The words of Yin Shang, the chieftain of the dwarves, surprised Yan Xia.
The dwarves were known for their straightforwardness, never beating around the bush.
What he said was bound to be the truth, and since he said it,
it meant that the elves' secret had already been leaked.
Yin Shang was right. A month ago,
the elven world suddenly experienced a heatwave, becoming as hot as a steamer.
However, even the Elven Queen paid it no mind, attributing it to normal seasonal changes and natural phenomena.
Who knew the temperature would keep rising, soaring straight up?
The water in rivers, lakes, and seas had already evaporated into steam.
The elven world was enveloped in high-temperature steam, and vast expanses of forests and grasslands could not withstand the heat.
The flowers, grass, and trees turned yellow and withered, even losing their moisture and catching fire.
Wildfires spread in an instant, with thick smoke billowing.
The Elven Queen led the elves out of the valley to fight the fires everywhere.
However, less than two days after leaving the valley, they had extinguished very few fires.
All the elves felt weak, and some even fainted.
The Elven Queen's power was also affected.
She immediately realized that something was wrong with the Tree of Life.
She rushed back to the Valley of Life and found that the Tree of Life had begun to wither and turn yellow.
All the elves were terrified.
The legends were not precise, but not only the Elven Queen,
but all the elves in this world originated from the Tree of Life.
Ordinary elves were nurtured by the Tree of Life after it absorbed the five elements,
releasing them into the Valley of Life, thus having only one attribute.
The Elven Queen, on the other hand, was formed from the fruit of the Tree of Life after it absorbed the five elements.
Therefore, she possessed all five elements and could command the power of all elements.
Whether it was the Elven Queen or ordinary elves,
the source of their power came from the Tree of Life.
Now that the Tree of Life had a problem and was facing withering, the entire elven race felt weak.
If the Tree of Life died, the elves would face extinction.
The Elven Queen made a decisive move, leaving Yan Xia to lead the elven guard to protect the Valley of Life.
All other elves gathered beneath the Tree of Life.
They used their own energy to nourish the Tree of Life.
Hoping to save the Tree of Life, they also sealed the news, not wanting other races to know,
to avoid complications and opportunistic attacks.
The Elven Queen knew that some warlike races had long been restless and eager to move.
They had only refrained from openly provoking war due to her presence.
If they learned about the Tree of Life, they would surely seize the opportunity to cause trouble.
Yan Xia knew the news had leaked after hearing Yin Shang's words.
Ting Xiao Gu was right; she was just bluffing.
Now her magic power was less than half, and she was unable to cast any spells.
The elves were not skilled in close combat, and both the beastmen and dwarves were known for their strong physiques.
The two also brought a large number of their kin. She alone could not stop them.
Yan Xia pondered for a moment, said no more, and turned to run.
"Trying to escape? No way.
My lads, chase them! Charge straight into the Valley of Life.
Normally, when we forge weapons, we are careful even when cutting down a few trees,
fearing trouble from the Elven Queen. Today, we'll cut down the Tree of Life first, and see what she can do!"
Yin Shang, only three feet tall but with muscles bulging all over his body,
waved the short axe in his hand. Behind him, three hundred dwarf clansmen,
who looked as ugly as him,
immediately set off with their short legs, chasing into the Valley of Life.
Ting Xiao Gu remained with three hundred beastmen at the valley entrance, not moving.
He crossed his arms, a strange smile on his face.
He silently thought, "Fool."
The elves were favored by heaven, not only beautiful but also very intelligent.
The dwarves were strong in limbs but simple-minded, and they were bound to suffer.
As expected, the moment Yin Shang led the dwarves into the Valley of Life,
green light flared up, and countless vines appeared out of nowhere.
They bound the dwarves tightly, hanging them upside down in the air.
The short axes in their hands clattered to the ground. They were instantly annihilated.
"Ting Xiao Gu, why aren't you charging over?
Hurry up and cut these vines to save us!"
Yin Shang, hanging in mid-air and struggling,
looked at Ting Xiao Gu standing leisurely at the valley entrance.
He waved his small arms and shouted in exasperation.
"You can stay right there! The elves respect life.
They never kill. You won't die.
Go over? Do you think I'm as foolish as you are?
Who in this world doesn't know that elves can communicate better with nature?
Every blade of grass and tree in the Valley of Life will protect the elves.
Going over? I'll pass.
Neither our races can use magic, we only rely on our strong bodies.
If we go over, we'll be hung up like you.
The person who brought us here, didn't they say?
As long as we cause trouble at the valley entrance, we can lure the elves out.
We don't need to worry about anything else. Our beast race will get plenty of blood food,
and your dwarf race will get the ores you want.
Why did you chase after them? Idiot!"
Ting Xiao Gu sneered, his words full of mockery.
He was secretly wondering if that person had entered the Valley of Life yet.
In the deepest part of the Valley of Life, beneath a tree over ten zhang tall,
thousands of elves sat on the ground, forming a circle.
Lights of different colors shot from their hands,
concentrating on a beautiful woman beneath the tree.
The woman appeared to be around thirty years old.
She wore a colorful dress and a flower crown.
Unlike other elves, her ears were not pointed like theirs, but delicate and exquisite like humans, shaped like ingots.
Paired with her peerless beauty, she was simply stunning.
She was the Elven Queen of this world, and the large tree in front of her
was the legendary Tree of Life, which should have been full of vitality and vigor.
Now its leaves were yellow and lifeless.
Its life force was rapidly draining, on the verge of death.
The Elven Queen's brows were tightly furrowed, her face etched with worry.
She continuously made complex hand gestures, channeling all the elves' energy towards her.
The powers of various elements were converted into green light and directed towards the Tree of Life.
But compared to the draining life force of the Tree of Life, it was like a drop in the ocean, showing no effect.
On the contrary, yellow leaves were already falling from the Tree of Life.
"Queen, bad news!
The beastmen and dwarves have invaded. They know about the withering of the Tree of Life.
They're threatening to kill all the elves, cut down the Tree of Life, and become the masters of the elven world!
I've activated the valley's defenses. What should we do now?"
Yan Xia ran, panting, her face full of tension, shouting as she ran.
All the elves sitting around the Tree of Life, upon hearing Yan Xia's words, turned pale.
Their remaining strength was all being channeled to the Tree of Life.
Now that enemies had invaded, they didn't even have the strength to stand up.
"Yan Xia, watch out behind you!"
The Elven Queen's face also changed. As she looked at Yan Xia, she shouted loudly.
But as she spoke, gray mist suddenly swirled behind Yan Xia, condensing into a human form.
Yan Xia didn't know what to watch out for and looked back.
Then, the figure grabbed her by the neck. In a breath, she disappeared.
"Elves, condensed from elements.
Truly a great tonic, I like it very much!"
It was a man in a gray robe. At first glance, his appearance was ordinary.
But no matter how many times one looked at his face,
the moment their gaze moved away, they could not remember what it looked like.
"You do not belong to the elven world. Who are you?"
The Elven Queen warily looked at the newcomer and asked loudly.
She did not lose her composure due to Yan Xia's death.
Because she sensed that this person was very strong.
And as the ruler of the elven world, she keenly realized that the person before her,
though appearing human, was not from the elven world at all.