Chapter 54: The Celestial Source Divine Tree
Suddenly, a dull rumble of thunder echoed across the sky.
Urken and the others lifted their heads. In their gaze, he had already traversed this path once before, knowing where this fissure led. Even if it were his first time here, the red-haired elf would not hesitate for a single moment.
Because, behind him, lay the lives of tens of thousands of elves—the weight of a race, a nation, and even an entire civilization.
And he bore all of this upon his shoulders. Though heavy, it would never crush him.
Light appeared before his eyes.
After a long—or perhaps not so long—walk, a faint glimmer of light emerged in the darkness ahead. A ripple stirred within Urken's heart. He knew he was about to arrive. The underground air remained fresh, untainted by staleness. He took deep breaths, then reached the end of the fissure. The red-haired elf strode out swiftly, stepping onto an open platform.
A sudden, breathtaking vista unfolded before him.
Gazing at the scene ahead, Urken couldn't help but squint, shielding his eyes from the tears that threatened to spill over. For the sight before him, so long absent, still stirred his soul with overwhelming emotion, even on this second encounter.
A colossal and majestic tree, as if supporting heaven and earth, stood before the red-haired elf.
In the center of an immense, boundless underground cavern—so vast its edges were lost to sight—stood a gigantic stone tree. It propped up this subterranean world, its entire form encircled by a verdant green radiance. This stone tree seemed to breathe, constantly driving a refreshing breeze outward in all directions. Even standing at the edge of the underground cavern, Urken could feel a familiar, nostalgic, and intimately dear aura.
Though the final elven dynasty had exhausted every means to destroy all books and legacies, seeking to bury the elves' past along with themselves in the tomb of death, there were always some legends and myths in this world that could never be forgotten. Just as the heritage of fire and steel had endured for millennia, so too did this great tree reside in the memories of all elves.
A tree that nurtured everything, representing the origin of the elves, igniting the flame of their civilization.
The Celestial Source Divine Tree.