Abyss Tree Evolution: A Mission to Conquer the World

"And as for the second person, you know them very well..." Rios smiled as he looked at Elena before continuing, "It’s your friend, Thandria."

Elena was slightly surprised, but she quickly accepted it.

Thandria had always been more talented than the others, and that had been obvious from the speed of her cultivation and the level of strength she displayed compared to everyone else.

"As for those with Heaven-grade talent, I haven’t met any of them yet. However, I already have a few guesses based on the information I gathered from all of you and the memories I obtained from the Tree of Life I devoured."

Elena listened quietly, allowing Rios to continue without interruption.

"Based on what I know, there’s an extremely high chance that the sacred Tree of Life that existed before the one I devoured only possessed a Heaven-grade bloodline talent. Otherwise, if it had truly possessed an Immortal-grade talent, it should have been able to reach Wis (4) just like the Tree of Cradle, considering it lived for tens of thousands of years."

Elena silently absorbed his words, while an outrageous possibility slowly formed in her mind.

"As for those with Immortal-grade talent..."

At this point, Rios smiled with obvious pride and pointed at himself.

"I’m the perfect example. The Tree of Life I devoured was another one, and the Tree of Cradle is very likely the same. And in addition..."

He paused before extending his finger toward Elena.

Elena was stunned when she realized he was pointing at her.

"Isn’t that a bit far-fetched? In terms of strength, I’m nowhere near you. I’m only slightly stronger than Thandria, and even when it comes to cultivation speed, I’m not that much faster than her."

"That’s because your talent is sealed as well, just like the Tree of Life’s was."

"The difference is that the Tree of Life was sealed after it had already begun cultivating and had the peak of the second realm, when that lightning descended and sealed both its bloodline and consciousness."

"But in your case... it seems you were sealed before you were even born."

"Your seal is also different. Only your bloodline was sealed, while your consciousness remained untouched."

Rios spoke calmly, analyzing the situation in an attempt to uncover the truth.

Elena stared at him in disbelief.

"But why? And why can’t I feel anything? My talent has always been noticeably greater than that of the other Light Elves, but not by some overwhelming margin. I’ve never sensed anything unusual."

"To be honest, I don’t know the reason. But I’m certain that someone—or something—is behind all of this."

"There are simply too many clues pointing in that direction."

"Starting with the catastrophe that strikes anyone attempting to reach the fourth realm, then the Tree of Cradle, the defensive formation protecting the City of Light, the Falcon race’s wings, and the weapons of the Dragon Race and the Golden Lion Race... all of them indicate the existence of Wis (4) experts."

"And what’s even stranger is that every single one of them leaves this continent after reaching the fourth realm."

He looked directly at Elena.

"Tell me, Elena. Has anyone ever tried to leave this continent? By land, sea, or air? Especially considering that three races here are capable of flight."

Elena was shaken by everything Rios had just said. After thinking for a moment, she replied,

"Of course there have been attempts to leave and cross the Dragon Wall, but no one has ever succeeded—neither by sea nor by air."

"The Dragon Wall? What’s that?"

The moment he heard those words, Rios’s eyes widened, and his expression instantly became serious.

Seeing his reaction gave Elena an odd sense of satisfaction. For once, she knew something about the world that Rios didn’t, and she couldn’t help but feel a little proud of it.

It was childish...

But she liked the feeling.

"This continent is actually a massive island surrounded by water on every side. Once you reach the edge of the land and travel several hundred kilometers farther, you’ll encounter a colossal wall made of wind, water, and lightning that stretches all the way into the heavens."

"It’s impossible to sail through it or fly over it."

"Anyone who enters is assaulted by storms of lightning and wind that manifest as dragons, and no one has ever returned alive."

"That is... assuming they can even get close to it in the first place."

Elena spoke with a solemn expression, instinctive fear spreading throughout her body merely from mentioning the Dragon Wall.

After hearing her explanation, Rios let out a quiet sigh.

"Just as I expected. It seems this continent is either the only place suffering from this problem... or the authority of that person—or that thing—only extends over this continent."

"What made you come to that conclusion?"

Elena asked in shock and confusion. If Rios’s theory was true, it could drastically alter the future of the entire continent.

"The answer is actually quite simple."

"All you have to do is connect the fact that everyone who reaches the fourth realm leaves with the existence of that wall, and you’ll naturally arrive at the same conclusion."

"Of course, I’m not claiming my analysis is one hundred percent correct."

"But I’d say there’s a very high chance it is."

Rios answered confidently, clearly pleased with his own reasoning.

"Then how are you going to destroy the seal placed on me and free my talent? And... is my talent also related to light?"

Elena asked anxiously, secretly hoping the answer wouldn’t involve something dangerous.

"Who told you your talent has anything to do with light?"

Rios looked at her in surprise.

"Isn’t that obvious? I’m a Light Elf."

Elena answered uncertainly.

"And who told you that you’re actually a Light Elf?"

Rios chuckled mockingly, finding Elena’s complete ignorance of her own bloodline rather amusing.

"What?"

"Isn’t it obvious that I belong to the Light Elf bloodline? My golden hair! My golden eyes! And the light magic I use!"

"If I’m not a Light Elf despite having all of that... then what exactly am I?"