With a mere thought, Haotian's figure instantly traversed tens of thousands of meters, arriving above the massive crater. This was an application of the space domain's power—not quite folding space, but rather a short-distance teleportation. If he were folding space, Haotian could easily cover hundreds of kilometers in a single step.
Hovering above the crater, Haotian extended his hands slowly. A mysterious power enveloped the crater below. Before their eyes, the destroyed earth began to "reappear," taking form once more. After about three minutes, the crater, over ten thousand meters in diameter, had completely vanished, and the ground was restored to its original state, as if the previous scene had been an illusion.
But it wasn't an illusion, nor a reversal of time—it was creation. Haotian was testing his mastery of the domain of creation, attempting to materialize objects from nothing. To his surprise, creating from nothing wasn't as difficult as he expected, but it was incredibly draining. Destroying the material in the crater had consumed less than one percent of his mana, but recreating it had nearly depleted ninety percent of his power—a hundredfold consumption.
This revealed a fundamental truth: creation was far more challenging than destruction.
Haotian then took a bottle of high-grade Elven Spring Water from his space ring and drank it. After three bottles, his mana was fully restored. Though it seemed extravagant, especially outside of combat, Haotian didn't mind. Their supply of Elven Spring Water was abundant; hoarding it would be wasteful. He even instructed the troops to carry a few bottles when hunting, ensuring mana shortage wouldn't hinder their tasks.
Haotian continued testing the powers of destruction and creation until he had consumed over a hundred bottles of Elven Spring Water. All around him were massive craters, but there were also patches of green grass, blooming flowers, and even tall trees. These were all creations of Haotian, brought into existence by his power, indistinguishable from natural flora.
"Creation turns the unreal into reality. With enough power, anything is possible," Haotian mused, releasing his mana entirely. Gradually, a cute, baby-like phantom appeared before him, identical to the dragon sprite, Doris. He aimed to create a twin sister for the little sprite.
However, reality was harsh. The moment the phantom appeared, Haotian's mana was drained, and he was severely injured, coughing up blood.
"Damn! I overestimated myself!" Haotian wavered, feeling dizzy. Quickly, he drank several bottles of Elven Spring Water. After some time, his strength and wounds healed rapidly. Within minutes, he was back to full health and power.
This time, he refrained from creating anything. He knew he wasn't yet capable of such feats, even creating a low-level dragon sprite was beyond his current strength. He needed to be more cautious.
"All in all, the experiment was a success," Haotian reflected. "I have a deeper understanding of the principles of creation and destruction."
As he spoke, the ground gradually restored itself to its previous state. This was the [Class Skill Tower] self-repairing. Haotian then left the tower's space in a blur.
---
Haotian headed back to the [City Hall], but before he could enter, Amy, holding the hand of the unicorn, Thalissa, who had taken on the form of a little girl, ran towards him.
"Lord Haotian!" Amy exclaimed, glancing at him in surprise. "I just received news that the elven masters my sister dispatched are about to arrive at the Golden Oasis."
Haotian smiled. "That was quick. Please, Amy, go welcome them."
Without his permission, the elven masters couldn't enter the Golden Oasis unless they forced their way in, which would trigger attacks from the surrounding turrets and fortresses.
"Yes, Lord Haotian," Amy replied, and she flew off with Thalissa.
Upon reaching the city walls, Thalissa whispered, "Amy, my instincts tell me that Lord Haotian has grown much stronger. The pressure he exudes is almost comparable to that of the elven demi-god."
Amy nodded. "Lord Haotian must have achieved a major breakthrough in that high tower!"
"I'm envious!" Thalissa said. "This land is full of miracles! Did you notice? The sandy residential area and the market-like building by Sapphire Lake have vanished."
"I just saw that Lord Haotian moved them to the outer city. He also created numerous wooden houses there..." Thalissa continued in awe. "This is the power of a god!"
"I knew about it!" Amy replied. "Before entering the high tower, Lord Haotian used extraordinary means to remodel the outer city. I was afraid he might think we were spying on the Golden Oasis, so I didn't ask too many questions."
"That's wise," Thalissa agreed. "We don't want to anger Lord Haotian. I love this place and don't want to be kicked out."
Amy nodded. She loved the oasis too. The only drawback was the lack of other natural spirits and unicorns.
---
After waiting for less than ten minutes, a shadow appeared on the horizon, moving rapidly. In no time, it was over the walls of the Golden Oasis. It was an elven warship, over two hundred meters long. Unlike dwarf warships, elven ships were sleeker, more elegant, with surface decorations that showcased the elves' artistic style.
"Nicole!" Amy waved at the ship.
On the deck stood a group of powerful natural elves, around forty in total. The weakest among them was extraordinary, and there were even saint-level figures. Yet, they all wore expressions of disbelief.
Leading them was Nicole, a grandmaster-level array master, renowned in both Keadti City and the entire Elven Kingdom. At that moment, even Nicole was too stunned to hear Amy's call.