Mortrexo

Blooming Four Sylvans and Liu Shu. (R-18) (Sketch)

Four pairs of hands reaching out. Liu Shu's lovers want her badly~hehehe.

Chapter 1310. Baby Boost! Trial of the Battle.

After opening her eyes, Yasenia exhaled a mouthful of foul energy. It was the remnants of the energy she purified and developed during this one hour. Since she advanced quickly, there was bound to be impurities, but thanks to her innate comprehension talent, constitution, and powerful bloodline, those impurities were cleansed without any effort. 

“Congratulations. You are the first person to learn the full inheritance of the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation].” 

Yasenia looked at him with a cold face. Her gaze was clearly unfriendly, and her body was giving the “I don’t like you” vibes. “Anything else?”

The middle-aged man’s lips twitched. “Ahem… I am, even if just in name, your master… Aren’t you being a bit rude?”

Yasenia answered flatly. “The one who messed with other people’s children is speaking about rudeness?” She sneered. “Color me surprised.” 

The man felt awkward. He had no way to retort, after all. It was his fault for not telling Yasenia first. 

“Now, I don’t care what I learned or what you taught me. Tell me in detail about what you did to my baby.” Yasenia’s red-colored eyes oozed with bloody, murderous intent. “My previous threats were not empty words.”

“Previous…” The man recalled what Yasenia said, “If you dare touch my child again without telling me first, I’ll destroy this world.” 

Usually, such grand words would be something he would scoff at. But the talent he has seen in this dragon woman made him somewhat afraid. ‘If she keeps growing at her current… She might really get enough strength to follow through with her words.’ 

“Alright. Don’t get too agitated.” The man spoke calmly. “I understand why you are angry, but I really didn’t do anything bad to your child.” 

“I know,” Yasenia spoke, her face still frozen. “If you had done something harmful, I wouldn’t be speaking with you. I just want to know what you did and how it will affect my baby.” 

The man nodded. “Alright. What I gave your child are two things. First, pure energy. It is energy that’s gentle and easy to absorb, like chewed food for a baby bird. With this energy, its initial realm will be higher, and advancing further will come as naturally as breathing. In short, whatever its talent was, I pushed it further.” 

Yasenia nodded once. 

The man noticed that the coldness around Yasenia had decreased slightly. This made him somewhat relieved. “The second benefit is less concrete. With that pure energy, I refined the soul of the baby and made it stronger. In short, I developed whatever its natural affinities were.”

Yasenia's cold face gained a faint frown. “Isn’t that dangerous? If the baby has contradictory affinities and the constitution is not strong enough to balance it, your boost will only exacerbate the problem, will it not?” 

The man paused for a second, and Yasenia didn’t miss his hesitation. The aura that had calmed down started surging again, and the man felt as if he was about to start sweating, even when that was impossible. ‘How can a junior release such a profound, intimidating aura? Scary, scary.’ 

“Although what you said is not incorrect, you are looking at the worst-case scenario…”

“I am a Sun, Moon, and Star attributed cultivator. The other parent is a Metal and Sun-attributed cultivator. Do you think that my worries are exaggerated, senior?”  

Seeing Yasenia’s cold smile, the senior didn’t know what to do. After all, knowing the parents’ attributes, things changed significantly. The very implausible scenario became slightly less improbable, becoming a very real threat.

Of course, Yasenia was not worried. Her constitution, [Celestial Yin and Yang Body], was the most powerful balancing constitution Yasenia knew of. Therefore, she believed that whatever energy entered her and nourished her child would be balanced by it.

While it had not been a prominent quality of her journey, without it, Yasenia knew that she wouldn’t have been able to reach her current heights, dying somewhere along the way.

Still, this person was unaware of her constitution. He meddled with her child without knowing the situation and put it in danger. 

‘He knows that he is in danger.’ 

Yasenia could see that although the senior was outwardly calm, there was a trace of flusteredness in his soul aura. ‘Still… It’s not like I can retaliate in any way. Moreover, my child and I have benefited in the end.’ 

If it were a real person and not a soul remnant, her reaction might’ve been more exaggerated. However, this time around, taking out her anger on this thing would be like punching cotton. Sighing, Yasenia spoke directly to him. “Senior. Let’s leave the staring contest here. There are still two trials I need to take, right?”

“Hm… Not exactly.” The man spoke, relief clear in his voice. “Now that you’ve gained everything that there was to earn, you don’t need to continue with the trials. The next trial is a battle among all the participants. During this battle, the soldiers will not be resurrected, so it will be a battle of endurance. Furthermore, there is a chance of death.” 

His tone was nonchalant, and Yasenia was not surprised. After all, the stronger the treasure, the higher the risk. Dying for riches was something cultivators were willing to do, and entering here signified that they had decided that risking their lives for the treasure was worth it.

“The next trial will happen with the remaining army and participants. You will fight against an exact copy of yourselves and your remaining army. As an advantage, the enemy army will have one less layer of whatever level of Battle Formation you’ve learned. Still, their proficiency in it will be almost perfect.”

“I see. Strength against proficiency. I can guess that the trick to win during this final trial is to gain proficiency as the battle goes on.” 

“Yes.” The senior nodded and looked at Yasenia. “So, what do you want to do?” 

Yasenia looked down for a moment and spoke. “I want to participate in the next trial, but not the last. There are people there whom I want to kill.” 

The senior could easily guess who. “Those two demons, right?”

“Yes,” Yasenia commented. “I don’t purposely search for them, but if I cross paths with one, I don’t mind putting in a bit of effort to exterminate them.”  

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but ask. “Speaking of which… I have not seen Divines during my stay. Are they not in the Blue Pearl World?”

The senior spoke after a moment of thought. “From the very few memories I have from my main self, there should be Divines in the Blue Pearl Continent. Perhaps you have not chanced upon them yet. The world is big, after all. And, compared to humans, other races are pitifully low.”

Yasenia hummed. “I understand. Thank you, senior.”

“Don’t worry.” The man smiled. “Go on. But be careful; you might be the one killed if you lower your guard.”

“I understand.” Yasenia wouldn’t underestimate them. Tatyana had literally beaten into her bones never to underestimate her enemies, and she didn’t plan to start doing it now.

Her body reappeared on the battlefield in the middle of her army. The eyes of everyone landed on her. Looking around, Yasenia’s face remained aloof. 

‘Since I won’t be participating in the last trial. I can use my soldiers much more recklessly than the rest.’ 

“The Trial of the Battle begins! Fight and survive.”

There were no more explanations. The woman pointed at Yasenia and ordered confidently. “All of you, attack her!” 

Her words were clearly directed towards the men she had charged. However, of the four people she had charged, only two moved. The woman’s eyebrows tangled, and she looked over at the other two. She knew that one of them had her charm broken, but what about the other? 

“You, why are you not moving?”

The man’s face was cold as ice, his sturdy body radiating bloodthirst. “You’ve been playing with me and my junior sister for long enough, Demon. Die!” 

“Attack.”

The two men Yasenia liberated moved with their armies to fight the female demon. The woman was flustered for a second before she easily understood what had happened. “Yasenia Dravory! You dare steal another one of my breeders!?”

Yasenia ignored the approaching armies and looked over with a laugh. “What’s wrong? Did you swallow more than what you could handle, Snake demon?”  

“I will kill you!” The woman wanted to rush over, but she knew that it was not possible. Of the two men that Yasenia liberated, one of them had a large temple army and the other a medium temple army. Together, their numbers reached nearly fourteen thousand. 

Against these numbers, the female demon quickly fell into a disadvantage. With gritted teeth, the woman shouted. “Return! Help me get rid of these traitors quickly!” 

Yasenia’s army didn’t follow the retreating armies. Soon, the entire battlefield was in chaos. The woman was fighting with her two charmed people against the two vengeful ones, while on the other side, Yantao was being besieged by a berserk woman. 

‘Hm… The demons are winning.’ 

Evaluating the battlefield, the situation would end with the demon’s victory. She could tell that the woman of the righteous sect was stronger than the male demon. Sadly for her, they were currently limited by the Secret Realm. Moreover, the male demon had a Large Temple army, while the woman had a Middle Temple army. 

The woman was outnumbered 2 to 1. 

The dragoness didn’t move yet. ‘They are all losing soldiers left and right. There is no reason for me to stop it.’ 

So, she waited. 

Around half an hour later, the battlefields were slowly stabilizing. The female and male demon, together with the other two charmed males, gained a solid advantage and began cutting numbers down. 

“It’s time.” Yasenia stepped forward, and the second she did so, the two demons looked over with venomous glares. They had never stopped paying attention to Yasenia, after all, she was a giant threat. 

However, the second she stepped forward, their glares and the battlefield in general stopped. 

Not figuratively, but everyone was restrained for a second when Yasenia stepped forward. 

“[Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain…”

Yasenia’s presence engulfed the entire battlefield.

“...Level 2].” 

Waving her hand, like a general ordering the battle to continue, the army behind her moved in unison. “Slaughter my enemies.”

All sixteen thousand of her troops, boosted by Yasenia’s auras, rushed forward towards the male demon. The woman he was facing was in a terrible state, but with her uncaring fighting style, she managed to damage her enemies equally. 

Yasenia was not done, though. Her eyes pierced through the battlefield, reaching Guo Yantao, and then, her seductive lips parted. “[Celestial Intent Domain].” 

Both she and the demon disappeared from everyone else’s sight. 

Chapter 522. Surprising Discovery In The Lake. New Ally! [AotSC]

To Liu Shu’s confusion and surprise, her conquest of the Abyssal Void Nexus Continent advanced without a hitch. Her roots spread, and whenever she encountered a fortress, she would unleash <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe> to deal with it.

Besides that, the forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes couldn’t even slow her down. The second she approached them, Liu Shu's aura would force any flora and fauna to submit.

‘The continent is quite large, but…’ Liu Shu observed the terrain, using her extremely advanced mind. ‘It’s quite empty.’ 

That didn’t mean that there weren’t forests and other varied landscapes. The terrain in this continent was as rich and diverse as that in her own continent. What Liu Shu meant by empty was the lack of World Trees and other similar flora. 

“I’ve only found two World Trees that were mentally corrupted and three Life Trees of Level 40 and below.” 

Liu Shu’s purifying skill forcefully reincarnated the two World Trees, while the Life Trees were nursed back to health. Other than those five, the largest flora she had encountered were ancient but common trees.  

The intelligence of wild trees varied greatly. Some were like Tree, her mother, and had lived for long enough to accumulate basic intelligence. They were barely distinguishable from common Life Trees. As a matter of fact, most Life Trees were born from these ancient common trees. 

“Oh?” Liu Shu felt a rare, clean aura and focused there. Using her Aether Mana, her roots moved swiftly underground, reaching the place where this pure essence came from. “What is here?”

When she arrived, what she saw was a lake. It was a lake that stretched for more than ten kilometers from side to side. Its depth was similarly impressive, reaching over 500 meters in the deepest parts.

“Hello?”

“Hm?” The voice of a sleepy female reached her. “Who goes there?” 

The languidness clearly told Liu Shu that the other person had been sleeping and she had just woken up.

“I am a World Tree. I can feel a pure aura emanating from this lake, so I came to investigate.”   

The other side exclaimed through her sleepiness, surprised. “A World Tree!” She yawned and spoke lazily. “It has been… Hm. Long. More than three… No, four thousand… Hm… Thinking so much is making me want to go to sleep again…”  

Liu Shu chuckled. “So… What are you? You are clearly neither a World Tree nor a Life Tree… But I can still feel that you are a natural being of great power.” 

“I am what you see, World Tree.”

Liu Shu observed for a bit and asked, confused. “You are… The lake?”

“Yes.” The lake answered and chuckled. “I am the lake. I am its waters, who have learned to think and manifest. I am its mind, and its will. I am the <Spirit Of The Lake>.” 

“Spirit of the lake…” Liu Shu muttered and recalled all the information she had about them.

Almost all things in the universe could gain levels, intelligence, and strength. Be it mountains, worlds, stars, rocks, rivers, oceans, lakes, or moons, everything could bloom with life if the right conditions matched. Of course, it was so rare that the grand majority thought of it as a myth.  

However, for large bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers, it was too difficult. The reason was their ever-changing nature. 

For a mortal, a lake was an unmoving water mass, and a river always followed the same path. Nevertheless, as years passed, the lakes shifted, and the rivers changed their course. This change mixed them with the water of the world, making it essentially impossible for intelligence to appear in any single lake or river. 

Nevertheless, in the case of a lake, the conditions were much less restraining. If a lake didn’t shift through the years, and if that very same lake accumulated enough death and rebirth essence, it had an extremely slim chance for a spirit to form. 

These spirits were carefree, bothered about nothing, and lived as the manifestation of the lake.  

After recalling the information, Liu Shu spoke to it. “It’s nice to meet you. I am here to tell you that I will be establishing my roots in this area. You can try to fight back, but I recommend not doing that.” 

“Huh?” The lake made a confused sound. Its voice spread out, slightly colder than before. “World Tree, I don’t know what you are doing here in the domain of those people, but I recommend you stay put.” 

Liu Shu chuckled. “I am already invading their continent. There is no need to stay put. Also, when I say establish, I mean that you’ll be assimilated and become part of my domain. Don’t worry, though, I will not interfere with your sleep.” 

“I refuse.”

Liu Shu’s roots spread forward, not listening to it. “Hm… Are you worried that I will override your thoughts or something? Don’t worry, I have plenty of World Trees and Life Trees under my influence. A single Lake Spirit isn’t that much. Also, it's not like you have the ability to refuse…” 

The Lake Spirit manifested in the form of an androgynous humanoid, lacking clearly defined features but emitting incredible power around it. This figure was 10 meters tall, and all the water around it moved with intense fluctuations. “World Tree. I said I refuse.”

Feeling the power of the other side, Liu Shu could tell that it was a <Fourth Energy Cycle> being. However, the Level was around 80, not much higher.  

“And I said that you don’t have the ability to refuse.” Liu Shu's roots suddenly burst into powerful white flames, and she sank them into the lake. A sizzle, accompanied by a burst of steam, covered the entire valley where the lake was. 

“AAAHH!” 

The lake spirit trembled as it screamed in pain.

Liu Shu didn’t continue the attack and stopped, resting her roots inside the water. “Spirit of the lake, I am not your enemy. I am trying to become the True World Tree. Therefore, I can’t leave any single place in this world outside of my influence. Don’t worry, since you are a living water spirit, I can slowly nurture you and let you control all the water of the world.” 

“Huh?” The spirit of the lake, who was about to retort angrily for being attacked, paused immediately. What it just heard was too tempting to ignore. “What do you mean, World Tree?”

“There is no hidden meaning in my words.” Liu Shu spoke softly. “I know how difficult it is for a spirit like yourself to be born. So, I was thinking of allowing your influence to seep into the world’s water. With you supporting the water cycle, the chances of disasters related to water are almost impossible. Moreover, all water creatures will receive boosts and benefits from you, right? It’s a win-win scenario.” 

The spirit didn’t speak right away. To be honest, Liu Shu’s offer was extremely tempting. Moreover, the strength the World Tree showed during that very short exchange was enough to let her know that resisting was basically impossible. 

The spirit, who had lived for many thousands of years, could only develop the lake from a one-kilometer-wide and 20-meter-deep lake to what it is today. While it could’ve tried to mix her water with other terrains, it was too difficult and risky. If her water was contaminated too much with impure water, there was a chance that her consciousness would be erased. 

However, there was one way for it to spread without problems. That was to have a creature with area influence control and share water bodies with it. That way, its consciousness would not be washed away unless its very essence was destroyed. 

“Are you sure you have the ability to do that?” 

It was doubtful. But Liu Shu questioned back. “Do you think an average or incompetent World Tree would be able to make you suffer so easily in just one exchange?”

The spirit thought for a bit. ‘Strength, rewards, and willingness to cooperate. Moreover, she has the potential to become the True World Tree, which would give me access to the water of the world.’   

“Hm… Okay. I’ll join you. But you need to conquer at least one continent before I agree to your conditions.”

“Done~.”

“H-Huh?”

“Doooone~.”

“W-What do you mean?” The spirit of the lake was flustered. She could clearly feel that the other side still had a long way to go before she conquered the Abyssal Void Nexus’ continent.

Liu Shu giggled. “As I said before, I am not from this continent. I’ve come to conquer it. My original continent is already under my control. I also control 15% of the ocean~. Soon, when Big Sister Pelagia accepts me, I will control over half of it!”  

“...”

“So…” Liu Shu trailed her words and asked mischievously. “Will you join me?”

[Tianlian Liu Shu is asking the Spirit Of The Lake if you want to join her domain.]

[Yes or no?]

The spirit looked at that message with a sigh. ‘A World Tree would not lie about the area it covers. They would not lie about almost anything… I guess I’ll need to join.’ 

She was reluctant, but the answer was easy. ‘My peaceful days are gone… Ugh.’ 

[You’ve accepted giving up your domain to World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu.]

[<Title: Galactic Overlord> detected in Domain Lord. Changing nature of <Spirit Of The Lake (B+ Tier)>…]

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <Recolocation (S- Rank)>!]

[Error. <Skill: Recolocation> is not suitable for <Spirit of the Lake (B+ Tier)>.]

[...]

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <Origin Water Source (S- Rank)>.]

<Origin Water Source (S- Rank)>: As a spirit of water under a World Tree, you can’t be content with just taking over the waters of one world. Your <Water Core> has evolved to an <Origin Water Source>. This <Origin Water Source> is made out of 100 water drops. You can produce one water drop every year. Using 10 <Origin Water Drops>, you can create a subconscious connection and attach it to any water source, allowing you to connect with yourself, regardless of distance. Extra effects: It can be consumed by water creatures for incredible benefits.

[<Origin Water Source (S- Rank)> detected. You have gained <Title: Origin Of Water>]

<Origin Of Water>: Your affinity for water is increased by 1000%. Any body of water you control will have an innate purifying nature. All creatures living within your waters will have a 20% increase in growth speed, lifespan, potential, and level. This nature won’t disrupt dark ecosystems, only those corrupted. Stats +25%.  

[Congratulations! You have unlocked special evolutions to choose from during your <First Evolution>.] 

Liu Shu saw the spirit of water freeze and then collapse, as if she had received a shock so great that it had caused her to lose her form.

“Um… Water Spirit, are you okay?” 

The lake spirit didn’t know how to answer. Was she okay? She had never felt better. But she just couldn’t understand why she evolved like this! 

‘What happened? Who am I? What am I?...’

[You will be affected by Tianlian Liu Shu’s buffs…]

[You are under the effects of <Sprouts Of Chaos>.]

[You are under the effects of <Destiny Blessing>.]

[You are under the…

…

“Ha… Haha… Ah. I understand.”

Liu Shu asked, curious. “What do you understand?”

The Lake Spirit spoke comfortably, as if she had been liberated from a heavy burden. “This is a dream!”

“Eh?” Liu Shu was stupefied.

“Of course. How could it be anything other than a dream? Yes, yes. It’s a dream.” 

“Um… Lake Spirit…”

“Yes?” The lake spirit answered quite sharply. “What do you want?” 

“O-Oh… Nothing. Nothing…” Hearing her tone, Liu Shu decided to leave her alone for a bit. “You… Have fun with your newfound strength.” 

And so, Liu Shu’s roots passed through the lake and continued expanding inwards. 

‘Thankfully, it all went well… Showing strength before making demands is useful.’ Liu Shu paused and thought strangely. “Right at the end… Hm… Did it really go well? She felt a bit strange.’ 

Still, she didn’t linger on it too much. 

Chapter 521. Hard Choices. Liu Shu's Mindset. [AotSC]

Liu Shu’s strength spread throughout the entire continent. During the last month, the only thing they heard was one news report after another of the Abyssal Void Nexus bases being destroyed. 

One by one, the outer cities were destroyed and then conquered, the land was purified, and the people living there were exterminated. 

According to informants, the number of casualties was already in the hundreds of millions. After all, the Abyssal Void Nexus was the power with the most population. The reason was that humans were the main race. With humans' ability to multiply and their disregard for leaving space for nature, there were almost 2 billion people spread across the continent. 

Many people who initially supported Liu Shu’s actions began to change their opinions after a while. There were groups who were asking for mercy for them, having forgotten the chaos and disasters they had caused in the past. 

These people were excessively empathetic and thought that whatever chaos Liu Shu caused was enough to teach the Abyssal Void Nexus a lesson. Of course, Liu Shu ignored them. 

“Ignorant people who quickly forget…” Liu Shu felt strange animosity towards these people. “If they were in power, wouldn’t these people cause the ruin of the entire continent just to appear righteous?” 

She understood the nature of intelligent species. Liu Shu had already ruled them for decades and, therefore, studied them deeply. She knew that there were people who couldn’t take that last step in important matters, feeling pity and sympathy for their enemies in that last stretch, which was the most important.

However, history taught Liu Shu a different lesson. She had read many books, she had studied many military strategies, and she had also learned about politics and many other subjects. With her mind full of knowledge, she understood that ruthlessness and decisiveness were what separated a good ruler from an excellent one.

Some people would become dissatisfied, some people would blame her for being too cruel, and others would think that she didn’t have a heart. But did they ever think that extermination of enemies was part of what she needed to do?

Seeing that their lover’s mood was turning for the worse, Harmonixia picked up the Avatar and placed her butt on her soft thighs. “What’s wrong, Lian’er? Are you feeling uncomfortable again?”

