CHAPTER 319: The Art Of Shapeshifting

"Who was that just now?" Han Shuo didn't forget to ask Emily about the identity of the middle-aged man as they hurriedly fled.

Emily shot out of the small river, her dripping wet body shrouded in a deep black mist. Only her flawless face was visible as she quickly caught up with the group behind Cecilia. Cecilia walked quickly at the front, Emily and Han Shuo walked side by side at the back, and the lower ranking members of the Dark Mantle brought up the rear.

Emily turned to look at Han Shuo and explained, "That was Kassel, a great druid who betrayed the Druidic Order and a terrifying powerhouse in his own right. Even though he's betrayed the Druidic Order and can no longer use the power of nature, he can still skilfully use the shape-shifting art of the great druids. That transformation was him turning into an earth bear who could use the art of gravity. When you face him like this, your power becomes more and more impressive.

Upon hearing that his counterpart was a great druid, Han Shuo suddenly remembered the great druid Caspian. He subconsciously compared them and felt that Caspian was much weaker in strength.

"Caspian is also a great druid. Why isn't he as powerful as Kassel?" Han Shuo frowned and inquired, doubtfully.

Emily casually arranged her dishevelled hair. She glanced at Cecilia before continuing, "The great druids can train in the various magical arts of the druidic order. Most of them have mastered the method of plant manipulation. According to the legends, this ability was given to them by the Goddess of Nature.

"The art of shapeshifting, however, isn't so easy to master. Only a few great druids with extraordinary talent can successfully grasp it. It looks like Caspian hasn't mastered it yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been captured so easily last time in Valen City."

Han Shuo had to think about Emily's words for a moment before he could understand them. He found it quite ironic that Caspian, who had always served the Goddess of Nature, couldn't learn the art of shapeshifting, while the traitor of the Druidic Order could.

"Right, what mission brought you to the Dark Forest this time?" Han Shuo leisurely followed Emily along the path into the lush forest. He continued to question her about their purpose.

Cecilia led the way at the front. She suddenly tossed her long, beautiful hair, sending beads of crystal clear water rolling down. She turned her head to look at Emily with her bright eyes and let out a small snort, "We could have left safely without your help. This mission is my responsibility, and even big sister Emily has to listen to me. Your name isn't on this mission, so you don't need to know."

Emily was about to reply and couldn't help but apologise to Han Shuo for Cecilia's words. She said to him with a wry smile, "Since Mistress Cecilia has spoken, I'd better not say anything.

Big sister Emily!" Cecilia stared at Emily with rebuke in her eyes and said quietly, "We have to be clear about work and personal matters."

"I know, I know!" Emily called out before smiling at Han Shuo, "All right, you shouldn't ask too much. We're fine. If you have things to do, go quickly. No need to worry about us."

Cecilia had obviously created the space door with the magic scroll. However, since she was in possession of the scroll, it meant that even without Han Shuo's appearance, Cecilia could have used the scroll to bring Emily and the group to safety. Therefore, it didn't really count as Han Shuo saving Cecilia.

Even though Han Shuo was still worried about Emily, it was obvious that Cecilia didn't want him to get involved, so he didn't say anything after hearing her words.

Han Shuo was about to say a few words to Emily when he suddenly realised that he'd arrived at the forest trolls' territory while following Cecilia's group. At first glance, a dozen blue-green troll warriors hurled their axes at Cecilia without a word.

"Hateful forest trolls, why are their weapons getting more and more sophisticated lately?" An arc cut across Cecilia's chest, triggering a magical formation that spewed liquid into the air before coalescing into a magnificent blue ice crystal shield.

The axes thrown by the troll warriors made a clattering sound as they struck the ice shield. They left only faint marks on the surface and simply couldn't penetrate the shield's defences.

