Chapter 1024 The Elf Princess
“Daddy, they are still standing there watching us.”
Mengmeng suddenly pulled Zhang Han’s hand and looked at the distance on the right. “Shall we go over and say h.e.l.lo?”
“Of course.”
Beaming, Zhang Han said, “You’ve always wanted to see the members of the Elf Clan. Now that we’ve run into some, how can we miss this opportunity?”
“Uh-huh, I just want to have a look.” Mengmeng immediately smiled brightly.
Being spoiled by her father, she felt that her happiness had gone off the charts.
Therefore, Zhang Han took Zi Yan’s and Mengmeng’s hands and took the lead to fly toward the elves.
Seeing them coming over, the expressions of the elves slightly altered.
One of them even whispered, “Shall we leave?”
A hint of hesitation flashed across the elf princess’s face. Eventually, she remained still there instead of taking off. It was not until Zhang Han and the others were less than 30 meters away from her that she bowed slightly and remarked, “Thank you for saving us.”
“Daddy…” Mengmeng looked up at Zhang Han, then flickered her eyes to the elf princess in the lead, asking, “Can you understand my language?”
“Yes,” answered the elf princess.
“Well, you…” Mengmeng didn’t know what to ask. She just gazed at them curiously and finally uttered, “You’re so beautiful. What’s your name?”
“My name is Nina Gullette. You can just call me Nina,” the elf princess answered with a smile. “Again, thank you for helping us out.”
“It’s nothing.”
Zhang Han gently waved his hand and said, “How did you go this deep into the mountains? Don’t you have an elder leading the team?”
The strongest of this group of elves was merely at the peak of the Elixir Realm. In fact, they were able to go on explorations on their own. But the depths of this mountain range were fraught with perils. If they did not have extra help when they ran into that Snake-tailed Tiger in the Yuan Ying Realm, their chance to escape would be dim.
Usually, when the royal princess of the Elf Clan went out, she would always have powerful elders lead the team. There were very few Royal Elves, so their lives were very precious. The Elf Clan also attached great importance to the safety of the Royal Elves.
“We have elders. It’s just that they are in the depths of the area,” Nina replied. “This place is close to the heart of the land, but it can also be regarded as the peripheral area. Generally, the strongest spirit beasts that may appear here are only at the peak of the Elixir Realm. We didn’t expect to come across one in the Yuan Ying Realm either.”
“Are you here to take part in the trial or did you come here through a secret realm?” Zhang Han probed.
“What trial?” Nina pondered for a moment and said, “We live on the Roland Star in the Northern Heaven Area. Three months ago, some of us noticed the abnormal phenomenon on the Lost Continent. They observed that a huge storm had enveloped the Lost Continent. It was said that a large-scale trial was to be held there. There would be countless treasures there. Thus, our clansmen sent some people to set up a camp on the Dal Star not far from here. Most of the forces that came here are staying on the Dal Star. However, only those in or above the Elixir Realm can enter this land. A week ago, the storm finally showed a weak spot. From there, some leading masters blazed a trail into this land. That’s how we came in.”
She gave a brief account of the situation. Most importantly, the other party was very powerful and had just saved her and her fellows. Although her guard was still up, she was not on high alert. Because she could tell that the three people leading the other team were a family of three. The parents and their child were exploring as a family. Adding that their words and tone were quite friendly, her first impression of them was very good. Therefore, her guard against them had naturally dropped a lot.
Nina was in charge of communicating. The six elves behind her remained silent. They were also eyeing Zhang Han with curiosity.
The scene of him casting those remarkable powers still held them in shock. Zhang Han could fight against a Snake-tailed Tiger in the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage in close combat. That was not something regular people could do.
“That’s to say, you’ve been here for a week, haven’t you?” Zhang Han inquired, “Have you had any special discoveries here?”
“Discoveries? You mean the situation here? Did you just arrive?” Nina’s curiosity was whipped up.
“Yes, we just came in,” Mengmeng said clearly. “A few minutes after we entered this world, we heard that someone was fighting here, so we came over to have a look.”
“I see.” Nina cottoned on very fast. Hearing this, she smiled and said, “Look at the place that is a bit darker in the sky. Just over there.”
As she spoke, Nina stretched out her hand and pointed to the distant sky. There was a faint black pattern the size of the moon.
“That’s the pa.s.sage we came in through. With it, we can identify directions here. The pa.s.sage is in the north. We’re standing in the west. If you head in the east for half an hour, you’ll arrive at the inner area. There’s a river with a length of 1,000 feet there. The east side of the river is much more dangerous, and the west side is relatively safe.
“Base on our observation in the past few days…”
Nina gracefully stroked her hair.
