Xie He looked at Joshua and slowly said, “You can rest here. I will leave with your party tomorrow.”
Joshua felt rather surprised. He then sincerely said, “That’s wonderful. I am very touched to have your assistance.”
“No need for courtesies. We share a common goal.” Xie He’s gaze was insipid. After saying this, he stood up and had Thamior settle the Church’s party. He then returned to the Nature Shrine.
Elder Wil was still waiting for Xie He in the shrine. His expression was very grave.
Xie He said to Elder Wil, “His Eminence Joshua of the Church has said that he has received enlightenment from the God of Light. He believes that the seal has already been broken, that the Darkness is upon us. We must head to the Dead Sea Forest to prevent the worst from happening…. This is the same revelation I have received from the Goddess of Nature. I have decided to go with them. No matter what, we cannot allow the Evil God of Darkness to come to the mortal realm again.”
Elder Wil nodded and said, “Take with you our Elven race’s holy weapon. Take our strongest warriors with you.”
Xie He said deferentially, “Yes.”
Elder Will nodded and then gazed at him. He said in a solemn voice, “Go. May God protect you.”
………………………………
Xie He and Elder Wil discussed his departure. Then, Xie He returned to the palace to entertain the Church’s people.
The Elves were a friendly race. Although they were inevitably rather haughty when interacting with humans, they were still respectful enough towards His Eminence the Holy Son.
That night, Xie He entertained his guests, bringing out the best fruit wine, vegetables and fruits. Beautiful elves danced and sang.
Joshua was deeply moved as he said to Xie He, “Truly beautiful. I understand why you want to protect this place with all your heart.”
Xie He had a faint smile painted on his lips, “The Elves and Humans have always been friends. We have always stood on common front when faced against the Darkness. It is all for the sake of safeguarding the current peace.”
Joshua gazed at Xie He profoundly with his blue eyes. “Although that is the case, you are still worthy of my admiration for your courage in taking such risks.”
Xie He said, “Is Your Eminence not the same?”
When the banquet ended, Xie He once again returned to his palace. His expression became solemn.
Nighttime was that demon’s favorite time to appear.
That night, darkness indeed infiltrated that place. The man with black hair and eyes emerged from the shadows….
Xie He knew that he could not resist. He only looked at the other coldly, fingers tightly wrapped around the hilt of his sword.
…………………………
The man pressed Xie He down before the exquisite crystal mirror. He pinched Xie He’s chin and forced him to look up into the mirror. The beautiful fair skin of the blond elf was covered with an erotic pink flush. His emerald eyes were misty and his blonde hair was splayed haphazardly across his body…. Meanwhile, the black haired man held him from behind. There was a wicked grin plastered on the face that was identical to that of the blond elf….
He softly whispered into Xie He’s ears, “Take a good look. See how much you like to be treated like this. As an arrogant elf, shouldn’t you be more honest about your desires? There’s no need to try to cover it up.”
Xie He’s beautiful eyes were full of indignation and shame. He slightly opened his lips and spoke with a frosty tone, “This is not what I desire.”
The man tenderly stroked Xie he’s smooth neck. He chuckled quietly. “But that’s not what your body is telling me. If this wasn’t what you wanted, if this was all repulsive to you, then why would your God bestow upon you a body as sensitive as this? This kind of body was made for enjoyment and pleasure…. Look how beautiful you are….”
Twisting words and forcing logic! Xie He gnashed his teeth. “You aren’t the darkness in my heart. You’re just a demon that should be sealed away! I will definitely seal you back up!”
The man laughed. “Is that so…? Well I look forward to seeing it.”
As he said this, the man violated Xie He once more before the mirror. He forced Xie He to watch each and every one of his own expressions. It was a slow torture….
He looked forward to seeing the day in which this beautiful elf would fall completely and succumb to his desires. Just thinking of it aroused him.
It would certainly be breathtakingly beautiful.
The next morning, when Xie He woke up, his entire body ached. But he still forced himself to act like nothing was wrong.
Because he was heading into the Dead Sea Forest, he naturally did not wear his everyday robes. Xie He changed into a form-fitting cloth armour. Outside of it, he put on the precious soft armour crafted by the Elves and tall boots. They perfectly outlined his body. He also attached a gorgeous silver sword to his waist and carried a bow on his back. On his finger was an unremarkable ring that made it look like there were leaves wrapped around his finger.
This ring looked plain and simple but it was actually the Elves’ holy weapon. Only the Elf King could use it. The life force contained within the ring could reinforce the seal.
This was the reason why he had to go personally.
When Xie He set out, the team Thamior led was already waiting outside. He had chosen a dozen or so of their strongest warriors to accompany him.
