When Zhong Shenxiu and the others reappeared, they found themselves in a truly dreamlike dense forest. The trees here were lush, the ground covered in rich, verdant grass, and countless vividly colored flowers bloomed in competition, filling the air with a fresh fragrance that instantly lifted the spirits!
“This… where is this…?” The face of the Elven Empress revealed unconcealed astonishment; she could never have imagined being transported to such a beautiful environment in the blink of an eye.
The few elves beside her fared no better; every one of them stood with their delicate mouths slightly agape, gaping in awe at every blade of grass and every tree!
Though they still didn't know their exact location, one thing was certain: this place seemed tailor-made for elves! (Absolutely pure, pollution-free green!)
Even though the place was near perfection, Zhong Shenxiu felt he still needed to make some minor improvements. Of course, these were small tasks that wouldn't take much time!
Currently, Zhong Shenxiu was most uncertain about the elves’ specific requirements, what the "Tree of Souls" looked like, and how it should be situated! “What is this place?” After a long period of silence, the Elven Empress finally voiced the question burning in her heart.
She had just touched everything with her own hands; none of this was an illusion. So where were they? Why had they, who had lived in the Evergreen Forest their entire lives, never known of this place? And how had she arrived here?
Facing the Elven Empress’s query, Zhong Shenxiu first smiled. He could see from her expression that she was quite pleased with the surroundings, so he answered quite directly: “This is the new environment I have created for you elves. Here, there is no strife, and you need not fear the appearance of parasitic insects. More importantly, like the Evergreen Forest you previously inhabited, this place enjoys perpetual spring!”
Here, Zhong Shenxiu was the creator. He could control the climate and everything within this domain; maintaining perpetual spring for him was exceptionally simple!
“Created?” The Elven Empress showed another look of mingled doubt and surprise.
No matter how one looked at it, this place seemed the masterpiece of nature itself; how could it have been created by a mere mortal? Wait, what was that?
The Elven Empress had finally noticed an anomaly. The sun in the sky was distinctly different from the one she knew. Although it still emitted light and heat, there was an indescribable strangeness to it! “The sun was created as well, but it doesn't impede the growth of the plants!” Zhong Shenxiu explained from the side.
The way the Elven Empress now looked at Zhong Shenxiu grew increasingly bizarre; everything she was experiencing far exceeded her capacity to process it mentally! “You say you created everything here?” Only after a long moment did these words finally leave the Elven Empress’s mouth.
Zhong Shenxiu nodded. There was no need for him to conceal such matters. If he wanted the Elven Empress and her people to settle here, he needed to show sincerity.
Besides, the Elven Empress’s innate ability to manipulate flora deeply fascinated Zhong Shenxiu, and his initial impression of her as a person had been quite positive!
Another wave of silence followed, broken finally by Allison, who stood beside the Elven Empress. She too was brimming with questions, but what she most wanted to know was the truth behind Zhong Shenxiu’s claims. “How are we supposed to believe what you say?” Indeed, something so bizarre would be difficult to accept without concrete evidence.
Zhong Shenxiu gave a faint smile and then turned to Allison: “To prove that I haven't been deceiving you, I can offer a slight demonstration!”
A slight demonstration?
The elves were momentarily stunned, unsure of how Zhong Shenxiu intended to demonstrate, and their eyes widened; even the Elven Empress was no exception!
“Watch closely!” Before acting, Zhong Shenxiu reminded them. The moment the words left his mouth, the heavens and the earth shifted. The formerly clear, cloudless sky instantly transformed into a night canopy sprinkled with countless stars! The speed of the change made Allison and the others feel a sudden dimming of light. By the time they recovered, they were completely captivated by the stunning starry expanse!
Perhaps intentionally on Zhong Shenxiu’s part, the night sky here was infinitely more beautiful than the real one outside. The stars shone as brightly as glittering gemstones, and shooting stars occasionally streaked across the expanse. In the far reaches of the horizon, a long, colorful band of light stretched out, as magnificent and varied as the Milky Way in the cosmos!
And the pure, radiant full moon was enormous, giving the feeling that it was only a few hundred meters above the ground! Everything was beautifully illusory, yet the feeling of utter bliss it induced was profoundly real!
Zhong Shenxiu watched the speechless awe on the faces of the elves, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction. His confidence in persuading the Elven Empress to settle here grew stronger! Women seemed to have little resistance to beauty, and the Elven Empress appeared to share this common trait. She stood there gazing raptly at the stars, having completely forgotten Zhong Shenxiu's presence!
