"Dear!" Sylphia exclaimed joyfully as she ran toward the figure. The one who appeared beside the Tree of Life was, of course, Aldrian's true body.

At this moment, he was wearing his imperial robe, the one he always wore when meeting visitors—suggesting that he had only just finished meeting someone.

The moment he appeared, he turned his head toward Sylphia and showed a warm smile. Although it had only been a short time since they separated, he acted as if they had been apart for a long time.

Sylphia's body collided with his, but Aldrian did not budge. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug to comfort her. Being targeted by malicious people on her first visit outside the continent must have been an unpleasant experience.

No matter how secure she felt under the protection of his avatar, he knew that her heart was still shaken. If not for that avatar, she would likely have died. What Grand Duke Freindor did was truly bold, yet carefully calculated, and would have brought him great reward if it had succeeded.

She must have known this, and she sought comfort in him the moment she saw him.

Empress Vilena was still shocked by Aldrian's sudden appearance. She did not immediately show hostility, since Sylphia had shouted her love for him the moment he appeared.

Still, she could not help but show her surprised expression toward Aldrian, which looked rather amusing. She could not understand how he could appear here without anyone noticing.

The World Tree should have known first if someone had infiltrated this place, even if that person were a peak pseudo-immortal cultivator.

"My apologies for my sudden appearance, Your Majesty, Empress Vilena. I believe this is our first time meeting directly, as I have always communicated with your daughter. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aldrian Aster, the Emperor of the Aster Empire. It is truly a pleasure to meet you," Aldrian said while still holding Sylphia in his arms.

"I just happened to have some spare time to visit and hope I did not disturb your moment here. I sensed my fiancée's presence along with yours, so I thought I would come," he added.

Realizing her inappropriate behavior, Sylphia quickly pulled away from him and stood up gracefully.

Empress Vilena finally came out of her shock as Aldrian spoke to her. She set aside her surprise and any questions she had about him for now.

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty. It is truly my honor that Emperor Aldrian could visit this place. Welcome to the Verdyn Empire. And of course, I am not troubled. In fact, I just brought Her Majesty Sylphia here to see the most sacred place in the empire and the legendary Tree of Life," she replied.

Aldrian nodded and turned his head toward the Tree of Life. The tree began to move again, its leaves rustling softly after his arrival. Aldrian could sense its joy even without touching it, which made him smile warmly. He walked closer to the tree and gently placed his hand on it.

"So this is the Tree of Life," he said softly, as if seeing it for the first time.

While he said that, he infused his golden energy into the tree, causing it to calm down. The tree's movements slowly subsided, and he sensed that it was actually… crying? Of course, not literally, but its intent clearly expressed both happiness and relief at finally being able to touch his energy again.

He had finally returned to visit the tree, just as he once did in his past life. The tree seemed to recall those days, when he would sit against its trunk and sometimes play his guqin beneath its shade. His golden energy was also the same as in the past, when he would channel it into the tree to help its growth.

Although all of that had happened long ago, the tree seemed to remember it vividly at this moment.

Empress Vilena, seeing the Tree of Life react once more to the touch of another person, no longer knew what to believe. Could it be that all those from the Barisan Continent could draw such a response from the Tree of Life?

Since earlier, she had only seen the tree react to people from that continent.

Did they possess something special that made them so meaningful to the Tree of Life?

Viona, the World Tree's spirit, finally appeared not far from them after suddenly sensing a figure beneath her true body. At first, she was astonished and wanted to ask who he was, but the familiar aura stopped her.

She saw the same face as the avatar she already knew, and Sylphia's behavior toward this figure made her realize who he truly was. So, she approached him.

Empress Vilena was startled and shocked when another figure suddenly appeared beside her—but this time, she recognized who it was. Still, her surprise did not fade, for the figure beside her was the spirit of the World Tree itself. The spirit rarely appeared, even she, as the empress, could not always meet it.

The spirit of the World Tree was a revered existence among all elves, something deeply ingrained in their very souls, a guardian existence for the elves.

For the spirit of the World Tree to suddenly appear, she must have sensed Aldrian's presence and come here at once. But then her eyes widened as if they would pop from their sockets when she saw the spirit suddenly kneel before Aldrian.

"Your Majesty," Viona said, her voice filled with reverence.

Of all the things that had happened over the past few months, from the emergence of Aldrian the Great to this very day, this was, for empress Vilena, the most shocking sight she had ever witnessed. Even more than seeing Aldrian's power firsthand.

The spirit of the World Tree, a being of immense pride and one regarded as the extended hand of the heavenly tree of the world itself, an ancient existence that had seen the empire's long history, was prostrating before someone, and that someone was a human.

She knew Aldrian was special, but for the World Tree's spirit to willingly lower herself like this?

Empress Vilena looked at Aldrian again, feeling she had to reassess him entirely. For the world tree's spirit to bow in such a way meant it regarded Aldrian as a higher existence, far higher than the spirit herself, a being revered by all elves.

'What is he then? A god?' the empress asked in her mind, completely overwhelmed by what she was seeing.

Aldrian looked toward the spirit, still wearing his gentle smile.

"You must be the spirit of the World Tree. You don't have to kowtow like that, just treat me normally," he said.

"Alright, if Your Majesty says so," Viona replied as she stood up again.

Empress Vilena did not know what kind of relationship these two beings had. It seemed as though the spirit already knew who Aldrian was, and Aldrian himself appeared accustomed to such reactions, which explained why he spoke so casually. As she was about to say something to him, he suddenly asked her,

"Do you like music, Your Majesty?"

The question left her stunned for a moment, but she soon answered, "I do, Your Majesty. In fact, I have both a guqin and a harp, and I sometimes enjoy playing them."

Aldrian nodded. "Would you mind if I played my guqin here? Seeing the scenery in this place suddenly makes me want to play."

Empress Vilena's eyes lit up, and she nodded with excitement.

"Of course, Your Majesty. You may play for as long as you like. If I may, I would also love to hear Your Majesty play," she said.

"Thank you. And of course, Empress Vilena may listen. I hope that after hearing it, Your Majesty will gain some great benefit from it," Aldrian replied before taking out his guqin, the Spirit of Great Path.

He sat down beside the tree and positioned himself to play, while the others also sat on the ground nearby. Sylphia sat closest to him, while the rest chose their own places.

Aldrian brushed his palm softly across the guqin's strings. He glanced at the Tree of Life for a moment before focusing once more on the guqin.

'You don't have to feel lonely again,' he thought, sending his intent gently toward the tree.

He plucked the first string, then the second. Soon, the sound of the guqin filled the air, weaving into a melody that stirred serenity within every heart. The music carried a quiet beauty, evoking cherished memories in all who listened.

At first, the music could only be heard by those nearby him, but it slowly spread through the surrounding vast space before reaching the entire palace. Those who heard it were stunned by the sudden, beautiful sound of the guqin and stopped what they were doing. Although they did not know where the sound came from, they did not care and simply let themselves be carried by the melody.

The Tree of Life itself responded to the music, its leaves swaying gently and creating a soft rustling sound that soothed the mind. It felt as though the tree had returned to the days of the past.

Unbeknown to Aldrian, within the Tree of Life, something had begun to manifest.