230-237

Chapter 230 - Crisis Call

If the scene in the subterranean space was retold by the bards on the streets, many people would be fascinated by the rich imagination, but it would be too ludicrous to believe.

How can a beam of sunlight bring about such great changes? They had lived under the sunlight all their life. Why hasn't anything incredible happened to them?

Many people would think like this, but to begin with, humans cannot be compared to plants. Humans can live without sunlight, but they cannot survive long without due to the environment.

Plants, on the other hand, view sunlight as life itself. All its energy is derived from the sunlight.

The palace guards viewed the beam of sunlight as a beam of sunlight, but to the elder tree and treants, this was not a beam of sunlight but a pillar of lifeforce.

While Leon watched the Elder Tree slowly transitioned its crimson leaves to lush green leaves, his mind was still preoccupied with the treant's transformation.

Their new forms no longer had the resemblance of treants but appeared more like something in between an elf and a nature spirit.

Leon no longer knows how he should define their race. A nature elf? An elven spirit?

Regardless of what they should be called, this was for them to decide. A new race had been born on this day, in this subterranean space.

It was not a regression but an evolution.

This should be considered good news, but worry hung over Elder Evergreen's face. Turning to Leon, the elder asks, "Will this change affect the treatment process?"

The nearby treants also tuned in to listen.

Indeed, no matter what form they had taken, they were still human at heart and it was in human nature to desire freedom. If they cannot free themselves from the Elder Tree, it would have no meaning.

Leon did a quick inspection on Elder Evergreen and he was awed by his discovery. Every cell in the elder's body was thriving with activity and lifeforce. It was hard to gauge how much lifespan the elder had now.

The problem of petrification seemed to have been resolved by the sunlight. The porous and fibrous structural tissues of wood had all been shed, and what is left is the Elder Tree's photosynthetic tissues, but here lies the real problem.

The photosynthetic tissue had all been assimilated and became one with Elder Evergreen's body. It was impossible to separate now. They had become one entity. Leon wore a weird look as this wasn't exactly a bad thing.

"Treatment is no longer necessary. Your body has assimilated the Elder Tree's cells." Leon said with a pondering look.

"Then…"

One could see the disappointment hung on Elder Evergreen and his fellow villagers' faces when this was said.

However, Leon wasn't finished as he continued, "This isn't exactly a bad thing though. Have you heard of grafting?"

"Grafting? Like joining two different plant tissues and allowing them to grow together?"

"Yes, exactly like that. Previously, your fellow villagers all died from final stage petrification after leaving the Elder Tree because there was no sunlight. The plant tissues within slowly died without the supply of energy, but now, that problem no longer exists. It is getting all the energy it is required from sunlight."

The Elder's eyes lit up once Leon finished his words.

"Then that means that…"

Leon pointed upwards said with a light smile, "The surface is yours to roam."

The villagers were all moved with heartfelt expression. Finally, they can now explore the whole wide world.

"Thank you."

The villagers all stepped forward to thank Leon from the bottom of their heart after their village chief had done so.

"You all don't have to thank me. I didn't do anything." Leon shook his head helplessly. He did not believe that he deserves to be on the receiving end of their gratitude.

He did not treat their disease and freed them. That was resolved by nature and not by his own efforts. He was not going to take nature's credit.

"No, you are wrong." Elder Evergreen said sternly. "You gave us hope and made this possible, child. Before you came, no one would have even dreamt about the surface, let alone attempt to dig a hole to the surface. We were prepared to rot down here for the rest of our lives."

The villagers all voiced their agreement with their villager chief. This only happened because they came.

"There's just one tiny problem left we might have to trouble you with, child." Elder Evergreen said with a pinching gesture, before inching closer and whispered, "Are we still infertile in this new form?"

Leon was speechless and his lips twitched. He did not have a problem checking before when they were still treants, but now? Sorry, he was not interested in looking at another man's tool.

"Why don't you ask your villagers to test it out? It won't be the same as two blocks of wood banging each other anymore." Leon said helplessly before cracking a small joke.

Elder Evergreen was not offended by his words and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, that's right. We are not blocks of wood anymore. Hahaha!"

Suddenly, the entire Elder Tree rattled and shook violently as everyone within the village found it hard to stand straight and staggered. Some even fell to the ground.

Soon after the initial impact, the entire subterranean space began to rumble with the sound of battle.

"What just happened?"

Everyone was alarmed.

Leon looked around but nothing seemed out of place except the gradual color-changing leaves.

However, the Elder Tree was not undergoing any sudden transformation, which means something else must've struck the Elder Tree and it was incredibly powerful at that.

"I think the Elder Tree is under attack again." He said.

"The ants? That is impossible. They are strong, but far from enough to shake the Elder Tree so violently." A villager denied the claim.

A certain figure among the ants flickered across Leon's mind but he does not mention this. Instead, he said, "We'll know once we have a look."

"Agreed."

Elder Evergreen nodded.

Everyone followed them to the outer perimeters of the village before peering down at the ground below the Elder Tree.

Unsurprisingly, it was the ants attacking again. However, the attack this time seems rather different from all the previous attacks.

"It really is the ants, but what the hell is wrong these creatures? It's like that had all gone crazy."

The ants appeared to be desperate and in a frenzy. Everyone could see that the Elder Tree was fully surrounded by soldiers' ants, worker ants and even the humanoid royal guards had joined the battle.

The army of ants poured into the subterranean space like an unending stream. No one knew why the ants were so rattled.

As Leon swept the battlefield with his gaze, he tried to locate the humanoid ant that filled him with dread.

"Are those humanoid ants? How can there be humanoid ants?!" The villagers exclaimed with shock.

"You guys have never seen the humanoid ants before?" A palace guard asked curiously with surprise.

"Never."

The villagers shook their heads.

Supposedly, the villagers all took the ants' attack as a regular routine and had long lost their interest in spectating the battle because they knew that no matter what, the Elder Tree would keep them safe.

Elder Evergreen sharp eyes noticed that Leon's gaze was darting across the battlefield in search of something. The discovery piqued his interest.

"What are you looking for?"

"A very powerful humanoid ant, and possibly their king," Leon replied, but his eyes never left the battlefield. Soon, his eyes locked onto a certain location within the throngs of ants. "There! It's over there!"

Everyone tried to follow the direction Leon pointed, but there were just too many ants to tell. Even the number of royal guard ants were in the dozens among the millions of ants.

After so many onslaughts, the ants were still so numerous. God knows how these creatures breed. Leon made a mental note that when he possesses adequate strength, he would look for the ant queen and kill it before it lay any more eggs.

Suddenly, his expression dropped, and he shouted in warning, "Everyone, brace yourselves!"

The ground in the distance suddenly cracked as a shadow flickered across the air and…

Boom!

The Elder Tree shook violently again as the figure slammed into the middle stump of the Elder Tree and left behind a large web-like crack on it.

Leon's warning was timely, but many still didn't manage to react promptly and lost their balance. Some almost fell off the tree directly and plunge to their death.

"Holy shit! What the fuck was that!" The villagers almost lost their minds. How much physical strength was needed for a creature of that size to shake such a large tree?!

At the very least, it should have exceeded 100,000-jin. No, even 100,000-jin might be an understatement.

Elder Evergreen began to frown gravely as he said in a low voice, "The ants are going all out this time."

"That's right, they are attacking the Elder Tree directly and not aiming for the power source. It's like taking down the Elder Tree has become their primary objective. What had triggered them so? Have they discovered something that we haven't?" Leon said with a pondering look.

After the monstrous humanoid ant impacted the Elder Tree, it dodged all the tree roots and retreated for a follow-up third impact.

Despite what was going on, the tree spirit of the Elder Tree was nowhere to be seen and only its self-defense mechanism was in place.

The impact should have hurt the Elder Tree quite a bit, but despite that, the tree spirit was completely silent!

What is going on with the tree spirit?!

Suddenly, Leon had a faint premonition of danger as he looked back at the beam of sunlight continuing to supply the Elder Tree with endless energy.

"You gotta be kidding me… Don't tell me that it is actually happening…" Leon muttered in horror.

"What is happening? What have you discovered, Leon?" Lilith asked. Her bird sense was also screaming danger.

"No time to explain," Leon said and turned to Elder Evergreen. "Elder, we need to evacuate everyone to the surface immediately!"

Everyone could tell the seriousness and urgency in his tone.. Elder Evergreen nodded and immediately issued orders to his surrounding villagers to round up everyone and regather at the tunnel entrance.

Chapter 231 - Nature Is To Be Feared

Boom!

The Elder Tree violently shook again, but except for the rampaging tree roots outside, the tree spirit itself was completely dead silent. Everyone was filled with an ominous feeling despite not knowing what was about to happen. They were just told to rushed to the surface as quickly as possible.

As everyone began making their way through the tunnel, Lilith could no longer hold back her curiosity while they were on the run and turned to Leon at her side.

