Chapter 759: Can't Wait Any Longer
Leon knew that everything here had fallen apart because the Life Sigil Relic Spirit had vanished. The very foundation of this miniature world was the intact Life Sigil Crystal—especially its sentient magical avatar.
Without it, this small world had been teetering on the edge of collapse as time slipped by. If things continued like this, it wouldn’t be long before the world died altogether. When that happened, the Dark Elf Clan would lose its root, and one by one, they’d all perish.
From the moment the Life Sigil Crystal disappeared, the Dark Elves had been doomed to extinction...
After trekking for a long stretch through the lifeless desert, they reached the heart of the sands. The Second Elder’s eyes gleamed with excitement, his fingers trembling as he slowly chanted a rhythmic incantation.
As the Second Elder chanted, the dead-still desert—where not even a breath of wind stirred—began to tremble. The ground shivered, and at the desert’s center, countless grains of sand started to shift, swirling into a massive vortex at least a thousand meters wide.
With the sand vortex forming, the desert’s center began to collapse downward. At the very heart of it, a pitch-black abyss appeared, and a faint glimmer of light slowly floated up from within.
As that weak glimmer surfaced, the Arcane Wheel hovering beside Leon started to tremble violently.
Seconds later, they finally saw what was rising from the depths.
It was a massive crystal, half as tall as a person. Leon didn’t need anyone to tell him—this was the Life Sigil Crystal, the very foundation upon which the Dark Elf Clan’s existence depended.
At this moment, the Life Sigil Crystal barely resembled its former self. Its surface was rough and scarred, looking more like a cheap gray quartz than anything magical. The dull haze had swallowed all its brilliance; if not for a faint crystalline gleam, anyone would have mistaken it for an ordinary chunk of stone.
With the Life Sigil Crystal’s emergence, the swirling vortex on the ground gradually faded, and the desert returned to its lifeless calm. Only now, a half-human-tall gray crystal stood in the dead center.
A crowd of Dark Elves stared at the Life Sigil Crystal, their expressions tangled. The rise, the glory, even the very gifts of their race—all of it was bound tightly to this single crystal.
But the connection ran so deep, it had become entwined with their very lives. If the Life Sigil Crystal faltered, disaster would strike the Dark Elves as well.
Gazing at the Life Sigil Crystal, Leon couldn’t help but think of those powerful mages of the future—especially the ones who’d rivaled gods and demons, only to fall one after another as Northend World’s magic dried up.
So much like these Dark Elves before him.
Most of what happened in Northend World back then, all the secrets—probably not even the records in that deserted library at the end of days could tell the whole story.
"Leon, now that we've recovered the Life Sigil Relic Spirit, let it out."
The Second Elder’s words snapped Leon out of his reverie.
Leon’s expression grew somber as he looked at the Second Elder. “This Relic Spirit has awakened its own mind. Do you really believe if I set it free, it will quietly remain here?”
A hint of worry flashed across the Second Elder’s face. Of course he understood, and the surrounding Dark Elves were exchanging uncertain glances as well.
No one had considered this problem before. Back then, it wasn’t just about recapturing the Life Sigil Relic Spirit—no one even knew where to look for a clue. Who would’ve thought to ask what comes next, after you’ve actually caught it...
But now, everyone was at a loss.
Right. The Life Sigil Relic Spirit had awakened its own intelligence. There was no way it would just obediently stay here like before. Last time, it had already run off, hadn’t it?
Now that it’s been retrieved, must someone stand eternal guard over it? Yet, as the avatar of the Life Sigil Crystal, the Relic Spirit holds absolute dominion in this miniature world. If it wishes to escape the watchful eyes of any sentry, it would be effortless.
What? You think you can trap the Relic Spirit inside the Life Sigil Crystal?
Forget it. The Relic Spirit comes and goes from the Life Sigil Crystal like it owns the place, and the foundation of this world is the crystal itself. If you want to trap it inside, you’d have to seal the Life Sigil Crystal completely. That would mean severing its connection to this world—and even to the Dark Elves.
That’s just impossible...
The Dark Elves looked at each other, completely at a loss.
Leon’s gaze grew deep as he stared at the Life Sigil Crystal, now nearly indistinguishable from a lump of gray stone.
"Break it."
The Second Elder blinked, as if he’d misheard.
"Leon, what did you just say?"
Leon’s face was expressionless as he repeated, "Break it. If you want this miniature world restored, if you want the Dark Elves to return to normal, you have to shatter the decaying Life Sigil Crystal."
