Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire-Chapter 959 527: Symbiotic Era, World Born of Trees

"Stop it!"
"Protect the Mother Tree!"
When they saw the Mother Tree, already withered for the most part, accelerating its decline under the absorption by the Demon Tree bestowed by the Divine, with crystalline leaves falling from the crown, the many Wood Elves who had been prepared to migrate were infuriated.
Although they had decided to abandon the Mother Tree, it was a choice made out of necessity for survival and the continuation of the tribe; it didn't mean they could coldly watch as the Mother Tree was ravaged.
Even though it was the Life Tree, gifted by the Divine, that harmed the Mother Tree, this tree obviously exuded an evil aura, full of ominousness.
They planted this tree due to the Divine's gift, akin to a lifeline. Even knowing its uncertainties, it was their last hope before leaving their homeland, yet unexpectedly, this hope led to such a cruel event.
Even after they left, the Mother Tree would ultimately wither due to the Abyss's erosion and pollution, turning into a piece of withered wood, but this was to happen out of sight, after they left.
Moreover, this was something they were powerless to stop, whether they left or not, the Mother Tree's fate was sealed. Yet now, to force them to watch helplessly as the Mother Tree is plundered, withering just before their eyes, was unbearable.
As the Wood Elves roared and cursed, two Sword Dancers drew the swords from their waists and charged forward, but it was too late, as the Dragon's shadow between the trees was already forming.
The two Elf Sword Dancers, who reacted first, had just rushed forward when they heard a dragon's roar. It struck them like lightning, even the Sword Dancers who could protect the tribe in perilous environments were hit with intense spiritual shock, their bodies stiffened for a moment, and their minds went blank.
When they regained consciousness, they found themselves suspended in mid-air, entwined by roots stretching from the Demon Tree.
The worst part was, they could feel the strength and Magic Power within them rapidly depleting, their limbs growing weak and powerless, with their swords having already fallen to the ground.
"Demon!"
The Sword Dancers, who had fought abyssal creatures countless times, were furious beyond measure.
Life Absorption
At this moment, they were not the only ones in this predicament; all the Elves who raised their weapons attempting to save the Mother Tree were also successively knocked down, their legs bound by the roots hanging down from the Demon Tree, suspended in mid-air.
Though more and more companions were joining the resistance ranks, the Demon Tree, which continued to drain the Mother Tree's vitality, only grew stronger.
Despite some kin severing or burning the roots of the Demon Tree, more roots sprang forth from the ground.
More egregiously, these later-growing roots surfaced with hard skin resembling Dragon Scales, glistening with a metallic sheen that weaker Elves or those without high-quality weapons found difficult to cleave.
However, seeing their kin repeatedly suffering, the Wood Elf Elder, a Priest of Legendary Rank, remained silent and motionless.
For he clearly saw that, despite the Demon Tree's evil aura, it was also not lacking in Power of Nature. As of now, it hadn't truly harmed any Wood Elves, merely drained their Essence Qi and Magic Power, leaving them unable to move, powerless to resist.
Under the indulgence of the Wood Elf Elder, who had the capacity to restrain the Demon Tree but chose not to, the Wood Elves who rose up in rebellion seeing the Mother Tree damaged were defeated. Meanwhile, some Elves, seeing the Great Elder's inaction, similarly chose silence and refrained from rashly attacking like the hot-headed members of the tribe.
In the end, the once-vague Dragon's shadow spiraling atop the tree had become substantial. With a loud dragon's cry, the Dragon burst forth, sweeping away the assaults against it, and hung all the armed Elves on the tree.
By this time, the Evil Tree, having initially appeared only half a man's height, through absorbing the Mother Tree's remaining vitality and the Essence Qi and Magic Power of these hot-headed individuals, had grown over twenty meters tall, its crown lush and green, with countless roots hanging down, suspending over a hundred hot-headed individuals between its branches.
It resembled human-shaped fruits, except these fruits looked anything but serene. They appeared vicious, quite terrifying, with some having already fainted.
"Great Elder!"
Watching the Great Elder, immovable and as steady as a mountain, a fellow Elf Elder standing beside him, also observing, couldn't help but cast a worried glance.
After all, those hanging on the tree comprised the tribe's dwindling elite, and while they seemed free from immediate danger, there was no telling what might ultimately happen. This tree looked exceedingly unusual.
"Oh Dragon Spirit born of the grasses and woods, could you let my kinfolk down? They were merely trying to protect the Mother Tree that nurtured us."
The Wood Elf Great Elder stepped forward, taking the initiative to converse with the Dragon Spirit amid the trees. He could tell that this Dragon Spirit likewise belonged to the realm of Spirit of Nature.
However, the Dragon Spirit governed power derived from the Abyss, but even so, the Power of Abyss had not tainted its essence. Hence, Elves should inherently have a degree of affinity with them — those unharmed, undead Elves hanging in the tree being the best evidence.