Chapter 143: Spring Comes Upon A Withered Tree (X)

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Chapter 143: Spring Comes Upon A Withered Tree (X)

Ivan’s face looked almost demonic, while Shang Ke was breathtakingly beautiful. Ugliness and beauty formed a striking contrast between them, yet somehow blended with a strange sense of harmony, carrying an undeniably erotic air.

Hidden beneath their loose clothing, no one could tell just how intimately joined the two of them actually were. Neither paid any attention to their surroundings, as though they were completely immersed in a world belonging only to them.

As elemental power continued pouring into the seal, Shang Ke’s right hand was affected as well. Snake-shaped markings identical to those on Ivan’s face suddenly appeared, beginning in his palm and gradually winding down his arm.

“Keke!” Ivan’s pupils contracted, worry flashing through his eyes.

“It’s all right. Don’t worry,” Shang Ke soothed him. “I’m trying to separate the Wraith Jade from your body. As long as I succeed, the seal will lose its source of power.”

“But you…” Ivan watched the markings continue spreading along Shang Ke’s arm, anxiety tearing through him. He did not want Shang Ke to endure the same pain he had suffered, and he had no idea how much damage the seal’s backlash might inflict on him.

“You’re the one in real danger.” Shang Ke sighed. “I don’t know whether I can successfully remove the Wraith Jade while keeping you safe.”

“I don’t care.” Ivan endured the excruciating pain and forced out, “If I die by your hand, I’ll accept it willingly.”

“I won’t let you die,” Shang Ke murmured softly, tenderness appearing between his brows.

“Ah—!” Ivan’s left pupil seemed to split apart as blood-red color flooded the entire eye socket. The agonizing pain finally tore a scream from his throat.

Everyone watching shuddered at the sight of his terrifying face and the eyeball that seemed almost ready to tear free of its socket.

The aura of the Wraith Jade’s seal surged outward in overwhelming waves, scraping across everyone’s skin like countless blades and leaving behind stinging pain.

The more observant among them suddenly realized something. Earlier, several mixed-blood elves working together had been unable to withstand the Wraith Jade’s seal, yet Shang Ke alone was fighting it to a standstill. Such strength might surpass even that of a Grand Mage.

While everyone was still reeling from the realization, several screams suddenly rang out from the forest behind them. Firelight and flashes of metal tore through the darkness, instantly transforming the peaceful night into a chaotic battlefield.

“The Forge Wraiths are here!” a warrior shouted. “Prepare for battle! We absolutely cannot let them stop the seal from being broken!”

The Alliance had acted so hastily against Ivan precisely because time was running out. If they could not break the seal before the Forge Wraiths arrived, they might lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Although the Alliance had moved quickly, the Forge Wraiths were no slower. At the critical moment when the seal was about to break, more than a thousand Forge Wraiths smashed through the Alliance’s defenses and surged straight into the heart of Faesier Forest.

The Alliance warriors raised their weapons and fearlessly charged their enemies. In an instant, battle cries and the clash of weapons erupted all around them, while flashes of magic flickered through the darkness.

The Alliance had forcefully demanded Ivan’s sacrifice, yet now they were proving equally willing to sacrifice themselves for the convictions they upheld.

Within the glowing ring, Shang Ke and Ivan both heard the battle erupting around them, but neither paid it any attention. They remained entirely focused on the Wraith Jade.

“Keke, don’t worry about me. Get the Wraith Jade out as quickly as you can,” Ivan said through clenched teeth.

Shang Ke did not answer and continued at his own pace.

At that moment, several Forge Wraiths burst from the forest and charged ferociously toward them.

More than a dozen Alliance warriors immediately rushed over and blocked their path.

Cold flashes of steel cut through the darkness, blood sprayed, and a succession of screams reached Shang Ke and Ivan’s ears as danger pressed ever closer.

The Forge Wraiths would not kill Ivan, but they had no reason to show Shang Ke the same mercy.

