CHAPTER 1504: CHAPTER 24: THE CROWN OF HONG LIAN

The red robes fluttered, and amidst the dense crowd, towering red and black banners passed through the streets, emblazoned with the red emblem of a volcano and black streamers. The assembled soldiers stood erect, forming straight black walls on both sides of the street, isolating the inside from the outside. In the center of the street, the priests clad in vivid red robes advanced step by step; they were all members of the ’Red Robe Death God Sect,’ their power above Sequence 4, among them no shortage of Sequence 6 elites.

From a bird’s-eye view, it seemed like a bright red ribbon suddenly appeared amidst mottled colors, slowly moving forward like a river into the ancient city where the giant trees stood.

This is the Twin Trees Star Domain, the ’World Tree’ living star, the homeland of ’Golden Flame Flower’ Isenisha, and also the former capital of the Rose Federation. The two enormous World Trees that cover the sky support the planet’s ecosystem; they were once symbols of the Federation, a testament to the bond between humans and elves.

Faced with the army coming to capture ’Bai Mei Vertical Harp’ Isenisha, the native inhabitants of the planet displayed extreme suppression of silence, like the calm before the storm. At this time, rows of weaponized Autonomous Units slowly flew across the sky, following the troupe forward, while the observation devices on the units monitored everything on the ground, ever ready to deal with possible riots.

Even within the factions supporting ’Volcano Queen’ Prin Coco, as the first group to arrive at the ’World Tree’ living star, great courage was required. Everyone knows this is the stronghold of elves within the Federation, and it also harbors the oldest elf families. If it had been known before the coup that ’Bai Mei Vertical Harp’ Evelyn hid here, the coup timing would have merely been postponed, not halted.

But the arrow is already on the string and must be released. It’s too late to say abandon now; some things, once done, leave no way back. Abandoning halfway would mean surrendering and admitting defeat.

The only solace is that ’Bai Mei Vertical Harp’ Evelyn is not a pureblood elf. Though the Landisvas Family she was born into had close ties with elves, it was not a core house within the Elf Faction. If today they were to capture ’Ying Tianxue’ Ores, the force deployed would have been much greater, requiring at least several million fully armed ground troops to break the resistance during the capture process.

Whether or not to protect ’Bai Mei Vertical Harp’ Evelyn, there was a touch of hesitance and wavering within the elves at this moment. They were at a disadvantage now; if they had to resist, it would inevitably result in many sacrifices. More importantly, ’Ying Tianxue’ Ores was still alive. If Ores had indeed died in the civil war seven years ago, the elves would have no choice but to protect Evelyn with their lives, this songstress closest to Sunlit Level.

The elves had been settled on this planet for thousands of years. Most of them hadn’t experienced the darkness of the Fifth Epoch, instead were remnants of the bright era of the Fourth Era. Because of Isenisha’s rise, they transitioned directly into the Sixth Era, which was undoubtedly a kind of fortune that allowed elves to maintain their heritage and vitality. However, it came with the drawback of lacking that relentless, iron-blood spirit found in human factions that charge against the currents at any cost.

Their extended lifespan gave them more leeway to make choices, filled them with patience, without needing to deliberately pursue immediate interests. And the distant prospect of their lifespan’s end made them cherish life even more. These were excellent qualities in times of peace. Always, elves had a reasonable reputation within the Federation, but in eras of rapid historical change, their actions paled in decisiveness compared to humans.

They had stood on the losing side once in the civil war four hundred years ago, and since that time, the highest power of the Federation began slipping from the hands of the Elf Faction. The relocation directive issued by Emuralin further moved the political center of the Federation away from the elves’ control. Without the remaining influence of ’Golden Flame Flower’ Isenisha, the elves should have been completely excluded from the political core of the Federation four hundred years ago.

The elves, with less than 1% of the population, held nearly 20% of the Federation’s core resources, which was the root of all these conflicts.

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"The flame is advancing!"

"The Federation’s law is unstoppable!"

"This is the fuel igniting the future!"

The red and black banners held high, like a formation of long spears, cut through the sea of people like waves.

Behind the black human wall, the original inhabitants of the ’World Tree’ living star silently watched this scene, with some eyes filled with fear, some with unease and wandering gazes, some with hatred, and others with suppressed pain.

Gradually, the crowd began to change; some shifted back step by step with unease, some squeezed forward, while some stood in place, bewildered and at a loss, unable to comprehend the reality before them. Is this not the Rose Federation, not the peaceful era of the Sixth Era? Why has all this happened before their eyes?

Poverty and hardship had nothing to do with this planet, a star that had always been one of the beautiful ones within the Federation. Many Fourth Era early buildings and trees still stood, and abundance and beauty had always been its trademarks.

Confronting the army stepping into the World Tree Core Area step by step, an intense roar finally erupted from within the crowd.

"They are profaning Lady Isenisha’s resting place; they are traitors to the Federation!" This voice shattered the stillness, like a bolt of thunder.

Subsequently, the crowd turned chaotic, people continually pushing forward attempting to cut off the advancing troops, various shouts and cries spreading like a cauldron boiling over, with countless splashes of hot oil exploding.