Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 151 Crystal Flower Field

The entire process was silent and did not trigger any energy surge, as if it were merely brushing away two withered leaves stained with the dust of despair.

Kate's precise control over the rules of death made the annihilation process efficient and clean, even carrying a touch of cold mercy, preventing these former guardians from suffering any more pain and desecration.

Amber's eyes were tightly closed, her long eyelashes, like those of a newly blossoming flower, trembled violently, and two lines of clear tears silently slid down her fair, almost transparent cheeks, dripping onto the gray, lifeless land at her feet, where they were instantly absorbed, leaving only a deeper darkness.

She softly sang a requiem song passed down through countless years by the Light Elf race. The melody was ethereal and mournful, each syllable seemingly carrying the sighs and sorrows of the forest, flowing laboriously through the deathly grayness, attempting to guide her lost kin on the final path back to Mother Nature's embrace.

Her voice choked with emotion, yet it carried an undeniable reverence and a sense of farewell.

Kate silently returned to her side, the icy aura emanating from her body, caused by the instantaneous use of the rules of death, slowly receding.

He looked quietly at Amber, at her thin shoulders trembling slightly with grief, his heart not stirred by much, but by a deeper understanding of the cruel reality of this land.

He knew that what he was seeing was not an isolated incident.

In this vast forest, gradually being swallowed up by an invisible enemy, in every corner shrouded in gloom, similar tragedies are probably being silently repeated.

Those once proud and pure lives may be becoming puppets of this terrible force, one after another, until the backbone of the entire ecosystem is completely broken.

Individual efforts to save others seem so insignificant at this moment; only by finding the root cause can we prevent more tragedies from happening.

Having resolved this unexpected yet inevitable encounter, the two felt far from relieved. Instead, they felt like boulders soaked in icy water, sinking even heavier into the abyss.

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the suffocating, slow-moving background hum of the gray, and Amber's suppressed sobs.

"Let's go to the crystal flower field."

Finally, Kate broke the suffocating silence. His voice was low, yet piercing like a sharp, tempered blade, carrying a calculated decisiveness: "That's the last, and theoretically the most likely, place in our plan where we might find hope or a crucial clue."

He paused, his gaze lingering on the deeper, darker hues, as if he could pierce through layers of obstruction to see the legendary flower field. "If even that land, symbolizing the core vitality of the forest, is completely polluted and lost—"

He didn't continue, but the unspoken meaning hung in their hearts like a cold blade. If that place also fell, it might mean that the heart of the entire Tranquil Forest had stopped beating, and their actions, and even the future of the Light Elf race, would be shrouded in absolute shadow.

Amber sniffed hard, wiped her eyes with the back of her tear-stained hand, and tried to straighten her petite body.

Although her eyes still held immense grief, they also revealed a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve ignited by the harsh reality.

"Yes!" Her voice was hoarse from crying, but unusually firm. "The Crystal Flower Field is different! It is the manifestation of the ancient covenant of the forest, one of the cores where life force is most concentrated and purest."

Its connection to the legendary Amber River of Time, which nourishes all things, is also the closest and most direct.

If—if there is still a glimmer of hope in this forest, if the spirit of nature is still putting up its fiercest resistance anywhere else, it must be there!

We're sure we'll find a clue!

Carrying this faint but inextinguishable flame of hope, the two embarked on their journey once again.

This time, they acted with even greater caution, almost completely concealing their presence.

Kate's realm of the Heart of Reincarnation is like the most precise probe, sensing in advance and avoiding potential energy vortices and lurking dark minions.

Amber, with its lingering connection to the forest's veins, guides the way, avoiding areas that exude a strong, ominous aura.

Perhaps because they were close to the core source of life in the forest, as they went deeper, the two vaguely sensed a very subtle change in their surroundings.

The pervasive, nauseatingly thick, gray concentration in the air seemed to have lessened slightly; in that deathly silence that seemed to suck away all sound and light, one could occasionally catch a faint, extremely weak, flickering life force, like a candle in the wind, yet still stubbornly resisting!

