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In the gaze of the elves, a white-clad female elf riding a unicorn was slowly retrieving her bow at the edge of the forest a hundred meters away.

"Mentor Karinling—it’s Mentor Karinling!" A low but joyful voice spread among the elves, allowing Chen Xuanfeng, with his exceptional hearing, to understand who he was about to face.

"My apologies, I did not expect to encounter the esteemed 'Arrow God of the Sky' here. I am Xuanfeng Blizzard Wolf, envoy of the orc alliance and Sword Emperor of the wolf clan, paying my respects to you." Chen Xuanfeng solemnly saluted, greeting the elven Arrow God with respect.

Chen Xuanfeng's reverence was not born of fear but of a warrior's admiration for the Arrow God.

Karinling, the "Arrow God of the Sky," one of only three Arrow Gods in existence. If she were merely that, it would not be enough to earn the respect of a fierce individual like Chen Xuanfeng. However, her illustrious history made all the difference. Though she appeared as a delicate elven maiden of sixteen, she was in truth over twelve hundred years old, having been an Arrow God for more than eight hundred years.

Eight hundred years—yes, that was the era when Leinster, the "Ancestor of Sword Saints," roamed unchecked. Among the strong who faced Leinster, few escaped unscathed. Yet Karinling, newly ascended as an Arrow God, challenged Leinster three times and even wounded the greatest human warrior of all time twice, earning her fame across the land. After Leinster's death, Karinling rarely took action, gradually fading into obscurity. Though several human Sword Saints arose, none dared to challenge her. Later, when the Twelve Sages completed their forbidden spells, leading to large-scale conflicts between humans and elves, the "Arrow God of the Sky" finally took action again. Seven sages were grievously wounded by her arrows, with the "Thunder Sage" and the "Dark Sage" even compelled to transform into "Thunder Elementals" and "Liches" to survive, ultimately forcing the arrogant sages to slow their assault on the elves, buying time for the high elves to withdraw overseas.

After the high elves withdrew overseas, there was no further word of this Arrow God on the mainland. However, Chen Xuanfeng had once heard from the "War Saint" Leimen that this Arrow God had once crossed paths with him during his era of testing his sword across the world. "Without the aid of the Sword Saint's domain, I had no absolute certainty of defeating her," was the evaluation given by the now-deceased orc Sword Saint.

The strong honor the strong, regardless of their allegiance. Thus, Chen Xuanfeng did not hesitate to express his admiration for this legendary elven woman.

Of course, respect aside, Chen Xuanfeng would not hesitate to do what needed to be done.

The elven Arrow God Karinling dismounted her unicorn and approached Chen Xuanfeng, frowning slightly as she asked, "Werewolf, why did you assault my kin?"

Chen Xuanfeng spread his hands and replied, "Senior, your words are unfair. I merely adhered to the protocol of an envoy, seeking an audience with the Queen. I did not expect the guards to not only deny me passage but also attack me first. My counterattack was solely to halt them, with no intent to cause harm. Surely you, Senior, are aware of this."

Karinling naturally knew that Chen Xuanfeng had held back, so she could not press the matter further. However, she could not accuse her own kin of rashness in front of an orc, so she said, "I do not know your purpose, but this island is a sacred sanctuary for the elves, not to be trespassed by outsiders. Their interception of you was their duty. Since you claim to be an envoy, you ought to honor our traditions."

Karinling's words were not polite, but to Chen Xuanfeng, they brought a sense of relief. He had long known that this most senior Arrow God among the elves was indifferent to anything outside of combat. Though she held a revered position, she had always remained outside the core of elven power. Thus, he had planned to use her prestige to achieve a certain goal. Hearing her words now, it was clear that the Arrow God had not heard of their mission from the council, providing the perfect opportunity to implement his plan.

Chen Xuanfeng shook his head and said, "Senior, I cannot concur with your words. I believe their assault stemmed from personal grievances. Setting that aside, even in terms of tradition, they had no reason to stop us."

Karinling frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I am also familiar with the history of the elven race," Chen Xuanfeng smiled slightly. "The so-called 'Sacred Forbidden Zone' is where the elves safeguard religious treasures, precious historical artifacts, and documents. Originally, only elves permitted by the Elven King could enter. However, as I understand it, the true succession of the Elven King requires three elves of sufficient prestige and lineage, each holding one of the 'Three Royal Regalia,' to perform a ritual ceremony. Only the one who gains the favor of the Nature Goddess is considered the true Elven King. Since the 'Three Royal Regalia' were scattered three thousand years ago, the elven race has not had a true Elven King. The current High Elven King is merely a 'candidate king' who has not been crowned and blessed by the goddess, holding only one of the regalia—the 'Rainbow Feather Mask.' Yet he presumptuously wields the authority of the true Elven King. To use such an untraditional authority to accuse me of wrongdoing seems rather absurd, don't you think?"

Elves, with their long lifespans, hold history in an almost obsessive reverence, even to the point of causing racial divisions. However, in the tides of changing times, no matter how hard they try, many traditions inevitably collapse when their foundations are lost. The elves often avoid discussing such changes, and Chen Xuanfeng seized upon this weakness, leaving Karinling momentarily speechless.

However, such debates had already occurred countless times among the elves, so the female commander of the elven archers quickly interjected, "Do not distort the truth. Since the Three Regalia are lost, we naturally had to adapt. Should we never enter the sacred land because of this? Moreover, we have not violated tradition. The Queen, who holds one of the regalia, naturally possesses part of the Elven King's authority. Furthermore, the current Queen's official title is still 'Acting Regent King.' Once the Three Regalia are reunited, the coronation ritual will be performed again, and the true Elven King will be born."