The Witch Hunter System
chapter-866

After Vaan and the Elder Spirit enjoyed Emerald's moment of happiness, the latter gathered his thoughts before saying, "Junior Vaan, if you don't mind, this Old Man has a favor to ask."

"Senior Willowthorn wishes to ask the Holy Wood Spirit to revive the Divine Tree of Life?" Vaan guessed.

"That's right," Senior Willowthorn confirmed with a nod.

However, Vaan wasn't in a hurry to agree. After a moment of silence, he replied with a question instead.

"Reviving the Divine Tree of Life isn't impossible. However, how much do you know about the world outside the Garden of Thyia, Senior Willowthorn? Are you aware of the situation outside? Would it be wise to revive the Divine Tree of Life blindly without knowing what's going on?" Vaan asked.

The Elder Spirit immediately paused before sighing, "I've assumed that since you were able to come to this place, the great disaster had passed... But, perhaps that is not the case?"

"I'm uncertain which great disaster you are referring to, Senior," Vaan shook his head.

"However, I can tell you that the Garden of Thyia is located deep underground in the Purpleflame Territory, which was originally known by another name but changed as such due to its surface turning into a sea of eternal-burning flames."

"The lush green woodlands and all its fauna and flora that once existed within them are no more. Only an endless horde of fiery spirits wander the surface aimlessly now. Moreover, it is only one of nine territories under the Gehenna Star and ruled by six Great Devils."

"If the Divine Tree of Life is revived in this hidden realm, the burning surface will undoubtedly be affected, and that may draw unwanted attention and curious investigations, leading to this place."

"Are you sure such a choice is wise, Senior?" Vaan asked shortly after.

"The Six Great Devils? Is that what they call them now? Not the Seven Deadly Sins? Or are they a new generation of Divine Knights?" Senior Willowthorn wondered before asking, "How are their strengths?"

"They are all Peak Rank 6 Divine Beings, Senior," Vaan answered.

"Only Peak Rank 6 Divine Beings?" Senior Willowthorn uttered before snorting, "So they are only Divine Soldiers, not even Divine Knights. The Gehenna Star sure has declined."

"Even back during the generation of the Seven Deadly Sins, who were all Divine Knights, none of them would have been able to do anything to the Garden of Thyia even if they learned about it."

"After all, this Old Man is a Divine Lord. Although I don't partake in violence and killing, stopping a few trifling Divine Knights from trespassing and committing atrocity in this sacred land is a simple matter."

"That said, exposing the Garden of Thyia is indeed unwise," Senior Willowthorn acknowledged.

Vaan nodded.

Even if the Garden of Thyia was exposed to Gehenna, its denizens weren't capable of threatening the Wood Spirits with the Elder Spirit around.

However, it was a different story if the Great Devils sought assistance from beyond their star realm to uncover the hidden treasure trove known as the Garden of Thyia.

"Also, I heard sinister creatures of dark affinities have made the Divine Tree of Life's crown their nest. Wouldn't the revival of the Divine Tree of Life provoke them and subject the

Garden of Thyia to unpredictable risks of conflicts?" Vaan mentioned.

He didn't know what was up there, but he could vaguely sense that the dark creature lurking in the darkness of the tree's crown was a force to be reckoned with.

There might even be a Divine Lord-level being among the dark creatures.

"Ah, you are talking about the Death Eaters. You have a point, Junior," Senior Willowthorn acknowledged and said, "The Mother Tree and the Death Eaters are of mutually opposing attributes."

"If the Mother Tree is revived, the Death Eaters would likely be wiped out by the overflowing life energy. But before they succumb to that fate, they will indeed retaliate for a chance at survival, and the Garden of Thyia will most likely face catastrophic devastation as a result." "However, reviving the Mother Tree has always been the dearest wish of our tribe of Wood Spirits, as we are all her children. As such, you can see how much the arrival of a Holy Wood Spirit means to us," Senior Willowthorn said.

"I don't understand, though. What are these Death Eaters? And where do they come from, Senior?" Vaan asked with doubt.

After all, the Garden of Thyia was supposed to be overflowing with life energy when the Divine Tree of Life was "alive."

As such, how could such dark creatures emerge?

"Death Eaters are dark spirits that feed on death energy and spread death. As to where they come from, that is a question even I don't have an answer to," Senior Willowthorn replied before adding, "However, this Old Man does have a strong guess."

"The Mother Tree was originally the guardian of Goddess Thyia's inheritance, and when the Mother Tree abandoned her main body and retreated into a deep slumber with all her power, the Death Eaters emerged shortly after."

"This Old Man guesses that the Death Eaters must be related to Goddess Thyia's inheritance. They may even be the new guardians chosen to guard it," Senior Willowthorn guessed. "Goddess Thyia's inheritance?" Vaan couldn't help but glance up with strong interest.

The inheritance of a Rank 6 Divine Being had already helped him immensely. Thus, how much could he gain from the inheritance of a Rank 11 True God or above?

Nevertheless, Senior Willowthorn noticed Vaan's thoughts and quickly said, "I strongly recommend that you don't even think about searching for Goddess Thyia's inheritance, Junior

Vaan."

"Even if Goddess Thyia's inheritance is hidden deep inside Crown's Nest, it is infested with Death Eaters. Moreover, there is even a Divine Lord-level Death Eater among them. You will only be throwing away your life by venturing into that place."

"I don't mean to sound rude or condescending, but you are not even at the level of a Divine Soldier yet. Even Divine Knights will lose their lives to the Death Eaters, let alone someone at your level," Senior Willowthorn discouraged him.

"What you say makes sense, Senior," Vaan acknowledged before arguing, "However, if the Death Eaters are truly related to Goddess Thyia's inheritance, surely there is also a way to get around them?"

"Unless... Goddess Thyia had no intention of letting anyone obtain her inheritance when she left it here?" Vaan added with doubt.