294: Chapter 741 The Elf Race

The young girl was forced to a stop amidst the dense forest, trembling slightly. Her delicate, small face was filled with panic and unease, and her clear eyes looked timidly at the two strange youth in front of her. She clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, so nervous she didn't dare to breathe.

She could clearly perceive the vast, boundless powerful cultivation on the two people before her—far surpassing her own cognition. That overwhelming disparity in power made ultimate fear well up from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing that the other party was panic-stricken, Yuan Yun did not release oppressive pressure to intimidate her, nor did she make any over-the-top moves. She merely reined in all the Spiritual Qi sharpness around her body, her voice cold yet soft, carrying not a shred of malice: "Don't be afraid, we harbor no malice."

The Elf Race girl raised her head timidly, sizing up the peerless-tempered, outstanding brother and sister before her, and stammered in a low voice: "Y-You... Who are you? Why have you broken into our territory?"

Her language was peculiar and melodious, yet miraculously intercommunicable with the common language of Canglan Domain, clear and distinguishable.

Yuan Luo spoke in the tone of Elder Ping He, speaking steadily and inquiring with patience: "We come from the Canglan Cultivation World, exploring across realms. What territory is this place? What kind of living being are you?"

Seeing that the two indeed harbored no malice, the Elf Race girl relaxed her tense mind slightly. Lowering her head slightly, she softly replied: "This is the Wanling Domain Cultivation World, the ancestral homeland where our Elf Race has lived for generations."

An elf?

Yet another Cultivation World she had never heard of.

Looking at the timid Elf Race girl before him, Yuan Luo spoke softly and gently: "Rest assured, we will not harm your tribe, nor will we infringe upon your territory."

Before them, the Elf Race girl named Nuomi hung her emerald-green long hair, her translucent pointed ears trembling slightly. Her water-clear eyes still retained a trace of undispersed panic. Her small hand lightly clutched her lightweight skirt as she timidly looked up at the two strange foreign visitors before her, her tense mind relaxing bit by bit.

Their Elf Race possessed an innate ability: the perception of malice.

From their brief encounter and standoff just now, she had already clearly perceived that this pair of youths—whose appearances were dust-transcending and whose temperaments were transcendent—possessed not a shred of malice and were not ferocious villains infringing upon the territory. The fear in the depths of her heart largely dissipated, gradually giving way to complete curiosity and innocence.

The atmosphere in the forest grew increasingly reminiscent of Elder Ping He and Wen Rou, watching as the three were about to continue talking to clarify each other's Origins, when a fragmented, urgent sound of breaking wind suddenly tore through the silence of the entire dense forest!

Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Three crisp and sharp sounds of piercing through the air rang out successively at extreme speed, carrying faint emerald-green spiritual light as they suddenly shot out from the dense bushes on both sides!

The arrows came with fierce momentum, yet lacked any murderous, tyrannical Qi, not resembling the fatal onslaught of battlefield combat, but instead carrying extreme precision, restraint, and a sense of proportion.

Yuan Luo's gaze narrowed slightly, a trace of faint surprise flashing across the depths of his eyes, yet he showed not a shred of panic.

With his top-tier Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivation, his Divine Soul perception had long since covered a radius of a hundred zhang around him. The moment the arrows were shot, he had thoroughly comprehended the mystery within them.

With a light step, his figure shifted sideways by half a chi like flowing clouds, his posture steady as a boulder, calmly avoiding the range covered by several arrow trajectories. The Spiritual Qi around his body did not churn in the slightest, his posture relaxed yet steady.

Yuan Yun by his side was even more cold and composed, her immaculate green dress hem swaying gently in the breeze. Her gaze swept indifferently across the direction of the dense forest whence the arrows came, her Divine Soul clear and limpid, undisturbed and unperturbed; she didn't even make a motion to raise her hand in defense.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several soft, muffled sounds landed one after another, as several intricately patterned, emerald-green spirit wood arrows steadily nailed themselves into the ancient tree trunks beside the brother and sister.

