The Witch Hunter System
chapter-857

After Vaan arrived in the depths of the subterranean region where the decomposed tree roots were located, he continued to travel through the earth as he traced the path of the root back to its source.

It was only a single tree root that had decomposed into humus-type soil with time, but it was incredibly thick and long, stretching for several dozen kilometers.

When Vaan thought about how much of the Essence of the Divine Tree of Life was hidden within the soil, he couldn't help but wonder how powerful the Divine Tree of Life was in its prime state.

Given a wisp of its essence could already produce such miraculous effects on barren land, he had a strong feeling that the Divine Tree of Life could have nurtured the life of countless star realms without an issue-had it not been hidden away in the depth of the underground world.

Nevertheless, realizing that only made Vaan more curious as to why the Divine Tree of Life was in such a secluded location in the first place.

Was it truly planted there for a purpose? Or was it miraculously born in such a place due to some favorable circumstances?

After Vaan followed the decomposed tree root soil for more than thirty kilometers, his astonishment grew greatly.

Just how deep underground was he?

Furthermore, just how big was the Divine Tree of Life in its heyday? Has it really evaded everyone's notice until now?

Even Vaan's Fourth Dimensional Sense could not see the end of the tree root in sight despite discovering countless other decomposed tree root soil within his detection range.

Nevertheless, since he was already picking up other decomposed tree root soil, it must mean he was getting close to the trunk of the tree.

However, since it still extended outside his detection range, wouldn't that mean he would have to travel another thirty kilometers upward to catch a glimpse of the tree trunk?

As several questions swam through Vaan's mind, he suddenly drilled into a vast underground realm filled with lush vegetation and fresh air.

At the same time, a thick wave of divine energy bombarded him harmlessly.

In fact, his body felt incredibly pleasant and invigorated as it greedily absorbed the divine energy in the air.

The spirit energy in the vast open space was so thick and concentrated that it had been condensed into its higher form-divine energy.

More importantly, up until Vaan drilled a hole into the vast underground realm, its existence had completely eluded his senses.

Even his seemingly omniscient Fourth Dimensional Sense had failed to notice it.

Did that mean his Fourth Dimensional Sense was not omniscient like he thought it to be?

No, his Fourth Dimensional Sense's omniscience wasn't flawed; he was simply too weak to fully utilize its sensing abilities.

Moreover, the fact that it had failed him now implied that the restriction or law imposed on the hidden realm was a level higher than his ability to see through it with his Fourth- Dimensional Sense.

At the same time, it also meant that everything he could detect with the Fourth Dimensional Sense until now had been too low-leveled.

"To think there was such a vast realm hidden in this place... Moreover, the restrictive barrier used to conceal this secret realm is even more impressive," Vaan muttered with amazement.

Not only did the restrictive barrier escape his detection, but it had been covering such an enormous realm this whole time.

Even he could not see how big the secret underground realm was at a glance.

If not for the vague earthen ceiling far above, Vaan would have thought he had suddenly reached the surface of the Purpleflame Territory.

"Such a big realm hidden down here all this time, and no one knew about it... I wonder what secrets it holds," Vaan softly muttered.

Although his awakened adventurous spirit was urging him to explore, he also had a vague sense of danger from all around him.

Such an extraordinary place having its fair share of danger was to be expected.

"Myu, myuu!" Emerald suddenly exclaimed with excitement.

After being exposed to the wood element-enriched environment for several breaths, the Wood Spirit was quickly revived and brimming with energy.

Emerald flapped her fairy wings and circled multiple laps around Vaan, urging him to explore the place with her.

However, Vaan quickly shook his head and said, "I know you're excited, but you need to tone it down a little, Mera. This secret realm is still unknown to us, so we don't know what kind of great danger is hiding in this place."

"Myu!"

Emerald's excitement quickly plummeted, replaced by fright after she listened to Vaan's words.

She quickly descended onto his head and buried herself inside his hair, disappearing underneath. Moments later, her timid head poked out. She looked around with a wary yet curious gaze.

"Myu, myuu, myuu!" Emerald said she would be on the lookout for danger and urged on with their exploration.

Vaan smiled wryly.

Nevertheless, he quickly did a second round of observation of his surroundings. The secret realm was brimming with the life of high-quality magical plants.

No matter where he looked, each magical plant was vibrant and full of vitality; it was practically glowing with a holy aura, which illuminated the place-a place where sunlight did

not reach.

Vaan figured each magical plant within his sight was at least at the divine rank. Such potency wouldn't be easy to find anywhere else.

Meanwhile, the majestic and towering Divine Tree of Life was still standing tall and seemingly overlooking the entire secret realm with its enormous crown, which covered most

of the underground sky.

However, it was also the only tree in the secret realm that didn't glow with a holy aura. In fact, no life emanated from it.

In other words, while the Divine Tree of Life's main body was still standing, seemingly for eternity, it was dead. After all, all of its essences had retreated to its roots and entered a dormant state.

As such, the secret realm's surface was glowing with the light of life, but the sky was shrouded in deathly darkness.

Such a clear contrast between life and death gave the secret realm an unfathomable sense of

profoundness.

Although Vaan was tempted to pocket every magical plant he saw and came across, his Heaven-Swallowing Space didn't possess the conditions to sustain such high-quality plant

life.

More importantly, he didn't want to upset the environment before he could finish assessing

the potential danger hidden in the secret realm.

He couldn't let his greed attract avoidable disaster.

"Be sure to behave and stay close, okay?"

"Myuu!"

Emerald responded to Vaan's instruction with a Roger salute.