Thud, thud, thud. The sounds of heavy axes chopping into trees rose and fell. The Barbarian Gibb led his Barbarian Warriors and a group of Gnoll Warriors who had shed their heavy armor, felling the forest.
Each group of warriors responsible for felling trees had two warriors protecting them, while Kobold Guards patrolled back and forth through the forest, just in case.
During this period, after replenishing troops, Kalon's available warriors once again became plentiful.
Chasing after the fleeing elf tribes, they were getting closer and closer to the migrating elves.
Thud. A Gnoll Warrior swung his axe down, but at that moment, a sudden change occurred!
The Gnoll Warrior's axe was blocked by the branches of an ancient tree that had suddenly come to life. A ferocious face appeared on the ancient tree's body, and its other branches, like spears, instantly pierced through the body of the Jackal Warrior who was felling it.
The Gnoll Warrior's body was pierced with several large holes, but he suddenly went mad, his crimson eyes bursting with bright light. He raised the heavy axe in his hand high and chopped off the branches that had pierced his body.
He roared loudly, "Though the flesh may die, the soul returns to the Temple of Heroes!"
Whoosh. The Gnoll Warrior, with blood gushing from his body, used his last ounce of strength, raised his heavy axe high, and leaped up, splitting the awakened ancient tree's body in half with one axe blow.
Dozens of surrounding ancient trees simultaneously came to life at that instant, twisting their branches and striking down at these warriors. But one after another, the Gnoll Warriors seemed to have forgotten that their bodies had long since shed their iron armor and were just ordinary flesh and blood.
They charged forward one by one, roaring the slogan "Though the flesh may die, the soul returns to the Temple of Heroes," never retreating. In that instant, they shattered these dozens of War Treants.
Swish, swish, swish. At this point, dozens of arrows rained down on these warriors, but they were all fended off by the prepared protection warriors. In that instant, the shrill whistle of the Kobold Warriors had already echoed through the forest.
But before the subsequent reinforcements arrived, the Gnoll Warriors who had been felling trees on the spot had already taken up their heavy axes and chased after the rapidly disappearing figures in the forest.
The Barbarian Gibb couldn't help but be stunned. The suppression of the forest's will was terrifying; he had already experienced it when he first arrived. But these Gnoll Warriors chased into the forest without hesitation.
"Damn it, you Gnoll might as well change your name to Barbarian Berserkers!" Gibb's totems suddenly came to life. He swung the heavy axe in his hand and charged into the forest, roaring, "Follow me! I'm going to kill all those bastards hiding in the dark today!"
Boom. The sky was filled with a fierce wind as two dragon shadows swept in from a distance. The Red Dragon Kleinaya and Black Dragon Rosani flew rapidly, and beneath them was a surging torrent of warriors.
"Gentlemen, I love war!" The Red Dragon Kleinaya roared, pouncing towards the forest.
A mere few dozen miles was but a moment for these powerful warriors and dragons.
The dozens of Gnoll Warriors suffered heavy casualties. Although this elf tribe was only a small one, with a few hundred elves, the existence of the Tree of Life and the War Treant allowed these elf tribes to exert double their combat power.
However, these Gnoll Warriors were enveloped in the light of the Temple of heroes, which was the light of loyal and brave souls, bestowing upon them blessings and courage.
It allowed them to stand firm even when severely wounded during the siege.
Barbarian Gibb was indeed a powerful totem berserker. All of his totems had come to life at this moment: the bear that granted him strength, the eagle that granted him speed, the snake that granted him flexibility, and the turtle that granted him protection, all transformed into phantom images, circling around him.
A single strike from his heavy axe could fell a War Treant. Gibb, leading his Barbarian Warriors, charged into the elf tribe, heading towards the besieged Gnoll Warriors to rendezvous.
"Die for me!" Gibb's muscles bulged. He roared, and the giant axe in his hand unleashed a powerful radiance, cutting several obstructing Elf Warriors in half at the waist.
