The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 294: Chapter 267: The Standard for a First-Class Power

Laine and Mia were also confused.

Mia’s personality was such that she could never hold back a question. She immediately asked Furlo, ”What kind of Divine Technique is the Second Elder using?”

Furlo often assisted Eleanor with Clan affairs, so she knew far more than the other disciples from Taichu City. Hearing the question, she didn’t hide anything and said with a smile, ”That’s the ’Song of the Long Wind,’ a Divine Technique that enhances the speed of one’s Body Technique.”

Laine and Mia came to a sudden realization.

”No wonder the Second Elder’s speed is in no way inferior to Fernando’s,” Mia said in admiration.

However, upon hearing this, a meaningful smile appeared on Furlo’s face.

”The ’Song of the Long Wind’ is much more than just that.”

As if in response to Furlo’s words, the battle situation on the Water Curtain’s display suddenly changed.

Above the battlefield, the song-like whistling of the wind had intensified to its absolute limit.

Then, all the sounds merged into one, forming a deep and vast resonance.

It seemed as if only one sound remained between heaven and earth.

It was the sound of wind falling from the nine heavens, carrying the immense rhythm of the boundless sky.

The Second Elder’s figure finally revealed itself at this moment.

He was no longer dodging.

All the wind, all the momentum, and all the speed instantly converged onto the Long Sword in his hand, transforming into a streak of cyan light that shot out, spanning the sky.

Fernando only saw a streak of cyan light.

It was as if the wind itself had condensed into a sword, cleaving down from the nine heavens.

In the next instant, the cyan light was right before him.

Even with the astonishing reaction speed granted to him by the Law of Lightning, he didn’t have time to dodge this strike.

BOOM!

The cyan light struck Fernando square in the chest.

The shield of lightning on his body tore apart silently and dissipated, like a piece of cloth sliced by a sharp blade.

The next second, Fernando’s body, like an iron ball struck by a giant hammer, plummeted from the sky. He crashed into the ground, creating a crater several meters deep and sending shattered rock and dust flying into the air.

And the cyan light had already receded.

The Second Elder’s figure reappeared in the sky, his robes fluttering gently in the wind, not a speck of dust on him.

”So strong!” Mia’s eyes lit up as she muttered in utter shock.

A flash of amazement also crossed Laine’s eyes.

’No wonder Furlo said the ’Song of the Long Wind’ was different from the Law of Lightning.’

’In terms of both speed and attack power, the ’Song of the Long Wind’ is clearly a cut above the Law of Lightning.’

’This isn’t just a difference in strength between the Second Elder and Fernando; it’s a difference in the tier of the Laws themselves.’

’If I had to make a comparison, this Divine Technique, the ’Song of the Long Wind,’ is at least on the level of an intermediate-tier Law.’

At the same moment the Second Elder killed Fernando, the battle on the ground was also decided.

The Scale Rock Lizard cavalry on the flanks first routed the giant-hooved cavalry, then sliced into the Black Stone Territory’s army formation from the sides like two sharp longswords.

The Black Stone army, which was already in a steady retreat, saw its formation completely collapse after its flanks were breached.

The soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.

The officers desperately tried to stop them, but to no avail.

Panic spread through the army like a plague, sweeping everyone up in a mad dash to the rear.

The great army of the Black Stone Territory was routed.

In the tower’s great hall, the Elves cheered loudly.

Even the usually calm and reserved members of the Document Hall couldn’t help but pump their fists, their faces overflowing with undisguised joy.

A delighted smile also appeared on Furlo’s face.

Although Laine and Mia were also happy about the Clan’s victory, they felt a bit helpless at the same time.

They had been thinking of joining the battle, but they never expected the war to end so quickly.

The Black Stone Territory was defeated in a single day, an unexpectedly swift conclusion.

But on second thought, it wasn’t so surprising.

’Whether it was the quality of the soldiers, the superiority of their equipment, or the duel between High Tier combatants, the Silver Moon Legion held an overwhelming advantage.’

’The Black Stone Territory might have been one of the hegemons of the Green Highlands, but compared to the current Silver Moon Race, they weren’t in the same league.’

’This war was a foregone conclusion from the very beginning.’

”We came all this way for nothing,” Mia sighed. ”If I’d known, I would have just stayed in Nine Nether City and taken exploration missions.”

”Who said you came for nothing?”

Furlo’s eyes curved into crescents, her smile holding a hint of slyness.

”The war may be over, but there’s a lot of clean-up work to be done. Since you two are both here, how about you help out?”

Laine and Mia looked at each other and gave wry smiles.

They had come to join the war, but ended up as laborers for the post-war cleanup.

That being said, they still nodded and agreed in the end.

Lucius happened to be here too, and the four of them hadn’t seen each other in a long time. This was a good opportunity for a reunion.

...

The war between the Silver Moon Race and the Black Stone Territory ended far more quickly than anyone had anticipated.

In just one day, the grand army of the Silver Moon Race broke through Black Stone City, located in the Black Stone Mountains.

The Blackstone Lord, Fernando, was killed in battle. His high-ranking subordinates surrendered, and the Black Stone Territory changed hands.

When the news spread, the Eldron Plain and the surrounding regions were shaken.

