Smoke rose in waves around Luoyu City, the enemy unexpectedly close.
Ailena projected her consciousness onto the great tree behind her, spreading it throughout the vast Elf Forest. She could see thick flames sporadically erupting throughout the forests.
Just like what she had seen a year ago.
Elf squads became trapped within the flames, as ferocious humans stepped through fire to attack them.
Although she couldn’t use magic, Ailena sensed the magic power around her converging towards a certain location.
Following the direction of the flowing magic power, Ailena saw a figure floating in mid-air.
It was a woman, with pale purple hair hanging in the air, her face obscured by a black eye mask. Her voluminous purple and gold gown billowed as if someone was continuously blowing air into it.
Looking up from below, one could see that beneath her purple and gold gown, she wore a white, skin-tight leather bodysuit.
Ailena didn’t know who she was, but she knew one thing—she was also human.
As if to declare her presence, the female raised her right hand high, her wide sleeve dancing wildly in the wind. Then, without warning, she violently swung her right hand down towards Luoyu City of the elves.
Instantly, countless complex Magic Arrays, akin to vault doors, manifested and converged from all directions, gathering in her hand to form a pristine white bud.
The bud, comprised of four Magic Arrays, birthed a crimson flame at its center.
"Fiery Fire Blossom," the woman’s vermilion lips whispered. The four Magic Arrays before her slowly bloomed, tongues of fire bursting forth from the palm of her hand, engulfing Luoyu City.
From around Luoyu City, numerous streaks of golden light rose and converged in the giant tree where the Queen was, forming a golden protective shield that had guarded the elves for a thousand years.
The fierce red flames roared and hissed, climbing over the shield, turning into fierce ghosts clawing at the elf barrier with sharp talons, desperate to tear apart the golden shield and penetrate it to completely devour Luoyu City.
The Elf Queen raised her hands, and countless golden lights spread from her body into the barrier, intensifying the golden protective shield for a moment.
The flames, struggling in the shape of fierce ghosts, failed to breach the barrier and gradually dissipated over time.
Around the outskirts of Luoyu City, houses became charred ruins under the ferocity of the great fire.
Most elves managed to seek refuge within the barrier before the flames engulfed them.
Those elves who hadn’t reached the barrier in time...
Some were scorched by the flames, gasping for their last breath; others were completely vanished in the blazing inferno...
"How could this be..." Ailena gasped for air, collapsing to the ground weakly, unable to accept this outcome. She lifted her head and glared fiercely at the woman in the sky.
The woman slowly landed on the elf’s barrier, knocking on it as if at a door.
With a crack, a fissure appeared on the elf’s barrier.
Seeing this, nearly all the elves felt their hearts leap to their throats.
Fortunately, after that crack appeared, the sturdy barrier did not develop new fissures or any breaches.
But the woman revealed a satisfied smile.
She pushed her body back, took to the air, and then—whoosh—vanished into thin air.
"Wait for me!" Ailena tried to call out to the woman flying through the sky, wanting to ask her what grievances she held against the Elf Clan, and why she suddenly attacked Luoyu City.
But that woman had completely disappeared without a trace.
People in Luoyu City were utterly astonished and shaken with the recent events lingering incessantly before their eyes.
Yang Yu instructed Lotcar to turn back, wanting to see what exactly had happened to Luoyu City.
Not having gone far, the three elves who had been following behind Yang Yu immediately jumped out and stretched out their hands to obstruct Yang Yu’s path.
"Something seems to have happened in Luoyu City; you’d better go back and check," Yang Yu said.
The Hunting Team elves were skeptical and exchanged glances, not having reached a conclusion when Yang Yu, riding Lotcar, bypassed the three elves.
With Lotcar’s current speed, breaking through the elves’ obstruction was a piece of cake.
In almost an instant, Lotcar had left the elves far behind.
The elves, surprised, quickly followed in Yang Yu’s footsteps but could only watch as they disappeared into the forest.
On their way, Yang Yu and his group encountered the same Hunting Team they had met earlier.
"You guy, didn’t you say you would leave the Elf Forest? Why are you back again?"
One elf after another aimed their bows and arrows at Yang Yu.
Yang Yu instructed Lotcar to slow down, allowing it to retrace the scent again.
A temporal village constructed outside of the well established Luoyu City, with its thousand-year survival method, was likely unprotected.
If there truly was a surprise attack targeting Luoyu City, it couldn’t simply be a matter for the hunting elves alone.
The nature of the entire situation had changed.
Despite the danger, Yang Yu wanted to confirm what had happened in Luoyu City and ensure the safety of Bai Jin and Iyas.
After a while, the Crystal Ball in Yang Yu’s hand received a communication from Bai Jin.
With a nervous heart, Yang Yu answered the communication.
Bai Jin’s face was pale as she succinctly detailed the events that had just occurred,
"A woman unleashed a large-scale fire Magic on Luoyu City; she nearly broke the elf Barrier. After casting that Magic, she disappeared. That woman’s strength exceeds a standard S-rank adventurer, please be careful."
Relieved to see Bai Jin was safe, Yang Yu relaxed for a moment, but then he saw two elves, one on either side, standing behind Bai Jin.
"Miss... Can you use Magic? Please come with us."
No sooner had the voice ended than the communication between Bai Jin and Yang Yu was cut off.
Yang Yu bit his fingernails, although not knowing what happened, it was certain that the fact that Bai Jin could use Magic had been exposed.
Next, the fact that she wasn’t an elf would certainly be exposed as well.
Bai Jin still harbored the Darkness of the Abyss Gate within her; normally not visible, but any contact with someone possessing strong Holy Light would definitely sense the anomaly inside her.
When Bai Jin had contact with that mad elf, many people were present, a mere "She is not an elf," at this critical juncture, could provoke unforeseen events.
If Bai Jin were caught and subjected to a trial by the Elf Queen, and Yang Yu failed to acquire evidence to exonerate her in time, the consequences would be unimaginable.