"What else could it be? Look at the sheer size of the tree. I guarantee you its roots stretch across the entire continent," Lapin stated matter-of-factly.
Leyvi was left utterly speechless. Even though the colossal tree dominated his vision, his mind struggled to truly comprehend the scale involved. Roots extending across an entire continent, and not just any continent, but a supercontinent that made up the majority of the world.
"Senior Lapin, is this a normal occurrence?" Leyvi asked, snapping out of his daze.
"Normal? Of course not," Lapin replied with a hint of gravity. "If this were normal, there wouldn't be a single flat piece of land left in this world. This isn't normal at all. In fact, for as long as I have lived, this is the very first time I have seen a main root move. Usually, it only employs its root hairs to deal with potential enemies. But since a main root has been activated, I would say it is not a good sign."
"What? This is the first time you have ever seen it happen?" Leyvi's voice filled with concern. "Senior Lapin, is this happening because you are here?"
How could he not be worried? An event that had never occurred in Lapin's entire long life was now unfolding right after the Celestial Cloud Rabbit had drawn nearer to the tree. If he were the cause, it could easily cost all of them their lives.
"Kekeke! You believe this happened because of my presence, Human Leyvi?" Lapin's laugh was light, but his tone was thoughtful. "At first, I thought the same. But since nothing has specifically targeted us, it's obvious the movement was not aimed at me. The earthquake was merely a side effect of the root shifting. I don't know what is happening with the tree, but you don't need to worry. This isn't related to me."
"Hmm... is that so?" Leyvi pondered the explanation. "Yes, I think you are right. The earthquake was terrifying, but it could not even kill us, let alone you. That makes sense."
After this exchange, Leyvi asked Bodo to stand guard outside the carriages while he took some much needed rest. He decided it was best for the group to remain where they were for the time being, allowing the chaotic situation to settle and the earth to stabilize.
When he entered the front carriage, he saw Anda, Valenia, Lilian, Ava, and Barbara seated on the sofas. The still unconscious Seraphina lay on the floor. It appeared they had been using their spiritual senses to assess the chaotic situation outside.
"Good thing you saved her, Lilian," Leyvi said as he sat down next to Anda. "She passed out? Is she fine? Did she hit her head while falling or something?"
Lilian shook her head gently. "Sister Anda asked me to save her. She is fine. I caught her perfectly. She sustained no injuries. She had already fainted by the time I pulled her back up. Perhaps she was simply too frightened." She explained the situation calmly.
Leyvi blinked in surprise. He had not expected Anda to be the one to order Seraphina's rescue, given their notoriously contentious relationship.
"This girl likes to argue a lot, but in important moments, she can't do anything at all," Leyvi remarked. "She couldn't even hook herself to the ground properly to prevent falling. Why did she even come here? For sightseeing? She has zero survival ability." He then turned a curious gaze toward Anda. "But, considering how much you dislike her, I'm surprised you saved her life again."
"Pftt..." Anda and the other ladies in the carriage almost laughed out loud before dissolving into shared giggles. They found it amusing that Leyvi's observations mirrored Anda's own complaints.
"Why are you ladies giggling? What's so funny?" Leyvi asked, genuinely confused. He was certain he had not made a joke.
"Nothing," Anda replied with a mischievous smile. "This is a lady's secret. Men are not allowed to know."
The ladies continued to giggle among themselves, sharing a look of understanding.
Leyvi could only stare, utterly speechless. What the heck. Did they all hit their heads during the earthquake or something?
The group remained at the site for a full day, allowing the earth to settle before they continued their journey across the drastically altered terrain.
As they traveled, Leyvi gradually became more convinced that the cataclysmic event had not been related to Lapin's presence.
---
If Leyvi had been able to access a worldwide, zoomed-out view with his spiritual sense at that moment, he would have witnessed a staggering sight. A new, stark line had been carved across the face of the Titanis Continent. It began in the region where his group had been caught in the earthquake and stretched in a perfectly straight line all the way to the continent's distant edge. This line marked the path of the earth-shattering transformation.
