Grace missed her parents so much that she clung to the Frost Casket, refusing to let go.
Grandpa Gene the High Saint watched her silently from the side, saying nothing.
Grace calmed down a bit, wiped her eyes, and said, "Sorry, High Saint. I lost my composure."
"It's fine. That's only human," the High Saint replied. "The cave is just inside. Let's go take a look."
Grace glanced at him, then followed him inside.
This Grandpa Gene the High Saint sure knew a lot.
Judging by how quietly he acted, he definitely knew who was inside the Frost Casket—and that Grace was her daughter.
But the only ones who knew her true identity were those few who'd visited the mortal world back then.
So how did Grandpa Gene the High Saint find out?
Did Master Sage Dao tell him?
But then, how did Master Sage Dao know?
......
The cave was located directly beneath the tree roots.
The entrance was pretty big—enough to fit four or five people.
Grandpa Gene the High Saint took her and flew down.
Grace tested the soil in four or five spots, but found nothing wrong.
"It's not the soil," Grace said. "And I don't think it's poison either."
"Then what's going on?" Grandpa Gene the High Saint asked.
"Actually, its condition... it's kind of like another creature invaded and stole the First Spirit Tree's life force," Grace said.
"Impossible!" Grandpa Gene the High Saint said firmly. "No evil entity can get close to the First Spirit Tree!"
"Really?" Grace frowned. "Is there truly nothing that can possess the First Spirit Tree?"
"Unless..." Grandpa Gene the High Saint mused, "a Fiend."
Grace was stunned. "What?"
"Ancient records say that, during the great Fiend invasion, the Fiends possessed the First Spirit Trees, destroyed them, and used that to take over the world," Grandpa Gene the High Saint explained.
Grace's heart tightened, and suddenly she remembered something.
"High Saint, I remember hearing that the fire beneath Blaze Summit was once the entry point for Fiends?"
Grandpa Gene the High Saint nodded.
Grace also sensed the First Spirit Tree's warning on Blaze Summit.
So...
Grace asked, her breath a little shaky, "So, do the ancient records say how to kill a Fiend if that's really what it is?"
"If a Fiend possesses a tree, even the tree's own power can't drive it out. The moment it's possessed, it's already lost!" Grandpa Gene the High Saint said.
"The Elder Spirit Tree gathered all the First Spirit Trees' power, focused their attack, forced the Fiends into a corner, and then the Divine Race wielded the sword to kill them!"
"Gather all the First Spirit Trees' power..." Grace frowned. "High Saint, do you know where the Elder Spirit Tree's fruit is?"
Grandpa Gene the High Saint paused. "...Why are you asking about that?"
"The First Spirit Trees are all connected, but they're independent too. Even the King's Spirit Tree can't command the others," Grace said. "Except... for the fruit from the Elder Spirit Tree..."
Grandpa Gene the High Saint didn't ask how she knew, but nodded. "So that's it!"
"Do you know where that fruit is?"
Grandpa Gene the High Saint shook his head. "That's ancient history—who could possibly know? But since you can communicate with the First Spirit Trees, why not give it a try!"
Grace shook her head. "I can't possibly do that!"
"If you can talk to the First Spirit Trees, what can't you do?"
"But..."
"Just try! You won't know unless you give it a shot."
Grace bit her lip and nodded.
After leaving the barrier, Grace climbed up the tree and hugged it tightly.