At this moment, the elven defense line had been breached, and there were significant casualties among the elves.
The orc leader was still being entangled by Avis.
However, over ten thousand elite orcs remained, forcing the elves into a desperate retreat, clearly outmatched.
“Their target is the Tree of Life. We can’t retreat any further!” Anna gritted her teeth,
deciding to make a final stand against the orcs. Even if it meant death, she was determined to protect the Tree of Life.
The remaining seven hundred or so elves no longer retreated. They gripped their weapons tightly, standing in front of the orc army with a determination to fight to the death.
Sini and Tracy, moved by the elves’ resolve, also stepped forward to join the battle lines. While they could respawn if killed, the death of an elf meant a permanent loss.
“Avis, go support the elves. Leave this guy to me!” John’s voice rang out as he finally cleared the remaining orc army and arrived at the battlefield.
“Be careful, Master. This guy is quite strong,” Avis warned before turning to support Anna and the others.
With Avis’s help, the pressure on the elves significantly lessened, and they managed to hold back the orc army.
The orc leader, having been engaged with Avis for some time, was now covered in wounds. He wiped the blood from his mouth, glaring coldly at John. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he spoke, “Human, stop struggling. It’s futile. You can’t prevent the extinction of the elves, just like you won’t be able to stop the future extinction of humans!”
“Is that so?” John’s eyes were icy cold. The orc leader’s words hit a nerve.
Perhaps he couldn’t prevent the catastrophe in his previous life, but in this life, he was determined to change everything.
John tightened his grip on his dagger, speaking slowly, “I wish you could witness the fall of the gods. Unfortunately, you’re about to die.”
“The fall of the gods? Haha, such boastful words coming from you,” the orc leader laughed arrogantly, full of disdain.
John didn’t waste any more words, launching his attack immediately.
Buzz!
Cold light flashed as John activated the Assassin’s Shadow Strike skill.
The orc leader sneered disdainfully, “Hmph, human, if you were teaming up with that black dragon, I might be cautious, but you’re alone. You’re no match for me!”
John didn’t respond. In an instant, he was right in front of the orc leader, his dagger slashing towards the orc’s neck.
Slash!
-26516
Blood spurted, and a terrifying damage number floated above the orc leader’s head. Critical hit!
The orc leader’s mocking stopped abruptly. He clutched the wound on his neck, retreating in shock, unable to believe it. “Human, how can your damage be this high?”
He had a total of 96000 health points. After his battle with the black dragon Avis, his health was already below forty thousand.
John’s single strike nearly killed him, leaving his health below ten thousand.
“Die, Death Whirlwind!”
John shouted, his body turning into a blur, countless flashes of cold light enveloping the orc leader.
“Get away, Armor of War!” the orc leader roared, golden light surrounding him as he tried to fend off John’s attacks.
Clang, clang, clang…
The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously, but his health still plummeted rapidly, soon reaching the brink of death.
Cough!
The orc leader spat out a mouthful of blood, half-kneeling on the ground, coldly staring at John with a grim smile.
“Still alive?” John was surprised to see the heavily wounded orc leader.
His remaining health should not have withstood his attack.
The orc leader struggled to his feet, glaring at John as he spoke slowly, “Human, I have a premonition that you will be targeted by Dark Humans and even the gods themselves. You will die a horrible death!”
Before John could react, the orc leader turned and quickly charged towards the Tree of Life, a black talisman appearing in his hand.
“Not good!” John realized, seeing that the orc leader’s target was the Tree of Life.
“Dark Talisman!” Anna also noticed the orc leader’s action, her face paling in panic. “My savior, stop him!”
Even before Anna could finish, John’s attack had already struck. Two Thunderstorms hit the orc leader in quick succession.
Boom! Boom!
With a deafening roar, the orc leader was obliterated.
But in his final moments, he activated the talisman and hurled it towards the Tree of Life.
[You have slain a level 100 rare boss, Orc Leader. You gain 4880 experience points.]
[You have leveled up. Spirit +4, Strength +3, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +8, Skill Points
+2.]
[Plunder Talent activated. Strength +50, Constitution +50, you have gained the talent Lifesaver.]
As the notification messages flashed, John didn’t have time to check them.
“No!” Anna wailed in despair, collapsing to the ground, her eyes wide with horror as the black talisman flew towards the massive trunk of the Tree of Life.
Buzz!
The talisman exploded, dark magic surging forth, filled with an evil, corrosive aura that enveloped the entire trunk.
Rustle…
In an instant, leaves withered and fell, branches decayed, and the immense vitality of the tree
was rapidly consumed.
The orc army had been completely eradicated.
But the surviving elves had no joy. They knelt on the ground, despondent, staring blankly at
the dying Tree of Life.
Sini approached the weeping Anna, trying to comfort her, “Anna, it’s okay. At least some elves are still alive. There’s still hope.”
