The road back to the village felt strangely quiet.
Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, scattering patches of light and shadow across the ground.
Lin Ye walked ahead.
Su Li followed behind him.
Neither of them spoke.
Yet the air between them carried a faint tension.
Not long ago, the corpse of the Blackhide Demon Boar had been left behind in the forest.
Lin Ye knew very well—
That had not been an ordinary animal.
It was a monster.
And even more unsettling was what they had heard earlier.
Those growls in the forest.
There had clearly been more than one monster.
After walking for a while, Su Li suddenly spoke.
"Your power isn't stable yet."
Lin Ye glanced back at her.
"What do you mean?"
Su Li stopped walking.
Her eyes drifted down toward Lin Ye's shadow.
"That attack earlier," she said.
"You almost exhausted your spiritual energy."
Lin Ye froze slightly.
It was true.
After killing the demon boar, a dull headache had begun to spread through his mind.
It felt as if part of his strength had been drained away.
"So that's the price?" Lin Ye asked.
Su Li nodded.
"The power of a forbidden book is never free."
"Every time you use it, it consumes your mind."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"If you force yourself to use it too many times…"
"…you could collapse."
"Or even lose your sanity."
Lin Ye fell silent.
After a moment, he gave a bitter smile.
"That doesn't sound like good news."
Su Li looked at him calmly.
"But you need to learn to control it now."
Lin Ye frowned.
"Why?"
Su Li pointed toward the deeper part of the forest.
"Because the number of monsters is increasing."
Lin Ye followed her gaze.
When he looked more carefully, he noticed signs everywhere.
Trampled grass.
Broken branches.
Strange footprints scattered across the soil.
Su Li crouched down to inspect them.
Her expression slowly became more serious.
"At least three types of monsters," she said.
Lin Ye felt his stomach sink.
"That many?"
Su Li stood up again.
"And they seem to be moving in the same direction."
"Where?" Lin Ye asked.
Su Li looked into the distance.
"Blackstone Village."
The air suddenly felt heavy.
Lin Ye's heart dropped.
If the monsters really headed toward the village—
It would be a disaster.
Blackstone Village only had a few dozen hunters.
They could handle one or two monsters.
But if a whole group appeared…
The outcome would be obvious.
Lin Ye clenched his fists.
"Then we should hurry back."
But Su Li shook her head.
"No."
Lin Ye stared at her.
"What?"
Su Li looked directly at him.
"Before we go back…"
"I need to confirm something."
Lin Ye frowned.
"What?"
Su Li pointed toward a nearby clearing.
"Your power."
Lin Ye remained silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
"How do you want to test it?"
Su Li walked to the center of the clearing.
There were a few scattered stones and a dead tree standing nearby.
She pointed at the tree.
"Attack it with your shadow."
Lin Ye nodded.
He took a deep breath and focused his mind.
The shadow beneath his feet slowly began to spread.
Like dark water flowing across the ground.
Su Li watched carefully from the side.
The shadow stretched farther and farther.
Gradually approaching the tree.
Lin Ye raised his hand.
The shadow suddenly rose.
It formed into a long black spike.
"Thrust!"
The shadow stabbed into the tree trunk.
Wood splinters scattered through the air.
A deep hole appeared in the bark.
Lin Ye exhaled slowly.
The shadow withdrew back to his feet.
Su Li walked over and examined the wound.
She ran her fingers along the damaged wood.
Then she turned back to Lin Ye.
"The attack power is strong."
Lin Ye smiled faintly.
"At least it's more useful than a bow."
But Su Li didn't smile.
"Try again."
Lin Ye frowned.
"Didn't we already test it?"
Su Li shook her head.
"This time…"
"Don't attack."
Lin Ye blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Su Li explained calmly.
"True control isn't just about attacking."
"It's about shaping the power however you want."
She pointed toward a stone on the ground.
"Make the shadow move around that rock."
Lin Ye tried.
The shadow slid slowly across the ground.
It circled the stone once.
The movement was slightly unstable, but it worked.
Su Li nodded.
"Good."
Lin Ye relaxed a little.
"Looks like I'm not completely terrible."
Su Li looked at him quietly.
"You're not."
"For someone who just touched a forbidden book, controlling the power this well is unusual."
Lin Ye looked surprised.
"There were others before?"
Su Li hesitated for a moment.
"Many."
"But most of them…"
"…are dead."
The faint smile on Lin Ye's face slowly disappeared.
Just then—
A loud crash echoed through the forest.
"BOOM!"
It sounded like a tree had been smashed apart.
Both of them immediately turned toward the deeper forest.
Silence filled the air for a single second.
Then—
A massive roar shook the forest.
The sound was deep.
Terrifying.
Like the cry of some enormous beast.
Lin Ye's face changed.
"What was that?"
Su Li's expression became grave.
"The leader of the monsters."
Lin Ye blinked.
"What?"
Su Li spoke quietly.
"Ordinary monsters don't move in groups."
"Unless they're led by something stronger."
She looked toward the forest.
The trees in the distance were shaking violently now.
Something large was moving through them.
Very large.
Lin Ye felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
"If they really head toward the village…"
Su Li nodded.
"Blackstone Village might not survive."
Silence fell again.
Lin Ye stood there for several seconds.
Then he suddenly spoke.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
He turned and ran toward the direction of the village.
Su Li watched his back for a brief moment.
Surprised.
Then she quickly ran after him.
Deep within the forest.
In the shadows stood a massive demon wolf.
It was nearly three meters tall.
Black scales covered its body like armor.
Its tusk-like fangs curved outward like blades.
The creature lifted its head and sniffed the air.
Its blood-red eyes slowly narrowed.
It had sensed something.
A strange scent.
A scent that carried the aura of the abyss.
The demon wolf let out a low growl.
Immediately, several Shadow Wolves gathered around it.
Then more appeared.
Dozens of green eyes lit up in the darkness.
The demon wolf turned its head toward the distance.
In the direction of Blackstone Village.
Then it began to walk forward.
The pack followed behind it.
Like a rising black tide.
The disaster hidden within the forest—
Was slowly approaching.