452: Chapter 437 (Anti-theft chapter, main text will be updated in a few hours)

Zhang Mu sped all the way, reaching the edge of the Elf Clan territory in about ten minutes, near the barrier that shrouded their lands.

Thanks to the fact that the high-level elves were all gathered at the life tree, he didn't expose his presence even though he used his mana without any concealment.

The mana Zhang Mu spread out was blocked by an invisible barrier ahead, unable to advance further.

I've arrived.

Stopping his pace, he immediately crouched down, dug out a piece of mud from the ground with his fingers, and enveloped it with his Mental Energy.

"As expected!" The feedback from his Mental Energy indicated that Zhang Mu's guess was very likely the truth.

Why was it "very likely" instead of "certainly"? Because it still needed verification to obtain enough evidence to convince the elves.

The evidence had to be sufficient—sufficient enough that the Elf King would risk offending the gods and ignore Zhang Mu's heretic status, not only refraining from harming him but even providing him with protection.

Without stopping, Zhang Mu rushed to the barrier's perimeter in the opposite direction. Upon arrival, he followed the previous testing procedure: digging mud, sensing, and repeating this five times.

"Phew—" As a Magister, simply running wouldn't make him feel tired, but Zhang Mu still exhaled heavily; it was the relaxation of a crisis being averted.

Looking at the five mud balls lying in his palm, he let out a smile.

"It really is like this.

One shouldn't have limited thinking; the people of the Saul Continent spend all day messing with magic and have forgotten even the most basic common sense."

Having said that, he put the mud balls into his Storage Pouch and ran toward the life tree.

...

Under the life tree.

After Frederica's defeat, she did not lash out at the Elf King for his unfairness. She silently walked to the center of the sacrificial Magic Array and sat down.

As her life entered its final countdown, she didn't experience what poems described—people and things she cared about flashing through her mind, or reminiscing about beautiful and regretful experiences.

Why? Because having anticipated this day, she had already done all those things long ago.

Frederica looked toward the Elf King and met his gaze—what was he still waiting for?

The Elf King's cold eyes held not a trace of emotion, and naturally, they revealed no specific meaning.

Ultimately, he gave Frederica no sign with his eyes. He turned and faced his people: "The sacrifice of the Crown Prince must be witnessed by the entire clan."

This announcement utilized mana; the voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every elf within the territory.

Receiving the King's instruction, the elves who had been anxiously waiting for their families in the residential area led their children toward the life tree. At the same moment, the eighteen Elders gathered in the Council Hall rose silently and flew toward the life tree.

The grassland where the life tree stood was vast enough, but more and more elves continued to arrive.

The grassland became packed, and the elven children were forced to retreat, watching the ceremony from the forest.

Clearly, the short children's view was blocked by the adult elves. Unaware of the gravity of the situation, they climbed the trees one after another, sitting on high branches to gaze at the Magic Array.

The Elders flew over the crowd and landed beside Anna, kneeling together to ask for punishment.

The Elf King glanced at them, neither mentioning punishment nor telling them to rise. He turned around, raised his right hand, and personally activated the sacrificial Magic Array.

Mana surged into the Magic Array, and the complex patterns outlined by lines on the ground began to light up from the perimeter, extending along the grooves toward Frederica at the center.

The light was not dazzling, nor did it radiate warmth; it was bone-chillingly cold. This was the light that plundered life. When it enveloped Frederica, it would be the beginning of the end of her life.

The light arrived.

Frederica's skin touched a coldness akin to midwinter, drilling straight into her bones. She slightly opened her eyes, looking through the curtain of light at her father, teacher, Elders, Anna, Sinéad, her clansmen, and...

Zhang Mu.

Doubt surfaced in her eyes. The sacrificial Magic Array hadn't even begun to extract her life force yet; how could she already be hallucinating?

"Stop!"

The voice was very familiar, but due to the obstruction of the mana barrier, it wasn't very clear, as if coming from a distant place.

Frederica firmly believed she wouldn't have hallucinations, yet the scene before her could only possibly occur in a fantasy.

Two completely opposite judgments wrestled and collided, causing her consciousness to daze slightly, and the figures of her clansmen in her sight became blurred.

The reason she snapped back to clarity was the light curtain approaching her, the coldness reaching its peak.

Subconsciously shivering, Frederica's vision cleared, and she found that the light pressing in from all sides had disappeared; the Magic Array had been interrupted once again.

When she turned her head to look in front of her and saw the back standing between her and her clansmen, nothing else mattered.

Darkness spread from the sides of her vision toward the center, slowly obscuring her clansmen until only that man's back remained.

A ripple appeared in Frederica's eyes. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak. After several attempts, she finally called out his name.

