Chapter 252: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

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Chapter 252: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

Under the System’s supervision, Shang Ke had truly resisted the temptation of erotic dreams during this period and obediently remained a pure-hearted, desire-free elf. Ivan, however, was miserable. No matter how many times he called for his lover in his dreams, Shang Ke never appeared. After spending night after lonely night unable to satisfy his desires, the resentment in his eyes was practically enough to form an ocean. His greatest accomplishment during this time was producing more than a hundred Oxygen Orbs and enchanting a number of weapons.

Under the night sky, Faesier Forest was cold, dark, and silent, like a sleeping black dragon. In the darkness, a team of forty or fifty people slipped soundlessly through the woods, each of them agile and swift-footed.

The Alliance guards stationed at the perimeter failed to notice these uninvited guests, allowing them to cross the defensive line and head straight toward the center of the Sacred Grounds.

After suffering several hidden losses, the Forge Wraiths had finally been thoroughly enraged. They decided to send people to assassinate Ivan while also probing the true strength of the Sacred Grounds. They had only recently learned that the Sacred Tree Elf had awakened, and whether this posed a threat to them was something they needed to verify personally.

Outside the Alliance encampment, several guards patrolled while speaking in low voices. Every so often, they glanced at the sky to estimate how long remained before the next shift change.

Just then, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from deep within Faesier Forest. Like a silver sun, it instantly turned night into day. Rings of light rippled outward, carrying with them an invigorating breath of nature.

Everyone in the camp jolted awake. After a brief moment of stunned confusion, they finally realized what had happened—the magic formation had been triggered by outsiders!

“Enemy attack!”

Many people in the Alliance had personally tested the effects of the magic formation. Anyone without elven blood was completely unable to pass through it. Attempting to force their way inside would inevitably trigger the formation’s counterattack, activating its protective halo just as it had moments ago.

A succession of piercing alarms rang through the camp. Alliance soldiers rapidly armed themselves and assembled, then rushed toward the center of the Sacred Grounds from every direction.

The unit composed of mixed-blood elves entered first to investigate, while everyone else could only stand guard outside the formation for the time being. Unless the magic formation opened to them, no one else could enter.

At that moment, everyone felt a nameless anger rising inside them. The enemy had slipped all the way into their innermost territory without anyone noticing. It was humiliating beyond belief.

In fact, the Alliance armies had also laid protective formations throughout their own territories. The problem was that the area was simply too vast, and maintaining those formations required enormous quantities of spirit stones. Shang Ke’s magic formation was different: he had directly used the Sacred Tree and the Fountain of Life as its cores, drawing from nature and returning to nature, giving it an inexhaustible source of energy. The Alliance’s own defensive formations were mainly useful for confusing enemies and creating obstacles.

They waited for a long time, but there was no movement from within the magic formation and no one emerged. Growing increasingly anxious, they tried to push through the formation themselves—only to pass through without the slightest difficulty.

Several generals exchanged looks, their expressions turning grim. Had the enemy already destroyed the formation? Not daring to delay, they ordered every soldier to remain on high alert and led their troops inside.

As they advanced, the only differences they noticed were that the trees were lusher, the vines denser, and the natural energy richer than outside. Other than that, nothing seemed unusual.

“Ah!” A startled cry suddenly came from within the ranks. Everyone whirled around at once, their weapons immediately aimed at the soldier who had made the sound.

“What are you yelling about?” an officer snapped, glaring fiercely at him.

The soldier’s face was pale. His arm jerked upward as though cramping. “Sir—above. Look above.”

Everyone raised their heads and followed the direction of his finger. Overhead was a tangled canopy of branches and vines. Faintly visible among those vines hung a human figure. They could not make out the person’s face or tell whether they were alive or dead; the body simply swayed back and forth in the chilly night wind, creating an eerie sight.

“Go up and take a look,” the officer ordered several soldiers.

The soldiers immediately scrambled upward like monkeys. Before long, they had lowered the figure from the tree to the ground.

The officer stepped forward for a closer look, and astonishment immediately crossed his face. The figure lying on the ground was actually a Forge Wraith—and a sealed Forge Wraith at that. There was no questioning the Forge Wraiths’ strength. Their ability to control metal and their undying bodies were enough to make them everyone’s nightmare.

And yet such a powerful Forge Wraith had been silently sealed here without anyone noticing.

A certain man immediately appeared in the officer’s mind. If it was him, perhaps there was nothing strange about it after all. Naturally, he was thinking of Ivan. Although Ivan kept a low profile and had an aloof personality, after awakening his dragon bloodline his strength unquestionably ranked among the world’s top powerhouses. And only his Oxygen Spirit Art possessed the power to directly seal a Forge Wraith.

With that thought, the officer stopped hesitating. He ordered several soldiers to carry the sealed Forge Wraith outside while he led the others deeper into the forest.

“Sir, we found another sealed Forge Wraith.”

“There’s one here too!”

“There are two over here!”

“Good gods, what happened to these damned Forge Wraiths?”

One after another, the soldiers discovered sealed Forge Wraiths scattered throughout the forest, and the positions they had been sealed in were stranger than the last. Some were wrapped up like zongzi, some were covered from head to toe in sticky plant juice, some had been planted upside down in the mud, and others were wedged into cracks between rocks.

The officers’ expressions became wonderfully complicated. These bizarre “death poses” were definitely not Ivan’s handiwork—or at least, not entirely.