It felt like suddenly seeing a tiny but steadfastly shining firefly in the far distance of a boundless, dark ocean. Though faint, it was enough to shake one's soul and give them immense, indescribable encouragement and anticipation.

This subtle sign acted like a shot of adrenaline, dispelling some of their weariness and heaviness. They quickened their pace, following that faint guide of life, and finally struggled through the last narrow mountain pass blocked by enormous, completely grayed vines that writhed like twisted tentacles.

When the scene before her suddenly opened up, even someone as calm as Kate subconsciously held her breath, her heart feeling as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

Amber quickly covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from screaming, and her eyes instantly turned red again.

What unfolds before us is not the desolate and withered ruins we had imagined, nor the nightmare nest occupied by terrifying mutated creatures, but an ongoing, silent yet incredibly tragic and magnificent battle to defend life.

In a forest clearing that was far beyond imagination, countless crystal flowers that should have been sparkling and radiating dreamlike seven-colored light now formed a battlefield that was both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring.

They are enveloped by an extremely thin yet exceptionally resilient transparent crystal-like shield formed from pure life energy—the final barrier formed after the powerful life instincts and ancient rules of this land have been stimulated to their extreme, and it is the embodiment of the will of the entire flower field.

Beyond the light shield lies a surging, almost tangible, dark tide.

Like countless twisted, malevolent black waves, they relentlessly and endlessly crashed against the light shield, attempting to tear it apart and devour it.

The grayness struck the light shield, stirring up distorted ripples and producing a deep, soul-stirring, and teeth-grinding corrosive sound.

Inside the light barrier, the scene was even more tragic.

Most of the crystal flowers have long lost their former luster. The once flawless petals are now covered with unsettling gray spots and rust, as if they have contracted an incurable disease. Their radiance has dimmed and their form has withered.

But they did not wither, nor did they succumb!

Every crystal flower, from the largest to the smallest, trembled slightly yet tenaciously. Their roots were deeply embedded in the earth, desperately drawing upon the life energy pulse that, though weakened by pollution, had not been completely severed from the depths of the ground.

Then, they unreservedly transformed the last of their absorbed power, even the power derived from burning their own essence, into pure life radiance, continuously injecting it into the crumbling protective shield, struggling to resist the endless external erosion.

This is a desperate war of attrition.

The crystal flowers are withering and depleting at a visible rate; the edges of their petals are beginning to curl and lose their luster.

Even some of the weaker individuals quietly shattered during the continuous output, turning into tiny, colorless crystalline dust particles that drifted to the ground.

They are using their last breaths to protect the last sanctuary and hope of this forest!

In the very center of the flower field, a gigantic crystal flower mother, far exceeding others of similar value and possessing the most perfect form, is a true work of art and is the core and soul of this defensive battle.

It radiates a tragic yet brilliant light, almost like a self-consuming flame, like a lonely but steadfast lighthouse in a dark ocean.

A vast amount of energy is continuously supplied to the entire light shield system from its center.

For this reason, it bears the greatest pressure and pays the most tragic price. Its petals, which should have been eternal, are now covered with fine cracks, like glass after a heavy blow. These cracks are spreading and deepening at a slow but irreversible rate.

Anyone can see that it is nearing its limit, and perhaps the next impact will be the moment it completely collapses.

"They—they're still guarding—" Amber was already in tears, her voice choked with sobs, barely able to speak. Overwhelmed by immense emotion and heartache, she cried, "They're waiting—always waiting—waiting for a perhaps faint hope—"

She could almost hear the faint, weary yet persistent cries of countless crystal flowers.

Kate stared in disbelief at the scene.

The tenacity, dignity, and sacrifice of life unfolded so vividly and tragically on this land shrouded in despair, its impact far surpassing any brutal battle scene.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rushed to the edge of the light barrier, quickly extending his own Samsara Heart Domain, and carefully touching the life light barrier.

Unexpectedly, the light shield did not repel his foreign and complex power. Instead, it seemed to sense the life force within him that had been baptized by the Moon Well and recognized by nature.

