Instead, it possessed a psychedelic beauty.
The luminous plants were a myriad of colors, a vibrant rainbow.
As Li Wei walked through the cavern, he felt as if he had stepped into a dream world, something entirely unlike reality.
While walking through the cave, he would occasionally sense a faint, yet powerful, aura.
In addition to the entrance, many powerful Guardians were hidden within the cave itself.
On more than one occasion, Li Wei felt the aura of a Legendary Level being.
They walked for a long time. Despite the cavern’s vibrant colors, it began to feel stuffy and oppressive.
Finally, a white light appeared in the distance.
It was the exit.
As the two of them quickened their pace, the light grew larger and larger.
It eventually resolved into a cave exit more than five meters high.
There were no guards outside the exit.
Li Wei was a little surprised.
But on second thought, if even the powerful Guardians inside the cave couldn’t stop an enemy, then placing defenses outside would be pointless.
It made more sense to concentrate their Power on defending the Elf Imperial Court.
The cave was located halfway up a mountain. Standing at its edge, Li Wei and Laya could see the Elf Imperial Court in the distance.
Li Wei’s eyes widened in amazement as he stared at the Elf Imperial Court.
"What a huge tree!"
"Is this the World Tree?"
The Elf Imperial Court was situated on the roots of a colossal tree.
This tree was immense. Its canopy blotted out the sky, stretching for hundreds of miles.
Its roots were unbelievably thick, like mountain ranges.
Countless buildings rested upon these roots.
There were treehouses grown from living wood, stone houses built from rock, and even ornate structures identical to those in the Human World.
The Elf King’s palace was situated above all the other buildings.
It was a colossal, spire-topped castle woven from jade-green and gold.
And yet, all of this was only on the part of the tree’s roots that were exposed above ground.
Laya stared at the giant tree for a long time before shaking her head. "This isn’t the World Tree."
Li Wei looked astonished. "A tree this big isn’t the World Tree?"
Laya said, "I’ve heard that this tree grew from a single branch of the World Tree, but it’s not the true World Tree."
"The real World Tree is even bigger than this. Legend has it that a single one of its leaves is an entire world."
Li Wei’s gaze sharpened slightly.
’How much of that legend can be believed?’
’If the World Tree is really that terrifying, then wouldn’t the Elf God who commands it be the most powerful of all Divine Spirits?’
’Then how could He have disappeared?’
Li Wei looked at the giant tree again.
Now he knew that while it wasn’t the World Tree, it had once been a part of it.
’A single branch could grow this large?’
Li Wei couldn’t imagine how enormous the true World Tree must be.
"Let’s go. The Elf Imperial Court is just ahead."
Li Wei said, and started walking down the mountain.
They passed through the cave and arrived in the forest outside the Elf Imperial Court.
On the way to the Elf Imperial Court, Li Wei didn’t see a single Magic Beast.
"An orchard?"
Li Wei glanced at a dense grove of fruit trees by the side of the road.
The grove was filled with trees laden with green fruit.
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE!
Several figures emerged from the orchard, all of them looking surprised to see Li Wei.
"A human?"
"Why is a human here?"
They were surprised, but not alarmed.
This was the Elf Imperial Court, after all. Even a human wouldn’t dare harm any of the Elf Race here.
They simply stood by and watched curiously.
Laya went forward and asked how much longer it would take to reach the Elf Imperial Court.
The Elf Race People who had appeared from the orchard patiently answered her question.
At the same time, they asked curiously, "Why are you with a human?"
Along the way, Laya had lost count of how many times she’d been asked that question.
Laya gave a brief explanation and continued on.
The Elves of the Imperial Court were, after all, quite worldly.
When they heard Li Wei was going to see the Elf King, their expressions changed slightly, but they weren’t overly surprised.
As they continued on, they encountered more and more Elf Race People.
The area gradually became more lively.
"We’re finally here."
Li Wei and Laya stood beneath the walls of the Elf Imperial Court, looking up at the towering ramparts with a sigh of emotion.
The Elves passing by would, for the most part, spare a glance for Li Wei.
They were curious about the human who had appeared here, but it was no longer a rare sight.
Few humans came to the Elf Imperial Court, but they were not entirely absent.
Having seen them before, they were naturally not as curious anymore.
