We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 453 [Ancient Tree of Spiritual Origin] [Filthy Passage]

next moment.

The black blade knocked Gru's spear away.

"Who?!"

Gru was startled and quickly took a few steps back, looking warily at the stranger who had suddenly appeared.

Yese opened his eyes and looked in surprise at the figure blocking his way.

It was a man dressed in black, with a tall and straight figure and an unusually handsome appearance.

The surrounding shadows seemed to grovel at his feet, signifying submission.

"Shane..."

Yese murmured, a hint of surprise and hope flashing in his eyes.

Xia En didn't turn around, but simply said calmly.

"Yesse, take Hughes back, leave this to me."

Yese nodded, quickly picked up Hughes, and stepped aside.

Gru's face immediately turned extremely gloomy.

He sensed an extreme threat from Shane, as if... the other party was an enemy he could not defeat!

Moreover, from this person's appearance, which was very different from that of the Ancient Spirits, Gru immediately determined Shane's identity.

"Humanity……"

"Yese, you have indeed betrayed the Ancient Spirit Clan! You actually have connections with those invaders!"

Shaen remained silent, but instead slashed at Gru with his sword.

The jet-black long blade drew a sharp arc, aiming straight for Gru's neck.

Gru was terrified and hurriedly retreated, but it was too late.

The sharp edge of the long blade was already close to his throat, and the shadow of death loomed over his heart.

At this critical moment.

Ye Sai suddenly cried out, "Lord Xia En, please spare his life!"

Xia En raised an eyebrow, but still stopped there.

The long blade stopped in front of Gru's neck, the cold edge pressed against his skin.

"roll."

Xia En said coldly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

Gru trembled all over, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

He glanced at Yese with a complicated expression, but said nothing. He then turned and quickly left with the other pursuers.

After Gru and the others disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Xia Encai sheathed his long blade and turned to look at Yese and Xiu Si.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible; their reinforcements will be here soon."

Xia En said in a deep voice.

Yese nodded, picked up Hughes, and followed behind Shane, quickly retreating to the other side of the forest.

The three of them traveled through the dense forest, with Shane relying on the vision provided by the [Peeping Eye].

They evaded several patrols of Ancient Elven warriors.

About half an hour later, they finally arrived at a relatively safe cave.

Meanwhile, Sha Jingjing, Fei Ya, and the others were already waiting inside the cave.

Let's rest here for a while.

Xia En said, and then set up several hidden secret techniques at the entrance of the cave to prevent it from being discovered.

Yese put Hughes down. The little boy was clearly exhausted and fell asleep quickly against the stone wall.

"Thank you, Shane."

"Yesse said in a low voice, his eyes full of gratitude."

"But...why did you come here?"

Shaen recounted the recent siege of Rhine City to Yese, and explained the purpose of their journey into the forest.

However, what Shane didn't explicitly say was...

The reason he was able to find Yese's location was because he left a trace of [Void Secret Power] on Yese when they parted ways.

That's how Yese was saved at the crucial moment.

After listening, Yese's expression became even more solemn.

"really……"

"The king has once again made a move against [Rhine City]."

"If this continues, the entire Ancient Spirit Clan will be dragged into war."

At this moment, Shane looked at Hughes beside him and asked softly.

"he is?"

Yese glanced at the sleeping Hughes, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

"Hughes is the king's youngest son and also a prince of the Ancient Spirits."

"He is the only bloodline of the King, and also the future hope of our [Ancient Spirit Clan]."

"I cannot let him fall into the hands of the Mind Flayers."

"My students and I escaped with Hughes, but the king considered us traitors and ordered us to be hunted down."

When Yese spoke of his students, his tone became somewhat somber.

To cover their tracks, they are most likely already in grave danger.

Xia En nodded and said, "So, you escaped with Hughes."

"You want to find an opportunity to overthrow the control of the [Mind Flayer] and save your king and people?"

"Yes."

Yese said seriously, "I suspect that the [Mind Flayer]'s control over the King has penetrated deep into his soul."

"The king will die as a result of breaking free from control."

"At that time, only Hughes will be able to command the other members of the race and prevent the Ancient Spirit Clan from descending into internal strife and spiraling out of control."

