Lei Lin's fiery wings cut through the dusk, carrying Loran swiftly through the low sky. Below, the deciduous forest gradually gave way to evergreen elven trees, and pale green nature runes began appearing on their trunks-the "warning runes" on the outskirts of the Elven Forest. Yet now the runes gave off a dim gray glow, as though something were suppressing them.
"Something's wrong. The warning runes are far too faint." Loran tugged the reins, slowing Lei Lin. Snow Spirit Qilin spread its icy mist, forming an ice mirror before them. It reflected the woods ahead: blackish-purple Insect Clan slime wound around the trunks of several thousand-year-old elven trees, seeping through the bark into their cores. Their once-verdant leaves were withering at a visible rate.
"They're Evolved Soul-Devouring Insects!" Snow Spirit Qilin's voice was grave. The ice mirror suddenly focused beneath a dead tree-several black insects twice as large as the earlier ones were burrowing into the soil. Tiny barbs covered their shells, and the slime dripping from their mouthparts could actually corrode elven tree bark. "These insects can parasitize plants and spread through their root systems. They're harder to eliminate than ordinary Soul-Devouring Insects."
The words had barely faded when the ground suddenly shook. More than a dozen slime-coated roots burst from underground, stabbing straight at Lei Lin's fiery wings. Lei Lin immediately beat its wings, turning golden-red flames into whips that burned the roots black. But more roots surged in from all sides. Several Evolved Soul-Devouring Insects even crawled up the fire whips, the barbs on their shells brushing through the flames and sustaining only faint scorch marks.
"Three-Element Purification Blade!" Loran raised his knight's sword. Pure white light condensed into a thin blade and slashed at the points where the roots joined the ground. Wherever the light passed, the slime was instantly purified, and the roots lost their support and slumped to the ground. Icefield Wolf sprang up, its golden claws precisely smashing three Soul-Devouring Insects attempting a sneak attack. Yet the slime clinging to its claws made it shake its leg involuntarily-the barbs had cut its paw, and tiny beads of blood were seeping out.
"Don't touch their slime!" Loran immediately dismounted, gathered a wisp of light power at his fingertips, and gently brushed it over Icefield Wolf's wound. A pale white glow flashed, and the black marks around the wound gradually faded. Icefield Wolf whined softly and rubbed its head against the back of his hand before tensing into an alert stance again.
Snow Spirit Qilin spread its icy mist once more, this time mixing in a little pale green light from the Life Crystal Core-Liya had entrusted the core to it for safekeeping before their departure, and now it came in useful. As the mist settled over the withered elven trees, their slime-corroded bark actually began recovering slowly, and a faint glimmer returned to the warning runes on their trunks.
"Follow the warning runes. We'll find the Elven Forest's core region faster." Snow Spirit Qilin withdrew its mist, and the ice rune repositioned itself in the air. The black cross beside the green dot grew increasingly distinct. "Miss Liya should be near the Life Council in the core region. It has the strongest Nature Barrier. She must be using it to resist."
Lei Lin spread its fiery wings again, deliberately flying lower this time. Loran noticed that its wings were somewhat thinner than before and occasionally trembled in flight-the effects of its damaged essence were becoming increasingly apparent after the successive battles. He gently stroked Lei Lin's neck and infused a wisp of three-element power into its body. "Hold on a little longer. Once we find Liya, we'll find somewhere to rest."
Lei Lin gave a low whinny. Its fiery wings actually brightened a little, and it picked up speed toward the depths of the Elven Forest.
An hour later, an area shrouded in a pale green barrier appeared ahead-the Elven Forest's core, Life Valley. A towering Tree of Life stood at the barrier's center, warm green light glowing among its branches and leaves. Yet blackish-purple cracks now covered the barrier's surface. Countless Evolved Soul-Devouring Insects clung to it, gnawing away, while grayish-black wisps constantly seeped from the cracks, as though the barrier's power were draining away.
"We're at Life Valley!" Loran's heart tightened. He was about to urge Lei Lin forward when two pale green arrows of light blocked their path. The arrows struck the clearing before Lei Lin, bursting into a ring of nature power. Two elven warriors in green leather armor stepped out from behind the trees, their longbows aimed at them.
"Stop! Outsiders are forbidden from entering Life Valley!" the elven warrior on the left shouted sternly. An arrow of light remained gathered on his bowstring, and his eyes were full of wariness. "The council has ordered that no outside force may enter the core region until the source of this crisis has been determined!"
"I'm Loran Kane, Miss Liya's companion!" Loran immediately identified himself and raised his knight's sword. The pure white light on its blade made the elven warriors' bows and arrows tremble slightly-light power and nature power shared the same origin, allowing the elves to sense goodwill. "Miss Liya is in danger. We're here to help!"
The two elven warriors exchanged a hesitant look. Just then, a violent explosion sounded within Life Valley. The cracks in the barrier instantly widened, and several Evolved Soul-Devouring Insects seized the opportunity to burrow into the valley, letting out piercing screeches.
