The Dalu tribe's current situation is dire.

The great war in Cursed Valley centuries ago led to the deaths of all the Great Druids, and the tribe lost its ability to communicate with the gods. Without divine protection, their heritage was broken, and no high-end combat power emerged from among them.

What's worse, humans betrayed their former alliance. Greedy slavers began to penetrate the Silent Forest to capture slaves, leading to a sharp decline in the Dalu tribe's population, pushing them to the brink of extinction.

Now, Emerald Sanctuary has only two fifth-tier individuals. In terms of high-end combat power, they are no match for even some large slave-hunting groups, lacking the qualifications for direct combat.

So, even if a tribe in the forest is in danger, the elders in Emerald Sanctuary dare not go to their rescue.

They can save them once, but not every time.

If even these old folks were to die in battle, the Dalu tribe would lose all hope.

Therefore, to ensure the tribe's continuation, they can only choose to hide, scattered throughout the Silent Forest.

This is why the Deer Chieftain didn't spread the news of the "Gray Wolf Tribe" attack within the sanctuary.

They've heard too many such dire reports in recent years.

These young druids still have fire in their hearts, but they are the Dalu tribe's hope for the future.

The elders won't let them take risks.

However, the news still leaked out.

Several apprentice druids in the sanctuary came from the Gray Wolf Tribe. Naturally, they wouldn't stand idly by, watching their tribe be destroyed and their people captured and sold as slaves. Coincidentally, Aku's good friend Wumeng was one of them. After some discussion, a few hot-blooded young men quietly slipped out of the sanctuary, intending to provide assistance.

Saving as many as they could.

Druids have greater combat power than ordinary tribesmen, and only they have a chance to rescue some of their people.

...

In the forest, Su Lun rode Yuta's white wolf form, traveling quickly through the trees.

He originally planned to go north to take a look, and now he could conveniently go and see what was happening.

Through his conversation with the Deer Chieftain, he obtained a lot of detailed information and roughly assessed the [Mind Flayer]'s tier. It shouldn't be outrageously high, probably a third-tier or fourth-tier "Lord". Still within the range of what he could handle.

Originally, Yuta intended to take him there secretly, but after the Deer Chieftain and others understood Su Lun's reasons and guessed his strength, they expressed their understanding and support, even planning to send a team of strong men to accompany him.

But Su Lun refused.

His situation was unique.

He was a Puppet Master, and a team of people was no different from him alone.

Against enemies he couldn't defeat, numbers wouldn't matter.

Against enemies he could defeat, he didn't need those extra people.

Having Yuta, who was familiar with the forest, was enough.

With their cooperation, they could ensure their safety in the forest, even against a fifth-tier enemy.

"The Gray Wolf Tribe is near Loda Hill Lake. A little over a day's travel north is Cursed Valley. The tribe's elders said that the last time they encountered the [Mind Flayer], it was near a 'Skull Cave' not far from the valley. The monster was hiding in the cave."

"Mm. We'll go to the Gray Wolf Tribe first. Aku and those kids should be heading there."

"..."

Yuta wasn't angry about her brother running away from the sanctuary without permission, just a little worried.

Having some backbone wasn't a bad thing for a Dalu tribe warrior.

...

Meanwhile, a killing competition was underway on the shores of Loda Hill Lake in the northern Silent Forest.

A group of Imperial soldiers clad in silver armor had breached the Gray Wolf Tribe yesterday. The tribesmen were fitted with slave collars and sent further north.

Some young knights were searching the jungle for "fish that slipped through the net," scattered in the forest.

"These natives really run fast after they beastify. Slippery as eels in the jungle, hard to catch..."

"Hahaha... Yuke, my javelin skills were perfect in the academy graduation exam, one spear per, how about that?"

"Bauer, I've killed eight natives, and you've only got five. What's there to brag about? I'll make specimens out of their shinbones and store them in the family's collection room. This is my contribution!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I said, don't show off, okay? The instructor's trial task is at least five native heads per person. I've only killed one."

"..."

This was an elite reserve team from the Luying Empire's Royal Knights Legion, the [Holy Judgment Legion].

The knights were still young, newly graduated from the Imperial Royal Academy and entering the army as reserve officers.

Hunting demihumans was their blood trial before formally entering the battlefield.

At the same time, in the devastated tribe's village, there were several wooden cages filled with Dalu tribesmen.

These were slaves that hadn't been transported away yet, and they were also bait.