And that heartfelt desire to help—the light shield even emitted a faint, desperate plea for help, like a dying person grasping at a straw, and actively accepted his connection.

Without further hesitation, Kate immediately pressed her palms firmly against the slightly trembling, flickering light barrier.

The next moment, the vast and pure life energy, through the efficient transformation and amplification of the Heart of Reincarnation, was poured into the energy system of the light shield in a vast yet precisely controlled manner.

With this powerful and timely external support, the light shield, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse and dimming, suddenly stabilized considerably. The radiance flowing across its surface became brighter and more solid at a speed visible to the naked eye, even pushing back the approaching tide of darkness by a small distance.

The crystal flowers in the flower field seemed to collectively sense the infusion of this power; they swayed violently, their petals emitting a delicate, crisp, wind-chime-like tinkling sound.

It seemed to be expressing the deepest gratitude and the excitement of finally receiving reinforcements.

Even the giant central flower seemed to slow down the spread of cracks on its petals.

"Amber, come quick!" Kate hissed. Maintaining such a massive energy output was a considerable burden for him, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Help me stabilize it; we need to buy some time!"

He must use this precious respite to find the crux of the problem.

Amber immediately snapped out of her shock and grief, and without hesitation ran to Kate's side, pressing her small hands tightly against the light shield.

She closed her eyes, concentrated all her energy, and began to chant the highest-level healing and strengthening secret song of the Light Fairy race.

A soft, vibrant emerald green aura emanated from her palm, like the purest nectar, seeping into the light barrier in wisps and strands.

Her power may not be as overwhelming as Kate's, but it is purer and closer to the essence of the forest, perfectly matching the energy frequency of the crystal flowers and playing an unexpected stabilizing and harmonizing role.

The combined power of the two, one vast and the other refined, one macroscopic and the other microscopic, complemented each other and temporarily withstood the frenzied counterattack of darkness, winning extremely precious breathing time for this last pure land.

But Kate knew perfectly well that this was not a long-term solution.

This is tantamount to filling a leaky container with water; it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

Unless the true source of the pollution and erosion is found and resolved, the collapse of the Crystal Flower Field is only a matter of time, at which point they and the flower field will be completely swallowed by endless darkness.

While maintaining a stable energy output, he forcibly diverted a portion of his mind, channeling his perception through the energy barrier of the light shield like countless fine yet resilient threads.

Carefully extending downwards and outwards, penetrating every inch of the flower field and the root network of every crystal flower, I tried to find any unusual clues that might point to the source.

His senses swept over the crystal flowers that were still struggling to survive, and he felt the continuous loss of life energy within them and the stubborn entanglement of dark factors. His mood grew heavier and heavier.

However, just as his senses were carefully scanning the deep soil in the very center of the flower field, beneath and around the giant crystal flower mother plant, his movements suddenly stopped.

With highly focused concentration, he detected a faint, strange fluctuation—one that seemed completely out of place with the surrounding gray, lifeless energy, and even subtly antagonized and repelled it.

This fluctuation was unusually subtle, obscured by layers of background interference generated by the powerful, burning life radiance of the Crystal Flower matrix itself and the violent, dark, corrosive energy from the outside.

If Kate hadn't possessed the Seed of Origin, giving her an extraordinary keen insight into the nature of energy, and if her perception of spatial rules hadn't been greatly enhanced due to Ash's advancement, she would have had no way of noticing this extremely subtle anomaly.

This fluctuation reveals a man-made, extremely complex and skillful weaving pattern!

Is it more like a carefully designed, possibly extremely ancient, space beacon?

Or—a remnant of a spatial rift that was once opened, now forcibly sealed or distorted, but still retains some traces, connecting to an unknown land.

What shocked Kate even more was the nature of this faint spatial fluctuation—

It bore an astonishing resemblance to the high elf spatial runes he had previously recorded in the ancient texts of the Court of Life, as well as to the ancient spatial characteristics he had sensed deep within the Moonwell during his baptism.