Under a tall Tree of Life, the Elves, who used to be free and enjoy life, strolling beneath its branches, no longer had relaxed expressions on their faces; each was fully armed, talking in low voices in groups of two or three.
This Tree of Life was incredibly ancient, the oldest and tallest in the Green Wilderness Forest World. Standing hundreds of meters high, its lush canopy shaded the entire Elf tribe.
This tall Tree of Life had already grown to its peak and possessed the qualifications to evolve into a World Tree.
This Elf tribe was also the strongest in the Green Wilderness Forest World, with approximately twenty thousand Elves. The Legendary Elven King Netis also hailed from this tribe.
But even for this tribe with its glorious history and formidable strength, all the Elves felt their future was bleak and precarious.
Because their tribe's guardian relic, the Tree of Life, had already delivered a fatal warning to the entire tribe.
Whether their future destiny was survival or destruction was not in the hands of these worried ordinary Elves, but in the hands of the few Elves in power.
Thus, the majority of the Elves in the tribe looked expectantly toward the high canopy that almost pierced the clouds—to the council hall of the Elf tribe, where the people who decided their fate were gathered.
Most Elves were unwilling to have a supreme ruler over them, but even more Elves certainly did not want to step into death prematurely.
These Elves, born as a long-lived race, cherished their lives even more than ordinary short-lived races.
At this moment, they instead felt resentment and blame toward the few Elf tribes that had initiated the attack first. Although those tribes had acted in a way to protect this world, such was the nature of all intelligent beings.
However, the power-holders currently gathered in the council hall atop the Tree of Life's canopy far exceeded the expectations of the ordinary Elves below.
In this incredibly spacious hall made of wood, over a hundred powerful Elves were seated. Every one of them was an Elf Elder or an Elf Druid in power within their respective tribes.
The young Elf Druid Aya could only sit at the edge of the hall. Although she had once been a high-ranking Elf in her own tribe, facing so many Elf Elders now, she could only sit there like a lowly subordinate.
Furthermore, her tribe had long since been destroyed; the only reason she could have a seat here was that, as the Red Dragon said, she had spread the will of Kalon.
The Elf Elders gathered here included almost every major tribe in the Green Field Forest that could be named, with the sole exception of three tribes.
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy but not panicked. All the Elves' eyes were on the elderly male Elf Elder sitting in the center, who was currently closing his eyes and communicating with the Tree of Life.
This Elf Elder, Cade, was also the only Natural Mage capable of communicating with the tribe's Tree of Life. He had lived for nearly two thousand years and was practically a living history of the Elves.
"Everyone has gathered here at this time by common consent; you should all have some understanding of each other's thoughts by now."
The elderly Elder Cade suddenly opened his eyes. His fluorescent green pupils dimmed slightly, and his aura weakened; clearly, communicating with the Tree of Life was no small burden for this aged Elf.
The many Elf Elders below, each a person of noble status in their tribe, now looked at each other. No one spoke easily; clearly, what they had to say was difficult for them to voice.
At this moment, a young female Elf Elder stood up. Her calm eyes swept over all the Elf Elders present, and then she sneered, "Since we've decided to submit to the True Dragon, what's the point of putting on these arrogant airs? You male Elves aren't even as straightforward as I am!"
After the young female Elf finished her sneer, she turned to look at the calm Elf Great Elder Cadeand said respectfully, "Elf Great Elder Cade, I don't know what choice you and your tribe will make, but our Qingye Tribe will stand firmly behind you, whether it be submission or war!"
"Heh, little girl, your words are quite pretty, but you're far too cunning." The elderly Elf Great Elder narrowed his somewhat cloudy eyes and waved his hand, signaling for her to sit down.
Seeing someone speak first, an Elf Elder from another tribe stood up and said to the crowd, "Although the newly appointed Elder of the Qingye Tribe doesn't know how to speak like a proper Elf, what she said makes some sense, even if it's not much."
"Since everyone could gather here at the same time, it must be because we all received the warning from the Tree of Life. That True Dragon is already growing impatient. Everyone, from the warning brought by the Tree of Life, we know that the opponent doesn't just have one True Dragon; he has an entire True Dragon."
