Chapter 1080: The Race Abandoned by Fate

"No, we Wood Spirits always repay kindness, especially kindness as profound as this!"

Elder Qingye, the oldest and seemingly most authoritative person present, sincerely said, "Young man, please state any request you have. We will do our utmost to repay you."

"There's no need," Yun Che shook his head. "I saved him not out of goodwill. My initial intention was to obtain a Wood Spirit Orb."

"Wh-what?" Yun Che's words made all the Wood Spirits look up sharply, their expressions changing slightly.

"I spared Helin only because he is a child and I couldn't bring myself to harm him. Had it been any other Wood Spirit, I would certainly have taken their life and their Wood Spirit Orb by force. Therefore, you don't need to thank me."

Noting the sudden change in the Wood Spirits' expressions, he turned and walked briskly towards the exit.

"Wait." An aged voice called out to him.

Yun Che paused but didn't turn back, stating flatly, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this place."

"No," Elder Qingye said, hunching slightly as she approached him. "You saved Lin'er; you are a great benefactor to our entire clan. How could we not trust you? You just said you need a Wood Spirit Orb, didn't you?"

Yun Che was startled and turned around.

Elder Qingye smiled gently, her slightly clouded gaze falling on the middle-aged Wood Spirit beside Helin. "Qingmu, how about we give our benefactor Qiuling's Wood Spirit Orb?"

Qingmu's eyes, upon hearing his name, showed a complex flicker, but he did not hesitate or appear conflicted. He simply nodded slightly. "Of course, that would be acceptable."

"That's wonderful," Elder Qingye chuckled. "Young man, our clan happens to possess a Wood Spirit Orb. Qingmu's wife specifically left it behind when she was gravely injured and beyond recovery years ago. Though many years have passed, it was sealed within a natural profound formation, so its spiritual power has not diminished at all. It should be able to help you."

A Wood Spirit Orb willingly left behind, with no loss of spiritual energy—this clearly meant it was a perfect Wood Spirit Orb with 100% spiritual power, something humans could not possibly obtain through force!

Yun Che's heart stirred with excitement. "Really... you can give it to me?"

"Haha," Qingmu chuckled. "My deceased wife's Wood Spirit Orb, I would guard it with my life against any villain. But if it can be used to repay the great benefactor who saved our young clan leader, Qiuling's spirit in heaven would surely consent happily."

"However, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, I sealed it very securely. It will take at least one to two hours to unseal the natural profound formation that encases it. During this time, we will have to trouble our benefactor to wait here."

Yun Che had paid a huge price but ultimately did not forcibly take Helin's Wood Spirit Orb... yet here, he received the gift of a perfect Wood Spirit Orb.

Although it still couldn't compare to Helin's royal Wood Spirit Orb, its 100% spiritual power far exceeded the 70% spiritual power Wood Spirit Orb Yun Che needed.

The last trace of vexation in Yun Che's heart vanished, replaced by profound joy and gratitude. "This is... too kind. I indeed urgently need a Wood Spirit Orb for an important reason."

"No need to thank us; no matter how we repay your great kindness, it would not be enough," Elder Qingye said. "Qingmu, go ahead. Once you retrieve it, hand it directly to our benefactor."

Qingmu acknowledged and flew off.

"Great! I didn't want to say goodbye to Big Brother yet!" Helin cheered, excitedly rushing over to Yun Che and tugging at his sleeve. "Big Brother, let me show you our home, okay? Although it's small, I'm sure you'll love it."

Helin led him, officially entering this small world belonging exclusively to the Wood Spirits.

With emerald trees as houses and flowers and grass as beds, it was an incredibly pure world, where not a trace of impurity could be smelled in the air.

This was a race originally protected by nature, yet they had suffered a fate more tragic and desolate than any other due to human greed. They should have harbored deep-seated hatred for humans, but as Helin led him to one Wood Spirit after another, happily introducing him, what they expressed was profound gratitude and heartfelt welcome. Perhaps there was a slight hint of wariness, but from beginning to end, he felt not the slightest bit of hatred.

The Wood Spirits possessed the purest power and the purest hearts in the world. Yun Che was deeply feeling this at that moment, his heart throbbing intensely.