The surrounding Dark Elves were all stunned.
Jairus’s eyes widened as he blurted out, "Impossible! You’re insane!"
He shouted furiously, glaring at Leon with wild eyes.
"Damn outsider! I knew you were up to something. So you want to destroy our entire Dark Elf Clan—damn it, I knew it! I knew you were a despicable, insane, shameless outsider with nothing but ill intent! Shatter the Life Sigil Crystal? No way! So long as I live, no one will break it!"
Jairus glared at Leon, his face twisted with malice, magical energy surging around him as if ready to attack at any moment.
Damn outsider—so what if you’ve recovered the Life Sigil Relic Spirit? Now you actually want to break the Life Sigil Crystal!
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Let’s see how you die this time!
The Second Elder stared at Leon in shock, as if searching his face for answers.
If Leon had said this at the very beginning, the Second Elder would never have sided with him. But now that Leon had recovered the Life Sigil Relic Spirit, his words made the elder hesitate.
Shattering the Life Sigil Crystal was absolutely unacceptable. But this Leon seemed to know far more than anyone else—things even I didn’t know. Could he actually be right?
No, the Life Sigil Crystal is far too important to our clan—breaking it is out of the question. Was this really Leon’s scheme to destroy the Dark Elf Clan?
But wait, if Leon truly wanted to wipe out the Dark Elf Clan, he wouldn’t have to do anything. We’ve searched for so long and still haven’t found the Life Sigil Relic Spirit, barely any clues at all. At this rate, the clan’s destruction is only a matter of time...
The Second Elder was suspicious, but his doubts didn’t hold much weight. Yet now, with the Life Sigil Crystal in jeopardy, he couldn’t help but question Leon’s motives.
Not just the Second Elder—the other Dark Elves were also filled with suspicion and shock. But as they regained their composure, they all instinctively spread out, trying to surround Leon, ready to defend against him at any moment.
Shattering the Life Sigil Crystal—no one in the Dark Elf Clan had ever even heard of such a thing. It had been countless years since anyone had dared utter those words. In ancient times, the Dark Elves had enemies everywhere, but none had ever tried to break their Life Sigil Crystal.
Even the Five-Colored Dragons and pureblood elves had never dared utter those words—breaking the Life Sigil Crystal meant a war to the death. Unless one side was wiped out, the conflict would never end.
In ages past, telling the Dark Elves to 'break the Life Sigil Crystal' was a blatant declaration of war.
If Leon had said this when the Life Sigil Crystal was still intact, or even a few years after the Relic Spirit went missing, the furious Dark Elves would’ve killed him without a second thought.
But now, the Dark Elves were teetering on the edge of extinction. With Leon bringing back the Life Sigil Relic Spirit, everyone was shocked and suspicious, but no one struck out immediately.
A hundred years had brought nothing but suffering to the entire Dark Elf Clan.
A chorus of Dark Elves erupted in chaotic protest, so loud and jumbled that Leon couldn’t make out the details—but it was clear that none of them agreed to shatter the Life Sigil Crystal.
"If you truly wish to restore what was lost, this is the only path left."
Leon spoke with grave sincerity, but his words fell on deaf ears. Jairus launched into another tirade, accusing Leon of plotting the clan’s annihilation, while the Second Elder’s face remained clouded with suspicion and silence.
Leon lost his patience. With a wave of his hand, a streak of blue fire appeared above the Life Sigil Crystal—a dazzling blue blaze trailing a long tail, striking the crystal in an instant.
Two thunderous explosions erupted, scattering clouds of yellow sand. The Life Sigil Crystal trembled slightly, and a faint crack seemed to appear on its surface.
This sudden turn left all the Dark Elves utterly stunned.
Jairus screamed, "You bastard! You’re digging your own grave! You’re dead—dead! No one can save you now!"
The Second Elder’s brow furrowed as he instantly stepped in front of the Life Sigil Crystal, casting Leon a look of disapproval.
"Leon, that's enough. Shattering the Life Sigil Crystal is absolutely forbidden—it’s the foundation of our entire clan. Other matters can be discussed, but this one is off-limits. You’ve recovered the Relic Spirit and become our most honored friend. I’ll let it slide this time, but if you touch the Life Sigil Crystal again, don’t blame me for doing my duty!"
The other Dark Elves looked grim, but restrained themselves from attacking. Instead, they all moved in front of the Life Sigil Crystal, prepared to defend it against Leon.
None of them made a move, but someone else was already too impatient to wait.