Chapter 144: The Sacred Ritual! Seeking Recommendation Votes
Soren hesitated.
As he faced the Goddess with a hint of pleading in his gaze, he could not help but feel a twinge of doubt in his heart. The “Dance of Treants” was, to some degree, drawing on his power to restore this forest, and such an act could potentially lead to his level dropping. Although treants are embodiments of nature’s spirit, they are beautiful and enchanting beings, arguably some of the most beautiful creatures of the Material Plane.
However!
In Soren’s view, there wasn’t much difference between treants and the succubi of the Bottomless Abyss, or the desires and demons of the Hell of Bartok, not to mention the evil spirits among the devils and witches. Their souls shared similar characteristics; treants also relied on their innate Enchantment Ability to survive, albeit as beings of the Material Plane, they generally leaned towards being good. However, they were not all good; most of the time, treants stood in a position of neutral alignment with nature.
Every year, humans who cut down trees die at the hands of treants, who have even killed many to prevent other races from destroying the forest.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point.
The main point was that Soren was uncertain if the divine power left behind by Father Oak – Sylvanas – would be awakened by the ritual. If the ritual successfully awakened it, that would be ideal; it was the result everyone hoped to see. But if the ritual did not awaken Sylvanas’s divine powers, then once this sacred ritual began, even Soren would find it hard to forcibly stop it. This meant that if Sylvanas’s divine power were not awakened, Soren would need to expend his own strength to restore the forest.
If it were an ordinary person.
They would probably be drained to the bone; Soren wouldn’t reach that extreme, but it was almost guaranteed that he would lose five levels or more!
It was important to note that the area of the Misty Forest was simply too vast.
Even if everything was in place, if the divine power left by Father Oak was insufficient, it wouldn’t work; Soren might still end up losing levels.
Such a reduction in strength would be permanent. Unlike the energy absorption technique, which could be repaired with divine technique.
………………
The Goddess was, of course, aware of Soren’s concerns.
On this day when the Saint’s Cataclysm had already arrived, no deity was willing to take such risks. Yet there was indeed something very important in Sylvanas’s temple, something that could even be said to be related to her life or death. If Soren was unwilling to help her, she would have to pay a price to force Ildis, who was beside her, to participate.
If possible, Soren still wished to refuse.
But now he really couldn’t refuse; things had reached this point. If he gave up, what would he come to the Goddess for? He had to take some risk regardless.
“I agree!”
Just when the Midnight Lady thought Soren would refuse, he suddenly agreed, leaving the Goddess before him with a shocked expression of disbelief and joy.
She leaned slightly towards Soren, her voice trembling as she said, “Thank you very much!”
Ildis was still a bit unclear about the situation at hand.
But he knew that Soren seemed to have struck an understanding with the Midnight Lady, and then it seemed Soren had agreed to something very important, which made the immensely powerful Midnight Lady very grateful.
This discovery made Ildis a bit frustrated.
Because he thought if he could gain the Midnight Lady’s gratitude, he could certainly receive more help from her.
However.
It seemed that this matter was not a very good thing; it was well-known that most rituals consumed power. Ildis had the intention of volunteering to stand in for Soren, but considering what the treant had said and the risk of possibly losing power, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say a word, feeling a hint of disappointment inside.
“You agreed?”
The expression of the high treant Kalyena was also somewhat excited, a faint blush appearing on her beautiful face. She seemed to have guessed a little about Soren’s identity, and she deeply bowed, saying, “Thank you very much for your help!…”
“From today onwards, the treants of the Misty Forest will be your companions. If you need any assistance, you can come to us anytime!”
“Although we can’t leave the forest too far, we still have some reliable allies!…”
At this point, Kalyena turned her gaze to the distant forest. Although many trees in this forest had died, there were still many towering trees growing further away.
“Then shall we start now?”
The expression of the Goddess seemed a bit impatient. She raised her hand to set up a magical barrier and then said, “Do you need me to help prepare anything?”
Kalyena’s beautiful face reddened slightly as she shook her head, saying, “No need.”
“You can wait outside; the ritual may take a long time. If successful, I will open the gate to the temple for you by noon the following day.”
Hearing this, the Goddess nodded silently and then said to the slightly dazed Ildis, “Let’s go outside first.”
“Oh.” Ildis nodded, looking disappointed.
………………
At this moment, the sky was already afternoon.
After the Midnight Lady and Ildis left, Kalyena immediately opened a defensive barrier. The sacred ritual could not be disturbed by the outside world. She began to chant a strange treant language, and soon the surrounding flora began to grow wildly. The distant forest suddenly stirred, and then the ground trembled slightly as towering ancient trees sprang up, blocking the surrounding space with their heavy footsteps.
