Chapter 777: Prophecy Tablet Fragment
Only by following the prophecy can the Dark Elves reclaim their former glory, and even survive at all.
Leon Merlin looked at the group of Dark Elves, at a loss for words. Even after dying three times, possessing knowledge this era lacked, and insight far beyond his contemporaries, he had never heard of the Dark Elves having a second master after the Lord of Wisdom.
"Grand Elder..."
The Grand Elder knelt on the ground in fear. "Master, please call me Gary. You must believe that you are truly the master of the Dark Elves. We spent a century searching, but could not even find a trace of the Life Sigil Crystal's magical incarnation. Yet after you arrived, you recovered it in no time, and even revived the Life Sigil Crystal through Phoenix Renewal. That is the greatest proof!"
The Second Elder chimed in from the side, "That's right, Master. You saved the Dark Elves at our most desperate moment. This is exactly what the prophecy foretold, there's no mistake—you're our true master!"
At the mention of the Life Sigil Crystal, the Grand Elder seemed to remember something.
"Master, please come with me!"
Leon followed the Grand Elder into the Life Sigil Crystal's microcosm. The Grand Elder pointed reverently at the crystal and spoke.
"Master, please take the Life Sigil Crystal. According to the prophecy, only the master of the Dark Elves can claim it. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
Leon’s brows furrowed slightly as he fell into silent contemplation.
He had originally suspected that the Grand Elder might just want to use him to escape the God-Demon Dominion, but he hadn’t expected Gary to actually hand over the Life Sigil Crystal—the very source of the Dark Elves’ existence and power.
This meant entrusting the entire lifeblood of the Dark Elves to him. That was true loyalty...
Leon stepped up to the Life Sigil Crystal, pondering where to store it. After a moment’s thought, he uttered a note, and a planar pathway appeared before him. He reached out toward the crystal—but suddenly, everything changed.
The entire microcosm of the Life Sigil Crystal seemed to shrink, growing more and more ethereal. In just a few seconds, its phantom patterns faded and the microcosm collapsed back into the crystal itself.
The part of the microcosm that overlapped with the God-Demon Dominion vanished as well. Where Leon stood became an empty clearing, and before him remained only the radiant, seven-colored Life Sigil Crystal.
At that moment, the Life Sigil Crystal lifted from the ground and flew into Leon’s Natural Semi-Plane. It didn’t even require his guidance; the crystal settled itself in the most desolate corner, and then its microcosm unfurled, merging with the barren landscape.
The entire Natural Semi-Plane began to transform. Its world, already nearly three hundred miles across, expanded once again, and its laws grew rapidly more complete.
That once-barren corner of the Natural Semi-Plane turned into a lush, verdant jungle, with the Life Sigil Crystal standing deep within its heart.
Witnessing this scene, the Grand Elder and the others behind Leon were utterly stunned.
"You... You actually possess a plane with perfected laws! Master, it truly is you—no one but the master of the Dark Elves could control the Life Sigil Crystal!"
Faced with such a transformation, Leon couldn’t deny it any longer. Behind him, a dense crowd of Dark Elves knelt, every face burning with fanatic devotion.
The lifeblood of the Dark Elves was now in his hands, and he’d already witnessed their formidable power. With a Sky Rank expert among them, Leon no longer had any doubts. He nodded without hesitation, solemnly making his promise to the Grand Elder.
"I, Leon Merlin, accept the loyalty of the Dark Elves!"
In an instant, the mountains echoed with thunderous cheers.
If not for the Grand Elder restraining them, these frenzied Dark Elves might have truly gone mad. The Life Sigil Crystal’s microcosm vanished along with it, and even the damage on the crystal itself was instantly repaired. Every Dark Elf’s weakness faded away, replaced by a newfound sense of wholeness—a foundation they’d never felt before. The sensation drove them utterly wild.
It took considerable effort to disperse all the Dark Elves. Only then did Leon find a chance to ask Gary the question that weighed most on his mind.
"Gary, does the Dark Elf enclave have a path leading to the top of the Tree of Wisdom?"
Gary nodded, though his face was troubled.
"Master, there is such a path—but it’s blocked now..."
"Blocked?"
Leon exclaimed in shock.