When they reached the city gate, others were passing freely in and out, but Li Wei and Laya were stopped outside.
An Elf Guard in golden Armor, holding a long spear, blocked Li Wei and Laya’s path.
"Halt. Humans are not permitted to enter the Elf Imperial Court without the Elf King’s permission."
Laya froze for a moment. She hadn’t known about this rule.
But she had no proof that the Elf King had given his permission.
Previously, she had always used the Lord’s Token to prove their identity.
’The Lord’s Token won’t work here.’
After some thought, Laya could only take out the Lord’s Token and hand it to the guard for inspection.
"He has already received the Elf King’s permission. This is the Lord’s Token from our Green Tree Territory; it can prove his identity."
The guard glanced at the Lord’s Token in her hand.
"My apologies. Please present the Elf King’s permission."
The guard didn’t give the Lord’s Token a second look.
Even if the Lord’s Token was genuine, without the Elf King’s permit, he could not let them in.
Laya felt a little awkward. She took back the Lord’s Token and looked back at Li Wei.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to do.
’We’ve come all the way to the gates of the Elf Imperial Court. It would be ridiculous if we couldn’t get in.’
’Brute force is definitely not an option.’
Li Wei thought for a moment, then called out to Saint Xi in his mind, ’Give me the token.’
HUMMM!
A swirling Magic Vortex appeared beside Li Wei.
He reached his right hand into the Magic Vortex and pulled a stone token from the Magic Cottage.
’If the Elf King agreed to see me because of the Beast King, then he’ll definitely be paying attention to this token.’
The instant Li Wei pulled his hand back, the moment the stone token appeared in the open air...
...the Elf King, far away in the Imperial Palace, felt something unusual.
He raised his head slightly, his gaze piercing into the distance.
His line of sight seemed to pass through the walls to see Li Wei.
The Elf King lowered his head slightly and said to the personal guard beside him, "Go to the city gate and welcome a distinguished guest."
"As you command."
After taking out the stone token, Li Wei simply waited.
After waiting for a moment, he glanced at the object in his hand, wondering if the Elf King could even sense its presence.
’In any case, I can’t sense anything special about this stone.’
’But, if Saint Xi can sense the stone token, the Elf King should be able to as well. After all, he holds a token too.’
CLOP CLOP CLOP!
The urgent sound of hooves echoed from within the Elf Imperial Court.
A luxurious carriage appeared at the city gate.
Upon seeing it, all the surrounding Elves stopped and bowed.
It was the carriage the Elf King used when he traveled.
The guards at the gate also looked shocked. They hastily put away their weapons, turned, and bowed.
The personal guard, on horseback, followed the carriage.
Upon reaching the city gate, the galloping steed came to an instant halt, and he smoothly dismounted.
He looked outside the gate and saw a human.
The personal guard strode forward and placed his right hand over his chest in a formal salute.
"Honored guest, the Elf King invites you to the Imperial Palace."
Hearing this, the expressions of the guards changed beneath their masks.
They were partly shocked, and partly terrified.
Receiving the Elf King’s permission to enter the Elf Imperial Court was one thing, but being invited to the Imperial Palace to meet the Elf King was something else entirely.
They were suddenly filled with anxiety, terrified that they had offended the Elf King’s honored guest.
Li Wei and Laya boarded the carriage and headed for the Imperial Palace where the Elf King resided.
After the carriage departed, the guards straightened up and exchanged glances, seeing the relief in each other’s eyes.
From beginning to end, Li Wei never mentioned the two of them.
’We should be fine.’
Still, they couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of unease.
The carriage took Li Wei directly to the Imperial Palace.
The Elf King had dismissed his subordinates and was waiting alone in the palace for Li Wei’s arrival.
Arriving at the palace entrance, Li Wei glanced at Laya and said, "You wait here. I’m going in."
’What happens next isn’t suitable for Laya to know.’
Laya felt a pang of regret at not being able to meet the Elf King.
She nodded and said, "Okay."
Li Wei walked into the palace, and the guards closed the heavy doors from the outside.
THUD!
Li Wei didn’t look back; he walked straight ahead.
The wooden floor was covered with the aged grain of the tree.
He looked up and saw the blond-haired, green-eyed Elf King sitting on the throne.
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