Su Cheng looked up at those breathtakingly beautiful green eyes.
The slightly dilating pupils were like the dark green stamens of a sun wheel flower, seemingly containing the sporangia of ferns and the algal dust suspended in raindrops.
There lay the purest essence of life. With every shifting glance, it was as if a miniature new world was being born.
It was like the tides of spring and autumn, and like life itself.
She felt as if she had fallen into this vortex, being washed, purified, infused with power, and then beginning to grow.
Thousands of roots extended and burrowed into the ground, while branches sprouted on the trunk, weaving into a shadowy curtain that isolated their figures from the outside world.
In a daze, Su Cheng reached out her hand.
She grasped that slender, claw-like hand with its ancient textures and sprouting new buds, feeling a comforting, warm attraction.
There was also an exhilarating and soothing power that, as their bodies touched, continuously surged into her own.
All her hesitation, anxiety, and confusion began to disappear.
Her consciousness seemed to immerse into a vibrant green ocean. The burning pain on her back gradually faded, turning into a more primal, chaotic impulse.
That desire was not merely awakened by a beautiful appearance or a seductive non-human form.
It was more because of that surging breath of the very origin of life.
Su Cheng stepped forward and embraced Him.
The creature made no further movements. He just stood quietly in place, like a giant tree towering in the wind and rain, accepting her approach.
She buried her head in His chest, feeling that half-wooden skin. Part of it was a chest as smooth and strong as icy jade, and part of it was oily, dark brown bark.
The vastly different sensations were like two overlapping rivers of cold and heat, meandering over the sensitive skin of her cheeks.
She felt the dark brown hair sweep past her neck and slide down her shoulders, like a moist waterfall, or like vines after the rain.
Dense, rich, and intertwined with fine branches, it was like an ancient and mysterious forest.
Even though she could not hear a beating heart or feel the blood flowing beneath the skin, there was still a vigorous and ancient vitality brewing within that body.
Su Cheng looked up at the dark bark with its strange patterns.
They outlined the boundary between nature and divinity.
"What is your wish?"
He raised His hand and, with an accommodating and completely pure gesture, wrapped it around the young girl's slender back.
"Or rather—"
His voice remained gentle and calm. "What drove you to come here?"
"Ah," Su Cheng looked up at Him. "There are many things I want to do. I want to learn magic, enjoy delicious food, and... go on adventures with the people I care about. But ultimately, the most important thing is probably just to survive."
He nodded slightly, then reached out to stroke the top of her head, guiding her to look into the distance.
"Exactly. The roots of all dreams are planted in the soil of life..."
She saw the lush woodlands of the Faseria Holy Dome. In that forest, which was like a sea of trees, the leaves surged like a tide in the wind.
"I once witnessed this place transform from a wasteland into what it is today..."
At the tips of the branches, leaves clustered around deep red amber crystals.
The color of the crystals was rich and full, stained with morning dew, as if condensing the scorching sun of the entire summer.
In the hot breeze, those two crystal fruits were quivering slightly, emitting an indescribably rich and warm breath.
She touched the rough and warm wooden texture, climbing up the hard wooden body with a certain explorer's courage—
And then she tasted the flavor of the fruit.
It was like holding a handful of crisp snow, or sipping sweet rain and honeydew. The crystal contained the earthy fragrance that awakened primal memories.
Su Cheng felt as if she had become a traveler in the desert, her parched lips and tongue finally tasting sweet spring water, and so she followed her instincts to bite and suck.
Her consciousness seemed to drift away, guided into that forest.
She moved through the vines of the giant tree. The dark brown vines embraced her, twisting and winding between her flesh and bones. The fuzz on the vines acted like tiny needles, scraping across the skin of her limbs.
A tingling, electrifying sensation of numbness and pleasure subsequently exploded in her veins.
Her lingering whimpers were shattered by the crystals.
She looked at that beautiful green, like an abyssal vortex, and could not help but reach out to stroke the swaying branches, watching them rustle and part the rocks covering the ground.
The branches drooped onto the soft earth. Perhaps because a heavy rain had just passed, the bark was still stained with undried raindrops.
The crystal-clear liquid flowed down along the rough lines, wetting the tips of the branches.
The woodland was still soaked in moisture. The branches burrowed into deep crevices marked with moss, touching the wet soil, and with a slight squeeze, rainwater overflowed.
The roots about to take hold in the new land began to stretch. Moist soil particles climbed up the lines of the roots, and the moss and grass leaves between the rocks were smeared with water.
After the roots were completely submerged in the earth, they quietly spread and branched out. Countless tiny tendrils began to extend outward, wrapping around dead leaves buried in the soil, or continuing to probe downward.
The temperature in the forest was rising. That tree also seemed to absorb the heat, and the twisted, coiled roots on the ground began to undulate rhythmically.
It rooted deeply into the soil, kneading the dirt softer amid the vibrations.
The moisture-laden soil tightly wrapped around the branches, affectionately embracing the twigs that were so full of life.
They intertwined and merged with each other, almost becoming one. Large patches of glowing traces extended through the forest.
Su Cheng woke up in a daze.
Her gaze was captured by the exquisite face before her, the sculpturally perfect yet distinctly non-human body, and those green eyes that harbored thousands of springs and summers.
There was no restlessness or depravity in the creature's pupils, only benevolent warmth and a certain approving praise.
In the reflection of those green eyes, she saw countless distant illusions: ancient tree roots piercing the deep humus to reach the earth's core, the sweet spring of the source of creation boiling over.
Then came the surging flood of melting snow in early spring, irrigating the cursed land.
It brought a feeling of overflowing fullness to her soul.