This was a matter of utmost importance—the skull of Constanzo. If not for the pursuit of Constanzo’s skull, he could have already advanced to the Rank-Sealed Archmage. He’d been suppressing his power, terrified of accidentally breaking through, even avoiding meditation for fear that a slip would push him over the edge.
And now, to hear that the path to the top of the Tree of Wisdom was blocked—how could he accept that?
He’d schemed and struggled, braved countless dangers, all for Constanzo’s skull. Now to be told he couldn’t obtain it—how could he possibly give up?
Just as Leon was about to ask for details, the Second Elder hurried in from outside.
"Grand Elder, bad news! The chieftain of the Ashen Orcs has arrived—and the chief of the Forgefire Dwarves is with him..."
The Grand Elder bowed apologetically to Leon. "Master, please wait a moment while I handle things here."
The Grand Elder hadn’t even left when a wild, angry shout echoed through the hall.
"Who dares block my way? Out of my way!"
A fierce and domineering aura swept in from outside the grand hall, and then two figures strode inside.
(Irrelevant system message—skip translation.)
One of them stood a towering two and a half meters tall—a textbook Ashen Orc, with ashen-white skin etched with blood-red magical runes, even his bald scalp and cheeks covered in a dense web of markings.
This Ashen Orc radiated raw power, his scarred upper body bare, muscles like slabs of stone. His physique seemed forged from steel, with arms thicker than Leon’s waist and fists nearly the size of a human head.
With every step he took, the ground trembled. Each flex of muscle seemed to ripple the surrounding space.
Just looking at him, it was clear how terrifying his strength truly was...
Gary’s expression remained unchanged. He said coolly, "Gulidan, I didn’t expect you to break through to Sky Rank as well."
Gulidan, chieftain of the Ashen Orcs, was the strongest in generations—his bloodline was fearsome, granting him not only the spellcasting prowess of an Ashen Orc warlock, but also the might of a Sword Saint.
And now, it seemed his power was about to burst forth, warping the very space around him. He had definitely broken through to Sky Rank Sword Saint!
"Gary! Don’t think you’re something special just because you lucked into Sky Rank. If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll tear down your Dark Elf enclave!"
Gulidan’s furious roar shook the entire hall, his surging power tearing spatial fissures across his body. Yet even those cracks couldn’t harm him now.
His rage unleashed the aura unique to Sky Rank warriors, a storm swirling around him, distorting the very space under its weight.
Gary ignored Gulidan, turning instead to the other newcomer.
He stood less than one and a half meters tall but was built like a menacing lump of iron. His vest was crafted from the softest belly hide of a level 39 Wild Tiger beast. His fiery red beard was braided into three plaits, and his skin glowed like molten flame. Just standing there, he radiated heat, raising the temperature of the whole hall.
Strapped to his back was a massive hammer, over a meter long. He stood like a volcano, heavy with power, ready to erupt at any moment.
Harris, chieftain of the Forgefire Dwarves!
"Harris, what brings you to the Dark Elf enclave? Aren’t you usually busy with your forging work?"
Harris glared, giving a hostile snort.
"Gary, so you’ve broken through to Sky Rank too. But you owe me an explanation—why did your Dark Elves attack the Forgefire Dwarves? Don’t think we’re easy prey just because we don’t like to fight!"
With that, Harris stomped his foot, sending tremors through the ground. Spiderweb cracks spread from beneath him, and the massive hammer on his back began to crackle with lightning. His terrifying aura surged skyward.
The roof of the hall was instantly torn off by the surge of energy, shredded into fragments in midair.
Facing two Sky Rank powerhouses, Gary showed no fear—instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Gulidan, Harris, hold on. These are mere trifles. You both have your clan’s prophecy, don’t you?"
Gulidan snorted. "Of course I have the clan’s prophecy. It’s the key to restoring the Ashen Orcs’ former glory—a secret I must always keep close as chieftain."
Gulidan’s tone was harsh, but he suppressed his anger. When it came to the clan’s prophecy, even he dared not be careless. As for teaching Gary a lesson, there’d be plenty of time for that—after all, with everyone trapped in the God-Demon Dominion, no one was going anywhere.
Seeing Gary’s calm confidence and hearing mention of the prophecy, Harris suddenly remembered something and pulled out a fragment of a stone tablet.
Gulidan and Gary each produced a Prophecy Tablet Fragment, and Gary also took out a fragment of the same material.
"What are you thinking?"
Harris asked in puzzlement.