My Celestial Ascension

As the sun came out, everyone prepared to march into the Forest Of Never Return.

Everyone was outfitted with the best equipment that would not only protect them from deadly monster assaults but would also improve their combat ability and strength.

General Valeria was now dressed in heavy metal armor, with her entire body covered in thick blood-red armor, including her face, which was protected by a metal helmet with stunning ornate decorations that made it appear even more oppressive.

Standing side by side with Yuan, she instantly removed her helmet and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, surprising everyone.

"Since we're approaching the wilderness, I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to do something like this to you..." Valeria replied with a little smile and another peck on his other cheek.

Yuan chuckled in response, instantly pulling her into his arms by holding her wrist and pushing his lips against her lips, then kissing her passionately in front of everyone for the next moment.

"This is much better," Yuan smiled as he moved away from her.

"Indeed," General Valeria nodded, seductively licking her lips; she could still taste Yuan's lips on her own.

She then swiftly put on the helmet again and stood by Yuan, as if nothing had occurred.

King Richard, Crown Prince Daniel, Holy Son Aurther, and officials from other nations soon arrived. Everyone wore defensive armor, notably the Holy Son Auther.

The Holy Son Aurther was dressed in bright golden full-body armor to shield himself from the forest's powerful beasts; the armor he was wearing was a set of magical armor that improved hua defense by a large amount and let him quickly restore his mana.

It recovers mana rapidly and improves mana capacity by 30%, making it a perfect set of armor for mages.

And everyone was taken aback by the Holy Son of the Holy Light Empire's armor as soon as he emerged on the scene, followed closely by his Holy Knights.

Crown Prince Daniel wore a suit of white armor with a lion symbol on it, making his armor look majestic like a lion; he also wore a beaded piece, but unlike his aunt, his face was still visible.

Meanwhile, King Richard was wearing heavy armor in a light green color that matched the kingdom's flag; it looked majestic on him, giving him an aura of elegance and knowledge.

Alongside him stands his son, Prince Tristan, dressed in the same green armor as his father, but unlike his father, his armor is somewhat different, with completely new decorations.

Even Grand Mages from other nations put on magical armor for protection; after all, everyone knows that the beasts inside the Forest Of Never Return are highly hazardous and might easily kill them.

The essential figure of this operation was dressed in luxuries and practically legendary armor, and he was armed with formidable weapons; everyone could remain mute because they would never see such lavish and opulent treasures again.

"Look at the Holy Son's armor, Aurther! Doesn't that look really powerful?"

"Look at War General Valeria's blood-red armor; it looks oppressive and scary! A single glance from her was enough to make me shit my pants."

"Not a joke... General Valeria looks terrifying in her blood-red armor."

"She appears like a ferocious beast in that armor."

"Look at the Crown Prince Daniel; doesn't he seem pretty attractive in his white armor? It fits him perfectly."

"That is absolutely the case here, and unlike Holy Son Aurther, he isn't flaunting his money; it's very decent armor, in my opinion."

"I think so, too. And look at the Holy Son, how he is acting so high and powerful, even though he hasn't even raised a finger and is sitting in luxury inside his cozy carriage."

"That's correct. We did all the labor till we arrived here, and several of us were hurt defending against the magical beasts, but he didn't even ask whether we were okay."

"He isn't who we expected him to be, and he's not acting like a holy son at all; he's just too arrogant. And look down on everyone else; this is not a good quality for the Holy Son."

Hearing the voices of many people blowing in the wind, the Holy Son Aurther's face twisted in displeasure, and he clenched his fist hard until his nails drove into his flesh and he began to bleed.

'These commoner guys are basically a bunch of lowlife. How can they judge me—the Holy Son?!' Aurther yelled inside in rage as if he were slicing their tongue for speaking negatively about him. '

'This is intolerable! I'll make sure they pay for their insolence!' Aurther pondered with a furious expression on his face.

