Chapter 155: Green Fruit

This kid...
She is quite young, yet her little mouth just keeps running, talking endlessly.
Luo Yong sighed, thinking to himself that he might as well bring her along. In case anything happened to him, at least someone would know, and he wouldn't vanish entirely without a trace.
Emerging from the portal, Luo Yong led Fiona through a dense forest until an invisible village appeared ahead.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary woodland. However, walking deeper into it revealed that the place had been cleverly arranged, permeated with the breath of nature.
This was the dwelling place of the Wood Elf lineage.
Of course, it was only this particular branch, and a portion of this settlement was linked to the Ancient Tree of Life, as well as the World Tree.
In the ancient era, after the conclusion of the God-Demon War, Elf Queen Loya lacked sufficient divine power and struggled to maintain it for long, leaving her no time to make extensive preparations before hastily plunging into a deep slumber.
Back then, the Ancient Continent was unimaginably vast. A portion of it was shattered and sunk, eventually becoming the present-day Blood Moon Continent.
Meeting the same fate were other lands such as the Sunset Continent.

Swish!
A feathered arrow pierced the air with a sharp whistle, embedding itself right in front of Luo Yong and startling the young girl beside him.
"Captain, what kind of place is this?" Fiona asked out of curiosity.
"Did you forget what you were told before entering?" Luo Yong replied expressionlessly.
This young girl had far too many questions. You answer one, she has a follow-up; you answer that one, and there's another...
This endless cycle of questions and answers would never stop.
Luo Yong simply decided not to answer anymore.
"Oh..." Fiona pouted in slight displeasure, muttering under her breath, "Can't I even ask a question?"
"..."
Was that just *one* question?
Luo Yong rolled his eyes inwardly but remained silent. He removed his hood and the mask from his face, took a couple of steps forward, and produced a golden ribbon from his hand.
This was a token of affection given to him by the elven older sister-figure, Yan Baoer, and it now served as proof of his identity.
"It's you!"
Suddenly, two figures hurried out from the village. One of them was none other than the Elf Elder.
Luo Yong had only learned his full name last time: Woziji Shorde, and to top it all off, he was the damn High Elder of Prophecy!
Luo Yong had finally figured it out later—wasn't that just a fancy way of saying he claimed to know everything?
While he might not have possessed the ability to foresee five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future, he certainly possessed a degree of precognitive power.
Who knows, he might have known the ending between Luo Yong and the elven beauty all along!
"You're actually still alive?!"
That was the first sentence out of his mouth, leaving Luo Yong dumbfounded. Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be a prophet?
If you couldn't even foresee something like this, did you really need to see the person in the flesh to be sure?

"Should I... not be alive?" Luo Yong retorted with a counter-question, while greeting Weier, who had followed over.
Regardless of how one looked at it, she could be considered his sister-in-law!
"Ah, as long as you're alive, that's what matters. As long as you're alive." The Elf Elder gave Luo Yong a perfunctory pat on the shoulder, sighed, and said, "When I first heard the news, I simply couldn't believe it. You were doing just fine, so how did you suddenly..."
"You must be thinking that since I'm dead, there's no one left to handle that task!" Luo Yong said emotionlessly.
"Ah, young man, I know there is resentment in your heart. You feel that I kept Baoer's situation from you earlier, but I had no choice either." The Elder sighed again and said, "To be honest, given Baoer's status, if she hadn't insisted on doing it herself, the two of you would never have had a chance. If you must call it fate and insist on being together, it is a destined tragedy..."
"Stop!"
Luo Yong waved a hand to interrupt the old man's rambling. He really didn't want to keep listening to his deceptive talk, fearing he might lose control and hit him.
"I'm dying. See if you can save me."
Luo Yong extended his arm right in front of the Elder for him to inspect.
"This is..." The Elf Elder squinted for a moment, then abruptly pulled Luo Yong aside and whispered, "Do you have the Necronomicon with you?"
"Tell me first if you can cure this!" Luo Yong demanded.
"Ahem, well..." The Elf Elder cleared his throat, glanced at Weier—who had been locked in a staring contest with the human girl from the very beginning—and said, "Weier, go entertain the guest. Luo Yong and I have some matters to attend to."
"Entertain? A guest?!" Weier rolled her eyes in annoyance and shot Luo Yong a fierce glare.
For some reason, seeing that Luo Yong was still alive made her genuinely happy—happy for Sister Baoer.
However, the moment she saw him accompanied by a young girl, anger flared within Weier's chest, and as time passed, that emotion rapidly intensified into fury.