Anna lifted her head, her face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with deep helplessness and despair that pierced Sini’s heart.
With a bitter smile, Anna spoke, “Sini, you don’t understand. The Tree of Life is the essence of the elves. If the Tree of Life dies, so will we. The elven race will vanish forever.” “What do you mean?” Sini panicked, grabbing Anna and demanding an explanation. Anna’s face was devoid of its usual radiance, and she replied, “It means we will die too.”
“No, it can’t be,” Sini couldn’t accept it and turned to John, pleading, “Master, think of
something.”
“Old man, they’re so pitiful. Please save them,” Tracy also begged.
John was their only hope now. If he couldn’t find a way, it truly would be the end.
The withered leaves fell like the dying breaths of the elves.
Anna and the others began to lose consciousness, collapsing to the ground as their life force
drained rapidly.
John’s heart ached. He couldn’t bear to see Anna’s life extinguished.
There must be a way!
John approached the withered Tree of Life, examining its attributes.
[Tree of Life: Sacred artifact of the elven race, from which elves are born, sharing its life
force]
[Current Status: Life force draining, rapidly decaying and dying]
[Note: You can sign a soul contract to share your life force with the Tree of Life, but your soul
will be severely damaged, and your life force will be consumed…]
There is a way!
John saw the attribute description, ignoring the warning at the end.
Fortunately, he still had the Contract Scroll that he hadn’t used yet.
John didn’t hesitate. He took out the Contract Scroll and signed a soul contract with the Tree
of Life, initiating life-sharing.
“Please don’t reject it!” he prayed silently.
The Tree of Life had a soul and consciousness; if it didn’t agree to the contract, John would be
out of options.
[Ding! The Tree of Life has agreed to sign a soul contract with you. Do you wish to establish a
life-sharing connection?]
[Warning: The Tree of Life is rapidly withering, and its life force is depleting. This will drain
your own life force and put you in mortal danger.]
“Establish!” John ignored the system’s warning and initiated life-sharing.
Buzz!
A surge of soul energy enveloped both John and the Tree of Life. Suddenly, John felt a splitting headache as if his soul were being torn apart. His health points
plummeted rapidly.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Sini was startled and quickly ran over to check John’s condition.
“Tracy, heal him!” She noticed John’s health dropping quickly and urged Tracy.
Tracy immediately cast a healing spell.
Holy light surrounded John, providing a brief moment of warmth, but it was like trying to put
out a raging fire with a single cup of water. The searing pain continued unabated.
It was a pain that penetrated the soul, unavoidable and relentless. John’s health plummeted rapidly, and his face turned pale. He felt a growing sense of dread.
The system’s warning about death likely meant his soul would vanish, leading to his real-life
death.
John couldn’t accept that outcome. With difficulty, he took out two healing potions and drank
them both.
But it was useless.
John’s health continued to drop by 1000 points per second, far too quickly to counteract.
With his health nearly depleted, he became desperate.
“Master, the Death Land!” Avis rushed over, urgently saying, “The dark elves and natural
elves share a common origin. The mist of the Death Land is the source of the dark elves’ power. It might be able to restore the Tree of Life.”
John heard Avis’s words and gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his composure. He
connected with the Death Land token in his mind, and with a thought, he and the Tree of Life
vanished together, entering the Death Land.
Whoosh!
Mist surged as the enormous Tree of Life appeared in the Death Land, stirring up a whirlwind.
The endless mist seemed to find an outlet, converging towards the tree.
John watched the rushing mist but could no longer hold on. His body went limp, and he
collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The commotion woke the sleeping giant tortoise.
The tortoise extended its head, frowning as it sensed the suddenly appearing energies. It
muttered to itself, “How can there be such dark and evil energy here? And a pure life force… What’s going on?”
Curious, it flashed its enormous body and moved to the source of the dark energy.
“The Tree of Life! Dark Talisman!” the tortoise exclaimed, then noticed the unconscious John
and understood.
“This boy forcibly signed a soul contract with the Tree of Life to extend its life!” The tortoise’s expression softened. A glow enveloped its body, and it transformed into an elderly man with a weathered appearance.
The endless mist surged, all converging towards the Tree of Life, which absorbed it to
counteract the Dark Talisman’s evil energy.
“Still not enough!” The old man’s brows furrowed as he looked at the unconscious John and
sighed in resignation. “Boy, if I were at my peak, I would save you. But now, I am but a shadow of my former self, burdened with a mission. I cannot help you.”
His expression showed his reluctance as he turned away, unable to bear watching. John’s willingness to sacrifice his life for the Tree of Life moved the old man deeply. If not for his mission, he might have risked his own life to save both John and the Tree of Life. “Huh, what’s that corpse?” As the mist cleared, a corpse was revealed, catching the old man’s
attention. “Undead Lord! How did his body end up here?” The old man was puzzled, then looked at the unconscious John with a hint of excitement. “Boy, it seems your fate is not yet sealed!”