---

Chapter 107: Exhaustion

“What’s the big deal about the False King’s blood? In the end, he’s just a little brat who’s not even grown up yet.”

“It took a lot of effort to infiltrate the secret realm, and now that we’re exposed to the sunlight, we have too many plans in place to just give up halfway!”

“That said, it is the False King’s blood after all. If he can really unlock divine power…”

In the midst of the dark green light orbs, they found themselves in a dilemma.

The Bloodstone had gone missing, and they had exposed their undercover agents buried within various factions for this operation. If they failed this time, it would significantly impact the awakening of the Mother Goddess.

No cultist fears death. The demise of the body is merely a return to the embrace of the Mother Goddess, a long-awaited wish they’ve been pursuing.

But failing the mission, failing to present a sacrifice to the Mother Goddess, is something 【All Things Wither】 can never accept.

Right now, the False King’s blood likely holds the powers of the pseudo-deities from the First Era and can even activate the potential of the Forest Elf.

【All Things Wither】 was well-prepared this time, with a barrier named 【Tree Sea of Decay】 and the priestess Sharon Blackwood. Even facing Sequence 6, they would easily manage.

However, the combination of the False King and the Forest Elf was truly the worst scenario for them.

The False King’s blood can unlock divine power, and the Forest Elf can manipulate the source of fate—the West Wind. It’s not just about sheer combat strength; these two forces are basically their greatest nemesis.

Previously, Nia Molly was merely a Sequence 8, but with the boost from the False King’s blood, her threat level skyrocketed. She was no longer that powerless little girl.

Just then, as everyone debated, the withered tree trunk in front of Sharon began to subtly tremble, revealing female features.

An invisible pressure descended upon them, leaves began to wither and the grass turned brown, as if life itself was gradually fading away.

In this deathly silence,

The dark green light orbs dimmed, and Sharon along with the cultists knelt in reverence, speechless yet filled with excitement.

It was a divine oracle.

The oracle of the Mother Goddess!

“The False King shall be dealt with by my child…”

“You shall present the Forest Elf…”

After saying that, the features on the tree disappeared.

Then, the ground began to tremble faintly.

Sharon was ecstatic, pus trickling uncontrollably from the corner of her eye, as she looked towards the depths of the earth, the very center of decay.

Though she couldn’t see what was down below, Sharon knew that there lay the seeds she had buried and also the vessel of the Mother Goddess’s child.

She could feel it; the seed that was originally the size of a grain of rice had now expanded to dozens of meters after absorbing the nutrients from the Misty Forest.

And after the arrival of the Mother Goddess, the seed’s vessel finally showed signs of cracking.

A withered, eerie twig covered in yellow-green pus was slowly breaking through the soil!

“Everyone, there’s nothing to worry about; the child of the Mother Goddess is about to awaken! The False King’s blood is nothing to fear!” Ecstasy and excitement, alongside a deep sense of awe, appeared on Sharon’s face.

What’s the deal with the False King’s blood? In the face of true divine power, they remain mere mortals!

The dark green light orbs also radiated brilliance, dispelling their previous trepidation.

“Since we no longer need to worry about the False King’s blood, our top priority now is to find the whereabouts of the Forest Elf.”

“Rest assured, with the 【Tree Sea of Decay】 in place, those mortals won’t escape.”

Sharon chuckled coldly, closed her eyes, and slowly spread her arms.

From under her dark green robe, tendrils began to emerge, like blood vessels, connecting to the center of the barrier and extending throughout the forest.

The 【Tree Sea of Decay】 not only controls plant defenses and extracts vitality to enhance extraordinary power, but it also serves as a surveillance area.

In this state, every leaf and every vine was in synch with Sharon’s senses; not even a mosquito could escape her gaze.

Even if the Forest Elf had the ability to conceal its presence, it could at most delay things a bit.

At the same time, yellow-green miasma replaced the mist, spreading across the entire forest.

Unlike the gentle mist dealt with by the professors, anyone who came into contact with this miasma would see their extraordinary power significantly weakened, even facing the corruption of the Mother Goddess’s power.

Whether it’s the False King’s blood or the Forest Elf, they were only Sequence 89—how long could they last under this miasma?

Perhaps there was no need for the noble child of the goddess to intervene; they’d collapse like pitiful ants, completely exhausted in the forest!

Thinking about this, Sharon couldn’t help but smile with her withered lips.

——————————

“Run!”

“Help! Someone save me… I don’t want to die!”

All around in the Misty Forest, a tragic escape was unfolding.

Those who managed to rush into the forest first were certainly no ordinary extraordinary beings, but the yellow-green miasma rapidly consumed their strength. The vines and branches nearby, however, could heal themselves and launch endless attacks.

The proud elites of the Magic Academy had turned into lambs awaiting slaughter; if they were noble offspring, they could at least have value as hostages at the edge of the secret realm, warning the outside not to act recklessly. If they were commoners, they would be pierced by branches and drained alive.

Branches snapped, and three exhausted girls didn’t have time to dodge, being thrown away on the spot.

There was still a route to escape, but they simply couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Please no…”

Amid their sorrowful cries, countless tendrils wrapped around them, entangling their limbs and greedily sucking out their vitality.

Becoming ugly, dried corpses was undoubtedly the most unacceptable way for young girls in their flowering season to die. But no matter how they struggled, their soft punches and kicks posed no threat to the vines.

But just then, several wind blades came slicing through, severing those tendrils.

Everyone looked up in surprise and found a male and female pair who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

The black-haired boy surged forward, pulling them up.

“Quick! If you get to the front, you’ll be safe!”

The whole forest was under the cultists’ control—where was the safety in that?

Still, encouraged by the boy’s determined words and bolstered by his handsome appearance, the three girls managed to muster their last ounce of strength to follow him.

They stumbled along behind him and arrived at the side of the Forest Elf girl.

A shimmering green wind barrier suddenly rose, like a thin veil.

Countless tendrils were about to strike but suddenly froze in mid-air, looking left and right, turning into headless flies. After a flurry of chaotic movements, they retreated.

A barrier? And one that can hide from those cultists?

Students from the academy were no strangers to such barriers; they understood this was already beyond the average level of barriers on the market.

Before the girls could express their awe, they heard some commotion behind them and turned around to realize that over a hundred students had gathered, setting up campfires and tents, creating a well-ordered encampment that was like the safest harbor in the world.

The black-haired boy smiled gently. “Don’t worry, rest easy; it’s safe here.”

The three girls came to their senses, finally embracing each other and bursting into tears for having reclaimed their lives.

 

---