Damned Healer-Chapter 606: Strange Universe

The trip took only half a day, thanks to switching mounts.

When he saw the gigantic tree, Darian was stunned. "That aura…"

That tree carried a very strange aura, a mix of natural power and… primordial power. That kind of power could only exist in Primordial Beasts, which explained his shock.

Ailik and Zaowe bowed devoutly. The gigantic tree released a gentle light from its leaves, illuminating the entire surrounding forest.

A group of figures from the Nether Spirit Race approached. When they saw Darian, their expressions changed. Before they could say anything, the gigantic tree trembled slightly, and shock spread across all their faces.

Ailik started speaking quickly. "This is Darian. He—"

An elderly man stepped out of the crowd, interrupting her. "The divinity has ordered that this precious guest be brought inside."

He made an inviting gesture. Darian nodded and followed them.

The closer he got to the gigantic tree, the more familiar it felt to him. The primordial power emanating from it was extremely intense.

When Darian moved even closer, he saw countless powerful figures watching him closely. They were as numerous as ants. There had to be millions.

Ailik explained that the race was spread across countless tribes, and that the stronghold where her Tribe lived was just a small branch. The others were so far away that communication was almost impossible.

Now Darian understood why Zaowe had said earlier that Darian wouldn't dare go see their God. Many there were stronger than the tribal leader; if he truly had bad intentions, there was no way he would leave alive. On top of that, there was an even greater pressure coming from the towering tree.

Even though they were already beneath the canopy, it took a full hour of walking straight ahead before they finally reached the trunk.

The bark had patterns similar to scales. Natural energy saturated the air, refreshing Darian and everyone nearby.

More and more people appeared. Darian even saw three Nethergod Spirits, just like Ailik. They leapt down from the branches, as if the leaves were stepping stones.

'There's no need to cause this much of a stir, right?' Darian felt the pressure in the surroundings increase. More and more powerful figures gathered there, as if they were waiting for him.

Ailik and Zaowe were nervous as well. They had never witnessed anything like this.

Those who could remain close to this divinity were all elite figures of the race. Ailik's heart was pounding. Even someone like her was only allowed to see this figure after reaching adulthood.

Only those with exceptional talent or who had made extraordinary contributions had such permission. It could be said that everyone present there had a higher status than hers, since Ailik was still very young and couldn't use her full strength.

Suddenly, an old man with a white beard slowly descended. Darian saw a pair of emerald wings on his back. They looked like two gigantic leaves.

The elder held a wooden staff and wasn't tall, but he radiated a deep sense of calm.

"Greetings, great prophet!"

All members of the Nether Spirit Race dropped to their knees. Zaowe and Ailik were startled and hurriedly knelt as well. This was a legendary figure they had never seen before.

This prophet was the emissary of the Divinity, the one who conveyed divine decrees. He was the only one capable of communicating with the Nether Tree, and the most powerful existence of the entire race.

"Hello, traveler from another universe. Your arrival is the greatest gift to our race. You are a missionary, correct?" the prophet asked.

Darian was surprised, but if that tree was what he thought it was, this wasn't hard to figure out. "That's right."

The figure nodded lightly. "Don't be surprised. We have been waiting for you for a long time. The Great Roc left something for us to deliver to you."

He gestured, and a small broken crystal appeared in his hand.

It was about the size of a fist. It shone intensely like a gemstone, but it emitted a terrifying pressure. All the powerful figures of the race instinctively stepped back, their faces turning pale.

There were blood-colored marks shimmering inside the crystal. It was as if it pulsed with demonic blood. Darian accepted it carefully. When he held it, he could clearly feel an immense dormant power.

"Senior, did you get the wrong person? I'm not the only missionary. Didn't the Roc leave a specific name?" Darian asked. There was no such thing as a free lunch, and he instinctively felt that accepting this could land him in serious trouble.

The prophet smiled. "As long as you are a missionary, you are the right person. The Great Roc said we should give this to the first one who appeared."

"Did he say why?" Darian asked seriously.

The elder shook his head. "It's not clear. This was passed down to me by the prophet of the previous generation, who heard it from his predecessor, and so on. No one knows the details."

Darian sighed. Not long ago, he had discovered a missionary who wasn't exactly right in the head. Giving something to the first person who showed up sounded extremely suspicious. Weren't they afraid the item might fall into the wrong hands?

"Can I ask what this is used for?" Darian asked.

The prophet shook his head. "We are only responsible for passing the information on to you. As for the details, I apologize, but we truly don't know."

Darian snorted, then put it away for now. He couldn't refuse a treasure. After that, he spoke seriously, "Senior, I'd like to obtain a detailed map, and also as much knowledge as possible about the races and things in this region. Is that possible?"

"Of course." The prophet waved his hand. A leaf fell from the tree, shrinking until it was the size of a coin. "The divinity prepared this for you. Press it against your head and use your soul to feel it. It's like a Jade Slip, and you'll obtain the information."

Darian pressed the leaf against his forehead.

"!"

