Sleep Approaches
"Are you saying cracks will appear in the earth?"
The Great Tree Sage immediately grasped what Wentesi meant, and his tree face grew serious.
According to the various accounts circulating in this world, it wasn't really wrong to call the earth the tree spirits' mother. Wentesi had simply put it too bluntly.
Of course, the Great Tree Sage wouldn't take offense at that.
The tree spirits had every reason to treat any change in the earth with the utmost gravity.
Wentesi told the Great Tree Sage everything he had learned from the devil, leaving out only matters such as the Golden Land and Hairy Head Sun Law Power.
He placed particular emphasis on the news that an Abyssal Rift would appear in the Wilderness in three years.
"So you came here now because you wanted me to verify whether that devil was lying?"
After learning what had happened, the Great Tree Sage put the question to Wentesi.
Wentesi nodded.
Understanding what Wentesi wanted, the Great Tree Sage closed his eyes, and the branches and leaves of his crown began to sway.
The roots buried deep in the soil began to wriggle downward. Hundreds upon thousands of them traveled beneath the earth, reaching toward the planet's core.
At the same time, the vines beside the Great Tree Sage's branches began to tighten and shake.
Then the trees throughout the mountain forest began to tremble faintly, making a rustling sound.
The Great Tree Sage extended his senses downward along countless roots.
Only after quite some time did the trembling slowly subside.
The Great Tree Sage opened his eyes and spoke to Wentesi in a grave tone:
"Wentesi, I'm afraid your information is true."
An Abyssal Rift really would appear in the Wilderness!
The Great Tree Sage's tone grew heavier, and the vines that had been swaying idly came to a halt.
"My friend sensed a small patch of foulness beneath the eastern reaches of the Wilderness."
With definite confirmation, Wentesi had made up his mind, and the urge to retreat took root.
He was going to run!
Once the Abyssal Rift appeared, there would be no peace in the Wilderness. When those demons crawled out of the Abyss, the Wilderness was bound to suffer.
Demons were all bloodthirsty and eager for battle, killing as a matter of habit. If they came to the main plane, they would surely slaughter living beings on a massive scale.
At the same time, once the major powers near the Wilderness learned of the Abyssal Rift, they would surely send experts and armies to suppress it.
When that happened, the Wilderness would surely become a meat grinder for both sides.
Of course, he couldn't flee in a panic right now. He had to withdraw in a planned, sensible manner, one step at a time.
I'll leave after my sleeping period.
Wentesi made up his mind.
Of course, the devil's claim of three years wasn't necessarily reliable. It might have been setting a trap for him there.
The exact timing still needed to be verified, but there was no harm in preparing early.
The Great Tree Sage lowered his crown and solemnly paid his respects to Wentesi.
"Thank you for bringing me such news. This concerns the lives of every living being in the Wilderness. I cannot thank you enough."
He paused briefly, then asked, "Wentesi, would you allow me to pass this news on to the other groups of living beings in the Wilderness?"
Clearly, the Great Tree Sage wanted to spread the word, so that more beings would learn of the Abyssal Rift and casualties could be reduced.
The Great Tree Sage was kind after all.
"You may."
Wentesi agreed readily.
He had already obtained the information he wanted. Anything else was beside the point, and he didn't care.
Once the news spread, the major powers around the Wilderness would naturally investigate and establish defenses. Perhaps they could resolve the crisis ahead of time without him even noticing.
If so, he wouldn't even need to evacuate.
Seeing him agree, the Great Tree Sage nodded and said no more.
But he still needed to thank Wentesi. After all, Wentesi had told him such important news.
It would also be passed on to every living being in the Wilderness.
With that thought, an emerald-green leaf drifted down from the crown and landed on Wentesi.
An explanation from the Great Tree Sage followed.
"This is a Jade Life Leaf that grew on me. If you're injured, you can take it to help you recover."
The Great Tree Sage added another sentence to let Wentesi know how precious the leaf was and what it could do.
"If you're gravely injured and your life is hanging by a thread, taking it can also keep that last thread of life from snapping."
Wentesi didn't stand on ceremony. He raised a hand and swallowed the Jade Life Leaf, storing it in his stomach.
Having one more trump card to save his life was a good thing for him.
With the important business settled, he had no inclination to linger with the Great Tree Sage and immediately took his leave.
The news had been confirmed, and he had many instructions to give in his territory. There was no time to lose.
Watching the red dragon's figure disappear into the distant sky, the Great Tree Sage slowly closed his eyes.
His thoughts spread along the tangled network of roots, reaching Emerald Valley and the entire surrounding forest.
There was only one order.
"Keep an eye on that little red dragon. Watch for any sign of the God of Light's presence around him."
The Great Tree Sage had not given up. He refused to believe that the little red dragon Wentesi would devoutly worship the hypocritical God of Light.
If there was no such sign, he still had a chance.
I was the one who met Wentesi first. Why should the God of Light get to snatch him away?
In the Wilderness, his strength was enough to make him an overlord in his own right. As long as the Church of Light didn't send a Sanctuary-level expert, he feared nothing.
The title Great Tree Sage didn't really describe him precisely. It was simply what everyone had called him for over a hundred years, and he had grown used to it.
More precisely, he should have been called the Forest Sage. Emerald Valley and the entire forest around it were all part of him.
As the order took shape, the trees across the mountains and fields began to tremble faintly in unison, the movement spreading hundreds of miles from the Great Tree Sage.
Countless tree roots began to link together, passing on the order.
After conveying the order, the Great Tree Sage's thoughts grew devout.
He began to pray softly to the supreme existence in the Unseen of the Wilderness, reporting the news of the Abyssal Rift's appearance and the whole sequence of events to the God of the Wild.
He also made a point of telling the God of the Wild that Wentesi, a red dragon, had kindly brought news of the Abyssal Rift, showing that he was a kind dragon unlike ordinary red dragons.
Because his news had saved thousands of lives, the Great Tree Sage hoped the god would bestow divine grace and protection on him and draw him into his embrace.
Elsewhere, Wentesi had flown straight back to his territory in Emerald Valley.
As soon as he landed, he summoned Kru and Walker, who were still preaching, and set about arranging defenses and an evacuation plan.
He intended to take away the vast majority of the movable resources in Emerald Valley, especially food, weapons, and tools, and drew up contingency plans for several evacuation routes.
If the Abyssal Rift erupted early, he would have the assurance that he could pull out at any time.
Of course, if the Abyssal Rift erupted suddenly and his territory couldn't take that many supplies along, he would order all his subjects to evacuate immediately.
If the situation grew even more critical, he might just run away on his own.
After sorting out the main matters, Wentesi left the remaining details entirely in Walker and Kru's hands.
He then returned to his dragon's nest and began cultivating.
The news of the Abyssal Rift had made him instinctively want to improve his strength, and he found himself cultivating diligently.
Just as he completed his thirteenth Law Power cycle, he suddenly felt a wave of weariness.
An irresistible drowsiness welled up within him.
Fatigue spread through his entire body, his dragon eyelids grew heavy, and even the circulation of his Law Power slowed of its own accord.
Wentesi's heart tightened.
His dormant period was likely to arrive even earlier than expected.
He needed to find a safe place to sleep soon, and he also needed to reach the Second Level of Embryonic Breathing sooner.