And Klenaya and the Black Dragon Rosani descended with supporting warriors at this time.
Boom. A powerful deep breath emanated from the Red Dragon Kleinaya. A vast, fan-shaped Dragonfire spewed from the female dragon's mouth, and the rolling Dragonfire incinerated a dozen Elf Warriors on the ground into charcoal.
"I am Death!" The Black Dragon Rosani's low Dragon Language spread from his mouth. His magic drew the mana in the air, corroding the ground beneath many elves' feet into soft, acidic swamps. One by one, the elves screamed as they sank, quickly swallowed by the swamp.
Whoosh. A War Treant in this elf tribe launched an attack towards the Black Dragon in mid-air. Its thick trunk, like an extended spear, stabbed towards the Black Dragon.
The Black Dragon Rosani flexibly rolled in the air, dodging the War Treant's thrust. In the flash of his evasion, his sharp dragon claws severed the War Treant's branches one by one. Then, the Black Dragon's four sharp claws ripped open the ancient tree's tough bark, deeply digging into the ancient tree's body.
Roar! The War Treant let out a powerful roar and wail. This tall ancient tree was corroded by the Black Dragon Rosani's venom on its tough outer bark, and then gnawed off alive by the Black Dragon.
This small elf tribe suffered a devastating blow in an instant. The Elf Warriors were beheaded one by one by the arriving Gnoll Warriors and hung from their waists.
The Elf Elder and some Elf Druids who held real power were fortunate enough to survive, but they were also taken away by the Gnoll Warriors to be offerings for the souls in the Temple of heroes. Their flesh and bones would also become decorations for the tall white bone throne.
There were also about a hundred elf women and children, who were now kneeling trembling under the Tree of Life, awaiting judgment.
"Since they dared to attack our warriors first, kill them all. Let their blood be a sacrifice to the heroic souls of our fallen warriors," Black Dragon Rosani decided.
For the past half month, it had been the Black Dragon Rosani and the Red Dragon Kleinaya's turn to be stationed in the Green Field Forest for training.
However, the Female Red Dragon Kleinaya always only cared about combat and was not concerned with other matters, so the power to speak generally rested in the Black Dragon Rosani's hands.
The Black Dragon Rosani, who was always the most bloodthirsty among the Chromatic Dragons, held the attitude towards these elf tribes that "I can hit you, but you cannot hit me."
Once an elf tribe made the first move, the Black Dragon would leave no one alive. Kalon would not interfere with this decision either.
Thus, all the elves in this elf tribe were beheaded and sacrificed to the Holy Temple Throne. This tall Tree of Life was also gnawed down by the Black Dragon and then dismembered one by one.
"Another Tree of Life has died."
In the council hall atop a tall Tree of Life, an Elf Great Elder's face was heavy. He had perceived this situation through the will of the Tree of Life beneath his feet.
And in the hall, the Elf Elder and Druids, who had been arguing fiercely, immediately stopped.
The death of a Tree of Life represented the decline of another tribe. In these past few months, such news always appeared frequently.
The Dragon and his warriors seemed to want to sweep the entire world clean, finding these elves like bedbugs from the corners of the world and crushing them.
These elf tribes were now already terrified, no longer possessing their initial ambition.
And the topic of debate among these Elf Elders and Druids was no longer whether or not to actively drive out the Dragon, but whether or not to continue migrating to avoid these invaders.
"I don't think we need to continue migrating. Our two large tribes combined already have over ten thousand Elf Warriors, which is enough to withstand the Dragon's harassment. The hateful Red Dragon has also disappeared recently, clearly knowing that he cannot resist the combined strength of our two tribes."
"Perhaps we can persuade the few large tribes closer to us to unite and gather together, so we won't fear that Dragon's attack!"
One Elf Elder expressed opposition to continued migration, and the Elders and Druids who supported him actually accounted for the vast majority.
