Defiance of the Fall

und them.
It sounded crazy to him to spend hundreds of years on shaping a tree, but with lifespans running into the tens of thousands there were probably all kinds of weird time-consuming hobbies out there.
The garden was only a few hundred meters deep though so they reached their destination.

A large hedge reaching at least fifty meters into the air surrounded the massive compound where the Enlightened Three and their clan lived, and its gate was guarded by odd humanoids that looked like a mix of trees and humans.
Their hair was green and looked like cascading grass, but they had normal skin with a pinkish hue.

“Dryads?” Zac asked with interest as his mind grasped for similar beings from Earth ’s mythology.

“Just so,” the ent rumbled in confirmation.
“As I mentioned earlier, the ‘Enlightened Three’ are three grandchildren of the Perenne Family’s Matriarch.
They are dryads.”

“How strong is this force?” Zac asked curiously as they approached the gate.

Going by the somewhat sparse Cosmic Energy in the area and circuitously questioning the ent it became apparent that there shouldn’t be any D-Grade warriors in this world.
But there might still be complications if the floor guardian was in the middle of their clan.

’

“I’ve heard that the matriarch has passed level 90,” the ent whispered.
“She is one of the strongest warriors in the sector.”

Zac nodded, but not without some confusion.
The matriarch was barely strong enough to be a challenge for him, so what about the ‘Enlightened Three’? Zac had assumed that they were both the quest target and the floor guardians, but it felt pretty unlikely if the matriarch was only at that level.

“What about the Enlightened three then?” Zac asked.

“They’re all Peak F-Grade,” the ent said.
“But do not look down on them.
Rumors are that they could evolve over two decades ago, but they chose to keep refining their souls as they pondered on their Daos.
Their insight is extremely high.
In fact, don ’t let the levels of any dryads fool you.
They are the blessed children of nature and they have a terrifying affinity with nature-aspected Daos.”

“I understand,” Zac commented as they passed through the gates.

Zac ’s appearance drew some interested glances among the forest beings but no one barred his entry, especially since Thelim seemed to have some renown.
Zac himself was thinking of a back-up plan to the quest and only threw a cursory glance at the people around him.

His best guess right now was that the matriarch was the floor guardian, but the situation was a bit complicated.
The expansive mansion wasn’t mobbed, but there would be over ten allied forces and a bunch of loose cultivators in attendance.
Many leaders would be here to escort their young, each of them a match to the Perenne Matriarch.

Could he really attack the matriarch in such a situation?

Everyone was here for the Pond and its soul-strengthening effects, and Zac might end up mobbed if he did something hastily.
Helping kill an outsider was a pretty small price to pay for gaining access to the Pool of Tranquility.
Perhaps he would have to waste a couple of days until the event was over in case he lost the Dao Discourse, and find an opportunity to strike then.

’

But that was if all else failed since he didn ’t have the time to wait around like that.

Zac and Thelim were led to a huge glade where a banquet was held.
People walked around to mingle and network, but Zac was completely disinterested in the proceedings.
What was the point in getting to know a bunch of people that he would never encounter again? He only did the bare minimum as he tried to gather information about his targets.

It was only an hour later that the members of the Perenne Clan arrived, led by a beautiful forest dryad who appeared to be around Zac’s age.
She had delicate features and her eyes were slightly larger compared to a human’s, giving her a very cute appearance.
But Zac already knew that she was actually an old cultivator approaching 800 years.

It was obviously the matriarch of the Perenne clan.
Her grasslike hair cascaded almost all the way down to the ground, but Zac had already learned that it wasn’t completely ornamental.
The thick stalks were her weapon as well, and she could grow them over a hundred meters in an instant according to rumors.

Behind her walked a group of cultivators of various races, each of them radiating a respectable aura.
They were formerly loose cultivators who had chosen to stay behind after previous gatherings like this one according to Thelim, and it was this very reason that the Perenne family also allowed loose cultivators to join in on the fun.

Finally, there were the ’Enlightened Three ’.
The three were like younger copies of their grandmother, two youths and a girl.
Going by appearance Zac would have guessed they were the same age as Emily, but they were closing in on 100 years.
Reaching peak F-Grade in this world was a slow and arduous process due to the sparse energy, but it also gave them ample time to work on their Daos.

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“Thank you all for coming to our humble home,” the matriarch said with a cherubic voice.
“We are delighted to host both honored friends and new acquaintances visiting from afar.”

”Our family has been blessed with the Pool of Tranquility, and it is our joy to share the gift of nature with the fated ones, ” the matriarch continued.
“But the dew is limited, and only a select few can enjoy its effect every decade.
The mandate of the Heavens is that power is needed to seize one’s fortune, and the precious opportunities cannot be wasted on the subpar. ”

The matriarch waved her hand the next moment, and an earthquake spread through the area.
Zac frowned and got ready for a fight as the ground shook and heaved, with thick roots sprouting from the ground.
Zac was about to take out his axe and get to chopping, but the ent placed a massive hand on his shoulder.

“Wait, my friend,” the ent said from his side.
“Just watch.”

Zac hesitantly nodded and held off on taking any action, and he breathed out in relief a few seconds later as he witnessed the miraculous skill of a true arborist.
The enormous roots weren’t an attack, but the matriarch was actually growing a massive stadium out of the ground.