Chapter 245
The Xu Ling clan, by their very nature of concealment and wisdom, can be likened to sages among the elves, embodying a scholarly spirit. This group is composed of individuals who, aside from their pursuit of knowledge, show little interest in other matters.
Ye Bai pondered for a moment before asking, “Do you know the reason behind the civil war among the human race?”
Ainoru Lucia strained to recall, then replied uncertainly, “We don’t often interact with the humans, so our understanding is limited. It seems there was some change within the Xu Ling.”
So it was the Xu Ling…
Ye Bai received an unexpected answer. The human race occupies the largest surface area of the divine realm, making them prone to intrigue and conflict among themselves. If the Xu Ling underwent some change, it would likely have the greatest impact on the Gaowa Duchy, indirectly leading to the civil war between the two great duchies.
“Do you have any memories from before that time? Can you recall anything about the God King and the Great Annihilation?”
“My memories seem to begin from that moment. The Great Annihilation… yes, it is approaching. The key is crucial to stopping it, but I don’t know the true nature of the Great Annihilation. As for the God King…” At this point, Ainoru Lucia’s expression had solidified, her brow furrowing as if she faced a perplexing dilemma.
Ye Bai waited for a long time, and finally, Ainoru Lucia shook her head helplessly.
“About the God King… perhaps you could ask the higher version of me.”
After their conversation, Ye Bai gathered more information, and with the help of the mid-level queen, he finally made his way to the highest level of the Emerald Forest.
As he traversed through space, the scenery shifted before his eyes. Upon seeing the environment of the highest level, Ye Bai was momentarily taken aback.
Unlike the lower and mid-levels, the upper space was unexpectedly ‘narrow.’
There were no forests filled with rare fruits or dangerous plants, just a small island-like clearing surrounded by endless void and mist.
In the center of the clearing stood a miniature version of the Tree of Life.
The Ainoru Lucia he had just bid farewell to was now lying beneath the tree, her golden hair cascading around her, eyes tightly shut. A beam of celestial light, seemingly from nowhere, enveloped her in a captivating glow.
This scene was breathtaking, imbued with an inexplicable sadness that made one reluctant to disturb even a fragment of it.
As Ye Bai arrived, the slumbering elven queen seemed to sense something and slowly opened her eyes.
“You’ve finally come…”
As she murmured, Ainoru Lucia’s light blue eyes fully opened, locking onto Ye Bai.
In the next moment, her previously dazed expression suddenly brightened:
“King?!”
“Uh?” Ye Bai was caught off guard.
At the sound of his voice, Ainoru Lucia paused, then seemed to fully awaken. She blinked, and the light in her eyes dimmed with disappointment:
“Sorry, I’ve been asleep for too long, and my consciousness mistook you… Hello, I am the Elven Queen, Ainoru Lucia.”
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After a brief pause, Ye Bai instinctively asked, “The king you mentioned is…?”
“The King of Kings, the God of Gods… the other half of the key you carry, isn’t it because of Him?” Ainoru Lucia blinked and smiled gently.
Though she had seemingly mistaken him for someone else, the arrival of Ye Bai, who bore the key, brought her joy. She continued, “I have been waiting for you for quite some time. Although I have no memories of the ‘future,’ I still know that when the two keys unite, they can unlock…”
“Excuse me, did you just mention a place?”
Ye Bai had to interrupt the elven queen, as she had clearly referred to a specific location, and once again, the holographic ‘mosaic’ he had seen before from the mouth of the Hell Demon appeared.
From Ye Bai’s perspective, when the elven queen mentioned that place, her voice suddenly vanished, and her lips became indistinct. Even face to face, he couldn’t discern what she had just said.
“Oh, I forgot you wouldn’t be able to know this information…” Ainoru Lucia realized something from Ye Bai’s question and replied, “Yes, I just mentioned a place, a place that belongs to the king.”
Hearing this, Ye Bai couldn’t help but bring up the name of his task: “The God King’s Treasure Vault?”
“The Treasure Vault?” Ainoru Lucia looked slightly taken aback, then slowly nodded, “That name isn’t incorrect.”
Ye Bai recalled the question he had previously overlooked and quickly pressed on, “What did you mean when you said I wouldn’t be able to know that information?”
From the upper-level elven queen’s words, it seemed she was aware that some information would appear as a ‘mosaic’ before Ye Bai.
Ainoru Lucia’s next response caught Ye Bai off guard: “Perhaps it’s because the king… has endured the Annihilation.”
Ye Bai was once again stunned.
The mid-level queen had mentioned that the God King said the Great Annihilation was a disruption of the world’s ‘balance.’ If each race does not self-regulate, all beings would gradually face an unknown end at an unknown time.
Now, this elven queen, who seemed to possess the most critical information, stated that the God King might have once encountered ‘Annihilation.’
Ye Bai immediately asked the new question that had formed in his mind: “What is Annihilation? What is its connection to the Great Annihilation?”
Ainoru Lucia sighed: “The king encountered Annihilation, that is my guess, because the king told us that the Great Annihilation was approaching, and he would seek a solution. Then, one night not long after, the king disappeared, and all memories and records of him began to fade.”
“Fade?”
Ainoru Lucia nodded: “Ordinary people’s memories of the king are constantly being forgotten. At first, some still remembered the king’s name, but soon, many couldn’t even say who the king was. Eventually, they only vaguely knew that a God King existed, and then completely forgot that there had ever been such a being on the throne of the God King…”
“Compared to ordinary people, those with greater power retain more memories. The gods can preserve the most memories, but even theirs diminish over time, starting from the most trivial details. When you look back, you’ll find that you’ve forgotten more than half.”
“And this memory cannot be passed on, cannot be known by those who do not know him. Just like just now, I cannot tell you that place’s name is ‘…’, and any related records cannot be preserved. Nowadays, perhaps only among the gods is there still memory of the king, but it cannot be described to those beneath the gods, only vaguely referred to.”
At this point, Ainoru Lucia’s expression turned sorrowful: “Even I have forgotten the king’s name, and I can’t clearly recall his appearance… I only vaguely remember his silhouette, which is why I mistook you when I sensed the aura of the other half of the key on you.”
Hearing this, Ye Bai couldn’t help but think of the nameless, memoryless, bodiless paper figure. Was its current state not due to some curse, but rather the ‘Annihilation’ that the elven queen spoke of?
Moreover…
Ye Bai asked, “So what is the Great Annihilation?”
Ainoru Lucia nodded: “If what the king encountered was Annihilation, then the Great Annihilation is a silent disaster that will sweep across the entire continent. When it descends upon the ordinary races, our world will silently lose a vast number of lives. Even those who have faced the Great Annihilation… their kin and friends may completely forget that they ever existed.”
This truly is a complete disappearance…
Ye Bai suddenly understood; this was the Great Annihilation. No wonder, aside from the chaos of the Abyss, all races were retracting and seeking solutions.
“You said the God King disappeared shortly after mentioning the Great Annihilation?”
Ainoru Lucia nodded: “That’s right. Although various rumors circulated within the human race at that time, only that fool Walsh, with his magma-filled head, would believe them. But they were all baseless conspiracy theories.”
Walsh seemed to be the name of that Hell Demon who was first attacked by the Serpent Demon and then used as a battery by the Kraken…
Ye Bai thought for a moment and asked, “If I go to the place you mentioned, can it bring the God King back to life?”
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