Chapter 607: The Appearance of Undead Creatures

This is the junction of Coatyefu and the southwestern chaotic region, part of the largest forest belt in the western part of the continent.
However, this forest has a rather ominous name—the Ashen Forest, which turns those who know of it pale with fear. It is the largest concentration of negative energy in the main world. Over countless years, the trees here have been infused with an aura of death and mutated into plants capable of adapting to negative energy. They appear grayish-white, like dead wood, with hardly any greenery to be seen in this area.
It is a graveyard for the living and a home for the undead!
Most of this region is shrouded in thick fog year-round, and undead creatures are active even during the day. If it weren’t for the few rare and precious magical plants produced in the Ashen Forest, which are essential for crafting certain alchemical potions, no one would want to approach this place—except for mages or sorcerers who specialize in necromancy.
At that moment, a group of travelers was walking on the outskirts of the Ashen Forest. The plants here had an abnormal gray-green hue. The vast, dark forests and countless oddly shaped shadows gave the impression that various demons were hiding in the darkness, causing fear and trepidation. Those who were timid would surely feel horror and refuse to move forward!
“We’re only half a day away from reaching the interior of the Ashen Forest. Master Mage, will you follow us?” asked Hakli, the leader of this group of adventurers, respectfully to a man in gray robes trailing behind them.
Over the past few days, the experiences they had encountered along the way had given these adventurers a good idea of how powerful this mysterious mage was.
Ordinary mages usually had weak constitutions. Even if they were stronger than ordinary people, they were far inferior to warriors who excelled in physical combat. But this mage seemed to have endless stamina. No matter how fast they moved or through what kind of complex terrain they passed, he could keep up with them without delay.
Moreover, he never left their side. Whenever it was time to eat, he would bring out a fresh prey and prepare a variety of exquisite dishes for them. All these things proved the extraordinary nature of this mage. He might not be as powerful as great mages, but his mystery was even greater.
At the same time, the adventurers didn’t notice that wherever the mage in gray robes passed, those areas turned into lush green lands overnight after they left.

This is true even in barren hills with no plants or areas like the outskirts of the Ash Forest that have already been affected by the aura of death!
“Keep moving forward! I also want to gather some extra materials—it won’t affect your mission!”
The mage in gray robes said softly in response to the adventurer captain’s question.
Then the five of them fell silent and continued onward into the depths of the forest.
A few hours later, the trees and vegetation around them had turned completely gray. Hakli, the leader, stopped and turned to the group, saying, “We’ve entered the Ash Forest. From now on, danger is everywhere. Please be careful so we can return safely from this mission!”
After saying that, two devout members of the group began to pray.
Hearing their soft prayers, the mage in gray robes stepped forward a few paces and approached a fierce-looking warrior with a scarred face—Jason, one of the team’s main fighters. Like captain Hakli, he was a powerful warrior at the peak of Bronze rank.
The other young man, Nick, was a thief responsible for scouting and ambushes. He and Moses, the female hunter who handled ranged and support attacks, were siblings, both adventurers trained by Hakli.
“Are you a follower of Xili?”
Jason glanced at the mage but didn’t answer, clearly displeased that the mage had referred to his true god without using proper respect. But knowing that mages generally didn’t believe in gods, he didn’t bother to argue.
The mage in gray robes didn’t mind his rude attitude and quickly followed the group deeper into the gray, misty forest.
Along the way, he sensed the atmosphere of the forest and thought to himself, “As expected, it truly is the most negative-energy place on the continent—a natural necromantic realm. The environment here deep within is likely strong enough to affect even demi-gods! It seems that traveling outside the Divine Kingdom and Dalaran this time might yield many rewards!”
It goes without saying that this mage in gray robes was Donald, the lord of Dalaran and the natural guardian of the True God who sat on the throne.
Being a true god had its advantages—most deities remained in the core of their divine kingdoms, with their avatars handling affairs in the kingdom and the church. In case of emergencies, they could descend as holy avatars or rely on assistants like messengers and chosen ones to resolve issues.

Some of the avatars descended by the gods preferred to do whatever they were interested in freely, leaving behind many mythological stories in the main world that are still told by mortals!
In Donald’s view, these mortal adventure experiences were quite good. He currently had matters to attend to with all his true forms and avatars, and only this saintly avatar was free, so he came up with the idea of traveling in the main world.
Having been in this world for so many years, aside from various tasks, he had never traveled without a clear purpose. Even though he had visited many places over long distances—distances that some mortals might never cover in their entire lives—he had mostly been in a hurry or used teleportation to travel back and forth, never taking the time to properly observe the situation on the continent.
With time free this time, his first stop was the Icu Kingdom in the central part of the continent. Traveling westward from Icu without a specific destination, he indeed encountered some situations he had never seen before, broadening his horizons a bit.
“No wonder the teacher often says that a large part of his strength and achievements come from his adventures across the continent in his youth. Not only did he make a few close friends, but he also built a very solid foundation, facing little obstacle during his ascensions!” Donald thought to himself. If he had been able to travel around before becoming a god, he might have already become a legend and ignited his divine flame earlier!
Despite being in such a position, he was always tied up with matters, unable to pursue the path he desired like those free-minded mages.
However, from another perspective, growing up in an environment of noble conflicts and territorial crises was also a form of tempering, and perhaps that was why he was able to grow so smoothly.
As he was lost in thought, a sharp arrow whizzed past him and pierced into the forest. Cracking sounds came from afar, and upon looking, he saw a white skeleton nailed to the trunk of a large tree, with the arrow passing right through its sternum. The undead creature tried to struggle to pull out the arrow, but its clumsy bones, devoid of flesh, made it impossible, making the scene quite amusing.