Chương 563: Insurmountable Existences.

Five days was neither a short nor a long time. However, when you were preparing to welcome beings who could potentially destroy you with little to no effort, time crawled slowly, and nerves increased each passing second. Ignatia looked at Flor's tense face and sighed softly, her hand gently caressing her hair.

"Relax, you will explode if you keep holding back so many emotions." Flor would've usually laughed at Ignatia's comments, but she was so nervous that she could only obediently listen and try to take deep breaths. The people gathered around Flor and Ignatia numbered sixteen. They are Melody, Verena, and the leaders of the thirteen major cities other than Golden Sap City scattered around the world. The thirteen major cities all had Level 99 leaders who had close ties with the Golden Sap City.

As time passed, Flor once again recalled her journey until standing on this very spot.

'A little Rose Fairy is now standing as the representative of the world… How did this even happen?' A disbelieving laugh escaped her as her crossed arms tightened.

"Galen, are you sure that they will land here?" They were on a mountain near <Golden Sap City>. This mountain was neither tall nor small. Interestingly, the top was rather flat and uniform, as if it had been ground down into a curved platform by the wind. Even when they were atop one of the tallest mountains of the continent, they only needed to look sideways to spot a certain someone who towered even above their current position tens of kilometers away. Galen spoke calmly.

"The answer is the same as the previous twelve times you asked, Lady Flor. According to our observations, they should land in this area of the Golden Sap Continent. While our strength is not something that would impress them, they should be able to detect us." He raised his hand, which held a strange disk.

"This is a signal emitter, just to ensure that they can see us." Flor nodded again, her body hovering right beside Ignatia. Around three hours later, Flor finally spotted something high up in the sky. Looking above them, they spotted a very small dot that wasn't in the clear blue sky a few moments ago.

"Is that…?" Melody's words trailed, unsure. One of the city leaders spoke confidently.

"It must be." As they looked at the dot, it suddenly magnified and approached at a speed they couldn't really understand. WHOOSH! A powerful wind pushed all of them back, and above them, a giant floating beast riding starlight appeared. Its size, covering almost 500 meters from tail to head and even longer horizontally, was a sight to behold. The bluish-white flying manta ray's aura was powerful enough to make everyone feel their breath hitching. Flor's eyes were full of confusion and fear.

'W-What is that monster? Why is it so strong!?' While every one of the leaders felt like a bug looking up to a powerful monster, a smiling female voice reached them.

"I can guess that you are the leaders of the world… Should I say that you are an interesting group?" Before they could even register it, 200 people appeared right in front of them. The 200 people had an aura that could shake mountains and stir waves in the ocean. However, compared to the five people standing right at the front, those behind looked like normal people. Flor looked at them and felt her brain short-circuit for a moment.

'Didn't Galen say seventy-five…? Where in the name of the branches above does this look like seventy-five powerhouses!?' She honestly felt as if she were about to have a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, Ignatia was there, supporting her body even as she involuntarily trembled when exposed to the passive pressure of these people. The woman who spoke was a beautiful lady with intelligent eyes and greyish-black skin.

Her white hair and purple eyes completed her mysterious looks, while her tall and slender body released a hidden sense of pressure and darkness that felt as if it could swallow the surroundings. Her aura pressured the gathered group so hard that, even when Flor tried to speak, her words kept getting stuck at the back of her throat.

'... Why are they so strong? Is it truly a <Fifth Energy Cycle> powerhouse?' Ignatia was prepared to step forward when she felt a pair of green eyes locking onto her. The Ant Queen stopped and looked at the origin of the gaze. There, a woman who radiated gentleness and softness stood lightly, her green eyes shining with reassurance as her blonde hair fluttered even without wind. Ignatia almost bit her tongue when a sense of reliance was close to blooming in her heart involuntarily.

If it weren't because Liu Shu's auras and blessings supported their mind, she was unsure if she could've continued to resist so stubbornly.

'They are not on the Fifth Energy Cycle… These five are beings beyond that level of strength.' Once Ignatia came to that realization, she felt as if she was forced to swallow an extremely bitter pill.

'Our plans… were for naught. These beings have enough overwhelming power to stomp us all lightly.' This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The grey-skinned woman at the front smirked, looking at the gathered group.

"Is there no one who wants to step forward? Who is your leader?" At that moment, a gentle voice intervened.

"Veyra, don't bully these children. I told you not to mess around, did I?" Veyra's expression showed a hint of disappointment, but then she sighed softly. As if that sigh was a signal, the leaders of Ceperet felt the mountainous weight disappear from their bodies. As if the strings holding their bodies were cut, some of them fell to the ground while others stumbled, breathing harshly. Flor, feeling her throat liberated, looked up.

She was on the ground, resting her palms on her knees for a second or two before taking a deep breath and straightening her body. Then, with a determined expression, she pushed the courage she gathered during the past decades to speak in front of these monstrous beings.

"I am Tianlian Flor, the current leader of Ceperet ruling right below our Lady World Tree." The five main envoys blinked once and then looked down at the petite fairy. Elyne's expression was quite the sight, her eyes shining as if she had seen the cutest little thing in the world.