"Now can you tell us what is going on?"

When the question was raised, the nearby runners also perked their ears to listen in.

"The Elder Tree is trying to take advantage of its first ray of sunlight to push for a breakthrough to become a World Tree."

The first ray of sunlight on a plant deprived of it will always have the strongest effect.

"Push for a breakthrough? Trees can cultivate now?" Lilith was flabbergasted.

This was news to her.

"Heaven never closes its door to life. If it is living, it can cultivate." Leon explained.

"So, what you're telling me is even flowers and any random stalks of grass on the field has a chance of cultivating as well?" Lilith rolled her eyes. It sounded unbelievable.

"If it aged well and developed a sentient spirit then yes, they can!"

Lilith gaped in disbelief. What in the world! She felt her world turning upside down.

However, she quickly shook her head and said, "Okay… but what does that have to do with why we need to run to the surface? What's so dangerous about the Elder Tree pushing for a breakthrough?"

This question was also what everyone wanted to ask as well as they were listening. They could not put the two and two together.

"It's not easy to become a World Tree. In fact, it is extremely difficult. In order to become a World Tree, the Elder Tree will give it everything it has to push through once it collects enough sunlight." Leon explained.

The crowd was still confused, unsure of where the danger was coming from. Leon's explanation was rather vague.

"Since sunlight is the problem, why don't we just move these mirrors and stop the Elder Tree from getting the sunlight?" Lilith suggested.

"Don't touch the mirrors!" Leon barked. He almost jumped with fright. "It's already begun making its preparation for a breakthrough, but the sunlight is not enough to help its breakthrough! Even the power source will most likely not be enough! In fact, all life within a certain distance of the Elder Tree will be sacrificed for its breakthrough! If you stop it from receiving sunlight now, you will only anger it and get us all killed."

"What!"

Everyone was appalled.

"How can it do that?! With its tree roots?" Lilith asked with horror. She remembered the tree roots of the Elder Tree could seemingly suck anything dry in an instant.

At her question, Leon made a bitter smile. If only it was that simple, but she was not wrong either. If it wanted, its tree roots can even reach the surface through the tunnel.

But that was not what he was worried about.

"No, you are severely underestimating what an elder tree can do. If World Trees are considered deities, then Elder Trees are like demigods. It has the ability to drain all the lifeforce within its immediate surrounding. Think of it as an absolute domain over life and death."

People were not aware because the Elder Tree had never used its special ability before due to the consumption of energy. Instead, it had always been passive and focused on the conservation of energy for its continual survival in the underground.

But now that it has the opportunity to break out of the subterranean space and ascend to a higher state, it would naturally give it everything it's got!

This was the brutality of the Divine Realm that Leon knew! In the pursuit of the everlasting, everything else can be discarded!

No matter what relationship they had established with the Elder Tree, it was insignificant compared to its own ascension, and sunlight was the catalyst for what was happening!

Leon felt incredibly complicated. Why did blessings and disasters always come hand in hand?! Were they a married couple?!

Elder Evergreen and the villagers all felt a chill in their hearts at the revelation. They had relied on the Elder Tree all their life for survival, but the opposite cannot be said. The Elder Tree did not need them. They were just freeloaders, but perhaps they were kept alive for this moment!

In the end, they were still considered fortunate for having some relationship with the tree spirit. They realized why the ants were going all out in their attack against the Elder Tree.

The Elder Tree must have targeted their lifeforce subtly but got discovered and triggered their frenzy. Why wouldn't they be? The Elder Tree was going to take everything away from them, including their life!

The tunnel was long, but it did not take much time to reach the surface through it as compared to climbing up the Elder Tree to reach the entrance of the tunnel.

Everyone quickly made it outside, and the treants that had yet to undergo their baptism of sunlight underwent an even more exaggerated transformation. Sunlight could be seen drawn to their bodies like particles, but Leon did not have time to admire.

"We… should be safe now, right?" Lilith asked.

Leon was about to answer when the villagers all started groaning with difficult expressions.

"Ugh…"

"What's happening now?"

The palace guards were surprised by the sudden change in the villagers next to them.

Leon turned to Elder Evergreen for an answer. The elder was no exception from the sudden change. Seeing his fellow villagers suffering the same symptoms as him, he said, "Our bodies suddenly feel heavy. It wants to go back down."

"Fight it. The Elder Tree is summoning you all back. We need to get further away from here. Regardless of whether the Elder Tree succeeds or not, there's a high chance the ground will collapse." Leon said with a serious look.

Elder Evergreen nodded as his big leaf swayed in the wind.

The group of several hundred people retreated some 3000 yards away before they finally sighed with relief.

At this distance, the villagers from the old treant village no longer felt the compelling summoning force of the Elder Tree and they finally felt safe.

The trembles of the earth could still be felt from the surface, and it was growing with intensity with each passing moment.

One could imagine that the battle within the subterranean space was very ferocious for it to pass through 300fts of thick earth to reach the surface.

Fortunately, there were no cities or towns located in the vicinity, and the logistic team from the military had long left for Azure Verdant Plains to deliver the supplies as they were assigned to do.

Thus, even if the earth collapse, there would be no casualties.

"I don't understand though. If the Elder Tree was draining the lifeforce from the ants to aid its breakthrough, can't they just retreat out of the Elder Tree's range? Why do they need to fight?" Lilith voiced her doubts as she sat down on the patch of grass.

"My guess is that they were greedy and didn't want the Elder Tree to absorb all that red energy down there. If I'm not wrong, the reason for the ants' regular attack was to train themselves. The weak ones are killed off, but the strong ones will live on." Leon said.

"That's starting to make sense to me."

Soon, everyone began to show Leon gratitude for his timing warning and bringing them out to safety.

Pieces of earth surrounding the opening of the tunnel began breaking off and dropping into the darkness below in tandem with the shaking of the ground.

It wasn't long before they saw tree roots shooting out of the opening before slamming back into the ground.

"Did the Elder Tree succeed in its breakthrough?"

The people were shaken by the sight.

"No, it's still far from it. It's trying to remove the ceiling and bathe in its entire body in the sunlight." Leon answered seriously before suggesting, "We… should probably back off a bit more."

As if the ground within a 3000-yard radius of the tunnel opening had lost all its support, the entire region finally collapsed.

Boom!

The earth shook again with unprecedented force like an earthquake. The power of nature was to be feared. It was simply earthshaking and devastating as its tremors could be felt dozens of miles away.

It was a scene that everyone present would never forget as they fail to hold their balance. Slickers of cold sweat dripped from their faces at the thought that they could be buried under all that earth.

The sheer weight of the earth was impossible to calculate, but it was unlikely for the ants to survive the crushing weight of its fall.

Everyone scrutinized their eyes into the newly formed and enormous pit as the dust settled. Surprisingly, many ants had survived as they had broken the Elder Tree's defense and latched on its stump for cover.

The Elder Tree was revealed to be in a severely battered shape, covered in dirt and ants nibbling on it, but despite all this, it still stood strong and tall in all its majesty. Its leaves had turned completely green.

The Elder Tree began to glow with triple layers of color after it was exposed to rich sunlight.

Starting with the innermost being green, red followed in the middle, and finally yellow occupied the outermost layer. The three layers of color formed a beautifully large and spherical dome around the Elder Tree like a barrier. It was its domain.

"It's starting." Leon quietly muttered.

Everyone focused their gaze into the distance as they watched the ants suddenly withered like dead plants and dropped from the tree's stump one after the other.

Their carcasses crashed, shattered into fine dust, and scattered with the wind. It was like their entire existence had just been erased from the world and never existed.

Lilith paled and everyone trembled in their hearts at the sight. If they had not escaped in a timely manner and retreated to such safe distances, what happened to the ants would have happened to them as well.

As knowledgeable as Leon was, it was also his first time witnessing it in person. He couldn't help but inhale deeply and cussed.

"Damn nature, you scary!"

Chapter 232 - Exposed To The World

Crawford Kingdom Eastern Border Pass, Azure Verdant Plains.

The war between the three kingdoms had already commenced over the tri-bridge in the past few days.

The Crawford Kingdom was outnumbered by the alliance between the Durham Kingdom and the Valaran Kingdom, but both sides were evenly matched on the battlefield without any clear advantages.

The Queen's arrival had been a great boost to the morale of the soldiers of the Crawford Kingdom.

With her at the hem of the battlefield with the 20 thousand strong soldiers gathered from various regions of the Crawford Kingdom, they were able to fend off the 40 thousand invaders.

During the first confrontation, the enemy had sent out their full force in a bid to take down the Eastern Border Pass as swiftly as possible.

However, the strong Crawford Kingdom soldiers were alert under the Queen's command and retaliated. A great battle was fought over the central tri-bridge.

Sparks of gunpowder exploded all over the battlefield while bullets ricocheted off the great shields of both sides. In this bout of crossfire, the Crawford Kingdom held the advantage.