After hearing Yese's explanation, Xia En's expression became serious.

He realized that Hughes's existence was not only about the future of the Ancient Spirits, but also the key to breaking the control of the Mind Flayers.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke to Yese.

“Hughes’ safety is of paramount importance; we cannot allow him to continue taking risks here.”

“I can use the [Empty Beast Heart Seal] to teleport him to the [Elf Secret Realm].

“He will be safe there with Angie and An protecting him.”

Yesse hesitated slightly, but quickly nodded in agreement.

He knew that Hughes' safety was the top priority at the moment.

Compared to the current [Rhine Realm], the [Elf Realm] is undoubtedly the safest place.

He gently patted Hughes on the shoulder and said in a low voice.

"Hughes, you need to leave for a while and go to a safe place."

"We'll bring you back after we've solved the problem."

Hughes rubbed his eyes, and although he was a little confused, he still nodded obediently.

"Teacher, I will be good."

Without delay, Xia En immediately activated the [Empty Beast Heart Seal], and a faint light gate formed in front of him.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Hughes stepped inside and eventually disappeared from the spot.

"Hughes has safely arrived at the [Elven Realm]."

After confirming, Xia En turned to look at Yese.

"Next, we need to find the source of the [Heartbreaker]'s corruption and completely remove his control over the [Ancient Spirits]."

Yese nodded, his expression serious.

"According to my recent investigation, the King's unusual behavior is related to the [Spirit Source Forest]."

“That place is the sacred land of our Ancient Spirit Clan, and the source of our power.”

"Recently, the king has been frequently entering and leaving the [Spirit Source Forest], and has even ordered other clansmen to stay away from it."

"Moreover, the [Holy Stone] used to create the giant ape underwent some strange change after entering the [Spirit Source Forest]." "I suspect that the source of the [Heart-Stealing Apostle's] corruption is there."

"【Spirit Origin Forest】..."

Xia En repeated it in a low voice, his mind racing with thoughts.

In his mind, the true form of the [Heartbreaker] was outside the [Rhine Realm].

Therefore, if He wants to corrupt the [Rhine Realm], He must transmit His secret power through some kind of channel.

—Just like the passage between the [Rhine Realm] and the [Elf Realm].

But in other words...

As long as this passage is cut off, the Heartbreaker's plot will fail.

Now it seems that this hidden passage may be located in the [Spirit Source Forest] that Yese mentioned!
"It seems I have no choice but to go to the [Spirit Source Forest]."

Yese nodded in agreement: "Yes, but the [Spirit Source Forest] is a forbidden area of the [Ancient Spirit Clan], and it is heavily guarded."

"Moreover, the king's power will be greatly enhanced there, so it won't be easy for us to infiltrate."

Xia En smiled slightly and said confidently, "Infiltration and combat are my strengths."

"However, we need more intelligence."

How much do you know about the internal structure of the [Spirit Origin Forest]?

After a moment of contemplation, Yese replied, "The core of the [Spirit Origin Forest] is a giant ancient tree, known as the [Spirit Origin Ancient Tree]."

"It is the source of our [Ancient Spirit Clan's] power, and also the core of the entire Holy Land."

"If the [Heart-Stealing Apostle] really did set up the core of the pollution there, it must be near the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree]."

After discussing for a moment, the two decided to act after nightfall.

Under the cover of night, they can better avoid the guards and sneak into the [Spirit Source Forest].

Night falls.

The forest was shrouded in a light mist, and moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows.

Xia En and his group quietly made their way through the dense forest, heading towards the [Spirit Source Forest].

Along the way, Yese used his familiarity with the terrain to avoid several patrols.

Xia En used the vision of the [Peeping Eyes] to sense the potential threat in advance.

About an hour later, they finally arrived at the edge of the [Spirit Source Forest].

The sight before him startled Xia En slightly—a colossal ancient tree towered into the clouds, its trunk entwined with vines that emitted a faint glow.

A mysterious and ancient atmosphere permeated the air.

"That is the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree]."

Yese said in a low voice, his eyes filled with a complicated expression.

