Chapter 020: The Sage

Although Du Fan was uneasy, he couldn’t change anything now, as Lan Ling had made it clear to him—the only way to reach the Ancient Elf Tribe was to be transported there by the Goddess of Nature using her divine power. There was no other way.
To go or not to go—that was the question!
If he went, and if he wasn’t actually transported by the Goddess of Nature, what consequences would arise? On the positive side, it might arouse the elves’ suspicion; on the negative side, he might lose his status as a distinguished guest.
But what if he didn’t go? What then?
Even if he took Lan Ling and Nai Xiu with him, what could they do? The journey to the Divine Ruins was so perilous that just the three of them were far from enough.
Du Fan was confused.
Time passed swiftly, and before long, the day of the Millennium Festival arrived.
On this day, all the elves of the Kayi Elf Tribe gathered in an open area marked with a magic circle. Led by Lan Ling and Nai Xiu, dozens of elves chanted songs to sense the power of the Goddess of Nature.
Du Fan stood at the edge of this group, on the outermost part of the magic circle. There was a reason for his position—since he wasn’t sure he would definitely be transported by the Goddess of Nature, he had devised this plan as a backup. If the transportation failed, he could claim that his position was too far out, causing the failure…
Although Du Fan’s heart remained pure and devout, sometimes he had to resort to small tactics.
As the elves’ melodious songs played, a rainbow glow began to shimmer around the edges of the magic circle, forming circles from above and all around, encasing the entire circle tightly.
The elves’ songs grew even more soothing. Standing among them, Du Fan felt his soul more peaceful than ever, his mind entranced, completely lost in the sound of their songs.
The elves’ songs were the most beautiful in the world. A scene like this—hundreds of elves singing together—was something ordinary humans could never witness, let alone experience up close. For thousands of years, only Du Fan had been able to do this.
It was unclear how much time passed. Under the elves’ sweet songs, time seemed to stand still. It wasn’t until Du Fan regained his senses that he realized he was standing in a completely unfamiliar place.

Before him stood an ancient tree so massive that it was impossible to imagine without seeing it with one’s own eyes. Its width resembled a giant wall that stretched endlessly, and its diameter was likely in the tens of thousands of meters. As for its height, it was unparalleled—its trunk was unimaginably thick, its branches and leaves were extremely dense, and its crown reached straight into the clouds…

Below, clouds obscured the ground, making it impossible to see what lay beneath. A gentle breeze blew around, giving the impression of being in a divine realm. Looking around, there were countless elves standing on the tree trunk, chattering and laughing joyfully.

Was this… the elves’ common home, their birthplace, the Ancient Elf Tree? Had he been transported here?

Du Fan was secretly delighted. All along, he had been most worried that the nature goddess, whom he had never met, might forget him. If she really hadn’t transported him, his status among the elves would surely decline sharply. Though he wasn’t sure what would happen then, the consequences would undoubtedly be severe.

Since he had been transported here, it meant his identity had indeed been recognized by the nature goddess. In that case, Chenchen was the reason behind this, to be more precise.

But… if Chenchen was really the nature goddess, with her divine power clearly present, why didn’t she appear to meet him?

Du Fan couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

At first, the surroundings were very noisy. The elves came from different tribes, some of which were even at odds with each other. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange if they fought when they met. But today was different. In front of the Ancient Elf Tree, no elves would use force, as it was a rule set by the nature goddess—everyone was treated equally here. Lan Ling came over and said, “Sir Du Fan, the Ancient Elf Tree is extremely huge. Since this is your first time here, it’s best if you stay close to me once the Millennium Sacrifice begins, otherwise…”

Du Fan nodded. Looking at the elves around him, he felt a bit dizzy. The elves were undeniably beautiful, but with so many of them all so beautiful, it was nearly impossible for him to tell them apart. It wouldn’t be surprising if he got lost if he didn’t stick closely to someone he knew. As they walked, Lan Ling explained to Du Fan the things he needed to be aware of. Some of these things had already been explained to him when he was in the tribe, but she was repeating them to ensure nothing was forgotten.

