Chapter 722: The Tree of Life
The moment the elves from the continent of elves arrived at the palace grounds, their expressions were more or less the same as the other guests visiting this place for the first time. They were truly amazed by its grandness and the unique qualities that could not be found anywhere else, not even in their homeland.
With awe and admiration, they were then brought to the throne hall where they finally saw Aldrian for the first time. There, they also noticed an elf standing beside him. The moment they saw Sylphia, they knew she must be the emperor's woman, the one many people had already spoken of.
The beautiful elf who was said to have accompanied Aldrian for a long time and remained with him throughout his entire journey. The male elves beside the princess were also quite stunned by Sylphia's beauty, especially Luren, but they quickly pushed their admiration deep inside their hearts, making sure not to show it on their expressions.
They had to restrain themselves from showing any insolent act that might offend the man standing beside her.
As they kept approaching, they could not help but feel something from Sylphia, and it was really difficult to ignore. Beyond her beauty, there was something that made all of them, including the princess, feel a kind of connection to her. They sensed a sacredness that seemed to exude from Sylphia.
Still, they ignored that feeling as they arrived at the base of the stairs leading toward Aldrian's throne.
"Your Majesty, I have brought the group of elves from the continent of elves," the Xin family's elder said, to which Aldrian responded with a nod.
"Thank you. You may go back."
"Yes, Your Majesty." After that, he left, leaving the group with Aldrian and Sylphia.
The moment the elder was gone, the princess slightly lowered her body as a sign of respect.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce myself. I come as the envoy from the Verdyn Empire, the sole elven empire from the continent of elves. I am the sole princess of the Verdyn Empire, Princess Vaeril Lyn Silvarin. Behind me are my personal guardian and some of the sons and daughters of the noble houses of our empire."
Aldrian nodded. "I have already heard of the sole empire that rules the continent of elves, the protector of elves around the world, and the land where your people live in peace. A place full of miracles and mysteries. It is truly my fortune that Princess Vaeril has come here personally."
He observed the beautiful princess, whose beauty was not inferior to Sylphia's, though she was much stronger, with her cultivation having reached the middle stage of the pseudo immortal foundation. Her beauty would undoubtedly draw attention whenever she walked the streets, something he had already noticed when this group first arrived a few days ago and entered one of the cities of the Doria Kingdom.
"You flatter me, Your Majesty. It is truly we who feel honored that Your Majesty has spared time to meet with us," Princess Vaeril replied.
"Our visit this time is to convey my mother, Empress Vilena's, regards and to build a relationship between our two empires. For that, my mother has sent a gift for Your Majesty." She then took out a beautifully crafted box from her storage ring.
"I hope Your Majesty will be satisfied with this gift, which my mother personally prepared. Please accept our sincerity." She opened the box to reveal its contents.
Aldrian and Sylphia looked inside the box, and what they saw were five unknown fruits. Yet Aldrian recognized them instantly the moment he read the information through the system, and it left him astonished. The fruits were oval in shape, half green and half white like milk, and from them emanated a richness of various laws.
"This is the Fruit of Life," Princess Vaeril explained. "They grow from the Tree of Life, which is safely protected within the sacred grounds of our imperial family. It is the only known Tree of Life in this entire world—no, we have never even heard of another existing outside our empire. The tree bears fruit once every twenty thousand years. The last time it bore fruit was more than three hundred years ago, and we still have five of them stored within our treasure vault."
"These fruits are extremely beneficial for anyone who consumes them, especially elves. They contain profound comprehension of the laws of earth, air, and wood. The immense energy within each fruit can also significantly raise cultivation, to the point that even those at the pseudo-immortal stage can greatly benefit."
"However, one of the things that makes the Tree of Life truly legendary is that it is said to hold comprehension of the legendary Life Laws. These laws are said to grant the one who comprehends them the ability to heal even the most dreadful illness of any kind, and even revive the dead, or at least, that is what the records of our empire state."
"Across the history of our empire, there has been only one person who was able to comprehend the Life Laws. That person was the first ancestor of our empire, and since then no one has been able to comprehend them again."