She looked at Zhang Han and said, “Many secret realms and relics are showing up here, most of which contain treasures. On the west side of the river, generally, there will be no spirit beasts in the Yuan Ying Realm. But on the east side of the river, the further you go in, the more dangerous it will be.
“On the west side of the river, many manors, cities, and former sites of small sects have been discovered. Many forces have made them their strongholds. Most of the forces are staying on the west side of the river. A small number of powerful people have gone to the east side of the river to explore. We also have a villa as our stronghold. My uncle sent me a message not long ago, saying that there is a city about 20 miles from the east sh.o.r.e of the river. This area is safe now, so he said we can go explore it. However, on the way, we encountered that Snake-tailed Tiger. If you didn’t save us, we could… hardly escape.”
Nina bowed to express her grat.i.tude.
“Han, are we going to the east of the river?” Zhang Mu asked.
According to Nina’s words, the west side of the river was relatively safe, and most of the spirit beasts here were in the Elixir Realm. The east side of the river was occupied by spirit beasts in the Yuan Ying Realm, whose strength was really in the Yuan Ying Realm instead of being suppressed. Everyone present knew that except for Zhang Han and Zi Yan, no one else could deal with those in the Yuan Ying Realm.
Since they were not very familiar with this place, Zhang Mu preferred not to go to the east side of the river so soon. After thinking about it, he decided to ask Zhang Han about his opinion.
“Benefactors, you’ve just come here and are not familiar with the environment. At our stronghold, we have a map of this place. If you like, you can go and have a look. I also want to host a banquet to entertain you,” said Nina courteously.
“Do you want to go?” Zhang Han smiled and looked at Mengmeng.
He felt that the little girl should want to get to know the elves better.
Seeing this, Nina was slightly taken aback.
“It seems that this little girl has a great say in everything.”
“Yes.”
Mengmeng nodded. Since childhood, Mengmeng had never liked to stand on ceremony. She was also honest with what she felt.
“Then we’ll have to trouble you,” Zi Yan studied Nina carefully and replied with a smile.
In her eyes, Nina was very good-looking. She had an oval face, long and pointed ears, and seemed to have a strong character.
“Let’s go this way.”
Nina rose into the air, leading the way towards the west.
“Sister Nina, you’re very pretty.”
Zhang Han’s family of three was relatively closer to Nina. Mengmeng took a few more glances at her and said with a chuckle, “Are all the elves able to perform magic?”
“Yes.”
Nina replied beamingly, “You’re also very pretty. What’s your name?”
“My name is Zhang Yumeng, and everyone calls me Mengmeng.”
Mengmeng just remembered that she hadn’t introduced her family yet, so she pointed to Zhang Han and said, “This is my Daddy. His name is, is Zhang Hanyang. This is my Mummy. Many people call her Moon Empress. She is really powerful. This is Aunty Xue, and these are my Grandpa and Great-Grandpa..”
Mengmeng didn’t find it troublesome at all. She patiently introduced everyone in their group.
“Grandpa? Great-Grandpa?
“They are really a big family.”
Nina’s eyes were filled with astonishment. The elves on her side seemed to be a little intimidated instead.
“Good lord! Her father is already so powerful. How powerful can her grandfather be? Not to mention that Great-Grandpa standing next to him…”
Seeing the looks in their eyes, Zhang Han smiled and said nothing.
In the Elf Clan, the longer one lived, the stronger one’s strength would be. Other than those with outstanding talent, most of the strong ones were Royal Elves, just like this Princess Nina in front of him.
“Zhang Hanyang, Moon Empress, and Zhang Yumeng.”
Nina murmured softly, memorizing the three names.
After flying west for about three hours, they finally arrived at the Elemental Elves’ stronghold. It was a manor on a mountain.
The manor sat on a relatively short peak in the mountains. It was about the same size as Mount New Moon. The buildings were simple and ancient-looking, which were kind of dilapidated. But the interesting part was that the inside and outside of the manor were covered by trees.
At a glance, they could tell that these trees were all planted by the elves flying ahead of them. The trees were giving off an ancient and mysterious aura, giving people the impression that there was abundant natural energy here.
When they were about to arrive at the manor, Mengmeng abruptly asked, “Sister Nina, how old are you?”
“I’ve lived for 119 years,” Nina replied.
Mengmeng was startled.
She had so many questions in her head that she did not know where to start. She just froze where she was.
“She is 119 years old? Then, she is even older than Great-Grandpa, isn’t she?”
Seeing the little girl’s confused expression, Zhang Han laughed at once.
“Hahaha, looking at the figures, you may think she is old. However, after an elf is born, he or she has to sleep for many years. Moreover, elves have a long lifespan. If we use our standard to calculate their age, Nina is only about 15 years old.”
“Huh?”