Joshua and his party were also waiting outside. Joshua was still clad in his white robes. It was obvious that he was a magician of sorts and not one for close combat. He greeted Xie He with a smile, “Your Excellency Galan, are we to set off now?”
Xie He nodded. The elves rode snow deer while the humans rode horses.
Because it was urgent, they did not chat. Very quickly, the team comprised of elves and humans began their journey.
The Nolan Forest was extremely perilous for anyone but elves. There were countless dangerous flora and fauna. When the Church had been on its way to meet with Xie He, they had encountered danger upon danger. Now that they had the elves leading the way, however, the originally dangerous forest was suddenly peaceful. It was a completely different experience.
The elves knew of all the vegetation and all the dangers of the forest. Moreover, the vegetation in the forest felt kinship towards them and would therefore not initiate attacks.
The ferocious beasts of the forest were also the Elves’ friends. Not only would they not attack them, the beasts would approach the elves and even help them.
The human knights were thus met with the scene of the pythons and boas, who had rendered their members into sorry states and even killed several people, acting like pets in front of the elves. They also saw the fierce monkeys that had brandished their claws and teeth at them bring fruits and other foods to the elves.
At night, they slept in the forest. Thamior arranged for one of the elves to stand guard. He then had everyone rest in the giant tent.
One of the tall human knights wanted to go out and hunt so that they could have roasted meat at night. However, before he could leave, the furious elves stopped him. The two sides began to fight.
Thamior said coldly, “The animals in this forest are our friends. You are not allowed to kill them.”
That knight was very unhappy. He didn’t think that those wild beasts were friends. However, he didn’t dare to fall out with the elves. He asked, “Then what will we eat?”
Thamior signalled with his eyes. Immediately, an elf threw a basket of fruits over.
The knight: “….”
They needed to eat meat to have energy, OK?
Xie He watched on the sidelines the whole time. Hehe, I’ve already gone several months without eating meat. You guys can’t even last a day. Dream on. With me here, no one better think of eating meat.
Joshua could see that Xie He was displeased. He no longer stayed silent. He stood up and said to that knight, “We still have rations. Just eat that and the fruits.”
Upon seeing His Eminence the Holy Son speak, the knight could only sit down sulkily and munch on the fruits and rations.
When he thought that he still had to interact with these stiff, arrogant elves for a period of time, he lost all interest in life. Even if they were attractive, it was unbearable.
That night, they set up torches. After a while, everyone went to rest.
When Xie He was about to go back, Joshua came over to him and spoke with an apology in his eyes, “You Excellency Galan, I apologize to you for Victor’s actions today. They have all risked their life and death to come with me to the Dead Sea Forest. They are all heroic warriors of high moral integrity. They did not mean to offend you. They just didn’t know that the animals were not allowed to be hunted here.”
Xie He only gave him an indifferent glance, expression cold.
Actually, as the Holy Son, Joshua was already very low-key and self-controlled. However, they were haughty elves in the end. No actions that went against their customs could be tolerated. All the other races had to adapt to them! Even ‘princess syndrome’ was too weak a description for them!
“If there is a next time, then my party will not welcome his continued presence,” Xie He’s tone was cold.
Joshua sighed. “Be assured, I will keep them all in check.”
Xie He finally nodded. “Good.”
Seeing that Xie He didn’t have any intentions to pursue the matter, Joshua flashed a shy smile and said sincerely, “Thank you for your magnanimity.”
As he said this, he seemed to think of something worrying. He slipped out, “Actually, I’ve been worried about what the situation in the Dead Sea Forest is this whole time. If the seal has really broken, will we be able to stop it?”
Xie He didn’t hesitate and said, “We will definitely be able to stop it.”
Joshua looked at Xie He, surprised, as if he didn’t understand why the other seemed like he had a card up his sleeve. He probed, “Do you have a way?”
Xie He glanced at him but did not respond. Elves disdained lies but would not tell humans everything.
Joshua stared at Xie He’s profile, the other’s face very close to his own. That handsome face was perfect and flawless, no matter what angle it was viewed at. The elf’s pure, emerald eyes were even more brilliant and dazzling than the most precious gemstones in the world. Each of his eyelashes were a pale blond…. The Elves were the creations that God was most proud of. They were more outstanding than humans…. It was just that they were a bit too pure.
Joshua’s eyes darkened a bit. There was a strange tint to his blue eyes, reflected in the fire’s light. He flashed an expression that made it look like he was bemoaning the fate of the world and sighed quietly. “Although the Darkness has not encroached upon the Continent for many, many years, the Darkness in the hearts of people is still difficult to expel. After so much time, the majority of humans, having never experienced the fear that the Darkness brings, have already forgotten their reverence for the gods…. Everything worries me. I’m worried that the humans have already been corroded, and that they will not be able to resist the Darkness’ enticement and will fall….”
