Previous page password is bold portion: RESplh@z62#1
Translator: SumTLMan
As Angel set his gaze upon the green tree, the wind, mysteriously, swelled stronger.
It howled in his ears, carrying sparks and dust that obscured Greaves’ vision. Amidst this almost blinding gust, Greaves squinted to look at the shop owner not too far away.
The shop owner was on the move, striding toward the green tree, his pace slow yet resolute. Underneath the fluttering leaves and ethereal green backlight, he cut a tall and proud figure.
When the wind tousled the shop owner’s slightly disheveled golden blond hair, for some inexplicable reason, Greaves seemed to glimpse the formidable figure of the past. Rubbing his eyes and taking another look, Greaves was puzzled.
While they both had blond hair, the shop owner’s was noticeably shorter, quite different from the figure he thought he’d seen. How could he have mistaken the two?
“Could it be that the shop owner’s soul has been truly replaced by it?” he pondered.
As Greaves was silently ruminating, Angel had already come within less than ten meters of the green tree. Witnessing this scene, Greaves’ fleeting confusion was supplanted by a greater question: What did the shop owner plan to do?
The green tree was the culmination of a Great Demon God’s True Spirit power, its dormant power capable of toppling seas and levelling lands. Although it seemed like nothing more than an inconspicuous tree at present, Greaves was certain that any creature of the Abyss, given the chance to behold this tree, would go mad with desire.
What Greaves didn’t know was that many eyes in the Abyss were already trained on this place. The only reason they hadn’t acted yet was due to certain hesitations and constraints.
Watching the shop owner approach the green tree, Greaves speculated, “Perhaps the shop owner intends to claim the power of the green tree for himself.” He shook his head. That wasn’t quite right — the Flameless Lord’s True Spirit was originally slain by ‘it,’ who now likely resided within the shop owner. Thus, it was merely reclaiming its spoils of war.
Although Greaves also coveted the True Spirit power, having witnessed the scene before, he dared not entertain such an ambition. If even a True Spirit of a Demon God could be dispatched in an instant, he himself would probably be obliterated countless times over by a mere breath of the opponent.
So Greaves quietly waited for Angel’s next move.
But at that moment, Angel paused.
He was already quite close to the tree. The reason for his halt was that every organ in his body was raising alarm. Angel realized that this was a consequence of integrating the “right eye” and the repeated collapse and reconstruction of his physical body. To call it a “syndrome” wasn’t exactly accurate; it was more that his body had evolved so rapidly that his mental consciousness, bodily habits, and balance of strength had all developed certain issues.
If one were to look back on the path he had tread, they could clearly see the intermittently shallow and deep footprints left on the ground — unmistakable proof of his inability to control his newfound power.
Beneath his feet now, Angel did not merely observe a single imprint, but also a small fissure.
Angel felt that a mere addition of slight pressure would likely result in a deep pit.
He didn’t want to approach the radiant green tree only to stumble due to inadequate control over the pressure exerted by his foot, thereby leading to unforeseen accidents, such as the tree falling. Of course, Angel thought the chances were minimal since the radiant green tree wasn’t truly rooted in the earth, and the appearance of a fissure wouldn’t cause its collapse. However, while the tree might remain steady, he could potentially make a fool of himself during the unveiling of the green runes, due to poor control over his foot pressure.
There were only a few people here, so embarrassment didn’t matter much. But during the unveiling of the green runes, a slight misstep could lead to an accident since the foundation of this tree was built upon the True Spirit power of a Demon God. Angel couldn’t afford to handle any repercussions from such a mishap.
Silently, Angel halted his stride, calming his mind to focus on controlling and adjusting his foot pressure.
As Angel was busy self-adjusting, Popoca, from a distance, lifted his head.
Popoca had never anticipated that his body’s collapse would be so swift. His original plan was to take the Source Fire, ignite the Laudsourcian ancestral altar, leave behind a flame for his clan to pass on, and then fade into obscurity.
But now, having been severely wounded by the Flameless Lord, Popoca’s physical body started to rapidly disintegrate. Though grotesquely disfigured before, he at least maintained the silhouette of a “human”. In the blink of an eye, Popoca had almost morphed into a puddle of rotten flesh.
He resembled the lowest level of a sludge monster.
As he lifted his head slightly, his facial flesh melted away like a rotting green fluid.
He exerted all his strength to look towards Angel’s position, wishing to say something. However, most of his vocal organs were already in a deplorable state, only able to produce raspy, indistinct sounds.
“Angel…” Popoca abandoned the attempt to vocalize and instead began to transmit mental fluctuations, “Help me… the Fire, Sparrow Blossom, and the future…”
“Deserved!” Popoca’s mental fluctuations were also caught by Greaves, who glared at Popoca furiously. However, Popoca was in no state to be concerned about Greaves any longer. His soul was about to plunge into the dark abyss; he only hoped to accomplish some last deeds for his clan before his death.
The only person Popoca could implore for help was Angel.
Popoca continually transmitted his mental fluctuations, and after quite some time, Angel finally turned to look at him.
The moment Popoca locked eyes with Angel, he saw a cold gaze that blanketed his mind, leaving him feeling a strong oppressive force. This caused Popoca to subconsciously lower his head, choking back the words he wanted to say.
