"Leah, go and fetch that bottle of nectar wine I've been saving. We have a guest; we mustn't be inhospitable."
Leah gave a quick response and turned to enter a side room.
A moment later, she emerged carrying a dark green ceramic jar.
The surface of the jar was carved with vine patterns, identical to those on the walls.
She placed the jar on the long table and took two wooden wine cups from a cupboard.
The old woman pulled out the wooden cork.
A cloyingly sweet scent of wine filled the hall, carrying the fragrance of some unknown flower.
She filled both cups and pushed one toward Ethan. "Come, have a taste."
She picked up the other cup herself and took a small sip.
Leah stood beside the old woman, her amber eyes circling Ethan with a smile on her lips.
Ethan sat on the wooden stool but did not touch the wine.
The old woman set down her cup, her clouded eyes settling on Ethan.
In the small amount of clarity remaining, the smile slowly vanished.
"What is it? Not to your taste?"
Ethan sat on the wooden stool and looked at the old woman. "Old woman, poisoning me the moment we meet?"
The air in the hall froze for a heartbeat.
The smile on Leah's face stiffened.
Her amber eyes darted within their sockets, and her long, pointed ears twitched slightly.
The old woman stared at Ethan for two breaths, then laughed. The smile was entirely different from before, devoid of any kindness. "Outsider, it would have been so much better if you had just stayed still and taken the confusion potion."
She paused, and with a flick of her wrist, a bone-white short staff slid from her sleeve into her palm. The tip of the staff was inlaid with a thumb-sized emerald-green crystal, with fine light slowly circulating within it.
"Now, you'll have to suffer some physical pain instead."
Ethan looked at the old woman's face, and his lips slowly curled into a grin.
"Heh, old hag, when did you figure it out?"
Before the old woman could answer, Leah poked half her head out from behind her.
Her amber eyes were full of smugness, and her long ears stood straight up.
"Vile outsider, I noticed the very first moment I saw you."
Ethan tilted his head, his gaze falling on Leah.
"Oh? My disguise was flawless. How did you find out?"
"Hmph." Leah lifted her chin, her long ears swaying with the movement. "Naturally, it was through Nature's..."
"Leah!" The old woman interrupted before Leah could finish.
Leah opened her mouth, looked at her grandmother's profile, then at Ethan's half-smiling face, and swallowed her words.
She shrank back behind the old woman, leaving only her amber eyes visible as she glared fiercely at Ethan.
Ignoring her granddaughter's actions, the old woman stared straight at Ethan. "Outsider, tell me where you come from. I can lessen your pain and grant you a swift death."
"Heh, old hag, do you really take me for a three-year-old child?"
Before his voice even faded, Ethan threw himself backward.
At the same time, he spread the fingers of his right hand, and a pale green light surged from his palm.
Hundreds of emerald-green flying leaves manifested simultaneously.
Each leaf was only the size of a thumb, with edges so thin they were almost transparent.
A storm of Thousand Leaf Daggers poured toward the old woman and Leah.
The old woman slammed her short staff onto the floor.
An emerald-green light shield expanded from the tip of the staff, forming a translucent arc-shaped barrier in front of her and Leah.
The flying leaves struck the light shield, creating a dense sound of impacts.
Countless tiny ripples spread across the surface of the shield, but they couldn't damage it in the slightest.
Seeing that the attack was ineffective, Ethan turned and charged out the door.
The two wooden statues outside came to life the moment he crossed the threshold.
The wooden wings of the bird of prey suddenly unfurled, their wingspan exceeding five meters, as they slammed down toward Ethan's head.
The crouching beast leaped from its pedestal, its wooden maw opening to reveal a mouth full of carved fangs.
Ethan raised his right hand.
Two Giant Wood Spikes erupted from the ground.
One struck the bird of prey in the chest, forcefully cutting off its downward momentum.
The other shoved into the beast's open mouth, piercing through the back of its head in a spray of wood chips.
The two statues crashed to the ground.
Ethan dashed between them, never breaking his stride.
Before he could run far, dozens of Amons warriors charged out from the surrounding side buildings.
Ethan didn't even look at them; he simply raised his hand.
The ground exploded.
Dozens of wooden spikes erupted from the gaps between the stone slabs, fanning out in all directions with Ethan at the center.
The sound of the spikes tearing through the stone slabs merged into one, with debris flying to both sides under the impact.
The Amons warriors were impaled from the soles of their feet, the spikes tearing through their thighs, abdomens, and out the tops of their heads.
Pale blue blood flowed down the spikes.
Truly a work of art.
An enraged roar from the old woman echoed behind him.
"Villain! You dare commit murder in the presence of Zhuoya? Die!"
Zhuoya raised her short staff, and a green palm shot out from the crystal. It was the size of a human hand, with five distinct fingers, and entirely emerald-green.
The palm moved with incredible speed, reaching Ethan's back in almost a single breath.
Ethan noticed it immediately. Sensing the energy within the palm behind him, his scalp tingled.
An attack from a First-Tier lifeform meant death if it touched him.
He slammed his foot into the ground, shattering the stone slabs as he forced his body to twist to the left.
The green palm grazed his right shoulder, the rushing wind tearing a bloody gash in his shoulder.
Fabric shredded and skin peeled back. Just as the pale red blood began to seep out, the wound started to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The palm struck the ground ahead.
BOOM!
Debris flew everywhere as a bottomless hole, three meters in diameter, was blasted into the ground.
The edges of the hole were as smooth as if cut by a knife. The soil and stone slabs had been vaporized directly, leaving not even powder behind.
Ethan glanced at the hole and moved even faster.
The power of a First-Tier lifeform was absolutely terrifying.
Of course, it wasn't in his nature to just run without fighting back.
As he ran, he raised his right hand, and countless flying leaves shot out from his palm.
The Thousand Leaf Daggers scattered in the air, flying in all directions and accurately slicing into the Amons people on the streets who were still standing in a daze.
Pale blue blood blossomed across the street.
When Zhuoya saw this, the fury in her amber eyes nearly overflowed.
"Evil thief!"
She slammed her staff onto the ground once more.
Emerald-green light radiated from the base of the staff, spreading out in all directions like ripples on water.
Wherever the light passed, countless fine roots sprouted from the gaps in the stone slabs, growing, intertwining, and weaving at a frantic speed.
Within a few breaths, an emerald-green light shield rose from the outskirts of the city, enveloping the entire place within it.
The shield was translucent, its surface flowing with intricate runic patterns. Light passing through the shield was dyed a pale green, casting the entire city in an eerie green glow.
At the same time, the entire city stirred to life.
Warriors rushed out from wooden houses, poured from the training grounds, and doubled back from the city walls.
They held spears, battle axes, and hunting bows. War paint was smeared across their pale green skin, and their amber eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"Seal the city gates!"
"Protect the Priest!"
"Kill him!"
Shouts erupted from every direction.
Rate on N.U.