It had been a long time since she had felt such a release of spirit. Due to the parasitic insects, her nerves had been stretched taut every day; even her dreams were filled with escape, leaving no room for this kind of spiritual enjoyment! “This… did you do this?” Allison asked Zhong Shenxiu, her voice slightly stuttering. It was too marvelous, so marvelous it made her want to scream!
Zhong Shenxiu merely curved his lips and did not answer. Instead, he walked over to the Elven Empress, who was lost in self-admiration, and said, “Your Majesty, what do you think of this place? Does it meet the conditions for your settlement?”
(Out of respect for this “Elven Empress,” Zhong Shenxiu addressed her as “Your Majesty,” similar to how others referred to her—perhaps an act of conforming to local customs!)
Under the effect of Zhong Shenxiu’s words, the Elven Empress finally snapped back to reality, though a blush still lingered on her cheeks, indicating the heat of her excitement hadn't fully cooled.
“This place is wonderful!” The Elven Empress praised sincerely, but then posed a question: “But why would you help us?”
“It is a promise I made to Luo Jie'ai’er!” Zhong Shenxiu paused briefly, then continued, “Furthermore, I genuinely wish for you to settle here. I hope you can use your spare time to help me tend to the plants I have cultivated!” “Plants? What kind of plants?” the Elven Empress asked reflexively.
The moment her words fell, the scene before them changed again. The sky had reverted to daylight, and they now stood beneath a towering tree!
This tree was none other than the Tree of Primordial Spirit that Zhong Shenxiu had once obtained from the Southern Palace of the Heavens!
After several years of growth, this already enormous Tree of Primordial Spirit had expanded manifold. Its massive trunk stood before them like a pillar supporting the sky! Its sheer size completely surpassed human imagination!
Normally, given the tree's natural growth rate, it could never have become this large in just a few years. However, under the influence of Zhong Shenxiu’s various formations, it had been strengthening itself at an astonishing pace, as if catalyzed!
Besides its size, its appearance was entirely different from before. The Tree of Primordial Spirit now sported something akin to fluorescent powder on its bark, shimmering splendidly under the sunlight!
Moreover, standing beneath the Tree of Primordial Spirit, one could feel vital, surging power flowing constantly into their body!
Upon seeing the Tree of Primordial Spirit, the Elven Empress and the surrounding elves were utterly dumbfounded; their current level of shock surpassed even their initial reaction! And their expressions now held not just astonishment, but also undisguised excitement and emotion!
“The surrounding vegetation is what I have planted. I hope you will help me maintain them!” Zhong Shenxiu’s voice resonated again. Following his gaze, the surrounding flora was truly staggering!
The fifty acres to the left were planted with ginseng aged thousands or tens of thousands of years. Next to it, fifty acres held snow lotuses of similar age, followed by rare Celestial Spirit Grass, Life-and-Death Fungus, Seven-Leaf Soul-Concealing Flower… Every single plant was a treasure among treasures! Beyond these immediate crops stretched hundreds, perhaps thousands, of acres of various other plants—an endless vista!
It was unbelievable; Zhong Shenxiu had quietly established such a massive cultivation base. Even one or two of these plants, placed in the Cultivation World, would make cultivators intensely envious, yet here Zhong Shenxiu possessed so many! Heavens, truly incomparable!
Furthermore, one could boldly speculate: if Zhong Shenxiu had already gathered such a vast collection of rare herbs, just how many rare ores had he amassed? (The mere thought made one’s blood boil!)
Yet, the elves seemed to pay no heed to Zhong Shenxiu’s last statement. Their eyes remained fixed raptly on the Tree of Primordial Spirit, as if nothing else existed between heaven and earth besides that single entity!
Under Zhong Shenxiu’s perplexed gaze, the Elven Empress slowly approached the Tree of Primordial Spirit and gently rested her slender fingertips against the trunk, then closed her eyes.
If one looked closely, several faint, pale-yellow filaments could be seen extending from the Elven Empress’s finger, tracing the bark of the Tree of Primordial Spirit. “What is she doing?” Zhong Shenxiu wondered curiously, but he did not interrupt the Elven Empress, watching silently instead. After an indeterminate amount of time, the Elven Empress finally opened her eyes and spoke a few trembling words:
“This is the ‘Earth Guardian’!”