Their bullets and firearms were all designed to penetrate the tough hides and shells of the beasts from the Wildlands. Thus, it only took a few rounds before it broke through the enemy's steel shield.

The enemy generals were quick to notice the unfavorable situation their troops were in but pressed forward and forced the Crawford Kingdom's troops into close combat.

The casualties on the Crawford Kingdom's side quickly rose to 2000, while the enemy's losses tallied up to roughly 4000.

Their bodies piled up like mountains, while some directly fell into the Azure River to become food for the fishes.

At the rate the battle was progressing, both sides would just suffer mutual destruction if no changes were made. As such, the Queen changed tactics and went from offensive to defensive.

She ordered the kingdom's troops to retreat behind the safety of the walls where they would make their stand.

The two sects controlling the Durham Kingdom and the Valaran Kingdom might not care for the lives of the soldiers lost, but it was not the same for Elizabeth.

Every life lost in battle was a loss for the Human Domain.

With the wall as the cover and the soldiers managing it, the Border Pass was like an impregnable fortress. The enemy troops could not take down the Border Pass and both sides ended up in a stalemate.

This was the situation for the last couple of days.

The enemy did not send out their sect members to join the battle, so neither did the queen nor the two daughters-in-law she brought along.

Although Elizabeth had entered the Transcendent Realm, she did not let it get to her head. Since the two sects were willing to wage war against them, it meant that they possess a certain level of confidence.

In the end, the big battle ended prematurely, and only small skirmishes broke out at irregular intervals in front of the wall.

As the attacker, the enemy's tactic was to harass and wear down the garrisons before they launch their next big attack with the main army.

Elizabeth had realized their intentions and divided her troops to take shifts in guarding the walls through the night. This way, they would get adequate rests.

The enemy had also realized that strategy was rendered useless. They could only helplessly throw out taunts in front of the wall to provoke the Crawford Kingdom into sending out their troops to do battle.

Naturally, as the chief commander of the Border Pass defense, Elizabeth was the focus of their taunts and provocations.

To such taunts and provocations, Elizabeth responded with a flying sword and lopped off the heads of her taunters.

Since then, the enemy could only retreat in fear and taunt from afar that could barely be heard.

Presently, Elizabeth was overlooking the situation of the tri-bridge from atop the Border Pass walls. Lynne and Aria stood behind her with similar gazes.

The experience in the last few days had caused slight changes to their mentality. They appeared more mature and the naivety brought by their youth was less evident.

Elizabeth had been strict in her teaching during resting periods. Not only did she taught them sword arts, but she also shared her insights in the way of the sword.

Formless Sword Art was the name of the sword art she taught them. It was the most appropriate one to teach. It was foundation level sword art that is easy to learn with no upper limit to its potential.

As the saying goes, there are no invincible martial arts, only invincible martial artist.

Fixed sword arts were too rigid and inflexible to changes, but the Formless Sword Art allows the user to be formless to counteract all changes in battle. The form of sword art was never fixed and differs from users to users.

Apart from this, Aria and Lynne were giving magisteel swords and learned how to enchant their weapons with elemental attributes to increase their striking power.

Elizabeth really wondered how her son managed to find such talented ladies. They were also considered geniuses in her books.

It wasn't like she was doubting her own son's charms.

After all, his face shares resemblances to his father— Ahem, never mind the face. He was driven and motivated. Women find men most attractive when they are serious and hardworking.

While facing the empty horizon, everyone on the wall thought that the enemies were not going to come out to taunt them today.

However, everyone became shocked when the earth suddenly quaked, and the direction seemed to have come from behind them in the west.

When they thought about the enemy's inaction of the day and the sudden earthquake that just happened, they all came to the same conclusion.

The enemy must have crossed the river and snuck around to attack their rear!

Elizabeth's expression became serious. The enemy had set camp on the tri-bridge and had not made any sudden movements.

Was their main army only a diversion from the start? If it was then the situation was not good.

One had to know that the Crawford Kingdom had to defend the Western Frontier and Southern Wall from possible beast invasion, but also their eastern borders against the two kingdoms.

However, the two sects might not care about the two kingdom's stability and round up all the military force they can muster to invade the Crawford Kingdom.

If that was the case, 40 thousand soldiers were hardly even half of what they had.

Elizabeth quickly assigned a trusted commander as deputy chief in command of the eastern borders, before taking Aria, Lynne and 2000 other soldiers with her, before making haste for the source of the earthquake.

One of their cities could be under attack.

…

Black ashes billowed around the Elder Tree as it received a surge in energy after using its ability. The triple-layered energy dome began to amalgamate into a single colored energy dome that rippled with power across the landscape.

The observers could feel a strong breeze pass them by before the wind was drawn back towards the Elder Tree.

A more observant eye would notice that the flow of wind was spiraling around the Elder Tree towards the sky. The weather began to change as dark clouds gathered above the sunny sky.

Everyone was taken aback, but Leon turned serious.

For the Elder Tree to induce a change in the weather implies that it had reached the threshold for a breakthrough. A tribulation was coming.

There was no turning back now.

A World Tree Tribulation was on the level of a Celestial Tribulation. The phenomena will stretch across thousands of miles and the world will be drawn towards its epicenter.

Whether the Elder Tree succeeds or not, it was impossible to keep it hidden. The Elder Tree and the two underground floors were exposed to the world.

Those who knew of the treasures that lie within will flock over like birds dying for food. Whether he wants it or not, a future great battle for the subterranean resources of this region was coming their way.

Little did he know, a war had already started in the east and the enemy was much closer than he thinks.

The energy dome that was filled with lifeforce, artificial spirit energy, and solar energy had yellowy-brown color after their amalgamation, but it did not stay this way for long as the energy dome began to pulse like a beating heart that expands and contracts.

At the end of each pulse, the energy dome would grow a size smaller until it completely disappears within the Elder Tree.

Everyone except Leon thought the Elder Tree was finished at this point until the Elder Tree began to glow again but with overwhelming lifeforce that shot towards the skies like a declaration of challenge.

As this happens, the tribulation clouds above drastically gathered and finished its formation like it had been provoked. The crackle of thunder can be heard within its dark looming clouds.

Some people felt unsettled and subconsciously stepped back several paces at this sight.

Suddenly, everything went eerily silent for a brief moment, before a white flash of lightning struck down like the angry wrath of heaven.

Boom!

The sky shattered and the earth trembled as the Elder Tree took the hit with great difficulty. The clash between plant and lightning generated a seismic force of wind that billowed outwards.

Everyone thought they were safe, they were. But the strong rush of wind still blew at them and forced their feet to glide along the surface of the ground.

Some lightweights were blown away some distance directly, but otherwise, unharmed.

Lilith was unfortunately one of the few people blown off her feet. She had panicked in that instant and reached out her hands to grab at whatever she could like a wailing baby.

Leon was doing fine until he suddenly felt another compelling force tugging on his clothes from behind, causing him to lose his balance.

The two ended up rolling on the ground in each other's embrace until they separated after the first round of tribulation lightning ended.

With a face covered in dirt, Leon threw Lilith a dirty look.

"Hehehe… sorry."

Lilith apologized with a guilty yet cute expression.

…

The World Tree Tribulation was too flashy to go unnoticed by the better half of the Desolate Continent.

Whether it was the five kingdoms and four sects of the Human Domain, the western and southern regions of the Wildlands, they have all seen the phenomenon of unprecedented scale.

The more distant regions of the Wildlands had not seen but they had sensed it, while even the Boundless Sea seemed to have been stirred by the changes…

Chapter 233 - First In History

After successfully enduring the first tribulation lightning, the Elder Tree was charred in various parts of its body, and sections of its leaves were burnt to a crisp.

The large tribulation clouds above were not like any normal thunderstorm that occasionally strikes the earth with its single ray of lightning from time to time.

No, it was on a grander scale and clearly seeking to destroy. The World Tree Tribulation was almost like the Divine Damnation.

The formation of the tribulation clouds was like a whirlpool in the deep sea an empty void at its center. However, this empty void was like a portal, a gateway that summoned tribulation lightning from elsewhere.

The white flash blinding and its destructive force was unfathomable.

Those who manage to perceive the true form of the strike would know that it was not just a mere ray but a beam, a laser, it was an entire pillar of white lightning that came crashing down!

And an especially thick one at that!

"Inconceivable…"

Palace guards were awestruck with fear in the mix. Their senses tingled with the crackling sky from the remnants of scattered lightning streaking through the air.

None of them was as knowledgeable as Leon. They did not know about World Tree Tribulation, but they knew about the Transcendent Phenomenon. Transcendents would receive the world's baptism upon transcendence, but what about this?

At the very least, they did not believe that it was a baptism. No one could possibly survive!

They did not doubt that if it were them that stood under that pillar of white light, they would have been vaporized from existence.