The slender spiritual feathers at the tail of the arrows trembled gently, and fine fragments of vegetation spiritual light slowly drifted down, yet they did not damage the tree trunks in the slightest, remaining a full several chi away from the bodies of the two, deliberately deflecting away from fatal positions.

"They are warning arrows." Yuan Luo spoke softly, his tone resolute and steady as he instantly saw through the other party's intention, "No killing intent, merely driving us away as a warning."

Yuan Yun nodded slightly, her cold voice being gentle like Wen Rou and Elder Ping He: "The measure of proportion is handled exceptionally well; the person who struck has a restrained Heart-Nature, and is definitely not someone fond of killing or pugnacious."

The two exchanged glances, their hearts already thoroughly enlightened. The other party hiding in the forest and secretly shooting arrows looked like a surprise attack, but in reality they held back throughout, solely to warn outsiders against trespassing into the territory, harboring no thoughts of harming or taking lives.

"There is no need to hide." Yuan Luo raised his eyes, his gaze landing on the dense emerald-green bushes on both sides. His voice was clear and resonant, gentle and open, carrying no shred of hostility or questioning, "The arrow momentum was reined in, intended for expulsion rather than slaughter. Since you have already shown yourselves to warn us, you might as well come out and meet."

His voice was neither high nor low, spreading slowly along the breeze through the forest with just the right measure of proportion. There was neither intimidation nor showing weakness or yielding, fully displaying the calm demeanor of a Canglan Prodigy.

The moment his words fell, the branches and leaves of the lush bushes on both sides swayed gently, rustling. Fine light and shadows filtered down through the gaps in the leaves, reflecting slender and graceful figures one after another.

More than a dozen light-bodied figures slowly paced out, all of them Elf Race members with handsome appearances and ethereal temperaments.

They uniformly wore spirit-patterned gauze robes alternating in cyan-green and emerald-green. The material was light, thin, and soft, conforming to their body shapes. Their skin was fair and translucent like congealed fat, their brows and eyes as exquisite as paintings. Beside the ears of every single one stood the iconic translucent pointed ears of the Elf Race, and their hair colors were mostly light green and pale cyan, swaying slightly in the wind and flowing with fine spiritual light, naturally carrying a sacred aura of nature.

In the hand of every single elf was tightly grasped a quaint, mellow Mu Chang spirit wood bow. The patterns on the bow body were naturally formed, nourishing a rich vegetation Dao rhyme. The bowstrings were lightly taut, arrows on the string, yet no one drew their bows to aim or stored up power for an attack again. They merely rested five fingers lightly on the bow body, standing tall and solemn, watching the strange brother and sister in the center of the clearing with utmost vigilance.

At the lead was a tall and slender young elf with a handsome and gentle face, possessing a steady and capable temperament. Between his brows was both the unique mild purity of the Elf Race and the prudent resoluteness of guarding the tribe. His gaze firmly locked onto Yuan Yun and Yuan Luo, inspecting and probing carefully, his eyes filled with intense surprise and incomprehension.

The group of elves stood in formation, their positioning orderly and their advances and retreats measured. Subconsciously, they protected the Elf Race girl Nuomi who had appeared first at the rear of the team. Their formation was neat and tight, showing that they were an elite guard unit that collaborated on duty and guarded the territory year-round—well-trained and strictly disciplined.

At this moment, both sides in the forest scrutinized each other in silence, the atmosphere subtle.

Everyone in the elf guard team was filled with astonishment, staring intently at the appearance and temperament of Yuan Yun and Yuan Luo, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

For generations, they had resided in the Wanling Elf Domain, accustomed to the ethereal and handsome appearances of their own kind, and thoroughly familiar with the appearances and physiques of all races in this realm—the rugged solidity of dwarves, the fierce sturdiness of orcs, the gloomy and ferocious nature of demons, as well as the special features of various minor races—yet they had never seen living beings looking like the ones before them.

