"John, just from the name, [zing ins] sounds really hot, doesn''t it? I hate the heat... Can''t we just skip this ce? Not every dungeon needs to be our first clear, right? I actually think it''s nice to let other yers have a go."


    Exiled Immortal sighed, looking at the increasingly dense forest around them with some confusion.


    "Also, are we really heading toward the zing ins in this direction?"


    "Of course not. There''s something we need to do before we leave."


    John turned to face Qing and Lily, speaking seriously, "Qing, Lily, and I still haven''t obtained our second ss change stones. Before we set off, we need to go through the Whispering Forest."


    "No wonder. The Whispering Forest... it must be pretty terrifying, right?"


    "It''s indeed a bit terrifying, but only for outsiders. To the elves, the Whispering Forest is a sacred ce."


    Before John could exin, ria spoke up first, "The Whispering Forest was originally just a cemetery for the elves, where we buried our deceased. Over time, the souls of our ancestors chose to stay there, guarding thest sanctuary of the elves.


    So, to us, the Whispering Forest is solemn and sacred, and no one is allowed to enter it!


    Besides, I don''t quite understand why the Whispering Forest holds such attraction for humans. It''s just a graveyard."


    "Well..."


    John tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure how to exin to ria.


    He ended up using a random excuse to brush it off.


    In truth, the second ss change stone was almost unnecessary for John.


    Having mastered all alchemy in this world, whether it was golemancy or contracting, John had already memorized their alchemical diagrams.


    However, for Qing and Lily, the second ss change stone was essential.


    "Disturbing the rest of the elven ancestors, we deeply apologize, but ria, we truly have apelling reason to go there, so..."


    "No problem. If it''s you, I believe our ancestors won''t object. After all, you helped protect our habitat."


    "Heh, no need to be so polite, sister. I don''t know about anyone else, but I had a great time during that big battle!"


    Qing patted his chest, grinning widely, "Just that one battle increased all my stats by at least a hundred points!"


    "Alright, if your mouth gets any wider, we''ll see your stomach. Tone it down."


    John patted Qing''s shoulder dismissively. Qing, a towering figure over two meters tall, immediately toned it down, covering his face andughing lightly, looking both contrived and ridiculous.


    Since Qing was rescued from the abyss by John, he had be John''s ardent follower, obeying him without question.


    After all, it was a life-saving favor—how could he not repay it?


    Although John exined it as a win-win situation, needing Qing''s formidable strength, Qing was determined to follow John, and John let him.


    "Qing, you said your talent evolved to SSS-level. Can I see your stats panel?"


    "Of course, no problem! Here, take a look!"


    With a wave of Qing''s hand, a dialog box appeared before John, disying Qing''s unique attribute panel.


    This was truly a numerical monster.


    While most yers'' average attributes did not exceed one hundred and fifty points, most of Qing''s attributes had surpassed two hundred. His Stamina and Attack were an impressive three hundred points each!


    The only attributegging behind was Wisdom.


    But for Qing, a warrior, Wisdom was almost irrelevant.


    What really caught John''s attention was Qing''s SSS-level talent, [God of War''s Unyielding Belief].


    Gaining ten permanent points in all attributes, except Wisdom, for every fifty monsters killed—how absurd was that?


    If there were another major event, Qing could potentially use it to push all his attributes to 500 points!


    500 points was a threshold that could only be reached post-second ss change, with a full set of [Epic] quality equipment.


    And Qing was only level 24!


    "Strong, purely strong. Given time, you might be able to punch through Mount Olympus," John remarked, closing Qing''s attribute panel.


    "Hehe, it''s all thanks to you. If you hadn''t resurrected me, I wouldn''t have this insane talent."


    "A blessing in disguise. It''s not entirely my doing. For now, focus on leveling up quickly. Aim to reach level 35 for your second ss change. I have a good suggestion for your new ss, and we''ll discuss it when the timees."


    "Understood."


    Qing responded in his deep voice, about to say more when ria suddenly stopped.


    "I... I sense humans."


    "Humans? Maybe someone sneaked in."


    "But the strange thing is, if unauthorized humans enter the Whispering Forest, the souls of elven ancestors would immediately attack them. Why is it so calm?"


    "How many do you sense?"


    "Around thirty, and some other presences... very faint, I can''t be sure."


    Hearing this, John nodded thoughtfully and said in a serious tone, "Let''s go and take a look. If they''re up to no good, we''ll just drive them away."


    It was clear enough—these presences were most likely yers who had sneaked in, hoping to obtain a second ss change stone.


    As for their methods, John had some knowledge from his previous life, but they were so cruel that even he felt uneasy.


    "It seems we must strengthen the oversight of the Whispering Forest. I cannot tolerate anyone desecrating the resting ce of our ancestors without permission!"


    As they ventured deeper into the Whispering Forest, they followed a path and soon found many bloodstained footprints. The sole patterns indicated they were undoubtedly human.


    "This... this is the blood of the elves?"


    ria knelt, feeling the anguished cries of her kin emanating from the bloodstains, and her eyes immediately reddened.


    "Someone... took my people, drained their blood to douse themselves, tricking the sleeping ancestors. Such a vile method!"


    Sensing ria''s rising anger, John quickly stepped forward and gently took her hand.


    "Stay calm. With me here, I won''t let them run rampant."


    "I will make them pay!"


    John suddenly felt a pang of regret. He now questioned whether it was the right choice to have ria leave the elven habitat to adventure with him.


    The outside world, though beautiful, was also a cesspool of corruption and deceit. John worried that the harsh realities of the world would shatter ria''s expectations and bring her immense pain.


    "We''ll have to take it one step at a time..."


    John sighed lightly, following ria and continuing to track the footprints.


    The deeper they went, the more ria''s expression darkened, her eyes glistening with tears.


    The number of footprints increased, and graves on either side had been dug up. White bones were scattered everywhere, some corpses not yet fully dposed, left exposed and desecrated.


    Seeing this scene, even Qing and Helena were filled with fury, let alone ria, the former queen of the elves, whose anger was already burning intensely!


    "For their own selfish desires, they tortured my people and desecrated the remains of our ancestors. What won''t these people do?


    Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable!"


    [Ancestors sleeping here, awaken and punish the intruders, protect the sacrednd of the elves!]


    As she finished her chant, a formation under ria''s feet burst forth with green light, resonating throughout the Whispering Forest.


    In the next moment, a spirit warrior emerged from a tombstone, kneeling devoutly before ria.


    "At the queen''smand, we shall fight the intruders, no matter the cost!"