"Even that Red Dragon is not something we can contend with. We cannot defeat it, not to mention he possesses countless powerful and elite warriors who are more fearless than us Elves. My suggestion is to follow the revelation of the Tree of Life and submit to the True Dragon!"
"Heh, your bones are soft, willing to kneel to others, but mine aren't so soft," another Elf Eldersitting in the crowd mocked privately. The two Elf tribes had always been rivals, frequently trying to undermine each other, including using bribery and seduction on each other's Elf Druids.
"Damn it, which stray dog is barking here?" The Elf Elder who spoke first was furious, his pale face instantly flushing. He sneered, "If your bones are so hard, go back and ask your tribe's warriors and the Tree of Life to see if they are willing to support your ideas, you fool!"
The other Elf Elder was about to retort, but several Elf warriors nearby had already lunged forward and pinned him down.
Several thick vines scattered from the hands of an Elf Druid, taking root upon hitting the ground and binding the Elf Elder tightly. Even his mouth was stuffed with a thick vine, and he was then hung upside down from the ceiling of the council hall.
Meanwhile, the elderly Elf Great Elder Cade smiled and lightly clapped his hands, saying, "Alright, alright, let's not let this fool interrupt our discussion. Everyone, continue to share your thoughts and speak freely."
The many Elf Elders below looked at each other. Speak freely? If they couldn't see Great Elder Cade's intent by now, then these Elves would have lived their lives in vain.
Thus, the Elf Elders below became active one after another. "Let's submit. Since we can't resist anyway, it's better to just surrender. The Elf tribes that took the initiative to submit before have proven that these True Dragon s didn't come for slaughter or enslavement; he is only here to rule. There's no need for us to sacrifice the blood of our warriors."
"I agree. Anyway, the Tree of Life has already expressed its attitude. Even if we wanted war, the Tree of Life might abandon us instead and no longer support us." A young male Elf Druidshouted loudly; his time to perform had come.
"Very well," the elderly Elf Great Elder narrowed his old eyes and smiled as he pointed at the loudly shouting male Elf Druid, saying, "Record it: he was the one who took the initiative to propose submitting to the True Dragon. Who among you agrees, and who opposes?"
"We have no objections!" the many Elf Elders said in unison, leaving the Elf Druid with a bewildered expression.
"Then it's settled. Next, let's hold a gathering. Have those three tribes come here to join us and discuss how to 'resist' the True Dragon's oppression," Great Elder Cade sighed. "For the future of the Elves, these few tribes can only be handled by us personally."
"This way, we can also save many innocent Elves," Great Elder Cade stood up and clapped his hands. "Go, contact those three tribes and set a date. This matter is simple because their tribes' Trees of Life have already agreed to join forces with us!"
...Beside the vast remains of the World Tree, the Imperial Guard had already established a simple camp for the Red Dragon and the mages to rest. Exploring this massive ruin would take quite some time.
Kalon was currently curled up in the barracks that the Imperial Guard had deliberately expanded for him. The Red Dragon had to move carefully now; otherwise, with even a little force, this barracks built of thick logs would collapse like building blocks.
Kalon closed his eyes, familiarizing himself with his surging Heartforce. The Heartforce born from his recent reforging brought him miraculous power.
One of these abilities was quite troublesome for the current Kalon.
His newborn mind gave him an ability like super-hearing for the soul, allowing him to sense the mental activities and thoughts of creatures whose mental will was weaker than his own. Therefore, he had to face the impact of those mental activities and the entanglement of various thoughts every moment.
Many people had once longed for such an ability and power, but Kalon knew well that no matter how cheerful, sunny, or pure a person might be, their heart also contained deeply hidden darkness and filth. Thus, he did not particularly like this passively possessed ability.
Contacting too many other people's minds would also cause interference for Kalon. Those chaotic and dark thoughts would make it harder for him to trust the people around him. So, as usual, he began practicing how to control this ability.
Fortunately, he had plenty of experience in this regard. He only needed to restrain the diffusion of his Heartforce power to consolidate his ability to the greatest extent.
Although as long as someone was too close to Kalon, their thoughts would still be unconsciously perceived by him, Kalon felt it was much better than the initial state where his mental perception diffused like a central air conditioner.