Mengmeng was dazed. “About 15 years old? Then she is about the same age as me.”
“That’s true.” Nina nodded. “I’m quite young in my clan. I haven’t had my Coming of Age Ceremony yet. Every elf will have a Coming of Age Ceremony when he or she is 120 years old. I still have half a year to go.”
“Oh, I see.” Mengmeng blinked her big eyes. Smiling, she asked, “Then what do you usually eat?”
“It’s the same as you. We enjoy fruits, roasted meat, and fruit wine. The special part about our diet is some plants we eat,” Nina answered. “Which area are you from?”
“We come from Earth,” replied Mengmeng.
“Where is Earth?” Nina was slightly stunned. After searching her memory, she found that she couldn’t think of any famous place that was called Earth. “Is it a very remote planet?” she wondered.
“Earth is a beautiful blue planet. Seventy percent of its surface is the ocean, and 30 percent is the land. Earth has advanced technology, prosperous cities, and roads filled with cars…” Mengmeng explained briefly.
“So it’s a technological planet. Which district is it in? The largest Sea Central Area is the place with the most developed science and technology. There are wars.h.i.+ps coming and going in that district. The number of those wars.h.i.+ps is quite large,” Nina stated.
“Sister Nina, have you traveled to many planets?” Mengmeng asked curiously.
“I’ve been to more than 100 planets, mainly to gain experience,” Nina said. “My hometown, the Roland Star, is very beautiful. If there is a chance, you can come to our planet to have a look.”
“Sure!” Mengmeng’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll also take you to visit Earth if there’s a chance.”
“Hahaha, great.” Nina laughed softly.
Seeing her smile, the elves beside her all showed a look of astoundment.
Because Princess Nina rarely laughed out loud like this.
“Sister Nina, are you a princess in the Elf Clan?” Mengmeng asked.
She remembered that she had heard other elves refer to her as “Her Highness” before.
“Nina is the Seventh Princess of our Elemental Elves. Of all the princesses, she is the most favored one and also the most hardworking one in cultivation. She is also the most talented and the most powerful princess,” a female elf beside Nina said with a proud expression.
“…”
While they were talking, they came to the front side of the manor. There were two towering trees at the gate, one on the left side and the other on the right side. The trees were lavishly green. More than 30 elves had gathered outside the gate. Clad in robes of different colors, they had all dressed up nicely. At a glance, one could tell that they all liked to keep everything nice and clean.
“Swoos.h.!.+”
One of the elves, who looked like he was in his 30s, came to greet them.
With a bemused look, he asked, “Nina, we just sensed that you had released the star flame while we were on the Lanmi Tree. Did you get into trouble?”
“Yes. We ran into a strange beast. It was a Snake-tailed Tiger in the Yuan Ying Realm. Thanks to their help, we came back unscathed. Otherwise, we would’ve been in real danger,” Nina said. “Acco, we met it somewhere more than 10 miles away from the west sh.o.r.e of the river. Tell our clansmen that the west side of the river isn’t as safe as we imagined, and everyone should be more vigilant.”
“What? You ran into a Snake-tailed Tiger?” The male elf was staggered. “I’ll pa.s.s on the news right away.”
The dozens of elves around were also shocked. It was obviously not a good sign to come across a spirit beast in the Yuan Ying Realm on the west side of the river.
“Please come in, my distinguished guests.”
Nina smiled and gestured to Zhang Han and the others.
They went through the gate. The manor inside seemed to be built in a jungle. Various kinds of huge trees were everywhere. At the main residence on the highest ground, many colorful branches had coiled around the building, as though it was a small castle of trees.
“How fascinating!” Mu Xue murmured.
She was quite fond of this kind of place.
Looking inside, they could occasionally see some people coming and going on both sides of the road.
“Sister Nina, how many people are living here?” Mengmeng asked with great interest.
“More than 300 of our clansmen have come here. Uncle Clay has taken dozens of people to the east side of the river. The rest are all here. We plan to continue to explore the west side of the river.”
Nina then paused for a moment. After deliberating for two seconds, she said, “You must have come here to gain experience as well. The west side of the river is very large. So far, our exploration has only covered one-tenth of it. You can easily discover some relics. However, many forces have come here, too. Among them, there are three forces you need to heed most, namely the Cloud Shadow Sky, the Tiger Tailsman Royal Family, and the Silver-winged Hall. Their leaders are all very powerful. Some of them are even famous young talented disciples in the major star areas.”
“Cloud Shadow Sky?” Mengmeng was dazed. She cast a confused looked at Zhang Han.
She was also running a club, which was called the Cloud Shadow Club. It was Zhang Han who named it. But it turned out that it was also a sect’s name. What a coincidence!
