This wasn't entirely the result of being overwhelmed by his good looks.
Even if the elf inside was plain-looking, just based on the fact that he was a member of Black Flame and a friend of Kai, she would still save him.
"...I thought he stayed here because he had something to do," Su Cheng said with a dark expression. "I didn't expect him to become your living energy source."
The elven guards stood stiffly to the side. Their expressions had become somewhat subtle the moment she took out the diary.
"He, he volunteered!" someone said, though their voice lacked confidence.
Su Cheng crossed her arms. "Really? Can you swear an oath to the God of Contracts on that?"
"I," the person opened their mouth, their eyes darting away. "I wasn't there at the time..."
Su Cheng shook her head. "This is absurd. I'll count to five. Anyone who doesn't want to get hurt, clear out of the plaza!"
The elves looked at each other, seemingly wanting to step forward to stop her, but wary of her strength. For a moment, they didn't dare make a move.
Su Cheng raised her hand. "Five—"
"Wait!"
The elven guards dispersed one after another, making way for a path.
Several elven nobles dressed in luxurious clothes approached from a distance.
The one leading them held a scepter, her full head of silver hair pinned up, wearing a branch-shaped golden crown adorned with berry-like rubies.
She wore a dark green silk gown, the fabric shimmering with a soft light, looking elegant and regal.
This elf had a slender figure, but her face was somewhat haggard, with fine lines spreading from the corners of her eyes, making her appear middle-aged.
"I presume you are Her Excellency Su Cheng?" the silver-haired elf said in a deep voice. "We have heard of your name for a long time. Forgive us for not welcoming you sooner."
This person clearly held a high status. The surrounding elven guards were all bowing to her, and upon hearing her words, they revealed expressions of shock.
Su Cheng was a little surprised. "Did Qingling mention me to you?"
It wouldn't be strange if that teammate she had never met knew about her; it was very likely that the commander had mentioned it in a letter.
The silver-haired elf shook her head slightly. "As the guardian of the Sacred Vault of Faseria, I also have my channels of information, and you are quite famous—"
Su Cheng instantly understood.
This was the supreme ruler of the Wood Elf Royal Court.
In the original novel, this character was a man and a villain, or at least a villain to the protagonist, because Lin Yun had seduced his daughter.
Thus, the Elf King appeared as the character who ruthlessly separated the lovers. If the male lead didn't have his golden finger, he would have died here again.
Furthermore—
Although the elf princess was already over three hundred years old, according to the elves' age calculation, she was still completely in her adolescent stage.
Roughly equivalent to a fourteen or fifteen-year-old human.
Su Cheng wasn't entirely clear about the specific events that occurred in the Dense Shadow Forest, but Lin Yun's experience in the Divine Grace Trial was definitely different from hers.
She spent most of her time cultivating, while he basically spent his time doing things unsuitable for children.
Of course, this was an R-rated novel, so it was quite normal, but at least she could infer that he probably didn't enter this way.
Su Cheng: "..."
Her gaze fell on another elven noble.
It was an exceptionally beautiful and handsome boy, standing half a step behind the Elf King.
He had beautiful, soft silver-white curly hair, with an exquisite hollowed-out silver leaf clip nestled within it, and a pendant of the same shape revealed through his open collar.
He also looked very slender, wearing a robe similar to the Elf King's, but with much simpler patterns. A gem-encrusted belt outlined his well-proportioned figure.
Su Cheng: "So I guess this is His Royal Highness the Prince?"
The Elf King gave her an inscrutable look, her gaze seemingly holding a bit of vigilance. "Yes, this is my youngest son. Because he has not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony, he currently still resides in the Sacred Vault—"
She deliberately emphasized the words "coming-of-age ceremony."
Su Cheng really wanted to say that she had no thoughts whatsoever about minors. "...Alright, I won't exchange pleasantries anymore. I want to rescue my companion."
"Your Excellency," the Elf King seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief when she noticed Su Cheng was no longer staring at her son. "Mr. Qingling was indeed willing."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but reveal a somewhat sorrowful expression. "For tens of thousands of years, while providing shelter to the Royal Court, the Sacred Tree only needed natural rain and soil to recover its own consumption. But some time ago, everything changed. It seems to have lost this power. The elders and I have expended a lot of magic, but it's just a drop in the bucket—"
Su Cheng asked curiously during her pause, "How long ago is 'some time ago'?"
The Elf King sighed. "About a decade or so ago."
Su Cheng: "..."
As expected of an elf.
She had thought it was just a few months ago.