"God damn… heaven is angry. How scary."

"Yeah… this is probably what heaven's smite would look like."

Everyone quickly nodded in accession with large gulps. This was a scene that would be etched into their hearts for the rest of their life.

"Look! The sky is preparing to strike again!" Someone noticed and pointed.

The center of the whirlpool of tribulation clouds began to glow with brightness. The World Tree Tribulation was not over.

Leon's attention did not linger on Lilith before it was drawn back to the Elder Tree. How would it survive the World Tree Tribulation?

In his heart, there was some faint hope and anticipation for its success.

It was true that with the knowledge he had inherited, he could produce countless improved energy conversion devices to power airships and cultivate his people among many other things he could do with the knowledge.

However, whether it is flawed or improved, artificial spirit energy was after all, still artificial spirit energy. It was not true spirit energy. There might still be problems or defects that even Arden himself did not discover before his passing.

The situation totally changes if there was a World Tree. It would start producing genuine spirit energy just like a Celestial Ruler revitalizing the planet.

Thus, if the Elder Tree succeeds, it would be the start of the golden age of divine practitioners on Gaia. All the citizens of the kingdom of Crawford will reap the benefits with their practiced breathing techniques.

As Leon was lost in his thoughts, the Elder Tree began to glow green and recover from the damages it sustained with the overflowing lifeforce it collected.

As if the Elder Tree had a lingering fear of the first strike, it also did not take the brunt of the upcoming second strike. Its long tree roots stretched and weaved together to form a protective layer above itself.

However, the World Tree Tribulation did not give it the time it needed to recover and prepare fully. In the next instance, another white flash was already upon it.

BOOM!

The second was noticeably more powerful than the last. Everyone had already shuffled some paces back but the wind pressure from the second clash sent them back several paces more.

Leon strained his eyes to peer through the brilliance of the tribulation lightning and faintly saw wisps of red energy dispelled from the Elder Tree's body as it was struck.

His eyes narrowed at this sight. This World Tree Tribulation seemed a bit different from the records in his memory, but this should not be a surprise.

The Vandelheim Star Realm in which Gaia was located, operated under similar but different sets of laws. Perhaps even the entire unknown starfield was the same.

Knowledge from the Divine Realm would not always be accurate.

The red wisps of energy appeared to be the flawed artificial spirit energy that the Elder Tree relied on to survive all these years.

At this moment, it looked like the tribulation lightning was purifying it from this impure energy.

Leon had to agree that being showered in the white tribulation lightning, the Elder Tree did look more holy despite the damages it was sustaining at the same time.

After the second strike faded into the darkness created by the dark tribulation clouds that blotted out the sun, everyone could see the shape of the Elder Tree.

It did not look like it would be able to take a third strike. It was scorched black in parts of its body and half of its lush green leaves were missing. Only the empty branches could be seen in these parts.

'It's not going to make it.'

Leon creased his brows. Although the tribulation clouds were taking longer to charge up its third attack like it was gathering up the last of its energy, it was still there. It has not dispersed yet.

The third strike will be the final strike. This was something everyone present could also guess.

The Elder Tree had a bigger window of time to recover with the overflowing lifeforce stored inside it, but it may not be enough.

The ascension of a World Tree benefited all life, but with his knowledge on the usage of spirit energy, humanity will stand to gain more from it.

He could not let it fail. He had to make some effort to assist it or he would regret it.

Leon threw his caution to the wind and began withdrawing all the healing pills of all tiers in his reserve and under the startled gazes of his surroundings.

Their eyes widened like saucers. Where did these pill bottles come from?!

From their perspective, Leon was pulling the pill bottles out of thin air. If it was not sorcery, then they do not know what it was.

Too lazy to be concerned about their thoughts and suspicions, Leon took his stance and began tossing the pill bottles over the 3000-yard distance to the Elder Tree with his lopsided—Ahem, strong right arm.

The Tree Spirit of the Elder Tree sensed the incoming projectiles from Leon and shot out with some of its shorter tree roots to smash the pill bottles before accurately impaling each pill before they fell to the ground.

Whether it succeeds in overcoming the World Tree Tribulation or not, Leon's assistance was most welcomed and will forever be remembered.

It was not bothered by the fact that Leon's group escaped its devouring lifeforce domain, an ability that comprised of wood and spatial laws.

As the saying went, a friend in need was a friend indeed.

Furthermore, the lifeforce and energy from their group of several hundred was an insignificant number compared to the millions upon tens of millions of ants it devoured.

Leon did not have much hope to gain from his actions, but a boost to its small chance of success was better than nothing.

All the medicinal essence was rung dry from the pills and absorbed into the Elder Tree's body, but it no longer had the time to enjoy the boosted recovery.

The third strike finally shot down with nerve-wracking and heart-stopping force.

If the first strike was compared to a force that could erase mortals from existence, then the third strike was a force that threatened to drill through their very planet!

Each consecutive strike was stronger than the last!

The Elder Tree's defense did not hold.

Everyone averted their eyes the moment the blinding light appeared. If they did not, they would have suffered.

They could only helplessly watch themselves get blown away once more.

Was this a warning from the heavens to never defy them?

At the end of the third strike, the dark tribulation clouds had finally used up the last of its energy and began to disperse as daylight returned to the region thereafter.

At the source of all the commotion, the Elder Tree laid dormant, completely scorched black with no area left unchecked. All its leaves were gone, and it looked no different to a dead tree.

"I-Is it finally over?"

A person questioned with doubt. The fearless experience had shocked them silly. The people began to share their opinions among themselves.

Leon looked silently at the blackened Elder Tree. Disappointment could be seen in his eyes, but he did not look away. He had not given up on it.

Ba-dump…

Everyone suddenly went quiet. It was as if they had just heard the beating of a heart, but they were not too sure.

Ba-dump… Ba-dump…

They heard it again. It was not their imagination.

They looked around, wondering which person among them had such a loud beating heart.

"Was it you?"

"No? How about you?"

"You?"

"What about you?"

Questions flew around, but everyone shook their heads.

Their gazes soon landed on the blackened Elder Tree.

It would not be the Elder Tree, right? They have heard about the heart of the tree, but it wouldn't be an actual beating heart, would it?

With these doubts, they silently watched the dead-looking Elder Tree. Just as they were about to give up, a cracked appeared on its scorched blackened surface.

Crack…

The crack began to pick up speed and spread to the rest of the Elder Tree's body before all the charred parts fell apart like broken shells.

A sparkling new surface was revealed underneath with a tinge of holiness as new leaves began to sprout from the empty branches.

The Elder Tree was alive. Not only was it alive, but it was also recovering and growing at an alarming rate just like a newborn planting sprouting from its seed! The limitless sunlight was aiding its rebirth and growth.

The ground rumbled as everyone looking down at the Elder Tree from ground level began to look up at it!

It went from big to bigger!

Palace guards gaped in shock. They started to rub their eyes like they were dreaming.

There was only so much someone can take in at once. The series of events had shocked them one after another and they began to question reality.

The Elder Tree, no, the World Tree did not stop until it reached a grand height of 10000fts and its entire body exuded awe-inspiring holiness.

Elder Evergreen and his fellow villagers could not help but prostrate themselves and worship it like they had just witnessed the birth of a divinity.

The tree spirit was lofty and proud of its success, but it felt like it owes all its achievement to Leon.

Without the sunlight, it would not have the hope to break through and without the medicinal pills, it would not have survived.

It had been awfully close to failing, but the healing pills no matter how insignificant it was, it provided just enough to protect the core of its being and kept its spirit alive.

If the spirit lived, then its body can be revived, but if its spirit is dead then no matter what method is used, the body cannot be revived.

Leon finally smiled.

Today, history was made and all are honored to have witnessed it.. The first World Tree in Gaia was born this very day.

Chapter 234 - Return To Capital

First in History!

The sense of achievement was inexplicably pleasant. Leon, who had a part of this achievement felt emotionally proud.

Who would utterly understand how difficult it had been for the tree spirit to elevate to the World Tree level in this barren world?

No one could also understand what the tree spirit was feeling either. It had lived underground all its life, not know what sunlight even was in its entire life, but the moment the first ray of sunlight shined upon, it felt like it an incomplete puzzle that just received its missing piece, completing it.

If it knew there was such a thing so close to it and it was only separated by a few hundred feet of earth, it would have long dug its way through to the surface.

Nevertheless, living underground all its life, the moment rose to the surface, it also rose to the peak of life!

The World Tree Tribulation lightning destroyed its body but also remolded it and elevated its spirit.

Right now, if Leon were to talk to it, he would be surprised to find out that they would finally be able to hold a conversation.

While the people prostrated to it, they had the illusion of the tree spirit standing tall and lofty while looking up at the sun.

Hm?

The tree spirit suddenly looked towards the west as if it had discovered something. After a moment, there were some shuffling movements in the earth before the World Tree rose to its full 10000ft above ground level.