This was because each migration of the Tree of Life consumed a large amount of energy and brought about quite severe consequences. At the very least, it could not continue to produce life water for several years, and if it was damaged during the migration, it would further reduce or cut off the release of life aura.
The elf species is different from other species; the Tree of Life is in a symbiotic relationship with the elves.
Elves act as guardians of the Tree of Life, while the Tree of Life releases its own life aura for the elves to absorb.
The elves' longevity and excellent talents also stem from this. Without the life aura of the Tree of Life, these elves would quickly degenerate into another kind of creature.
Moreover, life water not only extends the lifespan of elves but also helps to increase the fertility rate of this long-lived species with extremely low birth rates.
The stronger the Tree of Life, the more life water it can produce. And due to the Life Tree's miraculous qualities, it also attracts some powerful creatures, and even the Life Tree's natural enemies. The Life Tree must rely on the protection of the elf tribe to grow safely.
This is also why the Tree of Life unreservedly supports the elf tribe. The two sides are interdependent and indispensable.
Although the Elf Great Elder of the elf tribe was the only one who could communicate with the will of the Tree of Life and held the key to its migration, he could not ignore the opinions of the many Elders. He could only continuously persuade these Elf Elders, trying to convince them.
The young Elf Druid Aya silently scanned the arguing crowd. The radical male elf Ruisi was one of the elves who held opposing views. This male elf even wanted to persuade these tribes to unite and counterattack.
Aya couldn't help but sneer inwardly. She didn't know where Ruisi got the confidence to resist that Red Dragon. Perhaps he was afraid that the others would unite to overthrow these power holders and hand them over to that Red Dragon, which was why he so vigorously incited all elves to participate in the war.
Aya sighed in her heart. Under such long-term anxiety, she even felt that perhaps the death of these people would be a release for the elf tribe.
...
The boundless, lush forest welcomed another bright morning.
Rows of Gnoll Warriors in iron armor were neatly arranged in front of the open space. Their crimson or brown eyes gleamed with strong fighting intent. They uniformly held long knives, with short axes hanging from their waists.
Through prolonged combat, even the naturally undisciplined Jackals had been tempered by blood and death into an elite army.
And Yug, the leader of these Jackals, stood at the front, clad in iron armor, revealing a head with crimson mane. The heavy axe in his hand was dark and stained with blood, a weapon he had forged from the iron armor and weapons of a former Gnoll Warlord.
The powerful Dragonkin Centaur Chiron led his Centaur army, standing to the right of the Gnoll army. These Centaur Warriors held long spears and wore iron armor, standing solemnly at attention.
During this time, Kalon continuously dispatched warriors from his territory to the Green Field Forest, rotating them to temper these loose dependents into a disciplined force through war.
In addition, the powerful Dragonborn Wolf Sahar, at this time, led a group of heavy armored Imperial Guards and stood to the left of the Jackal army.
These heavy armored Imperial Guards averaged three meters in height, and wearing full-body heavy armor made them even taller and more imposing, appearing even stronger than the Centaur Warriors. The crimson cloaks behind them were like flamboyant battle flags.
And each of these heavy armored Imperial Guards' weapons were long-handled greatswords and heavy blades, capable of cutting a person in half, skin and bone, with a single strike.
Finally, there was the ragtag warrior army led bythe Barbarian Gibb, primarily consisting of the dozens of Barbarian Warriors he brought, mixed with some Werebear, Trolls, and Ogre Warriors.
These warriors did not wear iron armor but were clad in leather armor or tough beast hide skirts. The Dragon Clan Territory's current supply capacity was not enough to fully equip all warriors, so these later ragtag troops had slightly inferior treatment.
But their weapons were not in short supply. Each held flails, battle axes, and heavy hammers, standing behind the triumphant Barbarian Gibb.
Barbarian Gibb had received an audience with the Red Dragon for his outstanding military achievements, and the souls of the fallen Barbarian Warriors were able to return to the Dragon's Holy Temple, which filled him with great honor. He swung the heavy axe in his hand, showing off his strength.
