Chapter 250: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

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Chapter 250: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

“Ivan!” Several little elves leaped out of the water and immediately hung themselves all over Ivan.

Ivan caught them automatically, then swept his gaze around the area and asked uncertainly, “Keke… came back?”

“Mm!” The little elves nodded in perfect unison, their enormous eyes sparkling and their flushed little faces overflowing with happiness.

“Where is he?” Ivan’s voice trembled slightly, the urgency in his golden eyes impossible to hide.

“He was right here a moment ago.” Bubbles lounged lazily in a magic boat. “Then you came, and Keke left.”

The other little elves immediately agreed. Only Michael looked toward Ivan’s side, where a faint, flickering figure was floating.

Ivan’s expression dimmed. Unease rose in his heart. Did Keke not want to see him? Had Keke also returned with memories of their previous life and learned that Ivan had failed to protect the little elves? Was he disappointed in him?

As Ivan’s thoughts spiraled, he felt someone tug on his trouser leg. Looking down, he saw Leilei leaning over the bank and staring up at him. “Keke should still be nearby. He’s a spirit body right now, so even we can barely see him.”

Leilei was an honest child, unlike the mischievous Bubbles. The moment she noticed Ivan’s mood sinking, she immediately explained the situation.

Ivan slowly calmed himself. His gaze swept across the quiet mountain forest as he said softly, “Keke, I’m back. I missed you so much.”

Ivan, I’m back too. I missed you so much.

Shang Ke wrapped his arms around Ivan’s neck from behind and whispered beside his ear.

As though sensing something, Ivan turned his head. Their eyes met perfectly. Ivan could not see him, but Shang Ke could see Ivan with absolute clarity. His hair was disheveled, his face weathered from travel. The mark left by the Wraith Jade’s seal still covered the left side of his face, tangled like a spiderweb. His golden eyes were sharp as blades; his chin was rough with stubble and dotted with dried blood. His fitted battle clothes were torn and battered, and every patch of exposed skin was marked with wounds. He looked like a fallen hero dragged straight from the battlefield.

“Ivan, you seriously haven’t bathed in forever. You stink.” Sara jumped down from him and waved a hand in front of his nose with obvious disgust.

“Come wash with us!” the little elves invited enthusiastically.

Ivan looked at the flowing spring and the little elves happily splashing through it, then fell silent. The Fountain of Life—worshiped almost like a god, bearing the fate of an entire race, and said never to run dry—was currently being used by the little elves as a natural swimming pool. He could only imagine what expressions the mixed-blood elves would make if they saw this.

The little elves could freely enjoy the Fountain of Life because they were its true owners. Their souls were pure, and the spring would never reject them. Ivan possessed no such privilege. Thus, faced with their enthusiastic invitation, he very sensibly declined.

Ivan had originally returned intending to take the little elves away from this place. But the situation had changed. Keke had appeared and had already begun protecting the children in his own way. From now on, Ivan’s task was to do everything in his power to help and guard them.

He would never allow the tragedy of his previous life to repeat itself.

Outside the magic formation, the mixed-blood elves led by the Great Elder gathered together, anxiously trying to guess the Mother Tree’s intentions without reaching any conclusion. Then, around dusk, another change occurred. A second magic formation activated, using the first as its core and extending seven thousand meters outward. Every non-elven outsider within that area was immediately teleported away.

This time, the mixed-blood elves finally began to understand the Mother Tree’s intent. The two formations divided the Sacred Grounds into three regions. The central area was forbidden elven territory, where no one who was not a pure-blooded elf could enter freely. The second layer was reserved for mixed-blood elves and could not be violated by other races. Outside both formations lay a free zone where anyone who was not an enemy could come and go normally.

Hundreds of years ago, the entirety of Faesier Forest had belonged to the elves. But the elven population was now too small, and for the time being they possessed neither the strength nor the need to expand their territory any farther.

Shang Ke had established the formations for two reasons: first, to give the little elves a better environment in which to live and grow; second, to protect the Sacred Tree and Fountain of Life from enemy invasion.

As the Sacred Tree Elf, he possessed an absolute advantage within this territory and could establish the strongest natural magic formations possible. This time, he believed the Forge Wraiths would no longer be able to break through the defenses so easily and destroy the Sacred Tree and Fountain of Life.

With the rear defenses stabilized, the next step was to find ways to increase the Alliance’s combat strength and help drive the Forge Wraiths out.

The Forge Wraiths could control metal, forcing allied warriors to use weapons made without metallic components, which greatly reduced their fighting power. Forge Wraiths also possessed extraordinary vitality and could not be killed by ordinary means. Even Ivan’s Oxygen Spirit Art could only rust their bodies and then seal their consciousness. The only way to eliminate them permanently was to throw them into magma and refine them away—but first, they had to be subdued.

The reason Forge Wraiths hated elves was that every elf carried a dense natural aura. Even the weakest elf’s aura could hinder a Forge Wraith’s movements. If the elves developed sufficient combat strength, they would undoubtedly become an enormous threat to the Forge Wraiths.

If the elves had organized an effective resistance in time centuries ago and received assistance from the other races, the Forge Wraiths would never have had the opportunity to overrun Anglorr and build their current power.