At the same moment, Crown Prince Daniel flashed Aurther a sarcastic smirk, pleased by the people's reactions to Auther.

When Aurther saw the mocking grin, he couldn't help but bemoan his terrible luck early in the morning. And glared at Yuan with murderous intent in his eyes.

'All this is occurring because of this arrogant brat! I can't let him off the hook; he'll suffer the consequences for insulting and slandering me.'

Everyone could see that the Holy Son was enraged and glaring at Yuan with a terrible expression on his face; if a glare could kill a person, Yuan would have died thousands of times already.

"Silence!" General Valeria yelled, her voice resonating throughout the area, causing everyone in the vicinity to become silent.

"Cough!" King Richard cleared his throat before speaking. "Everyone, the sun is out, and the Forest of Never Return is only 15 minutes away. We'll keep our carriages on the edges of the forest; I've already organized a staff to take care of them, so don't worry."

He continued, "The essential point is that once we enter the forest, we don't know how long it will take us to finish the task, which is to identify the source of corrupted monsters coming from the forest's heart."

"Once again, I'd want to remind you all that this mission will be highly dangerous, and we will encounter many powerful beasts inside the forest, so I suggest that each of you keep attentive at all times."

"A minor error could cost someone's life, and it could be anybody of us. So we must always be vigilant." King Richard informed everyone of the dangers.

With that, everyone boarded their designated carriages and set out towards the Forest Of Never Return.

Yuan and his wives, as well as everyone else, could see the edges of the forest, which was extremely terrible because the entire region was shrouded in thick fog, making it difficult to tell if there was any monster hiding around.

The creepy dense fog sent shivers down most people's spines, and they began to sweat profusely as they approached the woodland.

With each passing minute, the air became thicker and heavier, filled with dread.

The atmosphere was scary enough to make a typical person shit their pants, as the story states that anyone who enters the fog could never find his way back, and become stuck inside that fog where fearsome monsters roam freely.

"That's the Forest Of Never Return; the strange aura that surrounds this region makes it look quite spooky."

"I can't believe I'm going into the forest where we heard legends as kids about how it traps people inside the mist."

"This is a one-in-a-million chance, and we have a lot of strong people to guard us, so we can be certain about our safety within the jungle. Though we will face many powerful monsters within, I am confident that with our might, we will complete the objective with ease."

"We also have the rumored Hunter Party, The Celestial Blades, with us. The Hunter Party is said to be highly powerful, with a single member capable of defeating hundreds of creatures with ease."

"That's correct. With them around, we won't have to fight strong, fierce beasts because they'll handle them."

"Moreover, The Ruthless Lioness is with us. "With her around, we feel even more comfortable."

"But I'm really intrigued about one thing... Why did War General Valeria kiss the leader of the Celestial Blades and allow him to kiss her lips passionately?"

"Oh! Don't you know that War General Valeria once promised herself that whoever defeated her in a fair and square duel, she would marry him?"

"I understand now... almost forgot about that commitment because it was made more than fifty years ago before I was even born."

They all arrived at the outskirts of the Forest Of Never Return a few minutes later, and they could sense a cold, gloomy atmosphere encircling the place, making the forest appear even creepier and stalked.

"So, this is the Forest of Never Return, right? I've heard a lot of rumors about this woodland, and exactly as they say, it's blanketed in heavy fog, obstructing the view." Yuan mumbled with a bewildered expression on his face, appearing astonished by the forest's gloomy atmosphere.

General Valeria stood confidently behind Yuan, saying, "This is only the edges of the forest; if we go much deeper, the fog will thicken, limiting everyone's sense of direction, and we will confront many powerful beasts that we will not be able to find outside the woodland."

"If it impairs everyone's sense of direction, how are we supposed to navigate the forest?"

"Well, King Richard brought a highly powerful navigation artifact that will assist us to travel through the forest and arrive at our destination—the center of the forest." She replied with a little smile, but Yuan couldn't see it because her face was covered by her helmet.