The earthquake's devastation was not confined to Leyvi's location alone. It traveled in a straight, concentrated path of unimaginable power. At the far end of this line, near the edge of the continent, the result was not mere transformation, but total and utter decimation.
Here, nothing of the original landscape remained. It was as if a colossal blade of pure seismic force had sliced through the continent's crust and pried it open. Vast tracts of land had been violently overturned. Layers of deep bedrock, ancient sediments, and subterranean strata that had never seen the sun were now exposed as the new, shattered surface. Where there had once been mountains, valleys, and plains, there was now only a jagged, chaotic wasteland of raw stone and upturned earth. Not a single speck of green life could be seen; the fertile topsoil and all vegetation had been buried or utterly scoured away.
Given the sheer, apocalyptic scale of this destruction, it was safe to assume that no living creature in this vast region could have survived. What had occurred here was a cataclysm a thousand times more terrifying than the tremors and chasms that had shaken Leyvi's group.
Several hundred kilometers away from this scene of total annihilation, out over the sea, a massive, geometric pyramid hovered high in the sky. At certain intervals, the pyramid's surface flickered, revealing multiple layered outlines that shimmered faintly before fading again.
In a room located at the very center of the pyramid, Lin Wei sat upon a throne-like seat. He wore a complex helmet studded with numerous array films, their surfaces glowing with faint, shifting patterns. His eyes were shut, and a deep frown etched his face. Nearby, Lana and Angela were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they waited for him to finish his task.
The throne was, in fact, the pyramid's main control center. It formed a direct link to the user's Sea of Consciousness, allowing for the direct mental piloting of the entire structure.
At this moment, Lin Wei was deeply focused, examining the extent of the damage inflicted upon the pyramid's multiple layers of protective grand formations.
After a while, he let out a long, weary sigh and removed the helmet.
Seeing this, Lana and Angela immediately approached the throne. "How is it? Is the damage serious?" Lana asked, her voice tight with concern.
"It's quite serious," Lin Wei admitted, rubbing his temples. "But thankfully, only the formations were damaged. We got away in time and prevented the worst-case scenario. If the pyramid's physical structure had been breached, it would have been over. The barrier formations can self-repair, but the process will take time. Therefore, we need to stay away from the continent for now. I believe the tree is now fully aware of our presence." He paused, a flicker of relief crossing his features. "At least we managed to secure the last Spiritual Vein before this happened."
Both women let out relieved sighs upon hearing his assessment. As long as the pyramid's core integrity remained intact, their mission could continue.
"Even one of the tree's main roots possesses such terrifying power," Lana said, her voice tinged with awe and a deep-seated fear. "Can we truly eliminate that thing later?"
She was shaken to her core, having just witnessed a mere fraction of the entity's might. The area that had been completely obliterated by the root's movement was staggering, roughly equivalent in size to the entire South Region of the Cloud Continent.
"Don't worry. As long as we complete all the preparations, I am certain we can succeed," Lin Wei replied, his voice filled with a quiet, unwavering confidence.
Everything he had achieved up to this point had been by following the guidance of his ultimate treasure. He trusted it completely. While unexpected setbacks like this incident did occur, the overall trajectory of his plans had remained remarkably smooth.
Lana offered a relieved smile. "If you're confident, then I won't worry about it any further."
Given everything she had experienced since first meeting Lin Wei, if he said he could accomplish something, she believed him. Lana no longer harbored any doubts. By now, she understood that Lin Wei was the chosen inheritor of something extraordinary. One day, she was certain, he would stand at the very pinnacle of the world.
"How did the tree suddenly notice us?" Angela asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "We have remained under its radar all this time."
Hearing the question, Lin Wei offered a wry smile. "It was because of one of the demonic beasts we gathered for our preparations. You know we have been helping them evolve to the Commander Level and awaken their bloodline power so we could later borrow that power, correct?"
Angela and Lana both nodded. They were well aware of this part of the plan.
"Their leader, a demonic bison, appears to have awakened a bloodline power comparable in strength to that of a General Level Demonic Beast," Lin Wei explained. "The sudden surge of such a potent power must have alerted the tree and exposed our location. It was another unforeseen circumstance. There's no one to blame but our own bad luck."