"Oh no! The barrier's about to break!" The elven warrior on the right paled and immediately put away his longbow. "Come with us! Elder Molin is still detaining Miss Liya, saying she brought on this Insect Clan crisis. We have to stop him as soon as possible!"
Loran followed the two elven warriors through a temporary entrance in the barrier. The moment he entered Life Valley, he saw chaos-more than a dozen elven warriors were battling several larger "Soul-Devouring Insect Mothers." Small Soul-Devouring Insects poured constantly from their abdomens. Green arrows of nature light struck the mothers but left only shallow wounds, while the slime corroded their tips.
On the council's stone platform beneath the Tree of Life, two elven guards were blocking Liya. Clutching the Illustrated Catalog of Plants, she urgently called to a white-haired elven elder on the platform, "Elder Molin! If you don't let me reinforce the barrier with the Life Crystal Core, the insect mothers will burrow into the Tree of Life's roots! Then the insects will parasitize the entire Elven Forest!"
Elder Molin, leader of the elven council's conservative faction, stood on the platform in a robe embroidered with ancient runes. The emerald atop his staff gleamed coldly. "Liya, you returned with an outsider's crystal core, talking about some crisis in the Rotting Soul Abyss. Who knows whether this is a human plot? During the evil bone crisis, humans caused us elves plenty of trouble. Now you've come inventing lies about insects. I think outsiders have led you astray!"
"They aren't lies!" Liya was so anxious that her eyes reddened. She pointed at the insect mothers below the platform. "Look! Those insects can corrode nature power. Ordinary light arrows can't hurt them at all. Only the Life Crystal Core's power can purify them! If we delay any longer, even the Tree of Life will be in danger!"
But Elder Molin snorted coldly and swept his staff, trapping Liya inside a pale green shield of light. "You refuse to see reason! Until the council uncovers the truth, you'll stay in the Nature Cage. Stop causing trouble for the Elven Forest!"
"Elder Molin! You're harming the entire Elf Clan!" Liya slammed against the shield, only to be thrown back. The Illustrated Catalog of Plants fell from her hands, and the wind blew its pages open to the entry on the Soul-Devouring Insect Mother. It also contained illustrations showing how to extract the Dew of Life that countered the insect mothers.
Just then, an insect mother suddenly broke through the elven warriors' defensive line and crawled toward the Tree of Life's roots. Its abdomen had swollen like a ball, clearly about to lay eggs-once those eggs were injected into the tree's core, the Tree of Life would be completely parasitized, and the insects would devour all the nature power in the Elven Forest.
"Stop!" Loran sprang into the air. The pure white radiance of his knight's sword surged, and the power of Three-Element Unification condensed into a blade of light that slashed toward the insect mother's abdomen. It pierced the slime and precisely cut open the mother's egg sac. The light instantly purified the blackish-purple eggs. The insect mother let out an agonized shriek and collapsed.
Seeing this from the platform, Elder Molin's expression instantly darkened. "Human! Who gave you permission to act on your own?"
"If I hadn't acted, the Tree of Life would be lost!" Loran landed beside Liya. White light from his fingertips fell upon the Nature Cage, and the three-element power slowly dissolved the shield. "Elder Molin, does your so-called 'uncovering the truth' mean watching the Insect Clan destroy the Elven Forest? Liya hasn't brought lies. She's brought a chance to save the Elf Clan!"
Liya seized the opportunity to retrieve the Illustrated Catalog of Plants and hurried to Loran's side. She opened it and held it out to Elder Molin. "This catalog was left by our ancestors. It records the Soul-Devouring Insect Mothers' weakness-we must mix the Tree of Life's sap with the Life Crystal Core's power to make Dew of Life. Only then can we completely kill the mothers and their eggs. Look, the elven script in the catalog is exactly the same as in the council's ancient texts!"
Elder Molin stared at the writing on the page, his fingers trembling slightly—the elven script was indeed the handwriting of the ancient Elf Clan, and the catalog was made from "life bark," which only elven royalty could use. It was no forgery. He looked at the ever-growing number of Soul-Devouring Insects below the platform, then at the gradually spreading slime marks on the Tree of Life's trunk, and finally let out a breath. "Very well... I'll believe you this once. But if you've deceived me, I'll personally banish you from the Elven Forest!"
"Thank you, Elder!" Liya immediately turned and called to the surrounding elven warriors, "Anyone with a nature affinity talent, come with me to extract the Tree of Life's sap. Everyone else, keep the insect mothers occupied. Don't let them near the roots! Loran, sorry for the trouble, but please protect the elves extracting the sap with the two qilins!"
