At the edge of the Giant Pit, everyone stood in silence, staring at the massive crater.
Only Elaine’s fanatical shouts still echoed in their ears.
At that moment, Lin En, who had been silently watching the bottom of the pit, suddenly frowned.
After the devastating energy storm had completely subsided, beneath that absolute silence, his Spirit Power keenly detected a trace of energy fluctuation—extremely clear, yet utterly out of place with the surrounding environment.
“There’s still something there.”
Lin En’s voice broke the silence, his gaze locking precisely onto the center of the Giant Pit.
To him, this was not a discovery, but a confirmation.
Back when the ground portion of the Flesh Broodmother was destroyed for the first time, as the core power of the Hall of Life was revealed, Lin En’s formidable Spirit Power had already detected pure Life Energy.
But what drew his attention even more was the material bearing this energy!
On its surface, there was a layer of extremely strange force field—on a microscopic level, it resembled a gravitational time dilation effect.
In that instant, he thought of a concept that did not exist in his previous world, but did in astrophysical theory—White Dwarf Matter.
It was the substance that made up white dwarfs, its surface wrapped in powerful electron degeneracy pressure, forming a physical barrier of absolute strength.
Such pressure rendered the material indestructible; even if placed at the heart of a nuclear explosion, it would remain unscathed!
Because of this, Lin En dared to formulate and execute the Heaven-based Kinetic Weapon annihilation tactic.
From the beginning, his aim was not merely to destroy the Broodmother, but to purify the one and only indestructible Divine Essence amidst utter physical devastation!
His words snapped everyone out of their shock.
Elena, the High Priestess of the Hall of Life, immediately focused her mind, following his guidance to sense in that direction.
The next second, a deep disbelief appeared on her pale face, and she cried out in surprise.
“It’s the breath of life! Pure… sacred… How is this possible?!”
In this Land of Divine Punishment, where even souls could melt, the purest Life Essence still remained?
Though the glassy surface at the bottom still radiated terrifying heat—enough to scorch ordinary steel red in an instant—the desire to uncover the truth overpowered all else.
“Let’s go down and see.”
Lin En’s tone left no room for argument.
He gave no one a chance to object, his immense Spirit Power surging once again.
The faint golden shield that had protected everyone from the shockwave still persisted, enveloping them and blocking the scorching air.
Then, he raised his other hand, pointing at the pit emitting extreme heat.
This time, what gathered at his fingertips was no longer destructive fire, but the ultimate cold.
“Ice Path.”
With the low command, a visible white chill erupted from his fingertips, like a living ice dragon, lunging instantly at the dark pit wall!
‘Crack—’
Amidst the harsh sound of freezing, blazing glass and extreme cold clashed violently, sending up thick white steam—like a cloud path formed out of nothing in the abyss.
A pure white, icy path spread from beneath their feet to the bottomless pit below at a speed the naked eye could scarcely follow.
This was not simply cooling, but the forceful creation of a safe passage through absolute cold.
The ice was thick and sturdy, its surface covered in fine crystals, turning the once-slick ground rough and secure—there was no worry of slipping.
From the Heaven-based kinetic strike that scorched sea and sky, to this Absolute Zero that froze all, this utterly different yet equally overwhelming power made Fiona and Magis realize once more the chasm separating them from Lin En—a gulf as vast as the sky.
With mixed feelings, everyone followed Lin En, stepping onto the frozen road carved in the depths of death, and began their descent.
The farther they went, the more oppressive the surroundings became.
Beneath their feet was the only white and cold; around them was darkness devouring all light, exuding an eternal silence that spelled the end of all things.
When they finally reached the center of the pit, the contrast assaulted every sense.
In the deepest darkness and silence, four palm-sized, irregular crystal shards lay quietly.
They were a dreamlike emerald green, emitting gentle light, like the heart of jade accidentally dropped by the Goddess of Life.
A mighty, sacred, soul-soothing Life Aura radiated from them, standing in stark opposition to the surrounding death.
“My god… These are Core Essence Shards of the Hall of Life!”
Elaine, the well-traveled Alchemist, couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Incredible—they survived a direct impact of truth!”