"Zhang Mu."

"Hmm?" Zhang Mu turned his head, saw her violently trembling pupils, and showed a smile. "Don't be afraid. Leave it to me."

It was a promise that seemed to have no foundation, yet Frederica believed it without a doubt. The surging emotions in her heart calmed down, and she gazed at him quietly.

Zhang Mu looked back at the Elf King. "I shouldn't need to introduce myself."

"A very bold heretic." The Elf King glanced at Frederica.

Behind him, Anna was so surprised she could hardly contain herself. "A heretic!

Frederica, your trip to Lake was indeed to rescue a heretic!

King! Her crimes are now proven..."

Under the Elf King's cold gaze, Anna's voice grew lower and lower until she finally shut her mouth and retreated into the line of Elders.

The Elf King turned his head back to the front and said to Zhang Mu, "I've heard of your achievements in Lake. Very strong.

You eliminated the neighboring countries and even annihilated the elite cavalry regiment of the Gangnuo Empire."

"And so?"

"You shouldn't be an idiot—at least not the kind of idiot who would do something as stupid as seeking death."

"Of course."

"Then..." The Elf King suddenly gripped his scepter. "I'll give you one minute. Use it well."

Zhang Mu didn't care at all about his slightly threatening tone and smiled. "Before that, I suggest you first solve the Elf Clan's big trouble. It just so happens I can help."

At this moment, Gezhe, hidden overhead, felt a surge of doubt. He didn't immediately suspect that Zhang Mu was going to expose him, but rather guessed that the "trouble" referred to the wilting of the life tree.

Gezhe didn't believe Zhang Mu had the ability to heal the life tree; "being able to help" was likely just an excuse concocted to save Frederica.

This gimmick wasn't very good. When the Elf King asks you to provide a method, how will you respond?

Come to think of it, so he's that heretic?

Did he give me a fake name? Heh, I'll deal with you after I've dealt with the Elf Clan.

Gezhe let out a few cold laughs, but he soon found himself unable to laugh anymore.

The Elf King replied indifferently, "The biggest trouble our clan faces is the disaster you've brought..."

"No, no, no. First of all, whether the life tree's wilting is truly a punishment from the gods, you know better than anyone." Zhang Mu extended his right fist and held up his index and middle fingers. "Secondly, the Elf Clan's trouble isn't just one; it's two."

Sitting on the tree branch, Gezhe felt a sense of foreboding.

This bastard couldn't possibly... No way, what reason would he have to expose me?!"

Unfortunately, things did not develop in the direction he had anticipated.

Zhang Mu looked up, baring his teeth. "Hey, Gezhe, come on down."

The moment the name "Gezhe" drifted from his mouth, the Elders and clansmen didn't burst into an uproar; they were merely confused about this person's identity and why he was a trouble for the Elf Clan.

But the Elf King suddenly raised his scepter, his Mental Energy condensing into a spike that struck toward the branch.

Gezhe had been able to hide his presence right under their noses because the Elf King didn't know he had arrived. Now that Zhang Mu had exposed his whereabouts, he naturally couldn't stay hidden.

Jumping off the branch to dodge the spiritual attack, Gezhe didn't flee immediately upon landing—he couldn't break through the barrier shrouding the Elf Clan territory.

He glanced at the Elf King, then asked Zhang Mu, "Why?"

"None of your business." Zhang Mu didn't bother to deal with him, rolled his eyes, and pulled Frederica to hide beside the life tree.

The big one is coming. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, it's better to hide further away.

The Elf King, who had been cold since his appearance, showed a look of fury, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.

"Gezhe!"

Gezhe put his hands behind his back. "Stop the nonsense. Let's fight."

The moment the words fell, both their figures became ethereal and soon disappeared without a trace.

Zhang Mu stood on his tiptoes to look around. "Eh, where'd they go?"

"The aftershocks of a Gods Blessing battle are too great. To avoid the territory being devastated, Father dragged him into an alternate dimension." Frederica's voice sounded beside him.

"Is that how Gods Blessing people fight?"

"Yes.

Um, Zhang Mu."

"Huh?" He looked at her side. Frederica had her head lowered, her expression hidden. "What's wrong?"

"How did you end up in the Elf Clan? Also, where did you learn about the life tree? And why do you know Gezhe?"

"Uh, the process is quite complicated. We'll talk about it slowly after this is over."

"Okay." Frederica nodded, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the narrow distance between their shoulders. She quietly took small steps toward him, closing the gap.

The elves and Elders on the grassland could no longer be bothered to condemn the "heretic" Zhang Mu and the "sinner" Frederica; they were pacing anxiously in circles.

If the life tree dies, the elves will go extinct before long. If the Elf King loses and dies, they'll die right now. It would be strange if they weren't anxious.