Even against enemies a hundred times stronger than himself, his gaze would never falter, but the clear, unblemished emerald eyes of these Wood Spirits made him unable to meet their gaze again and again…

Why did such a race, which should have received nature's utmost protection, bear such a cruel and unjust fate?

It was because of humanity's sin and greed...And also because of their weakness.

The bodies of the Dragon Race were also treasures, but who in this world would dare to bully the True Dragons of the Dragon God Realm?

"Sister Qinghe!"

Helin led Yun Che all the way to the end of the small world, where there was a large flower garden. As far as the eye could see, a myriad of colorful flowers bloomed. A girl in a colorful dress was collecting morning dew from the flower petals. Her nimble figure, like a colorful butterfly dancing among the flowers, was a delight to behold, captivating and enchanting.

At Helin's joyful shout, the girl turned from the garden, her gaze softly falling on them. Helin, his cheeks flushed, introduced her to Yun Che. "This is Sister Qinghe. Her father is Uncle Qingmu. Sister Qinghe, this is the Big Brother who saved me. He's a Big Brother, but he's super amazing!"

The girl in colorful clothes appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen. Her fair face carried the charming innocence of youth and the unique purity of a Wood Spirit. She bowed gently to Yun Che. "Thank you, Big Brother, for your great kindness in saving our young clan leader."

As soon as she finished speaking, she dared not look into Yun Che's eyes again, lowering her head, a faint blush quietly spreading across her face.

"Oh? Young Clan Leader, so you brought our benefactor brother here! No wonder we couldn't find you anywhere!"

From behind, a girl's voice, clear and lively like a spring, drifted to his ears. A girl of similar age to Qinghe floated lightly towards them, followed by a seventeen or eighteen-year-old Wood Spirit youth, tall and slender with impeccable good looks.

"Sister Feiyan, Brother Qingzhu!" Helin crisply called out their names.

Upon their arrival, the two looked at Yun Che with shining eyes for a while. The Wood Spirit youth named Qingzhu bowed deeply to Yun Che. "Benefactor Brother, you saved our young clan leader... we don't know how to repay you."

"Thank you, Benefactor Brother," the Wood Spirit girl Feiyan curtsied gracefully, her bright, beautiful eyes scrutinizing Yun Che repeatedly. "Among humans, there truly are many good people."

"Of course!" Helin declared with an air of importance. "My parents used to tell me that often when they were alive. The first moment I saw Big Brother, I believed he must be a very good person."

"Hmph! Young Clan Leader, how dare you say that!" Feiyan raised a hand and gently tapped Helin's forehead, pouting. "Do you know you almost scared us all to death! Even Elder Qingye cried several times. You... if you dare do that again, we won't talk to you!"

Helin, wincing, clutched his forehead, not daring to retort. He meekly and pitifully said, "Sister Feiyan, I know I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again. I just... I just wanted to see the outside world so badly, and I didn't expect to be so unlucky... Waaah, I really won't dare again."

"Feiyan, don't speak to the young clan leader like that. He'll surely be good from now on," Qinghe gently interjected, protecting him. As she spoke, her gaze subtly flickered towards Yun Che, then she quickly lowered her head again.

"Hmph, anyway, I'll keep a close eye on the young clan leader from now on!" Feiyan puffed out her cheeks.

Qingzhu, however, was filled with irrepressible curiosity and asked somewhat eagerly, "Young Clan Leader, what exactly happened after you secretly ran out that day? And what is the outside world like? Is it really as mystical as Elder Qingye and Uncle Qingmu say? Quickly, tell us!"

"Well, this... this..." Helin hesitated nervously. "I was caught soon after I ran out. After that... I was just scared, so I didn't have the mind to pay attention to anything else. Oh! That's right!"

Helin's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to Yun Che. "Big Brother, why don't you tell us about the outside world?"

Helin's suggestion immediately reminded them all. Qinghe, Feiyan, and Qingzhu's expectant gazes instantly converged on Yun Che... this first outsider to arrive in their small world. "Benefactor Brother, you must know so much about the outside world. We want to hear, we really want to hear."