Several narrow blades shot toward Shang Ke’s back. Ivan abruptly straightened, pulled Shang Ke tightly against himself, and dodged aside.

Shang Ke quickly hooked both legs around Ivan’s waist. His body sank slightly, then was driven upward again by a hard thrust from below.

Shang Ke let out a muffled moan, his cheeks flushing scarlet.

Ivan pinned Shang Ke between himself and a large tree, his hips moving unconsciously several times. Even while enduring unbearable pain, waves of pleasure continued surging through him. He shielded Shang Ke with his own body while vigilantly watching the Forge Wraiths around them.

The Forge Wraiths that had attacked them were soon surrounded by arriving warriors, temporarily lifting the immediate threat.

Ivan held Shang Ke as they sheltered behind the tree. Feeling Shang Ke losing the strength to support himself, Ivan reached down to hold up his legs so he would not slip—conveniently deepening their already intimate connection in the process.

Boom! A fireball exploded above their heads, and the tree immediately burst into flames.

Ivan cursed under his breath and carried Shang Ke to another position.

Despite how dangerous the situation was, Shang Ke inexplicably felt like laughing.

Originally, he had only wanted to quietly have sex with Ivan and break a seal while they were at it. He had never expected an all-out battle to erupt before they had even finished.

The scene could hardly have been bloodier, the sacrifices more heroic, or the screams more agonizing—yet even under circumstances like these, the two of them stubbornly held their position and saw what they were doing through to the end.

Just then, a flying blade suddenly pierced straight through Ivan’s left leg. He stumbled and dropped heavily to the ground, causing Shang Ke to come down hard on him and nearly interrupting what he was doing with his hand.

Ivan leaned against the tree, drenched in sweat. His vision had become so blurred that he could no longer clearly see the elf before him.

He blinked hard, sweat and blood running together in rivulets down his face.

Shang Ke could say with certainty that this incarnation of his man was by far the most battered—and the most visually alarming—of all the worlds they had experienced.

Feeling the Wraith Jade finally beginning to loosen, Shang Ke pushed aside every distracting thought and began his final effort.

Ivan’s body trembled, his muscles pulled taut and veins standing out beneath his skin. His hips arched upward, his hard cock buried inside Shang Ke like a stake driven deep into him.

Shang Ke endured the intense sensation below him and increased his power, drawing the Wraith Jade little by little out of Ivan’s eye.

A piercing agony suddenly tore through Ivan, so intense that he nearly went mad. Through his blurred vision, he vaguely saw a fast-moving shadow lunging toward Shang Ke. Terror seized him, but before he could do anything, his sight went completely black. It felt as though he had plunged into an abyss, cold spreading throughout his entire body. Within that darkness, a terrifying aura seemed to fill heaven and earth, accompanied by an eerie shrieking sound.

The battle abruptly stilled as everyone turned toward the source of that aura. Floating above Ivan and Shang Ke was a crimson bead, surrounded by flickering runes that radiated sharp, oppressive light.

The Wraith Jade!

The Wraith Jade everyone had searched for over the course of centuries had finally appeared.

Almost simultaneously, both the Forge Wraiths and the various Alliance forces rushed toward it.

While still sealed, the Wraith Jade remained a threat to the Alliance and a powerful safeguard for the Forge Wraiths.

Yet just as one Forge Wraith was about to touch it, the runes surrounding the Wraith Jade abruptly shattered. Dazzling white light erupted, instantly turning night into day.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes. When they opened them again, countless droplets of water were suspended motionless in the air, forming a shimmering curtain around them.

An immense aura of life filled the world. Plants slowly unfurled, and branches and leaves that had been withered and lifeless moments earlier burst with renewed vitality.

The Alliance forces watched in breathless silence as the wounds across their bodies gradually healed beneath the nourishing moisture. The elves lifted their faces toward the sky, tears shining in their eyes as grief and joy mingled together.

