Spirit Pact Hundred Scenes Record

Chapter 35 The Ancient Tree's Aid

The interior of the underground river fissures is far more complex than it appears from the outside.

The passage wasn't straight; instead, it meandered like the intestines of some enormous creature, its width varying with each curve. The cave walls were no longer purely crystalline, but rather a mixture of damp earth, tangled tree roots, and slippery moss. The air was thick with moisture and the earthy smell of soil, occasionally punctuated by a faint, sweet, humus-like aroma.

The light was extremely dim. Only the faint glow of the spirit runes on Karen's wrist and a dwarven psionic glow stick that Leah had pulled from her backpack provided limited illumination. The cold white light emitted by the glow stick could only illuminate an area of ​​about five meters in front of them; beyond that, there was a thick darkness that seemed to absorb light.

"This place..." Grom said in a low voice, his warhammer held horizontally in front of him, scanning every shadowy corner warily. "It feels even more creepy than those crystal caves up there."

"Because there is life here." The shadow's voice came from Karen's shoulder—the black cat was too weak to walk on its own and had to be carried by Karen. Its voice was weak but still clear: "Soil, tree roots, moss, microorganisms... these are living things, things that breathe. And those caves from before, they've been eroded by polluted energy for too long, even the most basic signs of life have disappeared."

Karen moved forward cautiously, making each step as soft as possible. The Radiant Light in her arms remained asleep; the cub's body temperature had returned to normal, and its breathing had become steady, but there was still no sign of it waking. Through the contractual connection, Karen could sense that Radiant Light was undergoing deep repair, its consciousness completely submerged in the depths of its spiritual veins, almost oblivious to the outside world.

"Has the cult caught up?" Leah glanced back in the direction they had come from. The entrance to the rift had been hastily sealed off with a few large stones and dirt, but that barrier could only buy them a few minutes.

"Not yet," Karen said. Although his spiritual energy perception was greatly weakened due to overexertion, he could still detect psionic fluctuations at a considerable distance behind them. "But they're approaching. Not quickly, very cautiously—Roland knows we're in here, and he's advancing with a plan."

"Then we need to speed things up," Grom said. "Find another exit, or at least a place we can defend."

They continued onward. The passage gradually sloped downwards, the gradient becoming increasingly steep. The sound of the underground river grew louder, transforming from a gentle murmur into a roaring torrent. The air became more humid, and water began to seep from the cave walls, dripping onto the puddles on the ground with a rhythmic echo.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

Not two, but four.

Four passages of varying sizes branched off from the main passage, each pitch black and bottomless. The main current of the underground river flowed from the leftmost passage, its rushing water crashing against the rocks with tremendous noise. The other three passages were relatively dry, but each carried a different scent—the second had a faint smell of sulfur, the third the stench of decaying plants, and the fourth was odorless, pure, empty darkness.

"Which way?" Leah asked.

Everyone looked towards the shadows. In this environment, the black cat's mystical perception might be their only guide.

The shadowy creature raised its head from Karen's shoulder, its silver eyes scanning the four passageways. Its nose twitched slightly, and its ears pricked up and turned, as if trying to catch every subtle detail in the air.

Finally, it pointed to the third passage—the one with the smell of decaying plants.

“This one,” Shadow said, “I smell… the scent of a forest. Not the polluted forest of the past, but a normal, healthy forest. Though the scent is faint and distant, it is definitely there.”

"A forest?" Grom frowned. "We're at least two hundred meters underground now, how could there possibly be a forest?"

"The root system of the Emerald Forest is incredibly advanced," Leah explained. "The legends of the Windwhisper tribe mention that the roots of ancient trees deep within the forest can penetrate rocks, extend deep into the earth, and even connect with the ley lines of other floating domains. If we're lucky, we might be able to find our way back to the surface by following the root system."

"This one will do," Karen decided.

They turned to the third passage. This passage was much narrower than the main one, barely wide enough for one person to pass through; Grom even had to squeeze in sideways. The tree roots tangled on the cave walls were denser, some as thick as an arm, and covered with a thick layer of moss and lichen. The ground beneath their feet was also softer, leaving deep footprints with every step.

As they went deeper, the smell of decaying plants grew stronger, but strangely, it wasn't unpleasant. It was a complex aroma, a mixture of rotten wood, damp earth, fungi, and some kind of floral scent, like walking into the humus layer deep in a rainforest.

After walking for about ten more minutes, the passage began to slope upwards.

The slope was very steep, almost forty-five degrees. They had to use both hands and feet, grabbing onto tree roots and protruding rocks on the cave walls to climb upwards. Karen carried Dawn in one arm and climbed with the other, her movements extremely difficult. Leah wanted to help, but she was also carrying the unconscious Shadow, and her own leg injury had not yet healed, so she was also struggling.

