Chapter 241
Ottofis: “?”
After receiving a silent glare from his mount, Ye Bai temporarily set aside the myriad of questions swirling in his mind.
This journey was destined to take him to the top of the Tree of Life, where he would meet all three Elf Queens. This divine NPC was friendly and hospitable (emphasis), and as long as he asked about the past events, Ye Bai could piece together the details in reverse order.
At present, Ye Bai was still walking through a forest that resembled the one he had traversed before, alongside Ottofis.
The current Emerald Forest was a unique dreamscape supported by the Tree of Life. The mid-layer wasn’t merely composed of branches and trunks; it was an independent space. In reality, Ye Bai had been teleported up from the lower layer by the Queen, so there was no need to actually "climb the tree."
As he refocused on his surroundings, Ye Bai suddenly noticed that the derivative plants growing on the mid-layer ground were somewhat different from those in the lower layer.
“Danger! Don’t go near that.”
Upon hearing Ye Bai’s warning, Ottofis halted its movements—just moments ago, it had been sniffing a gigantic Venus flytrap that could easily swallow it whole.
“These plants are not edible,” Ye Bai explained.
Hearing this, Ottofis reluctantly withdrew its gaze from the glistening sap within the mutated flytrap’s leaves.
Perhaps due to the differences in space, the plants in this layer were nothing like those in the lower layer. Instead of edible fruits with beneficial effects, the area was filled with thorny vines, oversized carnivorous plants, and vividly colored, ominously toxic flora—all of which possessed offensive capabilities.
Especially under the nourishment of the Tree of Life, these aggressive plants had mutated and strengthened, doubling their damage potential.
Even though Ye Bai’s health had surpassed ten thousand, he had no desire to test his luck against these "plant traps."
Fortunately, just like before in the lower layer, after a while of walking, Ye Bai encountered the trunk of the Tree of Life. The ethereal beings, now transformed into glowing orbs, quickly noticed him.
“I sense the power of the Tree of Life… Important guest, please enter.”
The glowing orbs danced, and from within came the familiar, melodious voice of the Elf Queen, Ainolucia. Compared to the Queen of the lower layer, the mid-layer Queen’s tone was more serious, yet still gentle, with an added touch of authority.
Having had a previous experience, Ye Bai followed the elves alongside Ottofis. The dangerous plants parted automatically, sparing him the need to dodge them himself.
Before long, Ye Bai and Ottofis approached the heart of the mid-layer space, where the Tree of Life stood.
There, a figure in a white dress awaited them—golden hair, blue eyes, elegant and stunning—it was Ainolucia, whom Ye Bai had just bid farewell to not long ago.
As her gaze fell upon Ye Bai, this seemingly more serious Elf Queen revealed a familiar friendly smile.
However, suddenly, Ainolucia’s pointed ears twitched, and the smile that had graced her lips froze.
Her gaze turned icy as it locked onto Ye Bai, her ice-blue eyes visibly darkening, as if a storm were brewing. A terrifying aura began to rise from her.
The elves who had guided Ye Bai earlier seemed to receive a summons, quickly darting aside, distancing themselves from him.
“The scent of the Abyss… Damn the Abyss rebels, attempting to infiltrate the Emerald Forest!”
As she spoke, Ainolucia’s white dress transformed into a suit of elven-style armor.
This once graceful, kind, and hospitable Elf Queen now revealed a terrifying health bar that befitted a divine-level boss.
Chapter 163
Wait, weren’t we just having a pleasant conversation?! Why did she suddenly reveal her health bar?!
The scene before Ye Bai was utterly unexpected. Quickly piecing together Ainolucia’s words and the information he had previously gathered, he realized that this version of Ainolucia in the mid-layer must possess memories from the time of the Abyss invasion of the Emerald Forest, which explained her intense hatred for it.
Moreover, high elves were known to be one of the most vengeful races in the entire game, so the friendly Ainolucia from a moment ago had flipped her demeanor in an instant.
But the biggest question was, how could Ainolucia sense the aura of the Abyss on him?
Ye Bai’s mind was filled with confusion. He still bore the titles of 【Abyss Hero】 and 【Fear of the Serpent Demon Lord】, which should have indicated a stance against the Abyss.
Yet the next moment, the queen, now in battle form, had drawn a wooden longbow into her hands.
The bow appeared extremely simple, resembling a naturally curved branch, unrefined and unpolished. However, from the familiar energy and aura emanating from it, Ye Bai immediately recognized—this bow was made from a branch of the Tree of Life, just like the pendant hanging at his waist.
The Tree of Life was considered the most powerful mythic item across all realms, on par with the core of the Abyss. A weapon crafted from its branches could not merely be called a divine artifact; it was undoubtedly a semi-divine artifact.
This was serious!
Ye Bai felt a chill run down his spine and quickly exclaimed, “I have nothing to do with the Abyss! In fact, I even participated in defeating an Abyss lord!”
Upon hearing this, Ainolucia’s movements paused slightly, her deep blue eyes locking onto Ye Bai with a cold intensity.
“The repugnant aura of the Abyss is indeed hidden within you. I am not mistaken.”
Ye Bai’s mind raced as he tried to figure out what the queen meant by the Abyss aura. It had to come from something on him. During his time in the Abyss, most of his gains had been from the deep sea. The only true spoils from the Abyss, aside from titles and experience, were the crystallized remains of the Serpent Demon Lord, which he had long since given to Felix.
The only other item that could possibly be from the Abyss… was the branch of the Tree of Life at his waist. But wasn’t that a token of the God King? And in the current dream state, was the essence of the paper doll still present on it?
Nevertheless, Ye Bai quickly took the branch from his waist and gestured to Ainolucia, “Is it this? I obtained this key from the wound of the Abyss Demon God. Could it have absorbed the aura of the Abyss?”
“…”
Perhaps sensing the titles on Ye Bai, Ainolucia displayed a hint of hesitation, pausing once more.
Then the Elf Queen focused her gaze on the piece of the Tree of Life, concentrating on sensing something.
‘It must be that the Tree of Life branch has been in contact with the wound of the Abyss Demon God for too long, absorbing the aura of the Abyss core…’ Ye Bai thought to himself.
Just as he began to relax, believing the issue lay with the Tree of Life branch, Ainolucia suddenly shifted her gaze away from it and back to him.
“No, the aura of the Abyss is within you, cunning villain!”
Ainolucia’s expression changed completely. The once elegant and dignified queen now wore a clear look of anger, as if she had just been tricked by Ye Bai.
“Let me explain…”
But in the next moment, Ainolucia raised a slender finger, and as she drew back the bow, a red energy bowstring appeared out of thin air on the previously unstrung branch of the Tree of Life.
Ye Bai recognized that color all too well; it was the signature skill of the elven magic archer, 【Mark of Hatred】.
The Mark of Hatred was an extremely powerful tracking skill and the initiation of the magic archer’s damage combo. Once hit, the archer could sense the target’s location, and subsequent attacks would deal additional damage.
“I’ll find out the reason!”
Ye Bai felt like crying but had no tears. This was truly an unwarranted disaster. Even though he was now a third-transcendence player with high attributes and wielding the Death Codex, was it really fair to face off against a divine-level boss?!
Moreover, Ainolucia was no ordinary divine-level being. As the queen of a top-tier race, she was also the strongest among high elves, ranking among the best in power among all divine beings.
To make matters worse, as a ranged class that combined both magic and physical attacks, the magic archer was particularly effective against Ye Bai’s magic-based class!
But Ainolucia, convinced that Ye Bai was hiding something, clearly wouldn’t listen to his explanations anymore.
“Whoosh!”
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