"But Her Majesty Sylphia may try her luck with it. Perhaps she could comprehend them. And even if she cannot, the remaining benefits will still allow Her Majesty Sylphia's cultivation and comprehension to soar significantly."
Aldrian had already been astonished from the beginning, not because of the fruits' effects, but because he recognized both the fruits and the tree that bore them. The Tree of Life, it was the very tree that once grew in a region near the Heavenly Tree of the World in his past life. From his visions, he knew that a sole Tree of Life existed in that place.
'So that is why I sensed such a strong presence of Life Laws from a lone tree beneath one of the World Trees on the continent of elves, back when I swept my domain's sense. That tree was actually a Tree of Life.'
At that time, when he had eradicated every single devil in this world, he spread his domain's sense to hunt down those in hiding. During that sweep, he had sensed a strong aura of Life Laws coming from one location on the continent of elves, beneath a World Tree.
He had not investigated it in detail then, as his focus was solely on eliminating the devils. He only recognized that the source came from a tree, and since there were many hidden places across the world with wonders not inferior to that one, he had not paid it much attention.
To think that the tree he sensed back then was actually a Tree of Life.
He did not know if the tree in the Verdyn Empire was the same one he had seen in his vision, but the fact remained that these fruits were the real thing—the Fruit of Life. The story of an ancestor who had once comprehended the Life Laws also caught his attention, because there was no way any cultivator here should have been able to comprehend them.
The Life Laws stood on the same level as the Death Laws, which could only be comprehended upon reaching a certain cultivation stage. The First Heaven's limitations made it impossible for anyone to comprehend the Life Laws.
The only explanation he could think of was that the record might be false. Yet it was also possible that it was correct, that the first ancestor of the Verdyn Empire truly was the only one who had ever comprehended the Life Laws. However, they might not have known that ancestor's real identity.
'That ancestor might have been someone like Long Shentian or Feng Xuanyan. Whoever they were, they descended into this heaven, and the people of that time only knew that their ancestor had comprehended the Life Laws, without knowing their true identity,' Aldrian thought.
He did not know who the one to descend had been, but since this was located on the continent of elves, the greatest possibility was that it came from the elven race, or from a being closely connected to them. For example—
'Seralis herself might have descended and planted the sole Tree of Life in this world.'
That was another possibility he could think of. Why would she have done that? Perhaps Seralis had not wanted the Tree of Life to fall into the hands of the invaders and allow them to gain its benefits. These fruits contained various laws, especially the Life Laws. Their core essence was still the Life Laws themselves, carrying an immense concentration of comprehension.
The Life Laws were something that every cultivator desired to grasp, even those who had reached divinity. These fruits could aid them in comprehending the Life Laws, ultimately helping them move one step closer to the Samsara Laws.
Both the fruits and the tree itself were treasures so valuable that even the gods would covet them!
Aldrian, who seemed entranced and astonished after looking at the fruits, left Princess Vaeril satisfied. She thought Aldrian was shocked by the fruits' extraordinary properties and was glad that she had managed to capture his attention. Surely, he must be pleased with her family's gift.
The other noble elves who looked upon the fruits felt envious, though they kept it hidden in their hearts. Luren, however, thought to himself.
'To think Empress Vilena would give the Fruits of Life. They truly spared nothing in order to build a close relationship with this man.' He glanced at Aldrian.
"But be careful when consuming them," Princess Vaeril warned. "A single bite is more than enough to raise cultivation and comprehension even someone at the pseudo-immortal stage. More than that, and it could kill, as one's body may burst from the excessive energy consumed."
Aldrian took a deep breath and nodded.
"Empress Vilena is truly generous to grant me such valuable treasures. It would be rude of me not to accept them."
"We are glad that you like them, Your Majesty," she said as she handed the box to him. Aldrian took it and stored it inside his storage ring.
'So, Princess Vaeril, I know empress Vilena spared nothing to present me with these treasures because she expects something in return. Let us hear it, then, after this.'
Suddenly, a voice transmission came from Aldrian to the princess, leaving her stunned.