Liu Shu looked up at Harmonixia’s shifting colored eyes and complained. “I just… feel stuffy in my heart.”

“Oh my! That’s not good.” Harmonixia’s hand shamelessly groped Liu Shu’s abundant chest, deforming it like dough. “There, there. This will surely help with my Lian’er’s stuffiness.” 

Liu Shu deadpanned, but her lips were starting to twitch as the ticklishness spread around her body. “It’s just… why are people becoming sympathetic to the Abyssal Void Nexus people? I understand that not everyone on the other side has values different from ours. But I can’t go person to person, trying to understand each and every one of them, before accepting them into my society, right?”

Liu Shu sighed, her mood complicated. “It only takes one of them becoming someone important and having different views to cause conflict and division inside the nation! What if, in the future, cults and other different powers that praise the Abyssal Void Nexus appear within my domain? It’s too difficult to help them unlearn the propaganda they’ve been fed all their lives.”

Harmonixia and the other three were silent. To be fair, they didn’t care. For them, Liu Shu was their priority, and if it was to make Liu Shu happy, they didn’t mind becoming irredeemable villains or heroes whose bravery would be sung through the millennia. So, they couldn’t relate to the people feeling empathetic for the innocent in the Abyssal Void Nexus. 

Verdantia spoke, her head resting on Liu Shu’s soft thighs. “Love, those people have never experienced… War. They don’t understand how deeply rooted evil can be in a person. Therefore, they look at others in an idealistic way.” 

Liu Shu listened.

“So, for example, they can’t think of someone pulling out roses or killing trees just because. They don’t understand that there are some people who would burn down a Life Tree just for the fun of it. They don’t understand that there are beings who would feel excited at the thought of slaughtering others.” 

“Hm…” Liu Shu looked at the people who were complaining. It was true that some shared those qualities; they were people who had lived in her domain safely for a while. Of course, there were exceptions. 

Tempestria added softly. “Where there is intelligence, there will be conflict. Regardless of the level of intelligence, some will give priority to one thing over others because rationale is not the only thing guiding their physique.”  

“Rationale…” Liu Shu muttered and added. “Emotion.”

“Yes.” Tempestria sat by Harmonixia’s side and played with Liu Shu’s hair. “Even when someone knows that something is… better, they won’t accept it if it doesn’t feel right for them.”

Liu Shu understood this principle. Experiments have been conducted in the past to ask humans whether they would like to become Sylvans if given the chance. 

Logically speaking, a Sylvan is better in all aspects. They are longer-lived, and their wisdom can accumulate further thanks to their long life. Their strength is superior to others at the same Level, and they are born with the ability to give birth to other species besides Sylvans. 

And yet, some humans said that they preferred being human. When asked for a reason, Liu Shu read that the answers were something like, “I wouldn’t give up my humanity in exchange for power.” And other similar answers that were not based on logical arguments but on pure emotional value.

They were not “incorrect” answers. Because something was logical, it didn’t mean it was correct. Nevertheless, Liu Shu found it interesting how deeply complex and confusing thoughts could be.

Looking over at the area where around 1,000 people were protesting, Liu Shu noticed that none of them had lost their titles for protesting. This was normal, though. ‘They are not thinking of betraying me. They just feel that my actions are incorrect, so they want to help me see and correct my ways to what they think is correct.’

However, she couldn’t do so. Liu Shu had already decided to be ruthless. She needed to be ruthless if she wanted to take over the world and become the <True World Tree>. 

Flor appeared in front of the group. Her body was small, but there was not a single person who didn’t know who the red-haired fairy was. With her tall figure for a fairy, elemental aura, and queen-like demeanor, Flor’s presence was enough to bring an average person to their knees with just a look.

“What is the meaning of this?”  

Her tone was cold and angry. Flor knew how difficult it was for Liu Shu to cause death to this extent. Her baby was gentle by nature; she even protected them, the Rose Fairies, during her first years of life. A World Tree was a creature that usually asked for an equal exchange, but Liu Shu had always given much more than they could return.

It was the same for her current citizens. Instead of sending her armies, which she had every right to do, Liu Shu was doing an extermination on her own volition.

Everyone understood that, with just one sentence, Liu Shu could send them all to help her defeat the Abyssal Void Nexus. No one would complain, and everyone would fight with their lives on the line. 

However, nothing like that happened. With her newfound strength and knowing that she was basically undefeatable as long as she regenerated from the injuries, Liu Shu decided to purify the corruption with her own strength. 

To be honest, if Liu Shu ever showed even a trace of hostility toward the people protesting, Flor wouldn’t need to move. The World Trees and Life Trees in the entire continent were quite literally glaring at the people complaining about Liu Shu’s actions.

For them, the Abyssal Void Nexus represented a natural enemy. It was the power that sought to corrupt them and force them to submit. So, defending them was provoking the anger of all “large” flora.

“Lady Flor! Lady Heavenly Willow has gone too far!” A person, seemingly the leader, spoke with a righteous expression. 

Flor’s face was cold as ice, but she still allowed them to speak up. “How has she gone too far? Do you feel too protected inside her domain? Do you feel that your necessities are too well met, so you feel suffocated? How has Liu Shu gone too far? Can you explain it to me?” 

The people around were looking over with many different looks. Some were sneering, others sighing, and others were curious. 

“T-That’s not the point!” The person leading shouted. “There are people in the Abyssal Void Nexus who should not be judged this harshly! Lady Heavenly Willow is being too ruthless with her ways!” 

Flor’s expression didn’t change. “So what?”

“H-Huh?”

Flor’s face was full of indifference as she spoke. “Who are you to complain that your World Tree is being too ruthless while defending you? Do you want her to take care of your emotions while fighting a war that will decide the future of the entire World? She is our leader. She is the one who makes life within her domain as easy as it is. She, who sacrificed her own peace and fought alone for everyone, is carrying the sins of everyone! And for what? For someone like you, who has never participated in a single war, to come out and complain!?”

Flor wanted to be calm, but the more she spoke, the more indignant she felt for her baby. “You are lucky that Liu Shu told me not to retaliate towards all of you, or I would’ve thrown you to an ant nest so that you are useful for once in your lives!”

By the end of her emotional burst, Flor’s surroundings were swirling like a hurricane of Aether Mana, her face clearly angered beyond normal bounds.

Everyone looking at the angered Flower Fairy gulped, not daring to make a single sound. Taking a deep breath, Flor looked at them and snorted. “You can continue chanting whatever you want. But the day you think of betraying Liu Shu, pray that you don’t fall into my or Ignatia’s hands.” 

Then, she flew off, creating a large shockwave while leaving a trail behind her. 

The people protesting were honestly scared. So, many of them scurried away, not daring to complain anymore. People were animals that followed the “trend.” So, when a few left, others left, and at the end, only those convinced that they were correct were left behind.

Still, with their numbers, continuing would be nothing but a farce. So, they ended up dispersing. 

Liu Shu observed everything and never intervened. She just looked away after they dismantled, her gaze looking over to the place where her roots were causing a massacre of millions..  

‘...Sigh.’ 

Chapter 1309. Unexpected Gains! Yasenia's Strength Skyrockets.

The rest of the trial went smoothly. While Yasenia wanted to search for others, she didn’t forget that her real objective was to gather as many of the pages as possible. 

“All Fracture Pages have been gathered. The trial will end. Step into the teleportation circle in front of you with the remainder of your army.”

Yasenia stopped and looked around. During the last two weeks, she had been surrounded by the astral fire, so now that it had disappeared, she felt a sense of incongruity. Of course, she was quick to get accustomed to the changes.

While waiting for the teleportation circle to appear, Yasenia did a quick storage assessment of the items she managed to gather during this trial. 

“I have 297 Fracture Pages, just shy of 300…” Thinking about it, she wondered if the demons and the people whom she had liberated from their influence had met. “If they did, it would be pretty interesting to see if they fell once more or not. Speaking of which, that woman needs to give me her Fracture Pages. I bet she has found at least three of them, right? …Well, if we don’t meet before the next trial begins, it doesn’t matter if she has gathered them or not. 

Shaking her head, she looked at the talismans. “Quite a nice haul. 33 [Area Healing Talismans], 42 [Thunder Strike Talisman], 19 [Flame Spiral Spear Talisman], 15 [Profound Energy Shield Talisman], 2 [Fire Mountain Explosion Talisman], and 1 [Blizzardshard Icefield Talisman].”

All of them had enough strength to threaten a Transcendence Realm cultivator, so she placed them within her reach to use them during the subsequent trials. “I need to get the complete inheritance at any cost. Otherwise, I’ll need to go to other inheritance locations and fight uncertain fights.”

While she steeled her determination, Yasenia felt a powerful wind blow her long black hair and dress back. Looking over, she noticed that a teleportation circle had appeared right in front of her. 

“Let’s go.”

She didn’t hesitate and stepped forward, disappearing from the battlefield. Once she and her army stepped inside, her sight flashed white for a second before she recovered it. 

Yasenia blinked quickly, refocusing her gaze and taking in her surroundings. “Oh.” 

The dragoness looked around her and saw, to her surprise, everyone else gathered around her with their own armies. The arena they were standing in was large, with the edges far enough to be almost unrecognizable at a simple glance. 

“GUO YANTAO!” 

A woman’s shout pierced the silence as a pillar of pure energy shot into the sky. The owner of this aura full of murderous intent was clearly the woman that Yasenia saved before. 

The demon’s snake tail looked over, its serpentine eyes flashing with confusion. “You… How did you escape my charm poison? Were there purifying treasures among the rewards?” 

He was not flustered, just mildly annoyed. His companion laughed, her voice filled with mocking laughter. “You laughed at me before, but I’ve only lost control of one of the four slaves. You, on the other side, couldn’t even control a single breeder. For someone who boasts so much… it is quite pathetic.” 

The man noticed that no one could move from their standing positions, so he was not worried about the killing intent directed at him. Looking at the female demon, he commented. “You know that her escaping my poison is something irregular. Are you sure you still control everyone?”  

The female demon paused and looked at the three men. She could see that all three of them were looking at her with passionate eyes. A smirk appeared on her seductive lips. “It seems so.”

“Hey.” Yasenia’s voice interrupted their conversation. But when they looked, it was clear that the dragon woman was not speaking to them. 

Hai Lanyue noticed Yasenia’s aura and looked over. “What?” Her tone was indifferent, clearly being affected by her anger towards Guo Yantao. 

Yasenia extended her hand. “Give me your Fracture Pages. We had a deal.” 

“Ha?” The woman frowned. “When did we…” As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that Yasenia had told her something like that after curing her. “Right.” 

She was reluctant, but she couldn’t really slight her savior. So, she waved her hand and summoned the few Fracture Pages she had collected. 

Seeing the 34 pieces fly towards her, Yasenia was delighted. “Great~.” 

“Wait!” 

The male demon shouted, but Yasenia didn’t listen and took all the fragments. After securing them, she looked over at the demon and blinked. “What’s wrong, pest?”

The demon brushed off the insult before accusing Yasenia. “That’s cheating. You can’t rob others to increase your score.”

Yasenia looked at him as if he had something wrong in his head and didn’t even bother answering. 

Ignored and insulted, the man’s eyes shone with coldness and malice. “We’ll see if you can be so nonchalant later.” 

A minute later, the voice of the trial maker reached them. 

“The Trial of the Fractured Terrain has been completed. The scores are as follows.”

“First place: Yasenia Dravory, 331 Fracture Pages. Reward: The fourth, fifth, and sixth [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation] layers. Additional reward for first place: The Seventh [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation] scroll.”

Unlike before, though, the announcer didn’t continue with the positions. Instead, the tone changed, as if a different pre-prepared dialogue was triggered. 

“Yasenia Dravory, you’ve managed to collect all seven scrolls before the sixth trial ended. As a reward, you’ll be given the special techniques for all layers. You can also sit in front of the [Ancient Battle Formation Battlefield Crystal] and learn its truths for 1 hour.” 

Before anyone could tell what was happening, Yasenia’s body disappeared.

The dragoness didn’t really like being forcefully teleported around. Still, she didn’t say anything. Not because she was not upset, but because the Ancient Crystal in front of her was emitting an extremely alluring aura.

“If you have not consumed the Focus Pill, I recommend using it.” 

Hearing the voice, Yasenia noticed that there was a hint of intelligence behind it. Curious, she looked around her current location while speaking. “Are you the lingering consciousness of this place?” 

The location she was in was pitch black. The only patch of land visible was the white floor that surrounded the pillar. The black-reddish pillar exuded powerful and ancient energies, as if principles and images had been twisted and solidified to form it.

“Your hour will start when you start comprehending the pillar.” 

Knowing that she wouldn’t receive an answer, Yasenia didn’t insist and instead sat cross-legged in front of the black-red pillar. Her long and thick dragon tail gently curled around her sitting position, while she rested her hands in the hollow of her legs. “Well, let’s receive the reward, then.”

With a wave of her hand, the [Focus of The Seven Colors Pill] appeared in front of her mouth, and she ate it. Once she did so, a seven-colored aura exploded around her body. Her mind cleared up, as if she were in the middle of an enlightenment. 

All that she could see, sense, hear, and think of was the pillar in front of her eyes. 

As she looked and felt the aura, the pitch-black surroundings changed. Around Yasenia, there was war. 

A war large enough to shake the foundation of a high-level world. Islands sank, the sky burst with a myriad of colors, and mountains crumbled down. 

Hundreds of thousands of Transcendence Realm cultivators battled together, with a few Seventh Realm leaders.

And Yasenia was in the middle of everything, observing from a bird’s-eye view and taking every single detail into herself. 

Her golden-slit eyes quickly changed, like red ink falling in clear water. The bright bloody color quickly engulfed Yasenia’s golden irises, and her aura seemingly resonated with the battlefield around her. 

By her side, a middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing a simple white robe, and his long black hair fluttered behind him. The man looked at Yasenia with a curious expression. “Her affinity for War is incredible.”

He was the creator of this secret realm, the Demigod who fell a long time ago. Of course, the body that manifested was a remnant consciousness, not the real deal. 

As he observed Yasenia’s changes, his lips arched with satisfaction. “I thought that the person learning my Battle Formation would never be able to squeeze out all of its potential.” With a laugh, he muttered. “I guess I was wrong. This young dragon absorbs information like a sponge.”

As he observed, his eyebrows moved as doubt appeared in his eyes. Gazing at Yasenia’s stomach area, a trace of shock appeared. “A second soul… Is she pregnant?”

Rubbing his beardless chin, the man pointed at Yasenia’s stomach, and a beam of gentle energy infused inside. “She is basically my inheritor, a disciple. Therefore, I guess that this child is my grand-disciple. Giving it a bit of a boost will not hurt—Hm?”

Looking up, he saw that the dragoness was looking straight at him, her eyes full of chilling killing intent. “What did you do?”

The slow wording, accompanied by a deep dragon growl, made the remnant feel a chill rush down his spine. ‘This killing intent… She must’ve killed millions. If I answer incorrectly, she will destroy me.’

Clearing his throat, he spoke calmly. “Don’t worry. I just gave it a bit of the inheritance energy. This will help it develop talent-wise. There are absolutely no drawbacks. You are my disciple, so there is no reason for me to hurt your progeny.”

Yasenia kept looking at him murderously for a while, and when the man feared that she would attack him, she looked away. “If you dare touch my child again without telling me first, I’ll destroy this world.” 

The coldness Yasenia radiated from every pore of her body made even him, a former Demigod, feel his soul quiver. ‘Thankfully, she could see that I was honest in helping her.’ A sigh escaped his mouth. ‘Really, messing with a female dragon’s child is like poking an explosive hedgehog… One mistake, and you are gone.’

While he was thanking the Heavens, Yasenia’s aura suddenly changed. Looking over, the man’s eyebrows started trembling. ‘Enlightenment… at this time? How can she be so lucky?’

A trace of bitterness appeared in his mouth, but he just sighed. “I guess… A monster will be born here.” 

BOOM!!

Yasenia’s aura exploded, and her [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain] evolved. The concept became more solid, the energy around Yasenia also increased, and her body went through a transformation and an increase in strength.

The man muttered with another sigh. “Level Two Intent Domain… Quite a monster indeed.”

By the end of the one hour, Yasenia had reached the peak of the first Level of Transcendence, and her [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain] had almost made another breakthrough. It was a step away from reaching Level 3.

Chapter 520. Nexus' Despairs. The Weight Of Life. [AotSC]

When Liu Shu’s attack manifested, everything became silent. Those looking at it through Liu Shu’s roots were frozen in place, while those <Fourth Energy Cycles> that barely escaped its attacking range were trembling in fear, and the rest who felt the ternary essence fluctuations barely held back from fleeing in the opposite direction of whatever happened. 

Dain looked toward the horizon with a solemn expression. “Sylwen, what happened?” 

A communication rune device transmitted his voice over a long distance, reaching Sylwen in a matter of seconds. After asking, there was no answer for ten seconds, so Dain asked again. “Sylwen? Do you hear me? Answer me. What is happening? What was that Ternary Essence Fluctuation?” 

On the other side, Sylwen was floating mid-air, her body trembling like an aspen leaf. Her back was soaked in sweat, while her pupils were dilating, and her heart was pumping crazily. She had seen plenty of powerful, wide-area-of-effect attacks during her entire life. As a <Fourth Energy Cycle>, she naturally knew and saw more things than a normal person.

However, never in her entire life had she felt so… small. 

When Liu Shu’s attack enveloped all five thousand square kilometers and shattered space, everything inside had crumbled to pieces. Mountains fell, the city’s defensive system collapsed, and all creatures living inside crumpled or shattered. 

A few <Fourth Energy Cycles> inside were barely alive, as 5,000 <Phoer Body Cores> of damage was not enough to one-shot some of them. But the injuries were so severe that, unless they received medical assistance immediately, they would end up dead in a matter of minutes.

If Sylwen and the others dared to go back into the area Liu Shu just flattened, they would’ve probably been saved. Nevertheless, Sylwen didn’t even want to come close to that area. So, they eventually died of their heavy injuries, leaving officially no survivors inside Liu Shu’s attacking range.

“...Sylwen! Answer me!” 

Sylwen snapped out of her daze and quickly answered. “L-Lord Dain! We need to retreat! We need to reinforce and retreat to our major cities right away! Tianlian Liu Shu’s strength is far beyond whatever expectations we had!” 

Dain relaxed after he received an answer. He thought that one of his Level 99s had fallen. “Relax, take a deep breath. You are speaking so fast that I barely understood what you said.”

Sylwen shouted, her nerves and emotions clearly agitated and sensitive. “Dain! If you do not command a retreat and fortification of our cities, I’ll flee this planet!” 

While Sylwen was a <Ceperet Human>, that didn’t mean that she didn’t have connections with extraplanetary powers and connections. So, after seeing Liu Shu’s attack, she knew that their only choice to win was to do the following: “Dain! Listen to me well. Tianlian Liu Shu is not a World Tree we can defeat with <Fourth Energy Cycles>. I don’t even think that 10,000 <Fourth Energy Cycles> are able to face and raze that monster to the ground. We need the Abyssal Void Nexus to send someone who has completed the <Fifth Energy Cycle> and <First Evolution>!”   

Dain didn’t disregard her words. The Ternary Essence Fluctuation that he had felt was ridiculous, after all. So, after deeply pondering, he spoke through the communication device. “Sylwen, gather all <Third Energy Cycles> and <Fourth Energy Cycles> and return to the capital. If there are talented <Second Energy Cycles>, you can contact them as well to return.” 

“Huh?” Sylwen was confused. After calming down slightly, she took a deep breath and began asking questions. “What do you want to do, Lord Dain?” 

Dain spoke with a sigh. “What you asked for is almost impossible.” Sylwen’s heart sank, and the lord explained further. He looked out of the balcony of his office and spoke slowly. “Ceperet is a world that’s somewhat remote. It doesn’t have much strategic value, and the Solar System it belongs to only has another planet with life. The only value of this Solar System is its star. The Sun of this Solar System is young and full of energy, and it is bound to become a relatively high-level star in the future.” 

Sylwen had some idea of outer space politics and resource values, so she understood where he was going. “So… Abyssal Void Nexus wanted to keep Ceperet under control because they didn’t want a World Tree to become a True World Tree.”

“Correct.” Dain continued. “Now that Tianlian Liu Shu has reached her current strength and height, it is clear that stopping her would need a lot of resources. The Abyssal Void Nexus doesn’t have the resources, time, or energy to send <Fifth Energy Cycles> and above to this remote place.”

“Not even one?” Sylwen was in disbelief. “I understand that they are rare. However, there should be tens of thousands in that level, no?” 

Dain shook his head. “While that’s not entirely correct, the reason is that our enemy, the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, has as many people as us, if not more. We are losing the interstellar battle.”

“Then! With more reason, we should completely dominate Ceperet!” Sylwen was reluctant to give up the world so easily. Her previous words were due to the fear and panic she felt, but her true heart was reluctant. “We can’t let the Verdant Sanctity Covenant gain more power through Ceperet and its Sun!” 

Dain also thought so, but what could he do? Those above had long given up on Ceperet. The only reason they were even sending people here was to participate in low-scale battles and nurture <Fourth Energy Cycles>. After all, in the multistellar empires, <Fourth Energy Cycle> was a bare minimum to become a foot soldier. They were, in a way, the cannon fodder. 

