Using Lilith’s connection to the World Tree, Renji transported himself beyond the world.
One after another, the “Sources” were frustrated for not being able to breach the barrier, and upon seeing Renji, who dared to come out as a “native being,” they mistook him for Lena, who had been hunting them.
After all, in their eyes, all native beings looked more or less the same, with nothing significant to differentiate them.
For the first time, Renji reached the vast cosmos and truly saw the real body of the World Tree that stood upon the galaxy, as mentioned in Lena’s diary.
Before he could take a closer look at this beautiful and awe-inspiring creation, the mythological creatures’ giant forms were already upon him.
Among them, Renji could recognize many familiar figures, such as the Crimson Flame Giant from Lena’s first diary entry, which turned the world into a hellish sea of fire.
Leading the charge, the giant was engulfed in rolling flames from its massive body. The wave of heat rushing towards him felt as if it would melt everything.
It must be said, mythological creatures, known as such for a reason, are indeed incomparable to ordinary spirits in terms of appearance and momentum.
But as for their true strength…
Facing the Flame Giant’s roaring fiery palm, Renji slapped back with his own hand.
Despite the apparent disparity in size and presence between them, with the giant’s hand spanning dozens of meters, creating an overwhelming sensation like a sun-sized fireball, Renji seemed too insignificant for the Flame Giant to even consider worthy.
However, in the next moment, as if encountering immense resistance, the fiery giant palm was abruptly halted mid-swing. Cracks began to appear from the center of the palm. The Flame Giant roared in pain, attempting to withdraw its hand, but it was too late. The cracks spread rapidly from the center like a spider web, and in the next breath, the giant fiery palm exploded, sending flames scattering chaotically in all directions.
That wasn’t all. Renji wanted to show that size isn’t what makes one powerful; it’s the quality that counts. Even a droplet of water can pierce through a galactic fleet if it’s hard enough. After his palm burst the Flame Giant’s hand, it didn’t stop there but went through and finally landed on the Flame Giant’s main body.
Slap!
Following the loud sound of a slap, the giant body of the Flame Giant, akin to a skyscraper, was now sent flying backward, crashing into several lower-tier mythological creatures before finally coming to a stop. It seemed as though its brain was still buzzing, preventing it from getting up immediately.
Perhaps having traded wisdom for size, this spectacle of the Flame Giant did not instill fear in the other mythological creatures towards Renji. At most, they merely perceived him as a tough opponent. This time, three giant beings collectively pressed toward Renji.
However, no matter how many of them there were, the outcome was the same. In the face of the vast disparity in strength, no amount of numbers could compensate. Renji drew his flaming longsword and activated Nova’s skill, his eyes turned red, and dragon patterns of tempered fire appeared on his skin. Then Nova’s ultimate technique [Crimson Slash] was unleashed in a single stroke.
With the enhancement of level 150 attributes, no mythological creature could withstand the edge of his blade. Merely coming into contact with it resulted in them being directly shattered, even more miserably than the Flame Giant who was slapped away by Renji, instantly killed on the spot.
But…
Renji looked at the three mythological creatures he had slain with a single stroke, noticing that although their forms had perished, as “Sources,” their existence was actually a type of energy-matter.
Their shattered bodies gradually reassembled. The more powerful the mythological creature, the slower this process, somewhat similar to how in many games, the higher a player’s level, the longer the respawn time after death.
Ordinary Sources were not Renji’s objective for this journey. Without further delay, he flew solo across the Sea of Sources, heading deeper towards the celestial World Tree.
Upon reaching the canopy, Renji finally saw the “Source Master” that Lena had mentioned.
The scene before Renji gave him the impression of a phoenix perching on a parasol tree.
The so-called “Source Master” was a gigantic phoenix nesting atop the World Tree’s canopy, appearing to coexist with the World Tree. Its wings, comprised of countless healthy leaves, each leaf representing a world, clearly set its sights on Renji’s world, intending to claim the best “leaf” on the World Tree for itself.
As the phoenix “Source Master,” its strength was still capped at level 90. Renji could feel that, for beings of the World Tree, level 90 seemed to be the limit that native creatures could reach, a threshold that even the “Sources” could not surpass.
But the reason why Lena was still helpless in front of the “Source Master” was because…
As the phoenix spread its wings towards Renji, each leaf composing its wings shimmered with light, revealing shadows of former players’ bodies within, now being used to provide energy for the “phoenix.”
Although the “Source Master” was theoretically still level 90, being comprised of hundreds to thousands of worlds meant it had a massive reserve of backup energy to utilize. If it came to a battle, even with Renji’s attribute suppression, as long as he couldn’t instantly kill the opponent, being worn down by the opponent would still lead to his defeat.
Having roughly gathered the intelligence he needed, Renji naturally chose not to engage the “Source Master” at this time. He flew outwards, returning to his own world. The phoenix excelled in prolonged combat, and truly wanting to pursue Renji was futile; both parties were in a stalemate.
Back at the Elven Sanctum, Renji called for Lilith. He now had a slight idea of how to strategize against the “Source Master.”
And this also corresponded exactly to the prophecy of the Elf race.
-“One day, the sky of the world will be enveloped in chaos, creatures from beyond will invade, and then the Spirits of the Old Days will reappear. The Child of Destiny will open the door to a new era for the world.”-
The initial parts of the prophecy had already come true, but neither the Elf race nor Lilith could understand the last sentence.
The Child of Destiny should refer to the once savior, the Ashen Emperor.
But what does it mean to “open the door to a new era for the world”?
They could only interpret it as a symbol of “victory.” Initially, Renji thought so too, but after seeing the “Source Master,” he understood the true meaning of these words.
There indeed exists a method to repel the “Source Master,” even eliminate it, without relying on the Ashen’s power.
The Source Master’s strength comes from its wings, from the many worlds forgotten by players after their “game over,” the worlds they “abandoned.”
If he could revive these worlds, allowing each “savior” to log back in and break free from the “Source Master’s” control, the Source Master’s power would naturally crumble.
And this undoubtedly couldn’t be achieved within this “dimension.”
I need…
To open another door, the door to “Earth.”
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