Crisis of the Elf Race

Kaixi gritted her teeth. She could sense that her people were not too far away from her now.

"You two humans." Kaixi stepped out from her hiding place. "Leave this place immediately. You are not welcome here."

As she spoke, she released the Momentum of a 'Level 9 powerhouse' to intimidate them.

Jie Ning and Arannis looked at the elf who had appeared before them—pointed ears, green clothes, a delicate face, and a head of golden hair. She fit the continent's stereotypical image of elves quite well.

Arannis was satisfied with the elf before her. Good, she hadn't ruined her beautiful imagination of elves.

Kaixi felt a little creeped out by the way the two, especially Arannis, were looking at her. "Hey, humans, get out of the forest right now."

Seeing that the two still showed no reaction, Kaixi's heart skipped a beat. She vaguely sensed that she might have gotten something wrong.

Watching the other party's subtle backward steps, Arannis narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Little one, if you want to scare people, that's not nearly enough."

In an instant, from Kaixi's perspective, an overwhelmingly powerful Momentum burst forth from the beautiful woman before her.

"S-Sacred... Saint Realm..." Kaixi's face turned deathly pale. 'It's over. I actually tried to intimidate a Saint Realm powerhouse.'

Just as Arannis released her Momentum, among the pursuit team resting nearby, an elf with an aged face snapped his eyes open.

"Not good, Kaixi is in danger..." Before he finished speaking, he leaped into the air and flew toward the direction the Momentum had come from.

"After him..." The rest exchanged glances, then, led by one person, they all gave chase in a group.

Sensing another Saint Realm aura coming from afar, Arannis and Jie Ning exchanged a covert smile.

Kaixi felt that familiar aura, and a flicker of comfort rose in her heart. 'Grandpa Anmu...'

But seeing the still-calm expressions on Arannis and Jie Ning's faces, her heart tightened again.

Anmu quickly arrived at the destination. He saw the two humans standing side by side before Kaixi. The powerful aura he had sensed was clearly emanating from the woman among them. As for the other male human, in his perception, he simply didn't exist...

Anmu's mood immediately plummeted. Even this female human alone gave him no certainty of victory, let alone the fact that beside her stood another powerhouse of unknown depth.

Though countless thoughts raced through his mind, Anmu still landed in front of Kaixi without hesitation, shielding her from that aura.

'Grandpa Anmu...' Kaixi's heart was a mix of emotions.

"Two esteemed ones, I don't know how my granddaughter has offended you. I apologize on her behalf." Anmu lowered his posture as he spoke to them.

Arannis blinked and said in a flat tone, "This little one seems quite unhappy with someone like me entering this forest."

Beside her, Jie Ning suddenly felt that this version of Arannis looked oddly familiar. After a moment's thought, he realized it was just his own usual demeanor. Seeing Lan Ni like this for once felt refreshingly novel.

Kaixi's lips parted slightly, wanting to explain that she had been acting for their safety, but looking at Grandpa Anmu standing protectively in front of her—the very person she had thought would be in danger was now shielding her—she suddenly felt at a loss for words.

"This might be a misunderstanding..." Anmu tried to explain, but then he recalled that his Elf Race had always treated humans this way. At a loss for how to justify it, he could only offer a dry defense.

Watching the tense grandfather and granddaughter, Arannis suddenly found it hard to keep up the act. She felt a strange sense of bullying the weak.

Sensing the shift in Arannis's mood, Jie Ning understood and took her hand.

'Lan Ni, do as you wish.'

Receiving the message from Jie Ning, Arannis instantly relaxed. Her overwhelming aura receded.

Arannis smiled kindly at the two elves across from her. "You two don't need to be nervous."

"Huh?" Anmu, who had been quietly preparing for the worst, suddenly found that the other party had voluntarily withdrawn her aura and seemed to have become a completely different person. He was momentarily caught off guard.

Still, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was best if the other side was willing to talk.

A massive stone table was laid out with all kinds of fruits and snacks. The two humans and two elves sat on stone chairs around the table, eating and chatting.

When the pursuit team arrived, this was the bizarre scene they encountered. They stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

Seeing the newcomers, Jie Ning casually waved his hand, and another set of stone chairs rose beside the elf duo. "Have a seat."

The pursuit team members looked at each other in confusion, then turned to Anmu for help. Anmu smiled reassuringly. "These two esteemed ones mean no harm. Sit down."

Hearing Anmu's words, the group finally sat down, but each of them sat stiffly upright, looking more uncomfortable than if they were standing. Still, no one bothered to pay them any more attention.

Arannis looked at Kaixi with some apology. "Sorry for scaring you."

Kaixi shook her head obediently. "It's my fault. I was hiding nearby for so long. It's only natural that you two esteemed ones would misunderstand."

Knowing that both before her were 'Saint Realm' powerhouses, Kaixi immediately realized that her hiding had been futile in their eyes. It was only her own overthinking that had led to this misunderstanding.