Several middle-aged men in exquisite armor were guarding nearby, chatting idly while listening to the sounds of battle from the jungle.

"These kids are really lucky to have demihumans to hunt. When we graduated back then, we were sent straight to the battlefield. We didn't have such a good opportunity to get our hands dirty."

"Yeah. But speaking of which, these natives are really stupid. Leaving a few slaves here as bait. They don't run, they keep coming to die."

"Instructor Sandru, those few demihumans who escaped earlier weren't weak. They should be druids. According to intelligence obtained from previous soul searches, there's a place called 'Emerald Sanctuary' in this forest. It's said to be the Dalu tribe's sanctuary. They say there are two fifth-tier individuals there. Those kids are chasing so far, will they run into trouble?"

"Trials always have casualties. Don't worry, with Roxie protecting them in the dark, nothing major will happen. Although I don't like that guy too much, he's known as the 'Gravedigger', and his abilities are very strong. Even if there are fifth-tier professionals among these demihumans, that guy's abilities might not suffer any losses..."

"Hehe, that's true."

"..."

After listening to the sounds for a while, the group paid no more attention to the battles in the forest.

As they chatted, they turned to the legion's mission this time.

"Originally, we were just here to capture some Frost Giants to get some [Giant Magic Muscle] for the warriors to use as implant materials. Who knew we'd discover such an ancient ruin. Judging from the unearthed artifacts, that maze existed even before the Dawn Era. This secret excavation will likely yield great rewards."

"Yeah. Looking at the situation, there are probably strong anomalies and [Cursed Objects]. If we're lucky, we might even find some mythological treasures."

"Those slave traders are really something, too. They promised a delivery date, but they're so far short of the quota. We have to do it ourselves. The forest is so big. This is a tough job..."

"I heard a few days ago that the 'Sun Slave Hunting Group' seemed to have encountered a lone adventurer in the forest and lost a lot of men..."

"That's just hearsay. Would you believe that a third-tier adventurer single-handedly killed a slave-hunting group with four fourth-tier professionals and seven or eight hundred elites? Although the slave-hunting group's combat power isn't much, even if you or I went, we probably couldn't do it. Cutting down seven or eight hundred people, the blade would be dulled, and one person? Heh..."

"..."

As they chatted, they were completely unaware that Aku and his companions were ambushing the trial knights in the forest.

...

Su Lun and Yuta quickly arrived at Loda Hill Lake.

The Gray Wolf Tribe's village was right by the lake, in an area with less dense trees and a wide field of vision.

Far away, on top of a large tree, two figures were using monoculars to observe the people chatting in the village.

They didn't approach rashly, but observed carefully.

After a while, Su Lun lowered the telescope, squinted his eyes, and muttered, "Very strong... is this Luying's Royal Elite Legion?"

Even though they were too far away to sense their soul fires, Su Lun recognized them from the armor they were wearing. Those people in the village were definitely elite among the elite!

Judging from the rank insignia on their armor, the middle-aged man leading them was probably a colonel-level officer.

In Luying's military system, this was usually a high-ranking position held by professionals above the fourth tier.

"That's the legendary [Golden Griffin Armor], a bit tricky."

Su Lun's pupils contracted slightly as he thought to himself.

With his current vision, he could naturally tell the quality of the armor from the runes and enchantments on it.

Although the armor on those people was different, they were at least "Golden" or "Dark Gold" level officer armor.

The reason why the Luying Empire's Royal Knights Legion could fight a war of attrition with Marfa's Mechanical Army for so many years on the front lines was not only due to alchemy and implants, but also due to this "Royal Secret Forged" rune alchemical armor.

This was top-tier armor with defensive power comparable to mechanical armor.

Not only was the external armor indestructible, but the inner lining could cushion and dissolve impact forces. Some ingenious designs at the joints ensured that the knight's movement wasn't hindered at all, making it much more flexible than mechanical armor.

The armor also had extremely high requirements for the wearer.

To achieve maximum defensive power, such a set of armor weighed at least half a ton, and at most several tons.

To fight on the battlefield for a long time, a knight needed enormous strength.

"So, they're here to hunt Wasteland Giants. It looks like the Luying Empire has found a shortcut that leads directly to the northern Frostlands..."

Countless thoughts flashed through Su Lun's mind.

The enemy was a royal elite, which was bad news.

But the good news was that he hadn't seen anyone who seemed like a fifth-tier individual.

Yuta used the telescope for the first time, familiarizing herself with it before adjusting.

