On the outskirts of the Forest of Despair, nobles from all factions awaited Aldrian's return. A red dot on the map indicated Aldrian was near and moving at a fast pace toward them. Emperor Ladwin and the imperial teacher felt glee at his success, as did the liberal faction. However, the conservative faction members had rigid and pale faces. For them, it was over when Aldrian crossed the border of the Forest of Despair.
The Oath of the Heavenly Tree of the World was absolute, and breaking it would have severe consequences. They regretted not giving him another test or agreeing to the oath, but now, there was nothing they could do. They had not anticipated that a human would have the means to complete this test.
They stood on the outskirts when they finally saw a young man walking toward them with a calm expression. Many elves applauded when Aldrian emerged from the forest, having accomplished what was thought to be an impossible task. As he stepped outside the border, everyone in the conservative faction who had sworn the oath felt the restriction in their souls. There was no visible change, but karmic bonds were now strictly placed in their souls.
Aldrian saw many familiar faces and smiled, walking first to Emperor Ladwin.
"Welcome back! You are truly amazing! No, that's still not enough to describe you—you are truly a singularity," Emperor Ladwin said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm just lucky to have passed this test; it truly taught me a lot," Aldrian replied.
"You don't have to be humble. Your feat will undoubtedly be recorded in our imperial archive. There's no way you could have relied solely on luck in there," Imperial Teacher Elthar said.
"Well, what can I say? It's an honor to be acknowledged by the imperial family. Maybe now the elves will acknowledge me too, esteemed nobles?" Aldrian looked at the nobles, especially those from the conservative faction.
"Of course, we acknowledge you. You are truly the chosen one."
"As expected, our imperial teacher was not wrong in his judgment."
"The rise of a legend is before our eyes."
Many nobles from the liberal faction praised Aldrian for his achievement, soothing their tense and nervous hearts, affirming that their choice was the right one. The conservative faction remained silent, their expressions calmer than earlier. Aldrian had thought they would display ugly faces or at least lash out, but they were surprisingly composed.
"The Oath of the Heavenly Tree of the World took effect when you stepped out of the Forest of Despair, so they will be careful not to harbor ill intent toward you anymore," the imperial teacher sent a voice transmission to him. Aldrian nodded in understanding.
"Well, that's good. I don't want their nagging or the trouble they might bring," he thought. He then looked at the woman watching him with a proud and relieved expression. It was Eleine, who had faithfully awaited his return, always watching his progress on the map. He smiled and walked toward her.
"Elder sis, I'm back."
"Thank heavens, you're back safely," Eleine said, suddenly hugging Aldrian with tears in her eyes. Her action astonished him, as he had never seen her like this. He sensed her chaotic emotions—worries and the imagination of the worst possible outcome. He smiled and hugged her back, comforting her. Despite his shorter height, their hug was not awkward.
Eleine's emotions had fluctuated greatly over the past month. She had constantly worried, imagining he was walking toward his death. She had blamed herself and the elves. She had accepted the request from her mistress to guard Aldrian, but he had always been on his own to resolve the problems that came his way. She felt sad, weak, and unworthy to be his guardian.
"I'm back," Aldrian said softly.
"Hmm." Perhaps realizing what she had done, she instantly backed away, wiping the tears from her eyes, and looked at him shyly.
"You did it. Congrats on your success," she said with a smile.
Aldrian wanted to talk more when he saw another golden-green imperial carriage approach and stop not far from them. Emperor Ladwin noticed the carriage, grinned, and stood beside Aldrian. Once the carriage stopped and the doors opened, a white leg draped in a beautiful green dress stepped out, revealing a stunning elf. Her tall, slender body and sharp facial features were a feast for those who saw her, enhanced by her elegant dress that highlighted her curves, including her ample bosom. Her smooth, back-length golden hair sparkled under the sunlight.
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Sylphia Evergreen
Age : 150 years
Race : Elf
Cultivation : Middle Viscount
Cultivation technique : The blessing of the heavenly tree
Attack Techniques : Wooden dragon, Rain of acid, Earth spike, Silent arrow, Homing arrow.
Defense techniques : Earth wall, Roots wall
Movement technique : Wind path
Supporting technique : Blessing of the forest
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Aldrian looked at the new face, seeing Emperor Ladwin beam with happiness as he approached her and took her hands.
"Where is he, Father? I want to see him myself," she said excitedly.
