Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 195 Gazing at the Stars

"Raina Grace, will you help us?" At the heart of the Azure and White Forest, Pale Jade Tree sought out Raina Grace as soon as possible.

"Are you sure that just by bringing down the Celestial Domain, the Azure and White Forest can be reborn?" Raina Grace was highly skeptical of Willow Wood's so-called restoration. How could life that has passed away be "restored" to its original state? That defies the laws of nature.

"I choose to believe. Otherwise, being trapped here forever, everything loses its meaning, leaving only endless suffering." Pale Jade Tree made no effort to hide its agony, the dense fog throughout the Azure and White Forest being a physical manifestation of this pain.

"Is this pain a lingering memory of being burnt in the past, or does it indeed continue to this day?" Raina Grace knew that there were many other Terra Groves in the Azure and White Forest, but aside from Pale Jade Tree, the others seemed calm, and WeeStick had told her the rest were sleeping.

"It's an eternal torment. The crimes they committed are unforgivable!" Pale Jade Tree roared, its anger causing the entire Azure and White Forest to tremble.

Raina Grace had to lean on a nearby tree to keep her footing, astonished at Pale Jade Tree's immense power. She had never seen any other Terra Grove possess such formidable strength. What could have given it this power?

"I want to see Azure Phoenix; where is it?" Raina Grace returned to the Azure and White Forest also for Azure Phoenix. She had never forgotten about it but also never knew how to help. Now, with the situation rapidly deteriorating, potentially very disadvantageous for it, Raina Grace was deeply concerned.

"It? Azure Phoenix isn't so easy to kill." Pale Jade Tree spoke indifferently, "I've placed it somewhere safe, so you don't need to worry. As long as the Azure and White Forest disappears, it can reappear."

Was Pale Jade Tree threatening her? Raina Grace couldn't believe it and stared at the semi-visible shadow in the void, "Are you preventing me from seeing Azure Phoenix?"

"No, Raina Grace, you misunderstand," Pale Jade Tree hurriedly explained, "You know my current situation, grafted between reality and the void, and it's hard for me to maintain control. A slight mistake could send me tumbling into the void, never to return. So I don't want you to take any risks."

"Did you put Azure Phoenix into your void space?" Raina Grace guessed, "Isn't that dangerous for it?"

"The void isn't exactly a pleasant place for most beings. But Azure Phoenix isn't just any creature; their state of nirvana is actually between reality and the void. Only by crossing the barrier between reality and void can they truly achieve nirvana. So, in a way, I'm helping it."

Pale Jade Tree's explanation seemed logical, but Raina Grace had her doubts. Just as she was about to respond, Pale Jade Tree began to fade, "Raina Grace, I can't maintain my presence in reality any longer; I need to leave temporarily. I await your good news; please help me..."

After Pale Jade Tree vanished completely, the Azure and White Forest suddenly felt ominously empty. For a moment, Raina Grace felt as if she were back in the abyss, now without even the hope of companionship, uncertain what to believe.

Overwhelmed by a profound sense of emptiness and confusion, she felt as if she were surrounded by boundless loneliness and helplessness. She looked around, seeking a shred of comfort or support, but in this entirely foreign place, without the familiar warmth of the Verdant Thistle Forest or the solace of the cottage... Everything around her was cold and silent; she couldn't even muster a whimper...

Beneath her feet was the dark, untrodden earth; beside her, thickets grew wildly. The Azure and White Forest at night resembled a vast prison, ensnaring any life that wandered into it.

Yet life persists because, in addition to grounding oneself, one can also look up. Granny Rain once said, when feeling lonely, she would look up at the sky, for its vastness would transcend all worldly hardships.

Raina Grace had never been one to look up at the sky. Whether in the Endless Sea or the Verdant Thistle Forest, she could immerse herself in her surroundings, which were always so accepting and generous. But now, amidst the desolation of the Azure and White Forest, feeling rejected and imprisoned by her environment, recalling Granny Rain's words, she looked up for the first time to find the night sky so clear and serene.

Stars, countless stars, adorned the deep night sky. They were like twinkling gems scattered across the vast universe. Raina Grace had never admired the starry sky from such close quarters. In that moment, her heart gradually calmed down. No matter how complex life was, the universe remained vast and peaceful, offering a glimmer of grand hope to the ordinary and troubled life.

Having hope is always good, even if it isn't grand.

"I don't have any grand wishes, just to see Sky Whisper return to a peaceful life, not to be at the mercy of humans or struggle desperately in the abyss," Luminous Harmony said with a heavy heart, "Silver Tan, are you still blaming me for what happened in the abyss?"

Who could be blamed for the abyss? He had gone willingly, determined to find Raina Grace and uncover the history of Sky Whisper, lucky to have survived. As for becoming what he is now, optimistically, at least he developed psychic powers and could fly. On the other hand, from the Tears of the Abyss to the abyss itself, Silver Tan had barely managed to do anything before being summoned by Luminous Harmony into the Ice and Fire Marsh, nearly losing his life. If not for inadvertently helping Flicker Shadow and Raina Grace, who reciprocated with a fountain of gratitude, he might have ended up as just another set of bones in the Ice and Fire Marsh. So, he had to ask, "What were you doing in the Ice and Fire Marsh? Why did you drag me into it?" He avoided using the word "deceive."

"If I say the Ice and Fire Marsh was a test, and both of us passed, would you believe me?"

Luminous Harmony's response was simple and, at first glance, seemed reasonable. However, in Silver Tan's memory, Luminous Harmony was a serene person, not one to seek power.

"Did you choose to take the test? Did Willow Wood tell you all this?"

"Yes. You know I was severely injured. If not for Raina Grace last time, I would have been utterly destroyed. Surviving only to slowly await death. Then Willow Wood appeared, telling me about the Ice and Fire Marsh, saying if I could pass the test, I would gain a new life and power. Rather than waiting to die, I chose to take a chance and entered the Ice and Fire Marsh."

Whether Luminous Harmony gained new powers was unclear to Silver Tan, but his current form was similar to his own, a soul attached to a small box, appearing as a projection, similar to the images in the Eyes of the Abyss. He was even less capable than Silver Tan, who at least could control the little dragon to move; Luminous Harmony had lost his mobility and had to be carried around.

Perhaps his body was occupied by Willow Wood, so Willow Wood found him a substitute; perhaps his original body no longer suited his "new life." Silver Tan didn't know and didn't want to probe further, only asking one last question, "What about the bamboo scroll that went to the Surface Domain with you? What happened to her?" He already had a bad feeling.

As expected, Luminous Harmony sighed deeply, filled with immense sorrow, "Bamboo Scroll, she didn't pass the test, so..."

"Did she take the test for you?" That capable and spirited woman from Sky Whisper, the only one truly devoted to Luminous Harmony, had she, like some human women, ultimately thrown herself into the fire for love?

"For me? Why would you think that? Wasn't it for power, for the future of Sky Whisper? You should know, Bamboo Scroll was the head of the Bamboo family, her status in Sky Whisper was on par with Jadelle's."

But for Luminous Harmony, hadn't Bamboo Scroll already relinquished her position as the head of the Bamboo family? Silver Tan was confused. "What about me? You made the decision for me without asking my opinion. Were you so confident in me?" Or did he simply not care about those who couldn't pass the test?

"Of course, I was confident; you were the one I had the highest hopes for among our people. And the facts have proven it." At this moment, Luminous Harmony's tone was almost identical to Willow Wood's, leaving Silver Tan unable to distinguish who had influenced whom or who had become whom.