Loran nodded and immediately had Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin guard the base of the Tree of Life. Lei Lin beat its fiery wings, erecting a wall of fire around the roots. Pale green light from the Life Crystal Core mingled with the flames, allowing them to block the Soul-Devouring Insects without harming the Tree of Life. Snow Spirit Qilin froze the ground with icy mist to prevent underground attacks. Meanwhile, Icefield Wolf darted through the woods, occasionally pouncing on small Soul-Devouring Insects that slipped through. Icy mist coated its golden claws, and a single strike could shatter an insect's shell.
With five elven warriors, Liya gently scraped sap from the Tree of Life using specially made wooden spoons. The pale green sap gave off a warm glow as it fell into an earthenware jar. She placed the Life Crystal Core inside. Its light blended with the sap, and the liquid gradually became a clear emerald green—this was the Dew of Life that could counter the Insect Clan.
"It's ready!" Liya picked up the jar and distributed the Dew of Life to the elven warriors. "Aim for the mothers' abdomens. That's their weak point!"
The elven warriors immediately raised their longbows, coated their arrowheads with Dew of Life, and fired at the insect mothers. This time, the light arrows were not corroded as they pierced the slime. Instead, the dew seeped into the mothers through their wounds. The mothers shrieked, their bodies beginning to dissolve. Emerald light purified the blackish-purple slime, turning it into harmless clear water that soaked into the soil.
Seeing the mothers killed, the remaining Soul-Devouring Insects scattered in flight, only to be blocked by Lei Lin's flames and Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist. The elven warriors finally eliminated them one by one. By the time the last Soul-Devouring Insect was purified, the horizon had begun to pale. The Tree of Life's branches and leaves were verdant again, and the cracks in the barrier gradually disappeared as nature power repaired them.
Liya slumped to the ground, panting heavily. Loran approached and handed her a flask of water. "Thanks for all your hard work. Fortunately, we made it in time."
"If you'd come just a little later, it really might have been too late." Liya accepted the flask and smiled gratefully. "By the way, have you heard anything from Elder White and Chief Tongchui?"
Loran shook his head, his expression grave. "Not yet. But while we were clearing out the insect mothers, I found this inside one of them." He took a small badge from his clothes-it bore the Radiant Temple's design, but dried, hardened insect slime clung to it. It had clearly been swallowed by an insect mother.
"A temple badge?" Liya frowned. "Could the temple's missing priests really be connected to the Insect Clan?"
Just then, Snow Spirit Qilin suddenly looked up at the sky, and the light on its ice rune flickered again. This time, besides the white light pointing toward the Eastern Sea of Clouds, a red light pointing toward the Blackstone Mountain Range had appeared-a danger signal, even stronger than the Elven Forest's earlier signal.
"It's Chief Tongchui!" Loran's heart tightened. "The crisis in the Blackstone Mountain Range may be worse than we imagined!"
Elder Molin approached them, his expression solemn as he studied the light on the ice rune. "It seems the insect invasion is more widespread than we thought. The Life Council will send ten members of the Nature Guard with you to reinforce the Blackstone Mountain Range. I'll also have our elven smiths help strengthen the sacred warship you need. Since the insects are enemies of the entire continent, we elves cannot stand aside either."
Warmth welled up in Loran's heart—this meant the Elf Clan's conservative faction had finally set aside its wariness of outside forces and begun truly participating in the war against the Insect Clan. He tightened his grip on his knight's sword and looked toward the Blackstone Mountain Range. "Thank you, Elder. We'll handle the aftermath here in the Elven Forest as quickly as possible, then leave for the Blackstone Mountain Range immediately."
Liya put away the Illustrated Catalog of Plants and poured the remaining Dew of Life into an earthenware jar. "Let's bring this Dew of Life with us. It might be useful in the Blackstone Mountain Range. Also, I noticed the Life Crystal Core's power seems able to temporarily ease the drain on the two qilins' essence-Lei Lin's fiery wings were brighter just now. Look."
Loran looked at Lei Lin. Sure enough, the scorch marks on its fiery wings had vanished, and its golden-red flames burned hotter than before. Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist had also grown denser, condensing into a small ice flower that gleamed in the air.
"That's wonderful!" Joy rose in Loran's heart. "It seems the Life Crystal Core can not only counter the Insect Clan but also help the two qilins restore their essence. Once we resolve the crisis in the Blackstone Mountain Range, we'll be able to set out sooner for the Eastern Sea of Clouds to search for the Qilin Holy Land."
Sunlight filtered through the Tree of Life's branches and leaves, spilling over everyone. Though the Elven Forest's crisis had been temporarily resolved, the red light from the Blackstone Mountain Range, the temple's missing priests, the Qilin Holy Land in the Eastern Sea of Clouds... these interwoven clues made Loran realize that this war against the Insect Clan had only just begun.
He tightened his grip on the temple badge, the pure white light at his fingertips slowly purifying its slime. The temple emblem gleamed coldly in the sunlight, as though reminding him-the enemies hidden in the shadows were far more dangerous than he imagined.
Dark clouds were gathering over the Blackstone Mountain Range. A new crisis awaited them.