Suddenly, his body pulsed with intense light. Everyone around him widened their eyes. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Darian closed his eyes. Instantly, he felt as if he were flying. The higher he went, the more he could see.

It wasn't his real body or his soul. It was as if his consciousness had been carried far away.

He saw the canopy of the tree beneath which he stood. He flew higher and higher until he spotted the fortress of the tribe where he had been before. He also saw the spatial rift he had escaped through and the end of the giant forest. On the other side was an arid desert. Then, he saw the end of the desert.

He realized he was on an island. There were many other islands around. Looking farther ahead, he suddenly understood that this world was like a puzzle that had been shattered.

When he focused on his surroundings… Darian was stunned. He felt that this place was enormous, far beyond his imagination. It was like the area of several galaxies combined.

"What the hell is this universe? I'm not on a planet… everything around looks like a massive ocean. Worse, what is this black sea?"

Darian was extremely confused. He looked up and saw a huge hole in the middle of space, from which intense radiation flowed. That was like the sun that bathed everything. Nothing in that universe was like a normal universe.

When he focused on one direction, one fragmented world after another appeared in his mind. Many places were filled with intersecting spatial rifts, like gaping mouths.

"Hello."

Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed, making Darian jump. He looked around and found nothing.

"Greetings, missionary. I am below you. I am the Nether Tree."

Darian let out a breath of relief, then looked downward.

"Thank you for the help. I desperately need to wake my wife. I saw that you have primordial power in your body. That came from the Roc, right? Can I get just a little? I don't need much, and I can offer you many things in return."

"I'm sorry. If I give you even a little, my vitality will collapse, and I will die shortly after. The secret of my immortality lies in that," the voice replied softly. "But, on this island, there is what you want…"

That voice began explaining many things to Darian in detail. That tree had existed for a very, very long time, before this universe completely changed.

In the past, the power of the Void did not exist, and this was just an ordinary mid-tier universe, where there was only a single Primordial Beast.

But after the immense war that happened long ago, all the laws of the world changed, and all universes began to have their own sets of laws, turning each place into a unique world.

After that, everything there changed.

All planets, galaxies, and ordinary things disappeared. That entire universe became an immense, deadly black sea, with countless planet-sized islands scattered across it.

The one he was on was a tiny island, located on the outskirts. Before the Roc died to the power of the Void, which was above the power of a Primordial Beast, it left parts of its power sealed underground on some selected islands.

No one knows the reason for this. And no one knows why its dead body is floating throughout the universe.

On this island, for some reason, it was also certain that a missionary would arrive, so it left that behind to be delivered to him.

Darian's eyes first filled with shock. He had no idea the power of the Void was so terrifying; it was possibly close to immortal-level power.

Then, his eyes lit up. On this island was exactly what he needed.

"The place where it left this is at the center of the island, and also where the soil is the most nutritious and powerful. Unfortunately, the Nether Spirit Race couldn't hold the place, and the Nether Beasts took over the area and built their largest city on top of it."

Darian heard that and didn't care at all. "They can't open or use whatever is buried there, right? Then it won't be stealing or anything like that. I'll take it, whether they want it or not."

"Good. But… could you spare the Nether Beasts?" the voice asked gently.

Darian nodded lightly. He understood that this Tree had been left on that island, and everything there was protected by it as if it were its home. The Nether Spirit Race worshiped it, but it also didn't wish for the destruction of the Nether Beasts.

Darian nodded. "If they cooperate, I'll take it without any bloodshed. If they don't… I'll only kill a few to intimidate them. But if they still refuse… then I won't have a choice."

"That's fine. Their fate is in their own hands. Sorry, I don't know much more than what I've already told you."

Darian nodded. At that moment, the leaf fell from his head, and he returned to reality inside his body.

Darian slowly opened his eyes. "Thank you very much."

He spoke while looking at the immense tree in the distance. He had gained a lot of essential knowledge.

Everyone around him, including the prophet, was pale, their eyes wide open. They hadn't expected Darian to be taken to speak directly with the Divinity. Not even the prophet did that; he only heard a few short orders from time to time.

At that second, the prophet's expression changed. He heard something in his mind.

He took a deep breath and looked at Darian. "The Divinity has ordered me to give you this."

He gestured and took out another leaf. There was a pulsing rune at its center, exuding the purest power of the Void.

"This is the greatest treasure our divinity grants its subjects. Only the leaders of the scattered tribes possess it. With this, you can merge with the Void and move completely hidden for an entire day. The leaders use it in emergencies, to save a few selected people and escape."

Darian accepted it eagerly. This way, he could infiltrate the city of the Nether Beasts without being seen and wouldn't need to cause unnecessary bloodshed.

Everyone around watched him receive it, stunned.

"Senior, I still have things to do, so I'll be on my way. Thank you very much for everything," Darian said quickly, wanting to rush to that city as fast as possible.

At that moment… Darian noticed a change in the karma of the people around him. He turned and looked at Zaowe. His gaze was fixed on Darian, cold and unrelenting.