"Wait." Grom suddenly stopped, raised his glow stick and shone it forward. "Look there."

About twenty meters ahead, a faint light shone from the end of the passage.

It's not an artificial light source, nor is it mineral-based luminescence. It's...sunlight?

The dappled, warm natural light seeps through layers of roots and cracks in the soil.

"We're close to the surface," Lydia said hopefully.

They quickened their pace, climbing towards the light source. The slope gradually lessened, the passage widened, and finally it became a huge natural cave woven from countless tree roots. There was an irregular gap in the cave ceiling, through which sunlight shone, casting bright patches of light on the cave floor.

In the center of the cave, the most astonishing sight appeared.

The roots of a tree.

These were not ordinary tree roots, but the main root of a root system far beyond imagination. The root system was over three meters in diameter, like a sleeping dragon coiled in the cave, its surface covered with a thick layer of shimmering moss. Countless lateral roots of various sizes branched out from the root system, some penetrating deep into the ground, others extending upwards, breaking through the cave ceiling, and connecting with the surface.

But that's not the most shocking part.

What's most striking is that the surface of this root is covered with luminous patterns.

It wasn't the dark red of polluted energy, nor the gold of light energy, but a soft, vibrant emerald green. The patterns resembled runes naturally growing on tree bark, flickering with a slow rhythm, each flicker causing the surrounding air to vibrate slightly, radiating pure life energy.

"This is..." Karen reached out, wanting to touch the patterns, but then stopped.

"The roots of an ancient tree elder," the shadow replied, its voice carrying a rare hint of reverence. "One of the oldest inhabitants of the Emerald Forest. They have been growing here for at least three thousand years, their roots spreading throughout the forest's underground and even extending to the edges of other floating domains."

As if in response to the shadow's words, the emerald green veins on the root's surface suddenly increased their flashing frequency. The light brightened, and the veins began to flow and recombine, forming a face-like pattern on the root's surface—not a clear human face, but a blurred yet majestic facial outline composed of light, shadow, and veins.

"Outsiders".

A voice resounded directly in everyone's minds. It wasn't transmitted through spiritual language or sound, but rather through a more direct and ancient transmission of intent. The voice was ancient and deep, like a thousand-year-old tree whispering in the wind, or like the earth itself speaking.

"You all... smell of pollution... and... a familiar scent..."

The "face" on the surface of the roots turned towards Karen, and emerald light swept over him.

"Guardian bloodline...you've returned...but you're different...young...too young..."

Karen was startled. Did this ancient tree recognize the guardian's bloodline? Or rather, did it recognize his family?

"Elder Ancient Tree," Karen said respectfully. He didn't know how to address such a being, so he could only use the Shadow's term. "We meant no offense. We were fleeing from pursuers and stumbled into your domain."

"Pursuit..." The ancient tree's voice echoed in his mind, "Silver knights... with a devouring desire... Yes, I sense it... They rampage through my forest... harming my children..."

The light on the surface of the roots flickered and became even brighter.

"But you...you have a deeper darkness within you...what is it?"

Karen hesitated for a moment, then took the black bead—the sealed meteorite—from her backpack. The bead remained jet black even in the sunlight, its surface smooth and without any reflection.

"Remnants of the spirit world," Karen answered truthfully. "The core we extracted from the source of the contamination. We've temporarily sealed it, but only for three months."

The atmosphere in the cave changed abruptly the moment the black bead was removed.

The roots of the ancient tree trembled violently. The emerald green veins flickered wildly, the light becoming blinding. Soil from the cave ceiling fell in a rustling sound, and the surrounding air temperature plummeted.

"That thing..." For the first time, emotion appeared in the ancient tree's voice—not anger, not fear, but a deep sorrow that had transcended countless years, "It's back... After all this time... it's back..."

"You recognize it?" Leah couldn't help but ask.

"I know..." The ancient tree's voice became distant, as if recalling an extremely long past, "Three thousand years ago... when the first rift in the spirit world opened... the sky tore apart, the earth burned... countless fragments fell... many of my brothers and sisters... withered in that catastrophe..."

It paused.

"The Guardians... paid a heavy price... to seal most of the rifts... and clear away most of the fragments... but some... remain hidden in the deepest depths... awaiting their resurrection..."

Karen gripped the black bead tightly: "Then, do you know a way to completely destroy it?"

"Destroy..." The ancient tree repeated the word, as if savoring its meaning. "No... it cannot be destroyed... The essence of the remnants of the spirit world is a mixture of the rules of two worlds... Forcibly destroying it will trigger a collapse of the rules... The impact could reach the entire floating domain..."

Just like Shadow said.

"What should we do then?" Grom asked. "We can't just keep it sealed away and wait for it to break free one day, can we?"