"It was once the pride of our Ancient Spirit Clan, but now it has been defiled by the Heart-Stealing Apostle."

Xia En's expression, however, was slightly strange.

"That ancient tree looks just like the [Elf Mother Tree] I've seen before..."

Feiya noticed this as well and said in a low voice.

"Indeed, this [Spirit Source Ancient Tree] and the [Elf Mother Tree] are extremely similar in appearance, and even the aura they emit is somewhat similar."

Xia En nodded, a vague guess forming in his mind.

Perhaps there is some connection between the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree] and the [Elf Mother Tree].

They might even be of the same origin.

However, now is not the time to delve into these matters.

Xia En composed himself and focused his gaze back on the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree].

"Yesse, can you sense the exact location of the source of the [Heartbreaker]'s contamination?"

Ye Se closed his eyes and carefully sensed for a while.

Then it pointed to the roots of the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree].

“There, I could feel an extremely evil force eroding the core of the ancient tree.”

Following the direction Ye Sai pointed, Xia En indeed found that the roots of the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree] were shrouded in a faint black mist.

The mist seemed to have a life of its own, slowly wriggling and constantly seeping into the interior of the ancient tree.

Deep within the fog, there appeared to be a pitch-black crack.

A continuous stream of [filthy secret power] is gushing out from it.

Xia En stared at the dark crack, his brows furrowed.

He could sense that the [Filthy Secret Power] surging from the crack was extremely concentrated, even several times stronger than what he had seen on the battlefield of [Rhine City].

Clearly, this is the core reason why the [Heart-Stealing Apostle] corrupted the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree].

"That crack... seems to be some kind of spatial passage."

Yese said in a deep, solemn voice.

Xia En nodded, his expression equally serious.

“That’s right, that should be the channel through which the [Heartbreaker Apostle] transmitted the [Filthy Secret Power] to the [Rhine Secret Realm].

"As long as we can shut it down, we can sever the [Mind Flayer]'s control over the [Ancient Spirits]."

"But the question is, how do I turn it off?"

Sha Jingjing frowned and asked.

"The area around that crack is filled with such a dense [filthy secret power] that we cannot get close at all."

After a moment of contemplation, Xia En said, "Perhaps we can draw upon the power of the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree] itself."

"Since the [Heartbreaker]'s corruption is achieved by eroding the ancient tree, then the ancient tree itself must also be resisting this erosion."

"If we can awaken the will of the ancient tree, perhaps we can use its power to close that crack."

A glint of light flashed in Yese's eyes: "That makes sense!"

"The Ancient Tree of Spirit Source is a sacred object of our Ancient Spirit Clan, and it possesses powerful self-repairing abilities."

"If we can buy it enough time, it may be able to purify the [Filthy Secret Power] on its own."

"But the question is, how do we awaken the ancient tree's will?"

Feiya asked, "We can't just run over there and shout at the ancient tree, can we?"

Xia En smiled slightly and turned his gaze to Yese: "This will depend on Yese."

"As a sage of the Ancient Spirit Clan, you should have a way to communicate with the Ancient Spirit Tree, right?"

Yese nodded, but his expression remained solemn.

“I can certainly try to communicate with the ancient tree, but that takes time.”

"Moreover, I cannot be disturbed in any way during the communication process."

"We will buy you time."

Xia En said firmly, "Sha Jingjing and Fei Ya, you are responsible for protecting Yese and ensuring that he is not disturbed when communicating with the ancient tree."

“Carles, you and I will deal with any potential enemies.”

Sha Jingjing and Fei Ya replied in unison, "Understood!"

Yesai took a deep breath and walked to the [Spirit Source Ancient Tree].

He gently placed his hands on the tree trunk, closed his eyes, and began to chant an ancient incantation in a low voice.

As he chanted, a faint green light gradually appeared on the trunk of the ancient tree.

As if responding to his call.

at the same time.

Xia En stood to the side, watching his surroundings warily.

He knew that the Heartbreakers would not stand idly by and watch them ruin their plans; they would definitely send their minions to stop them.

Sure enough, it didn't take long.

Whispering and murmuring sounds came from within the eerie black mist.

An eerie and ominous aura spread and expanded.