218: The Sorrow of the Jade Elder

Renn looked at the palm-sized figure in front of him; behind the figure was a pair of wings similar to a Sprite's.

"A Flower Fairy!"

Flower Fairies were similar to Sprites, but they were smaller in size and much weaker in strength. Some humans also classified them as a type of Sprite, calling them Flower Sprites.

"Big sister, who are you?"

"Big sister, you're so strong!"

"This human doesn't seem like a bad person!"

"This big white wolf looks so fierce, it won't eat us, will it?"

After sensing the aura of nature on Dora and Renn, the fear of the several Flower Fairies gradually dissipated.

Especially after seeing Dora, these Flower Fairies all felt an urge to kneel and worship.

"Why are you here? This is not a suitable place for you to live!"

Facing Dora's questioning, the Flower Fairies hesitated for a moment before explaining the reason.

"The Queen sent us here; we are guarding the passage."

"The Queen? Guarding the passage?"

Renn then noticed a hidden Magic Array behind the Flower Fairies.

"That's right, we set this all up. Impressive, isn't it!"

Dora didn't believe for a second that these little fellows could set up the Magic Array behind them.

"You couldn't have set up such a powerful Magic Array. Tell me, who set it up?"

One of the Flower Fairies sheepishly told the truth.

"Queen Lecis led us in setting it up."

Dora casually opened the Magic Array and walked in; this Magic Array made of nature-type spells was practically non-existent in her eyes.

Seeing Dora casually open the seemingly powerful Magic Array, the Flower Fairies widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Where is this Queen Lecis?"

Dora was somewhat curious about this queen's identity; to be able to set up a Magic Array of this scale, this Flower Fairy's strength was indeed not weak.

Renn followed behind Dora into the Magic Array without saying a word from beginning to end, and then he saw a Plane Passage.

Watching Dora interrogate the Flower Fairies, Renn felt that after her breakthrough in strength, Dora had also grown up a lot; once she got serious, she really looked the part.

As he was thinking, the Plane Passage in front of him flashed, and more Flower Fairies appeared. The leader among them had a strong aura, surprisingly reaching the Gold Rank.

As soon as Lecis teleported over, she noticed strangers at the Plane Passage, but her attention only paused on Renn for a split second before being firmly captured by Dora.

"Your Excellency, you are...?"

"You are Queen Lecis?"

Facing Lecis's inquiry, Dora didn't answer but instead asked a question in return.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I am Lecis."

Lecis felt the bloodline within her body throbbing; her bloodline told her that she should bow down and submit to the being before her.

"Just call me Dora. I want to go inside and take a look. Lead us there."

"Of course, Your Excellency!"

The negotiation between Dora and Lecis was very simple; Lecis didn't even seem to have any intention of refusing.

Renn followed behind Dora through the Plane Passage and arrived in another world.

An endless expanse of green filled Renn's vision. This Sub-plane was composed of mountains. Renn saw one rolling mountain range after another, covered in trees, flowers, and grass.

However, the vegetation on some peaks appeared sparse; in some places, there were only weeds and shrubs, and in others, bare white patches were exposed, looking somewhat out of place compared to the surrounding green mountains.

"Your Excellency, this is the world we live in."

Dora paid no further attention to Lecis. After closing her eyes and sensing for a moment, she flapped her wings and flew toward the center of the mountains; something there was calling her.

Renn and Lecis followed behind her. Lecis acted as if she had received an order, offering no resistance and allowing Dora to move as she pleased.

Before long, Dora reached the center of the mountains. A towering Ancient Tree appeared amidst the peaks. Even before getting close, this Ancient Tree had already brought a huge visual impact to Renn.

The thick trunk, hundreds of meters wide and thousands of meters high, along with the canopy that blotted out the sun, told Renn that the tree before him was extraordinary.

Dora didn't hesitate and flew toward the tree, only stopping once she was right in front of it.

As Dora approached, slender branches emitting a green glow reached out from the tree and gently surrounded her.

"Lord Ancient Tree!"

The name softly escaped Lecis's lips.

Renn just stared curiously at everything happening. He could feel the immense life energy contained within the Ancient Tree; that majestic breath of nature was something Renn had never seen before in his life.

At the same time, the Ancient Tree released a strong sense of goodwill toward Dora and him, among which Renn also felt intense joy.

"I didn't expect that in the final moments of my life, I would encounter a legendary Spirit of Nature. Perhaps mother nature heard my prayers!"

A voice appeared directly in Renn's mind; the Ancient Tree was communicating directly on a mental level.

"You are grieving. Why are you grieving? Is it because this world is about to shatter?"

Dora touched the green branches before her and looked curiously at the Ancient Tree.

"Respected Spirit of Nature, how should I address you?"

"My name is Dora. Just call me Dora!"

"Your Highness Dora, you may call me Ancient Tree. I grieve not only because this world is about to shatter, but even more so because the creatures I blessed left this world in pain and distortion not long ago."

The Ancient Tree recounted the tragedy that had occurred in this world.

In this green world, the Ancient Tree was the first sentient being. Then, over the long years, more sentient beings appeared, including an elven tribe that appeared here for some unknown reason.

They worshipped the Ancient Tree as their guardian totem and began to live and multiply under its canopy. The Ancient Tree was also happy to protect these elves.

This life continued for an unknown number of years until a few decades ago, when this world was targeted by the evil Chaos Demon Abyss. A Great Demon discovered this Sub-plane, and the laws of chaos began to erode the world.

The Ancient Tree fought hard against the invasion of the Chaos Demon Abyss. Backed by the Main Plane and with the plane barrier to block it, the Great Demon from the Chaos Demon Abyss did not break through the Ancient Tree's line of defense.

But a change occurred a few years ago. Fallen Ones appeared among the elves protected by the Ancient Tree. They slaughtered their kin and used bloody sacrifices to open a spatial rift, drawing in the Chaos Demon Legion.

After that was an endless war. With the Ancient Tree exerting all its strength, it finally wiped out the invading Chaos Demons, but the elves it protected were all killed by the demons, and even their souls were harvested.

Countless other creatures in this world also sacrificed themselves in the battle against the demons. The Ancient Tree could only watch as these vibrant lives perished before its eyes.

Even he himself was severely injured!

"The Giant Eagles that used to love living in my canopy have all had their wings broken and fallen on the battlefield. The animals that liked to stay by my side and listen to my stories have all been slaughtered by the demons."

"The elves who once sang under the tree are now all being ravaged and tortured by the demons."

"And when I was most severely injured, I encountered a rare Spatial Storm. This time, I failed to protect this world."

"This world... it is about to die!"

"Why did all this happen? I can only watch in sorrow as it all unfolds before me, powerless to change it!"

Dora gently stroked the Ancient Tree's branches, comforting its grieving heart.

"Do not be sad, do not be sorrowful!"

"mother nature will save their souls. The Heroic Spirits who guarded their home will return to nature's embrace!"

Dora emitted a tranquil and peaceful aura. This aura soothed the Ancient Tree and also made Lecis and Renn, who were nearby, feel exceptionally calm and comfortable in their hearts, free of distracting thoughts.