It had pulled itself out of the underground and burrowed its tree roots back into the earth.

Its action also happened to partly cover up the subterranean space with its enormity, but this would still not stop people from coming to visit the monstrosity that appeared out of nowhere.

If they come close enough, they would also be able to see the empty void of the subterranean space through the gaps where sunlight shone through.

The World Tree was demonstrating its authority and the Elder Tree in the west shivered in subservience to the World Tree's rule.

Endless amount of sunlight was absorbed before spirit energy began billowing out of from the World Tree.

A comfortable and pleasant washed over everyone as their pores opened and tried to greedily devour the newfound energy in the atmosphere.

The palace guards were surprised, while some with quicker wits directly sat down in meditation and began practicing the breathing technique.

Lilith blinked for a moment before she reacted the same way, although she appeared to be practicing a different technique.

Leon trained his eyes on her as he sneakily studied her technique.

With his observant eyes, sharp ears, and divine sense, he could feel Lilith absorbing the spirit energy, but she did not store it in the energy center in her glabella.

Instead, she stored it in her pore after she refined the energy.

The method slightly surprised him, but it should be a Body Forging method that tempers the flesh.

While everyone was lost in their own worlds, absorbing the spirit energy that started perforating the air, Leon did a quick inspection of himself.

Within his sea of consciousness, the elemental seeds seemed to have made some progress in its merge.

Knowing that it was only a matter of a few days before the merge is complete after doing a quick calculation, a burden in his heart was lifted.

Disregarding the fact that not being able to do what he used to be able to do was an inconvenience to him, the fact that he could refine pills without relying on earthly fire was a bigger problem.

'Just a few more days…' Leon silently noted.

His elemental seed commenced its own fusion when the five-element cycle was completed. This should be due to his Five Element Body, but when it did not take that long to form his Five Element Body when he reached initial success.

Was it taking longer for his elemental seeds to merge due to the presence of a 6th element, the lightning seed?

After the merge is completed, would his soul become the Five Element Soul—No, Six Element Soul? And how would this benefit him? Would he gain some immunity to elemental damages to his soul?

Leon was amused by his own thoughts. He was not sure, but time will tell.

"Oh?"

His attention suddenly turned to one of the palace guards and rubbed his chin.

"Not bad, already broken through to the next layer."

Given time, the spirit energy produced by the World Tree would spread across the continent, but the source of it all would always be the densest.

Right now, this place could be considered a holy land of cultivation. It wasn't on the same density level of the Divine Realm, but maybe one day, it will.

Should he establish his own sect here? He was a prince and could indeed command the kingdom's forces, but it might not be a bad idea to set up his own power of influence.

Once the thought appeared, it stuck to him like glue.

Perhaps, in the future when they reach great success in their cultivation, he would take the loyal ones with him to wage war on the villainous Divine Kings back in the Divine Realm.

Leon's eyes glinted.

Every time he thought of the traitorous subordinates and the vile Divine Kings that returned gratitude with malice, he would get flashbacks of his dying father and his heart would be set aflame with great fury.

While rage burned inside him, no changes were seen on the surface. He was gradually learning to control his anger, despite occasional outbursts.

He tried not to think about it and move on.

Glancing around, he began to feel slightly envious of the palace guards. Everyone was cultivating. He was the only one idle.

"Aish, everyone is cultivating except me," Leon muttered with a slight complaint.

He could not cultivate spirit energy until he removes the pseudo-Grandmist Revolving Core from his glabella. He could only refine some more strands of pseudo-Grandmist energy.

After refining two strands, he stopped.

Perhaps, he was biting more than he can chew by intending to practice and learn so many areas of focus, but life was about learning.

To live is to learn. If one is not learning, are they even living?

Noticing Elder Evergreen and his villagers have finished their worship, Leon took the initiative to talk.

"I intend to return to the Capital to grab and prepare a few things. Will you be following me back or staying here to set up a new village?"

"What do you mean—"

Elder Evergreen was confused by his question, but midway through asking, he realized why.

"Oh."

Elder Evergreen stared up at the towering World Tree and felt his mouth twitched.

Their village was at the very top, but the staircase of vines leading up had been overstretched and snapped from the tree's rapid growth.

Having a home that is inaccessible was the same as not having a home, hence Leon's question.

It wouldn't be difficult to find and set up accommodations for the few hundred 'Elven Spirits' back in the Capital, but they may not be ready to interact with the rest of human society with the language barrier between them.

"I'll stay and settle my fellow villagers down first. After I am done here, these old bones will be yours to command as promised." Elder Evergreen said with seriousness.

Leon was slightly surprised by the elder's words.

As he slowly recalled, the elder did mention something like that. Although it did not transpire the way he expected, a promise was a promise.

Leon found it ironic that the Elder had regained his freedom only to lose it again by subordinating himself to him. Nevertheless, this made the elder trustworthy and a man of his words.

He felt slightly awkward inwardly, but he calmly nodded, "En, that's fine with me."

After expending his two newly refined strands of energy to transmit a slightly bigger package of Gaian language to Elder Evergreen, he made some arrangements for some palace guards to stay back and accompany them.

If someone arrives, at least the palace guards would be able to explain and not be troubled by the language barrier.

As for possible conflicts, he believed Elder Evergreen would be able to resolve it.

After a quick inquiry, he had learned that Elder Evergreen and his villagers had regained access to their cultivation again in their new forms, albeit with some wood element thrown into the mix.

Elder Evergreen was a Seeking Insight-Level Transcendent. He could deter many, if not all people with his powerful cultivation.

With peace of mind, Leon made his way back to the Capital with only half the palace guards.

Lilith did not follow him and decided to stick with Elder Evergreen and his villagers.

After receiving the basic language package from Leon, she figured the best way to digest the knowledge was to put it to practice. Likewise, Elder Evergreen also made vain attempts at conversing with her.

However, whether it was the Ancient language or the Gaian language, neither of the languages could be mastered in a single day even if Leon were to transmit the entire knowledge to them.

The two did not progress past the greeting stage and anything beyond that was just headache-inducing for the both of them.

They decided to sit down and freshen up on their newfound knowledge before striking up another 'conversation'.

After Leon left, the Queen, along with Aria, Lynne, and the 2000 troops finally arrived at the scene.

The palace guards quickly filled them in briefly before a misunderstanding occurred between Elder Evergreens group and the Queen.

They were disappointed to learn that they had just missed Leon.

"If you leave now, you might be able to catch up to his Highness, Your Majesty." A palace guard said respectfully to the Queen.

Aria and Lynne looked at each other before looking back at the Queen. Elizabeth nodded with a smile and said, "Go. Be quick."

She also missed her son dearly, but she was weighed down by responsibilities.

She could not be away from the frontlines for too long. They were in the middle of a war and the World Tree had caused quite the stir. She had to stay back to control the situation.

But it was different for Aria and Lynne. Although she could use their assistance, it wasn't a must to have them by her side, so she granted them temporary leave to catch up with her son.

Watching the two ladies disappear into the horizon with slightly flushed faces, Elizabeth shook her head before her smile gradually faded.

The palace guard mentioned the prince taking half the palace guards with him in their short briefing, but there was no mention of the captain and when she did a quick count, the numbers didn't add up.

The strongest of their group fell in battle, perhaps? That's is very questionable.

"Give me the full report. I want to hear everything that happened down there.." While facing the palace guard, Elizabeth said with a cold and serious expression.

Chapter 235 - Who Will Go?

Clank, clink, clink…

Every day of the week, from day to night and from night to day, the sound of hammering metal never stopped coming from the Lancaster's workshop tower as steam continue to puff from its steel pipes in rhythmic intervals.

The number of qualifying apprentice blacksmiths gradually exceeded the workplace capacity of the workshop.

As wealthy as the Lancasters were, their money did not supply them enough hands to meet the demands of the ongoing projects in the Capital.

Concessions were made and the North District's nobles were happily taken on board. Discontent was quelled and everyone was happy to have a part of the blacksmithing industry.

Sharing slices of a bigger cake was better than hogging a small cake to oneself, especially if it hinders the kingdom's development. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

It was a strategy to win back the hearts of the nobles and give them a sense of belonging to the kingdom rather than to exploit them as the Queen and Prince did.

This strategy was not planned by Duke Ignis, but devised by the king, Heinrich.

To prosper together or to perish in the annals of history.

When the kingdom is faced with outside threats, it was more important than ever for the people to be united.

Right now, a third of the Upper North District had been transformed into blacksmithing workshops and metallurgy factories to meet the project demands.

In addition to the changes to North Upper District, 20% of the Lower District's reconstruction project was completed, three surrounding cities have been connected to the Capital via the railway project and the framework design for the underground district was drawn.

If Leon was present, he would be impressed by the progress during his absence from the Capital.

Indeed, once production was all on track and the transport system linked up the important and resourceful cities, the Capital was able to receive a steady chain of supplies for their building projects.