He felt that after another period of practice, he would be able to control his ability freely.
This had always been Kalon's belief: a creature that cannot even control its own power, no matter how strong that power is, is just another form of a weakling.
Now, those mages, including the squinty-eyed Hsiusir, didn't much like interacting with Kalon because of his ability. These mages always felt as if the Red Dragon's gaze could now penetrate the mental defenses and minds in their brains to perceive their inner thoughts.
Additionally, since these mages knew the Red Dragon was a master in the mental field, they gradually kept a respectful distance from Kalon.
Even the Imperial Guard under him, though not worried about their thoughts being seen through by the Red Dragon, found that the Red Dragon's uncontrollable mental power always had a strong sense of pressure and aggression toward the will and mind, so they rarely appeared before the Red Dragon.
Only the powerful Sahar guarded the door of Kalon's barracks without any qualms.
Kalon perceived from Sahar's occasionally fluctuating thoughts that this werewolf, who was also preeminently powerful among his subjects, seemed to have many stories of his own. In this werewolf's life, he was also a Legendary figure.
However, Kalon did not like prying too much into others' minds, even though his will could now connect at any time through the Heartforce link with these subjects and companions, descending into their minds to achieve a behavior similar to telepathy and mental transmission.
Although there was a certain distance limit—Kalon estimated he could currently only manifest this ability and successfully descend within a radius of three thousand miles.
But he still reminded himself to minimize the use of this ability to avoid forming a dependency and developing bad habits, both for himself and for those subject warriors.
Kalon was continuously practicing controlling his ability when a very familiar life and mental fluctuation rapidly approached from afar.
"Antagena? Why is she here?" Kalon stood up carefully to avoid knocking down the wooden house. He dispersed the misty white light in his hand and poked his head out of the wooden house.
When Antagena saw Kalon's figure, she quickly folded her wings and landed. Ignoring the salutes of the Imperial Guard, she came before the Red Dragon.
"Kalon, it's so good that you're alright." The beautiful fine scales on Antagena's face shimmered like pure emeralds, adding much to her beauty. A True Dragon's aesthetic sense comes not just from physical attraction but also from visual beauty.
Kalon's brow furrowed slightly. He didn't quite understand the Green Dragon's words, so he asked, "What do you mean 'it's good I'm alright'? I've always been fine."
So Antagena recounted the series of events where she met Rosani on the road, and then the Black True Dragon told her about Kalon's accident.
Kalon then realized what had happened. However, what he thought of was not anything else, but the fall of the temple of heroes. Clearly, the magical creation he had originally created through a sudden burst of inspiration still had many flaws.
"Forget it, since you're here, it just so happens I'll need your help when the time comes to subdue these native Elves." Kalon nodded and had his Imperial Guard build another barracks for the Green Dragon to rest in.
Antagena's slender neck reached over, rubbing against the Red Dragon's tall chest. The Green Dragon's beautiful head, wearing an emerald crown, rested gently against the Red Dragon's muscular pectoral muscles.
Her crisp and sweet voice was like that of a coquettish young girl, carrying a hint of grievance that inspired pity: "Kalon, my King, master of the True Dragon, I need your support."
"Heh, tell me, what is it, Antagena? I will always be your backing." A smile appeared in Kalon's eyes.
Antagena slowly recounted how she had been isolated. The Green Dragon's beguiling voice even made Kalon feel for a moment that those True Dragons were indeed excessive, treating such a beautiful young female True Dragon in such a way.
But Kalon's will was not blinded by the Green Dragon's beguiling voice. His newly born power, which he had not yet mastered, began to operate spontaneously.
Kalon's thick Dragon claw gently touched Antagena's cheek, wandering casually over it. This was a tenderness and emotion Kalon had never shown before, as if expressing his pity. Antagena felt a surge of joy in her heart.
But in the next second, the Red Dragon's claw suddenly dropped, tightly gripping the Green Dragon's slender neck. The sudden sensation of suffocation caused the Green Dragon's joyful heart to sink instantly to the bottom.
She struggled to look up, only to see the Red Dragon's cold eyes and hear his indifferent words, which sent a chill through her entire body, straight to her head: "Antagena, no one can lie to me, unless you think I am a fool!"