Four pairs of emerald green eyes sparkled with the same anticipation and longing. This gaze suddenly tugged at Yun Che's soul, like being pricked by needles. Their entire lives had been spent in flight, fear, and caution. Only in their own small world could they feel safe. For them, every place in the outside world could be an abyss of death.

How much yearning and longing they held in their hearts, and how cruel the fate they endured.

Yun Che took a deep breath and slowly began, "Actually, my home is not in the God Realm, but in a very distant and remote lower realm... The first place I arrived at in the God Realm was an endlessly white world. The land, rivers, oceans, and mountains were all covered by ice and snow that never melted, and even the sky was white as if blanketed by snow... The palaces there could be dozens of miles long, and the largest one was several hundred miles in length..."

Without mentioning specific names, Yun Che described the world he came from, the white world of the Snow Song Realm and the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect's Minuscule Cold Sky Lake, and the boundless purgatory of fire in the Blazing Heaven Realm... He also mentioned the two terrifying, cunning ancient Horned Dragons in that realm of fire...

The four young Wood Spirits listened, utterly captivated, exclaiming repeatedly.

Merely listening and trying to visualize it in their minds could not truly convey what such scenes and situations were like, but even so, for them, who were perpetually "confined" to their small world, it was an unprecedented spiritual awakening.

"Thousands of miles... tens of thousands of miles... all a white world," Feiyan said, looking up with a dreamy gaze, then a hint of disappointment. "I've never seen snow my whole life."

"Me neither," Qingzhu agreed, nodding, his heart full of longing.

Yun Che smiled faintly, then suddenly ascended. With a flicker of blue light in his hand, a vast expanse of falling snow, like feathers, descended from the sky, accompanied by a refreshingly cool breeze.

"Wow!"

Excited exclamations overlapped as they cupped their hands, bathing in the falling snow, feeling a coldness they had never experienced before, as if they had suddenly been transported to an entirely different world.

The snow initially fell lightly, quickly transforming into a blizzard. Yun Che's fingers shifted slightly, and immediately, a dozen ice crystal lotuses bloomed amidst the flying snow. The smallest could be held in the palm, while the largest made the two Wood Spirit girls eagerly vie to sit upon it, to personally experience the blossoming of the ice lotus.

Beyond the falling snow, a pale golden flame ignited, quickly coalescing into a huge Golden Crow flame phantom, emitting a clear and mighty cry.

"What a beautiful firebird!" Helin exclaimed softly.

"That's a Golden Crow. In ancient times, it was one of the strongest flame divine beasts."

Yun Che's thoughts stirred slightly, and immediately, the flame-condensed image rapidly changed, taking on the appearance of the ancient Horned Dragon from the God Burial Inferno.

"This is the flame Horned Dragon I just told you about. Its entire body is made of fire, and its tail is even longer than its body. Yes, its size is roughly like this," Yun Che explained, adding with a sigh, "I almost died under its claws back then."

"It looks so scary! You can tell it's a very, very bad profound beast just by looking at it," Feiyan said, her cheeks slightly puffed, seemingly expressing her displeasure that it almost killed Yun Che.

After snow, ice, and fire, Yun Che then demonstrated lightning and profound energy, playing with them for a long time before retracting his hand, making all the wind, snow, thunder, and fire dissipate.

Everything vanished like a fleeting illusion.

Under the unprecedented excitement, the cheeks of the four young Wood Spirits were flushed. In their eyes, as they looked at Yun Che, dazzling stars seemed to shine. Before, they had felt gratitude and fondness for Yun Che, but now, it was an overwhelming and all-consuming adoration.

"I really... really want to go see the places Benefactor Brother talked about," Qingzhu said, looking up, his voice dreamy.

"That day will surely come," Yun Che replied.

"Benefactor Brother... Um! Can we...?" Feiyan's eyes were eager, yet her face was full of nervousness. "Can we know your name?"

Helin, Qinghe, and Qingzhu all looked at him as well.

Yun Che smiled faintly and said without hesitation, "My name is Yun Che."

"Yun Che..." they murmured simultaneously.

"Brother Yun Che!" Qingzhu called out, eyes shining with excitement.

