Fortunately, everyone who had come this time was at the Warlord Saint tier. Apart from the Goldwyn family's Warlord Saint, who had been struck by lightning, the others had only sustained minor surface wounds. Nothing too serious.Nick Crane noticed that Iris Ashbourne had several bleeding gashes across her head. He pulled out the bottle of wound salve she had prepared for him that morning."Use this first," he said.Iris nodded slowly, slipping off her down jacket and wringing out the water. None of them had anticipated that the Thousand Arrows Forest would erupt with such a terrifying lightning storm. The moment they had all stepped outside the cave, deafening thunder had exploded overhead. The booming cracks were enough to shake anyone's nerve. If they had still been outside when it struck, none of them would have escaped.The violent storm raged beyond the cave entrance. Lightning crackled and struck trees with relentless fury, each impact echoing through the

"Nick Crane, are you holding up all right?"Elder Benedict glanced at the other Warlord Saints, noting the wounds marking their bodies. Some bore shallow cuts, others deep gashes that still oozed blood despite their efforts to staunch the flow.Roderick Lawson appeared uninjured, though the clothes he'd worn into the wilderness had been shredded by magical beast fangs, hanging from his frame in tattered strips.Nick shook his head and vaulted down from the cave's rocky ledge in a single fluid motion, landing with barely a sound. "I'm fine. Nothing serious."Elder Benedict nodded, his weathered face showing relief. "Good. Everyone take a moment here to treat your wounds and catch your breath. We'll need to push deeper into the Thousand Arrows Forest soon enough."Elder Corbin surveyed the Goldwyn family contingent, taking stock of their condition before giving a curt nod. "Rest while you can. Recover your strength."The supplies they'd hauled through the

Elder Benedict's presence exploded outward as he planted himself squarely in front of the Nine-Fanged Mite.Elder Corbin roared at the top of his lungs."All Warlord Saints of the Goldwyn family, attend!""We must capture the Nine-Fanged Mite at any cost!"When Iris Ashbourne heard that the other martial practitioners were joining the fight, excitement surged through her veins."I'm going in too!"Nick Crane saw her about to charge forward and immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her back."Don't go rushing in and getting in the way.""Your most important job right now is to keep yourself safe."Iris protested indignantly. "At least let me do something useful!"Nick swept his gaze across the cave floor, littered with lizards and small snakes writhing everywhere."If you really want to help, clear these things out."Without waiting for a response, Nick immediately moved to join the formation behind Elder Benedict.The a

The unnatural phenomenon brewing overhead brought every Warlord Saint on the scene to a halt.Layer upon layer of crackling lightning patterns spread through the air, tracing arcs of raw power that made the hair stand on end. Nick Crane pulled Iris Ashbourne close as they darted left and right through the Thousand Arrows Forest, branches whipping past their faces. Every few moments, he was forced to spin back, channeling inner force into his palms to drive back the two massive Nine-Fanged Scorpions that pursued them with relentless hunger.When they finally stopped to catch their breath, both were panting hard. Iris stared upward, transfixed. The sight was otherworldly, almost beautiful. Glowing orbs of lightning drifted lazily through the air like luminous jellyfish in a dark sea.She reached out instinctively, her fingers stretching toward one of the shimmering spheres.Nick grabbed her wrist. "Don't. It's lethal."Iris jerked her hand back, shaking off th

The air itself seemed to scream.While everyone had been locked in combat, the Ten Thousand Arrows Forest suddenly transformed. A scorching heat rolled through the trees, threatening to melt flesh from bone. Iris Ashbourne barely had time to register the shift before she saw both Elder Benedict and Elder Corbin collapse.Elder Benedict had just taken a direct strike from Elder Corbin. Now he lay gasping for breath, his chest heaving with the effort.Iris rushed to his side and dropped to one knee, gripping his shoulder. "Elder Benedict, are you all right?""I'm fine," he rasped, forcing himself upright through sheer willpower alone.The temperature climbed higher with each passing second. Around them, the towering sword-trees that had once stood rigid and unyielding began to shrink inward, as if trying to escape the unbearable heat by retreating into themselves.The lightning storm had already superheated the interior of the forest. Now the air shimmere