Chapter 010: Change
“Mm, as long as I have the chance, I will definitely return the kindness shown to me by Lord Du Fan to him,” Lan Ling said unexpectedly, echoing Du Fan’s words.
“Haha, it’s good that you have such an intention,” Du Fan said, glancing at the elves who were staring at him and Lan Ling indifferently.
“If that’s really the case, then we should all be grateful for the grace of the Goddess of Nature,” Du Fan said suddenly with great devotion. As he spoke seriously, a pure and flawless radiance emanated from him, drawing on half of the power of the Spring of Life. Compared to when he first arrived at the elf tribe, he now exuded an indescribable charm—beyond his extremely pure aura, there was also a warmth that made people want to get close to him.
“A guest personally chosen by the Goddess of Nature is indeed extraordinary,” Red, White, Blue, Green, and Purple thought, marveling at Du Fan’s holy expression. “Lord Du Fan might well be a mortal representative of some deity. Otherwise, how could he receive such favor from the Goddess of Nature? Perhaps the deity he represents even has a close relationship with Her?”
Seeing Du Fan bathed in that holy radiance, Moses became excited and suddenly showed an expression of worship.
Others might not understand Du Fan’s words, but Lan Ling knew exactly what he meant. “Returning the kindness to you? Hmph, it’s just an expression of wanting the Goddess of Nature to forgive my sins for touching you that time.” Lan Ling suddenly closed her eyes, also showing great devotion.
With her eyes closed and a pious expression, she said, “Yes, we must be grateful for the grace of the Goddess of Nature.”
As a great sage, Lan Ling spoke with sincere devotion, her tone steady without any fluctuation. Having just come out of the Spring of Life, her face was rosy. Du Fan naturally couldn’t see the fleeting blush on her face.
“Could this elf girl really be an idiot? She doesn’t understand the meaning of her own words at all,” Du Fan frowned slightly, looking at Lan Ling’s pious face. The frown vanished quickly. “Or maybe she’s like me—just a hypocrite pretending to be devout to the Goddess of Nature.” He thought this briefly without delving deeper.
“Thank you, Goddess of Nature,” Red, White, Blue, Green, Purple, and Moses said together with devotion.
“Thank the Goddess of Nature? You’d better thank me! I’m the one who threw you into the Spring of Life—me, Duke Du Fan!” Du Fan cursed in his heart.
At that moment, the spring began bubbling again, and Nai Xiu was carried up as well. As Nai Xiu emerged, the water stopped swirling, and no more bubbles appeared. After being in the Spring of Life, Nai Xiu’s face turned red, a hue that added an indescribable beauty to her otherwise cool appearance. The stunning elven woman left Du Fan stunned.
“Beautiful… truly beautiful!” Du Fan thought to himself. Among all the women he had seen, perhaps only Chenchen could surpass Nai Xiu’s stunning beauty at that moment—of course, referring to Nai Xiu with that rosy complexion.
Fortunately, Du Fan had seen too many stunning beauties, so such a fleeting sense of inferiority passed quickly. The other elves, including Nai Xiu, didn’t notice anything unusual.
“You’re finally out.” Looking at Nai Xiu lying on the ground, Du Fan smirked and said.
Rolling her eyes, Nai Xiu didn’t answer his question.
“Oh.” Du Fan glanced back at the Spring of Life, then turned back. “I remember Nai Xiu was just a half-step away from jumping into the Spring of Life. How did you get out so quickly? How about this—I’ll put you back in to see if you can absorb more.” Without waiting for her to react, Du Fan picked her up and walked back toward the spring.
Those damned hands covered Nai Xiu’s sensitive area once again. “You! Damn it!” Nai Xiu cried out. Before she could finish speaking, Du Fan threw her into the Spring of Life. Of course, as he did so, he didn’t forget to compare her to Lan Ling once more.
As soon as Nai Xiu entered the water, she was carried back up by it. Smirking, Du Fan picked her up again and headed toward the spring.
“Lord Du Fan, please stop doing this, okay?” Nai Xiu suddenly said from within Du Fan’s arms.
Hearing the tone of the elven girl, it seemed she had changed her attitude, addressing Du Fan as “Lord Du Fan” instead of calling him a shameless human. Du Fan smiled inwardly—their relationship had progressed further!
