That whole sealed space kept trembling non-stop. Darian could clearly feel it — there was a huge amount of energy gathered inside the World Tree. That was what the Risen were using to force it to grow new sprouts, and then send them out into the universe.

Everything pointed to that world still needing many more days before it closed. So, the Risen had only created a few sprouts, using just a small part of that energy. Then they released them into that world so the Summoners and Spiritual Guardians could hunt them. That way, it'd be a fair contest to see who could get more.

The World Tree managed to purify itself. Darian's white power acted like a catalyst, allowing it to generate pure, supreme wood power. With the gathered energy added in, everything worked easily.

He already suspected this was possible after hearing Camille tell some stories about the original World Tree — the one that gave the seed to her Empire.

In just a few seconds... all the miasma in the area started to clear away.

The people on the flying ship saw the light returning to the place. Their eyes trembled as they felt the supreme wood power in the air. A wave of endless vitality refreshed everyone's minds. That place, once eerie... was now filled with a peaceful atmosphere that made people feel free from their worries.

Then... a thin green layer started spreading across the ground. Right in front of their eyes, little trees began to sprout and grow. Looking around, it was like shiny rainbows were wandering everywhere. It truly felt like a fantasy world.

Everyone felt an unmatched sense of peace. At that moment, everyone's gaze was drawn toward the radiant source of light. It was a tree piercing through the sky. None of them had ever seen a tree so massive.

But at the same time, they noticed that the tips of its branches were starting to wither. The World Tree was enormous, but it also gave off the feeling that its life force was about to run out.

Ripples spread from the branches of the huge tree. A rain of light fell, and a slender figure appeared within it.

A green mist swirled around it, and it wore a cloak made of leaves. It wasn't a man, nor a woman — just a neutral gender, which was pretty common among nature races. Still, it had a shocking beauty. White hair, slightly green skin, and emerald-like eyes — just like the sprouts.

As soon as it showed up, the figure knelt down, hands crossed over its chest.

"Thank you so much... You protected my children and even helped me..."

Niara smiled. Darian let out a breath and said:

"Another World Tree helped my family in my universe, so I had a duty to help. Also... I couldn't let those Risen keep using you."

The figure stood up and looked straight at the little Dragon and the Dragoness.

"We came to end this. We don't have much time to waste," Darian added quickly.

The figure took a deep breath. Then it looked into his eyes and said, "The Risen poured a huge amount of soul power into my body. That made my sprouts stronger... but since they came from refined lives, they turned out confused and a little unstable. They're useless to me, and it's basically poison in my body. I can give you a bit of compensation by fusing that energy into you. It won't take more than a day. What do you think?"

Darian's eyes widened. Fusing soul energy directly? That would be amazing for everyone. Just one day... not bad at all.

He nodded, and the figure gave a gentle smile.

Suddenly, music began to fill the air. It was like a natural lullaby — the soft, relaxing sound of rainwater.

Everyone on the flying ship took a deep breath. They felt like their hearts were being cleansed, like their souls were waking up. It was the kind of feeling that made people let go of every worry.

In a single instant, they were completely relaxed. It felt like they were kids again, playing happily under their mother's watchful eyes. No teasing, no fighting, no competition. It was like they were basking in sunlight, playing like carefree children.

Slowly... everyone sat down, closed their eyes, and fell asleep. Even the Spiritual Guardians, who didn't need sleep, were now in a deep slumber.

The tree had put everyone to sleep — not only because it was easier and gentler to nourish their souls that way, but also because it could draw out their purest power and benefit each one of them to the fullest.

Niara's eyelids trembled. She tried to resist, but Darian, using his rings, moved what was sent toward her. She got twice as much and couldn't take it — she completely blacked out.

Darian, still wrapped around her, used his power to gently lay her down. But when he tried to unwrap himself and move away, he felt her reacting, trying to hold onto him instinctively. With a sigh, he gave up on moving away.

Now, everyone was like sleeping babies.

"My power also helped calm their sorrows, letting their souls sublimate. They're in a special state, similar to that of a fetus. It's something all the strongest beings in the world dream of reaching at least once in their lives," the figure explained calmly, looking at Darian.

He nodded. He'd read about this in that book. That meditative state was a way to boost the soul's ability to absorb things more easily. Some called it the Realm of Consciousness.