"He is here. Let me introduce you. This young man is Aldrian Aster." Emperor Ladwin smiled and brought her closer to Aldrian.
"Aldrian, let me introduce you to my daughter, Sylphia." Aldrian looked at Sylphia's beautiful and excited face and bowed his head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."
"Aldrian, you are truly amazing! How did you do that? What did you do in that place? We're talking about the Forest of Despair!" Her enthusiasm stunned him. Her beautiful face moved closer to his, and he had to admit that her beauty was only surpassed by the unknown spirit in his vision.
"Please pardon her, Aldrian. She is always like this. When she heard of your bet with the nobles, she was shocked and thought you were walking to your death. But when she heard of your success, she came here immediately to meet you. She loves adventure and its stories." Emperor Ladwin sent a voice transmission to Aldrian. He nodded in understanding and then said to Sylphia,
"I can tell you the stories, Your Highness, but it will be long."
"I can listen to it all." She smiled.
"Before that," he looked at Emperor Ladwin, "Your Majesty, when I arrived at the core section, I stumbled upon the secret of Emperor Thonias. To make a long story short, I received his inheritance." Aldrian said. Emperor Ladwin and all the nobles were shocked, and the imperial teacher grabbed Aldrian's arm.
"What? Are you sure?" he asked solemnly. Aldrian nodded and took out the Earth-Shattering Bow. The bow's divine-level aura spread out, sweeping over the elves, making them shudder in shock.
"Is that the Earth-Shattering Bow?!"
"No way."
"What a powerful aura."
Their astonishment was justified because the divine weapon used by Emperor Thonias was lost with him in the Forest of Despair. After creating this forest and secluding himself there until his final breath, the elves never succeeded in bringing back the emperor's body and his divine weapon. Everyone was chased away without exception, as the number of spirits and beasts was so immense that if they decided to form a beast tide or attack outside, the northern part of the Ivory Empire would be devastated.
Additionally, there was an entity powerful enough to hold all high-level cultivators at bay, and it did not tolerate anyone seeking their own death. Over time, this forest came to be called the Forest of Despair because every being who entered it would face the despair of confronting numerous united opponents firm in their beliefs. Aldrian also felt that the forest was more like an autonomous kingdom within the Ivory Empire, with its own hierarchy.
"Can I touched it?" imperial teacher with trembling voice said to Aldrian. He silent for a moment before he try to give the bow to Elthar, but before the bow touch him, the bow release his aura fiercer and tremble showing it's reluctance to be touched by someone else. Aldrian who can sense it's reluctance show bitter smile,
"I'm sorry your excellency, it looks like it doesn't like to be touched by others."
Elthar who saw the bow trembling only sigh,
"The bow really consider you as the true master. Another unprecedented event from you." The other nobles shocked again. There are too many time they shocked today by this human. The divine weapon of elves consider human as it's master? What the hell?
"Not only the bow, Emperor Thonias' inheritance also includes his wealth, and I will return it to the Ivory Empire." Aldrian said, handing the storage ring he had obtained from the underground place to the imperial teacher. When the teacher looked inside the storage ring with his senses, he was shocked once again. He even thought his heart couldn't hold on any longer and that he might become the first cultivator to die from a heart attack.
The ring contained mountains of peak-level energy stones, including some peak-level energy stone cores, and many artifacts ranging from peak sky grade to middle heaven grade. It was enough wealth to sustain the Ivory Empire for five years.
Aldrian, who saw all their shocked expressions, smiled. This was part of his plan to show them what he had obtained from the Forest of Despair. Initially, he felt he needed to hide his divine bow and privately give Emperor Thonias' wealth to the imperial teacher or Emperor Ladwin. However, after further consideration, he decided to present everything in public, including the divine bow used by their past emperor.
This would demonstrate that he had gained acknowledgment from their past emperor, even from his divine weapon, and would deepen his influence among the nobles. By successfully passing the test and bringing back what the elves had long desired, he would gain absolute credibility and win their hearts more effectively. After all, it was better to earn their genuine acknowledgment rather than just an oath.
Aldrian felt satisfied and did not feel bad about giving them the wealth, as what he gave them was only a quarter of what he had in the underground place. Now that his mission was complete, he sighed in relief. Amidst their astonishment, he could feel the princess's sparkling eyes looking at him with adoration. He could only smile and sigh when he looked at those eyes.
"Ah right, Your Highness, like I said, it will be a long story."