The youth and maiden before them had black hair and clear eyes, translucent skin, and peerless, otherworldly appearances with elegant and upright postures. Their surrounding aura was calm and boundless, harboring a stern moral integrity within mildness, introverted and profound with deep foundations. They possessed neither the gentle charm and etherealness of the Elf Race nor the tyrannical roughness of other races; it was an exotic physique and aura they had never encountered before.

Similarly, looking at the handsome and pure elves before them, Yuan Yun and Yuan Luo also secretly lamented how favored by heaven the living beings of this realm were.

"What kind of people are you?"

The leading elf captain took the initiative to speak, his voice crisp and gentle, carrying the pure texture of natural living beings. His tone was vigilant yet polite, without aggressive hostility, only the prudence of guarding the territory, "This place is the territory of the Qingyang Tribe in the Wanling Elf Domain; foreign living beings are not allowed to trespass arbitrarily."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze growing increasingly solemn: "Your appearances are peculiar and your auras are unfamiliar; you definitely do not belong to this realm. Where exactly do you come from? Why did you abruptly appear in the forest deep within our clan's hinterland?"

Hearing the other party's questioning, Yuan Luo and Yuan Yun exchanged glances once more. Within their cold gazes, a trace of sudden realization and clarity flashed simultaneously, all doubts in the depths of their hearts instantly parting the clouds to become thoroughly clear.

So that was how it was.

These native elves actually did not know about the existence of the two realms' spatial rift from beginning to end.

Thoughts surged rapidly in the hearts of the brother and sister, instantly sorting out all the causes and consequences.

That spatial rift connecting the Canglan Cultivation World and the Wanling Elf Domain was located in the barren zone on this side, where the surrounding area was sparsely populated, Spiritual Qi was turbid, and it was barren and perilous, with no race willing to set foot or stay there on ordinary days.

Precisely because of this, inside the Guiyi Boundary-Suppressing Array previously, it was completely empty without a trace of the enemy.

The native living beings of the Wanling Domain were completely oblivious to the existence of the spatial rift, and had never imagined that there was another world beyond the realm. How could they have any thoughts of sending troops to invade and conquer Canglan?

Having figured all this out, the numerous doubts in Yuan Luo's heart completely dissipated. The expression on his face grew increasingly Elder Ping He and open-minded, taking the initiative to rein in all the Spiritual Qi sharpness around his body, casting off the guard and alienation of an outsider, and speaking candidly to explain.

"All you elf friends need not be vigilant or on guard; the two of us siblings are definitely not external enemies who deliberately intruded, nor do we harbor a shred of malice to infringe upon your honorable clan's territory."

Yuan Luo's tone was sincere and open, his logic clear, without the slightest concealment or hiding: "We come from another world called the Canglan Cultivation World. Our appearance here this time is purely an accident, and not a deliberate trespass."

"Recently, the Void Realm of the two realms has experienced frequent abnormalities and violent spatial tremors. We were originally investigating the battle situation at our plane's border when we were inadvertently swept by spatial turbulence into the cross-realm rift. By sheer Opportunity, we mistakenly entered this Wanling realm."

This explanation was reasonable, smooth, logically rigorous, open, and sincere, leaving people with no room for doubt.

Hearing this, the vigilance on the faces of the group of elves faded slightly, replaced by thick wonder and astonishment. Pairs of clear eyes stared closely at the brother and sister pair, full of incredulity.

"An outer-realm world?" A young elf warrior couldn't help stepping forward half a step, his pointy ears trembling slightly, his eyes filled with curiosity as he exclaimed softly, "So there really are outer-realm worlds in this world? Since I was young, I heard ancient legends passed down by the Elders in the clan saying that the heaven and earth are boundless, and beyond the universe there are myriads of planes. Yet I always thought they were just illusory stories fabricated by our ancestors and never took them seriously!"