"Purify," the ancient tree said. "Not destroy, but purify. Strip away the rules belonging to 'that side,' leaving only pure psionic energy and matter. But this requires immense energy and precise control... With your current abilities... you can't do it."

The emerald light swept over Karen again, this time settling on the spirit runes on his wrist and the Dawn in his arms.

"But you have potential... The Guardian bloodline combined with the contract of the Lightwing Lion King... This combination, even in my long memory, I have only seen three times... Each time, it changed the course of history..."

The ancient tree's voice turned serious.

"Listen, young guardians. I can help you, but at a price."

"What price?" Karen asked.

"I need you to do something for me," the ancient tree said. "The pollution of the Emerald Forest originates from this remnant of the spirit realm. But it didn't fall here on its own—someone deliberately dumped it deep into the mine. I need you to find that person, to find the force behind them. What are they planning... something... that will plunge the entire world into disaster once again?"

Karen recalled what the core had said—"The structure's instinct will choose the path with the higher probability of success." If the fall of the spirit world remnant was man-made, then that person must have mastered some method of controlling or utilizing it.

“We agree,” Karen said. “Even if you hadn’t asked, we would have investigated to the end. It concerns the people of Dawn, the Emerald Forest, and… the reason my loved ones have disappeared.”

The ancient tree remained silent for a long time.

Then, the emerald green veins on the surface of the roots began to change shape. From the outline of a "face," it transformed into the pattern of an outstretched "hand." That "hand," made of light, slowly reached out towards Karen, its fingertips gently touching the center of his forehead.

warmth.

It wasn't the warmth of body temperature, but the warmth of life itself. Like the first rays of spring sunshine on the melting snow, like the first gentle rain on parched soil. Emerald green energy flowed from the roots of the ancient tree, flowing into Karen's body through that hand of light.

Karen felt her dried-up spiritual veins begin to revive.

The subtle cracks were gently enveloped and repaired by emerald energy. The depleted psychic energy reserves began to recover slowly but steadily. The body's fatigue and pain also lessened—not with instant healing, but with a deep, cellular-level nourishment and repair.

At the same time, a large amount of information flooded into his mind.

It's not specific knowledge, but rather an extension of some kind of... perception.

He "saw" the root network beneath the Emerald Forest—intricate, crisscrossing, like a giant neural network covering the entire forest's underground. He "saw" the polluted node deep within the mineral vein, witnessing how black crystals spread along the spiritual vein. He "saw" the polluted and corrupted spirits in the forest, struggling in agony.

He also "saw" some blurry, fragmented pieces of memory—

A figure dressed in black robes threw a black stone into the depths of the mine.

An unmarked airship flew over the forest under the cover of night.

In a secret underground chamber, several similar black fragments floated in the center of a complex ritual array.

And… a map. The map marked six points, one of which was the Emerald Forest. The other five points were scattered across different floating domains, one of which Karen recognized—the Fiery Mine Domain where Ironforge was located.

The information flow has stopped.

Karen opened her eyes and found herself kneeling on the ground, her forehead still pressed against the ancient tree roots. The emerald green light had dimmed considerably, and the veins on the surface of the roots had become sparse.

"This is all I can give you..." The ancient tree's voice grew weak. "Most of our clan's strength... is used to maintain the forest's vitality and resist the spread of pollution... I hope what I have left can help you..."

"Thank you," Karen said sincerely. "We will keep our promise."

The ancient tree's hand of light slowly withdrew, merging back into its roots. Before disappearing completely, it did one last thing—

On the surface of the roots, a bright green leaf slowly grows out.

It wasn't a real leaf, but a semi-solid leaf formed from pure life energy. The leaf drifted down and landed in Karen's palm, its touch warm and smooth, like the finest jade.

"The Emerald Leaf Talisman..." the ancient tree said, "Carry it... in the forest, you can summon plant spirits to assist you... but it can only be used once... use it with caution..."

The leaf transformed into a vibrant green light in Karen's palm, merging into the back of his right hand to form a pale green leaf-shaped mark.

"Now... let's go..." The ancient tree's voice grew weaker and weaker, "The Silver Knight is almost here... I'll buy you some time... but not too long..."

The roots began to move.

Instead of moving as a whole, a thinner lateral root split off and pierced the rock wall on the side of the cave. The rock, under the force of the root, was parted like soil, revealing a narrow but upward-reaching passage. At the end of the passage, one could see the real sky—they were very close to the surface.

"Follow this path... and you'll reach the edge of the forest... away from the mining area..." the ancient tree said, "but from there... you'll have to rely on yourselves..."

Karen, Leah, and Grom thanked them again, then quickly entered the new passage.

Behind them, the roots of the ancient tree sealed the rock face once more. The emerald light flickered one last time before fading completely.

The entire cave returned to silence.

Only sunlight still streams in through the gap at the top.

Gently, the light shines on that root that has been dormant for three thousand years.