"You, you, you... you big silly, you beat me to it again! I want to call him too... Brother Yun Che!" Feiyan exclaimed, her eyes curving into delicate crescents. Then, she tugged at Qinghe beside her. "Sister Qinghe, you've been so quiet today! Quickly, call him Brother Yun Che."

Qinghe took a small step forward but kept her head down, nervously clutching her colorful sash. She whispered timidly, "Brother... Yun Che..."

"Qinghe, what's wrong?" Qingzhu worried about Qinghe's unusual behavior. "You look... huh? Why is your face a little red? Are you sick?"

"Ah! I know!" Feiyan shrieked playfully. "Sister Qinghe must like Brother Yun Che!"

"I... I do not!" The faint morning glow on her face instantly transformed into a vibrant sunset hue, spreading all the way to her jade-like neck. She lowered her head even further, then suddenly stomped her foot lightly and spun around, running off like a startled butterfly... not daring to look at Yun Che once.

"Wahahaha! I was right!" Feiyan burst into triumphant laughter, then fixed her bright eyes on Yun Che. "Brother Yun Che, Qinghe ran off shyly, you'll have to take responsibility now!"

"This..." Yun Che rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a little troubled.

Wood Spirits possessed the purest natural power, making their females gentle and charming, and their males exceptionally handsome, though also somewhat lacking in masculine vigor. For Wood Spirit girls accustomed to male Wood Spirits, the masculine aura and the sharp, imposing presence honed by countless trials in Yun Che were often fatally attractive when in close proximity.

Helin didn't laugh. From before Yun Che revealed his name, he had been staring at him blankly, his lips slowly pressing together, growing tighter and tighter.

Just as Yun Che noticed his unusual state, Helin suddenly knelt heavily before him.

"Ah? Young Clan Leader!" Feiyan and Qingzhu exclaimed, startled.

"Helin, you?" Yun Che quickly reached out, intending to help him up.

But Helin stubbornly remained kneeling, looking up with slightly trembling eyes. "I... I don't want to call you Brother Yun Che. I... I... I want to call you Master."

Yun Che: "..."

"Master! Please be my Master, okay? I want to become as strong as you... I... I will work hard. I can endure hardship, no matter how great. Please, Master, accept me."

Helin wasn't requesting, but pleading... pleading with an overwhelmingly intense desire.

"Helin," Yun Che's hand rested on his small shoulder. "You are a Wood Spirit, and I am a human. Although we are similar, our powers are different, so I can't be your Master."

"No! Master can teach me! We can also use profound energy the same way humans do. My parents told me this themselves!" Helin insisted. "Because my parents were very powerful; they defeated many strong villains and protected countless clan members. I want to be as strong as Master. I want to protect our clan members just like my parents did. I... I will listen to Master. I can do anything for Master. Please, Master, accept me."

"..." Yun Che knelt down, his gaze softening in a way only seen when with loved ones. "Helin, a single person's strength is, after all, limited. Even if you become ten times stronger than me, you cannot change the fate of the Wood Spirit Race alone. It requires the combined effort of the entire clan."

"You are the young clan leader of the Wood Spirit Race, but don't forget, you are still a child. You don't need to carry such a heavy burden on your shoulders. What you should do most is grow up safely and peacefully under the protection of your clan members. When you are grown, then use your mature wings to protect your people, okay?"

"I... I know..." Two streaks of tears slowly slid down Helin's cheeks. "I know that even if I become very strong, it won't change the fate of our whole clan, but... that way, I can at least one day leave here to find my sister, to protect my sister... I promised my parents I would protect my sister, but... but I can't find her anymore. I don't know where she is, or if she's being bullied by bad people. I... I miss her so much... I want to find her so much. I want to be able to protect my sister so she's never bullied again... But... but..."

Yun Che's hand on Helin's shoulder tightened slightly. He was speechless.

When he was Helin's age, he was ridiculed and coldly scorned due to his crippled profound veins. But he had Xiao Lie's meticulous care and protection, Xiao Lingxi's constant companionship, and Xia Yuanba to laugh and play with. He could freely go where he wanted and do what he pleased, completely unaware of what it meant to flee or be in fear, let alone bear the heavy responsibility of a race. Compared to his peers, he with his crippled profound veins could be considered pitiful.