But inside the magic formation, aside from Ivan and the mixed-blood elves, the only one left was…

While they were still standing there dumbfounded, a group of mixed-blood elves approached from the other direction and told the officers, “There are five more over there.”

At the edge of the core magic formation, five Forge Wraiths lay sprawled on the ground as though dead. Several mixed-blood elves stood around them, giving them the occasional kick.

“What exactly happened here?” A dwarf general finally could not hold back the question everyone was thinking.

They had stormed in fully armed and ready for a fierce battle, only to discover that the enemy was already lying flat on the ground, apparently waiting for them to come “collect the bodies.”

“The Mother Tree protected us.” The Great Elder gazed ahead, fervent light shining in his eyes. The other mixed-blood elves wore equally reverent expressions.

Naturally, someone just had to run his mouth. “Is your Mother Tree really that powerful?” The result was a barrage of murderous stares, and several mixed-blood elves even drew their weapons.

“Get the hell out of here!” The loose-mouthed fool was immediately kicked aside by his superior. “My apologies. This idiot’s brain doesn’t work properly. Please don’t take offense.” Questioning someone else’s faith while standing on their territory—if he wanted to spontaneously explode, fine, but did he have to drag his allies down with him?

The Great Elder shot him an unfriendly glare, then closed his eyes and resumed his silent prayer.

The core magic formation remained in a defensive state and had not opened to outsiders. Even the mixed-blood elves could not step inside. Everyone therefore gathered beyond the formation, watching the Sacred Tree at the heart of the Sacred Grounds.

At that moment, ripples suddenly spread across the formation’s barrier like waves on a lake. A black shadow was abruptly flung out and slammed heavily to the ground, followed by a second, then a third… One after another, twenty or thirty dark figures popped out like popcorn, accompanied by a chorus of miserable screams.

Huh? Living people?

Swish, swish, swish—countless sharp weapons were leveled at them at once, surrounding them from every direction.

“Forty-five intruders.” An ethereal voice suddenly sounded in the air. “Eleven Forge Wraiths and thirty-four humans.”

“Mother Tree, is that you?” the Great Elder cried excitedly.

“The Elven Sacred Grounds permit no trespass. Those who violate my domain will not be lightly forgiven.”

“The glory of the elves will not be desecrated.” The Great Elder bowed his head respectfully. “We will follow the Mother Tree’s will and never allow any invader to lay hands on our land.”

“I believe in you,” the voice continued. “And to our friends in the Alliance—thank you for everything you have done for the elves.”

“N-no need to thank us.” Several officers inexplicably grew shy. That pleasant, melodious voice flowed slowly past their ears like music, making them want to lie down, find a comfortable position, and lazily listen to it forever.

So this was the legendary Sacred Tree Elf? Damn, that voice was downright intoxicating! Just hearing it was enough to make a person melt. No wonder the Forge Wraiths had all been “straightened out” by him—metal carried sound, didn’t it? With a voice like that traveling straight through their metal bodies, how could they not end up trembling at the knees and singing their own funeral songs?

If Shang Ke had known what they were thinking, he would not even have had the energy to complain. There were several reasons they had dealt with the Forge Wraiths so easily: first, there simply were not many enemies; second, they held the terrain advantage; and finally, Ivan, a top-tier powerhouse, had been there to back them up. Dealing with a dozen or so Forge Wraiths had only taken minutes. As for those dozens of human traitors, they had basically delivered themselves on a platter so the young elves could rack up kills and gain some real combat experience.

At the height of their prosperity, the elves had lived peaceful, comfortable lives and rarely fought with anyone. As a result, they lacked combat awareness, allowing their stronghold to be breached with frightening ease and their people to be slaughtered at will. The lesson had been brutally painful—so painful that their entire race had nearly been wiped out.

The Forge Wraiths had failed to eradicate the elves back then. Now the seed had sprouted, the Mother Tree possessed true consciousness, and the elves had preserved a pure bloodline. The Forge Wraiths’ natural enemies were about to awaken. Never again would they be given the opportunity to set foot on elven land.

The Forge Wraiths’ sneak attack ended in total annihilation. With the Mother Tree’s very first move, every race in the Alliance witnessed his formidable power. The elves’ natural ability to suppress the Forge Wraiths filled everyone with confidence about the battles to come.

【Body condensation has reached 100%. The Host may choose to materialize.】

Shang Ke closed his eyes. He felt bones taking shape within his body, blood beginning to flow, and his skin gradually warming. Vast vitality surged through every part of him. Strands of hair brushed across his cheeks with a soft touch. The night breeze swept past, and when his toes touched the cool spring water, rings of ripples spread outward.

Shang Ke stepped lightly across the water and landed on the bank. He wore not a stitch of clothing. Beneath the moonlight, his pale skin gleamed like polished jade; pointed ears peeked through his hair, and his emerald-green eyes were as clear and brilliant as gemstones. Give him a pair of wings and he could fly straight to heaven.

【Dear Host, the Perfect Expression Pack provided by the System also comes with a variety of feather effects. Would you like the System to activate them for you?】

No. Need. Whatsoever!

Shang Ke refused with absolute finality.

【The feathers are extremely beautiful and give off a wonderfully ethereal effect. Is the Host really sure he doesn’t want to reconsider?】

Absolutely no consideration necessary!

【Oh.】

What was with that disappointed tone?

Shang Ke casually raised a hand and pulled a robe out of thin air, draping it over himself. Now that he had a physical body, he finally would not have to keep resisting erotic dreams anymore.

【Huh?!】

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