She keenly captured the trajectories of the flocks of birds that were occasionally startled into flight above the forest and analyzed, "There's someone fighting in the northeast of the forest, heading towards 'Gale Trail'. It might be Aku and the others..."

As she spoke, she lowered the telescope, looked at Su Lun, and asked, "Mr. Su Lun, are there any tricky individuals among the enemies?"

Su Lun said directly, "This group of enemies is much stronger than a slave-hunting group. Although I haven't seen a fifth-tier individual yet, we definitely can't confront them head-on. We need to split up to have a chance."

Although he had killed several fourth-tier individuals, they were all pirates or slave hunters.

What he was facing now was the true Luying Royal Elite Legion. Their techniques, equipment, talent, implants... were all one in a million.

He couldn't be careless.

He was confident he could kill one of them.

But if those people in the village surrounded him, he wouldn't have the slightest chance of winning.

Especially that colonel-level officer. Besides the Black Scythe, Su Lun didn't think he had any way to kill him right now.

Hearing this, Yuta nodded seriously. "Mm."

If even he thought they were tricky, the enemies were definitely strong.

Su Lun gleaned some fragmented information through lip-reading and learned that the Luying Knights were conducting a trial for reserve officers.

The officers in the village seemed to have noticed that someone was spying on them from afar.

But they didn't give chase, apparently not taking it to heart.

This was something that could be exploited.

Su Lun thought for a moment and said, "Let's go take a look."

...

Meanwhile, several kilometers northeast of Loda Hill Lake, in the dense forest, a fierce battle was underway.

Aku and the seven or eight young druids weren't stupid. Knowing that the enemy was strong, they didn't plan to confront them head-on.

When they arrived, they discovered that most of the Gray Wolf Tribe's people had already been escorted away, leaving behind some injured tribesmen who were inconvenient to transport.

Naturally, they knew it was bait, but they intended to rescue them first.

After some discussion, they decided to lure the enemy.

Using the environment of the forest, they would split up and kill those detestable humans and rescue the tribesmen.

However, the actual battle was different from what they had expected.

They had heard about the combat power of the "slave-hunting groups" from the tribesmen, but this time they encountered the Luying Royal Elite Legion!

Luring the enemy was successful; they had successfully lured them out.

But... the battle was extremely tragic.

Even though they had ambushed the enemy, taking them by surprise with the traps they had set, and severely wounded one of them, that was all they had accomplished.

They quickly discovered that their opponents had an absolute advantage in terms of equipment.

It was equipment that was even more terrifying than that of the "slave-hunting groups"!

Even attacks after the druids beastified and transformed did very limited damage to the enemy's armor.

Claws could easily tear through leather armor and even ordinary mechanical equipment, but on that rune armor, they could only leave some slight scratches, unable to cause any damage to the enemy's body.

Even spells, if they were of too low a tier, were equally useless against enemies wearing full-body armor.

Moreover, the enemy had apparently anticipated an ambush, and instead of panicking, they counterattacked and surrounded them.

Large-caliber sniper rifles, bombs, alchemical crossbows, Cursed Objects... all sorts of methods emerged endlessly.

Whether in ranged or close combat, Aku and the apprentice druids had no advantage whatsoever.

Unable to rescue people, they were instead chased down.

They could only fight and flee while using the forest to their advantage.

Before long, of the eight who had secretly slipped out of the sanctuary, three had died in the pursuit. The remaining few weren't in good shape either, all suffering injuries to varying degrees.

"Wumeng, don't force yourself! Run!"

"I've dragged everyone down. Aku, you guys go first! I'll hold them back!"

"Damn it, we'll go together!"

"..."

These hot-blooded Dalu tribe youths wouldn't abandon their companions. They had come with the determination to die.

Each one fought to the death.

...

Su Lun and Yuta heard the sounds of battle and arrived to see the group being chased down in a sorry state.

But fortunately, there were still a few alive, which was a blessing in disguise.

Suddenly, a giant white wolf blocked their path, startling them all.

Aku immediately recognized it as his sister.

"Sister!?"

A look of guilt flashed across his face. His secret escape had been discovered after all.

But now was clearly not the time to talk about that.

He shouted, "Sister, run! Those enemies are very strong!"

Yuta glanced at the young men, didn't move, and coldly scolded, "You guys run. I'll deal with you when we get back!"

Aku thought his sister didn't know how strong the enemies were and said anxiously, "Sister, their armor is very strong. You can't fight them head-on."

Yuta didn't have time to answer. Her gaze sharpened, and she vanished into a white blur.

