Chapter 45: Eastern Secrets!
January 17, 2016
Author: Floating Tower
(The author has caught a cold. The side story will be updated the day after tomorrow.)
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Crossing a desolate Gobi region.
Before me, the land evidently displayed a hint of greenery; the soil here began to grow fertile, and along the way, some figures of Druids appeared.
They are high-level Druids pursuing the ‘Path of Nature.’
Since Father Oak chose to sacrifice himself to save the natural environment with his strong divine power during a devastating disaster in nature, some Druids who were about to enter the Legendary Domain come to the Eastern Kingdom every year. The Eastern Kingdom is deeply influenced by the ‘Path of Nature,’ so often you will encounter adventurers pursuing the ancient state of ‘Unity of Heaven and Man.’ Among these legendary professions, some are ordinary individuals inspired by the divine power bequeathed by Father Oak.
They seek balance between nature and humanity.
Many who harbor lofty ideals try to save lands ravaged and destroyed by the d*ath Desert, gradually restoring the tattered natural environment of the Eastern Kingdom.
The clash of civilizations forms new extensions.
On the other side of the continent, the Druid Order does not get along with many organizations, believing they are endlessly plundering natural resources, disrupting the environment and balance of nature. However, in the Eastern Kingdom, where the natural environment has long been severely damaged, the relationship between Druids and Monks is quite harmonious. The ‘Path of Nature’ pursued by Druids shares great similarities with the ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ sought by Monks; both belong to professions that prioritize spiritual pursuits over materialistic ones.
Crossing the Gobi leads to a sprawling Oak Grove.
Every tree here is artificially planted, cultivated with spells, and acts as a defense line against the chaotic energy of the d*ath Desert eroding the outside world.
A long, long time ago.
After the great devastation era of the Arcane Empire, the Druids who emerged from the severely scarred material plane began to travel the world, leaving their footprints everywhere. They tried their best to repair and eliminate the damage caused by the fall of the Arcane Empire to the material plane. At that time, it had been over a hundred years since the destruction of the Kingdom of Arc, a dark period for all races on the material plane, as the sky there had been gray for decades.
It wasn’t until the divine power of Father Oak began to ascend toward the sky that the dust, which had long shrouded the heavens, finally dissipated.
This part is recorded in the Druids’ scriptures; Father Oak exhausted all his powers and sought help from the four elemental deities and the Lord of Radiance. Finally, after a long time, he brought light back to the entire sky. (Note: “Natural Scriptures,” Volume 6.)
Back in those days.
The first legendary Druid to journey to the Eastern Kingdom crossed the d*ath Desert, at that time, the Gobi region was not yet formed, and what Soren traversed was still a wildly violent d*ath Desert. After the devastation brought by the Arcane Empire, this legendary Druid established relationships with the remaining humans and civilizations in the Eastern Kingdom for the first time, and he subsequently settled there. The relatively harmonious relationship between Monks and Druids began at this time.
This legendary Druid aspired to restore the natural environment of the Eastern Kingdom.
He held a very high reputation in the Eastern Kingdom. Even many Monks followed him in practice, and the nearby monasteries called ‘White Cloud Sect’ and ‘Nature Sect’ were passed down from those Monks.
What they pursued was the ultimate realm of ‘Ethereal Body,’ simply put, a capability similar to ‘Unity of Heaven and Man.’
It was during that time.
The Druids from the other side of the continent planted an oak tree in this land for the first time, when the land was completely unsuitable for planting. The oak tree planted by the Druid had to be sustained by his own magical power. This marked the beginning of this Oak Grove, and thereafter, Druids and other professionists began to gradually come to the Eastern Kingdom. Wizards also explored the Eastern Kingdom, but upon discovering that the chaotic energy greatly affected their spellcasting ability, and in some places they could not even cast spells, Wizards began to rarely set foot in this land.
Thus, some traditions began to emerge in the Eastern Kingdom.
For instance, in the Oak Grove before us, every high-level Druid arriving in the Eastern Kingdom will plant an oak tree here. They will travel through this land for a long time. Seeking a point of balance between nature and humanity from the Monks and others, and thereby following the footprints of those Druid ancestors, hoping to comprehend their thoughts and enter the realm of legendary Druids.
Since then.
The number of oak trees here has grown steadily. Eventually, it transformed into the present Oak Grove, becoming a barrier for the Eastern Kingdom, blocking the wind and sand and chaotic energy from the d*ath Desert, allowing the land ahead to gradually be transformed into a habitat suitable for humans. Therefore, this Oak Grove is considered a sacred place for Druids in the Eastern Kingdom.
As for why many Druids enjoy traveling to the Eastern Kingdom.
There are some little secrets revealed by certain adventurers. After all, ascending to legendary status as a Druid can happen anywhere; there is no need to dash to the Eastern Kingdom. Many Druids on the other side of the continent have advanced to legend without ever visiting the Eastern Kingdom.
The reason is the legendary Druids who ascend in the Eastern Kingdom.
They may reach a critical point and mentally connect with an ‘Supreme’ existence and will, and then be rewarded with an insight into the truest secrets of nature, thereby comprehending the immensely powerful domain of 【Nature】!
That’s right!
It is the 【Nature】 domain.
A field endowment entirely regarded as a divine-level buff for Druids; a legendary Druid who has just comprehended the 【Nature】 domain can easily defeat a high-level legendary Druid whose profession level is more than five levels above his.
Soren is very suspicious that this will is the 【Father Oak】.
Because who else but the 【Father Oak】 could bestow such powerful abilities of the 【Nature】 domain upon Druids?
He is the very embodiment of nature.
Soren’s conjecture is that Father Oak, after exhausting all his divine power, did not completely d*e but rather merged with the entire natural world in another form of existence.
To put it more simply, it means that Father Oak has achieved 【Unity of Flesh and Dao】.
He gave up the self-awareness of a deity, transforming into the pan-conscious existence of the natural world!
Additionally.
This ‘Supreme’ will that this Druid speaks of can also be sensed by some factions of Monks in the Eastern Kingdom.
Upon achieving a state similar to ‘Unity of Heaven and Man,’ Monks in the Eastern Kingdom can engage in simple contact with this supreme consciousness; part of the Monks can thus evolve the ‘Ethereal Body’ into an immensely powerful ‘Glazed Body’.
……………(To Be Continued ~^~)
