Chapter 260: Rebirth

“Is that so…”

If what Aland said is true, it at least proves one thing—the so-called unknown originating light can indeed create life and spirit.

Light Tribe, huh…

At first, Miss Vilyric thought that the so-called Church of the Light was formed because someone priestess showcased high-level magic in front of a crowd, resulting in an overload of information flow that led to superstitious side effects.

But after actually interacting with them, she discovered that this organization, whether in its composition or its presented doctrine, does not blindly worship individual entities; the concept of the originating light is clearly something more ethereal.

So, to say that they were born from witnessing “Vilyric” is a bit unrealistic.

The Church of the Light.

Though they occasionally mention things like the “Originating Light,” they generally put in the effort to find solutions themselves rather than throwing around the names of deities like the Church of the Goddess does—faith here is more like a simple mental support.

Compared to a real religion, describing it as a “mutual aid society” seems more fitting. It’s a rather open-minded organization without much pomp and circumstance, with behaviors that are very proper.

To be honest, when Miss Vilyric realized this, she sighed in relief, especially since folks like Sasha and Xavier could also become “Light Worshipers”—this made her even more confident in her assessment.

However, Aland’s earlier words hinted at some more obscure information.

This organization… is definitely not a recent creation.

Perhaps most of the current worshipers of the Church of the Light have only been recently absorbed, but the true core of it has probably existed for a long time.

In other words, what Vilyric had done before may have propelled the organization’s rise, but… it is definitely not its true cause.

And that “Originating Light” that Aland is so cryptic about is not an unknown concept in the Holy Empire.

The doctrine of the Church of the Goddess also refers to the Light Goddess Aurora as the Originating Light, but it seems the Church of the Light does not agree; otherwise, there would be no need to start another religion.

Speaking of which, when she saw that golden-eyed “Vilyric” in a dream before, some of the phantasms seemed to also call it the “Originating Light.”

That night, the other party spoke some incomprehensible nonsense in her dream before quickly disappearing without a trace, and has not appeared again since, but Vilyric has always been concerned about what was said.

What the Originating Light truly is can be set aside for now, but that “Vilyric” is definitely different from her.

At least Miss Vilyric knows she can’t be omniscient and omnipotent; there are just too many things she wants to understand.

…Forget it.

This question is too complex; digging too deep will only trap herself. For now, it’s best to focus on areas that deserve more attention.

The ceremony led by Tilysha has fully unfolded.

At this moment, the girl who initially just had one palm placed against the tree trunk has already turned to using both hands to maintain stability in her power output.

A rich azure light is rising from the blue-haired girl, soaring over three zhang high; although still small compared to the blood tree’s main body, it is still quite stunning compared to Tilysha’s slender frame.

The blue light radiating from the girl’s hands has covered the main thick trunk of the massive tree and its countless branches and scarlet leaves, wrapping them into a magnificent sculpture that seems made of jade.

Once the blood hue is concealed, the tree’s originally grotesque appearance softens, and amidst the life force surging through the forest, it indeed has a bit of a divine tree feel.

“Cough, cough!”

A few strands of crimson seeped from the blue-haired girl’s lips.

This wasn’t because she was attacked; it was just that as a mortal body, forcibly commanding such immense divine power without experiencing a Divine Descent—even if it is of the type “life”—would still incur damage from the strain.

Vilyric did not intervene; although Eudora, standing next to her, looked alarmed at Tilysha spitting blood and instinctively opened her mouth, the former had the foresight to pat the pink-haired loli on the shoulder to indicate silence.

This was Tilysha’s own choice; at least for now, there was no one who could help her except herself.

Moreover, if there were real danger, Xi Fu Lin wouldn’t sit idly by.

The giant tree trembled and shook more intensely.

Even the ground beneath everyone’s feet began to shake slightly, as if some particularly enormous being was hiding underground, thrashing around in pain.

This shaking, akin to a dragon turning over, grew more intense, to the point where even ordinary folks like Xavier struggled to stand, needing strong individuals to prevent them from toppling over.

This blood tree… is stronger than I imagined.

Miss Vilyric thought to herself, retracting her earlier judgment that a four-man team could easily defeat it.

But no matter how intense the tremors were, the ground beneath Tilysha’s feet remained completely still; neither the blood tree itself nor its roots—the real culprits of the earth’s shaking—affected the blue-haired girl who was giving her all.

So, at the moment the azure aura completely enveloped every corner of the blood tree, that enormous tree, which could block out the sun with its extensive shade, began to shrink slowly.

At first, the speed was very slow; after a full ten minutes, the outermost shade finally shortened to a noticeable extent, but as this process continued, the blood tree’s struggles began to ease, and its shrinking speed gradually increased.

After a few more minutes, the first beam of sunlight from the horizon, revealed by the receding foliage, shone down on the onlookers below.

The shaking of the ground finally calmed down.

But compared to that, the surging light around the blue-haired girl became even more brilliant and dazzling, having transformed from the original pure azure to a deep jade-like hue, becoming even more profound as the blood tree continued to shrink.

At this point, even without prior knowledge, an observant person could completely grasp the principle behind Tilysha’s actions.

She was using her own self as a medium and vessel to absorb the immense life force accumulated by this giant tree over hundreds of years, causing it to regress back to its original state while removing excess impurities.

Bearing such power in a human body, even if only temporarily, the burden is quite imaginable.

In fact, this wasn’t Tilysha’s first time spitting blood, but under the support of that overwhelming life force, no matter what kind of injury she sustained, it would be immediately repaired, leaving only a simple “pain.”

It was like forcibly filling someone’s stomach with water until it was almost grotesquely bloated, yet they’d neither die nor lose consciousness—like some torturous ordeal.

That’s why Vilyric said though Tilysha could theoretically accomplish this, whether her mind could withstand such torment was the key problem.

But it seems she really managed to pull through.

With the ceremony nearing its end, most of the life force within the blood tree had been successfully absorbed, and it began visibly shrinking, as if time were flowing backward, retracting its lush branches and leaves.

Smaller and smaller.

Ultimately, it transformed into a jade-green seed lying in the blue-haired girl’s palm, which she slowly squatted down with some effort and reburied into the earth.

   

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