They acted as the outermost barrier to prevent others from approaching.
——“Words of Nature.”
A greenish light appeared before Soren as slender, soft vines materialized at an astonishing speed, entwining together to form a special altar that was not very large but had a diameter of over fifteen meters. With abundant vitality surrounding it, the nearby flora grew at an incredible speed, transforming the area into a springtime bloom.
“My lord.”
Kalyena blushed slightly as she took Soren’s hand, guiding him to the center of the altar. At this moment, her address of Soren had transformed into “my lord,” as if she had vaguely guessed something. Upon arriving at the altar, the beautiful high treant said slowly, “Awakening the divine power left by the Father Oak is not easy; the Misty Forest is still too vast. If we want to completely resolve this, it may take quite a long time. I hope you can hold on for as long as possible!…”
Holding on for a longer time.
Soren’s expression was somewhat strange as he silently nodded, saying, “I should still be able to endure it. But, will this ritual be done just by the two of us?”
“Can you hold on?”
Hearing this, Kalyena’s beautiful face turned a shade red. She took a few steps back and gently shook her head, “Of course I can’t do it alone. While pure power is important for this sacred ritual, we still need others’ assistance to purify this forest.”
“Sisters.”
“There are no outsiders now. You can come out.”
No sooner had Kalyena’s words fallen than vibrant spiritual lights appeared around the trees. One by one, enchanting women dressed in colorful long skirts emerged from the nearby trees, all casting curious looks at Soren. This was the deepest part of the Misty Forest, a place even adventurers found difficult to reach. It could be said that many of the treants had seen humans for the first time, as many humans had never seen treants in their lives but had heard tales of them in taverns.
“Let’s begin.”
Kalyena coughed lightly, her expression slightly unnatural but still maintaining composure as she said, “This ritual is very important. You all know what to do, right?”
The initially playful beautiful treants all quieted down instantly.
One by one, they gathered around the altar, and at the center sat Soren cross-legged. He scanned the group and confirmed there were thirty-six treants present, including Kalyena. All of them were powerful high treants, with innate charisma exceeding twenty points. Their lifespans were tied to the age of the trees they inhabited, and examining the trees nearby, many had grown for hundreds of years.
Odd chanting echoed.
The thirty-six beautiful treants surrounded the altar in a circle, beginning to chant an ancient song in a prayer-like manner. As the beautiful melodies rang out, flowers blossomed on the nearby grass, transforming the scene into a sea of blossoms. The beautiful treants stood up, with Kalyena leading the dance as they gracefully circled around Soren, their lithe waists moving and twirling, adorned in beautiful skirts woven entirely from plants, making it seem like thirty-six flowers bloomed around him.
The sweet sound of birdsong filled the air.
Small birds with colorful feathers fluttered about, chirping melodious tunes, as if providing accompaniment for all of this.
The sound of clear flowing water arrived.
Near the clear river, graceful water spirits emerged from the waters, their hair flowing like aquatic plants, holding colorful shells. Some floated in the water, while others lazily reclined on the rocks by the river, gently playing beautiful melodies.
These were the water spirits, embodiments of the rivers and lakes’ spirit.
Flowers bloomed all around.
Alongside the treants’ dance, tiny, beautiful figures began to appear, seemingly semi-transparent and possessing a pair of delicate wings. These adorable ethereal girls flitted through the air, dancing amidst the flower-filled sea, while beautiful flower spirits dressed in exquisitely crafted long skirts emerged, weaving garments of tender leaves and petals, joining the dance around the altar with the stunning treants.
Everything was so beautiful.
To the harmonious melodies, Kalyena’s face flushed as she approached Soren, appearing somewhat shy under his curious gaze. Ultimately, with trembling fingers, she removed her light purple long skirt, revealing a form that almost perfectly represented the beauty of nature’s spirit.
“How embarrassing~~!…”
The flower spirits dancing around the altar seemed to be tipsy, wobbling about. These lovely petite beings blushed deeply, each covering their big eyes with their small palms while carefully peeking through a tiny gap, their sparkling eyes wide with curiosity as they gazed at all that was happening at the altar, filled with anticipation for what was about to unfold.
Meanwhile.
Near the river, the lazy water spirits let out joyful, teasing laughter, causing the previously fresh melody to suddenly shift to a more sultry, lascivious tone.
Next would be the focus of the entire ritual.
Whether they could completely purify the evil powers of this forest depended on whether Soren could hold out until the end of the ritual. (To be continued ~^~)