All the powers that had been paying attention to this war were greatly shocked.

Before the war broke out, most people were certain that the Silver Moon Race would win.

But no one had expected the Silver Moon Race to win so easily and so swiftly.

A major hegemonic power of the Green Highlands had actually been defeated by the Silver Moon Race in less than a day!

It was simply staggering!

Through this war, those powers that previously had only a vague concept of the Silver Moon Race’s strength finally came to a clear realization.

To this day, the Silver Moon Race had grown into a behemoth with a complete military system, powerful industrial capabilities, and abundant resource reserves.

The combat power it displayed had far surpassed the scope of a regional power.

However, an even more noteworthy event was still to come.

Half a month after the war ended, while the various powers were still digesting the news of the Silver Moon Race’s annihilation of the Black Stone Territory, another surprising piece of news came from the Green Highlands.

The Green Scale Clan, another hegemonic power in the Green Highlands, proactively sent a diplomatic mission to the Silver Moon Race, offering up the Magic Stone Vein under their control and requesting to become one of the Silver Moon Race’s Vassal Races.

When the news spread, the Green Highlands was in an uproar.

The Green Scale Clan was no minor power.

With the Sea Race at their core, they had integrated several coastal races and operated on the southern coast of the Green Highlands for hundreds of years. They commanded an elite army and, more importantly, possessed a powerful fleet that was feared throughout the coastal regions.

In terms of strength, the Green Scale Clan was not much inferior to the Black Stone Territory; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to stand as equals with them in the Green Highlands.

But for such a formidable power to voluntarily submit to the Silver Moon Race...

Such a development was truly beyond many people’s expectations.

But upon careful consideration, the Green Scale Clan’s decision was not incomprehensible.

The fall of the Black Stone Territory had clearly shown everyone what it meant to confront the Silver Moon Race head-on.

The Green Scale Clan certainly didn’t want to become the next Black Stone Territory.

It was better to proactively align with them while they still held bargaining chips, in exchange for a relatively dignified outcome, rather than surrendering after suffering a heavy price.

Besides, the Silver Moon Race’s lenient attitude towards its Vassal Races was plain for all to see.

Many races had developed even better than before after becoming vassals of the Silver Moon Race.

Such treatment was unimaginable among other powers.

After that, the Silver Moon Race accepted the Green Scale Clan’s surrender and allowed them to keep their own territory.

Aside from taking over the Green Scale Clan’s Magic Stone Vein, the Silver Moon Race did not demand any tribute of resources.

As compensation for the Green Scale Clan handing over the Magic Stone Vein, the Silver Moon Race even allowed them to purchase more goods.

By this calculation, although the Green Scale Clan lost a Magic Stone Vein, they gained a higher purchasing quota than other Vassal Races, which would bring them greater benefits in the long run.

In any case, this war changed many things.

The entire geopolitical landscape of the Green Highlands was completely rewritten in just half a month.

The Black Stone Territory was destroyed, the Green Scale Clan submitted, and the former situation of two major powers standing side-by-side was gone, replaced by a new order where the Silver Moon Race reigned supreme.

And the Silver Moon Race’s sphere of influence, after incorporating the Eldron Plain, now included the Green Highlands, marking a key step in its transformation from a regional power to a first-rate one.

Many powers began to reassess the strength of the Silver Moon Race, and the results left them even more silent.

There were roughly three recognized standards for a first-rate power on the Dawn Continent.

First, possession of a fully established Black Iron Legion of at least thirty thousand soldiers.

There was no doubt that the Silver Moon Legion was a Black Iron Legion.

Although its numbers were still relatively small at present, considering the Silver Moon Legion’s equipment and Talisman provisions, which far surpassed those of ordinary armies, its actual combat effectiveness had already exceeded that of a typical Black Iron Legion.

And with the continuous growth of the Silver Moon Race’s population, it was only a matter of time before the Silver Moon Legion expanded to over thirty thousand strong.

Second, having at least one Saint presiding over them.

As everyone knew, the Silver Moon Race’s Clan Leader, Anton Silver Moon, was a peak Legendary Sword Saint.

The key point was that he was not yet two hundred years old.

Among the ranks of peak Legendary Powerhouses, this age was in a league of its own for its youthfulness.

Given the terrifying growth rate Anton had displayed so far, coupled with the long lifespan of the Elf Race, his ascension to Saint was practically a certainty.

Third, possessing the economic strength and resource reserves to sustain a long-term war.

On this point, the Silver Moon Race had undoubtedly already met the requirement.

Rune Equipment, Refined Metal, potions, Talismans, Demon Crystal products... the goods of the Silver Moon Race sold well all over the continent, with a trade network that covered more than half of the Dawn Continent.

The amount of Gold Coins and resources that flowed into the Silver Moon Forest each year was a figure that made many other powers green with envy.

Not to mention that the Silver Moon Race also controlled five Magic Stone Veins.

This level of control over resources was not inferior even when compared to first-rate powers.

All things considered, although the Silver Moon Race had not yet met the standards of a first-rate power, it undoubtedly possessed the qualifications to make a run for it.

All it lacked was time.

The rise of the Silver Moon Race was already an ironclad fact.