In the blink of an eye, with a "thud," she slapped a pursuing heavy-armored knight away, and he crashed into and broke a large tree.

But that guy had armor to protect him and seemed completely unaffected, immediately standing up again.

With a "swoosh," a javelin was thrown over, and Yuta sensed it, narrowly avoiding it.

At this moment, seven or eight more people, all fully armed knights, chased after them from the forest.

"Sister!"

Aku naturally didn't run first. He resolutely stood by Yuta's side, full of worry.

Since he didn't leave, the other apprentice druids didn't leave either, acting as if they were determined to fight to the death.

...

At the same time, on the treetops, Su Lun, wearing a cloak to conceal his presence, was closely observing the dense forest.

[Holy Judgment Legion Standard Javelin]

Quality: Silver

Details: Luying Royal Legion standard javelin, made of tungsten steel alloy, with wind attribute piercing effect and acceleration effect;

Looking at the javelin, Su Lun muttered to himself, "They're really rich... this javelin probably costs two or three hundred thousand apiece."

He looked at the equipment on the knights again.

The elite were indeed elite. The armor, sabers, and firearms on these guys were all top-tier military-grade items that couldn't be bought on the market.

The value of a full set of equipment was staggering, comparable to carrying half a city on their backs.

Su Lun made a rough calculation in his mind. The value of the equipment on this ten-man squad alone was more than the value of the slave-hunting group he had killed before.

Moreover, they were all military-grade items that couldn't be bought on the market.

However, these knights weren't what Su Lun needed to be wary of.

The soul fires of these apprentice officers were all within his sensing range, and none of them were too strong, ranging from the second tier to the third tier.

Without a fourth-tier individual, even with good equipment, it wouldn't be difficult for Su Lun to kill them.

But he knew that a high-tier professional was protecting these people in the dark.

Without confirming where that guy was, he didn't act rashly.

...

On the ground, Yuta and the others were already engaged in a fierce battle with the group.

With her joining the battle, the fighting was temporarily at a stalemate.

Heavy-armored knights weren't without weaknesses. Combat consumed a lot of stamina.

Although Yuta and the others' attacks did limited damage to the armor, they consumed much less stamina and were more agile, so it wouldn't be easy for them to lose for the time being.

Seeing that Yuta wasn't in danger for the time being, Su Lun wasn't in a hurry to act.

He watched the methods displayed by the apprentice officers and turned his thoughts, "[B-036-Earth Dragon], [Talent C-071-Ape], [C-004-Divine Power]... this Judgment Legion is really as legendary as they say, recruiting mostly strength-based talent professionals, and their implants are also entirely for strength-based advancement..."

Su Lun was thoughtful.

The Luying military had some mature professional advancement systems, and soldiers trained in that way would have very strong group combat power.

But as he watched, his expression suddenly changed.

"Discovered?"

Su Lun immediately frowned.

He had originally planned to observe from the shadows first, but he hadn't expected the enemy to discover him first.

Just a moment ago, he clearly sensed a subtle soul wave like a radar sweep past him.

This wave wouldn't be noticed by ordinary people, but his current mental strength was very sensitive, and he immediately judged that it was some kind of mental sensing method.

Su Lun was slightly puzzled. He was wearing a cloak from the Mirror Organization, which couldn't be sensed by conventional means.

This meant that the person lying in wait had a sensing-type Cursed Object on them?

Since the other party had already discovered him, there was no point in hiding anymore, and he immediately changed his tactics.

Without any hesitation, Su Lun unfolded a sealed scroll and pinched a warlock seal, "Seal Release!"

In the next instant, a burly combat mech appeared out of thin air.

The mech rapidly fell, and Su Lun jumped down with it.

While falling, he manipulated silk threads to quickly assemble the mech onto his body. Just as everyone on the ground hadn't reacted, the steam boiler on the mech accumulated power and sprayed out with a "hiss" sound. The mech charged down and slashed its blade.

Because it was a sneak attack, those on the ground discovered it but didn't have time to dodge.

Su Lun's ship-splitting blade directly hit the knight who wanted to swing his sword to block.

This was the "main tank" of that team.

With a "clang," a sharp ringing sound that pained the eardrums echoed through the forest.

After only a moment of stalemate, the ship-splitting blade's vibration broke the man's longsword in two, then heavily cut into his armor.

Blood splattered, and the man was suppressed by the enormous force, half of his leg sinking into the dirt.