"No wonder your appearances, auras, and temperaments are completely different from ours," another Elf slightly nodded in sudden realization. "We are thoroughly familiar with all the races in this Wanling Domain, and we have never seen creatures with black hair, clear eyes, and profound Qi like you. So you are from a distant exotic realm!"

"It's too incredible! Having lived for hundreds of years, today we finally get to see real visitors from beyond the realm!"

Faint exclamations rang out among the Elves in the forest, and the originally tense and solemn atmosphere instantly relaxed and softened by more than half.

They were naturally kind and rustic, with simple and transparent minds, devoid of the cunning calculations and heavy guard of other races.

The two youths from beyond the realm before them had open and upright words and deeds, and a clean and Wen Rou temperament, which they liked very much.

The leading Elf captain's gaze flickered slightly, carefully observing the peaceful and sincere expressions of the brother and sister, feeling the warm and contention-free Qi on them, and the doubts in the bottom of his heart gradually melted away.

If they were malicious external enemies deliberately provoking trouble, he would have been able to sense it at the very first moment.

"I see, it turns out to be a misunderstanding." The Elf captain nodded slowly, his tone much milder, shedding the initial vigilance and alienation and gaining a bit of modesty. "Since it was an accidental straying and not an intentional intrusion into our race's territory, then we have misunderstood the two of you."

"Earlier, we did not know the reason and rashly took action to issue a warning, causing much offense. We hope the two distinguished guests from beyond the realm will forgive us."

Yuan Yun nodded slightly, her cold brows and eyes stained with a faint trace of Wen Rou, her voice soft, pleasant, gentle, and proper: "It's no matter. Guarding your group's territory and being vigilant against anomalies from beyond the realm is your duty and blameless. If we were in an unfamiliar situation, we would act with such caution as well."

Yuan Luo followed up with a smile and agreement, his tone open-minded and warm: "Indeed, the ignorant are not guilty; it's just a misunderstanding, no need to take it to heart. Moreover, your actions showed extreme restraint; the arrow momentum was intentionally held back to warn rather than harm, which is enough to show that your noble race has a pure Heart-Nature, dislikes killing, and possesses an admirable breadth of mind."

The back-and-forth honest conversation completely melted away the initial barrier and guard, and the atmosphere in the forest grew increasingly harmonious and mild.

The group of Elves completely lowered their guard, the tense longbows in their hands slowly retracted, their upright and solemn postures relaxed entirely, the originally tense battle lines quietly dispersed, and pure, friendly smiles appeared on their faces.

Nuomi, who was protected at the rear of the team, immediately broke free from her clansman's block upon seeing this, ran quickly to Yuan Yun's front, her small face filled with a pure and romantic smile, her lively eyes sparkling, full of closeness and joy.

"I just knew the two older brother and sister were good people!" Nuomi's crisp voice was soft and sweet, exceptionally healing. "The moment I saw you earlier, I didn't feel a shred of bad Qi; you definitely wouldn't hurt us!"

Looking at Nuomi's naive, pure, and cute appearance, Yuan Yun's cold and calm eyes instantly rippled with a Wen Rou smile, and her gaze, originally calm like water, became even more soft and warm.

She had practiced with all her heart and undergone hardships since childhood; her Heart-Nature was far more calm and composed than ordinary people's, and she had always favored such pure, clean, and dispute-free beautiful creatures. Nuomi before her was lively, well-behaved, and pure in Heart-Nature, resembling a newborn sprout in the forest or blooming flowers on a branch, clean and healing, making her feel a heartfelt fondness.

Yuan Yun slowed down all her speech pace, her voice Wen Rou and delicate, carrying full patience, and asked softly: "When we met hastily just now, I never asked, what is your name?"