In a trance, someone grabbed her hand, steadying her swaying body.
Su Cheng saw a flash of curly hair with gold and silver flowing light.
"Truly a moment worth celebrating..."
Someone's voice also seemed to echo in her mind.
The voice was ethereal and pleasing, carrying a cheerful smile and endless joy.
"...and it should be remembered."
The next second, that illusory and beautiful figure shattered.
Su Cheng once again saw those rich green eyes. There was no anger in them, just a bit of helplessness.
She leaned back slightly, as if caught in a storm, or as if she had merged into that forest, becoming a part of the giant tree's branches and leaves.
And then—
He lowered His head and kissed her.
The soft lines of His lips were like delicate leaf veins, channeling a sweet and clear essence of life, like spring rain washing away dust, and like the pure extract of billions of plants.
She swallowed that power, and then felt it spread in her throat, surging into her very core.
Su Cheng felt as if her body were tearing apart and rapidly reconstructing at the same time. It was as though her entire being had been shattered into countless pieces.
"Your wish."
He said calmly, "is to ensure that existence itself will not be snuffed out, to protect the source of all possibilities. This is the purest yearning for life..."
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned.
"It shall be granted. As a reward for reaching this moment, you will receive a gift that demands no price."
He continued, "From this moment on, the blade of time will leave no mark upon your skin, and the shadow of death can no longer shroud your soul..."
He seemed to be speaking to her, yet also declaring this truth to someone else.
"...Even if your flesh is pulverized and your bones and blood turn to ash, a new body will be guided and reshaped by your will."
The half-human, half-tree creature smiled at her. "This is not a charity, but my acknowledgment of your 'yearning.' It is power I share out of respect."
Su Cheng could already feel that her body had been completely remolded and renewed by some kind of power.
Perhaps there was no difference from before, but like freshly washed clothes, all the impurities had vanished.
The curse mark she could previously feel faintly was no longer in its former state.
The supporting vines around them gradually retracted, and the sprawling roots snapped one by one, melting into the soil.
The creature transformed back into a handsome elf with brown hair and green eyes.
Su Cheng: "...The real Qing Ling died over ten years ago, didn't he?"
Qing Ling sighed softly. "Humans are very fond of using words like death to draw a line. In truth, he merely returned his body to the earth beneath his feet."
He turned his head again to look at the distant forest. "Look at those trees. They are all rooted in the soil where flesh and blood have dissolved. This is also existence..."
Qing Ling spoke in a gentle tone: "He is not just trapped in a single body. He has merely changed to a freer way of remaining in this place he loves."
"Wait," Su Cheng was almost completely confused by him. "You don't agree with the human definition of death, yet you appreciate my desire to live?"
"That is different." He smiled. "I do not agree that death is the end of existence, because humans always think the demise of the physical body equals complete annihilation. I like your yearning to hold tightly onto life."
Qing Ling casually handed her a fallen leaf. "Look at it. From sprouting to falling, it operates along a predetermined trajectory. But when you face a threat, you don't pin your hopes on the other party. When you lack power, you don't do nothing and just hope the world treats you gently. You are always trying, trying to change things for the sake of those unrealized possibilities. I am accustomed to the cycles of nature, but I revere those lives that actively burn. The former is the rule, the latter is rebellion. Furthermore, if I were also willing to accept fate, perhaps I wouldn't be standing here..."
Su Cheng nodded slowly. "...Does the Commander know who you are?"
Qing Ling slightly raised his eyebrows. "Actually, I also wanted to ask you the same question, but it seems the answer is already quite obvious, otherwise you wouldn't ask me this."
Su Cheng: "..."
This sentence sounded as if he was asking whether the Commander knew who she was, but she felt that shouldn't be what he meant.
Otherwise, it would be too outrageous.
If he was talking about the Commander's identity, then she indeed had some guesses.
But if it was...
Su Cheng suddenly froze. "Wait, do you know who I am? Are you that voice?! You said I was more suitable than Lin Yun, so you chose me?"
"That voice?" Qing Ling tilted his head. "I have never had any form of communication with you."
Su Cheng: "..."
Her excited emotions instantly subsided.
Qing Ling pondered for a moment. "Actually, they all know who I am. According to your customary way of speaking, the real Qing Ling is indeed no longer here..."
As he spoke, he turned his head to look a little further away.
The Elf Queen stood over there, along with several elders who also had exhausted faces. They were all looking at him with expressions of unbelievable shock.
Su Cheng suddenly realized that she had just had a wild encounter outdoors with him.
Although they were shielded by those branches.
And theoretically speaking, those elves probably didn't have the time to ponder what the two of them were doing anyway.
"Your Holiness!"
The Elf Queen took a few steps forward and spoke tremblingly, "Is it really you? You have returned..."
The elders followed her, their expressions equally full of anticipation, but seemingly also holding some fear.
Qing Ling remained noncommittal. "I never left. The Sacred Tree is a part of me."
While they were talking, Su Cheng silently pulled a piece of clothing out of her bracelet. When she looked down, she found a new mark on her lower abdomen.
It was a tree-shaped pattern with lush foliage. The heavy, blooming canopy extended upwards, while the trunk went straight down. Every streak of golden-green light shone incomparably bright.
...
Divine Realm.
A blond young man leaned against a pillar. In the open tome on his lap, a beautiful and fertile tree was depicted.
It was clearly an ancient book, thread-bound, its pages bearing the marks of time.
Beneath that tree mark, there was a line of flowing, elegant cursive text.
—To the Progenitor of Abundance, the Spiritual Lord of Vitality, the Bestower of Breath, the great Ancient God, we offer our highest respects.