Su Cheng: "So you just stuffed a person into a crystal?"
The Elf King shook her head slightly. "Previously, when Qingling returned to visit relatives and friends, he discovered the condition of the Sacred Tree. He tried to repair it, and later it turned out like this. All of this was his choice. Because he brought about some changes to the Sacred Tree, we did not intervene at all during the entire process."
Su Cheng frowned. "You know who I am. Swear to me that this is the truth, that no one else forced him to do this in any way."
"I swear," the Elf King said calmly. "Otherwise, His Highness the God of Contracts can come and take my soul."
Su Cheng looked at her quietly for a few seconds, confirming that the person was fine. "...Alright, he might have volunteered, but he might not have known this would be the consequence, right? How long has he been sleeping in there? Can this really go on forever? Won't his body be hollowed out over time?"
The Elf King gave a bitter smile. "I cannot answer your questions, Your Excellency. In fact, I am already surprised that he has such abilities. Although I am not very familiar with him, I remember his parents. They were kind and hardworking planters and horticulturists. Over a decade ago, their family was injured by a mutated Spiral-Heart Vine, and only Qingling survived. So he left the Dense Shadow Forest to explore the outside world. I guess that's how he became a mercenary, and perhaps it was during this time that he came into contact with some lost knowledge."
Su Cheng: "I'm guessing you must be at least nearly two thousand years old?"
If it weren't for expending magic for the Sacred Tree, an expert of the Elf King's caliber would definitely look very young on the outside.
The Elf King nodded calmly. "Yes."
Su Cheng still felt something was off. "...You don't know, and you couldn't find any relevant information in your Royal Court's collection of books either. Isn't this knowledge a bit too lost?"
"I am not clear on all the places he has been," the Elf King glanced at her. "You are also a mercenary, Your Excellency. I think you definitely know that entering some planes requires timing and luck. Once missed, there might not be a next time. And such places also have a probability of containing more ancient ruins. Faseria's library was also once 'cleansed' by the holy fire of the Church."
Su Cheng was greatly shocked. "I thought you were allies of the Church?"
The rest of the elven guards had long retreated into the distance. After giving her a few curious glances, His Royal Highness the Prince also went to wait on the side.
Only the two of them were left in front of the Sacred Tree.
And that massive crystal stone, continuously channeling magic.
"...We are, and we can only be," the Elf King said slowly. "Even though I was young, I still remember those days—"
"Furthermore," she seemed to recall something, "the oldest and most powerful clan among the prairie elves was branded as heretics and annihilated by the paladin legions."
Su Cheng wasn't surprised by the church's behavior. "Why are you telling me this?"
The Elf King looked at her thoughtfully. "I have met His Holiness the God of Darkness in person. You carry His aura, and—perhaps you have also formed connections with several other demigods?"
Su Cheng: "..."
Everything that happened in the Echo Plane wasn't real.
However, the essence of the Divine Grace Trial was to select the gods' favored ones, which meant the deities could sense or even watch some of the situations inside.
So she might have been blessed without even realizing it.
Su Cheng: "If I try to find a way to save him, will you stop me?"
The Elf King was silent for a few seconds. "I can feel the power of several gods on you, and even—"
She silently swallowed back the word ancient dragon. "So I figure if I were to fight you, the entire Holy Vault might suffer heavy casualties. I only hope you won't harm the Sacred Tree."
Su Cheng also felt a bit of a headache coming on. "I just feel like we can't let him stay like this forever."
She raised her hand, attempting to touch the crystal, but stopped cautiously. She hesitated for a few seconds between sending out her spiritual energy to probe it or using physical contact, ultimately choosing the latter.
If spiritual contact suffered a backlash, she might directly turn into a fool, or her soul could be annihilated.
If she only lost a hand, there were plenty of ways to grow it back.
Under the cover of her sleeve, pitch-black scales climbed up her snow-white skin, and her drooping fingertips quickly sharpened.
Su Cheng gently touched the outer wall of the crystal.
As soon as she touched that layer of cool luminescence, the entire crystal suddenly began to tremble. Fine cracks appeared on its surface, and green light seeped out from the fissures.
Su Cheng: "?"
The next second, the pale green light suddenly bloomed, overwhelmingly enveloping the entire plaza.
At the same time, the crystal quietly melted, vanishing directly into the air, leaving only fine particles of light drifting away.
Someone slowly stood up.
He stood beside the roots of the Sacred Tree. His dark brown curly hair fell like flowing water down to his waist, intertwined with fine gold-green vines adorned with verdant leaves.
