Alchemy Master

Chapter 1093, The Age of Chaos Approaches

Translator: Silavin

At the mist-wreathed summit.

The Elder still sat cross-legged in that same place, as though he had done so since time immemorial.

When that great surge of energy burst free, he seemed to perceive it. And yet he still did not move, as though he had foreseen it all long before.

*Humm…*

In one particular moment, a peculiar wave of resonance emanated outward from the Tree of Life.

This wave bore some resemblance to the overwhelming, terrifying surge of Power of Life from before, yet it was distinctly different.

Beneath that wave, the buds surrounding him, all of which had been closed and waiting, gently began to unfurl.

In no more than a moment, the entire place had become a vast, breathtaking sea of vibrant blossoms.

“Nearly a hundred thousand years… I never imagined this old man would live to see this day…” The Elder rose slowly from the ground, and upon his aged face there appeared an expression of excitement that he could no longer conceal.

[Ah! The Ancestral Tree… has finally recovered!]

“With the True Dragon appearing in the world, and the Incubus Race beginning to stir, I fear, the world is about to descend into great chaos once more…” The Elder tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on some unseen place. His murmured words drifted slowly from his lips.

…

*Humm…*

Beneath the Tree of Life, as that immense surge of energy erupted, the Elf Queen furrowed her elegant brows. Her slender hand moved in a graceful sweep, and a light canopy vast enough to blot out the sky surged upward, enveloping the area around the Tree of Life within its hold.

In an instant, that entire space became saturated with that dense Power of Life.

Though a portion still gradually dissipated into the world around them, the overwhelming majority was temporarily suppressed within that enclosed space.

“Your Majesty…”

The Jade Elder’s eyes, carrying a trace of fury, settled on Qin Yichen standing behind the Elf Queen. This young man was the one responsible for everything unfolding before them.

Yet now that matters had reached this point, why had the Elf Queen still shown no inclination to punish him?

The other Elves turned their gazes toward Qin Yichen as well, though their expressions were complicated, layered with things difficult to name.

The great majority of the Elves present had been targeted by the scheme at the earlier banquet. It was thanks to Qin Yichen that they had been able to rid themselves of the Blood Devouring Poison. Without him, a great number of them would likely already have become dried husks.

The Elf Race had always been clear in matters of gratitude and enmity. Driving away the Blood Devouring Poison had saved their lives, and beyond that, it had pulled the Elf Race back from the brink of catastrophe.

A kindness of that magnitude was enough to make Qin Yichen an honoured guest of the Elf Race for as long as he lived.

And yet, seeing the state of things now, going by the Jade Elder’s demeanour, it seemed as though their benefactor had brought disaster down upon them.

The Tree of Life, after all, was the Ancestral Tree of the Elf Race, the very foundation upon which they stood.

If Qin Yichen had truly caused this calamity, would they have no choice but to turn against him before they even had the chance to repay his kindness?

Among the assembled Elves, a small number had not attended the banquet. These individuals now glared at Qin Yichen with the same fury as the Jade Elder. Were it not for the Elf Queen’s presence, they would likely have moved already seizing the man first and debating the rest later.

“Your Majesty, what exactly has happened here?”

The Jade Elder paused, then asked.

If the Array had truly shattered, then no matter how confused the Elf Queen might be, she should not have remained this unmoved.

The assembled Elves fixed their puzzled gazes upon the Elf Queen, waiting for her explanation.

In the midst of such upheaval, beneath so many watchful eyes, the Elf Queen’s face showed not the slightest trace of panic. She turned to glance at the Tree of Life. Her face of flawless beauty, like a peony in full bloom, was filled with a radiant, warm smile.

“Your Majesty… what has happened?”

“At a time like this, how can Her Majesty still smile?”

Seeing the Elf Queen’s expression, the unease in the hearts of the assembled Elves deepened further.

“Could it be… no, it cannot be, how could this possibly be!?”

The Jade Elder, however, seemed to have grasped something at that moment. His pupils contracted sharply, and across his face there appeared a trace of stunned, disbelieving elation.

“Everyone, since that great battle, our Ancestral Tree has in truth been damaged. For tens of thousands of years, the Ancestral Tree’s Life Force has been draining away, ceaselessly, without pause…” The Elf Queen drew a long breath. Her voice, clear and light, carried a faint tremor as she spoke those words slowly.

Hearing this, the expressions of the Elves shifted all at once.

The Ancestral Tree was damaged? Draining energy?

This was a secret none of them had ever heard.

Among those at the front, however, several of the most venerable Elders felt their expressions suddenly tighten. So, what they had sensed was not just their imagination.

The Ancestral Tree had been losing its Life Force, and for tens of thousands of years at that.

This was a secret hidden so deeply, that many did not know about it. Was it concealed because if it continued, the Ancestral Tree itself would wither? Had it been concealed for fear of causing panic?

At this point, the Jade Elder made no move to interrupt or stop the Elf Queen’s words.

The Elf Queen was the leader of the Elf Race. She knew, better than anyone, what ought to be said and what could not.

Now that she had brought this matter to light, did it not mean that what even he had dared not imagine had truly happened!?

“And as of today, there is no need for anyone to worry about this any longer. Because…”

Beneath a sea of complex gazes, the Elf Queen’s lips curved into a smile as she parted them to speak: “The Ancestral Tree has recovered!”

“…”

When the Elf Queen’s voice fell, the entire gathering was swallowed by absolute silence.

Life Force that had been draining for tens of thousands of years: one could well imagine how countless Elders and Elf Queens across that span of time had exhausted every means at their disposal trying to resolve this matter.

More than a few of the Elders found themselves dimly recalling that, in the distant reaches of those long-past years, there had been an Elf Queen, in the very prime of her reign, who had vanished without explanation…

Could that, too, have been connected to the Ancestral Tree?

A problem that had gone unsolved across such an eternity of time, how could it have been resolved today of all days?!

The gazes of the assembled Elves, following the Elf Queen’s line of sight, turned as one toward the figure standing at her side, and fixed upon him, upon Qin Yichen!

He was the one who did it?

And yet this man before them, in terms of the aura he emanated, fell short even of the Deacons present.

How could he have accomplished what the countless Ancestors of the Elf Race had never managed?

Even so, no small number of Elders and Deacons suddenly remembered: the Blood Devouring Poison that they themselves had believed impossible to cure, had he not accomplished that?

Facing a tide of excited, intent gazes, Qin Yichen could only manage a wry, helpless smile.

To restore the Tree of Life, he had sacrificed a spirit tree beyond any measure of wealth. This price was not a small one.

He was fortunate, in the end, that he had obtained that spirit tree through a stroke of ‘luck’, and that it happened to be precisely the missing piece of the Tree of Life.

Without it, he would have had absolutely no means to do anything.

“Daddy…” Suddenly, Little Ling’er stirred in Qin Yichen’s arms. Across her delicate, adorable face, a look of pain surfaced. Even her small body had begun to swell.

Seeing this, Qin Yichen’s expression shifted.