If they lost Ceperet, there were another 20 or 30 Ceperets they could send their people. This world was a minor island in the vast ocean named <Lily Felgrana Spiral Root Galaxy>.

Dain spoke, his tone serious. “Tianlian Liu Shu has grown too far. We will leave the Ceperet Solar System and inform the Abyssal Void Nexus upper echelons. They will be the judges on what to do with Tianlian Liu Shu.”

Sylwen was silent and asked, her tone a mocking one. “What if history repeats itself? Giving Tianlian Liu Shu more time is nothing but a suicide.” 

Dain chuckled. “You are still ignorant, but even if she reaches Level 100, things won’t be easy for her. In the grand scheme of things, she is nothing.” 

Sylwen disagreed, but she didn’t fight too much about it for now. Instead, she went to collect people all around the continent. 

Meanwhile, Liu Shu had become the Natural Disaster she was bound to be for the Abyssal Void Nexus in the Ceperet World. Her stats, reaching an absurd degree through all her buffs, were enough to slaughter anything and anyone that dared step in her way. 

Cities were upturned, fortresses were destroyed, and entire mountains crumbled under her strength. The aftershocks of Liu Shu’s brutal advance triggered volcanic eruptions on land, creating a layer of ash and clouds that cast darkness over the entire continent. 

During this time, Liu Shu’s core had become numb. Her face was cold, her entire being was indifferent, and the aura around her had changed from a gentle and soothing one to a chilling aura full of murderous intent. 

The people in Golden Sap City gazed at their World Tree’s gradual change with heavy hearts, unsure of what to do and pleading with the administration to take action. 

Flor and the others also noticed, so they sent Cinderielle, Verdantia, Tempestria, and Harmonixia into the <Core Room>. 

The four tall and beautiful sylvans opened the Petal Door and stepped inside. Unlike her usual self, Liu Shu’s avatar was standing, looking in the direction of the Abyssal Void Continent with a cold face. 

While she kept her nakedness, those looking could not even start to feel any desire, as her presence was like a vortex of coldness and death. 

Verdantia and the other three were not scared, though. They only felt pain in their hearts. Even as a World Tree, committing such massacres was not easy. How many screams did she hear? How many families did she break? How many innocents fell under her advance?

For the Abyssal Void Nexus, Liu Shu’s actions were a confirmation of the teachings they’ve heard since they were children. Of course, Liu Shu didn’t mind; after all, if she left them alone, they would be the ones doing the same on her continent. 

Her mercy ran out the day Amapola and the others were killed during her sleep. And her empathy disappeared when the only World Tree that was left uncorrupted beyond the Wall Tree was Warlya.

Now, she was delivering their judgment.

While thinking about those things, she felt a pair of gentle arms enveloping her petite avatar. Due to her short height, when Verdantia hugged her from behind, her head was smushed against the Life Sylvan’s prominent chest. 

Verdantia placed her chin on top of Liu Shu’s head and spoke softly. “Is it hard, love?” 

Liu Shu blinked twice, wanting to erase the coldness around her. However, even her smile felt slightly stiff. After all, her roots were constantly sharing the screams of those she killed. “It’s not hard. I am a bit uncomfortable, that’s all.” 

Cinderielle leaned down in front of her, smiling gently and giving her a quick peck on the lips. “My pretty Tiantian. Who are we, hm~?”

Liu Shu answered, slightly confused. “You are my wives… Why?” 

Cinderielle’s sharp eyes softened. “Right? Then, why are you trying to hide what you are truly feeling from us, eh?” 

Liu Shu paused, her eyes shaking for a moment. 

Verdantia chuckled. “Silly Liu’er. Do you think you can hide your discomfort when your aura is basically screaming that you are suffering? Everyone in the city and beyond is worried about you, don’t you know?”

“Worried?” Liu Shu smiled, her lips arching self-mockingly. “They are not worried. They are scared.” 

After she showed her strength, how could she not feel the increased wariness of all the creatures who saw it? Liu Shu had always been the strongest in the root net. Nevertheless, her strength was not overwhelming to the point of feeling suffocated. However, now that Liu Shu had developed skills that matched her level and tier, she could finally unleash her true strength. 

That attack she did on the fortress didn’t need any cooldown. The only requirement was the casting time and the large amounts of Aether Mana and Anima Energy. Now, with all her efficiency buffs and such, it was more than possible to shoot that skill ten times in a row.

Tempestria patted Liu Shu’s fair and round shoulder, and the girl looked over. Then, the Wind Sylvan, like a soft and fresh breeze in summer, leaned down and captured her lips. After a gentle kiss, Tempestria smiled tenderly. “We are going to pamper you until you are laughing and smiling again, so prepare yourself, Shu’er~.”

Then, the four Sylvans carried Liu Shu to the bed and showered her in tender love.  

Chapter 1308. Gathering Fracture Pages.

The giant fire dragon was over 1,000 meters tall, its body exuding a powerful pressure and aura. Yasenia, unflinching, commanded the forty-nine groups to battle it, using long-range attacks as a primary attack method. 

The giant dragon was no pushover, its strength approaching the third level of the Mythical Core Beast Realm. With its solid body and large-scale attacks, the army was pushed back during the first few exchanges.

While Yasenia commanded the army, she was deeply observing the dragon-like creature. ‘I can’t feel true dragon blood in this being.’ While it had the appearance, strength, attack patterns, and overall aura of a dragon, there was a big difference. The coercion it exuded was entirely different from that of a Dragon. 

“If anything, this thing feels closer to Soluna than me.” 

With her own bloodline power, Yasenia could try to pressure the powerful creature. Nevertheless, since there was no real danger, Yasenia refrained from doing so. “This is a good chance to practice my army control as well.” 

The forty-nine groups moved swiftly, changing between attacks and defense. There were always ten groups that kept the dragon in check, while the others rotated with them. Meanwhile, the others were using the different skills they knew to bombard the creature.

What first looked like a brutal battle quickly tilted in Yasenia’s favor. Her golden slit eyes had already analyzed and understood how to fight this beast. “Now! General group, sneak up and release a fully charged [Big Dipper Onslaught].”

The forty-ninth group in Yasenia’s army was made up of a mix of all the stragglers in the group. After all, even with perfectly formed groups, some people didn’t make the cut. Those 342 remaining people perfectly fit in a group with the general, creating the 49th and most complex group. 

With Yasenia’s order, the general and the others appeared above the giant dragon. Their energy exploded outward, creating the Big Dipper Constellation above it. The giant dragon reacted, but it was too late. Countless beams of concentrated star energy descended from the sky, striking the vital points of the creature. 

Heavily injured, the dragon roared in defiance. “ROAR!”

“Shut it.” Yasenia looked at it coldly. “Offensive formation. Bombard it to death.” 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A few moments later, the giant dragon collapsed and lost its form, the flames spilling out like water from a popped balloon.

“Done. Let’s…” Yasenia was about to leave when her attention was attracted to the middle of the sea of fire. “That’s a [Broken Fragment]… Does it still have something inside?” Sniffing the air, Yasenia could faintly sense something inside. 

Using [Crystalline Moon Dress], the dragoness stepped forward and quickly traveled to the middle of the flames. There, Yasenia extended her arm inside and heard the person speaking. 

“You’ve collected 20 [Fracture Pages].” 

“Oh!” The dragoness was surprised. Until now, the Broken Fragments have given her one to three Fracture Pages each. After stepping out of the flames, Yasenia continued searching for other Broken Fragments. “I guess that danger and reward come together. Was this dragon not supposed to be defeated? Or is it because of its strength that its reward is quite high?” 

The search went smoothly because, after finding a few more Broken Fragments, Yasenia learned to distinguish their scent. In the end, they were treasures, and if Yasenia focused, learning to detect them was not a problem at all. 

“I have 127 Fracture Pages, 13 [Area Healing Talismans], 21 [Thunder Strike Talisman], 13 [Flame Spiral Spear Talisman], and 11 [Profound Energy Shield Talisman]. Not bad, but I need to find many more if I want to have all seven levels of the Battle Formation.”

There was no stipulated time frame, so Yasenia was sure that there were limited [Broken Fragments]. If she wanted to reach a high level, she needed to find as many as she could.

Yasenia started muttering while opening the Broken Fragment. “Please, giant fire beast, giant fire beast… Give it to me!”

WHOOSH!

“Oh… OH!” Yasenia’s eyes shone when she saw the flames soaring to the sky and forming another giant dragon. “Kill it!”

The poor giant dragon was confused when it saw the dragon woman looking at it like a big, fat piece of juicy meat. It fought back immediately, but its efforts were for naught. Having already fought three of them, Yasenia was very familiar with their strength and attacking patterns. 

The poor giant dragon was swarmed and killed by the army in less than five minutes.  

After it exploded, Yasenia retrieved the loot and got 21 Fracture Pages and 1 [Fire Mountain Explosion Talisman].

“Oh. First time receiving this talisman. It feels quite… strong.”

BOOM!

An explosion entered her sharp hearing sense from a distance, and she quickly looked over. With a squint in her eyes, Yasenia strained her senses to see through the flames. The Astral Fire surrounding them was able to burn Spiritual Sense, so their “vision range” was limited. 

Still, bearing the pain of having her brain burnt, Yasenia was able to observe the person on the other side for a second. That second was enough, though.

“That’s the charmed woman… From the size of her army, she has managed to get a Medium Temple.” 

Pondering for a moment, Yasenia decided to go and plunder her treasures. “Although she is a bit pitiful, I can guess that the male demon will force her to give him the treasures if they come across them. It’s better to get them myself rather than waiting for that demon to get them.” 

With that in mind, Yasenia moved towards the battle area. 

Meanwhile, that woman was fighting against the giant fire dragon, using her own strength together with her army to suppress the dragon. Unlike Yasenia, she couldn’t afford not to participate in the battle. 

While fighting, her mind was extremely complicated. ‘I am finally away from that Demon, but… his disgusting influence still affects me.’ 

Being charmed didn’t mean that she was brainwashed. It was more like being dependent on the other party, regardless of her thoughts. Just the thought of that male demon disappearing made her heart sink and her body burst in cold sweat. After all, how would she be able to scratch that itch without him? She might as well go crazy.

While thinking about her despairing situation, she saw several presences approaching. The numbers were incomparable to her own. Looking over, her heart sank. ‘That’s Yasenia Dravory! Why did I have to bump into this woman!?’

During the fourth trial, Hai Lanyue had naturally faced Yasenia’s army once. She was honestly confused as to why Yasenia had received such a big advantage. Of course, she lost that battle. 

Now that it was not just the army, but Yasenia as well, her chances of winning were close to zero percent. 

“Hey.” 

Yasenia smiled at her from the distance.

“What do you want?” Hai Lanyue shouted, her sword never stopping as she and her army fought the dragon. 

“What do I want… Good question.” Yasenia laughed. “Give me all your [Fracture Pages]. If you do so, I’ll leave you alone.”

“You’ve come to rob me?” 

She was in disbelief. She had not expected this woman to show such disregard for her current plight. “You… Don’t you want to help me?”

“Help you?” Yasenia blinked twice, puzzled. “Why would I help someone I don’t know? While I do find you pitiful, my objective is the Battle Formation. Your life and death are completely inconsequential.”

The woman’s heart sank to the bottom. Looking over, she could see that Yasenia’s eyes were calm, like the surface of a golden lake. There was not even a hint of empathy or struggle, just pure coldness.  

“I-I can’t.” Lanyue’s eyes flashed with many thoughts. “I have given my Fracture Pages to Lord Yantao.” 

“Yantao…?” Yasenia hummed and asked. “That was the demon’s name, right?” 

“Yes!” The claw of the giant dragon blasted Lanyue back, but she was not flustered, joining the battle straight away. 

The dragoness saw the Giant Dragon on the verge of dying, so she stepped forward with her own army. “Step back.” 

Her command was enveloped with her [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain], compelling everything around her to obey. 

Lanyue was reluctant, but fighting Yasenia was not something she could do now. 

When Yasenia’s group engaged in battle, she wanted to leave. However, Yasenia’s voice reached her. “If you dare flee, I’ll hunt you down and kill you. We are not done talking yet.” 

Balancing in her mind, Lanyue noticed that Yasenia was not even participating in the battle. So, while reluctant, she didn’t dare flee. 

A minute later, the dragon was destroyed, and Yasenia dove into the fire. 

This stunned Lanyue. “What is she doing?” Looking closer, she could see that Yasenia had reached into a Broken Fragment inside the flames and taken out treasures from it. 

“What? There are treasures inside those as well?”

After returning from the fire, Yasenia guided her army to surround Lanyue. The dragoness stepped close to the woman and hummed. “Your charm is different from that of those men. You seem to still be… you.”

Hai Lanyue smiled wryly. “Yes. It’s not mental but physical control.” 

“Oh.” Yasenia nodded and extended her hand. “Give me the [Fracture Pages].”

Lanyue’s body tensed up. “I told you—”

“Lies.” Yasenia smiled coldly. “You told me lies. Give the pages to me, and I will let you off. Otherwise, I can finish your suffering here.” 

Pressure and killing intent descended on Lanyue, making her tense. Looking around, she knew that she had no chance of winning. The other side beat her in both numbers and strength. So, with a resigned expression, she waved her hand and summoned her loot.

Thinking that there would be more resistance, Yasenia asked while collecting the loot. “You gave up quite easily.” 

“I can live under the control of a Demon; doesn’t that tell you how strong my will to live is?” Lanyue sneered. “Still, I didn’t expect you to be so indifferent when you see what is happening. Wouldn’t you want others to help your family members if they were in my current situation?”

Yasenia was unfazed. “If I see those demons, I’ll kill them. However, don’t expect me to treat you as if your situation makes you untouchable.” Yasenia looked at the woman coldly for a second before approaching. 

Lanyue didn’t move. She had calmed down, and she was already indifferent. Moreover, this dragon woman showed no killing intent when approaching.

Yasenia reached out her hand, grabbing Lanyue’s wrist and flipping it over. Then, before the other side could ask, she placed two fingers on her wrist. 

Knowing that this was the practice of taking a pulse made by an expert in medicine, Lanyue’s open mouth closed. 

“Give me all your pages when this trial ends.” 

Yasenia grabbed Lanyue’s chin and opened her mouth, making her look up. Leaning above Lanyue’s mouth, Yasenia bit her own tongue and opened it. The woman was confused until a warm, metallic, yet sweet and delicious liquid dripped into her mouth.

Once the first mouthful gently slid down her throat, her pupils dilated, and she started drinking like a person who had not drunk water in days. She wanted to rush up and drink from the source, merge with it, but the fingers grabbing her chin were like steel vices, keeping her in place. 

After ten seconds, Yasenia closed her mouth and turned around, leaving with her army. 

Lanyue fell to the ground and started shivering, her body sweating like crazy as she moaned in pleasure. The blood she drank was like a passionate fire, engulfing her existence with pleasure and pain like she had never felt. After five minutes of writhing in pleasure, her back arched, and Lanyue’s eyes rolled up, saliva dripping down the sides of her mouth. 

After the powerful sensations subsided, her body fell limp onto the ground, and peace and calm like she had never felt before surrounded her body. 

Yasenia’s blood, like every single part of her body, was a treasure that cultivators would kill for. The Dragon blood purified, strengthened, and healed, and it even made those who drank it look younger and more beautiful. It was a panacea developed through the countless refinements of medical baths, enhancing her natural, precious blood.

“I am… Cured?” Hai Lanyue raised her arm and looked at her body, which had expelled a blackish-red, smelly substance. Tears gathered in her eyes as she felt a sense of peace and liberation after so long. “Cured. I am cured!”

Laughter burst from her mouth between her cries and tears. Then, as the realization sank in, her eyes and aura twisted completely as hatred bloomed from the depths of her soul. “Guo Yantao…!”

Her throaty, beastly growl was reminiscent of a thousand vengeful spirits' screams.  

Chapter 1307. Trial Of Fractured Terrain.

The battles continued, and eventually, Yasenia fought all seven enemy temples. When she fought the Large Temples, Yasenia needed to use her [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain] to win comfortably. However, when she fought against the medium and small temples, the dragoness didn’t step forward herself. 

So, in the end, she fought seven battles, participating in four personally, and winning all of them. 

“The fourth trial has ended. You will be rewarded according to your final position.”

“First place: Yasenia Dravory, 17 points. Reward: the first three levels of the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation]. One [Focus of The Seven Colors Pill].”

“Second Place: Guo Yantao, 10 points. Reward: the first two levels of the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation]. One [Focus of the Six Colors Pill].”

“Third Place: Tang Zhihui, 8 points. Reward: the first two levels of the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation]. One [Focus of the Five Colors Pill].”

…

From there, the rest received the first level, with one less colored pill per position, and one colored pill being the minimum. 

“What is that pill?” Yasenia was curious. She had not expected to receive such a reward. Thankfully, when the pill bottle appeared together with the first three scrolls for the battle formation, there was a paper with the effects written on it. 

“[Focus of the Seven Colors Pill] is a One-Star Supreme Rank pill with the effect of increasing focus for 1 hour. It also gives a great amount of energy, helping with cultivation…” Yasenia read those words and was slightly confused. ‘It does sound good. Moreover, it is a Supreme Rank pill. So, the effects can’t be mediocre.’

She kept the pill bottle in her ring and then looked at the three scrolls for the Battle Formation. Each one had the instructions on how to build one layer of the Battle Formation. Meaning, Yasenia could create groups of 343 people now. 

“Other than that… The skills I can use are [Big Dipper Onslaught] and [Big Dipper Cradle]. They appear to be the basic defensive and offensive skills.”

With that in mind, Yasenia quickly began studying them. As she expected, the voice reached them right after she started.

“You have one week to study your scrolls. After that, the Trial of the Fractured Terrain will begin. During the Fifth Trial, you and your army will be thrown into a place with complicated terrain. Your objective is to gather as many [Fracture Pages] as possible. For each 100 fracture pages, you will receive a part of the next volume of the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation]. The person with the most fractured pages will receive one extra level.” 

Yasenia hummed, her eyebrows gently furrowed as she pondered. “The terrain must be very dangerous… I wonder, will it be correct to separate or not during the trial?” 

Regardless, Yasenia didn’t focus excessively on that yet. She only had one week to learn how to deploy the Battle Formation, so she had to do her best. 

A wave of her hand unfurled the first scroll, and she chose seven random people from her army to practice her commanding skills. After all, Yasenia herself wouldn’t participate in the Battle Formations. She would be an outside force because she needed to coordinate her army. 

For a Battle Formation to function, several conditions needed to be met. The first and most important was that the person in the formation core must know the formation exceptionally well. After all, while the minds of everyone in the Battle Formation were intricately mixed, you still needed a “main consciousness” to make decisions. 

Otherwise, it would be a mess. 

The second thing was that, if the person guiding the Battle Formation was not part of it, that person’s control and understanding needed to be superb. After all, if their commands disrupted the flow of energy between the people connected within the Battle Formation, it would result in formation collapse. 

The final condition, and no less important, was that everyone in the Battle Formation needed to have similar strength. Now, that didn’t mean that they needed to be on the same level, but, at the very least, they needed to share realms. The closer their cultivation level and strength, the more effective it would be. If one had to point out an exception, it was only when the person in the Battle Formation Core was the one with a non-uniform strength. 

“With the army that we were given, it is clear that we’ve been given an advantage. All the cultivators in this army have identical strengths, and overall, they are all single-minded towards us. They are, in a way, a perfect army in an ideal scenario. So, what I need to focus on is my own understanding so that I can command them well.” 

With that in mind, Yasenia ordered them to form groups with people with the same skills. So, those with the [Star Dome] would form groups together, and the other skills did the same. 

After Yasenia finished dividing the groups, she counted a total of 49. “Forty-nine groups… This is good enough. I can be quite flexible thanks to this. The groups composed of people that had defensive skills are 16. The rest are all offense-focused groups. If that’s the case, let’s focus on teaching the [Big Dipper Cradle] to the offensive and mobility groups and the [Big Dipper Onslaught] to the defensive groups.” 

Yasenia’s idea was to balance the army. Yasenia didn’t need more extremes; she required flexibility. After all, if there are group battles in the future, she might be the one outnumbered. She couldn’t afford to lose her offensive groups because they lacked sufficient survival skills.  

With that in mind, the dragoness practiced constantly. At first, she had thought of using the pill to learn and adapt better.

However, she didn’t in the end. The reason was that her own comprehension of Battle Formations seemed to be impeccable. Being someone with an evolved War Intent, such things were her specialty. 

A week was not enough for her to become flawless, but it was enough for her to avoid mistakes. 

By the end of the week, Yasenia moved the 49 groups with grace and ease. Her commands flowed fluidly, having lost all the awkwardness there was in the beginning. 

“One week has passed. Please step into the teleportation formation.”

Yasenia looked over and muttered. “As expected, we are going in with our real bodies this time around. No projections, actual battle.” 

She didn’t hesitate, commanding the 49 groups to follow behind her.

After everyone stepped inside, a white flash covered her sight. An instant later, Yasenia appeared in the desolate place where she first found the temples. “Hm… Are we outside the temples?” 

Yasenia looked back, but she didn’t see the majestic temple she had entered at first. “That temple was large enough to be spotted from a very long distance away. Since I can’t see it, this place must only be similar to the one before.”

While she pondered, an earthquake hit the land. The trembling started bearably, quickly escalating into an earthquake of ridiculous magnitude. Yasenia feared that even continents would split apart under the force of the quake.   