The eyes of these warriors, without exception, looked towards the floating Bloody Holy Temple in the sky, and the figures of the several Dragon behind the Bloody Holy Temple.
Rumble.the Blue Dragon Dos and White Dragon camid flew over, circling beside the Bloody Holy Temple. The figures of Red Dragon Kleinaya and Black Dragon Rosani soared up and down.
Kalon's massive body also descended at this moment; his Dragon Claw pressed against the increasingly vast Temple of heroes, and an immeasurable amount of magic surged into this Holy Church. The world's magic also gushed forth, drawn in by him.
"Through the boundless forest, over the endless long river, through the graveyard where countless warriors are buried, ascend that sacred mountain peak," countless songs and war dances emerged within this Temple of heroes, and the souls of those who died in battle sang loudly.
"The Temple of heroes sits on the mountain peak, where loyal and brave souls find their home. The Temple of heroes yearns for the flesh and blood of its enemies. Brave warriors, go forth, go forth! Though flesh and blood may perish, souls will forever return to the Holy Church. Sacrifice the enemy's blood to the Holy Church, and the enemy's skulls to the Throne!"
Countless warriors raised their heads high, lifted their weapons, and roared in unison, "Blood Sacrifices to the Temple, Skulls for the Throne!"
"Charge!"
The immense Temple of Heroes radiated immeasurable light, as if being pushed forward in the air by a massive Red Dragon.
The figure of the Dragon soared in the air, and the figures of the warriors moved across the land, rushing towards the distant enemies, determined to decide the outcome in one battle.
Two or three Elf Warriors patrolled the woods not far from the tribe. They moved in groups of two or three, leaping and weaving among the trees.
In the forest, these Elves were blessed by the will of the forest, moving flexibly and swiftly, making them excellent scouts.
A faint tremor came from the ground, and a few Elf Warriors were about to listen closely.
Caw, caw! Night ravens and vultures flew through the woods, suddenly letting out strange, noisy calls, attracting the attention of these Elf Warriors.
These Elf Warriors, not wanting their position to be exposed, were about to shoot down these noisy creatures with their bows and arrows, but in the next instant, countless violent whooshing sounds assaulted them.
The Elf Warriors' pupils dilated sharply; those were flying axes, covering all possible evasion space for the Elf Warriors.
"Enem..." The warning cry had not yet escaped their lips when these Elf Warriors were cut into dozens of pieces by the incoming flying axes.
A scent of blood gradually wafted through the peaceful forest.
Rumble, rumble! The next moment, countless warriors ran through the distant jungle, like a fierce beast tide, trampling the jungle ground.
Two tall Life Trees stood, their dense canopies covering the large Elf tribe. Hundreds of meters around the Life Trees were a lush green, a lawn with verdant wild grass.
The Elves enjoyed a rare peaceful time, strolling, playing, and conversing in this area. These Elves knew how to enjoy life, a skill that long-lived races must learn.
Just then, a tremor came from the distant forest, as if a beast tide in the forest was surging and rapidly approaching the Elf tribe.
However, these Elves did not take it seriously. The War Treants on the outskirts were the Elf tribe's best defense. Once these War Treants revived, they could easily drive away those rampaging beast tides.
But a large dark cloud suddenly drifted across the sky, covering the sky for over a hundred meters without warning, engulfing many Elves.
Boom! Crack!
Streaks of lightning suddenly rolled and poured from the dark cloud, striking down towards the Elf tribe, turning the area within two hundred meters into a lightning prison.
The high-level magic, Lightning Storm, a large-scale spell unleashed by the combined efforts of the mages, displayed its formidable power in this world.
Although the countless descending lightning bolts did not have precise targeting, their area-of-effect lethality was almost equivalent to targeted strikes for these ordinary Elves and weaker Elf Warriors – one hit meant instant death, one touch meant death.
With just one spell, the Elves in the Elf tribe instantly panicked, suffering many casualties.