Nuomi's pointed Elven ears swayed gently, her brows and eyes curved, smiling exceptionally sweetly: "My name is Nuomi! I am an Elf Race clansman of the Qingyang Tribe, usually responsible for maintaining vegetation, patrolling the territory, and guarding the peace of the mountains and forests in this Qinglan forest!"

"Nuomi." Yuan Yun softly uttered this soft, glutinous, and Wen Rou name, the smile in her eyes growing even richer, praising with Wen Rou: "A very nice name, lively and refreshing, just like you, clean and wonderful, especially suited for you."

The sudden Wen Rou praise made Nuomi's fair cheeks instantly flush with a faint crimson. She lowered her head somewhat shyly, her small hands gently twisting her emerald skirt hem, yet she couldn't help raising her gaze to peek at Yuan Yun, saying in a low and sincere voice: "R-really nice to hear? Thank you, Sister! Sister is truly the good-looking one, the best-looking person I've ever seen in my life!"

"The most beautiful Flower Spirit Elder in our tribe already has a temperament ethereal and Wen Rou enough, but compared to Sister, she falls far short! Sister is both Wen Rou and good-looking, and her temperament is also exceptionally clean. I like Sister so much!"

This child-like, direct, and pure praise had no trace of empty politeness, sincere and passionate.

Yuan Yun was amused by her innocent appearance, her brows and eyes relaxing, her heart a piece of softness, responding with a soft smile: "You are also very cute, with clear brows and eyes, a pure Heart-Nature, lively and well-behaved. And you are very brave."

"Just now, when you bumped into the two of us unfamiliar people from beyond the realm all by yourself, clearly full of panic, you didn't turn around and flee, and even dared to calmly stay behind to talk with us and guard your mountain forest territory. This composure and courage are very rare."

Receiving the Wen Rou affirmation and praise, Nuomi felt warm in her heart, full of joy amidst shyness. Her lively eyes shone like starlight in the forest, and she took the initiative to step forward and gently pull on Yuan Yun's sleeve, intimate and dependent.

"Sister is such a good person! No one has ever praised me so Wen Rou-ly!" Nuomi tilted up her small face and said sweetly, "Can I be friends with Sister? I want to stay with Sister all the time and take Sister to see the beautiful scenery of our tribe!"

Yuan Yun nodded with Wen Rou, her tone resolute and warm: "Of course. Starting today, we are friends."

A simple promise, Wen Rou and pure, yet made Nuomi jump for joy. Her pointed ears swayed happily, and her entire person exuded a joyful Spiritual Qi. In just a short moment of interaction, the two had already become familiar and close, like close friends who had known each other for a long time.

The Elf captain on the side watched this warm and harmonious scene, a soft smile also appearing in the depths of his eyes.

They still liked making friends very much.

Yuan Luo smiled warmly, taking the Opportunity to close the distance between them and chat calmly: "Our Canglan Cultivation World has always taken upholding kindness as its foundation; the Dao of cultivation places Heart-Nature first and cultivation base second, and never actively provokes killing or disturbs innocent groups. Entering your esteemed territory this time is purely an accident, and there is absolutely no malice whatsoever."

He raised his gaze to look around at the rolling ancient trees and flowers covering the ground everywhere, breathing in the warm and pure vegetation Spiritual Qi, and sighed sincerely: "In my view of this world, the Spiritual Qi is warm and mellow, vegetation is lush, vitality is flourishing, and there is not a shred of murderous aura, with peace and tranquility everywhere. I suppose your noble race has lived here for generations and must be a group that loves peace and is free from worldly disputes."

Hearing this, the Elf captain felt deeply touched and nodded gently, his tone peaceful and distant, carrying the penetration precipitated by years: "What Young Master says is very true. Our Elf Race is naturally close to nature, coexists with vegetation, and believes in the Dao of peace and the principle of symbiosis of all things."