Her senses were alert, always looking around. It was a few seconds into the quake when she noticed that the land below them was splitting. “Defensive formation!”

With her shout, all forty-nine groups used their defensive methods. The offensive groups used the [Big Dipper Cradle], while the defensive groups used their skills. Yasenia used [Celestial Aegis] below her, coating her body with [Celestial Dress].

Then, a pillar of astral fire surged upward from the cracks, enveloping a terrifyingly large area. Yasenia’s face crumpled as the heat and strength of the fire were anything but ordinary. “Move!” 

Everyone quickly followed Yasenia’s lead, escaping the area with the astral fire mostly unharmed. “Thankfully, I had them learn defensive skills. Otherwise, I would’ve been in trouble.” 

Looking around, Yasenia quickly spotted a few strange lights shooting to the sky from the astral fire surrounding them. “Hm? Follow me.”

She locked onto one of them, keeping a check on the others that were within her sensing range. It didn’t take her more than five minutes to arrive at the location. Once there, she saw a large meteorite embedded into the hard ground. 

“What is this?” The dragoness approached cautiously. Once she was 100 meters away from the meteorite, she heard the voice of the trail maker. 

“Congratulations. You’ve found one [Broken Fragment]. You can break it to look inside and find different treasures.” 

Yasenia blinked and punched it lightly. The rock with glowing runic marks split open, revealing an empty core where a few items rested. Picking them up, Yasenia heard the voice again.

“You’ve found 3 [Fracture Pages], 2 [Area Healing Talismans], 1 [Thunder Strike Talisman].” 

“Oh!” Yasenia nodded a few times. “That’s great. I was thinking that I wouldn’t be able to find something of value other than the requirements. However, it seems that there is an opportunity beyond the ‘Big Prize.’” 

With proper motivation, Yasenia rushed toward all the [Broken Fragments] she had been keeping an eye on. 

The dragon quickly hoarded treasures, her pockets fattening quickly. Our dragoness’s tail wagged happily as she collected treasures, until a few moments later, one of the Broken Fragments acted strangely. 

Yasenia’s anticipatory look changed quickly, and she shouted. “Defensive formation!”

BOOM!!

An explosion rocked the place right after, a terrifying aura spreading from the center of the broken fragment.  That aura gathered together, spiraling into the sky. Then, a deafening roar echoed around.

ROARR!!

Yasenia looked up warily as a dragon figure appeared from the middle of the explosion. The western dragon was made out of astral flames, looking at Yasenia’s group with murderous eyes. 

Feeling challenged, our dragoness looked up with cold eyes as well. Then, as if both sides had planned it, they took a deep breath at the same time.

“[Celestial Dragon Breath]!”

One multicolored flaming beam and one galaxy blue beam rushed against each other, colliding right in the middle with ridiculous force. 

Yasenia’s eyes flashed with surprise when her attack was blocked by the other dragon. ‘Strong! Its Dragon Breath is equal to mine.’

Knowing that this thing was probably the enemy that her army needed to deal with, Yasenia began giving orders. “Defensive groups, make sure to spread out. Offensive groups, prepare to unleash your attacks. If defensive groups see the chance, unleash [Big Dipper Onslaught].” 

With that, Yasenia’s fifth trial truly began, and its dangers started to reveal themselves. 

Chapter 519. [Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe: Void]. [AotSC]

Dain received the news of Liu Shu’s attack and quickly mobilized his people. More than 100 available <Fourth Energy Cycles> crossed the continent, arriving at Dark Water City in less than 30 minutes. However, when they arrived, what they saw was not a city, but a giant tidal estuary.

“What happened here?” 

One of the leading powerhouses spoke with a touch of disbelief. They, as <Fourth Energy Cycles>, had enough strength to level cities quickly. However, what Liu Shu did was not level the city: she changed the landscape. 

Using the strength of her roots, she sank the coastal area and continued advancing inwards. It was as if a person played in the sand on the beach, creating a sinkhole where water poured in from the sea. Of course, the scale was on an entirely different level. 

In the Abyssal Void Nexus, Dain was the overall leader, but he had six other powerhouses as his trusted aides. They were all A Tier Level 99 powerhouses. 

The names of these people were Thyra, Sylwen, Renvar, Korean, Bastille, and Foler. Among these, four of them were otherworlders, with two natural Level 99 powerhouses from Ceperet. These two were Sylwen and Foler. 

Sylwen looked at the thick roots digging into the land, moving like living giant beasts with the intent to devour everything. The pulsing rhythm of the glowing blue veins felt like the heartbeat of the world, carrying such intensity that it made them all feel suffocated.

“For the World Tree to keep such presence and strength on her roots even after crossing thousands of kilometers… her Energy Cycle Completion rate must be above 90%.”

For a World Tree without a high Completion rate, expanding was complicated mainly because its roots would lose strength exponentially the closer to the edge of its domain. Therefore, once those limits began showing, planting a few defensive locations would be enough to stop them.  

One would think that, with their ability to dig underground, bypassing the fortresses would be easy. However, these fortresses were specially built to prevent that, using arrays and runic fields to block underground attacks. Any civilization that dared to fight against the World Trees needed to have similar methods. Otherwise, the World Tree would just collapse its cities by messing with the underground foundation. 

“Lady Sylwen, even if we attack her here, it won’t hurt her too much. We will, at most, delay her advance. Should we retreat to the first fortress defensive line?”

“No.” Sylwen squinted dangerously. “We know nothing about her fighting ability. We need to attack her and check her limits. If she can reach this shore and attack us before we detect her, then that means that she is immune to the curse we’ve etched in our land. Don’t forget, the reason other World Trees have been kept in line is because our lands are inadequate for them to live.” 

Only then did they realize. If Liu Shu heard, she would understand why she had felt that the ground was a bit too acidic and uncomfortable when she came close to the Abyssal Void Nexus Continent. She had attributed it to a lack of care from the population towards nature, but in truth, it was a continental curse trying to affect her, but unable to break her passive defense.

When Sylwen stopped speaking, the rest of the 100 powerhouses nodded and followed behind her. 

Liu Shu was advancing through the continent, observing the differences between the Wild Continent and this one. “There is plant life here as well. I can see forests and other types of creatures… Nevertheless, their level is pitifully low. Also, most trees are young trees… do they cut them down for materials?” 

The practice of cutting down trees was not widespread, but it existed in many places.

While she was advancing and latching onto the Abyssal Void Nexus, she felt powerful presences approaching. “Hm?” Looking over, her <World Tree Eye> transmitted the image of over one hundred flying powerhouses approaching and stopping at a distance. 

“They are quite fast. It has been less than forty minutes since I arrived.” Liu Shu chuckled. “I guess that, when you are finally being taken seriously, things are a bit more complicated.”

Sylwen pointed at Liu Shu’s roots and spoke aloud. “Gather energy!” 

Liu Shu smiled coldly. “Do you think that the edge of my root-net is the visible part? Fool. <Elemental Lord Willow Roots: Earth Surge>!” 

The skill, <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe>, was separated into many different sub-skills. What Liu Shu was using were the first two sections of the skill. 

***

<Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe>: The World Tree is able to unleash devastating attacks with both her branches and roots. The attacks can be coated with Aether Mana and Anima Energy. Each element will give the World Tree’s attacks a different characteristic.

The attacks can shrink space and reach up to 5 times the length of the World Tree’s limb. The further the World Tree attacks, the more energy it consumes. Attacks beyond that range are possible, but with power and accuracy penalties.

***

With Liu Shu’s primary limbs, her branches, measuring around 5,000 meters, Liu Shu’s “normal” attacking range for each root was close to 25,000 meters. 

The second Liu Shu activated her skill, the powerhouses floating 500 meters above the ground felt their spines tingling as a sense of intense danger surrounded them. Sylwen shouted, her face solemn. “Defense!”

Everyone reacted swiftly, their ternary essence manipulation changing to deploy hasty defensive skills around their ground. Then, the earth below them twisted and deformed as roots, coated with large chunks of earth, soared above their current flying height and crashed down against their defensive measures. 

BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!!

The one hundred powerhouses became slightly pale as their combined defensive measures wobbled dangerously, containing the attack but not without letting them know the power behind them.

Liu Shu spoke to them, her voice echoing throughout the entire landscape as if the world itself was talking through her. “Today, I, Tianlian Liu Shu, have come to bring destruction and death to your continent. The cycle has finally made a full circle, and now, it is returning to bite you down.”

Sylwen shouted, her face cold as flames burst around her. “Ridiculous! Ignorance will be your bane, since you attack without fully understanding the true scale of our power!”

“True scale?” Liu Shu’s roots moved the land, deforming the mountains and hills in her way. “You are the one who still doesn’t understand the true scale of my power <Elemental Lord Willow Roots: Luminous World>.”

The earth attached to Liu Shu’s giant roots dropped down, revealing their sleek and beautiful appearance hiding below. 

Then, when the energy manifested, the colors around them dimmed.

Darkness descended not because of a lack of light, but because that light concentrated on the hundreds of giant roots around them. This light, like a whirlwind of purifying majesty, spiraled up the roots and reached the root tip that pointed at them. 

“Combination skill: <Curse Annihilation Light>.” 

Sylwen didn’t have to speak, as everyone in the group of one hundred people felt the shadow of death tightly surrounding them. 

“<Thousand Shadow Wall>!”

“<Earth Dome>!”

“<Dark Curtain>!”

Fear gripping their hearts, defensive skills bloomed around them like a multilayered giant rose. Then, the energy gathered by the World Tree created a purifying Sun at the edge of the continent.

There was no loud sound, no explosion, just a deafening moment of brilliant silence. 

That ball of pure light was so bright that almost everyone within 1,000 kilometers could see it. All who practiced cursed arts felt their skin itching, quickly taking cover, while the land sizzled as a dark grey smoke floated upward. 

When <Curse Cleansing Aurora> and the Light Attributed skill from the <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe> skill combined, the result made everyone’s hearts tighten. 

The silent light of purification disappeared, and in the middle of the Sun, the layered defenses were barely standing. All those with corrupted arts inside the defensive sphere were panting, their skins peeling off. Of course, the others were not much better. 

Defending against that attack had consumed 10% of their ternary essence reserves. That meant that more than 100,000 Aether Mana cores were needed to defend an attack that only cost a few hundred for the World Tree.

Seeing the results, Liu Shu felt a bit of regret. ‘If I chose the <Temple Of Elements>, the effects would’ve been even more amplified.’ 

She was sure that the <Temple Of Life> would pay dividends in the future, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t wish. ‘Ugh… Long term, long term. Think of long-term benefits, Liu Shu! QAQ!’

“What are you?” 

A trembling whisper, full of fear, reached Liu Shu’s senses. Looking over, she saw that Sylwen and the others all had pale faces and quivering eyes. 

Liu Shu answered calmly, her gentle voice coated in coldness and nonchalance. “I am the Natural Disaster that will raze down your power.” 

“Retreat!” Sylwen shouted, her heart still trembling due to the previous attack. “Reach the fortresses and activate all the defensive formations!”

“Want to escape?” Seeing that they were about to flee, Liu Shu spoke with a soft tone. “This area is quite empty, and I wanted to check something… Your group is the perfect target.” 

All the <Fourth Energy Cycles> didn’t want to know what the World Tree was speaking about, flying toward the fortress at their fastest speed. Sonic booms exploded around them, their bodies streaking through the sky at a terrifying speed. 

Behind them, Liu Shu’s ternary essences were spiraling out of control, affecting even the weather around her. Her gaze followed the fleeing people, quickly calculating their retreating point with the map.

While destroying Dark Water City, she had eaten a few books and maps to learn about the superficial knowledge and geography. “You are going to… <Coast Of War Fortress>.”

Space Attributed Ternary Essence pulsed, making light wobble as Liu Shu locked onto the fortress. 

All around the world, the World Trees in contact with Liu Shu felt a sense of extreme danger. 

Fortuna, Warlya, and everyone else looked over to the center of the Golden Sap City and felt their branches shiver. “How can a single being create such a concentration of Ternary Essences?”  

Liu Shu’s body was surrounded by a torrent of spatial energies, all flowing around her under perfect control. Even then, the swelling pressure was congesting the chests of everyone in the city, as if a hand was gripping their heart.

No one dared to speak, and no one dared to move as the gorgeous and powerful World Tree gathered energy like never before. 

Then, after five minutes, the energies that seemed about to explode slammed downward and pulsed outward through the complicated root network of the World Tree. 

All World Trees in Liu Shu’s domain felt death approaching, even when this energy was not directed at them. Then, using Liu Shu’s root net access as a medium, they zoomed into the distance to observe what had run out of luck. 

Sylwen, sensing something wrong, spoke to her group. “We will leave ten of you in this fortress while the rest spread out and make sure Tianlian Liu Shu is not active in other parts of the continent! If you need help, send a message to Lord Dain. I will inform him personally.”

The ten selected people wanted to protest, but they couldn’t go against Sylwen’s prestige, so they remained behind. 

A few minutes after Sylwen left, Liu Shu’s presence swept the area. The dense presence felt as if a sticky film had latched onto their skin. “Activate defenses!” 

One of the powerhouses shouted, and the fortress deployed its defensive dome. A semi-transparent green dome surrounded the fortress, black-golden runes shining on the solid surface. 

It was then that Liu Shu activated the true terror of her A Rank skill. 

Locking onto an area of over five thousand square kilometers, with the fortress right in the middle, Liu Shu unleashed her wrath. 

“<Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe: Void>.” 

CRASH!

In the area Liu Shu enveloped, space collapsed like a broken mirror. Everyone inside didn’t even feel pain as their bodies crumbled, and a single terrifyingly high damage number appeared on their head. 

[-500,000,000]! 

[Congratulations on defeating…]!

[Congratulations on defeating…]!

[Congratulations on defeating…]!

[Too many messages… Compiling…]

[You’ve defeated 2,230,050 creatures! You’ve earned 12,305,000 Experience Points!]

Chapter 1306. Shattered Mirror Trial.

Yasenia waited until the voice started explaining the fourth trial. 

“The Trial of the Shattered Mirror will begin in 2 hours. During this trial, you will be facing the copies of another temple’s army. These copies will be able to use [Battle Formations], and in turn, you will be able to participate with your own army. During these trials, your army won’t receive permanent casualties. You will earn two points per victory.”

Yasenia heard the simple rules and hummed. “So… This is clearly the opposite of the first trial, but without losing its essence. Because the other side has a Battle Formation and mine doesn’t, I will need to be the force that tilts the balance in my favor.” 

However, Yasenia felt that it wasn’t that simple. After all, the soldiers in her army were made out of weak Transcendence Realm cultivators. “No matter how weak each of them is, their combined strength is fearsome.”

Facing several thousand Sixth Realm cultivators, even if they had no Intent Domain and just one skill, was extremely dangerous. “Thankfully, an Intent Domain is able to suppress numbers for the most part. So, it will come down to Battle Formation versus Intent Domain.”

Yasenia spoke with the general and started giving him orders on how to face their enemies. While they had a numerical advantage and their victory was guaranteed, Yasenia was not overconfident.

Time passed slowly, and soon, the two hours went by. Once it did, a pillar of light appeared in the center of the Temple’s hall. Looking at it, Yasenia spoke firmly. “Advance.”

“Yes, Immortal Commander!” 

With a single coordinated roar, Yasenia’s group disappeared and reappeared on a broken battlefield. The land was full of cracks, shattered weapons, and crumbling armor parts. Above them, a bleak, grey sky full of clouds blocked the sun from shining, and in the distance, a dark aura remained, as if thousands of evil spirits awaited others to approach so that they could devour them.  

After observing her surroundings, Yasenia looked at their opponent. It was one of the small armies, composed of 2,401 soldiers. Compared to her sixteen thousand, they were pitifully few.

Therefore, Yasenia didn’t plan on taking part from the beginning. Instead, she wanted to see just how much of a difference a Battle Formation could create.

There were no signals, no warnings, or hints. Like in a real war, the enemy’s march was the thing that marked the start of the battle.

“Advance! [Star Dome] army will be at the front and block their charge!” 

The dragoness floated up, her arms gently resting at her sides while she observed the other party. 

As she expected, the other side began forming groups of seven. Then, those groups formed other groups until all 2,401 people were connected with the Battle Formation. 

The leader of the other party suddenly chanted loudly. “[Big Dipper Onslaught]!”

Energy surged, pressure descending like a giant’s hand pressing on everyone’s head. Yasenia’s face was full of shock when he noticed the pressure the attack emitted. ‘I thought that their strength would be much weaker.’

When she fought against the endless army, countless groups formed seven-layer Battle Formations. These felt like powerful Sixth Realm cultivators, but Yasenia was able to reduce their numbers and kill them. 

However, if one asked her if she was sure of killing this one group, Yasenia would be unsure! 

The attack created a massive sword light that glittered with starlight, and then, it rushed toward her army. Half of the [Star Dome] group deployed their skill, clashing against the incoming attack. 

BOOM!!

A powerful shockwave burst out. The impact was strong enough to feel like a mid-ranked Sixth Realm cultivator had attacked. 

“The defense is shattered. But at least, it could hold on.”

Yasenia was not happy, though. According to her previous calculations, the over one thousand [Star Dome] defenses should’ve blocked three or four [Big Dipper Onslaught]. Yet, with just one, the shield was broken down. 

Feeling the energy on the other side surging, Yasenia called out. “[Star Pierce] Army, attack in rotation! Second half of [Star Dome] army, prepare to defend!” 

[Star Pierce] was unleashed, and thousands of spear-like white lights streaked across the battlefield, rushing toward the Battle Formation. 

“[Big Dipper Cradle]!” Another majestic shout spread, and the enemy army created a defensive layer. This layer was extremely solid, absorbing all of the attacks reaching it. 

Yasenia was unfazed. “Continue advancing and prepare for the enemy’s counterattack.” 

Onslaught was released once more, and the other half of the [Star Dome] army’s defenses were shattered. This time around, Yasenia ordered a higher energy output, blocking the attack comfortably. 

“[Moon Ice Torment], release!” 

A wave of frost descended from the sky like a silver waterfall, swallowing the enemy army. 

“[Big Dipper Star Field]!” 

“Hm?” Yasenia frowned. “This skill is new.”

The constellation appeared in the sky, and from it, countless star-attributed pillars descended. The seven stars that composed the constellation were shooting down from above like guided lasers, destroying the [Moon Ice Torment]. 

“Ho~?” A touch of surprise appeared on Yasenia’s face. “That’s impressive. [Crystalline Moon Dress] army, step forward. [Star Dome] army, step back. [Scorching Sword] army steps forward and blocks with the [Crystalline Moon Dress] army. [Fairy Moon Step] army, flank the enemy.”

Her words flowed seamlessly, the army moving as if it were a single organism that formed part of her being. Yasenia’s commands worked like a charm, blocking the offensive of the other side while bombarding them until they couldn’t lift their heads. 

Yasenia found it quite praiseworthy that the Battle Formation could overcome the difference in numbers with such ease. Nevertheless, she could feel it faltering with the constant pressure.

“[Fairy Moon Step] army, charge inside the right flank. [Star Pierce] army, aim and shoot at one to open a path for them.”

The white energy gathered by over two thousand soldiers streaked through the battlefield, landing on the right flank and creating a very small opening. Usually, such an opening would be unable to be taken advantage of. Nevertheless, Yasenia had already anticipated it. So, the instant it appeared, her quickest army soldiers rushed inside and began a melee fight. 

“All armies, charge forward and annihilate the enemy.”

From start to finish, Yasenia didn’t move from her standing position, the army’s general flying right behind her and observing everything. Even if it was a soul copy, it had thoughts. Looking at the flow of the battle and Yasenia’s way of ordering, he had nothing but praise in his mind. 

‘We are ordered to follow the words of whoever awakens us. Sadly, most of the time, we are controlled by people who don’t know war. But…’ Looking at Yasenia’s straight back and fluttering long black hair, the general admitted. ‘This dragon woman is a superb general.’

The battle, from start to finish, lasted around 20 minutes. It was neither a long nor a short time for a Transcendence Realm battle. With so many numbers, the objective was to make the other side crumble under pressure and then slaughter everyone with numbers.

So, group battles were usually quicker than one-on-one battles in the Sixth Realm and above. Of course, everything said was within a specific context and situation. There were plenty of exceptions, enough that generalizing felt wrong. 

After winning, Yasenia heard the voice spread across the battlefield. 

“You’ve defeated the enemy without taking part in the war yourself. You’ve earned 3 points.” 

Yasenia blinked twice at that message. ‘Oh? There are extra rewards for defeating the Battle Formation without personal participation.’ She clicked her tongue. “These people truly like hiding things, don’t they?”

Yasenia sighed as healing energy descended on the battlefield, reviving the dead and healing the injured. While her command had been seamless, it was impossible not to have casualties during big battles. Still, the loss was so insignificant that even if they weren’t revived, it wouldn’t affect the general strength of the army more than 1 percent.

After waiting, Yasenia observed how a portal opened in the distance. This time around, the numbers were much larger than before. “That’s… 9,604 soldiers. So, I am currently fighting one of the four Large Temples. This can create four groups, so I need to be careful and change strategies.”

The combat started, and Yasenia noticed right away how big the difference was. The [Star Dome] and [Crystalline Moon Dress] armies needed to defend together, barely blocking all the attacks from the four groups. 