The location of the Millennium Festival was near the Spring of Life, which was situated in the middle of the Ancient Elf Tree. In other words, to reach the Spring of Life, one had to climb up the tree. At that time, all the elves were beneath the Ancient Elf Tree, so they all had to climb up. Although some elves could fly, out of respect for the Goddess of Nature and to show their devotion, no one flew there. Instead, they divided into several groups and slowly climbed up the tree. The surface of the Ancient Elf Tree wasn’t steep; it was only slightly sloped. Walking on it was a bit difficult, but there was no risk of falling. The elves from other tribes, upon seeing Du Fan, couldn’t help but point and gossip about him, as humans had never been seen near the Ancient Elf Tree before. “Great Sage Lan Ling, stop!” A male elf in a white robe blocked Lan Ling’s path, his eyes fixed intently on Du Fan. Lan Ling remained calm: “Sage Momoya of the Saint Lu Tribe, what brings you to call me?” Lan Ling recognized this male elf—he was Momoya, the sage of the Saint Lu Tribe, not far from the Kai Yi Tribe. The relationship between the Kai Yi Tribe and the Saint Lu Tribe wasn’t very good. They had been secretly fighting over territory for hundreds of years. Although there had been no direct battles, both sides subconsciously regarded each other as enemies. Momoya was a young sage of the Saint Lu Tribe. Although he had only held the position of sage for a hundred years, he had already gained the recognition of his tribe. With the approval of the Goddess of Nature, he could be promoted to a Great Elf Sage. Just like the magic and martial levels in the human world, there were also levels in the elf world—archers, magicians, and elf sages all existed. Lan Ling was a Great Elf Sage, and in terms of rank, he was one level higher than Momoya. Don’t underestimate this one level. Only those at the level of Great Sage could be granted divine power by the Goddess of Nature. Take Momoya for example—he was only a sage, so he hadn’t yet received any power from the Goddess. Great Elf Sages held a position of supreme status, not only within their tribes but throughout the entire elf world. Out of hundreds of thousands of elves, it was already quite remarkable to find one or two Great Elf Sages, while the number of sages could exceed several thousand.

Momoia said coldly, “The Ancient Elf Tree is the homeland of all elves, while the Spring of Life is our sacred place. Great Sage Lanling, why is this human behind you here?”
“He is a guest from the elf race, sent by the Goddess of Nature. Sage Momoia, haven’t you received the goddess’s command?”
“The goddess’s command? When was that? How come I don’t know about it?”
Momoia’s expression changed, and she glared at Du Fan again. It was clear from her eyes that she held no goodwill toward him.
After all, the relationship between elves and humans had always been one of endless conflict.
Hearing Momoia’s words, Lanling was also slightly stunned.
The Goddess of Nature hadn’t sent any command to Momoia? That shouldn’t be possible. Logically, her commands should be delivered to all the sages in each tribe.
Lanling frowned and was about to ask when two more female elves in white robes approached her.
“Sage of the Green Forest Tribe…”
Lanling didn’t recognize these two female elves. Not only her, but Momoia didn’t recognize them either, because these two didn’t belong to the elf tribes of the Twilight Mountains—they came from another place.
Like Momoia, they came to ask questions after seeing Du Fan, the human. Their reason was the same as Momoia’s: they hadn’t received any command from the Goddess of Nature.
Lanling’s brows furrowed tightly. She had never thought of such a situation, after all, the Goddess of Nature had personally told her that she had already sent commands to all the elf tribes.
Could the Goddess of Nature lie? No, no, no—forgive me for such thoughts. Am I doubting the Goddess of Nature? I’m guilty…
Lanling’s expression kept changing. Faced with the questions from the three sages, she was at a loss for words for a moment.
Du Fan smiled and said, “Three sages, you really don’t need to be surprised. I am indeed a guest of the Goddess of Nature, without a doubt. The fact that I can be here is already strong proof of that.”
“How could I possibly be here without the permission of the Elf Goddess?” At Du Fan’s explanation, the three sages fell silent.
Indeed, without the power of the Goddess of Nature, how could an ordinary human appear in the sacred land of the elves? After all, the Ancient Elf Tree wasn’t just the homeland of the elves—it was also the homeland of the Goddess of Nature.
“But why haven’t any of us received the goddess’s command?”

Momoya thought for a moment before saying coldly, “Sir, I don’t care whether you have the permission of the Goddess of Nature or not. What I want to say is, please stop here and wait patiently until the Thousand-Year Sacrifice is over, then leave with us.”
Book 33: The Dusk Mountains