In truth, it was not a coincidence at all. Back then, Zhang Han had stayed in the Cloud Shadow Sky in the Sea Dragon Star Area for some time.
“Which one of the eight elders did the Cloud Shadow Sky dispatch this time?”
Zhang Han suddenly laughed.
Because he just realized that there might be a chance to run into some old friend here.
However, Nina’s expression was a bit odd.
“There are a total of 100 elders in the Cloud Shadow Sky. The days it had only eight elders seems to be a long time ago.”
“Eh?”
Zhang Han’s eyes narrowed. “Which year is it according to the Sea Origin Calendar?”
At that time, Zhang Han left Earth by chance and came to the Sea Dragon Star Area. After spending some time in the Cloud Shadow Sky, he had developed a good relations.h.i.+p with the elders there. When he reached the Tribulation Stage, he returned to the Sea Dragon Star Area several times. On those visits, those elders were still there.
Later, he had been reborn and continued with this life. If the time in the whole Cultivation World had dialed back to 500 years ago as he traveled back in time, then the eight elders he could meet at this time were still very young and immature. If it was only the time on Earth that had been messed up and the Cultivation World was still the same after he was struck by the divine thunder over the sky and died, he should still be able to meet the eight elders of the Cloud Shadow Sky. It would not make any difference.
But Nina’s answer instantly stupefied Zhang Han. “One hundred elders?”
“When has the Cloud Shadow Sky become so powerful?”
“Sea Origin Calendar?” Nina thought for a moment and said, “This is the 2,145th year in the third era of the Sea Origin Calendar.”
“The 2145th year?”
Zhang Han’s face stiffened.
When he had first arrived at the Sea Dragon Star Area, it was the 650th year of the third era of the Sea Origin Calendar. When he reached the ninth tier of the Tribulation Stage and last visited the Sea Dragon Star Area, it was the 1149th year of the third era of the Sea Origin Calendar. It meant that 499 years had pa.s.sed. And in the 500th year, he was struck by the divine thunder over the sky and die.
The year he underwent the tribulation, which was the 1150th year of the third era. Now, it was the 2145th year. That was to say, 995 years had pa.s.sed since then. Zhang Han had skipped nearly a thousand years?
How great would the changes in the Cultivation World be in a thousand years?
Zhang Han’s apt.i.tude was not very high. He only made it to the ninth tier of the Tribulation Stage within five centuries with the help of all kinds of opportunities. In the Cultivation World, there were people who had a better apt.i.tude and better opportunities than him. In the past 1,000 years, many things must have changed.
“Have you ever heard of Han Yang Immortal?” Zhang Han asked out of the blue.
“Han Yang Immortal?” Nina brooded for a moment. After five seconds, she said, “No, I haven’t. If there is such a person, he might be living in another star area. Those who are worthy of the t.i.tle ‘Immortal’ all seem to be some big shots, only that I haven’t heard of such a person. After all, the Sea Dragon Star Area is only a relatively remote place.”
“Okay.”
Zhang Han nodded.
“This is strange. Is it only her who hasn’t heard of Han Yang Immortal? Or is there already no trace of my previous life in the whole Cultivation World?”
However, no matter what it was, he couldn’t figure it out. Zhang Han decided not to think about it for the time being.
Then, he asked, “Is the Cloud Shadow Sky quite mighty now?”
“It has always been a mighty force.”
Noticing Zhang Han’s casual tone, Nina felt that Zhang Han was even more unfathomable.
She smiled and continued, “A long time ago, the Cloud Shadow Sky only had eight elders. It did not seem very powerful at that time. Rumor has it that the Cloud Shadow Sky obtained a very powerful treasure trove, so their members’ strength increased rapidly. As early as a few decades ago, the Cloud Shadow Sky already had 100 elders. Now, this sect is also well-known and respected in the Sea Dragon Star Area. This time, it is Yi Hou, the 100th elder, who has been sent here. He seems to be only in his 30s. He is one of the most outstanding disciples that the Cloud Shadow Sky recruited last time. Now, the Cloud Shadow Sky only takes in disciples every 10 years. Each recruitment is a grand occasion on that planet. Many people in the Sea Dragon Star Area take pride in becoming a member of the Cloud Shadow Sky.
“Yi Hou is very powerful. His strength ranks among the top 30 of the 100 elders. This time, he has been sent here just because Li Mu, the youngest son of the Cloud Shadow Sky’s Sect Master, has come here to gain experience. Otherwise, the Cloud Shadow Sky would not have asked him to travel this far. Li Mu is 26 years old. He is at the peak of the Elixir Realm. If he gains some opportunity this time, he should advance to the Yuan Ying Realm.
“Li Mu is very famous in Cloud Shadow Sky. His name is even known in the Cloud Star Area. He is known as one of the Eight Great Young Masters.”