After the first exchange, Yasenia understood that her army had no chance at winning. ‘It’s not a matter of strategy. The other side’s raw strength is just too high…’

However, she wasn’t intimidated. Her aura changed, and her energy pulsed outward, covering the entire battlefield. With a wave of her hand, Yasenia deployed one of her domains. 

“[Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain].” 

WHOOSH!

The four Battle Formation groups flinched, while the allied forces paused for a moment. An instant later, Yasenia’s army’s aura exploded outward, their strength skyrocketing.

The general by Yasenia’s side was stunned when he felt the change. However, he didn’t have much chance to feel awed since Yasenia started ordering him to join the battle as well.

“General, you and groups one and two from each army will face one of the formations. Don’t disappoint me and hinder them enough for me to deal with the other groups.” 

“Yes! Immortal Commander!” 

Using 10% of the group to hinder 25% of the enemies would give Yasenia the advantage she needed to win this battle. After all, with the [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain], both sides had been equalized. 

Without a single moment of delay, Yasenia began giving orders to the army and facing the three Four-Layer Big Dipper Battle Formations. The exchange was much more dynamic than before, using not large chunks but timing each attack right. 

When one of the attacks arrived, Yasenia ordered just enough people to block it. When there was a weakness, the dragoness didn’t miss it and took advantage of it, staggering their battle flow. 

What was even scarier was that the longer they fought, the stronger Yasenia and her army became. Not only stronger, they became more efficient and better at chipping down their defense. It was as if Yasenia were a giant snake coiling around them, while they couldn’t shake her off. 

Gradually, the three Battle formations fighting Yasenia faltered. Yasenia’s pressure, tactics, and quick reactions during the changing battlefield were so suffocating that they became impatient. 

Then, a mistake occurred.

One of the Battle Formations stepped a bit too forward, trying to enter an opening Yasenia created to bait them in.

The second that happened, the dragoness was ruthlessly efficient. 

“[Scorching Sword] army, follow the [Fairy Moon Steps] army and break them down. The rest hold back the other two Battle Formations.” 

Slaughter followed, with casualties appearing on Yasenia’s side. Nevertheless, the balance was broken, and the rest of the combat was nothing but slowly cleaning up the battlefield. 

Chapter 518. Oppression and Understanding. Liu Shu's Resolve. [AotSC]

While Celestial Lotus was speaking about wrongs to Liu Shu, she was not angry in her heart. In truth, the only reason she even brought it up was just to keep up some appearances. After all, she couldn’t just say nothing about it. What she didn’t expect was Liu Shu’s nonchalant answer about World Domination. 

“Um… Heavenly Willow, why are you so confident?” Celestial Lotus asked, more curious than angry. “You do know that we are Level 99 World Trees with A Tier stats, right?” 

“Yeah!” Liu Shu answered freely, her tone not sounding even half worried. “However, compared to me, your stats are lacking, aren’t they?” 

Liu Shu’s confidence didn’t only come from her A+ Tier in all her parameters; the <Five Origin Branches> were all World Rank items, which were basically nonexistent in Ceperet. From what Liu Shu had learned after learning more literature all around the Wild Continent, there were only 13 items that reached the World Rank in the entire World. Five of those were owned by the Abyssal Nexus, another five by the Covenant, and the others were divided amongst the two remaining global powers.

Liu Shu herself had 5, and her berries were worth another 2 or 3 pieces of equipment of these World Rank items. When you added Liu Shu’s personal titles, passives, talents, temples, and help from Life Trees and World Trees, she was honestly fearless. 

Yes, Pelagia Tidemother, Azure Rose, Verdant Skyflower, and Celestial Lotus were powerful World Trees. They were powerful enough to keep a balance all around the world. But their strength was not enough.

If those four were considered outliers, Liu Shu evaluated her own strength as an outlier among them. This was not arrogance, but a conclusion she came to after asking Warlya about her stats. 

Azure Rose naturally heard Liu Shu’s absolute confidence in her words, but she was not resigned to it. 

These beings were thousands of years old. Even the youngest among them, Pelagia, was only slightly younger than Warlya. Therefore, if someone came out of nowhere and said, “You are weaker than I!” Even if they had evidence, it wouldn’t sit right with them unless they saw it by themselves. 

They were not reckless and unwise creatures, though. 

Celestial Lotus had already discussed that fact with her people, so she was not playing to antagonize Liu Shu. “Heavenly Willow, I understand that you have confidence. I also understand that this confidence won’t come from an empty sense of haughtiness. But you must understand that we can’t just accept it at face value.” 

Our World Tree pondered and understood. These Big Sisters had a long history, and they would be a challenge that she needed to overcome if she wanted to conquer the place as peacefully as possible. “Hm… Okay. I’ll show you my three ternary essence reserves, then.” Liu Shu added, her tone serious. “Also, don’t get me wrong! I am showing you this because I don’t want to fight you! I admire you, like I do with Big Sister Skyflower, and I don’t want to end your lives.” 

Azure Rose and Celestial Lotus saw a small system window pop in their gaze, and when they focused, they finally saw Liu Shu’s Ternary Essence Reserves.    

***

Level: 90

Aether Mana Cores: 24,315/24,315 (2,431,407,520) (+876 Cores/Hour)

Phoer Body Cores: 24,729/24,729 (2,472,861,311) (+891 Cores/Hour)  

Anima Energy Cores: 24,109/24,109 (2,410,807,390) (+868 Cores/Hour)  

Attributes: Aether 234,348 (67,018+167,330) / Physique 236,226 (67,018+169,208) / Anima 233,409 (67,018+166,391) / Willpower 106,587 (66,773+39,814) / Destiny 9,000 (9,000)

***

“...”

“...”

Celestial Lotus and Azure Rose looked at those stats and felt their bodies tighten. All the alarms in their heads set off as their souls and minds trembled. 

“H-How?” Celestial Lotus trembled, unable to believe what she was seeing. 

Azure Rose tried to reason and asked aloud. “Are these after buffs? They must be after buffs!”

Her question carried disbelief and conviction, as if she was trying to convince herself that such was the truth. Celestial Lotus also reacted after she heard that. ‘Right, of course. These must be after being buffed!’ 

If it was after-buff stats, Celestial Lotus and Azure Rose could slightly accept them. While they couldn’t reach these ridiculous numbers, they were not that much worse. 

However, Liu Shu was not here to sell hopes and dreams. She was here to make them know the absolutely crushing weight of reality. 

“Hm? Buffs? Of course not! These are my raw stats!” 

Silence descended on their conversation. If these two World Trees had human bodies, they would be pale-faced and sweating coldly. ‘Her raw stats are higher than my buffed stats…?’ 

The reality of the situation sank in their minds, and primal fear exploded from deep within them. They had always been at the top of the world, and their stats were not even close to Liu Shu’s. For reference, Celestial Lotus’s stats were as such:

***

Name: Celestial Lotus

Level: 99

Aether Mana Cores: 10,955/10,955 (1,095,444,753)

Phoer Body Cores: 9,606/9,606 (960,554,550)

Anima Energy Cores: 6,873/6,873 (687,243,292)

Attributes: Aether 135,674 / Physique 126,756 / Anima 98,477 / Willpower 30,488 / Destiny 5,940

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (680), Physique Refinement (630), Anima Affinity (563), Mental Palace (64)

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (87), Physique Resistance (86), Spiritual Resistance (81), Mental Resistance (78)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-55%), Summon Enhancement (+17%), Summoning Invoking Time (-55%), Summon Upkeep (-55%)

Tier Stars:

Aether Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Phoer Stars: 15 (A- Tier)

Anima Stars: 14 (B+ Tier)

Willpower Stars: 14 (B+ Tier)

Overall Stars: 15 (A- Tier)

***

Don’t be confused. These stats were, by no means, low. They were enough to make the entirety of her domain a fortress that the Abyssal Void Nexus avoided. If this were not the case, the Celestial Lotus Empire wouldn’t even be standing after several centuries of constant harassment from them. 

Moreover, these were Celestial Lotus’ raw stats. After applying buffs, her strength would reach enough heights to match Liu Shu’s raw stats. Moreover, with her powerful affinities, each spell they cast was catastrophic in nature. Remember, a World Tree casting a <Fireball> and a human casting a <Fireball> were two very different things.

But, compared to Liu Shu, they were not just a level below her. 

Azure Rose and Celestial Lotus understood that this young World Tree, Tianlian Liu Shu, was an absolute and horrifyingly strong monster. 

‘We have no chance to resist.’ 

Liu Shu commented; her tone was as gentle and carefree as before. “So… Will you come under me? Or do you want to fight me?”

‘Fight you? There won’t even be a single splinter left after whatever fight we can put up against you concludes!’ 

They believed, no, they knew that even if the entire world outside of the Wild Continent rose up suddenly and tried to bring Liu Shu down, the result would be a tyrannical victory for one side, and that side was not theirs. 

Azure Rose spoke, her tone becoming respectful and somewhat subservient. “Lady Heavenly Willow, I heard from reports that you usually don’t seek to destroy and assimilate the territories of other World Trees. Am I right?” 

The gentle empress was acting submissive, but Celestial Lotus didn’t find it strange at all. ‘We are lucky that Tianlian Liu Shu is a gentle and accepting World Tree. If she were determined to take everything down in her path, without caring about others, we would be in a very different situation.’ 

After Azure Rose spoke, they felt Liu Shu’s mood turn for the worse. Their roots tingled and their cores thumped. When they were prepared to apologize for whatever offense they had made without knowing, Liu Shu’s pouty voice reached them. “Why are you speaking like that? I don’t like it! I didn’t like it when you changed from being gentle to respectful, and now you are starting to act like those fanatics!” 

Both ancient World Trees were baffled. They couldn’t understand. “U-Um… Heavenly—”

“Liu Shu!” Our adorable World Tree exclaimed, full of righteous indignation. “Call me Liu Shu! Not Heavenly whatever! I am Tianlian Liu Shu! Also! I am much younger than you two, so why are you acting so respectful? Yuck! I don’t like it! If you continue speaking like that, I won’t talk to you anymore! Hmph!”

Celestial Lotus and Azure Rose were first stupefied at Liu Shu’s words, but when they digested them, a wave of both relief and sweetness filled their tensed bodies. Celestial Lotus smiled in her mind, a chuckle escaping her. “Ah… We got it wrong.”

Azure Rose also smiled, a gentle laugh escaping her. “We did. We utterly misunderstood her.” 

Then, Azure Rose spoke softly. “Liu Shu, sorry for before. Big Sister will ask for forgiveness, so don’t be angry, okay?” 

Celestial Lotus followed, her tone calm and soothing. “Right. It was our fault. We'll treat you normally from now on, okay?” 

“Hm…” Liu Shu heard their gentle tones that she liked so much, and her mood calmed down. “Okay! I’ll forgive you… Hmph.” 

That last sound was so cute that Azure Rose and Celestial Lotus felt an urge to tickle the roots of this powerful but gentle World Tree. 

“Liu Shu, I have an important question to ask. Can you answer me honestly?” 

Hearing Azure Rose’s tone, Liu Shu listened attentively. “Of course! That was my intention!”

“Great.” Azure Rose smiled and then asked. “Tell me, Liu Shu. What do you plan to do with the Abyssal Void Nexus?”

Liu Shu paused and spoke. “That… I would love to assimilate them as peacefully as possible. But… I don’t feel it is possible.” 

She was strong, incredibly strong. Therefore, she had the choice of being merciful in her ways. However, the question was, how many deserved this mercy? Those who lived in the Abyssal Void Nexus all shared similar ideologies. 

Celestial Lotus spoke, her tone somewhat serious. “Liu Shu, it is important that you annihilate them. And I mean everyone.”

“Hm…” Liu Shu was hesitant while simultaneously understanding. “I know what I need to do… But can you explain to me why, Big Sister Lotus?”

Celestial Lotus, having accepted Liu Shu, didn’t hold back any information that she knew about. “Liu Shu, you should know that there are otherworldly powers in Ceperet, right? With your strength, it is impossible that you have not discovered them.”

“Yeah!” Liu Shu answered affirmatively. 

“Since you know about them, it is easier to explain. These powers have some rules when conquering planets. The factions must dominate the world in a decisive manner. Also, they will be unable to interact with those worlds only when their factions are considered annihilated.” 

Liu Shu’s mind flashed, and she understood. “So… If I leave some people who want to rebuild the Abyssal Void Nexus, even if they want to do that secretly, I am leaving the door half-open for them. Only when I am ruthless will I be able to close the door and prevent their involvement in a direct manner… Am I right?”

“Yes.” Azure Rose commented. “The reason we haven’t joined Skyflower in the past is that she had never believed that we three together could completely annihilate them. On the contrary, if we started a prolonged war, the main power outside our world might send stronger people to our planet.” 

“You mean… Level 100 and above?”

“No. That they can’t do because this World doesn’t have the ability to support their power.” 

“Huh?” Liu Shu was confused after Azure Rose’s statement. “What do you mean?”

Azure Rose explained a bit more in detail. “Without a World Tree to support the world, a Level 100 has enough strength to create catastrophic events with their strength. You must know that an average Level 100 has much higher stats than you. There was a time Skyflower showed us an average System Page of a recently promoted Level 100, and the numbers were ridiculous.” 

“Hm… I see.” 

After speaking for so long, Liu Shu would need to be a bit silly not to understand that having mercy was only going to hurt herself. “Then… I’ll attack in a few weeks when my <Temple Of Life> is completed.” Liu Shu sighed, her gaze looking into the distant continent. “I’ll start… from the <Dark Water City>.” 

Verdant Skyflower spoke softly for the first time, showing that she had been here the whole time. “Go. I trust you can do it, Liu Shu. Once you are done with the Abyssal Void Nexus, we will all become part of your domain.” 

And so, a few weeks later, the massacre of <Dark Water City> started, the day when warships rained from the sky and roots tore down a city in a matter of minutes. 

(Author Note: I’ll write down the B- Rank Temple blessings that are online down here. I forgot to write them down in yesterday’s chapter. Hehe.)

***

<Summoning Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under the influence, you can have one summon out and avoid any Aether Mana or Anima Energy consumption. 

All ally-summon stats are increased by 30%.

Summon energy maintenance is 60% cheaper. 

The barrier between dimensions is weakened in this area, making it easier for summoners to connect with other-dimensional beings.

***

<Crafting Blessing (B- Rank)>: Your speed to learn and comprehend craft-related skills is increased while under the influence. There is also a chance to break your potential limits as long as you put in hard work and discipline.

There is a 0.5% chance that your items will be imbued with a blessing, increasing their quality by one sub-tier. 

Your craft-related tools have 45% increased durability. 

The Experience Points needed to upgrade craft-related skills are reduced by 25%.

***

<Destiny Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under the influence, you will be able to defy a set destiny if you have one. 

Destiny stat +40%.

You are more likely to have lucky things happen to you.

All your enemies have a chance to have unlucky events happen to them at a convenient moment. 

***

<Life Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under the influence, you can heal 500% quicker. Crippling wounds that do not affect the root of your power are able to heal over time. (Can’t regrow limbs without external aid.)

Lifespan increased by 30%.

Phoer Recovery per healing spell increased by 50%.

The Experience Points needed to upgrade health-related skills are reduced by 25%.

Chapter 517. Choosing The Temple. First Contact With World Trees. [AotSC]

A few weeks before the attack on Dark Water City, Liu Shu had searched for the other two most significant influences on the planet: Celestial Lotus and Azure Rose. Reaching them was not an easy task, so it took some time. To not lose time, Liu Shu decided to check the temples she could build in the meantime. 

[Temple Of War]

[Temple Of Life]

[Temple Of Death]

[Temple Of Elements]

[Temple Of Fertility]

[Temple Of Music]

[Temple Of The Conqueror]

[Temple Of Space]

[Temple Of Phoer]

[Temple Of Aether]

[Temple Of Anima]

“Hm?” Liu Shu was somewhat surprised. “Weren’t there Temples of Fire, Wind, etc. to choose from? Have they now all merged into one <Temple Of Elements>?”

This development was outside of Liu Shu’s expectations. Moreover, when she checked them, these temples were all B- Rank from the get-go, unlike the ones before, which started at the D- Rank.  

“System, why have those temples merged?”

[System Hint: <Temple> concepts can merge if the concepts they represent are compatible with each other. These merges can only occur if Tianlian Liu Shu is strong enough.] 

Liu Shu’s heart became uncomfortable. “So… If I had not chosen the temple of craft, it might’ve evolved into a more powerful temple in the future?” 

[System Hint: Not only the <Temple Of Craft>, but all the other ones as well.] 

“WAH!” Liu Shu very much wanted to flip the landscape. “What’s wrong with you and never telling me the whole story!? Useless! Stupid! Stupid System! Stuuuppiiiiiid!!!!!!” 

[...]

“YEAH! THREE DOTS FROM ME AS WELL! HMPH!”

[Wisdom: Temples can evolve after reaching high tiers and even merge with other concepts. Tianlian Liu Shu has not lost the chance to possess the combination temples; you just need higher-tiered materials.]

The temper tantrum instantly evaporated. “Oh? Really?” 

[...]

[Wisdom: …] 

This time, both Wisdom and the System felt speechless at how fast Liu Shu changed her mood. The World Tree asked, curious. “Then, then… can my temples be merged with any of the ones in the list?”

[Wisdom: It’s not possible for now. Moreover, the Temples you possess are only <B- Tier>. They need to reach A- Tier at the very least to merge with another <Temple>.] 

“Oh…” Liu Shu muttered. “Still useless. I have to do everything first, and only then will you come to help…”

[System Hint: The system doesn’t exist to help. It is a reflection of a creature’s potential and a tool to…]

“I know! I know! I do not get stronger because my <Physique> goes up 10 points. Only after my <Physique> goes up ten points does it reflect in the system, right? Whatever, whatever. Now, show me these temples. I want to see them!” 

***

<Elemental Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under its influence, Elemental Aether Mana becomes much more controllable. Creatures who have this blessing will be able to learn how to control Elemental Aether Mana much more efficiently.

Elemental Aether Mana control +500%.

Elemental Aether Mana abundance +500%.

All creatures gain 30% resistance to Elemental Aether Mana.

Proficiency needed to upgrade Elemental-Aether-related skills -20%.

***

“Whoa! Weren’t the Fire and Wind ones +100%? The other numbers were also much smaller… Is there really such a big difference between D- and B- Tiers?”

She had not checked the Temple Blessing specific numbers for a while, so she decided to do so afterward.  

***

<Music Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under its influence, Music Creativity will become an innate quality. All music created can evolve beyond limits and affect the surroundings greatly. 

All effects created from music will be positively enhanced by 60%.

All crafting of instruments is enhanced by 150% and will be blessed with special effects. 

All future instruments will have two minor <Tier-Up> upon creation.

***

“Another boost to the blessing… Not interested, though. Next!”

Liu Shu checked them one by one, and after a while, she came to a conclusion. “Alright, the ones that I am interested in are <Temple Of War>, <Temple Of Life>, <Temple Of Elements>, and <Temple Of Space>.” 

The Ternary Essence temples were really powerful. Nevertheless, Liu Shu felt that they would combine into one in the future, similar to what happened to the elemental temples. Therefore, she decided to ignore them for now. 

The <Temple Of The Conqueror> was also intriguing. It buffed Liu Shu’s ability to transform people. Nevertheless, Liu Shu felt that she didn’t really need that now. 

“Let’s see, create the four windows of the temples of choice.” 

[Understood.]

*** 

<War Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under the influence, you can learn combat skills three times faster. There is also a 5% chance to break your potential limits as long as you put in hard work and discipline.

During a War, all allies’ stats are increased by 20%.

Ternary essence efficiency increased by 20%. 

The Experience Points needed to upgrade combat-related skills are reduced by 25%.

***

<Life Blessing (B- Rank)>: While under the influence, you can heal 500% quicker. Crippling wounds that do not affect the root of your power are able to heal over time. (Can’t regrow limbs without external aid.)

Lifespan increased by 30%.

Phoer Recovery per healing spell increased by 50%.

The Experience Points needed to upgrade health-related skills are reduced by 25%.

***

<Space Blessing (B- Rank)>: The space layer in your domain is 500% harder to penetrate by foreign creatures, while it will be 500% easier for people under this blessing. 

Spatial Affinity increased by 500%. 

Space channels will require 500% less cost to keep open. 

Space-related skills deal 20% more damage. 

The Experience Points needed to upgrade space-related skills are reduced by 25%.

***

Liu Shu read the Space Blessing, thoughtful. “Why does this one not fall under the <Temple Of Elements> category? Is Space not an element as well?”

[System Hint: <Space> is not a fundamental element. Control over space means control over locations, not Aether Mana in the strict sense. Therefore, it is not considered elemental mana, as it has its own school.]

“Oh…! What about Time? Can time be manipulated?”

[System Hint: Time manipulation is strictly forbidden under the System’s vigilance. Any creature that attempts to manipulate <Time> directly will be punished.] 

“O-Oh. I will keep it in mind.” Liu Shu didn’t ask why, as she could already imagine the reason.

Liu Shu checked all the <Temples> again. “The <Temple Of Life> continues to be tempting. More lifespan, meaning more population. Moreover, some who are limited by age will live longer as they reach higher levels by default. So, instead of a 30% increase in lifespan, it can go much further.”