"We dislike disputes and hate killing, living in seclusion in the southern border spiritual domain for generations. We never actively provoke wars, nor do we rarely entangle with foreign races. All things in the world, endlessly reproducing and harmoniously coexisting, are originally the Righteous Path of the Heavenly Dao. Why bother fighting each other, slaughtering and plundering, and increasing casualties in vain? This is the clan precept that our Elf Race has strictly adhered to for ten thousand years."

Yuan Luo nodded slightly, clear and transparent in his heart. With just a few words of conversation, he had completely ascertained that the Elf Race was a thoroughly peaceful race with a pure Heart-Nature and free from worldly disputes, completely different from those cultivation forces in the heavens that loved killing, conquest, and plundering plane Origins.

"The two of you coming from afar and accidentally straying into this place is both an accident and a rare Opportunity." The Elf captain became increasingly enthusiastic, carrying the simple hospitality unique to native creatures, and sincerely invited: "This forest is remote and crude, not a place to host guests. Our Qingyang Tribe is right in the hinterland of the spiritual mountain ahead, with lush vegetation, gurgling spiritual springs, and a secluded environment, offering sweet spiritual fruits and warm spiritual tea for resting."

"If the two of you don't mind, why not return to the tribe with us, rest and recuperate for a bit, and calm the bumps and fatigue of Void Realm travel. You can also take a good look at the landscape and scenery of our Wanling Domain. After resting and recuperating, you can plan your return journey separately. I wonder what the two of you think?"

The sincere invitation was open-hearted and enthusiastic, without a shred of calculation or testing, purely the goodwill and sincerity of hospitality.

Yuan Luo and Yuan Yun exchanged a glance, a trace of interest and anticipation flashing across each other's eyes, full of tacit understanding.

The two of them had crossed realms this time originally to investigate the war situation and figure out the situation beyond the realm. Now that they had accidentally strayed into an unfamiliar world, they were worried about having no one to guide them and no way to understand the pattern and rules of this world.

The Elf Race's active invitation to rest in the tribe happened to be an excellent Opportunity to deeply understand the Wanling Domain and figure out the situation of all parties.

"Since everyone is warmly inviting us, my brother and I will not decline." Yuan Luo smiled openly and accepted the invitation warmly.

"Thank you all for your hospitality." Yuan Yun nodded slightly, expressing her thanks politely, her brows and eyes Wen Rou and peaceful.

"That's great!" Nuomi instantly jumped for joy, tightly pulling on Yuan Yun's sleeve, her lively eyes full of anticipation. "Sister, come with me quickly! I'll take you to see our tribe's thousand-year spiritual tree, mountains of flower seas, and clear spring fairy pools—they are so pretty! And there are the sweetest seven-colored spiritual fruits, sweet upon entering the mouth and nourishing the Divine Soul. I'll give all of them to Sister to taste!"

Looking at Nuomi's naive and romantic appearance, soft smiles filled the eyes of the brother and sister. Their tense heartstrings of the past few days completely relaxed, and their state of mind also became leisurely and soothing along with it.

The group no longer stayed, traveling together in company and walking slowly towards the Qingyang Tribe deep in the dense forest.

Ahead, ancient trees towered to the skies and green shade blocked the sun; thousand-year-old trees had lush branches and leaves, vines intertwined with spiritual flowers, and rare grasses fragrance and falling blossoms were everywhere. A breeze carrying rich and pure vegetation Spiritual Qi rushed over their faces, refreshing the heart and lungs, nourishing the Divine Soul, completely shedding the stern killing and tension of the Canglan battlefield, making one's body and mind stretch and the Dao Heart peaceful.

Hurrying along the way, the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious, with everyone chatting endlessly and laughter lingering in the forest.

Yuan Yun slowed her pace, walking slowly side by side with Nuomi by her side, chatting with Wen Rou all the way, patiently listening to the little girl's chattering and fragmented interesting stories, occasionally asking softly and praising with Wen Rou, getting closer and more intimate day by day.