Chapter 99: My answer to your request is
Currently flying in the skies was a large Elven-made Magical Vehicle with a spacious platform atop it. A powerful magical barrier enveloped the ship, and by some unseen circumstance, the swarms of bugs, the thorny tree branches, and the noxious green and red gases continuously avoided it.
Aboard the ship stood a large number of experts from across the Fae Region, mostly from the Fae Grand Spirit Alliance. Top experts from the Seven Sects and Clans Alliance were also present. There were also a few other experts from different regions, including the Late Stage Mortal Lord who had led the huge army from the Whispering Expanse. A few other sects, clans, kingdom rulers, and lone experts were also in attendance.
At the center seat, amidst all the gathered experts, sat none other than Matriarch Sunflowria. On her left and right sides were the 2nd Grand Elder and the 1st Grand Elder Daoist Bloodleaf. They were engaged in an important meeting about the future, meticulously planning and ensuring the execution of certain strategies.
"Then it's decided. Within three days, as the magic reaches the point of dissolution, we will use one final technique to leave this forsaken land. Even if it's rich in essence energy, it is still nothing but a prison, especially after reaching a certain stage of the Mortal Shedding Realm," Sunflowria stated with a heroic, resolute expression.
"Even though you say that, is it truly worth it to abandon everything that you've built up in this place?" an elder from a certain race outside the Fae Grand Spirit Alliance's sphere of influence inquired, skepticism in his voice.
Everyone looked at the Matriarch with questioning eyes, pondering this weighty matter. Even most of the alliance members themselves wore uncertain expressions. Although they were eager for such an opportunity, it wasn't easy to simply abandon a place they had lived their entire lives.
Sunflowria merely displayed an unreadable expression as she spoke matter-of-factly, "It's not as though you'll have to abandon everything if you've completely followed the instructions that were presented to you all personally as we are proceeding with the plans. As for the rest, well… I don't have much that I can tell you."
Many of the experts glanced around at each other before subtly shifting the topic onto something else, recognizing the Matriarch's resolve.
What no one else noticed were the three spectre-like figures from the three Elf Tribes floating in three different directions around the platform, near the barrier. To almost all the experts there, they simply looked like part of the formation holding it up. Not even the 3rd and 4th Fanged Elf Grand Elder could perceive them.
The only individuals who could just vaguely discern them were the Late Stage Mortal Shedding Realm experts who were barely a step into the Pristine Soul Tier. Even more clearly visible to them were the very few experts who had actually stepped into that stage, which included only three supreme leaders of certain races, including the Sylvanid race.
The only people who were able to see them clearly enough to a truly noticeable extent were Daoist Bloodleaf and the 2nd Grand Elder of the Fanged Elf Tribe, both of whom turned out to be at the Pristine Soul Tier, which originally shocked many experts present.
The only one that could see them with absolute clarity, however, was none other than Matriarch Sunflowria, whose specific tier remained unclear, but experts were absolutely certain that she was completely solidified into the Pristine Soul Tier at the very least—a state far different from merely being in it.
This also meant that she could challenge the Master Tier if she wanted to. But if not that, she could continue solidifying herself by challenging the Higher Soul Tiers above Pristine Soul Tier.
If she reached full completion of all Soul Tiers, not only would challenging the Master Tier be quite a bit easier, but the higher the Soul Tier, the more powerful they would be at the early stages of the Master Realm. Not just that, but they would also have far higher future prospects with their cultivation.
It's always been said since ancient times that the Mortal Shedding Realm is the True Beginning for cultivation.
The Refined Soul Tier and its three layers are substages between the Mortal Shedding Realm and the Master Realm. The higher the Soul Tier level, the better the future prospects of that cultivator in general. The three tiers of the Refined Soul Tier are called Pristine, Aetherial, and Divine Spark.
There are three types of Master Realm experts: Pristine Masters, Aetherial Masters, and True Masters, all of which signify their rank and power at the point they stepped into the Master Realm. An Early Stage True Master is generally just as powerful as a Middle Stage Pristine Master.
