Faced with the murderous intent of the black elf, Su Ran decided that it was the mark of a wise person to recognize the situation for what it was; he understood that his own life was more important, as death would cause everything to burst out...

"Elder, there’s no need for such words. Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility; even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would still have stepped forward to help,"

Su Ran immediately expressed his stance. Waiting until the black elf’s expression softened slightly, he then continued, "I was just a bit worried that this small piece of Immortal Divine Wood is not enough to meet the needs of the Spirit Spring..."

But before Su Ran could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the black elf’s loud laughter, "Hahaha, you’re quite far-sighted, lad! Well, it doesn’t matter if I tell you, this Immortal Divine Wood is not as simple as you think!"

"Phew, that’s a relief, then I can set my mind at ease."

Su Ran skillfully managed to get past this little interlude, holding back his disgust as he walked toward the pool of foul water.

However, the closer Su Ran walked to it, the more intense the foul smell became, almost enough to make him faint. At this moment, a doubt arose in his heart, ’I don’t even have a nose, so why am I so sensitive to smells?’

This is just nonsense!

Su Ran trudged through the mud, arriving in front of the pool of black water. The stench was so overpowering that his skull began to twist, and even the Bone Soul Ghost Fire within his eye sockets shrank back, unwilling to get close to the pool.

"Plop."

Having come this far, and with the black elf still watching him, Su Ran had no other choice but to take out the Immortal Divine Wood. Bracing himself, he tossed it into the dirty water.

What happened next astonished Su Ran; upon the stick of dead wood hitting the water, all the black ink-like liquid rushed towards it like it was being pulled by a powerful magnet. In the blink of an eye, the water in the pool cleared up significantly, and even the dark brown soil along the bank began to lighten. It was almost like a miracle!

"Now there’s trouble."

Su Ran’s gaze stayed fixed on the Immortal Divine Wood, not even sparing a thought for the stench around him. He unexpectedly discovered that after the tree trunk absorbed all the black waste water, it developed a thick layer of black on its surface, and even the green leaves that had sprouted from the branches withered, turned yellow, and fell into the pond.

Seeing the ghostly state of the Immortal Divine Wood, Su Ran felt worried. Had the treasure that had just come into his hands, not yet even warmed by his touch, already met its end here?

What a pity!

Su Ran covertly glanced at the black elf not far behind him and noticed that he was not paying attention to his side. He then took out the Spirit Spring jade bottle.

He had already prepared for the worst—sacrificing one of his treasures in exchange for the Heaven and Earth Spirit Liquid inside the bottle!

Su Ran had never been one to make a losing deal, especially with NPCs.

"I hope it’s one of those super jade bottles with infinite capacity!"

Holding the jade bottle, Su Ran recalled the White Jade Purification Bottle in the hands of Guanyin, which looked almost exactly the same. Judging by the elf queen’s high praise, the value of this bottle had to be no less than significant.

[Spirit Spring Jade Bottle] (Special)

Container used to store Heaven and Earth Spirit Liquid, storage capacity: 1/100 (liters).

Note: Cannot be destroyed, with a 30% increased chance of drop upon death.

"How could there be so little, there’s hardly any Heaven and Earth Spirit Liquid inside!"

About this, Su Ran felt profoundly disappointed. He had thought there would be half a bottle of Heaven and Earth Spirit Liquid inside; instead, there was just a paltry one percent. Moreover, the Spirit Spring Jade Bottle only had a capacity of 100 liters, which left him somewhat unsatisfied.

Time passed, indiscernible in length, until the Immortal Divine Wood had finally purged the Earth Spirit Spring, transforming even the surrounding sludge into normal soil. Tender green sprouts emerged, painting a picturesque scene of rebirth and revival.

The only discordant note was the withered trunk floating on the water. The Immortal Divine Wood was pitch black, like a piece of charcoal, unsightly to any onlooker.

This moment was highly dramatic, as the roles of the Earth Spirit Spring and the Immortal Divine Wood were instantly reversed; purity and filth switched in the blink of an eye. Su Ran was somewhat speechless, uncertain whether the Divine Wood had suffered any fundamental damage or if there was still a chance for recovery...

"Hahaha, my Earth Spirit Spring is finally back!"

The black elf laughed heartily, expressing great satisfaction, with arrogance seeping through his laughter.

Su Ran felt something off about this black elf. He always had the nagging feeling something would happen, but his thoughts were a scrambled mess. However, he was reassured by the fact that he had secured the NPC’s friendship and didn’t need to worry about the elf turning on him.

Yet, having helped the black elf with such a big favor and expended a special treasure, why hadn’t this NPC offered any reward? Not even the system prompted him with a hint, even a mere experience reward would suffice!

Strange!

"Skeleton Warrior, I really owe you one for just now."

Fandi, seeming to have calmed down, slowly approached Su Ran with a cheery face, "Tell me, what reward would you like?"

As Fandi closed the distance, Su Ran felt a jolt in his heart, his sense of crisis prompting him to step back, forcing a smile and saying, "My elder, it was only my duty. If I were to covet your reward as well, wouldn’t that be preposterous?"

"Skeleton Warrior, I sense your fear."

Fandi’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he licked his lips with a black tongue, "I can feel your soul trembling, your fear, like a helpless lamb. I truly want to rip your fresh soul out of your bones to taste that of the Undead!"

What?!!!

Su Ran was shocked and hastily backed away a few steps. He could not believe that the black elf could be so shameless. He had just helped purify the Earth Spirit Spring, and now the elf had spun around, pretending not to recognize him!

No wonder this black elf had been confined in the forbidden land; he truly was an extremely dangerous terrorist!

"Haha, the more fearful the soul, the tastier it is, Undead Skeleton," the black elf chuckled menacingly, revealing his true nature, "As for your reward, I’ve thought of one for you; I’ll grant you a full corpse. How does that sound?"

"Ding! Danger! Black elf Fandi has torn off his pretense, and his relationship with the player Skeleton has shifted to adversarial!"

The system’s synthetic voice echoed in Su Ran’s mind, only confirming the panic that had seeped in. That’s when he realized, assisting this black elf had certainly been his greatest mistake!

"Damn it!"

He was filled with regret, if he had known this would happen, he never would have wasted the Immortal Divine Wood!

"Hahaha, Undead Skeleton, don’t bother resisting in vain. Just hand over your soul compliantly, and I’ll ensure you won’t feel the pain of death. How about that proposal?"

"Eh? My Queen, what brings you here?"

Right as the black elf prepared to strike at the Undead Skeleton, Su Ran looked past him and shouted with surprise, "My Queen, please come and save me!" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com