The Realm of Consciousness was like a channel, and a person's knowledge and skills were the water. The channel had to be built just right for the water to flow through it.

Everyone was born with a certain level of this realm. But if your realm of consciousness wasn't solid enough, then no matter how hard you tried, it'd be pretty hard to go far in anything.

These people just couldn't put their full energy into learning and growing stronger, all because their consciousness realms were way below average. The opposite was true too — and that was the difference between a genius and an average person.

Of course, that didn't mean effort and dedication couldn't make up for it. It was just like having chains constantly pulling you down. But if someone was resilient enough, their realm would rise over time.

Right now, everyone was in a deep meditative state, and their realms were about to be raised to a new level. That would make them all grow much stronger at a terrifying pace. Not to mention, their souls would get a lot more powerful as a bonus.

"You're a missionary of Heaven's Will, right? Your consciousness realm has already been pushed to its limit. As for your soul... I can feel it's already really powerful. I'm sorry I can't do anything for you."

Darian nodded. His soul grew stronger every time he used his runes on a soul. And Meru had explained that she'd raised his consciousness realm back when he first awakened. So, it made more sense to give his share to Niara and the others.

"Doesn't matter. That's not why I'm here. Let's take this time to talk things through," he said calmly, looking at the figure.

The man bowed. "My name is Athven. I don't know what your goals are, but I'll do everything I can — even if it costs my life. I don't want my children to be used again."

Darian nodded, then started asking questions.

First, he wanted to know how the current World of Life was structured. He needed to destroy this place completely, but it was massive. It was impossible to cross the whole thing in just a few days.

Athven explained. Basically, the Risen Lord had sacrificed himself to create a Corruption Seal. That was a huge problem.

"The level of that seal is really high and cleverly made... even if someone attacks it, all the corrupted trees and all the Risen in this world can be used by the seal automatically to defend and recover — they're its power source. So… I feel like, with your current level, destroying it head-on is impossible," Athven finished.

Darian scoffed. "Then it's simpler than I thought. Just kill all the Risen and corrupted beings here, right?"

"Yes, technically, if there's no power source left for the seal, it can be broken — and the whole place will collapse," Athven quickly replied.

Darian took a deep breath. "There are millions of corrupted trees..."

"That's something I can help with. If you get me out of this place, my real body can sink into the ground and connect with all the trees and dormant lifeforms. On your command, I can purify all of them at once."

Darian listened and thought for a moment. He didn't have time to go hunting Risen all over this huge place, but... he remembered something.

He muttered, "There are still remnants of the battle around here..."

Athven nodded. "Yes. This is the start of the central region of this world. Deeper in is the epicenter of the ancient battle. That fight was insanely intense — the sky and earth were shattered. Spatial rifts and violent energy still linger in that area to this day."

"Countless eight- and nine-ring Spiritual Guardians, along with Risen Lords, died back then. The Divine Dragon Academy fought to the bitter end hoping for a miracle. That's why the fallen used the academy's primordial weapons in the battle. Those treasures can't be destroyed, so they were left behind along with a lot of other things. But the chaotic power from that battle still lingers there. Since this world only allows lower-level people in, even getting close to that area carelessly carries a huge risk of total annihilation."

Darian listened, surprised, and then quickly asked about those primordial weapons — it was the first time he'd heard of them. Even the ancient knowledge of the Academy's old leader didn't mention them.

Athven explained. Before the Divine Dragon and the Enfield vanished from the world, they had left special weapons behind in the major academies, forged from their own bodies. These weapons could let a Spiritual Guardian defeat a Risen Lord with ease.

Darian understood: since all the powerful academies had been taken over, those weapons must've all been captured and sealed by the Celestial Shadow in the present day. Howlyn probably only became a Risen Lord after they were already taken, so she didn't know anything about them.

And as for why the academy had nothing — a lot of knowledge had been lost over time. That stuff never even existed in the mediocre Celestia Academy, so nothing old had clear records about it.

"Perfect... So, besides your sprouts being hunted, all the traitors are coming to this world to search for treasures in the heart of everything," Darian muttered, his eyes lighting up.

That made things easier for him. All the strongest ones were probably gathered in a more confined area. He could throw oil on the fire, make those powerhouses call for reinforcements in desperation — maybe even bring in their allied Risen to help. That way, everyone could be gathered and wiped out at once.

And also… he couldn't just walk away and miss a chance to grow stronger.

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