The gap between early, middle, and late stages for a Master Realm expert tends to be far wider than the differences between Mortal Lord Experts in the Early through Soul Tier.
For the next two days, experts from the allied armies within the barrier would launch powerful, targeted attacks towards various powerful surviving enemies around the Fae Region. It truly was a nightmare, but compared to the first day, it was slowly becoming obvious that the hellish, widespread magic was waning more and more.
While the magic was indeed waning, with the trees and gas slowly weakening, the most dangerous bloody crimson-eyed army was surely not weakening. They continued their deadly attacks far out of the Fae Region and were even beginning to intermingle with other forces as they wreaked havoc.
In a very large area surrounding multiple lands, centered around the Celebi Forest Kingdom, a gigantic barrier that seemed to breathe nature covered much of the lands. It should also be noted that similar barriers were partially erected in certain other areas, though their entire land was not completely covered by it the same way it was for the areas around Celebi Forest Kingdom.
Sitting in a sacred area within the Fanged Elf World Tree sat a confused Elton, who had suddenly been dragged here by Aeloria along with Shayleaf, who was wearing an odd expression on her face.
"Where is this?" Elton asked, feeling a stifled pressure as he looked around this gigantic jungle of a world.
His current self, while feeling such stifling pressure, couldn't help but feel slightly disturbed by how comforting it felt to be in this place as well. Aeloria continued to direct Elton and Shayleaf to a certain area as she attempted to give him an explanation.
"This place… Honestly, I'm not completely sure myself, but by orders of our Fanged Elf King as well as the approval of the Matriarch, I was made to summon the two of you. And… I also felt a calling with my ability."
Elton could only nod his head while still filled with uncertainty. What truly baffled him the most was Shayleaf's current behavior, which was subtly silent and a bit distant compared to her usual self.
After walking through this huge world of a jungle for a while, they finally came across a giant tree. To be more precise, this tree just looked like a much smaller yet ancient, beautiful, and bloody version of the Fanged World Tree.
A somewhat emaciated figure could be seen with most of its body embedded into the tree, with only the top part of their body visible. All sorts of ancient scripts floated around that person like vast waves of fireflies, and low chants could be heard from every direction.
Aeloria had a look of shock on her face as she completely fell into a daze upon seeing the person, and a huge light shone through her eyes uncontrollably.
"Lady Aeloria!?!? What's happening?" Elton shouted in shock and a bit of fear.
Shayleaf just continued to look on with a slight indifference as she stared at the person on the tree. After a number of seconds passed, Aeloria finally returned to her senses, got on her knees, and then prostrated before the person as she said with the highest praise and sincerity, "I greet you, O ancestor of our Fanged Elf Tribe."
Suddenly there was a huge quake in the lands, and Elton became very shocked as he continued to look around with uncertainty. It was at this moment that Shayleaf grabbed his arm and stared him in the eyes for a bit. Her eyes transformed into a crimson color, her fangs sharpened, and her overall aura gave more of a gloomy feeling.
Elton, stunned in stupor, couldn't help but lightly call out to her, "Shay… leaf? What are you…"
"Ah, little one, be not afraid. This descendant of mine is just having her true awakening now. Thanks to you, she was able to finally truly tap into the depths of her bloodline, but due to her personality, something was lacking, and this could have easily been fatal for her in the future. I, who have chosen her as the next true vessel to hold the spirit of our Fanged World Tree, can't have that," a heavy yet familiar voice, laced with power, reverberated.
Elton suddenly understood, even though he could not truly find happiness in the final words stated by the voice.
"The being that possessed the Blessing Bestowal spirit back then… So that was you…" he muttered.
"It is indeed I," the voice said nonchalantly.
"What do you mean becoming the vessel of the Fanged World Tree…?" Elton asked, uncaring about anything else.
"It's as I've said. In the future, she will inherit the spirit of our Fanged World Tree. It's a heavy responsibility given to all Powerful Elven rulers who possess the constitution and are capable," replied the voice.