Yet for Elena and Magis, the two Dark Elves, a deeper resonance stirred within them at the sight.
It was a harmony of blood and faith.
Tears welled in Elena’s eyes as she trembled, stepping toward the shards.
As if guided by an invisible force, she extended her withered right hand and gently touched one.
Humm—!
Light burst forth from the shard, and a phantom—a beautiful, endlessly sorrowful female Elf—emerged from the glow.
Her appearance was very similar to the former Flesh Broodmother, yet her aura was utterly different.
She was noble, sacred, like a goddess sculpted of moonlight, her eyes filled with indescribable compassion and relief.
This was the true Elf Queen of their memories!
The Queen’s Shadow gazed deeply at Elena, her eyes seeming to transcend life and death.
She opened her mouth and, in the Ancient Elven Prayer Speech—an old, difficult tongue—spoke a clear, final message, as if using her last ounce of strength.
As her voice faded, the Queen’s Shadow dissolved like morning mist, becoming particles of light that vanished completely.
Only Elena understood her words.
“Queen… What did she say?”
Magis’s aged, raspy voice shattered the sacred, sorrowful atmosphere.
Elena froze in place, her face white as chalk, her body trembling from shock and terror.
It was as if she’d heard the most terrifying, faith-shattering secret in the world.
Under everyone’s anxious, bewildered stares, her lips moved for a long time before she finally translated the dying words in a near-dreamlike voice, one word at a time:
“The Goddess of Life… devoured her own children.”
The sentence swept over everyone like a freezing current from the netherworld.
Fiona gripped her sword, stunned.
All expression drained from Elaine’s face.
Magis was struck as if by lightning, his single eye full of horror.
The Goddess of Life, the symbol of vitality revered by the Elves, had devoured her own followers and people?
Recalling the twisted vitality and devouring madness of the Flesh Broodmother, a chilling conjecture rose in everyone’s heart: the Elf Queen’s fall was not by accident—the source of her corruption was the very Goddess she served, who was meant to embody holiness and compassion.
The gods had undergone a dreadful, unknown mutation!
Lin En’s pupils contracted.
All his doubts about the nature of divinity in this world were confirmed in the worst possible way.
Shocked by this earth-shattering revelation, everyone fell silent.
In the end, it was Lin En who recovered first.
He pointed calmly at the shards on the ground.
“Let’s deal with the spoils first.”
Only then did everyone turn their attention back to the four priceless shards.
There was no dispute over the distribution.
Lin En, as the absolute core and leader of the battle, and the sole reason they all survived, naturally took the largest two shards.
Of the remaining two, one went to Elaine, representing the royal family.
It was not just because he was the kingdom’s chief Alchemist; Lin En also saw in him the unique opportunities and potential of this world.
The last shard was given to Magis and Elena.
It was compensation for the final sacrifice of the Moonshadow Clan, and their only hope for revival.
The moment they received the shards, Elena and Magis did not hesitate.
Magis pressed several deep, bone-exposing wounds directly against the shard.
Elena closed her eyes, pressing her skeletal, skin-wrapped arm firmly onto the fragment.
In the next second, a miracle occurred.
Before everyone’s astonished eyes, emerald Life Energy surged from the shards like the gentlest tide.
Magis’s wounds squirmed, healing, scabbing, and shedding at a speed visible to the naked eye—restoring his withered arm to flesh.
On Elena’s arm, the shriveled flesh plumped instantly, her bloodless skin flushing with vibrant color. In just a few breaths, the horrifying skeletal hand was restored—her skin even more supple than before!
This resurrection, this restoration of flesh and bone, made Lin En and Elaine’s hearts race uncontrollably!
They exchanged glances, each seeing unprecedented excitement and hope in the other’s eyes.
“It works! It must work!”
Elaine clenched his fist, growling in excitement.
“With this, the Crown Prince’s Wither Fever… there must be a way to cure it!”
Lin En, clutching the two warm shards in his hands, felt the vast, world-nurturing vitality within.
He thought of his mother, lying in her hospital bed, her life force being slowly drained by Wither Fever.
She could be saved.
They all could be saved.
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