Due to the abundance of spiritual energy, the lake, which originally housed only a small number of surviving fish and shrimp, had now bred a school of fish, numbering over a hundred.
"I wonder if it'll eventually raise some kind of water monster or something."
Suddenly, a soul fluctuation came from the Ghost Thorn Tree.
Thorne glanced at the system panel:
Creature: Mutated Ghost Thorn Tree
Level: Mortal Tier Level 3
Host: Thorne
Skills: Ghost Thorn, Bloodthirst, Soul Devour
The Ghost Thorn Tree had leveled up alongside him. It seemed the souls of Kuruth and Grandi had brought it considerable benefits.
"Master, I'm hungry."
The Ghost Thorn Tree's childish voice appeared in Thorne's perception.
The fact that the Ghost Thorn Tree could now communicate directly with him was naturally something Thorne had hoped for.
Being alone every day without even someone to talk to—if this continued, Thorne might go mad before becoming a god.
To pass the time, Thorne teased the Ghost Thorn Tree, helping it practice speaking, like a father with a son who had just learned to talk.
…
At the eastern edge of the continent grew a lush, primeval forest, resembling a green ocean.
This was the Elven Forest, where the elves lived, one of the three forbidden lands of this continent.
It was called a forbidden land not just because the elves were powerful and xenophobic, but because the various magic beasts tamed by the elves within were terrifying enough on their own.
Moreover, it was said that the entire Elven Forest was covered in illusion arrays. Except for the elven royals, any creature entering would get lost and eventually die in various accidents.
At the deepest part of the forest stood a towering ancient tree, its branches and leaves blotting out the sky.
This was the elves' Nature God Tree, their object of faith. Every elven royal considered it the greatest honor to be buried beneath it.
The trees surrounding the Nature God Tree were also much taller than ordinary trees, each adorned with exquisitely designed houses.
This was the residence of the elven royals, a place few outsiders had reached in thousands of years.
Today, however, an uninvited guest arrived.
The visitor wore a red robe, starkly out of place amidst the vibrant green surroundings.
The staff in his hand emitted a gentle glow, and many elves bathed in it nearby showed comfortable smiles.
"Hmph, Bishop Kate, put away that nauseating light, or the Nature God will get angry."
Elven King Peters, hovering in front of the Nature God Tree, gave Kate a cold glance. A green light flashed in his eyes, and all the elves felt a jolt in their souls, instantly sobering up.
"Hehe, esteemed King Peters, I believe the great Nature God wouldn't be angered. I merely thought it was a bit dark here and wanted to provide some light for everyone."
Elven King Peters didn't pursue the matter further, asking indifferently,
"I've heard what you said. As for the outcome, we must wait for the Nature God's decree. You may leave now."
"The thousand-year deadline is approaching. Over these thousand years, through the joint efforts of the Holy Light Temple and the elves, light has shone across the land, and darkness has been steadily retreating. I hope that when the thousand-year deadline arrives, this land will be filled with light forever."
Elven King Peters nodded noncommittally.
Kate, clearly expecting this response, gave a respectful bow and leisurely departed under the guidance of an elf nearby.
Shortly after Kate left, a yellow light shot into the Elven Forest, diving straight into the Nature God Tree.
Peters was startled and stepped forward to investigate but suddenly stopped.
The other elves didn't know what was happening and stood quietly, waiting.
After a few breaths, the Elven King turned around and addressed the gathered elves,
"The great Nature God has decreed that the Karl Continent will no longer be peaceful. From this day forward, the Elven Forest is fully sealed—no creature, including our own kind, may enter or leave."
"Notify all beings affiliated with our tribe that any unusual activity on the eastern land must be reported immediately, especially if there's any spread of faith other than that of the Holy Light Temple and the great Nature God."
"The Earth Elf successor, Gruda, has died, but he must return to the embrace of the Nature God. Elysiss, go retrieve Gruda's body and, on behalf of the Nature God, ensure the killer returns to nature as well."
"Yes, my king."
A faint voice responded, though the speaker's location remained unseen.
After all the elves dispersed, Elven King Peters approached the Nature God Tree and knelt.
"My god, first a necromancer intruded into the Elven Forest, and now the Holy Light Temple makes such demands. Is the brief peace gained from nearly a thousand years of compromise about to be shattered again?"
The leaves of the Nature God Tree rustled, but no answer came for Peters.
"May my god protect your loyal followers and let the elves preserve this last sanctuary."
Peters performed a deep bow to the Nature God Tree, his deep gaze turning toward the distance, his brows tightly furrowed.
At almost the same moment, Kate, having exited the Elven Forest, glanced back.
"Soon, light will expel darkness, and the Elven Forest will be no exception."
With that, he tapped his staff, a six-pointed star array forming beneath his feet, and he vanished without a trace.
…
Back at the desert where Thorne resided, in the month since his arrival, aside from the bottom-tier food chain beasts and a few scattered magic beasts, Thorne had yet to encounter any sizable race, let alone a human tribe.
This frustrated Thorne. Without connecting with intelligent races, relying solely on himself, who knew when his next upgrade would come?
As the lake's area gradually expanded, Thorne's field of vision grew larger, yet he still couldn't see the desert's end.
Thorne felt a bit of despair.
One morning, bored out of his mind, Thorne was teasing the Ghost Thorn Tree. By now, its intelligence was comparable to that of an eleven- or twelve-year-old human child.
Thorne had even given it a name— Nether Thorn—because its soul-devouring ability reminded him of the underworld king from Earth's myths.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves entered Thorne's perception, like a thousand galloping horses charging toward him.
"Could it be a human army?"
That would be good news.
When the target entered Thorne's vision, it nearly made his jaw drop—if he had one.
It wasn't an army at all, but a swarm of giant scorpions. Each scorpion was half the size of a horse, and their running resembled a stampede of ten thousand horses.
The leading scorpions were especially large, tinged with purple, their tail hooks glinting with a dark sheen.
Before long, the scorpion army reached the lake's edge. The lead scorpion general turned back, and all the scorpions stopped in perfect unison.
The scorpion general pointed its front claw at a few scorpion soldiers behind it, signaling them to go drink.
After the few scorpion soldiers drank the lake water without issue and returned to the ranks, the scorpion general directed all the scorpion soldiers to drink in orderly teams.