That night, beneath the holy tree Nordasir.
Moonlight, soft as water, poured over the calm surface of the Well of Eternity.
Nordasir's lush branches hung high in the night sky, and with every gentle breeze, stardust-like silver light scattered down.
On the thick, ancient tree trunk, faint light patterns flowed ceaselessly, bearing witness to the ritual about to commence.
Malfurion Stormrage, clad in a robe meticulously woven from evergreen vines, stood at the center of the ritual array.
His expression was solemn and grave, his emerald eyes filled with deep concentration. Tyrande Whisperwind stood silently a little behind and to his side, her moon-white priestess robes immaculate.
As a guardian of the ritual, she constantly scanned her surroundings with alert eyes.
On Malfurion's other side was his apprentice, Fandal Staghelm, also a Archdruid.
In addition, several other Night Elf druids stood at the outer edge of the array.
As the moment for the ritual arrived, Malfurion was the first to speak, his voice deep and resonant, carrying soul-stirring power: "In the name of Elune, and by the blessings of the Dragon Aspects!"
"Nordasir, the foundation of the Kaldorei, a symbol of immortality!"
He slowly raised his hands, palms upward, "Today, we do not take, but rather sow seeds of hope for lands in suffering!"
A gentle yet immense force of nature began to gather and surge around him.
The surrounding druids also raised their hands, channeling their power towards Malfurion in the center of the array.
The converging power, guided by Malfurion, gently flowed towards Nordasir's towering trunk.
This was not a forceful taking, but a communication imbued with sincerity and reverence.
The holy tree seemed to respond, its branches and leaves stirring without wind, emitting a low, distant rustling sound.
In a certain area on its main trunk, the light suddenly became bright and pure.
Under everyone's bated breath, a branch, about the thickness of an arm and radiating a warm, emerald glow, slowly began to separate from the main trunk.
This process was extremely slow; not a single scar could be seen at the separation point, only a soft energy film quietly enveloped the break, miraculously smoothing the wound.
Lin Mo had been silently observing the ritual from the side. At this moment, he seemed to be intently gazing at the sacred branch detaching from its parent, his expression unusually solemn, even tinged with a hint of "piety."
However, no Night Elf could perceive that he had already quietly mobilized his divine power, forging an identical phantom branch deep within his Divine Kingdom.
The branch finally detached completely from its parent, silently and lightly floating into Malfurion's outstretched palm, radiating an enchanting glow of life.
Malfurion carefully held the sacred object steady before turning to Lin Mo and saying in a deep voice, "Lord Lin Mo, Nordasir's branch is here."
Lin Mo nodded slightly, his expression indifferent as he extended a claw to receive it.
This slightly disrespectful action made Fandal Staghelm's eye twitch and his brow furrow.
However, the Archdruid and his wife did not seem to mind, so he found it difficult to voice any criticism.
"May you take this hope and allow the Northrend to flourish anew," Malfurion earnestly entrusted.
Lin Mo nodded again, slowly and with a sense of ritual, putting away the branch that glowed with a faint emerald light, giving the Night Elves ample face.
The ritual thus concluded perfectly.
Tyrande remained silent, her cool gaze briefly lingering between Lin Mo and the put-away branch, but she ultimately said nothing, turning and leaving with Malfurion.
The other druids bowed one by one, slowly receding into the shadows.
Finally, only Fandral remained, informing Lin Mo of the assembly time: "Tomorrow at noon, we will gather at the eastern foothills of Mount Hyjal and depart for Northrend."
Only after Fandral's figure also disappeared into the night did Lin Mo lower his head, his deep gaze fixed on the branch in his claw.
The next day at noon, the sun was scorching.
After a simple but solemn farewell ceremony, Tyrande and Malfurion stood still, watching the group depart.
Lin Mo ascended into the air, and Fandal Staghelm led the druid squad closely behind him, transforming into various raptor forms, flying alongside him.
Lin Mo could have instantly transported these druids across the Endless Sea directly to the ice plains of Northrend.
But he didn't.
He chose to accommodate the druids' flying speed, moving slowly.
The real branch had already been quietly sent back to his Divine Kingdom, Serakhen. At this moment, he needed to buy some time for the transformation of his main body within the Divine Kingdom.
—Divider—
Meanwhile, in the Divine Kingdom, Serakhen.
In the lowest level of the Divine Palace, within the lava pool condensed from pure faith.
Obsidian slowly opened his vertically slitted pupils, burning with golden divine fire.
In his mountain-sized front claws, the sacred branch from Nordasir floated quietly.
Now, detached from the protection of its parent and situated within Obsidian's absolute divine domain, the unique aura it contained, belonging to the Dragon Aspects and the Night Elves, appeared particularly out of place and "impure" within this lava of faith.
"First step, cleansing," Obsidian slowly and firmly submerged the branch into the lava pool.
Although he knew that the other World Trees planted by the Night Elves later showed no signs of being pre-set with backdoors.
Otherwise, they would not have been so easily corrupted by the Ancient Gods.
However, preparing for the unexpected is never overthinking.
Better safe than sorry; it was always necessary to thoroughly cleanse any potentially existing marks that did not belong to him.
After soaking it in his divine power and faith for a sufficiently long time, Obsidian took it out of the lava pool.
At this point, the branch's aura had undergone a complete transformation.
The unique "imprint" feeling, originally closely connected to Nordasir and the Emerald Dream, had completely disappeared, becoming purer yet also more "blank," retaining only the most fundamental life energy, and its warm emerald glow was now deeply contained.
"Second step, reshaping." Obsidian gazed at the masterless branch, and the divine fire in his golden dragon eyes suddenly blazed.
His divine power began to surge and roar, transforming into an invisible forging hammer, ready to reshape this sacred object.
"I say, let light be as flame, piercing through ignorance!"
A pillar of pure, ultimate white-gold light suddenly descended, enveloping the entire branch.
The branch seemed ignited by this sacred flame, and its entire body began to emit a holy radiance.
"I say, let war be as a blade, invincible!"
A torrent of blood-red energy surged forth, exuding the scent of iron and fire, circling the branch.
The life force deep within the branch was cast into the furnace, refined through countless trials, compressed, and condensed, gradually radiating a sharp edge.
"I say, let order be as a net, all falling under my grasp!"
Silver-white runic chains appeared out of thin air, coiling around and tightly binding every inch of the branch, inscribing it with Obsidian's brand new mark.
The originally slightly wild life pulsations were forcibly regulated and standardized; every energy node was brought within the framework he had set, becoming orderly and submissive.
"I say, let protection be as a wall, impervious to all evil!"
Finally, a thick, solid energy barrier, flowing with dark-gold luster, formed around the branch.
This barrier was composed of countless tiny dark-gold scales tightly interlocked, completely encasing the transformed branch.
Upon closer inspection, it looked as if the branch itself had grown scales, resembling something belonging to a dragon even more.
This was not only a barrier to isolate prying and interference but also a guarantee to ensure its core essence remained free from contamination and erosion by other forces.
As for the power of the Dragon Domain, it had already become the foundation of his divine power, requiring no additional application.
And the domains of Shadow and Knowledge, their characteristics were not particularly suitable for direct blessings upon the branch's essence. It would not be too late to bestow them additionally once it truly grew.
"Hm?"
Soon after the holy tree branch was completely transformed, an anomaly suddenly occurred!
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