After waiting for a few minutes, Zhang Mu got a bit bored and started chatting with Frederica. "Can your dad win?"

"According to historical records, Gezhe was heavily injured in the last great war when he attacked the Elf Clan. Father's strength is not weaker than his, and he's at his peak. He can win."

"Is it possible for his injury to be healed?"

"He was hit by our clan's secret technique. Unless he uses our clan's supreme treasure, there's no hope of healing. But obviously, our clan would never lend it."

"True." Zhang Mu thought back to the purpose Gezhe mentioned for coming to the Elf Clan and muttered to himself that the guy was actually telling the truth.

"Zhang Mu, take this."

Zhang Mu felt a hard object being pressed into his hand. Looking down, it was an identity token.

"What's this for?"

"A key to open the entrance to the territory's barrier. While the battle isn't over, run quickly."

"Run?" Zhang Mu was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "So you thought when I said 'leave it to me,' I was just bluffing?"

"The cause of the life tree's wilting is unknown. Even if there's a way to treat it, it will be hard to find in a short time. You quickly—"

"Shut up."

Frederica closed her mouth, blinked, and looked at him in confusion.

Zhang Mu waved his hand. "I've already found the cause."

"Really?" She suspected Zhang Mu was lying, her gaze fixed intently on his face.

"Guaranteed."

"But I think..."

The sudden appearance of the Elf King's figure ahead interrupted her words.

Frederica said no more; it was too late for anything now. She felt a bit annoyed with herself for not mentioning the escape until just now, just so she could stay with Zhang Mu a little longer.

The Elf King raised his hand and threw Gezhe's head to Anna, who hurriedly caught it.

"Take it to offer as a sacrifice to the previous Elf King."

"King, the heretic and the Prin..."

"Anna."

"Present."

"I do not wish to say it a second time."

"By your command." Anna retreated, turning only after she was out of the King's sight, and hurried toward the previous Elf King's tomb.

"You all accompany her." The Elf King scanned the clansmen and Elders, including Sinéad, who was shrinking behind an Elder, trying to minimize her presence.

"By your command." The Elders knew the King wanted a private conversation with the heretic and left obediently.

Once all the elves had entered the forest, the Elf King dropped his rational demeanor and came before Zhang Mu. "I am very grateful for your help, but this is only enough to trade for your life."

"You're overthinking it. I never thought about using Gezhe to trade for anything."

"Then..."

"I said, the Elf Clan has two big troubles that you're powerless to solve on your own. It just so happens I can help."

The Elf King pondered for a moment. "Apologies, it's not that I want to doubt you.

I've searched for the root cause of the life tree's wilting for a long time without success. Now, a human tells me he's found it...

Besides, if my guess is correct, you disguised yourself as an injured human to sneak into the territory. That is to say, you've been here for no more than seven days."

"Counting today, it's been five days."

The Elf King sighed. "Do you think I should believe you?"

"I didn't ask you to believe me." Zhang Mu cheerfully pulled five mud balls from his Storage Pouch. "Whether you should believe me or not, won't you know once I've healed the life tree?"

"Time." The Elf King looked at the five mud balls, not quite understanding their connection to the life tree's illness. Thinking, he said, "The life tree won't last much longer. I can wait for you for at most—"

"Three days." Zhang Mu raised his hand and patted the trunk of the life tree. "If it were an ordinary tree, the treatment time would be longer. But this isn't an ordinary tree. Three days is enough."

A look of astonishment appeared in the Elf King's eyes, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation. "It can be cured in just three days?!"

"Are you dreaming? It's been sick for so long.

When I said three days, I meant making its condition improve within three days.

As for completely eradicating the cause... hmm... I reckon it'll take a month."

"One... month?"

"It will take at least that long. Any shorter is impossible."

"No..." The Elf King, this Gods Blessing Professional, now seemed like a child seeing candy, stepping forward excitedly and pressing his hand on Zhang Mu's shoulder.

His lips trembled, and his hands shook even more. One had to admit the terror of a Gods Blessing; just the simple shaking of his hands made Zhang Mu's body feel like it was about to fall apart.

Noticing Zhang Mu's pained expression, the Elf King quickly withdrew his hand, took a few breaths, and controlled his voice to be as steady as possible. "If... if... whew...

If you can heal the life tree, the Elf Clan is willing to pay any price."

Zhang Mu rubbed his aching shoulder, feeling it ease slightly, and waved his hand. "No price needed. Free treatment."

"Why?" The Elf King was full of bewilderment.

"I'm not helping you, nor am I helping the Elf Clan. I'm helping my friend Frederica.

Helping a friend makes things easy to resolve, so of course there's no charge."