Xie He’s brows furrowed. This was why elves didn’t like humans. Humans always had too many thoughts.
“Therefore we must stop the seal from breaking. Otherwise, an unimaginable calamity will befall the Continent.”
Xie He’s gaze was determined, speaking with conviction.
Joshua’s eyes were profound. He said with a smile, “Yes, I think the same.”
Xie He had no desire to continue speaking with Joshua. He nodded and then got up, returning to his own tent.
Joshua stared at the departing figure of Xie He. There was an indecipherable smile on his lips.
Xie He drew the tent shut and lied down, eyes narrowed.
【Xie He:Our Holy Son isn’t as harmless as he seems. Interesting. Smile.JPG】
【444:Eh, is that so?】He seems gentle and harmless to me, ah. @[email protected]
【Xie He:I originally thought that he would be a nuisance on this journey, that he would make it difficult for Saj-Saj to come out. Didn’t think that he would actually be a helper gong. Hehe.】
【444:(⊙v⊙) Hm?】He can’t tell at all.
【Xie He:The days of not being able to eat meat will soon end. A beautiful life is just before my eyes. I’m very happy.】
【444:……】
………………………………
After resting the whole night, the party continued on their way the next morning.
Because of the Elves, they journeyed very quickly. The originally arduous and perilous Nolan Forest was crossed in just one day. They then arrived at the Wildlands.
There were many criminals and fallen ones here. It was rare to see such a bright and beautiful party such as the one with Xie He and Joshua. One after another came those wanting to kill and plunder them.
However, the Elven warriors and Holy Knights were not weak. They were extremely formidable. They had both close-combatants and ranged fighters, so those that tried to kill them all ended up dead instead. Neither Xie He or Joshua had to do anything. Their progress did not slow down at all.
Perhaps it was because there were too many people, but the dark shadows had not appeared for several days.
It was a rare chance for Xie He to have several peaceful nights in a row.
After another few days, they arrived at the Spectral Marshes.
Crossing the Spectral Marshes and passing through the Valley of Death would allow them to arrive at the sealed Dead Sea Forest. The Spectral Marshes was very close to the Dead Sea Forest and had this been greatly influenced by the Darkness. It was an extremely treacherous place. When night came, the spirits of the wetlands would come alive and attack any living being within. The beings that ended up dying here would not be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation and would only be able to become a ghost of these wetlands, never to move on.
Xie He said to Joshua, “We cannot rest here tonight. We must continue on until we leave this area.”
Joshua nodded. “I will listen to your instructions.”
Xie He was very pleased with Joshua’s bearing the whole journey. The elves were much more familiar with these parts. They did not like having the humans command them. After arranging things, the party entered the wetlands.
The Spectral Marshes were indeed wetlands. All sorts of barren trees grew there. The crooked branches intertwined. Their appearance caused one’s hair to stand up on end. There were also many rocks on the ground. Some places could be walked upon while other places were submerged in water. If one were to fall in, they would be sucked to the bottom.
During the day, it was relatively safe. It was just that it had an eerie atmosphere. But at night, the ghosts would awaken and it would turn into a frightening kill zone.
In order to get through as quickly as possible, they advanced very quickly. The elves moved through the forest very nimbly. Although the Holy Knights were not as agile as the elves, they were also very quick. Originally, Xie He had been worried about Joshua, who was a magician. However, looking at him now, he seemed to be doing fine. His movements were lithe and each of his steps landed perfectly onto each stone. He didn’t move quickly but he was not slowing them down at all. He was able to follow the party the whole way through.
They could see the end of the Spectral Marshes with their eyes but the sky was getting darker and darker. When the sun finally did set, everything instantly turned pitch dark. Looking around, no-one could see any moonlight, or any light at all. It was as if it had turned into a whole different world.
Xie He shouted with a frosty voice, “Do not stop. Continue onwards!”
As he said this, he suddenly turned his head and pointed his arrow to the front. The light from his arrow streaked across the night sky. It turned out that the skeleton of a huge bird had suddenly crawled out of the wetlands and was just about to pounce on one of the human knights.
That knight was scared into breaking out into a cold sweat. That skeleton bird had appeared without any noise! If it wasn’t because Xie He had noticed it, he would have been killed!
“Go!” Xie He had everyone advance immediately. He kept shooting arrows, each shot hitting its target. Every shot took out at least one spirit. As soon as the ghosts came into contact with the magic on Xie He’s arrows, they would disappear with a wail.
