“After the divine tree was planted in Qing Jiang country, did anything change?” Peach Blossom Ying asked curiously.
Lian He sighed, “The divine tree was planted ten years before Qing Jiang country fell. After it was planted, the nation’s strength began to decline. The king spent all his days cultivating with the State Preceptor, neglecting his duties. The people suffered immensely. Later, Qing Jiang country went to war with Yu Shu country, and the king was utterly confused. If it weren't for the general, Qing Jiang country would have been defeated long ago!”
“So, after the divine tree was planted, Qing Jiang country’s national strength weakened instead. Did the State Preceptor steal Qing Jiang country’s destiny? Did the king not suspect anything at all?” Lin Zi Tong asked, puzzled.
“The king did suspect initially, and the general advised him countless times. But the State Preceptor was eloquent. He said Qing Jiang country’s destiny was already at its end, and if not for the divine tree’s help, the country would have fallen long ago! He also incited the king to kill more people and perform daily rituals, watering the divine tree with blood!”
At this point, Lian He gritted her teeth in anger.
Initially, the State Preceptor only killed criminals. After gaining the king’s permission, he became even more reckless, killing the weak and elderly, women and children. In the end, even the veteran soldiers who had retired from the battlefield were all slaughtered.
That treacherous official doomed the country!
That terrifying and chaotic history was sealed within Da Qing Mountain. If not for Lian He, an eyewitness, historians would likely never have known what happened.
Precisely because of this, Yan Shou Yi absolutely would not allow the State Preceptor’s plan to succeed!
The world must not fall into the State Preceptor’s hands!
“I wonder if the divine tree is still there… Lian He, is there anything else special about the divine tree?”
Lian He replied, “When I fled Qing Jiang country, the divine tree began to show some changes. I only heard it through hearsay, I never saw it myself. It’s said the divine tree has achieved immortality. It grew a giant human face, not only could it speak, but it could also directly eat people.”
This wasn't achieving immortality; it was cultivating into a demon!
Yan Shou Yi had seen tree demons before. In his demon-refining pot, there was even a tree demon abbot.
“Da Qing Mountain is indeed the State Preceptor’s lair. It was the right decision not to rashly enter the mountain; it’s fraught with danger.”
Yan Shou Yi’s brows were almost twisted into a knot. Although he hadn't reached Xi Chuan yet, he could already sense how thorny the situation was.
To find the State Preceptor, one would have to fight through his wooden puppet army. Even if he found the State Preceptor, the latter might still leverage the divine tree’s power and hide some killing moves.
Seeing Yan Shou Yi so troubled, Lin Zi Tong could only comfort him softly:
“Don’t worry. The Xuanmen isn’t just you and Yu Lu Ming; there are also the sect leaders and seniors from other sects. They are experienced and knowledgeable; they might have ways to deal with the State Preceptor.”
“But no matter what, we can’t wait for the seven-day deadline,” Yan Shou Yi sighed. “Notify all elites immediately. We depart for Xi Chuan tonight!”
…
Deep within Da Qing Mountain.
Dense forests obscured the deep mountain valley.
Here lay ruins, with broken walls and remnants covered in vines and moss. Some buildings were submerged in water, with fish hiding among the shards of overturned ceramic bowls to escape predators.
Poisonous snakes coiled within the dense leaves, their triangular eyes chilling and terrifying, occasionally flicking their forked tongues.
Amidst these ruins stood an incredibly stout ancient tree. It towered a hundred meters high, its canopy like a vast umbrella. Blood-red leaves blocked the sunlight, and the meager light that filtered through was rendered blood-red by the leaves.
This tree resembled a banyan tree, with many aerial roots hanging down. Some pierced deep into the earth, others dangled into the water, and some simply hung in mid-air, like jellyfish tentacles, swaying in the wind.
Suddenly, a disturbance echoed through the valley, scaring the poisonous snakes into tree hollows and making the fish in the water tremble.
It was the undead army.
When they left, they were crude wooden figures without features. Upon their return, they were all well-dressed and had human faces.
However, they seemed not yet accustomed to human bodies. Therefore, even with their features, they appeared awkward. Some smiled while crying, others cried while smiling. Some walked with a limp, while others crawled on the ground like spiders.
They had captured many living people, all from righteous sects who had rushed into the mountain to kill the State Preceptor.
But at this moment, they had lost all their former spirit. They were all terrified, crying and struggling.
Most of them, however, had lost consciousness, either fainted or gone mad like the young Taoist priests. Now, they reacted to nothing they saw, becoming puppets ready for slaughter.
The undead brought the hostages before the divine tree, tossing them down at its base, then kneeling in unison.
Their expressions were pious, as if in prayer.
“My heart is pure, transforming into divine power; I beseech the heavens to bestow blessings!
The State Preceptor’s grace protects Qing Jiang; from this day forth, eternal immortality!”
The undead chanted softly. The divine tree seemed to respond to the summons; the earth trembled. The enormous divine tree actually grew a colossal human face.
At the center of the forehead of the human face, countless aerial roots intertwined, forming a natural throne.
The State Preceptor sat cross-legged on that throne, but his eyes were tightly shut, as if he were healing.
The giant human face slowly opened its mouth, emitting a muffled sound, “How many people did you capture?”
One of the undead replied loudly, “Reporting to the State Preceptor, exactly one hundred. The rest were all killed!”
“Hmm… Although only a hundred, they all possess cultivation and merit. By consuming them, I can at least recover some of my strength…”
The human face was the State Preceptor, or rather, the State Preceptor had merged with the divine tree.
Then, the human face showed anger, “Damn Xie Qing Cang! To think he hid within that useless person beside Yan Shou Yi, causing my cultivation to plummet!”
Among the hundred living people, a few could still maintain their composure. Now that they saw the true face of the State Preceptor, they were so terrified that they lost control of their lower bodies and urinated themselves.
This was the State Preceptor?
This State Preceptor was not human at all!
How could they kill him… how could they kill him! Even if the Heavenly Master were resurrected, he wouldn't be a match for this State Preceptor!
Despair filled their faces; they didn’t even have the will to escape.
The giant human face sniffed, as if tasting the food to check its freshness before a feast.
Subsequently, the human face opened its mouth, but instead of eating people directly, it spat out countless aerial roots. They slowly extended towards the living people before them.
The aerial roots pried open the mouths of these people, burrowed inside, and rapidly absorbed their life force.
Those targeted by the aerial roots instantly turned into dried husks, not only their vital energy and blood but also their souls were completely sucked dry!
As they died, their faces were filled with terror and pain.
Those who still had some self-awareness could not help but begin to wail and beg:
“Don’t kill us… don’t kill us…”
“We don’t want to die!”
“Please, spare us, we’ll do anything!!”