It had always been extremely tempting, as in the long term, this temple was without a shadow of a doubt the strongest. It would increase her population quality over time as well, since higher-level people would have better-quality children. “The ants would benefit tons as well…”   

However, Liu Shu didn’t need long-term benefits. She needed to upgrade her current strength as quickly as possible. “The Temple Of Space is worth building after I take over the entire planet. I am sure that, when I reach out of the planet, this one temple will be quite useful. So, that leaves me with Temple Of War or Elements.” 

Liu Shu rechecked these two blessings. Combat-power-wise, the Temple of War was unmatched. A raw 25% boost was enough to make it extremely valuable. Nevertheless, Liu Shu values the Elemental Abundancy that the other temple promoted.

What could create higher-level people? A higher quality environment. Unlike the Temple of Life, which affected things indirectly through making everyone more long-lived, the Temple of Elements accelerated the world’s growth in a positive feedback loop.

“Ugh…” Liu Shu was honestly torn. The <Temple Of Life> was just too tempting! 

“Thirty percent more lifespan… It’s just too much. Moreover, the heavy injuries caused by war and other conflicts can be easily recovered from as well. It’s like giving my soldiers an “invincible” buff as long as they were not killed.” 

While that sentence sounded obvious, killing was not the only way to make a soldier unable to fight. If they lost a leg, had their Ternary Essence circuits damaged, or were mentally scarred, that soldier would have a hard time being useful. With the <Temple Of Life>, all those problems disappeared.

“UGH!” Liu Shu threw her branches into the air and blurted. “Whatever! I’ll build the <Temple Of Life> and get it out of the way! While War and Elements are very tempting, a longer-living population will pay off the earlier I take it. The next one will be elements, and the next one will be war, and the next one will be space… As long as no new ones appear, that should be the order! HMPH!”  

After deciding upon that, Liu Shu waited for her roots to encounter the two World Trees. It took around a day to make contact, almost at the same time, with the two of them. 

“Um… Hello?” Liu Shu tentatively sent a message to these two ancient World Trees. 

Once she did so, their presence manifested on the edge between them. 

One of them, carrying an ethereal and gentle voice, spoke to her curiously. “Hello… Who are you, little sapling?” 

The other one had a much more stern, but equally soothing voice. Like a gentle empress speaking to you. “Oh? First time hearing such a beautiful voice. Are you new, little sapling?” 

Liu Shu giggled when she heard these two answer. To be fair, she expected a much more overbearing answer. Instead, what she got were two gentle big sisters speaking to her!

So, letting go of her initial nervousness, Liu Shu spoke with them. “Hello! I am Tianlian Liu Shu! I came to speak with you two regarding my future controlling the world!” 

The two powerful World Trees almost choked in their minds. ‘Who opens a conversation declaring they are going to conquer the world!?’

Still, once they learned of Liu Shu’s name, they naturally understood who was talking to them. Celestial Lotus tone became a tad colder. After all, Liu Shu formerly belonged to her faction, but then she left. “You are the Heavenly Willow? Do you know your wrongs?”

“Eh?” Liu Shu was a bit confused. “What wrongs?” 

The Azure Rose could hear their conversation thanks to Liu Shu connecting everyone in a single root net. So, she poked fun at Celestial Lotus. “You speak of wrongs? How about you sending some help first? If you had not ignored Heavenly Willow, I bet she wouldn’t be trying to conquer the world at the moment.” 

“Eh?” Liu Shu muttered. “But… I would conquer it either way…” 

The two World Trees became silent, looking at this new young World Tree with strange gazes. ‘Her confidence… It is quite high. Is it not?’

Chapter 1305. Crumbling Charm. Lost Temple Trial.

Yasenia reached into her bosom and took out the key. “It’s glowing and pouring out light in a specific direction.” 

Her gaze gained a touch of anticipation; she knew that this extra reward was crucial for gaining an advantage over the others. Therefore, she planned to follow the guide straight away. 

Of course, there was some hesitation at first. 

“This deviates from my plans a bit.” Yasenia thought, questioning whether to follow the light straight away. “I wanted to find the others in this place and kill them. But it’s clearly not as important as the extra rewards.”

Encouraging herself, Yasenia smiled. “Let’s go. Either way, there must be other chances in the future to deal with them. The advantage I’ll gain with this key is more important than getting rid of them.” 

So, after a few moments, Yasenia used [Fairy Moon Steps], and her figure accelerated and vanished in the distance. With this movement technique, her figure seemed to float and glide over the terrain. ‘Hm… Compared to Pegasus Gallop, it is slower by a whole level. Nevertheless, the maneuverability is leagues ahead of Pegasus Gallop. I guess I can use this movement technique while fighting instead to close the distance.’

When she learned the techniques, she didn’t really plan to use them. Her own techniques were very strong and hand-crafted to fit with her strengths. However, while using them, she changed her mind.

“I’ll need to see the effectiveness of the other skills, so I won’t jump to conclusions. Despite that, this movement skill is good enough to use beyond the Secret Realm.” 

After running in a straight line for five hours, Yasenia finally arrived at the place where the key pointed. During her journey, Yasenia spotted several temples in the distance. Clearly, one had to choose a good temple during the third trial. ‘Thankfully, I have the key.’  

When she arrived, what she saw left her breathless. The temple the key pointed at was gigantic, much larger than the others. It had towering buildings, some reaching the clouds floating above. Its surface was eroded by time, yet it still retained hints of its past glory. 

Once she stopped in front of it, Yasenia saw a giant golden gate. Unlike the rest of the temple, this gate had withstood the erosion of time, looking pristine and imposing. When Yasenia approached, she heard a voice coming from behind her.

“Hey! Stop right there. I saw this temple first.” 

Yasenia turned around, and once she saw who it was, her gaze changed from annoyed to interested. “Oh. It’s one of you charmed people.” 

The person was part of the [Shore Shift Sect]—the senior brother of the woman controlled by the male Charm Snake Demon. 

“Don’t insult my lover, dragon!” The man’s handsome face became stern, clearly displeased that Yasenia had insulted the female demon. 

Yasenia laughed, not offended at all. Instead, she stopped suppressing her own beauty and smiled seductively at him. “I really dislike those two, so I’ll do you a favor~.”

The man was momentarily stunned when Yasenia revealed her beauty. It was as if Yasenia’s skin was moisturized and glowing, drawing one in to touch and leave a mark. Her gaze spilled sensuality, the naturally raised eye corners hooking the souls of those who looked into her golden orbs. 

As Yasenia approached, her body swayed from side to side and created heart-stirring tremors all around. The sheer sensuality and charm Yasenia emitted had already aroused the immortal cultivator far beyond normal bounds. If he didn’t have a sturdy will, the man would’ve already jumped at Yasenia, trying to mix and explode together. 

Halfway through her soul-stealing walk, the man’s facial expression twisted. Clearly, this situation was abnormal, and he needed to attack Yasenia. Yet, he couldn’t. 

‘Now, for the killing move~.’ 

Energy enveloped her soul as she changed clothes. A sensual red dress that barely covered her breasts with two strings and cinched at the waist draped over her. The side-opening slit on the skirt revealed her fair and long legs, while her breasts, now held by nothing but hopes and dreams, swayed temptingly. 

Yasenia, who had not only unleashed her beauty but also changed clothes to a revealing red dress, was like a freshly watered rose, ready to pluck. 

The man’s eyes turned red, wanting to possess the woman with such carnal attraction. With his muscles bulging and blood flowing, the man grunted and lunged forward. “MINE!”

“Good~. Now that you are awake…” Yasenia’s seductive face and gait completely changed, returning to a calm and indifferent expression. “Snap out of it.”

BANG!

Before the man’s hand could reach out to touch Yasenia’s tender skin, her tail bashed his head down into the soil. With a wave of her hand, the dragoness changed back to her elegant purple-gold dress, her hands retouching her updo. 

Then, she placed the veil over her face and looked at the person buried in the floor below her. Her tail moved again. “Hey, wake up.”  

BANG!

“GAH!” Startled, he jumped up and looked around, confused. “Where…”

“Where are you?” Yasenia crossed her arms under her prominent bust and snorted. “You are in a trial. Now, be a man and go rescue the beauty. Your memory should clear up shortly, so you should know what to do.” 

Then, she turned around and walked toward the large golden gates, her hips and tail swaying temptingly. 

“Wait!” The man shouted, his heart feeling reluctant as the dragoness walked away. “Y-Your name! Please, tell me your name!”

“No.” Yasenia didn’t turn around. “I only snapped you out because I dislike those two. If you want to thank me, make sure you get your revenge and don’t die pathetically.” 

Her key floated up, entering the keyhole of the gates. Then, with a deep rumble, they opened and allowed Yasenia inside. 

The man stood in the same spot, blankly staring at Yasenia’s disappearing back as if his soul had left his body. Only when Yasenia’s dancing tail and fluttering long black hair vanished from his sight did he snap out of it. 

‘Who was that beautiful goddess? Also… Why am I here?’ 

He was confused, but as Yasenia said, he started remembering everything a few seconds later. After his memories came back, his facial expression twisted, killing intent bursting out of his body. “THOSE TWO! HOW DARE THEY!?” Taking a deep breath, his eyes flashed with malice and cunning. “Since you dare mess with us and take my junior sister as hostage, I’ll show you that the [Shore Shift Sect] is not someone you can easily mess with.” 

After taking one last look at the giant temple, the man sped into the distance. 

Meanwhile, the dragoness had already reached inside the temple. “Who thought that I could snap charm techniques, brute forcing them by using my beauty to override their manipulated thoughts?” Her gleaming and soft lips arched in an amused smile. “I wonder what face that demon woman will make when she realizes. Will her pride be hurt? How humiliating must it be that her charm techniques are not even strong enough to resist my natural beauty~.” 

The temple suddenly started trembling, attracting Yasenia’s attention. Then, a voice reached her. “Congratulations! You’ve obtained the Big Dipper Temple. Your forces will be 16,807 people. These forces are divided into six groups of 2,801 people. The 16,807th soldier will be the general of your army.” 

Yasenia looked at those numbers and quickly linked them according to what she had seen. “16,807 people are enough to fill one five-layer Big Dipper Battle Formation. They are divided into six, probably because I’ve learned six skills. The last one is a general, which I guess will have all the skills I’ve learned…” 

After waiting for a moment, all sixteen thousand people appeared right before her. Looking at them, each of them had different uniforms and temperaments. She ordered aloud, her voice echoing full of deterrence. “One person from each group, step forward. The general must step forward as well.” 

Seven coordinated steps echoed in the large temple. Yasenia nodded, satisfied by their discipline. Then, she ordered. “Each of you, use your preferred skill.”

As she expected, each person from the groups used one of the six skills she learned. Looking at the general, she saw that he had not used anything. “General, do you not have a preferred skill?”

“Immortal Commander, I pride myself on having mastered all six of our army’s abilities. I do not have a preferred skill, for I am proficient in all of them.”

The dragoness nodded, a smile etched on her lips. “Show the six skills for me to see.” 

The general then proceeded to use [Scorching Sword], [Moon Ice Torment], [Star Pierce], [Star Dome], [Crystalline Moon Dress], and [Fairy Moon Steps]. All of them were used at the same level Yasenia could use. 

“Interesting…” Then, she asked the general. “Do you know the enemy army numbers, general?”

“Yes, Immortal Commander! Each temple comes with a trial. Small temples will have 2401 soldiers. Medium Temples will have double that. 4,802 soldiers. Large Temples will have double that, 9,604 soldiers. The Big Dipper Temple will have 16807 soldiers, one general among them.” 

The dragoness hummed with interest. “Can you know the temple the others have chosen to enter?” 

The general shook his head. “That’s impossible, Immortal Commander. Only when everyone has chosen will the results be available to know.”

A bit disappointed, Yasenia muttered. “That’s a shame.” Then, she asked. “Either way, do you all know how to create the Big Dipper Battle Formation?”

The general answered. “Not yet, Immortal Commander. The current strength of each soldier is identical, with only the skill changing from one to another. For us to learn the exalted Battle Formation, Immortal Commander needs to earn it in future trials.” 

The dragoness’s eyes shone with interest. “That’s intriguing. Small temples can create one four-layered Battle Formation, medium ones can create two, and large ones can create three. Only I can create a five-layered one… I guess my advantage is overwhelming compared to the others.” 

‘This is confusing,’ Yasenia thought. ‘Isn’t the reward for defeating that general a bit too high? It basically guarantees my victory straight away, right?’

What Yasenia didn’t take into account was that, to defeat that general, one must have incredible personal strength and army-wiping capabilities. If you could beat the general, whatever advantage you had after that would only be logical and deserved.

And so, everyone chose their temple, and the results were announced. 

“You’ve chosen your temple. There is one Small Temple, two Medium Temples, four Large Temples, and one Big Dipper Temple among the selections. With the Lost Temple Trial completed, you will pass to the next one: The Shattered Mirror Trial.” 

The dragoness blinked. “There were names? What are the previous two, then?” 

The general by her side spoke. “Trial of the Endless Army and Trial of the Nascent Force.” 

“Oh.” The dragoness nodded. “Solid names.”

Chapter 1304. Second Trial and Yasenia's Comprehension Talent.

Yasenia appeared outside, the golden key in her hand. Before the others appeared, she tucked it between her breasts. Her soft mountains easily swallowed the key, making it disappear. ‘This way, I will have it at hand. Just in case spatial rings don’t function.’ 

A second later, the other seven people appeared nearby. The female Charm Snake Demon hissed at Yasenia before she pointed and shouted. “Attack and kill her!”

However, as she said that, a voice descended, carrying insurmountable pressure with it. “Fights are prohibited. You will be disqualified if you fight, and those instigating it will also receive penalties.”

Yasenia looked over with a mocking gaze. The fact that the mocking gaze made the charmed men react was another slap to the Charm Snake Demon. Still, Lian Ruxue managed to calm down when her companion spoke. “We can wait. She won’t be able to run either way.” The male snake demon lustfully scanned Yasenia’s explosive body and smiled. “You will be quite tasty once I swallow you.”

Bored, Yasenia yawned once and commented. “Be careful. You’ll choke.” Her eyebrow raised, taunting. “I am quite big.” 

The man laughed, not understanding what Yasenia was referring to. 

“The second trial will begin in twenty minutes. Use this time to recover.” 

A wave of pure energy descended, covering them. Curious, Yasenia absorbed a bit of it and realized that it had healing qualities. ‘Oh? Quite mysterious. I can’t sense Life Energy, but it is able to heal. Does it follow the principles of my [Aquarius’ Rain] technique?’ 

Aquarius’ Rain was the fifth sky in the constellation steps series, and it used star elements to heal injuries of both body and soul—a remarkable ability.

With that in mind, Yasenia sat cross-legged and greedily absorbed all the energy she could. Not because she was injured, but because she wanted to be petty and steal it away from the others. 

Sadly, the amount of healing energy was too much, so Yasenia didn’t manage to do what she planned. ‘Such a shame. It would’ve been fun to see their reactions.’

“The second trial will begin now. From this trial onward, your techniques will be sealed. The only ones you can use will be based on how many you can learn from the stele.”

This time, even Yasenia was stunned. “My techniques are sealed?”

“To overcome the second trial, you must learn at least one technique before a month passes: One movement ability, one offensive ability, or one defensive ability.” 

Then, the wall before them collapsed, revealing letters, images, and other symbolism.

“Whoa…”

The wall, pulsing with energy as if it were alive, filled Yasenia full of reverence. ‘This is exquisitely carved. If I compare it with the Grand Cosmos Martial Art Stele I carved back then, it's like comparing a child’s scribbles to the handwriting of experts.’

Yasenia ignored the other seven and sat down cross-legged, reading through the techniques on the wall. ‘Hm… There is one for each attribute. I guess I can learn one of each attribute… Let’s see. [Fairy Moon Steps], [Scorching Sword], [Star Dome]...’

After learning their effects, Yasenia nodded to herself. “I will learn these three first. If I have the chance to learn more, I will.” 

For the next week, Yasenia practiced them day and night, reading and going through the motions. 

The other seven were paying attention to Yasenia as well. When they saw that she started with the Moon attribute movement technique, they didn’t react much. Still, four days later, when Yasenia manifested it, their hearts jumped. ‘Four days to learn one technique? What kind of comprehension talent is this!?’ 

The dragoness then took out Draheart and looked at the image for the offensive ability. “Scorching Sword… when you use it, your weapon will be enveloped by the flames of the Sun. The temperature can burn everything, while each sword strike will create fire sprouts that can damage your enemies…” 

“Not bad.” Yasenia nodded. “This ability is quite versatile, having both close and long-range capabilities, while also creating something like a damaging aura around it.”  

Preparing her stance, Yasenia followed the energy paths the technique required and started sword dancing. Her body moved firmly, each swing carrying weight and strength. For Sun-attributed techniques, the most valued trait was neither flexibility nor speed. It was strength and sturdiness. 

Each strike must make your enemy feel that, if they take it head-on, they will be in trouble. 

One of the rogue cultivators observed from a distance and asked. “Lady Lian, which one is she practicing?” 

The charm demon frowned. “She isn’t practicing the Moon attributed offensive ability. That’s for sure. Her steps are too firm, while the Moon attributed techniques carry softness and agility.”

After Yasenia learned the movement technique, she checked the other Moon attribute techniques to make sure that she understood what Yasenia was going to learn and then picked something suitable to counter it.   

Nevertheless, what she practiced was clearly not something of the Moon Attribute category. One of the men suddenly commented. “Isn’t that the one I am practicing?”

“You?” The female demon asked. “Aren’t you practicing the Sun Attributed offensive ability?”

“Yes.” The man was puzzled. “But… That shouldn’t be possible. Sun and Moon can’t appear in the same body.”

However, while they discussed, Yasenia’s sword suddenly ignited for a moment, a scorching heat engulfing the area. 

This time around, everyone stopped and looked at the Dragon as if she were a monster. The male demon frowned deeply. “Sun and Moon… Moreover, it doesn’t feel like she is forcing it. So, the affinities must be her natural ones.” 

After Transcendence, a cultivator could use techniques from almost any attribute. Of course, their natural attributes had an advantage when comprehending them, but if you learned another type of technique, it wasn’t as limited. The reason was the Transcendent Cultivators’ ability to commune with the surrounding energy. 

Yasenia swung her flaming sword around, her figure the epitome of valiant beauty. Once she was done, she stopped and felt the stares from the side. ‘What are they looking at? I have not seen any of them learn a single technique. Even then, they are losing time looking at me.’ 

Not that she minded. After all, the more time they lost, the better it was for her. So, with a gentle movement, Yasenia took off her veil, revealing a smile. Everyone felt as if a sledgehammer had struck their brains.

At this moment, the Charm Snake Demon suddenly realized something terrible. One of the rogue cultivators actually broke free from her influence! 

The demon lunged forward, ready to cast her spell again. However, when she was about to do so, a pressure descended from above, slamming her against the ground.

“Fighting is prohibited. If you continue struggling, you will be punished.” 

The man who was freed from the charm demon’s control snapped out of his daze. ‘That was the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen… Wait.’ Looking around, he muttered, confused. “Where am I? Wasn’t I in the fifth Broken Star City?” 

Noticing the abnormality in the man, Yasenia’s eyes flashed, and she decided to speak. “Oh? You actually woke up from that demon’s charm. Congratulations.”

“Charm…” A faint headache hit him as memories returned to him. After that, anger surged in his heart as he turned to look at the demon with murderous eyes. “You filthy creature! You actually dare to control me!?” 

Ruxue snorted, patting her dress elegantly. “It’s not my fault that you are lustful and easy prey.” She smiled seductively as she asked. “Do you want another romp in the sheets, darling? This time around, I’ll make sure to use all my techniques.”

“DIE!” The man was about to raise his sword when, similar to what happened to the demon, a powerful pressure stopped him. 

After hearing the warning, the man restrained his killing intent and walked toward Yasenia. “I don’t know how I can pay you back, but this time around, let me be your ally and keep you safe.” 

Yasenia saw his solemn expression and decided to accept. If there were group battles later, she wouldn’t want to be alone. “Sure. Let’s cooperate. I am Yasenia Dravory. What’s your name?” 

The man smiled. “I am Tang Zhihui. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Yasenia.” 

‘Tang?’ Yasenia blinked. Then, she thought curiously. ‘I do seem to have some kind of fate with Tang-surnamed people. Funny.’

After that interlude, the rest of the month passed by quickly. 

Yasenia ended up learning six techniques during the month: two defensive ones, three offensive ones, and the movement technique.  

The offensive techniques were [Scorching Sword], [Moon Ice Torment], and [Star Pierce]. While the Sun attributed ability was a weapon offensive skill, the Moon attributed one leaned more toward the area of effect. It could cover a large terrain with damaging frost, creating an area difficult to fight for her enemies. Finally, Star Pierce was a long-range single-target technique. It allowed Yasenia to focus star-fire and create a laser-like projectile with a swingle sword stab.

For her defensive skills, [Star Dome] was a general area type defensive skill. It didn’t latch onto her body; instead, it covered the zone around her to block external attacks. The second one, [Crystalline Moon Dress], was the opposite. It created a gorgeous silver dress to envelop her figure, increasing her defense many times over and hurting all those who attacked her with moon frost. 

Fairy Moon Steps helped Yasenia move quickly and evade skills, giving her enough agility to catch up with her enemies.

Other than Yasenia, who learned six abilities, the rest could only understand one or two. After all, a month seemed like a long time, but to master a skill and then learn it, it took time. 

