Chapter 2: The Heavenly Horse Chasing Shadows

The Forest of Dying Light.

It was a vast forest teeming with both death and life. Since time immemorial, no human being had ever truly claimed this land—not only because of the powerful barrier surrounding it, a barrier that never faded, but also because the forest itself was utterly unfit for human habitation.

Su Ziye was walking through it now.

Alone.

He had chosen to leave Yeyan Academy, and, just as he had expected, the moment he departed, the pursuit launched by his uncle followed close behind. In the end, while fleeing, Su Ziye had chosen to enter this forest—the most primitive hunting ground in existence.

He simply did not know whether the hunters chasing him had entered the forest as well.

In truth, Su Ziye was not entirely unfamiliar with the place. The Forest of Dying Light had left a considerable mark on the history of the world, and in Yue Yi's Notes, it represented something far greater still.

Had there been no pursuit, Su Ziye might eventually have chosen to come here anyway. He simply would not have come so soon.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, the young man drew his blade in an instant and brought it down.

The vines before him burst into flame. Yet inside the severed ends there were no withered fibers, but burning flesh.

A gigantic serpent's head arrived before Su Ziye almost at the same instant, its jaws crashing down toward his face.

Su Ziye stepped back and evaded the attack with perfect precision.

He swung his blade once more. Beneath the Blade of Annihilation, the entire serpent erupted in flames and was reduced to ashes in the space of a breath.

The young man bent down and searched through the ashes, finding a gleaming green core.

This so-called core was a magical beast core.

Most magical beasts relied on such concentrated sources of magic to cast spells. In a sense, they were equivalent to high-quality magic crystals, and humans could even make use of the power contained within them. As a result, they were the most valuable part of a magical beast's body. Most adventurers hunted magical beasts precisely to collect these priceless treasures.

Su Ziye quietly stored the magical beast core in his personal storage space.

There were already quite a few shining cores inside.

Within the Forest of Dying Light, everyone was both hunter and prey. The slaughter between one life and another never ceased for even a moment.

That was why people often came here to temper themselves. Anyone who could emerge from the forest alive deserved to be called one of the world's true powerhouses.

This was also one of the Forest of Dying Light's most important characteristics.

The forest contained an extraordinarily potent concentration of magic. Cultivation here yielded twice the results with half the effort, while magical beasts—more adept at absorbing the strength of their surroundings—could more easily grow into realms that would be almost impossible to reach in ordinary environments.

If Celestial-Realm magical beasts were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in the outside world, then within this forest, they could not exactly be called commonplace—but they were at least visible everywhere.

In fact, the forest itself had been divided into countless territories by the many powerful magical beasts that inhabited it.

As Su Ziye pondered this, he suddenly raised his head.

He sensed an extremely powerful and somewhat familiar aura. In the next instant, that aura exploded.

In the physical world, the result was a terrifying surge of energy ahead of him. Countless trees were destroyed in an instant by the force of the shock wave.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Ziye tightened his grip on the Blade of Annihilation. A crimson domain of destruction instantly unfolded across a radius of five hundred meters around him. Everything within the domain was reduced to ash in a single moment.

At the same time, the shock wave reached Su Ziye. It violently intruded upon his domain, only to be completely annihilated by the searing power of destruction within that blazing hell.

Su Ziye had always been an exceedingly cautious man. Thus, whenever he needed to wield power beyond the Celestial Realm, he would not hesitate for even a moment.

His eyes remained fixed sharply upon the distance.

There, far ahead, he saw a snow-white horse.

It was a white winged horse, a celestial steed that soared through the heavens with the swiftness of lightning. Information about it surfaced instantly in Su Ziye's mind.

The Shadowchaser Pegasus.

It was one of the fastest magical beasts in the world. Even most flying magical beasts could not hope to match its speed. More terrifying still, it was a creature born at the Celestial Realm.

Su Ziye was familiar with this magical beast primarily because the Shadowchaser Pegasus had once been—and remained—one of the most important totems of the Stell Empire.

In the distant past, when the First Emperor swept across the six directions and pacified the world, his mount had been a Shadowchaser Pegasus of unrivaled power. It soared through the highest heavens, crossing ten thousand miles between dawn and dusk. After the First Emperor's death, that Pegasus remained in the Stell Empire for another century before finally dying of old age.

Even now, many members of the Stell royal family still hoped to obtain another Shadowchaser Pegasus. Such a creature represented not only endless glory and power, but also the confirmation of a certain status.

Unfortunately, magical beasts born at the Celestial Realm were exceedingly rare, and their strength was even more formidable. Though the Stell royal family searched the entire continent, they found no trace of another Pegasus. Over the years, many prodigies of astonishing talent had ventured into the Forest of Dying Light, only to return empty-handed.

Some had even declared that it was not merely humans who sought the Pegasus—the Pegasus was also searching for its master. To this day, no one had managed to obtain a second one. The most important reason was that no one had won the creature's recognition.

And the creature before Su Ziye was, without a doubt, a true Shadowchaser Pegasus. The aftermath of its attack alone was enough to make that unmistakably clear.

But that was not the reason Su Ziye found it familiar.

What felt familiar was the being standing opposite the Shadowchaser Pegasus.

Even from a great distance, he could clearly see the figure in the distance.

More than seeing her, he sensed her.

Her power was solemn and pure, a force of which there was only one in the entire world. No matter what happened, Su Ziye could never mistake it.

Xingxi, with silver hair and golden eyes, stood facing the soaring Pegasus. She stood upon the empty air, gazing at it in silence without uttering a word.

Instead, the consciousness of the Shadowchaser Pegasus echoed throughout heaven and earth like a surging flood. Even Su Ziye could clearly sense the message it conveyed.

It was filled with fury—and fear.

“Master of the Stars, you have gone too far!”

“Those humans have already taken the lives of many of my subordinates. They merely fled to you, and you truly intend to shelter them?”

Its fury was unmistakable, but its fear was impossible to conceal.

It had already unleashed its full strength in the previous attack, yet it had not harmed its opponent in the slightest.

Indeed, its opponent had still been holding back considerably. How could the Shadowchaser Pegasus not be afraid?

Xingxi merely gazed back at it in silence, never saying a word.

Seeing this, Su Ziye rose into the air without hesitation and charged straight toward the two Celestial-Realm beings locked in confrontation.

The domain of destruction carried by the Blade of Annihilation radiated power with unmistakable clarity. Neither Xingxi nor the Shadowchaser Pegasus could ignore it, and both were forced to turn their gazes toward the third party who had suddenly thrust himself into their standoff.

“Could you let me say a few words?”

Su Ziye appeared before them with a faint smile. Even before Xingxi, he showed not the slightest fear.

Not even though she had once come very close to killing him.

A trace of surprise flickered through Xingxi's eyes.

The Shadowchaser Pegasus stared at Su Ziye, and its rumbling consciousness exploded through his mind like thunder.

“Insect, what do you think you are doing?”