Each ancient tree exudes a deep and transparent emerald-like texture, and the leaves are not ordinary green but shimmering with magical brilliance, forming a canopy of intertwined green and dark gold, almost completely obscuring the sky.
The air is thick with life energy so dense it almost becomes tangible and... an intensely extreme pressure.
Under this invisible pressure, silence reigns for dozens of kilometers around; there is no sound of insects or birds, only a low, slow breathing as if beating in rhythm with the pulse of the earth, emanating from the forest’s center, a colossal palace naturally formed by tangled and twisted ancient living trees.
And there lies the true core of the Jade Forest, the lair of its sole ruler, the Green Dragon Queen.
Beneath the dome naturally woven by the thick branches of the "Shadow Song Tree" lies a magnificent palace.
Natural magic runes flow across the walls and floor, providing illumination while serving as a powerful protective barrier; without permission, no creature can set foot within the palace.
The palace is vast in space, the light isn’t bright, but heaps of treasures can be vaguely seen, piled like mountains—gold, silver, various ornaments, jewels, gemstones, ancient artworks, lost magical equipment... innumerable treasures exude a dazzling brilliance, intoxicating.
Suddenly, atop a massive gold coin mountain, the coins began to tremble and moments later, countless coins tumbled down, producing crisp clinking sounds.
A slender and majestic head emerged from the mountain of gold coins, followed by a neck covered in scales more sparkling and transparent than the finest emerald.
Suddenly, its enormous closed vertical emerald pupils opened slightly.
Even this slight opening cast a dense horror of dragon might over the previously serene palace.
All the servants standing by immediately fell to the ground, trembling all over, pressed closer to the earth, almost holding their breath.
Aislena slowly and gracefully raised her giant head, precisely turning towards a certain direction. If Gauss were present, he would be astonished to find she was gazing at the direction where they had just purified the evil god’s aura, causing the cave ruins to collapse.
A hint of extremely subtle confusion and interest flashed in her profound emerald dragon eyes.
She has sensed it!
The faintly negligible aura of the evil god; this level of power, even if originating from a deity, is not worth her attention.
What truly piqued her interest was another extremely brief, yet unusually peculiar energy fluctuation.
It felt as if in a forest she knows intimately well, she suddenly caught the scent of a brand new, exceedingly exotic spice she had never smelled before.
"Hmm...?" A deep, yet authoritative dragon roar reverberated like rolling thunder throughout the vast palace.
She moved slightly, a claw far thicker than an adult human.
A nearby Lizard People Old Shaman immediately crawled humbly forward, pressing his head to the ground.
"Go..." The queen’s voice echoed in the shaman’s mind, commanding imperiously.
"Investigate... what happened in that direction just now. There’s a hint... of an interesting ’scent’... I want to know the details."
"As you command, great Jade Gazer, Mother of all beings." The Old Shaman responded with a hiss from his forked tongue, not daring to delay, promptly bowed and retreated to arrange the queen’s orders.