Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

"Today!" She sat up abruptly, her almond-shaped eyes instantly brightening.

"It's the day of the sacred tree's sacrifice!"

Fang Xu was also awakened by her voice, and sat up in bed while rubbing his eyes.

Murong Sha had already woken up and was sitting on the edge of the bed, her blue ponytail neatly combed, as if she had been waiting for a while.

The four quickly tidied up and pushed open the door of the wooden house.

In the early morning, the air in Pandonog was filled with a scent that was different from usual.

I can't quite put my finger on it.

I just felt that the air was exceptionally clear, the sunlight exceptionally warm, and even the stone pavement under my feet seemed smoother than usual.

The indigenous people along the way were all dressed in their most formal attire today.

The Stone Tribe residents wore heavy gray stone-patterned robes, the Wood Tribe wore warm yellow wood-patterned short garments, and the Bone Tribe wore gray-white bone-adorned shawls. Regardless of age, everyone's face carried a solemn and expectant expression.

Everyone is moving in the same direction.

Pandonog Square.

......

When Mo Fan and his companions arrived at the square, a large number of indigenous residents had already gathered there.

The stone-paved ground surrounding the platform was bustling with people. Residents of the Stone Clan, Wood Clan, and Bone Clan mingled together, standing side by side without distinction. Today, there were no distinctions of race; everyone was simply—a citizen of Pandonog.

Niu Kuang and the others had arrived. Niu Kuang stood in the crowd with his arms crossed, his muscular frame, over 1.8 meters tall, standing out prominently. Tie Dan stood close to him, his shiny bald head gleaming in the sunlight. Er Mao stood at the very back, his eyelids drooping, his face expressionless.

Song Chen's team was also in position. He stood on the other side of the crowd, impeccably dressed, with a calm expression. Lin Sen followed behind, his gaze sweeping around behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

The three teams briefly met eyes and nodded to each other as a greeting.

Then--

The sound of steady footsteps came from the front of the square.

All eyes turned to the front.

The elder, leaning on his wooden cane, slowly walked up the stone steps in front of the sacred tree in the center of the platform.

Beside him stood the three clan chiefs, side by side.

Turing, the chieftain of the Stone Clan, was dressed exceptionally solemnly today, holding a completely gray stone staff in his hand. The staff was engraved with ancient patterns, and at the top was a fist-sized gray stone, its surface faintly gleaming.

Chief Flying Axe of the Wood Clan also brought his beloved axe this time. The axe blade was sharp but rust-free, and the handle was also engraved with totem patterns.

The Bone Clan Chief, Dagu, held a massive bone club in his hand. The club was entirely grayish-white, its surface polished smooth and covered with densely packed patterns.

The four stood before the sacred tree, facing hundreds of native inhabitants and three player teams.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the sacred tree, casting dappled shadows on them.

The elder raised his wooden staff and tapped it lightly on the stone steps.

All sounds fell silent at that moment.

“People of Pandonog.”

The elder's voice rang out, old yet loud, penetrating the air throughout the entire square.

"Today is the most important holiday for us Pandonog."

His gaze slowly swept across the faces of everyone present.

"Sacrifice to the Sacred Tree!"

As soon as the two words were spoken, a silent surge of excitement swept across the square.

The elder's voice continued to echo.

"Long ago, the adorable Elf King Barton planted a sacred tree for us!" He raised his staff, pointing to the towering tree behind him. "May it protect us, Pandonog, and ensure our prosperity and peace for generations to come!"

His voice became louder, and every word was resounding.

"We should remember King Barton the Elf! We should remember the Divine Tree!"

As soon as the words fell—

In the square, hundreds of people shouted in unison!

"Long live King Barton the Elf! Long live the Divine Tree!"

The sound surged up like a tide, making the stone slabs underfoot tremble slightly.

"Long live King Barton the Elf! Long live the Divine Tree!"

again and again.

The sound echoed in the sky above Pandonog, spreading in all directions.

Mo Fan stood in the crowd, feeling the surging enthusiasm and piety around him.

The adorable Elf King Barton—he memorized this name, wondering if he would ever have the chance to meet him again.