The steam-powered steel carriage, which they later called the train was able to save dozens of trips and countless days' worth of time transporting limestones, logs, and various other materials and necessities.

Half of the commoner population had moved into their new residential complexes and no longer had to camp on the outskirts of the Capital.

Moving further outwards, large fields of crops had been set up all around on the outskirts. To the east was a wheat field that was grown exceedingly quick and large under the direct management of the Greene family.

Not only was it almost ready for harvest, but it was also going to be a big bumper harvest.

Lina's parents had toiled hard to guarantee that the wheat they have grown will be able to feed the entire Capital for an additional month.

Everyone in the Capital was surprised when the World Tree Tribulation appeared. For a moment, everyone had all stopped work and looked towards the east.

Although none of them understood what the birth of a World Tree entails, spirit energy was beginning to fill the world, and this will eventually improve all walks of life.

Lina's parents will soon find out that the spirit energy will aid the growth of their crops even further. Everything was turning for the better and they will be able to achieve self-sustainability once more.

…

In the Wildlands, within the center of a great forest, a commotion was being stirred by a crowd that gathered by the foot of a great tree. Their faces were all fraught with doubts, uneasiness, and confusion.

"What is going on here?"

A sweet voice sounded as a young lady of human stature arrived before the crowd with a basket of herbs.

The young lady had long blonde hair, long sharp ears, and sparkling emerald eyes. She appeared to be very young and was the epitome of beauty, but her actual age cannot be accurately determined with a glance by ordinary humans.

The crowd also shared similar appearances as they belong to the same race that is not human but also did not stray too far from human origins. If humans saw them, they would be surprised and exclaim, "Elves".

"P-Princess Faelyn."

The crowd greeted with pleasant surprise and respect as they turned and identify the owner of the sweet voice.

Princess Faelyn was the fifth princess of their elven tribe, Elvengarde. She was also the youngest princess. She was a down-to-earth princess that likes to pick herbs and interact with elves of common birth.

"T-The Guardian Spirit is…"

One of the male elves stuttered bashfully due to her fairy-like charms.

"What's wrong with the Guardian Spirit?"

Princess Faelyn felt her heart tightened at the crowd's worried look at the mention of the Guardian Spirit. Did something happen to the Guardian Spirit?

"The Guardian Spirit is cowering…" The male elf finally answered with much difficulty.

Princess Faelyn dropped the basket of herbs while gasping with wide eyes and one hand over her mouth. The great protector of their tribe was cowering? How can that be? What was it cowering from?

There were no mid-tier tribes within 3000 miles of their great forest. This means that there should not be any Seeking Insight-level Transcendents within their area.

But even then, a Seeking Insight-level Transcendent would not be enough to cause their Guardian Spirit. Only those existences from high-tier tribes could instill such fear.

Noticing her loss of bearing, Princess Faelyn drew in a sharp breath to calm herself down before asking, "Which Venerable Paragon is visiting?"

The crowd of elves looked at each other cluelessly. They did not have an answer to that question. No one knew what was causing their Guardian Spirit to cower.

The princess fell silent in thought as their lack of an answer. Did it have something to do with the phenomenon she sensed just now?

None of the Elves on ground level were aware of the World Tree's ascension that took place recently despite sensing the phenomenon.

They just took it as another Transcendent Phenomenon happening, which was not a rare occurrence within the Wildlands.

The majority of the elves live their entire lives on the ground level within the great forest by the Elder Tree.

Sunlight rarely enters this deep in the forest, but despite this, the elven tribe was not a place filled with perpetual darkness.

The Elder Tree of the great forest was not like the Elder Tree of the underground.

It was blessed by sunlight all year round and overflowed with the wood element and lifeforce that permeated to its surrounding.

These wood elemental energy and lifeforce reached a density where it could be seen in the form of glowing green particles and the entire elven tribe was alight by these particles that were neither too bright nor too dark. It was just right.

The setting suffuses the tribe in ethereal and otherworldly ambiance and outsiders stepping foot into Elvengarde would feel like they had stumbled into the holy sanctuary of another world.

Although Elves also live up in the Elder Tree as well, that place was only reserved for royalty and elders of the council.

While the elves below had no idea what was going on, everyone above was in the know. They could see the World Tree that appeared over the horizon.

A meeting was being held by the high council of elders along with the elven queen and king as they discuss what course of action they should take.

A World Tree had appeared, and their own Guardian Spirit had just submitted to it.

"What thoughts does everyone have? The humans have managed to cultivate a World Tree and our own Guardian Spirit pales in comparison. The life and death of every plant on this continent can be decided under the World Tree's whims. If the humans learn to control the World Tree, then…"

The Elven King did not speak further. Everyone understood the underlying message. They would be at the mercy of the other side.

The High Elves were inwardly prideful and independent. How could they allow this?

The relationship between the Human Domain and Wildlands was not good and can even be considered terrible.

They also knew just how easy it is to befriend the Guardian Spirit. Tree spirits were sacred and pure entities with child-like mentality the moment they gained sentience.

With the devious nature of humans, it was easy to trick the World Tree to do their bidding. At least, that is what the Elves believed and feared.

If a great war between humans and beasts break out once more, they would also be affected.

The council was split into two sides of opposing views on the matter.

The extremist believed they should invade and take control of the World Tree before others did. Tree spirits were like deities and the source of their belief. It should not belong to others.

On the other hand, the conservative group believed they should make peace and establish friendly ties to build a bridge between them and allow their race to visit the World Tree.

"It's impossible for humans to have cultivated a World Tree! I do not believe they are capable! It must be the tree spirit's own efforts!" A proud high elf elder slammed the round council table in disagreement.

Some elders shook their heads in disagreement, "You mean to tell us that by its own efforts, an Elder Tree that we had no knowledge, much less even seen so close to us, suddenly ascended to the World-level by its own efforts?"

"Why not?" Another elder interjected. "We've been doing all we can to help our Guardian Spirit grow, but has our efforts bore any fruits? No? I didn't think so."

One of the twelve elders, who had remained silent, suddenly said, "The Human Domain holds most of the ancient heritage from a bygone era. The humans could have unearthed their secrets and used the knowledge to aid the World Tree's breakthrough."

Seeing that the course of the debate was derailing from the main problem, the Elf Queen said, "How the World Tree ascended is not the problem. You can debate all you want, but your theories are all baseless without concrete proof and hold no meaning to this council. What we need to do is understand how this will affect us and come up with a plan if the situation is unfavorable."

"I concur. Regardless of what actions we take, contact with the Human Domain is unavoidable." The Elf said.

After a heated discussion, the elven council unanimously decided to send an envoy with autonomous authority to act as they see fit after establishing ties with the humans and understanding the situation relating to the World Tree within the Human Domain.

"Due to the bizarre incident relating to the beasts arising in the Wildlands, we can only send one. Who will go?"

The Elven King swept his gaze across the round table of elders. Everyone at the table was all Transcendents at the Preliminary Accession-level, but everyone avoided eye contact when the king swept pass them.

Only one can go? That seems quite dangerous. Count me out!

The Elf King had an ironic smile when he saw this.

Everyone was quite excited when discussing the problem, but when push comes to shove at spearheading the problem, no one was willing to venture outside their comfort zone.

"I will go."

A deep voice sounded from the depths of the room, away from the council table. Everyone was startled by this voice.

"Supreme Elder, you can't! We need here to hold the fort!"

Everyone began to panic.

The Guardian Spirit was the great protector of their Elven Tribe, Elvengarde, but it was only active when it feels threatened.

The one defending their borders from outside threats had always been the owner of the deep voice, the Supreme Elder of their tribe, and the only Seeking Insight-level Transcendent among them.

"The Human Domain holds great animosity for the Wildlands. The success of our diplomacy will depend on our deterring force and sincerity. For that, I will also be taking those two human prisoners with me and one of your daughters." The Supreme Elder said.

The pupils of the Elf King shrank before he drew a sharp breath and refused, "You want to use one of my daughters as a tool for negotiation? Absolutely not! I will not let them suffer!"

One had to know that when they captured the two humans that stumbled into their great forest, they were easily captivated by the beauty of the elves.

If they were to see any of the Elf King's daughters, which were the cream of the crop, the hearts of men might just be set ablaze by fiery lust that can only behave like animals.

In a situation where the Elves did not know the strengths of the Human Domain, he did not want to risk his daughter's wellbeing.

He loved his daughters. Perhaps, a little too much. What about sending one of his sons? Hold on…

He had four daughters, but only one son. He could not possibly send away his only heir, could he?!

'How about… making another?' The Elf King seriously contemplated.

"My words are final." The Supreme Elder said with irrefutable dominance.

The Elf King's hopes were dashed like a bucket of cold water poured over him.

He might be king, but the Wildlands was the world of the strong. The biggest fist has the biggest say.

