The Forest of Giants

Xing Wuye pressed forward, his wolf mount racing northward through the tangled wilderness. Branches whipped by in blurs of green and brown, while the occasional beast prowled near the edge of the trees, its gleaming eyes tracking him. He kept his focus trained on the horizon, willing himself to ignore these beasts unless they forced a confrontation.

The only reason I'm still alive, he thought, a smirk playing on his lips, is because the larger creatures see me as little more than a passing shadow. But he knew his luck was fragile; some creatures here might still see him as a worthy opponent—or a meal. His jaw tightened as he dismissed the thought. I'll deal with it when the time comes. For now, escaping is all that matters.

Deeper and deeper into the forest he ventured, pushing the wolf to its limit as they dodged sprawling roots, leapt across narrow ravines, and maneuvered through the foliage that seemed to press in closer with every mile. The air grew heavy, laden with the sense of unseen power lurking in every shadow. His instincts buzzed with the eerie sensation that something was watching him.

Suddenly, a thunderous rustling sounded from ahead, and the forest floor shook as a massive beast emerged from the thick underbrush. It had four spiraling horns and wore a natural armor of bone plating along its spine. Its massive paws crushed the ground beneath it as it snarled, revealing jagged teeth.

Wuye brought his wolf to a skidding halt, narrowing his eyes at the creature blocking their path. He hesitated only briefly, then sent out a small, harmless wave of qi to test the beast's reaction. As soon as the qi made contact, it rebounded, entirely rejected by the beast's dense aura.

Wuye felt his heart skip a beat. Damn, he thought, breaking into a cold sweat. This thing's power is beyond me. Could it be a spirit beast?

His voice escaped in a whisper, betraying his unease. "This forest… it's terrifying."

Just as the beast took an aggressive step forward, the ground trembled beneath them in a violent quake, sending ripples through the trees. The four-horned creature froze, its nostrils flaring as it looked to the sky, a glint of fear passing over its otherwise ferocious eyes. It then turned, fleeing into the forest without a backward glance.

Wuye, startled, looked up and caught sight of a battle raging in the sky above the treetops.

High above, a majestic silver deer with shimmering blue eyes and a coat like pillowed clouds was locked in deadly combat with a massive black-furred lion. The lion's wings stretched wide, bat-like and dark, veins of molten red visible beneath its skin. Its fur radiated flames, with fire crackling along its mane and at the tip of its whip-like tail.

Wuye's eyes widened as the lion let out an earth-shaking roar, unleashing a torrent of flames that shot toward the silver deer. With breathtaking grace, the deer twisted mid-air, its fur glittering like stardust as it narrowly evaded the fire. In retaliation, it released a wave of piercing blue energy that sliced through the air, striking the lion across its shoulder. The creature snarled in fury, the impact forcing it back, but it quickly recovered, charging at the deer with blazing intensity.

The battle above raged with ferocity that defied reason, sending waves of power cascading across the forest below. The trees shook violently as shockwaves rippled through them, some snapping in half under the force. Flames from the lion's attacks began to ignite the surrounding foliage, while the silver deer's icy blue energy left patches of the forest frozen in its wake, forming a chaotic landscape of fire and ice.

The animals in the forest below sensed the havoc above. In a blind panic, they bolted from their dens, creating a stampede of every conceivable shape and size as they fled. Wuye's heart hammered as he urged his wolf onward, dodging the frenzied stampede of beasts thundering through the trees. He couldn't afford to be trampled, and yet he was nearly as helpless against the chaos as any of the creatures around him.

A massive, flaming branch fell before him, barely missing his head as he veered to the side, navigating the forest's transformed landscape. His mind raced, trying to assess his surroundings, but each turn seemed more hazardous than the last. The earth quaked again as another blast of energy shook the forest, nearly throwing him off his mount. Just how powerful are these creatures? he wondered, alarmed by the sheer magnitude of destruction.

Finally, Wuye spotted the dark entrance to a cave nestled into a hillside, partially hidden by thick roots and brush. He veered toward it, urging the wolf to press forward even as the ground continued to tremble and crack. They stumbled into the cave just as another eruption shook the trees, sending rocks and dirt cascading around the entrance.

Inside, the darkness swallowed them, offering a momentary reprieve from the chaos outside. Wuye took a steadying breath, feeling his pulse begin to slow. He dismounted, leading his wolf deeper into the cave to wait out the battle. For three days, they remained in the cramped shelter, the sounds of the massive creatures clashing above reverberating through the earth, each shockwave loosening dust and pebbles from the cave ceiling.

After what felt like an eternity, the sounds of combat finally ceased. Wuye waited a few hours longer before cautiously emerging from the cave, his wolf following closely behind.

As he stepped outside, he couldn't help but feel a pang of awe and disbelief. The landscape had been entirely transformed; the once-dense forest had become a wasteland of scorched earth, charred trees, and patches of frozen ground, as if the elements themselves had clashed and torn the land apart. The terrain bore scars from the battle—deep craters and fissures stretched across the ground, and large sections of forest were unrecognizable.

They ventured cautiously through the devastation, the stillness eerie after days of relentless sound. The silence was broken only by the occasional crackling of embers or the soft crunch of frost underfoot.

In the distance, Wuye spotted something large and unmistakable—gleaming silver among the blackened remains of the forest. His heart raced as he realized it was the silver deer from the sky battle. Its once-magnificent body was now marred with injuries, its breathing labored and shallow.

Every instinct in Wuye's body urged him to flee, knowing that even in this weakened state, the deer could obliterate him with a single strike. Yet he was captivated by its immense power, the raw majesty it still held despite its wounds. He watched it, cautious but fascinated, his mind racing as he assessed his next move.