Chapter 539 - Rebuilding The Elves' Glory Days
"The purpose of evolution is to allow a species to change into a form that is more appropriate for that world. There are two forms in this world that are best suited for nature. The first is an element, while the second is a plant."
King Jersey stared at the elves who had completed their evolution and had elements and plant features on their body. He was overcome with emotion.
The extinct elemental giants were the ancestors of the world's oldest elemental beings. When the elemental giants reached adulthood, they would have platinum-tier or even higher strength. Their massive bodies gave them the ability to destroy the entire globe with a wave of their hands. They could modify the weather and generate elemental tides with a single breath.
If it were not for their poor fertility, the elemental giants would undoubtedly be the world's rulers. The life forms that came after the elemental giants were mythological monsters like blood demons, which were formed of blood. There were a lot of metal components in the blood, which might be used to make weapons. It could also be thought of as an elemental life form.
The elemental elves are the most prevalent beings in the world. They were entirely composed of elements, and they had simple intelligence. To put it into context, they were all descended from ancient elemental species.
Plants, which were the evolutionary path chosen by the ancient elves in the past, were no weaker than the elements. Plants could absorb light via photosynthesis, roots in soil could also absorb other nutrients, and plants were not as delicate as other species on that planet.
Plants could grow in rock fissures, and seemingly fragile roots could penetrate rock. There were hardly any animals in the arid desert climate, yet some plants could survive relatively well compared to the strength of the elemental monsters. The tenacious life of plants was precisely what the ancient elves saw.
The evolution of the elves from the tree elf species was caused by the elves employing the race chess pieces to evolve while constantly eliminating the consequences of non plant-elemental growth. It was a manipulated evolution. That procedure was faster than typical evolution but also reasonably lengthy.
The life energy of living creatures powered the elven chess piece's potential to evolve.
The elves in front of them had all drunk from the Spring of Life. Logically, their life energy was nearly endless, but they could not keep evolving. The reason was that their strength and talent were insufficient. They would cause their bodies to collapse if they continued to evolve.
In that world, there were many different beings. Aside from the elements and plants, there were also humans, sea folks, dragons, and so forth. The purpose of the elven chess pieces was to help the elves keep their race alive. It was not possible for all life forms to cohabit with other races. Their body would collapse due to disharmony if too many life forms were in them.
The elves' ability to grow into mythological creatures while remaining self-aware proved their undoing. They would most likely become a more powerful but irrational hunk of flesh if they kept evolving.
"I had no idea the energy contained in the elven chess piece was even more potent than I had anticipated. A peak silver-tier elf can advance to platinum-tier, while a gold-tier elf can advance to peak platinum-tier! I would have used that energy a long time ago if I had known it could help the elven army finish its transition. It turns out that the ancient elves had always wielded such a strong force. They possessed such great energy, but why would the old traditions state that such a force was extremely harmful and should only be employed when absolutely necessary?"
King Jersey surveyed the army of 100 mythological creatures in front of him, ranging from platinum-tier to peak platinum-tier. He was pleasantly surprised but also a little perplexed.
The elven race chess piece had always been considered a taboo within the race. No one was permitted to utilize it. He might not have realized the Holy Dragon Kingdom's strength if he had not used the race chess piece to fight it.
In the face of such a heinous ability as supernatural evolution, if the elves were willing to obtain the advantages of any other race, then they could evolve into any race in the world. He could not understand why the ancient elves did not dominate the world with such an extraordinary ability.
"Perhaps the ancestors were excessively conservative and evolved just within the range of plants, which is why they were so oppressed by the other races. Since ancient times, our race has been far too nice! It is not the same anymore. I want to release that power and show the world just how powerful we are. I will reforge the elven race's splendor."
He would bring in a total of 100,000 elves. Even someone as powerful as the Forest Dragon King would tremble if all the elves transformed into mythological animals.
"Elders, I am curious if you would like to harness the elven race chess piece's power. Regular elves can turn into such strong entities. If you used it, you could become a strong being on par with the gods."
King Jersey could not help but shake the race chess piece in his hand as he solicited advice from the four elders.
"Your Majesty, I apologize. We will skip it."
"If you really want to become powerful, Your Majesty, you can try it yourself. You are still at peak platinum-tier."
The elders shook their heads as they looked at the evolved elves. Most of them possessed plant-like traits; some of them even had their lower bodies transformed into trees that took root in the soil. Compared to typical elves, they resembled trees with facial features and four limbs that could walk. In ancient times, elves had taken that form.
That was not something they could bear for the sake of having a powerful body to return to their ancestors.
"Yes, I see. What a shame! I will not force you to evolve if you do not want to. I, for one, will make use of the power contained in it." King Jersey sighed, a sorrowful expression on his face. "Is there a reason why you can't use the elven chess piece, Your Majesty?" Daphne asked.
"Not really, but as the King, I have to keep my image up. It will be detrimental to my dignity if I evolve into such a form," King Jersey said. Maybe that was why the ancient elves did not abuse race chess pieces. It appeared that his forefathers were likewise drawn to beauty.
Daphne was speechless.
It was the same as the other elders.
"Okay, let's not get into that right now. The experiment was a huge success. Those evolved elves are already capable of dealing with Watson! But, just to be safe, I should take further precautions." King Jersey placed the elven race chess piece on the ground after a brief period of thought. The ground shook in a radius of several kilometers around him. The ground swelled, and vines grew out of it. They continued to peel off in mid-air, rising to become increasingly more powerful.
It was not simply the vines either. The rocks that were spread throughout the earth also evolved. They developed limbs and facial features and began to resemble mythical monsters.. Those altered vines and rocks, still twisted together and growing into even greater creatures, exuded a powerful and demonic aura.