The other elves also fired arrows as they advanced. The Holy Knights protected Joshua, sticking close to his side.
Although everyone was already being very careful, a short while later, some of the elves and knights were dragged into the marsh. Without even any bubbles appearing on the surface of the water, they disappeared.
Xie He watched as his companions were dragged away by the ghosts. His gaze turned frigid and furious but he remained calm. He did not lose all reasoning. He continued to kill the spirits with sharp movements, covering everyone as they moved on.
However, there were really too many ghosts. Furthermore, increasingly more elves and knights died.
There was a layer of sweat on Xie He’s forehead. He didn’t have many arrows left. The situation was extremely perilous. After shooting his last arrow, he decisively drew out the sword at his waist, slashing at the ghosts!
At this moment, he noticed that things were very dangerous on Joshua’s side. Without any hesitation, he lunged over and shielded him!
But after killing one of the ghosts, he suddenly felt a scalp-numbing sensation. The fear of being enveloped by the darkness once again bubbled forth! Xie He thought that it wasn’t good and wanted to escape, but the darkness came faster and faster. In a single moment, it swallowed him up!
Everything was pitch black around him. Without magic or light, no one could see anyone else. They could only hear the sounds of bladed weapons slashing. Xie He felt something coil around his waist before it pulled him into the darkness!
His pupils suddenly constricted. He brandished his sword with all his might, trying to hack at the thing wrapped around his waist. However, before his blade could meet with it, a branch snaked around his wrist and the sword fell soundlessly into the marshes…. Xie He’s back hit heavily against a tree. Soon after, countless branches bound him to the tree, making him unable to move an inch.
Despair appeared in his eyes. Would he die here?
When the spirits saw that Xie He was trapped there, they charged forth frantically, wanting to tear him to shreds. There was no colour left in Xie He’s face. He tightly shut his eyes but…the tearing that he expected did not occur. Instead, something cold drilled into his clothes.
That familiar sensation made shame emerge in Xie He’s eyes. He opened his eyes and saw that the threatening spirits had already retreated, as if there was an extremely frightening presence here that made them not dare to approach. They continued to chase after and kill the other humans and elves, staying far away from this area.
Xie He was let down from the tree but his limbs were still bound. He felt two arms wrap around his neck from the back. He then heard the man’s familiar deep voice, “We haven’t seen each other for several days. Did you miss me?”
Xie He tightly pursed his lips. His dignity as an elf made him unable to spit out profanities. Therefore, he could only say with a chilly voice, “Let go of me!”
The man bit the tip of his ears and softly lapped at it. He laughed, “I really missed you.”
Xie He trembled upon being bitten. He already knew what would happen next.
………………………………
The other elves and humans continued to battle against the ghosts. They continued outwards continuously. However, because it was dark, several people got lost.
Joshua was currently being escorted, but he suddenly seemed to perceive something. His expression changed slightly. When another ghost came to attack, he pretended to be caught off guard and ended up breaking away from his group. He then ran in another direction.
After leaving the other humans and elves, Joshua, who had seemed as if he had needed the most protection, released the power that was stronger than any other member of his party. All of the ghosts that came within ten meters of him were instantly burnt to ashes. Afterwards, all the ghosts avoided him instinctively out of fear.
Joshua felt extremely intense and dreadful dark energy. He headed towards it.
Suddenly, he halted his steps and his gaze sharpened.
Several tens of meters before him, on a rock protruding in front of him, the beautiful blond elf was tied up on the ground while a black-haired man ruthlessly violated him.
The haughty and aloof blond elf was letting out gasps that had pain and pleasure entwined. His perfect body was completely on display, revealing an unprecedented charm.
That extremely handsome and cold visage was currently dyed an erotic colour…it was so seductive.
Joshua didn’t think that he would see such an incredulous scene.
【Ding, Joshua’s Favourability Value +10. The current Favourability Value is 60.】
Just as he fell in a bit of a trance, the man who was pressing down on the elf seemed to sense him. He suddenly raised his head, black eyes directed towards Joshua. At that moment, their eyes met!
The author has something to say:
Fine, congratulations to this author who sucks at naming characters for getting the achievement of ‘naming her characters something common and ending up with them sharing the name with another elsewhere’ in every world. Indifferent.JPG. (Runs away sobbing)…Please let God bestow upon me a name that hasn’t already been used elsewhere, yingyingying…..
Actually, this author rarely reads quick transmigration or western fantasy. I don’t know what names have already been used to death so I just chose one randomly. _(:зゝ∠)_Yingyingying.