The ones who managed to learn two skills were the two demons and the rogue cultivator who sides with Yasenia. 

“Congratulations on passing the second trial. The third trial will start in ten minutes. You will be transported to a desolate space. There, you must search for a location where you will go through the fourth, fifth, and sixth trials. Good luck.”

The man by Yasenia’s side spoke up. “Do we go together? I feel that there won’t be fighting restrictions inside this area.”

The dragoness shook her head. “If we are transported to the same area, we can move together at first. But if we are separated, I won’t lose time searching for you.”

“Understood.” 

He didn’t have anything against that. It was the best-case scenario for both of them.

Ten minutes later, everyone was transported to the desolate place. Yasenia quickly checked her surroundings and found no one nearby. She was about to move when she sensed a strange heat between her breasts. “Hm? The key?” 

Chapter 516. A Natural Disaster. [AotSC]

Dain, the man ruling the Abyssal Void Nexus in Ceperet, looked at the information on his desk with an ugly expression. “How did we allow another Fourth Energy Cycle World Tree to be born?” 

The information in the document he was reading explained almost everything that happened during the battle between the five <Fourth Energy Cycles> and the serpents. The existence of those 10 serpents was clearly abnormal, so after using resources to look across the ocean and into the Wild Continent, they finally managed to see Liu Shu’s main body. 

This method was expensive, and they only used it when it became too difficult to approach a World Tree. Moreover, the information it gave was limited. It would show a few images and also give an estimate in terms of power. 

The results were something that Dain didn’t want to believe. “Tianlian Liu Shu… over 5,500 meters tall, with an aura that doesn’t lose out to Verdant Skyflower, and a city full of powerful trees.” 

That was the summary he received. He read it again, and he just couldn’t believe it. “How? How did a World Tree grow this much right under our noses?” 

Forget about underestimating; Dain felt that there was a conspiracy of some sort going on in his power. “Are there World Tree supporters secretly hiding in our ranks?” 

It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened. As a power that rejected the natural order, it was more than normal for people who changed sides or sympathized with the other side, even after the indoctrination and propaganda.

However, he denied it very quickly. There had been checks not too long ago, so it was not possible for spies to infiltrate that deep. Wanting to crack this mystery, Dain asked his secretaries to take out all the information they recorded on Tianlian Liu Shu in chronological order and give it to him. 

And so, for the following two days, Dain understood what happened. He smiled, incredulous. “We got played… No. It was different. The other party didn’t purposely stop the spread of information. She was just too strong, and the people who had information on her seemed to have mistaken her for a weak World Tree. Overconfident, all armies that went to take her down became her nourishment.”

Dain sighed deeply. “She didn’t grow this fast out of nowhere… We actually created her through millions of sacrifices.” 

If they had left her alone, forget reaching her current heights. Dain knew that this World Tree would’ve fallen when they decided to take everything over. 

He wanted to blame someone, but curiously, everyone who was to blame was dead. Killed by that World Tree. This gave him a stifling feeling, as if he was trying to breathe deeply but unable to fill his lungs. 

“How do we even deal with her?” Dain muttered, confused. “She is a <Fourth Energy Cycle>, her strength comparable to Verdant Skyflower. She should have… Let’s be generous. 100 <Fourth Energy Cycle> subordinates. Moreover, the city she lives in is made out of powerful trees, so attacking her is a nightmare. The army would need to fight its way in after pushing through the continent’s terrain.” 

“... It’s impossible.” He was stunned when he reached this conclusion. “We actually don’t have enough military power to take her down. On the contrary, attacking her would just feed her even more. Plus, the other three superpowers will not stay still after we attack the Wild Continent.” 

Dain’s head started to hurt. All his plans, all his careful maneuvers, crushed by a single World Tree that appeared out of nowhere. “What is this? Is there a divine creature making fun of me or something? Toying with me for its amusement?” 

While he was thinking deeply, someone knocked with urgency at his door. 

“Come in.” 

A woman entered with a solemn expression. “Lord Dain, we’ve been besieged in our southern Dark Water City.” 

Dain asked calmly. “By whom?”

The woman shook her head. “We don’t know. But it is a World Tree. We just can’t identify this World Tree’s roots.”

Dain’s eyes flashed for a moment, and he moved down to the documents. “Perhaps…” He moved his gaze back to the woman. “What color are the roots?” 

The woman was confused, but she answered either way. “They are large roots, colored mostly a light brown. They have blue glowing veins running across their length, pulsing with powerful vitality and power.” 

Dain’s lips arched in a wry smile. “She is here…” He sighed and spoke aloud after standing up. “Call all the available <Fourth Energy Cycles>. Dark Water City is our main naval military city. Still, prepare the long-range Artillery, and at my command, bombard the area. We are being besieged by a <Fourth Energy Cycle> World Tree.” 

The woman was confused about the orders until the last sentence left Dain’s mouth. Her eyes widened, and she quickly ran out, mobilizing everyone she could to send the messages out as fast as possible. 

A few hours ago, Liu Shu was spreading her roots around the coastline of the Abyssal Void Nexus Continent. In Ceperet, the seven main continents were all separated by oceans, so they could be considered seven big islands instead. 

While Liu Shu expanded, she noticed a city on the coast. The place had a large bay area, with fleets of ships occupying most of the free space. The ships were metallic, with large bodies and runic weapons mounted on them. ‘Hm… metallic ships. Did they use the buoyancy principle to keep them afloat? Science says that as long as the ship displaces as much water mass as it weighs, it will be kept afloat, regardless of the material it is made of.’

Her roots poked out of the ground and caressed the hull of the ships, feeling the craftsmanship that went into them. “This… It is quite interesting. While I hate to admit it, the Abyssal Void Nexus’ craftsmanship is superb.”

Even then, with her Temple of Craft and the other buffs and buildings focused on helping them, Liu Shu believed that her country’s crafters would reach this level quickly. It was just a matter of time. 

On the shore, children were playing with their family members, watching them jump into the water and climb back up the stairs. These zones for playing in the water were walled off so no ship could enter and cause accidents.

One of the children was about to jump when he saw something moving underwater. Multiple slithering shadows, faintly glowing in blue. “What is that?”

Another boy in the water shouted. “Hey, hey! Have you gotten a fear of heights? Hahaha. Jump already, coward!”

The boy frowned and spoke aloud. “As if! You wouldn’t have ever jumped if I hadn’t pushed you off that one time!” 

The other boy shouted, his tone clearly joking. “Yeah. What a good memory, the day I was a victim of attempted murder!” 

The one on the edge kept looking at the shadows below the water, his heart strangely anxious. “Hey. You should come out of the water. There is something underwater.” 

“Huh?” The boy and the other children frowned and looked down. Of course, being so close to the surface, the waves didn’t allow them to see anything. 

A few of them lowered their heads underwater and opened their eyes. What they saw made them scream and choke on the water. 

Below the water, Liu Shu’s roots were covering the place, advancing like giant underwater serpents. Moreover, many of those roots would sprout upward, slowly covering the hulls of the ships. 

The children who managed not to choke on water began screaming. “G-Giant roots! There are giant roots underwater!” 

The parents who had been taking beverages nearby heard the screams and quickly stood up, going over, “What’s wrong!” 

“There is something—”

But, before he could finish his words, deafening sounds burst all around. Everyone covered their ears and looked at the origin. 

The giant combat ships were crumbling, their solid metal hulls splitting like old wood as Liu Shu’s roots coiled around them. The World Tree didn’t care if there were people inside the ships or not; she dragged them underwater, creating large waves and powerful currents. 

“DIANAA!” One mother shouted, horrified, as those currents dragged her daughter away. 

Liu Shu looked at them only for a second before turning away. Before coming here, she had already been thinking about what to do with the “innocent” population. But what could she do, assimilate them?

Most of these people will probably lose their parents, mothers, sons, and daughters to her. As she fought the armies of the nexus, probably over 70% of the population would be either directly or indirectly affected by her destruction. 

‘In the end, for the Void Nexus People, I am the great evil. I am the one who will break their normalcy. There is no convincing, as these people will always hate me. Even after using my titles, there might appear a great evil amongst them that will want revenge for what I am about to do.’ 

Liu Shu knew that by being forgiving and taking these casualties into account, she would be doing harm to herself. She understood that she needed to embody who she was for the Nexus. 

A natural disaster. 

‘When attacking their continent, I must not see anything other than seeking their destruction. Because… I am their retribution. All the lives they’ve taken, all the corruption they’ve spread. I have become the one who purges this place.’

Taking a deep breath, Liu Shu cut off her voice receptors so as not to hear the horrid cries full of pain and tragedy. 

Her energy pulsed, traveling hundreds of kilometers in just a few instants, and then it enveloped her roots, giving them strength. Then, the roots lifted the warships above the sea and threw them upward towards the city. 

Everyone in the city opened their eyes wide as giant metal ships took flight, their shadows casting over the city. Their terrifying humming of their metal bodies collapsing was the only warning before gravity did its work and brought everything down. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

All the ships collapsed and created chaos, explosions occurring as the fuel ignited and caused chemical chain reactions. 

System messages of the death of people filled her gaze.

[You’ve killed a <Ceperet Human Level 0>.]

[You’ll lose 89,800 Experience Points…]

[Analyzing situation.]

[Experience Point penalty waived due to the War situation.]

‘Level 0…’ The meaning of those words filled Liu Shu’s heart with complexity. The images of Sylvia, Pyara, Dewna, Eluan, and her other children flashed in her mind for a moment. Still, she couldn’t stop. 

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Shu steeled her nerves and continued throwing the ships all over the city. The damage was indiscriminate, and death surrounded the area as the shattered remains of the buildings and ships killed tens of thousands. 

Then, Liu Shu’s roots rose into the air from the sea, and began flattening everything in her wake. Nothing could stop the power of the <Fourth Energy Cycle> World Tree. 

“Nexus… Let’s start our final battle in Ceperet.”  

Tianlian Liu Shu Avatar, Opening Her Eyes To The World. (R-18) (Completed)

Gorgeous baby! OwO

Chapter 515. Listing Objectives. Lifespan of Creatures. Population Of The Wild Continent. [AotSC]

Liu Shu observed the entire battle process and was stunned. ‘This wasn’t even a fight… The serpents just went on a journey to hunt a nice dinner…’ 

When all ten Arboreal Winged serpents regrouped, Ophion guided them back toward the Golden Sap City. 

‘Now… I guess the Abyssal Void Nexus will finally realize my true strength. With this, will they involve those above them? After all, I don’t think they will give up on a world they’ve been fighting for several thousand years… right?’

She was unsure as to how many worlds existed in each Solar System, Star System, and anything above that. Therefore, trying to put a value on the Ceperet World was something she couldn’t do. 

‘Before that… What is left to do before I take over Ceperet?’ The World Tree focused on listing the few obstacles remaining for her to conquer.

“First… I need to defeat the Nexus. That’s the clearest objective. Second, I should speak with Verdant Skyflower, Azure Rose, Celestial Lotus, and Pelagia Tidemother and ask them about their intentions. If they don’t want to join me…” Liu Shu sighed, her mood complex. “I guess I’ll have to fight them. Even if I don’t want to.”

Knowing the struggles these big sisters have gone through, Liu Shu didn’t want to be the one who put an end to their story. Of course, if it came down to it, she wouldn’t hesitate. There were too many creatures for Liu Shu to act impulsively and out of emotion. A single misstep could collapse what she had built with much care. 

“Other than those two, I need to complete the fourth <Temple>. There are a few new options, so I need to check them in depth. Additionally, I should see what the Explorer Association is doing. They are just too powerful if their background is as scary as Skyflower said. I mean, the fact that they are also located inside the Nexus and no one dares to find trouble with them speaks volumes about their capabilities.” 

After listing those objectives for herself, Liu Shu spoke about the thing that was giving her a headache. “How do I expand my roots… beyond the planet?” She could understand extending her roots through an entire world; she just needed to envelop everything with her presence. “But space? How do I even…?”

Her puzzlement only lasted for a while before she placed it at the back of her mind. “Either way, that is something future Liu Shu will need to deal with. For now, I should start my attack on the nexus. My fruits have already sprouted during the last few days, and all of the Level 74 and above people have eaten them.”

By now, the number of strong people in Liu Shu’s domain had skyrocketed. 

For starters, the population of the entire Wild Continent, after the wars and sorting out spies and other matters, was left at around 431 million people. Most of these people were non-combatants, but that didn’t mean that the overall level was too low. 

The mean Level of the adult population was between 20 and 30. In the military, the weakest soldier who was conscripted to go to war needed to either reach Level 40 or have combat power above that Level.

After Liu Shu counted and gathered all her available fighting force, the numbers were decent. 

For starters, Level 25 to 40 soldiers, meaning the reserve soldiers, reached 14 million. These people were taught in military schools, and extraordinary ones were prepared to become high-ranking military officers.

Then, the number of Level 40 to 49 soldiers, who were, bluntly said, cannon fodder, numbered up to 21 million. You must take into account that Liu Shu has absorbed all armies, soldiers, and different factions across the Wild Continent. So, those people whom the Nexus suppressed because of their beliefs could now show their worth. 

They had always been many, but divided across many territories, the Abyssal Void Nexus had always managed to suppress everyone and control them through systematic fear. With a leader, they could now proudly protect what they thought was worth it and fight to defend their territory and family. 

People above Level 50 were fewer, but not by that much. The Golden Sap Army gathered a total of 3,420,000 <Third Energy Cycle> powerhouses. Most of these were born after the war against the Nexus, using the Experience Points they earned to boost themselves to a high level. 

Other than that, Liu Shu’s Dungeons were the biggest contributors. Since Dungeons didn’t have that many limits in terms of how many people could enter simultaneously, training regimes involved them and used them as much as possible. 

There were deaths, naturally. Liu Shu’s <Dungeons> were far from being easy. Nevertheless, the profits far outweighed the losses. 

Finally, in the army, there were 12,000 Level 74 people, stuck there and unable to break through to the next level. Liu Shu’s berries and titles helped them a lot, but it was not an easy task. Moreover, these Level 74 people were of advanced age as well.

In terms of lifespan, humans who were between Level 1 and 9 could live around 60 years. After reaching Level 10, that lifespan increased to around 100 years, but not much longer, even if they were at Level 24. Between Level 25 and Level 49, people could live from 120 to 150 years. Finally, for the third and fourth energy cycles, the numbers varied between 170 and 250 years. Humans reaching 300 years of age were sporadic at best, even among <Fourth Energy Cycle> powerhouses.  

Beastkin could live about double what humans could, while a Sylvan’s lifespan was around 10 times longer than a human’s. 

Of course, a shorter lifespan meant quicker Leveling and also much better reproduction capabilities. The world was balanced, and each race decided on strengthening different qualities and using various strategies evolutionarily. 

Liu Shu checked the information about those 12,000 Level 74 people. Most of them, around 90% of them, were humans in their 100s. Appearance and health-wise, they were considered middle-aged men and women. 

From the remaining 10%, eight parts belonged to beastkin, while Sylvans occupied the last two percent. ‘Hm… Finally, we have <Fourth Energy Cycles>. They are Flor, Ignatia, Melody, Verena, Cinderielle, Verdantia, Harmonixia, Tempestria, Mariane, Edharen, Warlya, twenty-eight others, and myself.’

Those four people appeared after Liu Shu shared her berries with them. The increase in Energy Cycle Completion Rate gave them that little push they needed, helping them plant their feet on the other side. 

“So… My army consists of 39 <Fourth Energy Cycles>, 3.4 million <Third Energy Cycles>, and 21 million <Second Energy Cycles>.” 

She was quite happy. Even if her own strength was enough to face this group, that didn’t mean that they were useless; other World Trees didn’t have her strength. Additionally, the territories they were going to invade didn’t even have World Trees in the first place. So, numbers and strength were of high importance.

“Now… Let’s check the ants.” 

After Ignatia reached the Fourth Energy Cycle, she completed one of her major quests and achieved several colony-wide boosts. Not to mention her personal strength, Ignatia’s colony was extremely fearsome.

First, numbers. With over 7,000 Ant Princesses laying around 100 eggs daily, the number of worker ants had reached a ridiculous 750 million. These ants didn’t have much combat capability. Nevertheless, they were ridiculously efficient workers and were on their way to transform the entirety of the Wild Continent’s underground.

Using complex animal and plant farming, communication chains, and even production systems, the Ant Empire under the soil of the World Tree expanded to ridiculous levels. 

Fighter Ants, Crafter Ants, and Ant Princesses were all birthed by Ignatia. The Humanoid Ant Queen, after many boosts to her fertility and ability to lay eggs, could lay 15,000 eggs daily by herself. These eggs were not too big, and it took Ignatia around 4 hours to lay all of them daily. 

It was work, but it was an activity that brought joy to her. She loved making babies, much more so when her wife accompanied and sometimes even played with her. In Ignatia’s opinion, it was the time of day she looked forward to the most.

Using her abilities, Ignatia had allocated concrete ratios to the eggs. Each day, Ignatia would give birth to 10 Ant Princesses, 3,450 Ant Soldiers, 1,430 Ant Aethermancers, 1,430 Ant Soulmancers, and 8,680 Ant Crafters. The crafters were peculiar, as their bodies were like a centaur but with an ant’s body, and with the humanoid section still being ant-like. 

These eggs were further divided by elemental affinities, professions, etc. 

Ignatia knew that her Ant Princesses could also give birth to soldiers. However, she didn’t allow it. The reason was as simple as being careful. Her rule was tight but was not absolute.

If an Ant Princess became too strong and accumulated too many forces, it could gain individual intelligence and slowly cause trouble. Therefore, as the Queen Mother, unless she had no other choice, Ignatia would only allow the Princesses to lay worker eggs. Any Ant Princesses not following those orders would be killed on the spot and replaced by a new one. 

Ignatia was the mother of several hundred million ants, and she wouldn’t allow a rotten child to spoil the bunch. 

For now, though, she had never had to follow through with that mentality. All her babies were very obedient and adorable, and she loved them lots and lots. 

After her hard work, Ignatia’s army was not any worse than Liu Shu’s army. The Ant Queen’s titles, combined with those of their eldest sister, made it so each ant’s growth speed was several times the normal pace. 

So, Ignatia had accumulated a total of 46,063,000 functional soldier ants, with many still growing inside the nest. The weakest among the almost 50 million soldier ants was Level 40, while they were all guided by twenty powerful and talented sisters. These 20, naturally, were all <Fourth Energy Cycle> beings. 

Above the land, no one knew that Ignatia’s accumulation had already reached the current heights. At most, they knew about two <Fourth Energy Cycle> Ants and 1 <Fourth Energy Cycle> Ant Princess. This Ant Princess was Solaria, the one who had been living under Fortuna City and the Ant Princess that Wert met all those years ago.

Honestly, Ignatia was extremely proud of this baby. Although being an ant with 5 meters in height and almost 25 in length, no one other than Ignatia and Flor dared to label her as a “baby.” 

So, with the combination of people and ants, the population of the Wild Continent had successfully exploded and reached over 1 billion! This made them the second most populous Continent in the world, only behind the Abyssal Void Nexus continent. 

Chapter 1303. End of First Trial. Strength Of The Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation.

After Yasenia waited for the general to set up things, she saw seven people stepping forward. These seven people didn’t look much different from the others. They wore full-body armor, hiding everything within a layer of metal.

The general then looked down at Yasenia and spoke. “Fight them.” 

“Huh?” Yasenia was confused. “I just killed several billion of them. Are you sure that seven of them are even enough?”  

The general nodded faintly. “You can obviously kill them. However, give it a try. You will be surprised.” 

The dragoness was skeptical, but she did as the man said. Of course, to check their strength properly, Yasenia didn’t bother using any buffs or intents. 

She charged forward, her body carrying incredible momentum. Then, as she was approaching, she saw the seven move as if they were a single entity. 

Power surged around them, while their combined strength fused and was enhanced. After their aura transformed, their speed increased, keeping up with the dragoness.

Yasenia’s eyes shone with interest and flashed with her bodily strength. If they couldn’t even resist one of her full-strength sword slashes without any buffs on her, the Battle Formation would be quite lacking in Yasenia’s opinion.

Unlike what she expected, the first of the seven blocked the sword head on. Moreover, as her sword clashed with his and pushed him back, the other six jumped into action.

Two of them released their energy, increasing the strength of the individual clashing with her. The other four surrounded her, slashing at her simultaneously from four angles. 

All of this happened in less than an instant, surprising Yasenia. “Not bad.” 

Pushing the person clashing with her back by following through with her slash, Yasenia quickly retaliated towards those four. Two attackers clashed with her head-on, Draheart easily blocking them. In the meantime, the other two approaching from behind suffered Yasenia’s swift and agile tail strikes. 

Simultaneous tail hits to the leg, waist, and hand immobilized those two and disarmed them. Then, using this opportunity, Yasenia grabbed the ankle of one of those two with her tail and pulled him towards her. 

Tyranical strength forced the soldier ahead, placing him at a perfect distance for a back kick.

The dragoness didn’t lose the opening. After a very swift backstep to gather extra momentum, Yasenia’s long leg shot upward like a spear, clashing against the man’s helmet. 

BOOM!!

The man’s head exploded, unable to resist the terrifying bodily strength the dragoness possessed. With one dead, the Battle Formation’s effectiveness was reduced, and Yasenia did quick work of the other six. 

