Chapter 757 - Path of Radiance

Now that they were submerged in death aura, their consciousness had already started dissipating and they were no longer able to control that formidable power, causing it to release all at once.

In the sky, fierce clouds converged over several kilometers, and when all the power below had spurted out, the three vortexes instantly transformed into a shockwave sweeping the sky. They simply couldn't see how far that shockwave spread.

The terrifying aura of death spread around the three Heaven Rank powerhouses' bodies. The thick aura of death transformed into a black, ashen cloud that surrounded the place.

Everything within a kilometer was reduced to ashes. The vegetation, the buildings, and even stones... Everything was shattered in a split second, as if they were dying together.

Then, all the clouds started collapsing towards the center before disappearing, along with the corpses of the three Heaven Rank powerhouses.

In the sky, a faint ray of light scattered into a rain of light that slowly dispersed. Everywhere it touched, vegetation drilled out of the ground and instantly turned into high trees reaching the sky.

Several kilometers of deathly stillness quickly regained its vitality due to that rain of light, and a dozen Ancient War Trees' saplings quickly grew after being doused. From being less than a meter tall, they quickly reached as far as a hundred meters up.

As for the Dark Elves riddled with scars, their injuries slowly recovered after bathing in that light. Even some with damaged limbs or other serious injuries quickly recovered.

The only traces of what had happened were where the three Heaven Rank powerhouses had been. That place was still filled with death aura and no vitality.

"No…"

The 2nd Elder knelt on the ground in despair.

In the Dark Elven Clan, regardless of what they were doing, all Dark Elves knelt and let out mournful howls, even those on their deathbeds. Those who had just recovered from their injuries didn't feel happy, they were all wailing from grief.

"Great Elder… Aaahh!"

"Oh, how could it be like that, impossible! This must be fake…"

On the other side, the Flame Dragon Warlord's eyes turned red as he slowly knelt on one knee and made a fist before fiercely thumping it against his chest. "Tribal Chief, I shall vow on the honor of the Ash Beastmen. As long as I'm alive, I definitely won't let the Ash Beastmen decline."

In the distance, the Ash Beastmen got off their mounts and took off their helmets before kneeling on one knee with a sorrowful aura.

After some time, the Flame Dragon Warlord stood up and let out a loud roar: "The blood of Ash Beastmen shall never stop burning!"

The Ash Beastman army all stood up and they each made a fist with their right hand before ruthlessly hammering their own chest and shouting towards the domed sky, "The blood of Ash Beastmen shall never stop burning!" 

As for the Firerock Dwarves, they had the least amount of people there, but a few of Harris' trusted aides were present and weeping miserably.

"Clan Head, rest assured, I'll experiment with all the materials you never got to use!"

"Clan Head, I swear on my family name that I will definitely make the skill of the Firerock Dwarves resound throughout Noscent."

...

The entire place was filled with sorrow, and even the wails of the Wyverns and the Hippogryphs kept echoing throughout the Dark Elven Clan.

Lin Yun stood there in a daze and looked at the place where the three Heaven Rank powerhouses fell, before slowly bowing.

"Worthy of admiration."

They obviously managed to de-escalate the situation, but they also still thought of their races' inheritance and future, so they used their power to force themselves to stay.

After death, they also brought out their most powerful burst of energy to complete their last task as leaders.

They turned their flesh and power into a rain of light that gave the races the opportunity to recover, allowing the wounded to return to normal.

They were worthy of respect, worthy of their clansmen's love, support, and admiration.

The sorrow and sadness continued, but the 2nd Elder and the Flame Dragon Warlord forcibly roused their spirits and went to pay respects to Lin Yun.

"Master."

"Master."

Lin Yun sighed and waved his arm. "Appease your clansmen for now, we can talk about the rest later."

After the 2nd Elder and the Flame Dragon Warlord left, they immediately announced the final wishes of their respective leaders and didn't leave out anything.

Soon, the Flame Dragon Warlord and the 2nd Elder led their clansmen to pay respects.