Warriors clad in iron armor and fully armed appeared before the Elves' eyes, causing them to fall into a panic, and the Dragon appearing in the sky made these Elves scream even louder.
"Dra... Dragon! The Dragon and his warriors are attacking!" Terrified, trembling screams spread throughout the entire Elf tribe.
Roar! The wind howled in the sky. Blue Dragon Dos summoned the strong winds in the air, spreading the toxins researched by the mages across the entire area, covering every part of the Elf tribe.
Those ancient or young faces that had revived and emerged from the tree trunks were affected by the toxins, instantly showing painful expressions, agonizingly pulling back their branches, trying to block the warriors charging towards them.
"Grandpa's great axe has been hungry for a long time!" Barbarian leader Gibb, surrounded by totems and with bulging muscles, excitedly leaped up, roared, and brought his axe down, cutting a War Treant in half at the waist.
Yug also roared, splitting another obstructing War Treant from top to bottom.
Roar! An incredibly ancient War Treant, dozens of meters tall, revealed an ancient face. Its massive body came to life, its long, thick branches swept across, knocking away the Red Dragon Klenaya, who was spraying Dragonfire in mid-air.
But the next moment, Kalon, pushing the Temple of heroes with one hand, fell from high above. He seized this fleeting combat opportunity, his sharp claws digging deep into the War Treant's trunk. He stood on the ancient War Treant's dense canopy, took a deep breath, and exhaled destructive, violent, pale Dragonfire.
Whoosh!
The extremely violent, high-temperature Dragonfire instantly ignited this War Treant, which had crossed into the Saint-tier realm through countless years of accumulation.
The Red Dragon's tyrannical Dragonfire was its natural enemy, and having been weakened by toxins specifically targeting trees, it could now only helplessly wave its branches, struggling in the Dragonfire. Its profound life essence allowed it to endure a little longer, but it also prolonged its suffering.
Other warriors quickly avoided this area to prevent accidental injury; only those unlucky Elves, who still thought the War Treant was a reliable refuge, were crushed to death in large numbers by the falling War Treant.
White Dragon Camid flew up and down around an old War Treant, using his sharp claws to cut off the Treant's branches whenever he dodged the ancient tree's strikes.
The White Dragon, possessing excellent hunting skills, fought with ease, patiently whittling down the Treant before him into a stick, then delivering the final, fatal blow to the Treant.
The Black Dragon Rosani, on the other hand, wantonly spread swamps of death in the air, and would also take time to spray his strong acid venom into areas with many Elves, causing these Elf Warriors to die in agony.
Rumble, rumble! Chiron, leading fully armed Centaur cavalry, charged into the Elf tribe through the opened breach. Armored cavalry were the nightmare of all infantry.
A squad of Elf Warriors bravely met these invaders, but the charging Centaur cavalry didn't even need to swing their weapons; they simply held their long spears level, impaling these Elf Warriors on their spears.
The warriors who surged in behind the Centaur cavalry immediately spread out within the half-Elf tribe. Every strike they made was aimed at the Elves' necks. Fearless due to their iron armor, the entire Elf camp was instantly filled with rolling heads.
"Attack that Life Tree! The important figures of the Elf tribe are all there!" Yug, covered in Elf blood, raised his battle axe high and shouted to Chiron.
At the top of the Life Tree, that area was protected by the Life Tree's natural defense barrier and the nature divine magic barriers of the Elf Elders. Layers of surging energy were gathering, and the Elf Druids and Elf Elders seemed to be casting some large-scale magic or divine spell.
Many Elf Druids also guarded the Life Tree's council hall. Seeing the invaders begin to charge towards them, they leaped down from the Life Tree, transforming into giant war bears and tall giant eagles, and other combat creature forms, joining the battlefield.
Roar, roar, roar! An Ogre, wielding a double-headed flail, swung it with immense force, creating a violent whooshing sound. It smashed onto a great war bear's sharp claw with a bang. Crack! The war bear's claw broke, and it let out a cry of pain.