"A fairy?" Veyra muttered, confused.

"What fairy species is she, Lysara?" The tall, serene Sylvan whose veins glow faintly green, like flowing sap beneath translucent skin, frowned for a second.

"I am… unsure. Her elemental affinities are all over the place. Her red hair and eyes are characteristic of Rose Fairies, but…"

"Rose Fairies?" Veyra tilted her head.

"Aren't those part of the garden fairy species who can't really reach beyond the <Third Energy Cycle>?" Flor looked at the woman named Veyra and decided to speak.

"Lady Veyra, I have evolved from a Rose Fairy a while ago, gaining intelligence, potential, and strength." While they were talking, Elyne exclaimed.

"Huh? How come you have those titles?" Flor's body tensed as she looked at the gentle-looking woman. Currently, her eyes were widened, as if she were looking at something truly incomprehensible.

"Have you discovered something interesting, Lady Elyne?" Elyne's green eyes glowed lightly as she glanced at the Ceperet Leaders one after another. After a few seconds, she covered her mouth as her lips arched with interest.

"Oh my… Ceperet is a planet much more interesting than I expected. I am glad we were sent instead of a normal delegation." Her gaze then moved sideways, the other four following Elyne's gaze. In the distance, they could easily spot the gargantuan World Tree soaring beyond the clouds. Elyne squinted, her glowing green eyes trying to pierce through and look into the World Tree's <System Page>. However, as she did so, a powerful pulse of energy surged from the World Tree and barreled right into her eyes.

"Ah!" A scream left her mouth as she covered her eyes with her hands.

"Lady Elyne!?" Lysara's eyes widened as she quickly approached and used healing magic on her. Elyne raised her hand quickly.

"D-Don't worry. I just got a backlash. Do not overreact." Veyra, Orwen, and Cael's tensed bodies relaxed as Elyna slowly recovered her calm. Without opening her eyes, Elyne looked at Flor and spoke softly.

"This place is not somewhere where we can speak at length. How about you guide us into the city so that we can have a conversation?" Flor was extremely reluctant. Her baby was Leveling Up, and these people's strength was so high that she didn't feel confident in her ability to scratch their skin. Still, there was a strangely soothing aura coming from the blonde woman that lowered her guard. As she was about to speak, a trace of surprise flashed in her ruby-colored eyes.

'Blood?' Elyne, as if she were able to see the world around her even with her eyes closed, chuckled and spoke.

"The backlash hurt my eyes a bit. Do not worry about these few blood tears. I will recover in less than ten minutes. So, what are your thoughts, Flower Fairy?" When she said those words, the rest of the delegation jumped a little, and all 199 people looked straight at Flor. The weight of 199 <First Ascension> powerhouses was something that squeezed her very organs.

"T-That… It would be my pleasure." Reluctant as she was, powerlessness overwhelmed everything else. Right now, Flor could only meet their demands to the best of her ability and hope that their intentions were not evil. The situation had completely escaped her hands.

'Sigh… Is this how the Nexus felt when Liu Shu invaded? It's truly a stifling feeling.' Elyne looked at Veyra, and the woman smiled and nodded once.

"Since that's the case, please don't resist." Veyra waved her hand, and a wave of dense Dark Aether Mana engulfed them all. The next second, the shadow moved through the air and landed on the back of the manta ray. When the shadow opened, all the people were now standing on the back of the gargantuan creature. Flor looked around with wariness, and then, the manta ray moved.

With a gentle flap of its fins, the manta ray covered the distance between the mountain and Liu Shu, appearing right above the city and at the edge of the World Tree's canopy. Veyra was about to speak when they felt hundreds of thousands of auras locking onto them. Then, reacting to their sudden reaction, <Mother Of Thousand Flower Field> released a barrage of attacks against the Manta Ray. Noticing Lysara's frown and her raised hand, Flor exclaimed.

"A-Ah! Please be merciful! That's an automatic defensive measure!" Lysara, who raised her hand lightly, paused and then lowered it. A large green shield appeared below the Manta Ray, blocking the endless barrage of elemental seeds. Lysara hummed, interested.

"Space, Earth, Light, Life, Fire… So many different elements are mixed in the attacks." Elyne, her eyes still closed, smiled softly.

"Flor, could you please tell them to stop? We can't lower our altitude otherwise." Flor nodded quickly and spoke aloud.

"Wisdom, stop it! They are the delegation!" Not long after she shouted, a pulse of energy spread from Liu Shu's body, stopping the endless barrage coming from <Mother Of Thousand Flower Field>. Lysara spoke lightly, her translucent eyes with green glowing veins glancing at Liu Shu.

"I really want to know how you raised an entire flower field with offensive flowers that have an average strength of a <Fourth Energy Cycle>... Not only that…" Looking around, her lips arched.

"All the trees in this city are Level 99." Veyra giggled, her purple eyes showing deep interest.

"Did Skyflower lie to us… Or are there secrets hiding in this place? The journey was well worth it~." Flor and the others could only press their lips tightly as the five envoys looked around with gazes full of intrigue.