After the second formation activated, the mixed-blood elves witnessed the Mother Tree’s strength with their own eyes. They did not even know when the formation had been laid down. It was as though the entire new order had taken shape in a single instant.

Those who are not of my people may not cross my borders. Those who violate my territory will be struck down, no matter how far away they flee.

After the upheaval, the mixed-blood elves who had been growing increasingly anxious gradually settled down. Although they were temporarily excluded from the forbidden central region, the Mother Tree’s restored consciousness meant the elven race once again had a center, a guardian deity, and a powerful support behind them. They were no longer homeless people forced to depend entirely on outsiders.

That night, the little elves returned to their own tree houses after exhausting themselves with play and happily went to sleep. Nourished by the Fountain of Life and drained by heavy use of magic, they were physically and mentally tired but unexpectedly comfortable. The moment they lay down, they fell fast asleep, enjoying exceptionally deep rest.

Within the forbidden region, only Ivan remained awake, sitting alone beneath the Sacred Tree with his eyes closed. He had no idea that the Shang Ke he had been searching for was sitting beside him, leaning against his shoulder and leisurely humming an unfamiliar tune.

The surrounding air seemed to be drawn by the melody, flowing continuously with every rise and fall of the sound. Leaves unfurled, a gentle breeze stirred, and the fragrance of grass and flowers drifted through the night, making everything feel calm and unhurried.

Ivan’s expression softened and the tension between his brows eased. The exhaustion accumulated over many days gradually dissolved beneath that wordless humming until, without realizing it, he fell asleep.

Shang Ke watched him quietly, transparent fingers resting over Ivan’s hand. He was wondering when they would finally be able to truly meet when his vision suddenly blurred. When it cleared again, he found himself somewhere strange.

The light around him was dim. Tree shadows swayed silently in the darkness, and the place felt strangely familiar.

While Shang Ke was still trying to understand where he was, a pair of powerful arms suddenly reached around him from behind and locked him tightly in an embrace.

“Keke…” Ivan’s voice entered Shang Ke’s ear together with his scorching breath.

Shang Ke finally realized where he was.

A true dream—Dream Lock magic!

In the darkness, Shang Ke was turned around and pressed against a tree trunk, followed immediately by a hungry kiss. Rough hands, burning breath, a wet tongue, skin rubbing against skin… Every sensation inside the dream felt completely real. Ivan poured all his longing and desire into his movements, forced Shang Ke’s legs apart, and entered him with almost brutal urgency.

“Mnh…” Shang Ke moaned softly as Ivan pushed inside him. His body was stretched and filled, Ivan’s hard, powerful thrusts producing wet sounds between them. Ivan was like a beast that had starved for far too long, greedily devouring the man beneath him. Their naked bodies tangled together—one strong and broad, the other slender and beautiful, roughness against refinement. Waves of pleasure rolled through Shang Ke until he could barely breathe, leaving him with no choice but to rise and fall helplessly with Ivan’s rhythm…

“Keke, you really came back…” After bringing Shang Ke to climax several times, Ivan pressed over him and spoke in a low, hoarse voice.

Before this, Ivan had never known there was a spell called Dream Lock, capable of pulling the person one loved into one’s own dream and allowing them to experience everything within it. After Keke disappeared, Ivan had never dreamed of him again. Now Keke had returned to his dream and was lying beneath him. The warmth of his body proved unmistakably that he was here.

Like a dream, yet not a dream.

Ivan sat down with Shang Ke in his arms, their bodies still intimately joined with no space between them. At that moment, both his body and his heart experienced an incomparable sense of fulfillment.

Shang Ke had imagined countless versions of their reunion, but never had he expected it to happen inside a dream—and certainly not this explosively. They had barely met again before launching straight into eighteen-plus content. His body had not even materialized yet, and they could already fuck themselves senseless in perfect physical harmony? He had no idea whether Dream Lock came with some outrageous bonus effect or whether the dreamer himself was simply that powerful.

“Keke…” Ivan lingered against Shang Ke’s lips, overflowing with attachment.

Shang Ke was just about to answer when the System’s gloomy voice suddenly drifted down from somewhere beyond the heavens: 【Host has illegally entered another person’s dream. Body condensation reduced to 48%!】

【Host has engaged in excessive physical activity. Body condensation reduced to 39%!】

【Host’s stamina is failing. Body condensation reduced to 20%!】

【Host has completely lost all moral integrity. Body condensation reduced to 0.1%!】

【Host’s moral character has been exhausted. Please ascend to heaven immediately. Thank you for your cooperation.】

The instant the System finished speaking, Shang Ke vanished from Ivan’s arms and was forcibly ejected from the dream.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back beneath the Sacred Tree. Morning sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across the sleeping Ivan.

【Congratulations, Host, on escaping the nightmare and returning to reality. Body condensation restored to 52%.】

Shang Ke: “…Tell me the truth, System. This so-called body-condensation percentage is completely under your control, isn’t it?”

It dropped whenever the System said drop and rose whenever it said rise. It was even more responsive than an elevator.

【That is groundless speculation. System reserves the right to appeal.】

Shang Ke: “System, interrupting someone else’s sex life is going to get you struck by divine punishment.”

【System is merely rescuing a wayward youth from a life of moral decline.】

Shang Ke: “You’re not the System I used to know anymore…”

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