Chapter 1091, Gathering at the Ancestral Tree

Translator: Silavin

 

Beneath the gazes of the Elf Queen and Jade Elder, the Runes that made up the Array before them began spinning with ever-increasing speed. In that fashion, the barrier looked as though it might be breached at any moment.

 

At this juncture, Jade Elder was burning with anxiety. If the Array sealing the Tree of Life’s leak shattered, the Tree of Life would be in mortal peril.

 

In this moment, the Elf Queen’s heart tightened as well, though her expression remained as serene as ever. It would tell nothing of her inner thoughts to those who looked upon her face.

 

At a time like this, any sign of agitation on her part would likely cause Jade Elder to erupt and tear Qin Yichen to pieces.

 

For now, Irene could only pray that her instincts had not led her astray. If they had, she would become an eternal sinner of the Elf Race.

 

*Crack…*

 

Suddenly, a faint and delicate sound rang out. As the Runes that made up the barrier spun at tremendous speed, one Rune abruptly fractured and collapsed.

 

In that single instant, a surge of Power of Life so vast it defied description came howling forth from within that barrier, flooding through this entire realm in the blink of an eye.

 

Seeing this, Jade Elder’s expression turned ice-cold. His gaze locked, unblinking, upon the silhouette of Qin Yichen’s back, and even his body could not help but tremble ever so slightly.

 

An Array reinforced by countless elite experts of the Elf Race across innumerable generations had finally shown its flaw.

 

Though the fractured Rune was merely one small piece among the countless Runes, it could bring the entire Array crashing into ruin.

 

The next moment, Jade Elder stamped his foot upon the ground and his figure flickered, vanishing from the cavern.

 

The Elf Queen was still shielding that young man, allowing him to act without restraint. But as the Guardian, he could not simply sit and wait for destruction.

 

At a time like this, there was no moment to spare for determining whether the Elf Queen’s conduct had been correct. The most pressing concern was to prepare for the very worst.

 

…

 

Under ordinary circumstances, the inner sanctum of the Elf Race’s territory was accessible only to Elders and members of the Royal Family among their kind.

 

But on this day, that region was alive with flickering figures, extraordinarily bustling.

 

All of this was owing to the announcement of the Orange Alert.

 

The Orange Alert was a matter of extreme gravity, and so virtually every active Deacon, Elder, and high-ranking member of the entire Elf Race who remained within the forest had converged upon this place.

 

Several hundred of the Elf Race’s upper echelons gathered outside the Royal Court, awaiting the Elf Queen’s arrival in person. The atmosphere naturally carried a subdued and heavy tension.

 

Then, in a certain moment, a vast and terrifying surge of Power of Life suddenly emanated from a particular direction.

 

Beneath that wave of Power of Life, some among the Elves, who had been hovering at a cultivation bottleneck, found themselves feeling the constraints beginning to loosen.

 

“That direction! Is that not where the Tree of Life is?”

 

“Is Her Majesty the Queen still there?”

 

“What is the meaning of this commotion? Has the Princess completed her baptism?”

 

Beneath that surging aura, what had been a quiet gathering instantly erupted into a chorus of bewildered voices. Gaze after gaze, filled with excitement and anticipation, turned towards the direction of the Tree of Life.

 

Even those Elders, who commanded the greatest reverence and respect within the Elf Race, found themselves at a complete loss, unable to make head or tail of what was happening.

 

By all reasoning, even if Avril had completed her baptism, it should not have triggered a commotion of this magnitude.

 

The Power of Life at work was vast beyond anything they had imagined, and several of the more attentive Elders discovered, to their alarm, that this Power of Life showed no sign of abating. On the contrary, it was surging forth with increasing speed and force.

 

And yet, this immense Power of Life had the vast majority of it simply dispersing into the surrounding area, unabsorbed by either the Elf Race’s people or the trees around them.

 

This was not a favourable development in the least.

 

Within the hearts of many Elders, an ominous foreboding began to rise.

 

“With Her Majesty present, surely no accident will have occurred?”

 

“I do not know… for some reason I cannot shake the feeling that something is not quite right.”

 

Ahead of the gathered members, several of the most revered Elders did not absorb that vast Power of Life as the other Elders and Deacons around them were doing. Their gazes were fixed upon the direction of the Tree of Life, their expressions grave to the extreme.

 

Men of their standing, though not privy enough to know the full truth of the Tree of Life’s condition, had already come to know a little of certain hidden matters. For instance, that the Tree of Life was losing its Life Force…

 

Yet for all their exalted status, even they had discovered this by mere chance, and even they dared not discuss it or allow it to spread.

 

If this matter was truly as they feared, did this Power of Life now leaking outward in such a manner signify that something grave had occurred?

 

*Whoosh!*

 

Just as those several Elders were hesitating over whether to go and investigate the situation near the Tree of Life, an aged silhouette appeared abruptly before the assembled crowd.

 

“Light Elf Third Elder, pays respects to the Jade Elder!”

 

“Fire Elf Second Elder, pays respects to the Jade Elder!”

 

“…”

 

The instant this figure appeared, the many members of the Elf Race still wore expressions of puzzlement. But the moment they heard the leading Elders at the very front, the most revered among them, offering such reverent salutations, they each bowed their heads one by one in deference.

 

“Why have you all gathered here?”

 

The arrival was none other than Jade Elder, one of the Guardians of the Tree of Life.

 

His gaze swept across the gathered Elves, and he found that those present were without exception either Elders or Deacons. Each and every one of them was a High Ranking figure of the Elf Race.

 

“Elder, Her Majesty the Queen announced the activation of the Orange Alert. We are all here awaiting Her Majesty’s commands.”

 

Several Elders exchanged a glance, and one of them stepped forward to report truthfully.

 

“The Orange Alert? What is the Queen thinking?”

 

At this, the Jade Elder’s brow furrowed, and a knot of confusion gathered in his heart.

 

“No matter. Since you are all here, it saves me the effort.”

 

Immediately after, Jade Elder swept his gaze across the assembly and called out in a low but commanding voice, “All of you, follow me to the Ancestral Tree at once!”

 

*Whoosh!*

 

Having spoken, Jade Elder’s figure transformed directly into a streak of flowing light, shooting off in the direction of the Tree of Life.

 

Seeing this, the many members present were struck by a wave of astonishment.

 

There were even more than a few Deacons still in the process of trying to determine the identity of the figure before them.

 

“Move, quickly!”

 

At the front of the gathered Elves, those several most revered Elders exchanged a single glance, their expressions grave beyond measure.

 

Then, with a resounding call, they led the several hundred upper echelons of the Elf Race in a sweeping surge, streaming off in a mighty formation towards the direction of the Tree of Life.

 

Others might not recognise the Jade Elder who had just appeared. But these few old Souls, who had managed to outlast so many of their peers, had by fortunate chance caught a glimpse of this Jade Elder on one occasion when they had been granted the privilege of entering the Tree of Life for secluded cultivation.

 

As for this Jade Elder’s standing, even the Elf Queen treated him with considerable deference. It was only through this that they had come to know that he was one of the Guardians of the Tree of Life.

 

Now, even the Jade Elder moved with such urgency. It was more than likely connected to the very thing they had been dreading…