Arannis and Jie Ning exchanged a covert glance. It seemed better not to tell her that they had known all along she meant no harm and had just wanted to scare her a little.

Arannis began chatting with Kaixi, a hint of apology in her tone.

Before long, Arannis and Kaixi had hit it off, calling each other 'big sister' and 'little sister.'

On another side of the table, the atmosphere between Jie Ning and Anmu was entirely different. The two first exchanged views on the continent's situation.

"...Yes, in recent years, the number of Saint Realm powerhouses on the continent has only grown."

"May I ask if Esteemed Jie Ning and Esteemed Arannis have come here for some important matter?" Anmu was eager to build a good relationship with these two unfamiliar powerhouses. "Our Elf Race has lived in this region for over a hundred thousand years. If you need help, we might be able to offer some small assistance."

Jie Ning smiled and shook his head. "My wife and I simply felt we had been cultivating for too long, so we decided to travel around the continent to ease our restless minds."

Hearing this, the elves present all wore expressions of envy on their faces.

A husband and wife, both 'Saint Realm' experts, traveling the continent—truly a dreamlike thing...

When Kaixi heard this, she too initially showed a look of admiration.

Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she looked at Arannis with some trepidation. "Sister Lan, have you ever been to the City of Life?"

The other elves beside her, including Anmu, all felt a stir in their hearts.

Anmu had initially wanted to stop Kaixi from continuing, but then something else came to mind, and he ultimately gave up.

Arannis and Jie Ning exchanged a glance, both with smiles in their eyes. Arannis said in a cheerful tone, "We have. In fact, we just set out from the City of Life this time."

Instantly, the breathing of every elf involuntarily quickened.

"Then... have you met that God of Life?" Kaixi felt her lips go dry as she asked cautiously.

"Of course we have," Arannis replied readily.

"Is he easy to talk to?" Kaixi asked nervously. "If, I mean if, we wanted to ask that lord for help, do you think it would be possible?"

Arannis studied Kaixi carefully, weighing her words. "He's still quite easy to get along with. As for helping, it really depends on what the matter is."

Though Jie Ning was her husband, Arannis wouldn't force him to agree to anything.

Anmu noticed that when Arannis and Jie Ning mentioned the 'God of Life,' their demeanor remained as calm as ever. Combined with the fact that they came from the City of Life, it was clear they had a good relationship with that God of Life, or were even relatives of that God-level expert.

'Perhaps our Elf Race truly has a chance to be saved.' Anmu felt a surge of excitement.

"Thump~" Suddenly, to everyone's astonishment, Kaixi knelt directly before Arannis.

Arannis quickly tried to help Kaixi up, but saw Kaixi with tears at the corners of her eyes, biting her lip, pleading to Arannis, "Sister Lan, can you take me to see the God of Life?"

"Just an audience is enough." Kaixi dared not ask for too much. "If it's possible, I am willing to be your servant forever. You can ask me to do anything from now on."

Arannis was at a loss, looking to Jie Ning for help. Jie Ning sighed inwardly but still took over the conversation. "What do you need the God of Life for?"

Kaixi naturally noticed Arannis's reaction and immediately understood that the key to whether her request could be granted lay with this 'Lord Jie Ning.'

She glanced at 'Grandpa Anmu,' and seeing that he didn't stop her, Kaixi made up her mind.

Watching Kaixi carefully take a small box from her bosom, Jie Ning had long sensed the existence of this wooden box. The box was suffused with an extremely rich life aura.

Under the tense gazes of the elves, Kaixi opened the box. Inside was a seed resembling an acorn, but it looked somewhat shriveled and not very healthy.

'So the life force in this box is meant to preserve this seed.'

"Our Sacred Tree withered and died several hundred years ago, leaving only this one seed. But no matter what we do, we can't get it to sprout. Instead, we can only watch its vitality slowly diminish." Anmu sighed and explained to Jie Ning.

"Lord Jie Ning, we beg you to help arrange an audience with the God of Life."

"This seed is extremely important to our Elf Race."

Jie Ning sensed the aura of this acorn. The good news was that the acorn still had some vitality. The bad news was that this trace of vitality was insufficient for it to successfully germinate.

'It doesn't feel like a seed, more like a plant's self-healing after an injury.' Jie Ning made a judgment in his mind as he looked at this 'seed.'

Seeing Jie Ning lost in thought, Anmu gritted his teeth and made a decision. "If it's inconvenient..."

Suddenly, Anmu took the box from Kaixi's hands and placed it before Jie Ning. "Could I trouble you to hand this over to the God of Life?"

"Please also inform His Majesty the God of Life that our Elf Race is willing to pay any price."

Anmu knew deeply that this would be their closest chance to success.

"As for you, sir, we will also offer a generous reward." Finally, he solemnly assured Jie Ning.

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