Novel Full Chapter 1731: Deific Grove of Concordia (1)
Chapter 1731: Deific Grove of Concordia (1)
Rex inhaled the fresh air deeply.
Always fixated on fighting and killing—he often forgot that the Werewolf bloodline in him also bound him deeply to nature. His heightened senses had long served him in battle, helping him fight, protect, and kill.
However, in moments like this, they also made the pulse of nature around him all the more glaring.
Being exposed to nature is also a medicine to help him regenerate.
Rex looked skyward and found that, for some reason, it was sunny in this particular area.
Like the sun was shining when it certainly was not, shrouded by the Black Rift.
“Speaking of the Black Rift,” Rex turned away from the grove and was surprised to see that the Black Rift’s influence couldn’t reach this area. In fact, the dark smoke stopped about a quarter of a mile away from the grove’s entrance. “I don’t see or sense any Obelisk of Life nearby, so what’s stopping it?”
It looked unnatural for the dark smoke to stop that far away like this.
Seeing such a scene, an Obelisk of Life instantly came to mind, but there was nothing like that here.
No barrier to stop it from approaching.
Almost like the dark smoke voluntarily stayed away, giving a breathing distance for the grove.
“Maybe it’s the grove,” Rex turned back to the grove.
From the looks of it, the grove was circular, and it’s also not that big, only comparable to a small town.
And along the border, Rex noticed a few figures standing in alert, powerful guards who bear the evident crest of the House of Castillon. It reinforced his thought that this place was a special place that Princess Davina wanted him to see.
From their auras alone, he could easily tell they were at least Master Eternal Spirits, or perhaps even above that, Divine Spirits like Princess Davina was. Each soldier was clad in armor of black and deep green, an emerald sash draped across their chest and waist, with a matching cape that almost reached the ground.
Just their appearance alone tells Rex that they were elite forces under Duke Lorcan.
An important area… Perhaps even sacred. Is it really okay to bring me, an outsider and a usurper, here?
One of the elite soldiers approached and saluted.
“Princess, everything is stable,” He reported with a firm tone. “You and your fiancée can proceed.”
“Thank you,” Princess Davina nodded.
She then took a pouch from the elite soldier and turned to Rex.
“Come,” She gestured for him to follow her.
Both of them entered the grove, walking side by side with slow, deliberate steps.
Upon entering the canopy of the grove, the place turned dim, and the sound from the outside was gone, muffled, like they were entering a different space. Rex’s eyes blinked—when a notification appeared in his vision.
[Notice: the user has entered the Deific Grove of Concordia]
It’s similar to a lair…?
Rex looked left and right, finding the trees looked the same, but for some reason, each felt different.
Like people, these trees have different auras but certainly stemmed from one origin.
Not to mention, upon scanning these trees, Rex’s brows dipped into a frown.
…
<Malcolm & Ririn tree>
Status: Fearful.
Race: Concordia Tree Spirit
Power: Eternal Spirit — Unity of Hearts
Soul Artifact: –
Echo: –
Spiritual Points: 4,111,500 (+2,500,000)
Strength: –
Agility: –
Endurance: 7,810,000 (+5,000,000)
…
Malcolm and Ririn Tree? Is that really the tree’s name?
Rex was confused as to what kind of stat panel he was looking at, as the tree’s name was odd, like two names merged into one. Its race is aligned with where it grew, but its stats were nonexistent other than for its spiritual points and endurance.
Clearly, this tree isn’t a regular spirit.
It’s not akin to the mutated trees in the Mortal Realm that could attack and defend.
Just a normal tree that festered within the Deific Grove of Concordia.
Beside him, Princess Davina looked at the trees around them and frowned.
Even to the naked eye, each tree blazed lightly with its own distinct aura—casting hues of shifting light along its path. And the larger trees should have small spirits within their blooms, wisps that emerged whenever they sensed a presence nearby.
All of the wisps are sentients, and the sole purpose of their lives is to greet anyone who enters.
However, for some reason, the wisps weren’t coming on.
“Relax, Rex…” Princess Davina muttered, knowing the possible cause, which made the wisps act like this. “Nothing here is dangerous. Nothing here can threaten you, so relax, no need to be vigilant. Lower your aura, you’re scaring the trees.”
“Me…? I was suppressing my aura all this time.” Rex answered truthfully.
He knew that Princess Davina would not lure him into a trap, so he didn’t need to stay vigilant.
Of course, she could hide her killing intent and not trigger the killing intent quest from the System, but he doubted it. Hiding one’s killing intent is plausible to those who have trained self-control, but it was a lot harder to do if the target was nearby every single moment.
Rex doubts that Princess Davina harbored ill intent with how close they were.
No motives, too, as he hadn’t done anything wrong to her.
Princess Davina turned to look at Rex; mild surprise could be seen etched on her face.
’In that case, is it his nature that scares the wisps? He’s a Werewolf and an emperor,’ She sighed lightly, knowing that a combo of those two things wouldn’t produce anything pretty. ’Of course, he’s not a good person. Anyone who could become an emperor will always be at least a little bit dirty.’
Being in the circle of power from the moment she arrived in this world, she knew how things were.