The Fountain of Life, lost for centuries, had finally returned to the world.

The Forge Wraiths, on the other hand, reacted as though poisoned. Their metallic skin began rusting and corroding, terror and agony replacing the vicious expressions on their faces.

“Kill them! Leave none alive!” a Forge Wraith commander ordered coldly.

Savage expressions returned to their faces as they ignored their corroding bodies and launched a frenzied attack.

A bloody slaughter erupted once more.

As the one who had broken the seal, Shang Ke immediately became the Forge Wraiths’ primary target for vengeance. But this time, no one was close enough to protect him.

Just as several cold blades were about to pierce Shang Ke’s body, Ivan moved. He swept Shang Ke into his arms and vanished from the spot, the displaced air scattering fallen leaves beneath his feet.

Ivan withdrew from Shang Ke’s body and dropped to one knee with his head lowered and eyes closed. The markings on his face had completely vanished. His muscles swelled with newfound strength, faint pale-gold scale patterns emerging across his skin as an immense aura radiated outward.

Ivan slowly opened his eyes, sharp golden light gleaming within his irises.

Freed from the Wraith Jade, he was like an eagle released from its cage. All the power that had been suppressed within his body was finally unleashed.

“This… is the aura of the Dragon race!” a Forge Wraith exclaimed in terror.

Ivan looked down at his hands, pride mingling with his excitement. He had expected to narrowly escape death, yet instead had gained a blessing from disaster. Breaking the seal had not only freed the Fountain of Life—it had freed him as well.

“Keke, stay here. I’ll protect you.” Ivan lifted Shang Ke’s hand and gently kissed the back of it.

Shang Ke smiled and nodded.

Ivan stood and formed a spell seal with both hands. Using the moisture suspended in the air, he directly condensed it into Oxygen Spirit Talismans and sent them flying toward the surrounding Forge Wraiths.

Shang Ke leaned against the rock wall, watching Ivan fight with deep affection in his eyes.

Although the release of the Fountain of Life had severely weakened the Forge Wraiths, their combat strength could not be underestimated in the short term. The Alliance forces were steadily driven backward, suffering heavy casualties.

Ivan might have obtained tremendous power, but even he probably could not reverse the entire battle by himself.

Yet they could not retreat, because the Water of Life had not yet gathered into a true spring. The Forge Wraiths still had a chance to seal it again.

As Ivan watched Alliance fighters fall one after another beneath the Forge Wraiths’ blades, he realized the situation was deteriorating. He turned toward Shang Ke. “Keke, I’ll get you—”

His voice stopped abruptly. Ivan stared blankly. “Keke…”

Shang Ke’s entire body was enveloped in green light, his form gradually becoming indistinct.

“No!” Ivan did not know what was happening, but he could feel that the elf before him was about to leave him.

He rushed toward Shang Ke and thrust an arm into the glowing light, trying to pull him out, but his fingers passed straight through Shang Ke’s body.

“Keke!” Ivan’s heart clenched as overwhelming panic engulfed him.

“Ivan, take good care of the little elves for me.” Shang Ke’s gentle murmur reached his ears. Then his figure disappeared before Ivan’s eyes, replaced by a vivid emerald-green branch. The branch rooted itself into the earth and began growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. One meter, two meters, four meters… The trunk rapidly thickened, branches stretched and intertwined, and roots spread deep through the soil.

The transformation quickly drew everyone’s attention. Beneath countless shocked gazes, a towering tree rose proudly beneath the sky just before dawn.

Then a tender leaf suddenly sprouted from the tip of one branch, unfurling gracefully and glowing emerald-green. A second followed, then a third… Soon, fresh leaves covered every branch, forming an enormous verdant canopy.

Sensing the presence of the Mother Tree, the mixed-blood elves’ eyes filled with tears. One after another, they bowed reverently and joyfully to welcome their mother.

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