1179 Race to the finish line!

A powerful beam of aura shot up in the distance making every single being currently in the forbidden territory turn their heads and look. For a moment, everything stood still frozen.

It was as if time itself stood still as no one could believe what was happening. But the next second, a huge uproar erupted.

"That's the aura of the guardian!"

"No! How could it be? 

"Impossible!"

"That's definitely the aura of the blessing. I am 100% sure of it!"

"No way! How could the guardian be ready to hand over the blessing already?"

"The barrier hasn't even loosened up enough! None of the Emperors will be able to come in! This is completely unheard of!"

"Forget about the Emperors. Even the elders and the generals won't be able to get through. This is way too soon! This has never happened before."

"Shit! This means that we finally have a chance!"

"This is our time. The younger generation can finally claim what is ours. Every year these old nut heads hog all the treasures. This time we finally have a chance. Let's goooooo!"

"I need to get the blessing, no matter what!"

"Fuck the royal family. Fuck the high council! I want the blessing!"

Amidst the pandemonium that followed the sighting of the guardian's aura, the air was thick with ambition and desperation. 

The beam of light acted as a beacon, drawing all like moths to a flame, each with their own reason, each with their own hunger for the power that the guardian's blessing represented.

With crazed expressions in their eyes, every single elf turned towards the beam of light and started racing toward the guardian world tree.

Not long after many came to a stop because there was another important factor to consider. If they failed to think about this particular issue, then they were only going to end up dead.

This issue was none other than the beasts of the forbidden forest!

The barrier around the forest made sure that the powerful monsters from outside did not enter the forbidden territory but what about the powerful monsters that were already inside the forest?

The elves who were racing towards the center in a maddened craze, suddenly came to a freezing halt as this realization dawned upon them.

As if on cue…

ROARRRR! ROOAAARRR! 

GROWL!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Several terrifying sounds echoed in the distance. One could tell just from the guttural roars that these beasts were not remotely ordinary. 

Moreover, it was also clear that these beasts were further inside the forbidden territory than any squad of the eight elven empires.

However, there was something off. The sharp and biting winds of the forbidden territory carried along with it a sense of unease. 

Soon everyone realized what was amiss. The beasts shockingly were not moving further in towards the Guardian.

Rather they were moving away!

The elves became dumbfounded by this new development. Logically these powerful monstrous beasts should be rushing in at a breakneck speed, competing with each other even more fiercely than them but they were instead moving out?

What was happening in this time's blessing ritual? Why were the beasts behaving this way?

There could be only one answer. It was because the guardian had already commanded them to step down. The beasts living in the forest, especially the powerful ancient ones, were all almost an extension of the world tree itself.

The guardian provided for them and nourished them. So if they had received the command to step down, they would have no other option but to do so.

The elves, scattered throughout the forbidden territory, exchanged glances of bewilderment and anxiety. If they had any doubts remaining, this answered them. 

This time the guardian has, for some reason, decided to give the blessing to the younger generation or rather the weaklings.

Gudang! Gudang! Everyone's heart raced. 

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the elves. Most of the royal family members hadn't shown up yet because they preferred traveling with the elders for safety concerns.

Though there were many squadrons loitering around in the forbidden territory at the moment, most of them were only high-level military personnel or distant branch family members. The main chief guests would only start after the barrier had loosened up.

However, this time a unique opportunity had presented itself. While the rest of the main force hadn't started yet, the several elves already inside the forest had a head start.

And it looked like they were not even going to have to deal with the powerful beasts of the forest.

No one wanted to lose such a golden chance.

As if an inaudible gong rang loudly throughout the forest, the mad rush instantly began. Elves from every corner of the forbidden territory began to scurry towards the guardian and the aura of the blessing.

Naturally, it wasn't that easy. It turned out that the weaker beasts were still in the game so there was some resistance, but the crazed elves charged forward bulldozing everything in their path.

Many of the elves who had first ventured into the forbidden territory for the blessing ritual were seasoned veterans. Their progress in their dao seeds was nothing to scoff at. They were easily able to overpower the beasts.

There were probably very few beings who could stand in the way of these crazed treasure hunters. 

If one looked at the forbidden territory at the moment from a high enough point in the sky, one could see the different colored dots starting to pile up around the central area.

The dots were all gathering together at a breakneck speed. Soon chaos was going to reach its peak. The entire area was going to become a vortex.

At this moment, one person did witness this scene from such a height. 

Liam silently gazed at the theatrics happening down at the forbidden territory. Seeing so many souls strive for greatness and struggle against their inevitable fate, his own soul churned in response.

However, he was not in a position to join them just yet. He did not even know if he would be able to join at all. 

He was currently in the middle of something extremely weird. He stared at the group of floating islands in front of him. Hopefully, something good weird. 

No, he was almost sure of it. All of this was going to lead somewhere.

Either way, he was far too deep in to get out now. He could only see it through to the end.

Liam's robe billowed, tugging at his frame as he made his way towards the first floating island.