He was lucky enough that the Supreme Elder was not interested in his crown, otherwise, he would be forced to abdicate.

The Supreme Elder was not completely unreasonable and soften his tone with a sigh. "I had a premonition that the bizarre series of events with the beasts will soon engulf the Wildlands in a violent storm. The World Tree may be our only chance of survival in this unforgiving world."

The beasts had been growing increasingly violent and powerful in the past week like the prelude to the coming of a Second Cataclysm.

Just in the past week, he, alone, had already slain no fewer than a hundred berserk beast.

As for the princess, the Supreme Elder assured the Elf King that nothing would befall her. She was only there for appearance to make negotiations with the humans easier and no real action was required of her.

The Elf King could only reluctantly acquiesce to the Supreme Elder's decision.

Chapter 236 - Men's Tribulation In Life

With the appearance of the World Tree, the main road that leads to Azure Verdant Plains had been disconnected and a new road was required to be built around it in the future.

This empty grassland region the World Tree was found in, used to be the fiefdom of an old Baron. Just twenty miles southwest of the World Tree was a town by the name of Grasscrest Town with a moderate population of 5000 people.

Leon and his group of palace guards did not stop by this town. After finding their general direction, they made a straight line for the Capital. However, they had underestimated the distance between them.

The Capital was not situated in the center of its vast territory but relatively closer to the Great Wall in the west.

A great distance had to be covered to reach the Capital from the eastern borders.

Given that Leon had limitless energy to burn to fly at his greatest speed, it would just be a matter of hours to reach the Capital.

However, he was traveling by foot and with a group of slow palace guards. A matter of hours had been stretched a few days.

A steam-powered vehicle running at full throttle would still be quicker at this point because machines do not tire as they do.

At this moment, Leon and the palace guards were taking a break by the main road, hoping for a random vehicle to pass them by so they could hitch a ride. Oh, how they had fallen.

Leon was not tired and could keep going, but he had to consider the state of his palace guards, who ran in full suits of armor.

The memory of the prince pulling pill bottles out of thin air still lingered on their minds, but Leon made no comment when the question was raised. In the end, it was not their place to dig into the secrets of royalty.

While the palace guards quietly cultivated during the rest, Leon did the same.

Pseudo-Grandmist energy was refined and used to temper his meridians, one strand at a time.

Learning from his past mistakes, he did not attempt to temper his meridians with multiple strands at once.

Not only would it put him into shock with his eyes rolling back from the pain again, but he would also be giving the palace guards all a heart attack.

After two repetitions, Leon sighed and stopped.

'It's too slow!'

If he wants to make great progress in Body Forging, the pain was something he needed to get used to.

Leon adjusted his plans and decided to gather whatever dry branches he could find in the surrounding.

Where there are trees, there are bound to be branches.

The grassland was vast and fertile, but it was not completely flat and empty. Occasional trees and shrubs can be seen growing in various parts of it.

While picking up the dry branches by the foot of a tree, Leon thought that it was quite appropriate to use the undeveloped grassland for farming. Crops and medicinal herbs would grow well near the World Tree.

Leon was naturally prepared to resort to primitive means to start a fire for pill refining.

"Leon!"

Leon pricked his ears as he heard his name being faintly called in the distance by two familiar voices. He turned with suspicions, but his eyes glowered with pleasant surprises right after.

"What are you both doing here? Shouldn't you both be in the Capital?"

The nearby palace guards looked at each other confusion. The prince didn't know? Through their slight interaction with the logistics group, they were made aware of the situation in the eastern borders.

"Did no one report the news to his Highness that her Majesty and both Miss Aria and Miss Lynne were at the eastern borders?"

One of the palace guards awkwardly scratched his head and said, "The prince said to absolutely not disturb him unless it is urgent back then."

The palace guard did not mention that he had forgotten about it after.

The rest was speechless. It is not urgent, but it is pretty damn important, no? If the Queen is not important then they do not know what is, not to mention the war that started.

Aria and Lynne were ready to dive into his arms the moment they found him, but they awkwardly froze when they realize that they were not alone in the wild. There was a group of palace guards nearby watching them.

At the end of the day, they were both ladies with a certain amount of reservations. They did not dare to display public affections wantonly. Despite that, it did not hide the longing and affections they had in their eyes.

"Alright, I know you both have missed me. I missed you both too. Come, my darlings."

Leon had dropped the bunch of dry branches, dusted his hands and spread his arms wide open to embrace them, but despite doing all this, none of the two ladies moved.

The two had heard him but they did not dare as their faces began to flush red with embarrassment.

Leon retracted his arms after it was awkwardly left hanging. He scratched the back of his head with a wryly smile, wondering if secluded cultivation had turned them both meek.

It was not the first time they showed affections for another and they been through much further.

He also did not forget that they were all 17 years of age. Despite having his mental age breaking the hundred years after the inheritance induction, he did not feel any mental burden that he was too old for them.

In the cultivation world, age was just a number once they all reach adulthood. If both parties were willing, why would it matter?

However, he did silently rejoice that the inheritance induction only contained the raw knowledge Arden had comprehended throughout his life and not the full package of his private life as well.

Otherwise, it would not have been as simple as several decades, but several hundreds of years spent in the dreamscape time chamber.

By then, forget the fact that his mental age would have reached the level of being their founding ancestor, his body would have died. It was quite the close shave with death.

In any case, it did not change the fact that he was mentally over a hundred years old, enough to be their great grandpas. Perhaps it was true what they say that a thick skin grows with age.

Seeing that the two ladies remained motionless, he took the initiative to step forward and wrapped his arms around both them, and pulled them into his embrace.

Lynne, who had always been the more energetic and bolder one of the two, found her courage after Leon's arm wrapped around her.

She wrapped her own arms around him and hugged him even tighter.

On the other hand, Aria was more quiet and timid. It was like the confidence she had worked up to no longer hide her beauty under her hair was drained away.

Her face turned bright as a tomato and softly muttered, "Don't… there are people watching…"

Her voice grew softer by the moment until she finally burrowed her head in his chest as his hand audaciously and teasingly roamed her back.

At the same time, Leon flashed the palace guards a warning gaze that silently implied, "Had you looked enough?"

The palace guards choked on their own spit and averted their eyes awkwardly. It would be a lie if they said they were not interested in Leon's messy love life.

Each of them either had a single wife or a single girlfriend, but never two. They had enough troubles that come with one partner. They cannot imagine what kind of shit storm that comes with two or more partners.

Puppy love was the most intense and shallow in romantic attachment. In this stage, women were the most forgiving and loving. They can even be considered angels.

They do not have many expectations and do not mind the little fuckups you do, and would be able to smile through it all.

The following stage was what the palace guards were all looking forward to seeing. That is when they turn into the devil and start fighting over the littlest of things you do that irks them.

Every one of the palace guards that has been in a relationship had been through this and still is.

They would take their helmets off to Leon if he can make it past this stage because when the storm comes calling, there is no use fighting back. They can only endure it and admit their wrongs.

For every excuse men come up with, women would bring up ten more faults to add from their list of bottomless depths.

Men can never win an argument against women. Even if they were right, they would still wrong. It is frustrating enough to bring a man to tears.

If the tribulation of life had three types of heaven, earth, and human, then heaven would be the tribulation that comes from cultivation, while earth would be the tribulation that comes from the dangers the world throws at you.

As for humans, the palace guards would all undoubtedly agree that women were the human tribulation of life for men. Those palace maids were all too feisty.

They can be dragons among men and sons of heaven outside all they want, but when they are home with their partners, even if they were proud lions, they can only be meek cats.

Leon had no idea what sorts of ridiculous thoughts the palace guards were having, but if he knew, he would have simply laughed it off. He was no expert in women, but problems usually arise from forgetting small details.

With the small boost in memory retention that comes from divine cultivation, if they still experience these problems between couples, then he could only say that they were either incompetent or their partners simply weighed that little of importance in their hearts.

He brought the two ladies to the foot of a shady tree seated each of them on his laps. After giving them both a peck on the cheeks that caused them to blush with a rosy color, they began to catch up.

"How was your secluded cultivation? What happened to the Capital in these past two weeks?" Leon asked.

It was only then that the two ladies noticed something wrong with Leon and paled with concern.

"Your cultivation…"

Chapter 237 - The Enemy's Scheme

"Fret not, this is just a temporary state. It is a bit complicated to explain. Basically, I did not lose my cultivation. I just cannot use it temporarily. But you both do not need to worry about this. I can still defend myself."

Leon said with a smile as he enjoyed their concerned looks. Seeing that they were unconvinced by his words, he suggested, "How about this, Lynne, you draw your sword and give me your best strike. I will show you."

Lynne's eyes began to turn red at his suggestion. "How can you be so cruel? How can you make me do such a thing?"

In her mind, Leon's suggestion was no different from borrowing her hand to send him off.