That thick, waterfall-like hair covered most of his bare body like a cloak. From the side, one could only see his long, well-proportioned legs.
A moment later, the person slightly turned his head.
He possessed a face of otherworldly beauty, made even more stunning and soul-captivating by his opened eyes—
Those eyes themselves were the most vibrant spring storm, the blooming and pulsating essence of life itself, an inexhaustible lake, and a flowing, surging tide.
They were the emerald green of moss soaked by newly melted snow, the dew-stained tender shoots breaking out of their shells, and the swollen, dripping green banana leaves after a torrential downpour.
It was the richest, most vivid green, so pure it made one tremble with awe.
That color didn't just float on the surface; it burst forth from the depths of his pupils, possessing a scalding vitality that seemed capable of piercing the soul.
Su Cheng almost felt suffocated.
His expression carried a hint of confusion, but his aura was very warm. The lines of his brow bone and the bridge of his nose were distinct yet soft, stripping that face of any aggressiveness.
Although he was very quiet, perhaps because of those eyes, she could feel the astonishing vitality overflowing from him.
That feeling was very strange.
It was probably like staying in the city for too long and suddenly entering a forest; some people would develop a peculiar sense of returning home.
She thought of damp, soft humus, the scent of pine needles and fir trees, and some dormant connection was thus awakened.
It was countless distant, ancient whispers that, after being sealed in the bloodline for millions of years, suddenly began to tremble and hum.
"...It's you." The person's voice was deep and gentle. "Thank you for worrying about me."
Su Cheng took a moment to find her voice. "You're welcome. Are you alright?"
She struggled to tear her gaze away to look at the Elf King beside her.
Judging from the Elf King's expression, which looked as if she had seen a ghost, it was obvious that there was quite a difference between how Qingling looked before he went in and how he looked now.
Su Cheng couldn't help but take a step forward.
For some reason, she instinctively wanted to get closer to this companion.
Perhaps the warmth of vitality radiating from him was simply too alluring.
"I felt your aura," the person said softly. "For a moment, I thought Mr. Kai had arrived, but I quickly realized that wasn't the case."
He tilted his head as he spoke. "But since a companion he acknowledges was calling me, I should respond. I can't let you keep worrying about me."
This gesture seemed a bit playful.
Struck by his devastating beauty, Su Cheng took two deep breaths. "I hope I didn't disturb you, or affect anything, um, Your Excellency—"
"You didn't," he shook his head. "You can keep calling me Qingling. I like this name."
Only a fool would believe he was truly just an ordinary forest elf.
Su Cheng thought silently.
Judging from the story the Elf King had told, the real Qingling most likely died over a decade ago, and a different soul had taken over his body.
"Being an elf feels pretty good too."
Qingling said.
Su Cheng was just about to speak when she suddenly felt a burning heat surge on her back.
Su Cheng: "......"
It had flared up once before during the Divine Grace Trial, and she had felt quite lucky then. Thinking about it now, that was all fake.
"Oh," Qingling looked at her in confusion. "You bear the mark of ■■. It is influenced by the desires of your mind or body—"
A look of sudden realization dawned on his face. "Do you wish to bear my seed?"
Su Cheng nearly choked.
Qingling did not wait endlessly for her answer.
After saying those words, he seemed to have already confirmed the matter.
That lean, slender, and highly sculptural male body suddenly surged with some invisible power—
From his beautiful ankles, dark brown woody fibers emerged on his straight, graceful legs, and his snow-white skin began to merge and transform.
Fine, tough, dark brown longitudinal wood grains spread out in overlapping layers across the surface of his body.
His feet and legs turned into countless living roots, writhing and extending outward. The bark-like structures continuously climbed upward, spreading out to both sides along his spine.
Then they coiled around his arms and fingertips.
The texture of the palms of his hands also resembled interlacing tree rings and leaf veins. His rounded fingertips began to narrow, like sprouting branches, and emerald green new leaves burst forth from his knuckles.
Dark brown horns protruded from his forehead, like two flourishing main branches of thorns. The bases connecting to his skull were thick, with sharp thorns sprawling upwards.
"Come."
This bizarre half-human, half-tree creature reached out a clawed hand toward her with a slow rhythm full of divine revelation.
He exuded a delightfully fresh scent of vegetation.
"Face Him."
His expression was tender as he spoke, "Since you don't like it, we will defeat it."
Su Cheng stared back at him, stunned.
...So it really is a seed.
She thought in a daze.