On the other side, Luo Yong and the Elf Elder had entered a treehouse. The doors and windows were firmly shut, and protective arrays guarded the interior, ensuring not a single sound could leak out.
Even if someone were to die inside, nobody outside would ever know.
"The Necronomicon?"
Inside the treehouse, the Elf Elder stared intently at Luo Yong, looking as if he might pounce and devour him at any second.
"Tell me first if you can heal this!"
Luo Yong raised his arm again.
"That's not important." The Elf Elder batted Luo Yong's arm away in disdain and said, "I recall that the Ancient Tree of Life bore a [Cyan Fruit], which was collected by our people. Baoer was qualified to receive one, and given her personality, that fruit should be in your possession right now!"
"Can that green fruit save my life?" Luo Yong narrowed his eyes at him and said flatly, "Would it kill you to give me another one?"
"Bah! You make it sound so easy. That is a fruit borne by the Ancient Tree of Life only in recent years. There are a total of only three: one for Baoer, one for Weier, and the last one reserved for the next successor. How could there be any extra for you?" the Elf Elder snapped indignantly.
"Awooo..."
Luo Yong didn't bother arguing. He pulled out the fruit and swallowed it whole, not even giving the Elder time to react—partly out of fear that the old man might suddenly try to snatch it.
Regardless of whether such a thing would actually happen, he refused to give him the chance!
Once the cyan fruit entered his stomach, Luo Yong instantly felt refreshed all over. His body surged with rich vitality, as if he had an endless reservoir of strength. All his physical attributes improved comprehensively, and his power surged to a whole new level!
As for the black Qi that had invaded his arm, it was forcefully driven out by the potent life energy.
"Quick! Use the Necronomicon to draw away this death energy, or my treehouse will be destroyed!" the Elf Elder yelled.
Swish!

An ancient-looking book materialized in Luo Yong's hand. Without him needing to chant any spells, the book flipped open automatically, its pages rustling as it directly sucked in the mass of black Qi.
"It really is the Necronomicon, haha!" The Elf Elder burst into laughter, wearing a somewhat indescribable expression.
Luo Yong found it hard to imagine why the elder of the Wood Elf clan—who worshipped the Goddess of Life and represented vitality and hope—would be so obsessed with a supreme treasure of the necromancy lineage.
"Bah! What kind of look is that? I am rejoicing for you, and for Baoer!" The Elf Elder stroked his beard and said, "Those necromancers of the past always claimed while casting spells that possessing this magical tome would drastically increase their success rate. Who knows, it might truly make it possible to resurrect Queen Loya!"
"Does that mean..." Luo Yong murmured softly, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Then what are we waiting for? Get me a few rune gemstones right now, and I'll perform—"
"No, the time is not right yet." The Elf Elder waved a hand, his expression turning solemn. "Have you read the book I gave you? You must gather everything listed within it before you can dare to take the risk. Otherwise, not only will Queen Loya fail to be resurrected, but even Baoer might never return!"
"I haven't read it yet..."
Luo Yong paused, his expression suddenly freezing into a blank stare. "I thought... as long as I reached level 20 and learned the necromancer skill [Resurrection], I could bring Baoer back."
"Sigh!"
The Elf Elder let out a heavy sigh, shook his head, and said, "Luo Yong, I understand your feelings. I was young once, too, and I experienced times just like yours. But... unless you have absolute certainty, you shouldn't try it lightly. Otherwise, the consequences will be unbearable."
"..."
Luo Yong felt a stifling pressure in his chest, as if he couldn't breathe. His state of mind refused to calm down.
"Could it be that all the efforts I've made are useless?"
"No. Luo Yong, you've already done very well. Prior to this, no one had ever obtained it, nor could anyone find it." The Elf Elder pointed at the Necronomicon, his expression exceedingly complex. "Otherwise..."
"I understand. I'll keep working hard." Luo Yong gazed at the golden ribbon in his hand, put away the Necronomicon, asked a few questions, and then followed the Elf Elder to the Ancient Tree of Life.
"Baoer, I've come to see you."
Standing beneath the Ancient Tree of Life, Luo Yong gently stroked the ancient bark and whispered softly.
Rustle, rustle...
The ancient tree swayed, scattering motes of light as Baoer's silhouette faintly materialized.
She was smiling and waving at Luo Yong.
"Baoer, wait for me. I will gather everything within these thirty years, come back here to save you, and fulfill the promise between us. You haven't kept your promise to me yet!" Luo Yong smiled as well, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes, and spoke softly.
"There are only twenty-nine and a half years left." The Elf Elder remarked gloomily from not far behind. "If you dawdle any longer, there will only be twenty-nine years left!"
"..."
Luo Yong's breath hitched. He turned to glare at the old man, muttered a few more quiet words to the tree, and quickly departed the area.
He dragged away Fiona, who was still locked in a stare-down with Weier and on the verge of starting a fight.
"Luo Yong! Don't you dare forget what you promised Sister Baoer! If you do, I will never let you go!"
Weier shouted after the two departing figures.