"This… Is that so? But why? What does this responsibility entail? And of all people, why does it have to be Shayleaf??!!" Elton said, taking heavy breaths filled with anxiety.
"I can give you two different answers, which are both correct. The first answer is Fate."
Before the voice could finish, Elton snapped in annoyance. "Fate, fate, fate, and fate again. It's always fate..! What is up with this concept of fate!"
"I will continue from where I left off before your interruption. How about I start off with this then. Your realm is still too low to truly grasp it, and it's only because I am the holder of the Fanged World Tree at its current state that I can vaguely grasp it.
The best way I can put it is that fate is a form of a divine power that is utilized throughout this world. Fate can be altered, but even the strongest experts in this Terraplane world can't truly control it, unless perhaps they are the legendary ascenders…
As for the reason that that girl is fated to receive this World Tree in the future, well… It's all because of you, who are a strange anomaly to this fate-driven world. There are people like you that appear from time to time all over the place, but to stay on topic, both you and… whatever that is lingering around in you is the primary reason for a lot of the events that have happened," the voice said, devoid of any warmth.
Elton paused as he thought about everything that had happened so far. The dimensional gate, various smaller-scale wars erupting, the Laughing Blue Blade Reaper and the Laughing Blue Reaper group and so many followers, awakening Shayleaf's bloodline, being a key figure in certain scenarios, his inner voice already forewarning him about certain things while also possessing him… Not to mention how the entire Fanged Elf Tribe—no, Celebi Forest Kingdom as a whole—were betting on him for some things.
Was he really so important?
"Just… Tell me what it means to inhabit the spirit of the World Tree," Elton almost despairingly asked.
"Hmm, well, it means just that. It's not so much different from being the supreme ruler of the Fanged Elf Tribe. The life and death of a tribe is the same for every Elf Clan and every tribe, and that is our World Trees.
What's more, not just any elf can become its vessel. Truthfully, Sunflowria was going to be the next vessel, even though truthfully she was still lacking quite a bit when it comes to compatibility, even if she is quite the exceptional talent of our Fanged Elf race.
Aeloria was set by me to be a true emergency backup in the future if things truly grew dire, but thankfully, we have this much more exceptional talent in that girl, Shayleaf. But more than that, there is something far more important."
The heavy voice paused for a moment, and suddenly the figure embedded in the tree slowly lifted its body, and its somewhat emaciated figure could finally be seen. It was a man with very long, dusty blonde hair who certainly looked far more handsome and heroic in another time in his life. He continued to speak as his pressure-filled eyes looked at Elton.
"You. With you, Shayleaf won't be subject to the extremely stringent requirements needed to be the vessel of our Fanged World Tree. The thing is, I will need you to create a life and death pact to the divine will of the heavens about something in particular…"
Elton shuddered heavily upon hearing this as he felt such a heavy weight on him, and fear rose throughout his body.
"What, what is it that you want from someone like me?"
"…As someone who now shares some of the Fanged Elf Royal bloodline through blessings bestowal and synchronized cultivation with not only that girl Shayleaf but lesser versions with various other Royal Fanged Elves…
I, Farraleaf, ask that in place of the future new Vessel of our Fanged World Tree spirit, you will become the Patriarch and the supreme guardian of our Fanged Elf Tribe in the future. My descendants' life and death will also be your life and death as far as imminent dangers are concerned."
Elton stood still for a long time after hearing such a request.
This entire time, Shayleaf's eyes had not left Elton for even a second, and there was also an extremely serious undertone in her demeanor. Elton felt that something was totally different about her, but he could also tell that she was still her. He slightly felt her attempts to control her trembling. It seemed that for whatever reason, she seemed to have a much greater understanding of the things that were happening.
"I…" Elton began to speak as he lifted his right hand and brushed Shayleaf's cheek, bringing his face slightly closer to hers. Her face suddenly blushed furiously, but she did not move.
Elton continued, "Your excellency Farraleaf, my answer to your request—"