Not being able to use one's cultivation was as good as being crippled.

The loss of one's cultivation was a big blow to any cultivator, and some would rather end their life than to continue to suffer hardship and public scrutiny.

Leon did not know whether to laugh or cry. He could only scratch his cheek with a helpless smile.

"It's not what you think. Fine, let me show you myself."

With that, he quickly drew the magisteel sword from Lynne's sword sheath and retreated some distance from them before raising the sword high with his left hand.

"What are you trying to…"

Aria and Lynne were both startled before they proceeded to scream in their mind when they Leon dropped the blade on his own arm!

Noooo!

That is a magisteel sword! Its sharpness was incomparable to an ordinary steel sword, but even then, it was not something that the human flesh can withstand!

Leon was very quick. They had no chance to stop him at all. They could only close their eyes with despair.

Pang!

The ringing sound of metal hitting metal was heard as the two ladies slowly reopened their eyes with doubts. That was not the sort of sword cutting flesh sound they were had anticipated, not that they were expecting it either.

Under their gaze, Leon's right arm was perfectly intact, and the remnant blue afterglow of the Body Rune being activated could be seen.

The Body Rune looked very fascinating. It was like some sort of strange stigmata-like tattoo that suddenly appeared.

Under normal circumstances, it could not be seen and only appear when triggered like a face that only turns rosy after being flushed.

Nevertheless, their minds did not linger on this as they both rushed forth to check his arm in detail. Only after they had made sure that nothing was wrong, they sighed with relief.

"How's that? Convinced now?" Leon grinned.

He was not proud that only his right arm was currently like this but having this degree of defense made him almost invincible against all weapons.

Aria and Lynne were relieved that Leon's right arm was okay, but when they heard his tone, they became rattled and smacked him on the shoulders.

"Why did you tell us? Are you trying to frighten us to death?!" Lynne snarled.

Leon felt like he was being wronged.

He tried to explain, okay? It was you two that believe me!

Aria had a crimson flush on her face as her eyes darted between his arm and face intermittently. She moved some loose strands of hair behind her ears as her gaze seemed to lose focus and mumbled, "Such a powerful right arm… Was it really that lonely down there?"

"Aria! I-It doesn't work that way!" Lynne exclaimed in shock, but a red hue could also be seen on her face. Obviously, she was not too confident either.

Aria's eyes widened upon the realization that she had just voiced her thoughts and ended up covering her face with both hands in shame for having such thoughts.

Leon wanted to scream hysterically in his mind while on the verge of a mental breakdown. He felt incredibly depressed that even his women had the same misunderstanding.

At the same time, he felt he had sinned, believing the source of Aria's corruption was his handiwork.

…

"Hi."

"Hello."

"My name… is… Green Forever."

"Name… Li… Lit."

Back at the outer perimeters of the foot of the World Tree, Lilith and Elder Evergreen continued to practice their introduction.

Their passion for learning was incredible, but it appears that they still needed to freshen up on their knowledge before they speak.

Learn to walk before learning to run was the way things should be.

It was unknown what sort of miscommunication would be carried out at the rate these two were going. If Leon were present, he would find it too painful to watch.

Further away from their group was Elizabeth along with the palace guards and the soldiers.

After receiving the full report from the palace guards, the atmosphere had suddenly dropped to a freezing point, as everyone felt hard to breathe with still hearts.

Chilling rays of killing intent flickered across Elizabeth's eye.

It was even possible for a captain of the palace guards to betray them, who else could not be possible?

Due to her negligence all these years, it really was starting to bite back at her. She had almost lost her son!

Not from the dangers of the underground, but from within their own ranks!

Everyone had always felt pressured in the presence of the Queen, but after reaching Transcendence, this pressure had even increased by folds.

Just based on the pressure of the Queen's aura, they felt their battle efficiency dropped by half.

If the Queen wanted their life, they would be like fishes on the chopping board, utterly helpless and unable to put up a shred of resistance.

Thankfully, the bellowing killing intent emanating from the Queen was not directed at them.

Otherwise, the soldiers, who had yet to even break past the entry 6th step Awakener realm, would all be frothing on the ground.

Even the amicable Elder Evergreen was alarmed in the distance.

'Such a dense murderous aura! How many humans have died to cultivate such killing intent?!'

Elizabeth momentarily closed her eyes. Right now, she just wants to return the battlefield and start a massacre.

She reopened her eyes with chilling calmness and said, "We rest for another hour. If there is no news, we return to the Eastern Borders!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The soldiers answered uniformly.

They were waiting for news from the scouts that have been sent out earlier to search the distant areas surrounding the World Tree.

The alarming appearance of the World Tree would draw people towards, whether they were friends or foes.

But disregarding that, they were not so stupid to believe that the Azure Verdant Plains would be the only battlefield against two kingdoms.

The Tri-bridge within the Azure Verdant Plains region that connected the Crawford Kingdom to other kingdoms, but it was not the only bridge there was.

In the other regions along the Azure River that divide their borders, there also other bridges.

For example, much further down south along the Azure River and between the Crawford-Valaran Border was the unaffiliated Aqualeaf Town that exists within the small Aqualeaf Region.

The Azure River that flows through this town was one of the narrowest parts of the great river.

In the north, there was also the Extreme Misty Forest they also had to guard against. Who knows if the enemy had plans to invade their kingdom through the cover of the forest or not?

In truth, the Queen was right to have her precaution, but things never go according to plan. Bad news arrived abruptly.

"Your Majesty! I come bearing bad news from the southeast!"

A shadow guard rushed forward in an extremely sorry state. Soaked in blood and covered in severe cuts and bruises, it was questionable how the shadow guard was even still alive, but his determination and conviction to make it this far was noteworthy.

Elizabeth had an extremely bad premonition, but she did not immediately ask for the report. If the shadow guard died on her now, it would all be for naught.

"Someone come and tend to the wounds of this brave soul!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

A medical soldier stepped forward emergency first aid kit and low-quality recovery pills easily found on the Upper District market.

However, the shadow guard had more concern for the delivery of the news than his own life.

"Y-Your Majesty! Eastfell Border Region has fallen! The 5000 garrison troops had been completely wiped out! It is now being occupied by an army of 20000 soldiers and more are pouring in from Aqualeaf Region!"

Everyone thunderstruck by the news.

Although Eastfell Border was a day's journey away from Azure Verdant Plains regional border, there should have been ample time for the news to reach them and allowed them to send support to East fell.

How could Eastfell Border fall before the news even reached them?!

"Where's the rest of the shadowguards? What about Eastfell City?" Elizabeth asked with frightening calmness. She did not blame shadowguard as she sensed something fishy.

At the mention of Eastfell City and the rest of the shadowguards, the rims of the shadowguard's eyes turned red.

"Dead! All dead! The Lord of Eastfell City had been hiding powerful masters within his city. He was the one who ordered them to kill all my brothers to seal the news! We were caught off guard before the enemy troops even appeared before our borders! You must avenge them, your Majesty!"

The shadowguard pleaded with desperation before violently coughing up blood and taking his last breath.

"He's dead…"

The medical soldier said helplessly after checking the body for a pulse. The surrounding soon fell silent with a heavy mood.

What sort of willpower was required for a 6th step shadowguard to not only avoid the onslaught of pursuing enemy masters but stick around long enough to determine the numbers of the attacking enemy troops before bringing the news back to them?

The soldiers could hardly imagine the untold hardship the shadowguard had gone through in order to succeed, but this was a person worthy of their utmost respect!

Every soldier present felt their own eyes turning red with gripped fists.

A commander took one step forward and saluted to the corpse, "Thank you for your service!"

The rest of the soldiers followed suit in unison.

"Thank you for your service!"

Elizabeth never felt so uncomfortable after witnessing the death of one of her subjects. She gripped her fist with a vicious gleam.

Illusory Butterfly Sect! Bloodfiend Sect! These two sects must be eradicated at all costs!

'Oh, no!'

Suddenly, she realized something and barked, "We return to the Eastern Borders immediately!"

…

Azure Verdant Plains, Tri-bridge, Enemy Camp.

An Inner Sect Elder of the Bloodfiend Sect stood respectfully before another elderly person from his sect and reported with a wily smile, "The giant tree's appearance was unexpected but by now, news of the south should have made their way to the enemy and drawn away their Transcendent. Right now, the enemy in front of us is without a master. Everyone is now ready and just waiting on your command, Grand Elder."

When the Crawford Kingdom's side had a Transcendent present, the Grand Elder of the Bloodfiend Sect did not dare confront the enemy despite being a Transcendent himself. He did not like to partake in endeavors with elements of uncertainty.

But now that the Transcendent was gone, he had no apprehension about personally charging into the battlefield to slay mortals despite his status.

They only had one mission from the Sect Leader. Take down the Capital with lightning speed!

The Grand Elder revealed a set of jagged black teeth and waved his hand.

"Begin the attack!"