This slash didn't cut him in two, which showed how amazing his armor's defense was.

But Su Lun wouldn't give him a chance at all.

This slash had opened a gap and destroyed the overall structure, greatly reducing the armor's defensive power.

He raised his hand and slashed diagonally again, directly following the gap and splitting the knight in two from the chest, blood spurting wildly, filling his vision with scarlet.

...

Su Lun instantly killed one person.

This sudden change stunned everyone on the ground for a moment.

The knights were shocked at the death of their companion and even more puzzled.

They naturally recognized at a glance that it was Marfa's combat mech!

What the hell!

How could someone from Marfa appear in the Silent Forest?

Even Yuta was slightly surprised to see him kill an armored knight with a single slash whom she couldn't kill no matter how hard she tried.

Aku and the others were even more shocked.

Such tough armor was actually killed with one slash?

But in an instant, they guessed the identity of this person.

Only humans would use such mechanical equipment.

And the only two humans they knew were Katyusha and that Mr. Su Lun!

It was easy to guess who came to save them with their sister.

Su Lun shouted, "You guys go first!"

His mechanical armor had suppressed those guys on the other side, and both sides had drawn back and were confronting each other.

Hearing this, Yuta nodded.

She knew Su Lun's abilities. In this situation, they would only be a burden if they stayed, so she lightly shouted at Aku and the others, "Go!"

...

Now, the situation had reversed, and the equipment advantage was on Su Lun's side.

Although the Luying Royal standard officer armor had amazing defense, the armor attributes on these reserve officers were far inferior to the [Colonel-Class Ship-Splitting 9-Type Mechanical Armor]!

If there were no accidents, these people couldn't kill Su Lun.

Instead, Su Lun would kill them all.

Therefore, the guy hiding in the dark definitely wouldn't watch this situation unfold.

Moreover, now that Marfa's combat mech had appeared, things were even more complicated.

They couldn't help but suspect that the Marfa Empire's forces had infiltrated the northern Frostlands and even reached some kind of alliance with the demihuman tribes.

Therefore, neither this mech warrior nor those druids could be allowed to escape!

...

Su Lun wanted to force that person out!

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Su Lun didn't stop. Since he had appeared, he wouldn't give the enemy a chance to react.

In that instant, the steam boiler under his feet accumulated power again, and the burly mechanical body charged away. The second slash was already swinging!

Seeing that he was about to kill another person with his blade, a ghostly figure appeared before Su Lun. He held a black staff-like weapon and steadily blocked the ship-splitting blade.

Seeing the attack being blocked, Su Lun wasn't surprised at all. "As expected, he's here."

However, he was a little surprised when he saw who it was.

To be precise, not because of this fourth-tier professional, but because of the weapon in his hand.

It was a jet-black umbrella!

Just now, a series of golden runes lit up on the umbrella's surface, actually blocking the ship-splitting blade's strike. In a trance, it even made people hear the sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling.

A stream of light flashed in Su Lun's left eye, and he used Appraisal.

[Rune Human Skin Umbrella]

Quality: Dark Gold

Description: Even messengers of the underworld need an umbrella to block the sun;

Cursed Attributes: A resentful spirit umbrella made of human skin, a cage for souls; can increase the holder's mental perception range and enhance the penetration of necromantic spells; actively using the umbrella by consuming a large amount of spiritual power can create a 'Nightfall Domain', depriving everyone within range of their five senses; releasing resentful spirits can cause continuous mental attacks on the target; those who haven't mastered a certain level of the law of death will suffer a curse backlash, permanent sensory confusion, and a medium probability of hearing whispers from unknown beings from the underworld;

Details: This is an incomplete Sealed Object; the umbrella ribs are missing, and only the umbrella surface remains. Collecting souls can enhance the Cursed Attributes of this Cursed Object. The current number of evil spirits is 85546;

After Su Lun saw the details of the umbrella, he understood.

No wonder it could block the ship-splitting blade. It turned out to be a damaged Sealed Object.

He looked at the "listening to whispers" and felt it looked familiar.

"Mastering the law of death allows one to be immune to curse backlash? I wonder if my Second-Stage Reaper has met the usage conditions..."

Su Lun's heart stirred as he looked at it. This Cursed Object seemed very suitable for him.

This also explained why he had been discovered earlier.

It was really because of this umbrella.

At the same time, he lamented that the Luying Royal family's people were really strong.

Not to mention those expensive standard equipment, this random fourth-tier individual had brought out a damaged Sealed Object.