But a nearby Troll swung a large club and smashed the Druid-transformed war bear, causing its brains to splatter. He raised his club high and roared happily, "Brain matter for the temple of heroes , brain matter for the Temple of Heroes!"
Other Elf Druids cast spells from the Life Tree, scattering seeds towards these invaders. Thick vines instantly grew, trying to bind and kill these invaders.
However, the Gnoll Spellcaster provided buffs and protection for the warriors charging at the front. Those seeds were like deflected arrows, sliding past these warriors and falling to the ground, where they regrew.
But the rapidly growing vines were immediately cut down by the warriors charging from behind, emitting strange wails and shattering into countless tendrils.
Crack! A thick lightning bolt descended. Blue Dragon Dos, having finished his storm, began to draw thunder from the sky, flew to the top of the Life Tree, and exhaled a lightning breath.
The Red Dragon Klenaya, who had suffered some injuries, also rejoined the battle. The angry female Dragon took a deep breath and exhaled her increasingly powerful Dragon Breath.
The Life Tree's natural shield and the Druids' magic shields were rapidly depleting, on the verge of breaking.
Boom! Kalon, who had once again dealt with a War Treant, pushed the Temple of heroes through the air. For the Red Dragon, the strongest weapon at this moment was the Red Dragon's body.
He carried the Temple of heroes and crashed directly into that natural shield. The enormous impact instantly shattered the shield, revealing the terrified Elf Elders in the council hall.
"Little mice, welcome the end of life!" Kalon's massive head blocked the door of the council hall, sparks flying from his nostrils, and a blazing line of fire instantly spread from his abdomen to his throat.
Boom!
A terrifying molten stream of immeasurable temperature erupted from the Red Dragon's mouth, shattering the shields of the Elf Elders who were still chanting spells, and then igniting their bodies.
Bang! A powerful explosion erupted from the top of the Tree of life. The uncontrolled immense magic and the Red Dragon's Dragonfire reacted violently, shattering the entire canopy of the Life Tree, even pushing Kalon far away.
Those Elf Warriors who were still desperately resisting with their dwindling courage instantly lost their courage, howling and trying to escape the battlefield, but were mercilessly pursued by the warriors who cut off their heads.
Many other Elves instantly dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, begging for the Dragon's kin's forgiveness, including Aya.
This kind Elf Druid, who liked to slack off, knelt on the ground with a dejected expression. She felt that this was for the best, that the choice she made had borne fruit, and she could finally be free.
The Dragon's warriors swept past these kneeling Elves. Whether they lived or died was for the Dragon to decide; even if they were bloodthirsty, the Dragon's will was above all else.
The warriors cut off the heads of all Elves who dared to resist or tried to escape, raised the enemies' heads, and shouted towards the Temple of heroes and the Dragon high in the sky: "Blood Sacrifices to the temple , Skulls for the Throne! Blood Sacrifices to the temple's, Skulls for the Throne!"
The Temple of heroes radiated immeasurable, vast brilliance. The souls within sang the Dragon's song, welcoming the fallen heroes, while the enemies' blood and souls were absorbed by the Temple of heroes, transforming into murals, vivid and lifelike.
Boom!
The Red Dragon's body descended. He looked at the kneeling Elves and laughed, "Go, go! I let you leave. You need to spread my will in this forest, among all the Elf tribes. Tell them that those who obey me will survive and prosper, and those who resist me will face destruction and death!"
"Let all the Elf tribes make a choice: either offer me those Elf tribes that attacked the camp, or become medals for my warriors, just like these two tribes! I await their choice!"
The Red Dragon's thick Dragon Claw pressed against the massive Tree of life. His resolute will intertwined with the trembling consciousness of the Tree of life. His arrogant laughter echoed in the Life Tree's consciousness: "Tell all the trees of Life , those who obey me shall prosper, those who defy me shall perish!"