“Of course, dear Chief Naixiu. If you had told me earlier, how could I have been so reckless as to send you back to the Spring of Life? Surely, the Goddess of Life sent you here for a reason—we must not go against her will again,” Du Fan said devoutly as he set Naixiu down.
As soon as Naixiu was put down, Moses spoke up, “Lord Du Fan, why can’t any of us move, while you can move freely?”
This question wasn’t only in Moses’s mind; everyone else had the same doubt. The moment Moses asked it, the elves lying on the ground all turned their gaze toward Du Fan.
“Well, I’m not sure either. Maybe it’s because I’m a guest,” Du Fan said with a warm smile, his kind expression combined with his holy radiance making the simple-minded elves nod in understanding.
“Lord Du Fan, um, could you… I mean…” Moses suddenly spoke hesitantly.
“Oh, what’s the matter, Lord Moses?” Du Fan had a very good impression of Moses. Seeing him seem to need his help, he promptly asked further.
“Well, since only you can move, could you please help us elves get as many of us as possible into the Spring of Life?” Moses said shyly, perhaps realizing he was being greedy.
“No problem, Lord Moses. It’s a piece of cake. I’ll go right away,” Du Fan said with a sincere smile.
“What a kind person,” the elves thought.
Of course, Du Fan couldn’t reveal that it was because his body had absorbed the essence of divinity. The Spring of Life exerted not only physical pressure but also mental pressure. Against this mental pressure, aside from his own strong mental strength as a sacred-tier domain mage, he also had the natural pressure from the essence of divinity to counteract it. As a result, the pressure on Du Fan was much less compared to Naixiu. It was truly remarkable that someone as powerful as Naixiu had managed to reach this stage.
After leaving the Spring of Life, the pressure came mainly from a mental aspect, which was negligible for Du Fan. Naturally, he could move freely. But could he reveal such a secret? Du Fan smiled inwardly. Didn’t there say in the distant Eastern Continent, “It’s a crime to possess treasure”?
Isn’t it just walking a bit and exerting some effort? Haha, in that way, the elves will be even more grateful to me. Then, when the time comes, I can naturally have more demands of them. Du Fan thought as he walked.
Just as Du Fan picked up an elf nearby, and as that elf looked at him with deep gratitude, something strange happened to the Spring of Life. Under everyone’s gaze, the spring disappeared. It seemed as if there was a huge hole beneath it, causing the water to vanish rapidly. The elf still in Du Fan’s arms showed a look of great disappointment—without water, what could be used for soaking?
Fortunately, along with the water, the immense mental pressure that had been exerted on everyone also disappeared! With that pressure gone, the elves stood up one after another. After standing up, they began singing a song again and headed in another direction. Du Fan and the others were closest to the Spring of Life, so walking back meant they ended up at the end of the group of elves.
The eight elves who had been baptized by the Spring of Life voluntarily gathered together. News of these eight elves and Du Fan receiving the baptism quickly spread among the elves.
“Sis, I heard that Naixiu went into the Spring of Life for baptism. Now her strength will surely surpass yours,” Mo Moya whispered to a white-haired elf.
That white-haired elf was naturally Frida, the only white-haired elf in the elf race. Hearing Mo Moya’s words, Frida trembled. “Is that true, Mo Moya?” she asked.
“Yes, sis. I heard that only one person was supposed to enter the Spring of Life—that human. After entering, that human could still move freely, and then he sent Naixiu and the other eight elves into the spring,” Mo Moya replied in a whisper.
“Hmm, Mo Moya. This is very important news. Remember to inform the master soon—eight elves have entered the Spring of Life, which means eight top experts will emerge among the elves. Tell the master right away so he can make arrangements!” Frida said seriously, her expression grave.
“Understood, sis. I’ll inform the master tonight,” Mo Moya replied softly.
“Naixiu, Naixiu, you’ve entered the Spring of Life, and your strength has grown even more. Won’t that make you even more arrogant and harder to approach? That damned human! During the Divine War, I definitely won’t let you go! Naixiu, after the Divine War, I must ask my master to grant you to me,” Frida thought to herself.
While thinking, Momoa beside her suddenly sped up, weaving through the many elves before quickly disappearing from sight.