Angel slightly closed his eyes, withdrawing his gaze.
In a place unseen, he let out a soft sigh. He had managed to gain a bit of control over the force exerted by his foot, but his eyes… Angel didn’t really know what had changed, but both Greaves and Popoca seemed to react uncomfortably after making eye contact with him.
It seemed that he would need a significant amount of time to fully digest all the changes this body had undergone.
However, even though Popoca had not articulated his feelings before, Angel could discern the implications of his silence. Observing Popoca in his current state, Angel didn’t feel a wave of sympathy sweep over him. After all, it was Popoca’s choices that led to the consequential outcomes he was dealing with.
What’s more, Angel found it unforgivable that Popoca had implicated him in this whole mess as well.
Yet, looking at Popoca reminded Angel of the Sparrow Blossom he encountered at the castle’s graveyard well in Black Castle. The innocent and bright-hearted Sparrow Blossom, causing Angel to sigh in reflection.
Back then, when Angel was in desperate need of a Soul Bead to rescue Toby, Sparrow Blossom, who herself needed a Soul Bead to prevent her soul from falling, was generous enough to offer her Soul Bead to Angel. It was evident that Sparrow Blossom was innately a kind-hearted girl.
This very reason led Angel to invest his efforts in creating an illusion for Sparrow Blossom in the well.
Sparrow Blossom’s circumstances were dire. Having experienced misfortune at a young age, with her body still warm, she waited alone in the well for the darkness to pass. Seeing Popoca’s current miserable state, despite it being self-inflicted, Angel began to understand why the Laudsourcians were described in books as “the most unfortunate blessed clan.”
After reflecting, Angel set aside the complex emotions welling up inside him and refocused his attention on the green tree.
He took a step forward.
His footprints on the rusty red ground were shallow and uneven. Although still somewhat unsteady, at least the force he exerted had become more controlled.
Regardless, he didn’t need to wield his power with the effortless ease he was accustomed to. All he needed to do was try his best to avoid any mishaps.
With each step, under the watchful eyes of Popoca and Greaves, Angel arrived beside the green tree.
Observing the magnificent tree composed of True Spirit power up close, Angel was awed by its grandeur. He also noticed that the True Spirit power radiating from the green tree was remarkably similar to the energy previously infused into him. They must have the same origin.
A gust of wind blew, and the branches of the tree swayed, as if welcoming Angel’s arrival.
…
As Angel approached the green tree, a burning sensation flared up in his right eye.
A green rune appeared directly in his iris.
The green rune seemed to be compelling Angel to touch the trunk of the green tree. Meanwhile, the green tree itself was exuding an allure that drew Angel closer.
Angel knew that this was resonance of the green rune.
The green rune in his eye and the green rune that trapped the True Spirit power, transforming it into the “green tree,” were intrinsically one. Hence, this situation had arisen.
The catalyst for this occurrence was undoubtedly the Avatar who resembled Shava.
In the memory that individual left for Angel, the vast majority were images from the previous battle with the Flameless Lord. Although part of it was the battle with the Flameless Lord while he was attached to Angel, Angel didn’t feel any sense of involvement. He simply viewed these memories as if watching a first-person movie.
However, there was also a part that wasn’t memory.
It was a message left by that person. The message was quite simple:
——Release the green rune on the tree.
Even though it’s just this one simple message, Release of the Green Rune, or the green formation, is a matter of profound significance.
Within the message he left behind, there are some images. This visual indicates that a tree shadow, virtually covering the entire continent, has appeared in the skies above this land.
And this tree shadow is an illusion of the green tree.
This image seems like a “World Illusion”, but he didn’t leave this image to teach Angel the art of illusion. Instead, he was hinting at something:
——The emergence of the tree shadow is highly conspicuous, attracting innumerable gazes.
Hence, he left the information to “release the green rune.”
When the green formation that binds the True Spirit power is released, the tree will transform into pure True Spirit power, dispersing to every inch of this continent with the wind stirred by the continental collective consciousness.
This continent is, in itself, a land on the verge of destruction.
When the True Spirit power starts to cover the continent, the energy it contains can rejuvenate this land.
The rebirth of the continent is a blessing to the Abyss, and the collective Will of the Abyss will help. At this time, no external life can set foot on this land.
In a nutshell, this fundamentally eliminates the chance of Angel being discovered by other powerful beings, at least in the short term.
After all, beings that covet, and dare to covet the True Spirit power, are far from weak.
This is the message that the man left for Angel.
Of course, whether to make this choice is also Angel’s decision.
If his power is strong enough, he can also absorb all this True Spirit power himself. However, it is inevitable that he would face external threats afterward.
After pondering for a moment, Angel decided to follow the meaning of this message.
After all, he has no way of acquiring this True Spirit power. Moreover, even if he truly obtained these powers, the subsequent turbulence would definitely draw countless tails, perhaps even the existence of Demon Gods might come to snatch them.
What’s most important is that the only Flameless Lord’s True Spirit has fallen, the original self is not dead yet, and it might also be eyeing this lost True Spirit power.
Regardless of how he thought, Angel believed that releasing the green rune was the best choice.
However, Angel still had some doubts: If so, why didn’t that man release the green rune himself? Or, why did he bind the True Spirit power into a tree in the first place, couldn’t he have let it return to the world directly?