"Paying respects to Master…"

"Paying respects to Master…"

As the tsunami of shouts echoed, Lin Yun waved his hand again.

After losing a leader, nothing felt more stable than having a leader that could lead them further.

The 2nd Elder and the Flame Dragon Warlord arranged their own clansmen, so Lin Yun didn't have to trouble over these matters.

The next day, the 2nd Elder came for a formal visit.

"Master, what is your next instruction?"

"Can you open that path now?"

"As you wish, Master. Please follow me."

The 2nd Elder led Lin Yun to the center of the Dark Elven Clan to its foundation, the Tree of Life!

The tall Tree of Life projected its radiance all around. That was mana that had been processed by the Tree of Life, pure mana that all Dark Elves could directly absorb.

Lin Yun looked at the Tree of Life in silence.

The entrance of that passage was in the Tree of Life, and in order to open the passage, they needed the power of the Tree of Life. This was why the passage would no longer be able to open once the Dark Elven Clan was destroyed.

The 2nd Elder stood in front of the Tree of Life and chanted a cryptic incantation. After a short moment, an entrance appeared on the Tree of Life, over two meters in height and over a meter wide, and endless radiance burst from within.

Lin Yun didn't hesitate and started walking towards the light until he disappeared.

When he stepped into the light, all he could see was a world of light. His surroundings seemed boundlessly empty, only a vast expanse of white.

That light wasn't dazzling. He could easily see very far within this world, but he simply couldn't see any edge. Under his feet was a radiant path emitting multicolored light, extending far into the distance.

Lin Yun's expression didn't change. He held the Book of Mantras in his left hand and the Ten Thousand Spell Wheel in his right hand while looking at this radiant path without blinking.

There was no sound as he walked along that path. The entire world seemed to be deathly silent, and after some time, he could see neither the start of the path behind him nor an end to the path in front.

There was only endless light in this place, no sound, no landmarks. As he kept walking, even time seemed to have lost its meaning.

Anyone would feel that time had been greatly slowed. The further he walked, the slower time seemed to pass, as if the world had already abandoned him.

This would inevitably give rise to a feeling of restlessness, and that feeling would seep deeper and deeper, just like a poison slowly infecting someone's mind until they became crazy. In the end, that craziness could end up as a kind of fear etched into one's soul.

It was as silent as eternal death, with no change in the environment. This was something most lifeforms were terrified of. Any clear-headed person wouldn't be able to remain in that place, and even one day would feel like years.

But Lin Yun's eyes were just as calm as before, like a pond of standing water. His eyes were firmly watching the radiant path, completely ignoring his surroundings.

Lin Yun understood that the test had already begun since he first stepped onto this path.

Why was no one able to get Constance's skull even though it had been placed at the top of the Wisdom Tree for so long?

It wasn't that no one was interested, but rather that they couldn't see Constance's skull at all.

Wisdom God Constance was known as the source of all wisdom. To be more exact, Constance's skull was the origin of all wisdom, and there was also a sentence that had been spread since time immemorial.

The origin of all wisdom is also the limit of all wisdom.

The origin was also the limit. Here, Lin Yun would display perfect performance, because he knew that in this path, what people could see and feel was only a show, they would never be able to walk to Constance's skull.

Lin Yun remembered that in human kingdoms, there was a punishment most feared by the people, the small black room.

There, they wouldn't be beaten up or anything like that... They would only be locked in a small black room that was devoid of all sound and light. Anyone who was conscious wouldn't be able to remain inside for long. Even an army veteran might already go crazy after three days.

And now, this entire world was a boundless version of that small black room. Whether it was mana or perception, even in his direct line of sight, everything looked exactly the same and never showed any sign of change.

Lin Yun clearly knew that he would fail if he showed the slightest hint of uneasiness, and then, he would never be able to leave that place.

Thus, Lin Yun firmly watched the path of radiance and focused all his attention there.

Time slowly passed. Lin Yun seemed to have forgotten about time, and there was only one thought in his mind that kept him going.

'Keep walking, be steady, you might see Constance's skull at any moment.'