue potion inside. From the Witch’s expression, the liquid definitely didn’t taste good:
“This is a potion that allows me to understand meaningful, non-supernatural languages of humanoid creatures for a short time. After you left last time, Teacher prepared some spares… Cough, cough, I’m sorry, this potion has some significant side effects. Although the impact on high-level Witches like us is minimal, it is not without cost. What did you just say?”
She asked again. Xia De repeated his request to shake hands. Although the Witch didn't know what he wanted to do, she still extended her hand and shook Xia De's.
“No problem, it’s a living person.”
The voice in his ear confirmed, and Xia De finally breathed a sigh of relief:
“No problem, I’m sorry, I wanted to confirm you were really a living person. This forest is truly eerie.”
“What, from your appearance, did you confirm my identity through this method?”
The Witch looked at her hand that Xia De had held, then led the way with the torch. Xia De noticed that the crimson-gold flame, like the silver light from his fingertip, could dispel the strange aura in the forest.
“Yes, it’s best to be careful when out and about.”
He said softly.
“Teacher often says the same thing.”
“Then, do you not need to confirm my identity?”
Xia De asked curiously again. The Witch walking in front shook her head:
“My power is much stronger than yours, and my perception of the Moon is also stronger. The light from your fingertip is the purest Moonlight; this forest cannot replicate such pure power.”
“Moon Witch, are you very skilled in the power of the Moon?”
“Yes, this title wasn’t just made up; people outside all call me that. Also, unlike you, I specialize in the yellow moon.”
Xia De nodded, thinking to himself that if the time gap wasn't so large, Librarian Daniste wouldn't have to go to such lengths to find the yellow moon core Ling Rune for the Library.
He intended to ask the Moon Witch about the Old God, Silver Moon Sage, but before Xia De could even open his mouth, the color of a bonfire had already appeared ahead. Even with the torch, the Witch and Xia De didn't want to linger in the forest. They both quickened their pace, and after pushing aside the overgrown grass in front of them, they indeed saw the giant tree, as well as the clearing beneath the giant tree, the bonfire, and the two Witches beside the bonfire.
The distance from encountering the Witch to exiting the forest was less than 200 meters, yet Xia De had clearly not seen any trace of firelight in the surroundings just now.
This forest indeed had a problem.