After a couple of days of rest and meditation, Liam decided to head home. There were a lot of things he needed to accomplish in the Eternal Sword Palace, especially considering the system event on the horizon but he did not want to take any chances. He first wanted to feed the echo crystal to the world spirit and make sure that everything was compatible. He was dabbling in things way beyond his understanding. He had no control over this process. He did not feel comfortable postponing this.
Liam activated the teleportation circle, a swirling vortex of light engulfing him as he prepared for his journey back home. Not long after he was standing at the midpoint in front of the small world tree.
There were several barriers around the tree but none barred his approach. He could feel a warm welcoming feeling like a gentle embrace. Liam smiled and stepped inside.
He immediately felt an intense connection to many daos, the truths about the ancient worlds were whispered to him in his ears but Liam decisively ignored them. He took out the echo crystal and gently placed it underneath the tree.
As soon as the Echo Crystal touched the ground beneath the world tree, a powerful pulse of energy spread through the earth. The crystal emitted a faint, shimmering glow, and the intricate runes etched on its surface began to unravel, dissolving into threads of radiant light.
The world tree seemed to react immediately. Its roots began to move, curling and twining around the crystal as if recognizing its power and absorbing it into its very core. Liam watched as the roots seemed to wrap the Echo Crystal in a protective cocoon, drawing it deeper into the soil. The air around him shimmered, and a gentle hum began to emanate from the world tree, resonating with an almost musical tone as if the tree was happy and content cradling the crystal.
Liam took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a brief moment as he felt the energy of the crystal merging with the world tree. The whispers of countless truths and paths of the ancient daos brushed against his consciousness, but he held firm, focusing on the task at hand.
After a few moments, the tree's glow intensified, bathing the clearing in an ethereal light. The leaves seemed to shimmer with a renewed vigor, and the branches swayed ever so slightly, as though a soft breeze had passed through them.
Another new barrier popped up around the tree. However, an almost indecipherable pulse spread across the entire world, covering the whole landmass in a new barrier. Occasionally runes shimmered on the barrier and finally, everything flickered into nothingness as if the entirety of the world did not exist.
Liam could only vaguely feel everything but he could tell that the process was successful. It worked. The Echo Crystal had been accepted, and the world was now cloaked from prying eyes. A sense of relief washed over him.
As he was about to leave, a soft feminine voice reached out to him. "Thank you, Liam."
Liam stopped in surprise and looked back at the small tree. He gave a small nod and then replied. "Grow well. We will both need strength for what lies ahead."
Liam then turned away and left for the system shop in the main guild base. With the world somewhat secured for the time being, there was no more time to waste. This was his chance. He needed to quickly improve his strength and break through to the next level.
It was only a matter of time before that divine high priestess got past something echo crystal. He had no doubt in his mind that she was going to stop hunting him or his entire world because of this.
As soon as he arrived at the system shop, he briefed Tilia about what had happened.
"What?!" The fairy gasped in disbelief. "You managed to procure an echo crystal? You fed an echo crystal to the world spirit?"
Tilia floated in the air, her wings flapping rapidly, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and awe. "Do you know how rare that crystal is? It's not just rare, it's almost mythical! Many beings and factions have been destroyed trying to procure one of those!" She let out a breath, seemingly needing a moment to process it all.
"How on earth did you manage to procure something ? Wait. Don't tell me. Was that a cheap imitation? Those things can have consequences you know! Why didn't you let me appraise it?!"
Liam shook his head. "No. You don't have to worry about that. It should be the real deal."
"How are you so sure? Wait, how much money did you spend on it? No, money cannot buy something . Did you exchange some priceless treasure for it? You should have taken me with you!"
Liam smiled looking at the fairy getting all flustered on his behalf. "If you want I can take you with me the next time. I should be leaving shortly. Interested? It is a very beautiful world."
Right at this moment, Liam's instincts screamed at him and all the hair on his back suddenly stood up. Danger?!
He turned around to see what could have possibly barged into the system shop, breaking the system-placed securities when his gaze fell on the familiar redhead. A pair of beautiful but angry eyes glared back at him shooting daggers at him.
Liam laughed awkwardly. "When did you get here?" He stepped forward to embrace the lovable idiot when she pushed him back with her finger.
"Take her where?" Alex repeated. Her arms were folded across her chest, making her assets swell up more.
"I was just joking, my dear." Liam smiled wryly. This time someone else pushed him and it was not Alex who was still glaring at him with anger.
"So you were just joking? Your offer to bring me along with you was a lie? Are you going back on your word, Liam?" Tilia pouted, her arms crossed as she floated next to Liam, looking equally offended.
Liam sighed, feeling himself stuck between two stubborn women. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that," he said, shaking his head. "You can come if you want. It's not a big deal."
Alex poked him from the side. "Were you joking or not? Which is it?"
"Hey, come on. Don't be ." Looking at the two angry women in front of him Liam was completely speechless. Just as he was thinking about how to get out of this hole he had dug for himself another person walked into the room.
"Is he here, Alex?" Shen Yue's eyes widened at the scene in front of her. "Liam…" As soon as she saw him, she rushed forward to hug him tightly. "You are back? I missed you."
Liam let out a sigh. "I missed you too." He was about to wrap his arms around her to return the hug when Shen Yue pulled back and looked at Alex in worry. "Alex, what happened? Why do you look so angry?"
Oh shit. Liam had a bad feeling about what was to come next.