Chapter 563 - 381: Jade Dream Realm, Aisala (2)

[Juvenile World Tree discovered. Lifeform: Rule-Will Incarnate]

[Level: Level Five Limit]

[Status: Growth Phase]

[Warning: Target’s level of being far exceeds the Host’s. Caution is advised.]

Ian’s breath caught. ’This young girl is a tree? A World Tree!’

Not a subspecies or a severed root from some data file, but a living, breathing, juvenile World Tree in the flesh.

She had already reached the Level Five Limit, just one step away from Level Six.

Nicholas had never mentioned this. Perhaps few in the entire Wizard World even knew.

Moreover, the fact that she could appear in the Dream Realm in this form meant her control over the Dream Rule was simply inconceivable.

"My name is Aisala." The girl took two steps forward, her emerald eyes studying Ian with curiosity.

Her voice was soft, yet it echoed throughout the Dream Realm, brimming with a vibrant, life-giving aura.

"You’re Ian Marcus, right? I just learned how to pronounce that. I hope I didn’t say it wrong."

Ian quickly calmed himself, the light of the Blazing Star Core within his Sea of Spirit dimming slightly.

He gave a slight nod, his gaze meeting Aisala’s calmly.

"It is I. May I ask for what reason you’ve invited me here, Lady... Aisala?"

He didn’t reveal her true identity. Since she introduced herself as "Aisala," he would interact with her as such for the time being.

Aisala pursed her lips in a faint smile, a sly glint in her emerald eyes, as if she had just found an interesting new toy.

But then her expression turned slightly apologetic. "It was indeed a bit presumptuous of me to bring you here like this."

"But I cannot reveal myself in the real world. There are eyes from other powers in the Silver Moon Highlands."

She raised a slender finger and tapped it lightly in the air.

The surrounding Jade Dream Realm began to shift. The moonlight and trees receded, and a three-dimensional image of the Void materialized in the center.

Within the image, a small tree radiating a silvery-white halo floated in the Void.

Countless fine roots extended from the sapling’s base, burrowing into the surrounding Void and greedily absorbing Energy.

"As you can see, I am still in my growth phase."

Aisala’s voice deepened, revealing an ancient, weary quality that belied her appearance.

"Growth requires nutrients. A great, great many nutrients."

"I dare not touch the origin-source of the Wizard World, so I extend my roots into the Void to draw upon the ambient Void Energy."

"But the Void... is not a safe place."

In the image, the sapling’s countless roots stretched in all directions. One root extended particularly far, its tip glowing faintly, as if touching a special "node."

"About a year ago, this root inadvertently touched a ’resonant frequency’."

"It was another world—one I call the world of Esok. From within it, a peculiar fluctuation suddenly emerged."

"The fluctuation was very faint, but I perceived it."

Aisala looked at Ian, a complex expression in her emerald eyes.

"Following the fluctuation, I attempted to communicate with the intelligent life in that world."

"Fortunately, I made contact with a ’Summoner.’ They are a special group among the natives of the Esok World."

The image changed, revealing a blurry, humanoid figure.

He knelt before an altar surrounded by piles of strange Crystal Stones, chanting an ancient Spell.

"The Esok World is home to humanoid races, and their ’Summoners’ possess a unique Talent."

"They can bypass world barriers and directly establish a Spiritual Link with intelligent life from an Otherworld."

"They can even... by sacrificing Souls from an Otherworld, allow a powerful member of their own race to descend into the corresponding world."

Aisala’s voice carried a rare solemnity. "This peculiar Talent directly bypasses the blockade of a World Will."

"The Wizard Civilization conquers countless worlds by relying on War Fortresses, confrontations of Rule, and overwhelming legions."

"Only by breaking through world barriers step-by-step and suppressing the World Will can a powerful being achieve True Body Descent."

"But the Summoners of Esok... they can just ’jump’ across."

Ian’s pupils contracted. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, the first being his [Phase Soul Weaving Technique].

’This heaven-defying Talent... if I could obtain it...’

’Or, if the Wizard World mastered this technique, the cost and risk of invading other worlds would be drastically reduced.’

’No, it’s not even just about invasion...’

’This ability to bypass world barriers and communicate directly holds immeasurable value for intelligence gathering, trade, infiltration, and so much more.’

"I established a stable connection with that Summoner, but it was also then that the Extraterritorial Nest Will tracked me down through my roots."

Aisala continued her tale as the image changed again, this time revealing a world on the brink of destruction.

The earth was cracked and barren, the sky filled with dark purple rifts, and countless swarms of insects surged like a tide.

But deep within some mountain ranges and forests, scattered pockets of resistance remained, where the surviving intelligent life of Esok fought tenaciously, relying on ancient Barriers.

"The Esok World had previously suffered an invasion from the Abyss. Its World Will was severely wounded while resisting the Erosion and fell into a deep slumber."

"It was when the world was at its weakest that the Void Nest discovered it. The great army of the Insect Race tore open a Rift and poured in, and they have now conquered over seventy percent of the land."

"But the most critical part is..."

Aisala pointed to the special members of the Insect Race behind the main swarm in the image, the ones glittering with a crystalline light.

The Crystal Core Insects.

They were gathered at Energy Nodes all over the world, continuously gnawing on and absorbing the world’s origin-source.

"The Void Nest has produced a massive number of Crystal Core Insects and is frantically Devouring this world. It is currently entrenched outside the world barrier, commanding the insect swarms’ assault while having the Crystal Core Insects convert the world’s origin-source."