Forget the Spirit Emperor; the nobles of the empire had touched the darkness once.
No matter how upright they were, reaching this level of status simply required them to be ruthless.
Only those who are willing to do anything can achieve the impossible.
And Rex, as an emperor, would certainly be darker than normal; Princess Davina understood that.
’As long as he knew the limit, it’s fine,’ Princess Davina thought, recalling the time earlier, before their departure, when the captain came to her to inform her what Rex and Amanir were doing. And that made it clear that Rex has a limit.
For him to be that ruthless to himself meant there were things he valued more than himself.
And a man like that certainly has a line that he wouldn’t cross.
“What are we doing here, exactly?” Rex asked curiously, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“What are you thinking?”
“You’re taking me for a nature walk? I reckoned you’re doing this because I’m a Werewolf.”
“No… That’s not what we’re here for.”
Princess Davina shook her head as it seemed Rex had zero expectations for why she was bringing him here to this grove. Of course, in hindsight, there was nothing in particular that made this place special, but there will be soon enough.
“I thought I’d do you a favor by bringing you here,” Princess Davina gestured with her hand—as if she was showcasing the entire grove. “This place is called the Deific Grove of Concordia—and is a special place within the Duchy of Castillon. I wouldn’t bore you with history, but the reason I bring you here is because there’s a place that you most certainly would like.”
“A place that I’d like? How are you so certain?”
“You’re a Werewolf, right? I’ll show you the moons in this realm clearly.”
“Moons…?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Rex was dubious about what she said.
For them to gaze directly at the clear, true sky without the shroud from the Black Rift, they would have to pierce the sky themselves. Flying with the help of Esmeravon would be the most logical path—even then, reaching the stretch of sky untouched by the veil was a challenge in its own right.
Back when Rex was going through the Altar of Gods trial, he saw the clear, true sky for the first time.
And between the ground and the sky, there are layers upon layers to go through.
Frankly speaking, he doubted Esmeravon could fly that high, as each layer was dense with energy that gradually grew the higher one reached. Sure, the sky became clearer even a layer above the ground, but to see the moons in full clarity? It’s unlikely.
So, for Princess Davina to say that she’s going to let him is doubtful.
Especially on foot.
At least there should be a very tall mountain nearby, but Rex couldn’t see one anywhere.
Even so, he’s not an expert about this realm.
Princess Davina must have a way for her to do exactly that.
“But first, let’s plant this seed,” Princess Davina lifted the pouch as she said that.
From the top alone, Rex could see a faint shimmer of energy emanating from within. At first, he assumed the pouch held some kind of magical powder. But if it was truly a tree seed, then it had to be enormous—the pouch was filled to the brim.
Rex and Princess Davina traced deeper into the grove until they found a good, empty spot.
It was a good distance away from all the trees around them.
“Can you please dig a hole to fit the seed?” Princess Davina asked, gesturing towards the ground.
Rex didn’t question it as he elongated his fingernails into claws, and went down on one knee.
He wanted to thrust hard, but Princess Davina caught his wrist.
“Do it gently, please.”
“Hmm, alright.”
Even though Rex didn’t know what they were doing or what this grove was all about—he reckoned this was some sort of ritual for something. It was methodical, and the elite soldier from earlier told Princess Davina that everything was stable.
It was surely a ritual, but Rex didn’t know for what.
As requested, he dug a hole that was quite big to accommodate the enormous tree with his claws.
Once he finished, Princess Davina also knelt beside him, unconcerned that her beautiful dress was now stained with dirt at the knees. Then, she drew the seed from the pouch, which was expected; it was big, and its surface was translucent, gleaming with the radiance of pure colorless light.
“Now, we’ll both infuse the seed with our life energy to brand our traits into it.”
“And what for exactly?”
“It’s only a custom to mark that we’ve been here.”
“I guess I have no qualms with that.”
Swish…
Rex and Princess Davina pointed their hands toward the seed and channeled their life energies into it.
It was a reddish hue for Rex, and a deep green hue for Princess Davina.
Surprisingly enough, upon receiving the two different life energies, the seed’s translucent surface began to flicker. Both life energies inside it merged to its core—red and emerald merging into one, and soon, the color of grayish brown emerged.
Rex heard the Spirit Emperor is fond of nature, as he has the Reap and Sow Echo.
He didn’t mind doing this; in fact, he was thankful for the experience, as it would certainly help him when he finally met with the Spirit Emperor. And with a nod from Princess Davina, he pulled back the dirt to bury the seed again before standing up.
Even when it was entirely covered, the glow from the seed could still be seen.
It shimmered underground and created a glowing circle on the surface.
Rex could see the energy within the seed was climbing higher, and soon, the ground cracked open.
A glowing gray sapling burst out and settled.
Just like the other trees in the grove, this sapling was emanating a distinct aura and scent that was unique to itself. It was almost as if it were an extension of Rex and Princess Davina. And when Rex scanned it, he noted that what he initially thought was true.
…
<Rex & Davina Tree>
Status: Neutral
Race: Concordia Tree Spirit
Power: Ascendant Spirit — Unity of Hearts and Reign
…
Huh… Rex & Davina Tree? Is this really a normal custom?