"This is the territory of the forest trolls. Let's hide here first. Once the Redbud Knights enter this area, these greedy, idiotic forest trolls will definitely risk their lives to attack them. Even though the Redbud Knights are among the top ten knights on the continent, their power will be severely limited in this forest. The tribe of forest trolls isn't small either, so they'll definitely cause trouble for these knights. Even if the Redbud Knights destroy all the trolls, it can be considered the removal of a harmful element from the Dark Forest.

Cecilia said coldly as she watched the forest trolls run away after throwing down their weapons. She then turned to the masked members of the Dark Mantle and ordered, "Destroy the forest troll scouts in front of you. Once they've been provoked, they'll definitely attack with all their might when the Redbud Knights arrive. Not only can we use this opportunity to escape, but we may even be able to gain the upper hand.

Several members of the Dark Mantle had already rushed out as soon as Cecilia's words rang out. These people had at least the strength of senior swordsmen. A couple of mere forest troll scouts had absolutely no way to resist them.

At that moment, Han Shuo suddenly blocked their path with a dark face and commanded in a low tone, "Find another way. These forest trolls are no match for you."

The forest troll race could be considered a force in Han Shuo's hand. They treated the little skeleton as their god Datara. This force was completely under Han Shuo's control and obeyed his orders without hesitation. He would be using it a lot from now on, so he certainly couldn't let Cecilia borrow the power of the Redbud Knights to wipe out the tribe.

Any of the top ten knights on the continent would be veterans who'd been through numerous battles. With the Redbud Knights on that list, they would only need a hundred of their peers to slaughter over five hundred forest trolls.

Han Shuo had heard of their reputation, which was why he was absolutely against Cecilia doing this. Otherwise, the only thing the forest trolls would be facing was genocide. That was something Han Shuo could not accept.

"They're just some greedy forest trolls. Why are you protecting them? You're crazy, aren't you?" Cecilia wrinkled her delicate eyebrows and looked unhappy as she coldly rebuked Han Shuo.

"Hurry up and take a detour. I can sense the Redbud Knights close behind. These forest trolls are useful to me, and no one can touch them. Otherwise, don't blame me for insulting you as your subordinate!" Han Shuo said coldly, looking at Cecilia in a way that left no room for discussion.

"You are obstructing our mission. As a member of the Dark Mantle, do you realise that I have the right to punish you?" Cecilia was also angry with Han Shuo. She glared at him, her voice rising in anger.

"Detour! Otherwise, don't blame me for not being polite!" Han Shuo wasn't afraid at all, instead he emphasised his words.

"Little Sister Cecilia, how about taking a detour? Consider giving me some face!" Seeing the two of them arguing, Emily hastily tugged at Cecilia's clothes and asked in a pleading tone.

Cecilia had just witnessed Han Shuo fight fearlessly against the transformed Great Earth Bear, so she knew full well that his power was absolutely unfathomable. The knights chasing after them could arrive at any moment. It was pointless to get into a dead end with Han Shuo now.

Cecilia was caught between a rock and a hard place. When she heard Emily's pleas, she shot a cold glance at Han Shuo, "I will demand an explanation from that old fox Candide. Let's go, let's take a detour!"

After finishing her words, Cecilia turned and led the way. Emily glanced at Han Shuo before hurriedly following after the angry Cecilia. The Dark Mantle members involved in Cecilia's mission also glared at Han Shuo as they left one by one.

"Datara, Datara!" After Cecilia's group had left, the forest trolls suddenly surrounded Han Shuo when they saw him.

Han Shuo was taken aback until he heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching. He quickly led the forest trolls away from the spot.

The traitor to the Druidic Order, the great druid Kassel, appeared on the scene with about sixty Redbud Knights shortly after Han Shuo had left. Even though he had betrayed the Druidic Order, his experience in the forests was still there.

Looking at the two tracks in front of him and sniffing the scents in the air, Kassel pointed in the direction Cecilia's group had gone, "Follow them for me, they really did run in that direction. Hm! No one can escape my pursuit, Kassel, in the forest.