As the cheers subsided, the elder raised his wooden staff once more.

"So now—"

His voice became solemn and dignified.

"I hereby declare—the Sacred Tree Ritual officially begins!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the wooden staff the elder was leaning on suddenly lit up.

The light did not erupt suddenly, but rather slowly seeped out from the patterns on the staff, like a life that had been dormant for a thousand years awakening anew. The light was warm and gentle, with a milky white hue, enveloping the Grand Elder in a faint halo.

Immediately afterwards—

The three clan leaders moved almost simultaneously.

Turing raised his stone staff high. The ancient patterns on the gray staff began to glow, emitting a deep and steady gray-white light. The light was heavy and restrained, like the pulse of the earth itself.

Flying Axe raised the wooden axe. On its warm yellow blade, the grain seemed to flow as if alive, radiating a warm and vibrant emerald green light. That light was full of life, like the first hint of green at the revival of all things.

Da Gu swung his bone club. The patterns on the grayish-white club also lit up, releasing a deep and mysterious grayish-blue light. That light was cold and ethereal, carrying an ancient and distant aura.

Four rays of light—milky white, grayish white, emerald green, and grayish blue—bloomed simultaneously before the divine tree.

Then, they began to converge.

The four beams of light, like four streams, emerged from their respective sources, converging, intertwining, and merging in the air before finally transforming into a dazzling pillar of light that flowed directly into the trunk of the towering tree behind them.

The instant the beam of light touched the tree trunk—

The divine tree moved.

It wasn't a physical movement, but rather—it lit up.

Starting from the roots, a warm, emerald-green fluorescence slowly rises along the texture of the trunk. It's as if someone has injected a tube of flowing light into the trunk, the light spreading inch by inch upwards along the veins of the annual rings and the direction of the branches.

The tree trunk lit up.

The branches are now bright.

The leaves brightened.

The entire sacred tree, from its roots to its crown, from its trunk to its tip, radiated a soft yet magnificent emerald green light.

The light wasn't dazzling, yet it was so bright that it couldn't be ignored. It enveloped the entire square in a green halo, reflecting that warm green hue on everyone's face.

Just as everyone was stunned and held their breath by the light emanating from the divine tree—

In the distance, from another direction, the lights also came on.

One light.

Two beams of light.

Three beams of light.

Countless rays of light.

From afar—from the direction of the wishing wall—beams of light burst forth one after another.

They varied in size and color. Some were vibrant vermilion, some were bright pale yellow, some were deep indigo, and some were fresh emerald green. They rose from the direction of the wishing wall and scattered in mid-air, like a meteor shower in broad daylight.

Those lights—

no doubt.

It's an Easter egg.

These are the Easter eggs that everyone made by hand yesterday, embedded in the holes of the wishing wall. Now, responding to the light of the sacred tree, they have transformed into streaks of dazzling light.

"So beautiful..." Murong Jiao tilted her head back, her almond-shaped eyes filled with the flowing light, and her voice unconsciously softened.

Those streaks of light did not scatter and drift away.

As if drawn by some force, they flew in from afar, one after another, trailing their own colors.

They streaked across the sky, passing overhead, each with its own unique luster, and finally—

One by one, they disappeared into the divine tree.

Red, blue, yellow, green, purple... all the colors flowed into the emerald green light of the divine tree, like rivers flowing into the sea and flowers returning to the forest.

With each ray of light that entered, the divine tree's radiance grew even brighter.

As the last ray of light merged into the tree canopy—

The divine tree's light suddenly surged.

A dazzling emerald green beam of light shot up from the treetops, piercing the azure sky. The beam was incredibly thick, carrying an indescribable, majestic aura, bathing the entire Pandonog in its green light.

The beam of light lasted for several breaths before slowly receding.

It didn't disappear, but rather declined.

The soaring light receded like the receding tide, gathering once more among the branches and leaves of the divine tree. The entire giant tree now radiated a warm and profound aura, no longer ostentatious, but even more substantial than before.

As if it had eaten its fill, it quietly digested the energy from the Easter eggs.

The square was silent.

Everyone was so shocked by what they had just witnessed that they were speechless.