After she finished the battle, Yasenia pondered and frowned. “It’s… mediocre. They were just more coordinated and gained a bit more strength. I admit, their strength was similar to a recently upgraded Transcendence Realm cultivator. Nevertheless, the second I picked off one of them, everything collapsed.”

The general nodded, agreeing with Yasenia’s views. Then, he smiled faintly. “These seven only used the passive buffs of the Battle Formation.”  

“Oh?” Yasenia blinked. “There is more?”

“Of course. Something as simple as this wouldn’t be called [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation].” 

Interest shone in Yasenia’s eyes again. “Okay. Let’s go at your rhythm then. Come!”

Seven people rushed toward Yasenia again. This time around, though, they didn’t rush forward like before. The one at the front gathered energy, a very faint image of the Big Dipper constellation shining under their foot. Then, he waved his sword at her from a distance. 

The general spoke the technique’s name. “[Big Dipper Onslaught].” 

Yasenia slashed with Draheart, using [Celestial Sunder].

BOOM!!

Both attacks collided, [Celestial Sunder] breaking the other side’s attack and rushing forward. Even then, it was very weakened. These people then, moving as if they had one mind, placed their swords horizontally in front of them. 

“[Big Dipper Cradle].” 

A white wall appeared in front of them, blocking Yasenia’s [Celestial Sunder] for the most part before it pierced through and blasted the seven people flying with light injuries.

Even then, Yasenia’s eyes were wide open. “That was incredible.” 

You must remember that these were mortal cultivators. Even when their strength was at the peak of the mortal realms, Yasena’s raw [Celestial Sunder] was enough to kill 10,000 of them. Now, just seven managed to block such an attack with light injuries.

What would happen if Yasenia used this formation together with another six immortals of her level? The result would be appalling, to say the least. 

Yasenia nodded, her interest successfully piqued. “That was great. I wouldn’t say that it was extraordinary, but I can understand its strength.”

The general’s smile didn’t disappear as he commented with a laugh. “This is what you can do with just one of the seven parts of the Battle Formation.”

This time, Yasenia’s eyes involuntarily widened as he turned to look at the over-two-meter-tall man. “You are joking. This is the power it can produce with just one section?”

“Yes. Moreover, this is a Battle Formation. You didn’t really expect that only seven people could participate in it, right?” 

Yasenia then saw the army in the distance moving. Seven people joined together, and then those seven joined with other seven groups in the same formation. These groups once again joined together, and soon, 823,543 cultivators had managed to create a giant seven-layered Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation! 

“Attack.” 

The general ordered, and Yasenia felt a sense of threat. She still didn’t choose to use her buffs, but even then, her face was serious. 

[Big Dipper Onslaught] gathered before the group of almost one million people, and then, a gargantuan crescent made out of pure Star Elemental energy sliced across the world.

Its width was over 10 kilometers, and the strength behind it was enough to rival a full-powered attack of a Transcendence Realm cultivator. 

Yasenia raised her hand. “[Celestial Aegis].” 

A layered giant shield manifested in front of Yasenia. The Celestial Energy shield's sturdiness went without saying. Even then, the second the Big Dipper Onslaught struck, the dragoness’ expression changed as her body was blown back for over a kilometer. 

While she was mostly unharmed, Yasenia’s heart was full of rising waves. “That was equal to a full-strength attack for a peak, first-level Transcendence Cultivator with an Intent Domain…”

The general landed by her side and asked, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. “What do you think? Is this good enough?”

Yasenia snorted at him. “You already know the answer. Are you somewhat hurt that I didn’t trust it at first, and now you want to rub it in my face?”

“Yes. I want you to say that you were wrong.” The tall general smirked and shrugged. 

Yasenia sighed. “Alright. My bad. I underestimated it.” Looking at the giant battle formation in the distance, Yasenia asked curiously. “How many layers can it have? I see seven layers right now.”

The general commented. “From what I know, seven should be the limit.”

“Even when you gather it entirely?”

The general emphasized. “Especially when you gather all seven parts. After all, the Battle Formation is an intricate mix of many elements that need perfect coordination. That’s why each node of the formation that you lose is equivalent to losing 60% of its current power.” 

Yasenia hummed. “It’s still good enough. If these were one million Level One Transcendents instead of peak-level mortals, the effects might be enough to rival a first-level Seventh Realm cultivator, right?”

“Of course not.” The general quickly denied it. “With level ones, you would be able to fight against a Level 8 or 9 Transcendence Realm cultivator. You are underestimating the power of a Law Creator. You’d need a complete inheritance, seven layers, and Transcendents at least in the fourth level or above to fight a Seven Realm cultivator.”   

Yasenia hummed. “Well, it's powerful enough. I’ve seen similar battle formations in the past, and this one doesn’t lose out. However, those formations needed fewer individuals. Filling all seven layers for this one is too difficult.”

The general agreed. “Even then, do not forget that the Battle Formation gives you the ability to share damage as long as it doesn’t exceed a threshold. Your kick killed that mortal when you fought because your strength is ridiculous. Otherwise, the damage would’ve spread among all seven of them.”

“Killing them all?” Yasenia teased with a smirk.

The general snorted. “Either way, what do you think? Are you more motivated now?”

“I was motivated even before this.” Yasenia added. “Is there a test later that will allow me to kill them?”

“Why? Do you have a grudge against them?”

Yasenia hummed. “More than a grudge… I just don’t want the outside world to know I have part of this Battle Formation. Moreover, killing them would do a favor to the world.” 

The general chuckled. “I can’t tell you much about the trials. It is against the rules.”

Yasenia’s eyes flashed, and she asked. “Then, answer this question. Would your answer involve the trial if I ask in which trial I would have the chance to kill another participant?” 

The man looked at Yasenia, unable to answer. Yasenia chuckled. “This confirms that there is indeed a trial where I can kill others.”

If he answered “no,” it meant that the question had nothing to do with the trial. Therefore, there would be no sections where she could kill others. Nevertheless, if he couldn’t answer, that meant that the answer was “yes,” therefore involving the trials.  

Of course, there was the option that the man was just keeping silent, but according to his personality, Yasenia could tell that he would’ve answered if he could.

“Either way.” The general spoke. “The reward for defeating me is this key.”

Yasenia picked the golden key in his hand with curiosity. “Hm… What is this for?”

“That’s for you to discover,” the general answered with a smirk. “Aren’t you very intelligent? Deduce it then.” 

The dragoness deadpanned. If she could deduce without any information, that was not deduction, that was precognition! 

“Now. Go fight.”

“Eh?”

Yasenia then saw all the soldiers start forming Seven-Layered Immortal Big Dipper Formations all around the place. The dragoness’s face changed as she cursed at the trial. “It has gone from army decimation to facing several Transcendence Level armies at the same time… Isn’t this a bit too perverted?”

The dragoness unleashed her auras and then rushed forward to fight. 

What the general didn’t tell her was that there was a hidden difficulty setting. Each layer belonged to one layer of difficulty. Therefore, Yasenia fighting the army of Seven Layered Battle Formations was a hidden benefit.

In the meantime, the others were fighting against two and three-layered formations. And even then, they were struggling. 

At the end, Yasenia’s score managed to increase by another few billion, but her ability to kill became much more “normal-paced” compared to before. 

Even then, she crushed the others by almost two digits by the end of the trial.

Chapter 514. Arboreal Serpent Superiority. [AotSC]

The five people on the boat sat in silence. They were prepared to enter the detection range of the World Tree soon, so they didn’t want to alert it. They didn’t know that it had been in her domain since the very beginning. 

Unlike other armies, they didn’t use any concealing arrays or runic fields. After all, they feared that the technology they used had already fallen into the Golden Sap Arborarchy’s grasp. The chances of being discovered would be higher than when they didn’t use it. 

After a while of sailing, one of them finally spoke. “How many do you think there are?”

He was referring to <Fourth Energy Cycles>. They couldn’t straight-up speak about it for the same reasons mentioned above: fear of being discovered.  

“I don’t know.” One woman answered. “Nevertheless, they have at least two.”

“Two? Where did this number come from?”

The woman looked at the person who asked. She was a slender and average-looking woman. “Have you read the report? Or were you waiting for me to explain, like I always do? Even Garrik, as dumb as he is, read the report.” 

Garrik, at the side, complained. “Hey, Sweris! Why am I receiving strays here? I didn’t even do anything!” 

Sweris sighed. “Forget it. Let me explain some details. First of all, we fear that the strong energy pulse might originate from the Wild Continent. That kind of worldwide pulse is difficult to track, which is why our people are so confused. Second, the disappearance of the Songtree family. The only place they could’ve gone without being detected is the only location where we lack any sort of spies.” 

“We do?” The woman was confused. “How is that possible? We have spies even inside the Covenant. Can a newly formed power catch ALL our spies?” 

Sweris looked at the woman with a baffled expression. “You… How can you be so ignorant? I didn’t see you at the conference, but this is just too much. Are you messing with me?”

“No.” The woman shrugged. “Lady Thyra ordered me to come and kill a World Tree. Then, she must have confidence that we five are enough, no?”

“NO!” Sweris grabbed her head. “First of all, we five are going as a punishment because Kaelis and a group of high-level spies have disappeared inside the Wild Continent. We lost contact with Kaelis over two years ago, and we lost contact with the spies six months ago when they went to check information about her. The Wild Continent is currently layered with thick fog, and we know NOTHING about it. Do you understand? All the information we have we’ve learned from the other powers.”

The lazy woman finally reacted, her face changing to a serious one. “Huh? Isn’t this a big deal?” 

“Oh, branches above, I am going to turn religious to pray for you, Falira, to be smitten and have your brain rewired!” 

Sweris’s curse almost made Liu Shu burst into laughter. ‘That was a good one.’ Looking at the scene, she was thoughtful. “Why didn’t they come flying? Isn’t it easier to go unnoticed if they fly over my detection range? Well, not that they know, I can see many tens of thousands of kilometers into the air, so I would’ve caught them either way. Nevertheless…’

If a <Fourth Energy Cycle> wanted to go unseen, they just needed to fly beyond the clouds. This was another of the many reasons they were considered strategic powerhouses. A city could disappear, and everyone would be unaware until it was too late. 

Firepower, concealment, and reach. They were true nightmares for non-Fourth Energy Cycles. 

While the four other people brought the lazy woman up to speed, the 10 Arboreal Winged Serpents soared into the sky and beelined in their direction. 

‘Hm~. At this pace, they’ll clash around 20 minutes later. I wonder, will the battle be close, or just a complete and utter slaughter? 

To be honest, when she saw their stats, Liu Shu was quite frightened. Usually, summoned creatures were weaker stat-wise compared to their summoners. Much weaker, in fact. That’s why summoners could innately boost the stats of their summons. 

Thanks to her large amount of <Willpower>, Liu Shu’s stat boost toward her summons, just the innate one, was as such.

***

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-85%), Summon Enhancement (+40%), Summoning Invoking Time (-85%), Summon Upkeep (-85%)

***

These numbers were naturally ridiculous. If the summon had half your stats, a 40 percent increase would only bring it 20 percent toward having your stats. Nevertheless, what if the summon’s base attributes were similar to the summoner’s?   

After all buffs, the summoner’s invocation would become a true monster.

In Liu Shu’s case, the A Tier Arboreal Winged Serpents perfectly embodied the “overpowered summon” category. With natural titles, skills, equipment, and even intelligence, each of them had around 80% of Liu Shu’s stats in their main stat. 

Ophion, for one, had 180,000 <Physique>, just short of Liu Shu’s 210,000. After a 40% increase from her Summoning Affinity, her titles, and the rest… Liu Shu muttered to herself with an awkward tone. “Isn’t Ophion alone stronger than all five of them?” 

Liu Shu didn’t want to exaggerate her handsome serpent’s stats. But all things considered, her summoning ability was among the strongest of all her skills.

The serpents arrived not long after Liu Shu was done with her musing. Once they arrived, the spellcasters began gathering elemental Aether Mana in crazy amounts.  

Sweris, Falira, and Garrik were quick to notice the egregious accumulation of energy in the sky. Their faces changed, and they quickly flew out of the ship, the other two following behind them. 

Right as they left, two pillars of Aether Mana descended from the sky.

One of them was a pillar of water, carrying enough strength to flatten the side of a mountain. The other was a pillar of wind, its cutting power shredding their boat into pieces. 

Falira asked, her eyes full of shock. “Hey, Sweris, you didn’t truly call for some strange god to smite me, right!?”

Garrik cursed at them. “Is this really the time to fuck around!? Above!”

Looking up, they saw several giant serpents descend with terrifying auras around them. Chills ran up their spines when they saw them. Sweris shouted the most sane thing she could at this moment. “RUN! RETURN TO THE CONTINENT!”

They understood the difference in strength between them right away. If they dared fight, it wouldn’t be an equal battle but a massacre. 

The other four didn’t hesitate for a single instant and turned around to flee in different directions.

Ophion noticed and squinted his eyes with disdain. Looking into the distance, Ophion divided the group and hissed. “Hunt them down. If your prey escapes, I will make sure when you return that you go through the Scale Breaking Mountain to train.”

All nine of them felt their feathers puffing up with fear, and in the next instant, they turned into blurs and sped into the distance. Meanwhile, Ophion flapped his wings and rushed after Garrik alone. 

His giant body soared above the water, the wind currents from his speed raising the water behind him. Garrik turned back and noticed that only one serpent followed him. ‘Thankfully, it's only one.’ 

However, he was not naive enough to turn around and fight it. Among all the flying creatures, the one following after him was clearly the leader and biggest of them all. The armor-like, scaly bark surrounding Ophion felt like it would never crack. Garrik, therefore, continued fleeing in the general direction of the Abyss Void Nexus continent.

Ophion squinted and analyzed his prey while taking into account his speed. He naturally could go faster, but first, he needed to understand. After all, as a hunter, one needed to take time. 

Garrik continued flying as fast as he could, calculating the time he would need to catch up. ‘At my current speed, I should see the shore of the Abyssal Void Nexus in ten hours… eight if I go a bit faster. Nevertheless, I might get tired before I arrive if I speed up.’ 

He looked behind, wanting to check on his predator. “Huh? Where is it?”

Seeing the open sea behind him, Garrik was confused. Of course, he didn’t stop even for a second. Instead, he continued speed flying and checking up and down behind him.

“Where is it? Where is it? Did it give up?”

He was sure that he was quite fast, even among other Fourth Energy Cycles, so if the serpent gave up, it wouldn’t be strange. He even maintained a fixed distance from it for a while.

However, as he flew, the man suddenly felt a sense of intense danger. All <Fourth Energy Cycle> beings had powerful instincts, so detecting danger was normal. 

With no time to think, Garrik changed his flying path and soared skyward. 

Right then, the water before him exploded, Ophion appearing with a wide-open mouth ready to chomp him. Luckily, his maneuver saved him by just a few meters of distance. “It can swim!? Isn’t it a winged creature!? Where is the logic there!?”

Garrik wanted to curse whatever gave birth to it very badly. Still, he held back. “It can fly right after swimming… This monster is too strange. Why have I never seen it in the monster encyclopedias I’ve seen in the past?” 

Flying snakes were aplenty. Nevertheless, flying snakes with a bark-like, scaly body? That was a first. Moreover, the feathers of the wings looked like tree leaves, making it even more strange. It was as if a tree had suddenly changed into a snake form and grown wings from its branches.   

“No time for this. Focus.”

Garrik tightened his expression and flew forward. Still, unlike before, the serpent was closing in on him quickly. ‘It sped up. Is it because it is wet? Does this snake have some affinity with water?’

Thinking as such, Garrik threw a powerful fire rune behind him. These kinds of one-time use items were rare and expensive, so using them made Garrik’s heart hurt. Still, his life was more valuable. 

BOOM!!!

A fireball engulfed Ophion, making Garrik smile. The smile only lasted for a second, though.

Ophion burst forth from the fireball, his body intact. Strangely, the fireball that could heavily injure a normal Fourth Energy Cycle was nothing for the creature that appeared to be made out of wood. 

Wind energy gathered toward Ophion, and soon, his speed soared even hgiher. With a powerful rush, Ophion closed the distance, appearing right by his side. Garrik’s eyes widened before Ophion struck him with his wing.

BOOM!

The man’s speed changed its spatial axis abruptly, crashing into the ocean before he could even register it. 

Not losing this chance, Ophion rushed inside and attacked the man underwater with a barrage of close-ranged strikes. Each strike sliced millions of Phoer, and within minutes, all of Garrik’s bones were broken. 

With the prey practically immobilized, Ophion opened his mouth and had a nice dinner. 

Chapter 1302. Army? What Army? The General's Suggestion.

In the distance, the army’s general was observing the battlefield with a stoic expression. His body was over two meters tall, with a build that was bursting with muscles. If one were to think of a handsome and muscular general, this person’s face and body would come to mind. If anything, his long black hair tied in a low-hanging ponytail was the only thing different from that stereotype. 

His body was covered in thick black armor, and in his hand, he held a two-and-a-half-meter-long halberd with a giant axe head.

As Yasenia sliced through the army in his direction, his eyes gained a touch of ridicule. ‘This trial is for you to kill as many ants as you can. Do you think that you can face me?’

While observing the dragon woman, he saw her jump upward while tightly holding the giant two-handed great sword. Celestial energies swirled around her figure as she rushed down.

Yasenia, unaware that the general had his own consciousness, descended like a meteor, intending to burst open the earth. “[Grand Cosmos Martial Art, Third Form: Comet Descent].”

Boundless energy gathered in her body as Yasenia activated her martial technique. Then, her descending speed accelerated, leaving a blue trail of pure energy in her wake. 

Using all her strength, Yasenia swung her greatsword, intending to crush the first-level Transcendence Realm cultivator.

However, what she saw next cracked her aloofness. 

CLANG!

BOOM!!

The man standing on a hill swung his halberd and collided head-on with Yasenia. The collision created a ridiculously giant shockwave that killed tens of thousands around him. Nevertheless, other than that, the man stood still. 

“Ho~?” Yasenia’s flattened lips arched in a faint grin as her eyes shone with battle intent. 

The man opened his mouth, a deep and authoritative tone reverberating around. “First warning. You are meant to kill as many ants as possible. Even if defeating me will give you extra rewards, I will tell you now that your current strength is lacking.”

Yasenia flapped her wings, flying backward with a grin. “Is it? How about now, then? [Celestial Cosmos Dress]!” 

A burst of light surrounded Yasenia, her purple-gold dress changing into an ethereal white dress. The dress’s long skirt, wide sleeves, and body-hugging nature accentuated Yasenia’s curvy body. Its details, like the sun and moon on her skirt and the silver and golden dragons on her sleeves, added to the beauty of the cloth. Yasenia looked like a pure goddess that descended from above, surrounded by tyrannical energies to punish those who were blasphemous towards her. 

Naturally, other than changes to her looks, her strength increased several times over.

“[Celestial Sunder].” 

Charging forward again, her sword exploded in radiance and carried enough strength to divide a world. “Draheart!”

HOWL!

The sword cry reverberated as Draheart’s sharpness increased to its maximum, the total length reaching over two meters. In terms of size, it was only slightly shorter than the halberd.

The general kept an indifferent face and retaliated. “[Golden Lion Strike].” 

BOOM!!!

The man’s face crumbled slightly as his body was pushed down from the hill, landing on the floor below with grace. Looking up, he squinted. “Still lacking. You’ve only killed 245,409 people. The others are already in the millions. Are you sure you want to waste your time with me?” 

Yasenia snorted and landed. “Annoying. You are strong, so I want to fight you. Nevertheless, since you are so worried, I’ll deal with them for a second. Just don’t get tangled in my attack.”

The general was about to mock Yasenia when her aura changed, and energy began siphoning toward her like a hurricane. The concentration was so dense that the usual energy’s transparent nature disappeared, and crystalline mist surrounded her. 

“[Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Transformation]!" 

Her body was grey, and soon, she became a nearly three-meter-tall dragon. Her current form was perfect to carry a dragon knight on her back. In truth, Yasenia condensed her dragon form for this reason. Since Andrea’s inheritance was a Dragon Rider inheritance, she changed her body to suit her darling mounting her.  

Sadly, they separated before Yasenia was able to have Andrea mount her… in the sense of going to battle. Otherwise, Andrea mounted Yasenia almost daily, heh. 

“Dragon?” The general looked interested. “Although… her size is truly pitiful. Is she a hatchling of a powerful bloodline?” While thinking that, he also noticed that the energy gathering toward her had not stopped pouring in; instead, it accelerated.

Confused, the man looked at the gorgeous dragon and saw Yasenia taking in a deep breath. His face changed, and he quickly flew up. If there was one thing that you could not underestimate, it was a dragon’s Dragon Breath.  

Meanwhile, Yasenia’s body surged with energy, and soon, she leaned forward and opened her maw. 

“[Celestial Dragon Breath].” 

ROAR!

A concentrated celestial beam over 100 meters in width exploded forward. The recoil pushed Yasenia back a few centimeters, her golden claws leaving trails on the tough ground below. The beam’s energy surged forward, annihilating countless people in a single line. 

Nevertheless, she didn’t stop there. Using her tensed muscles to rotate slowly, Yasenia flattened the entire battlefield in a circular motion. 

As the beam continuously poured out, it started damaging her tongue and fangs, but Yasenia continued pouring out energy until she completed the circling motion. 

Once she stopped, the general looked on speechless as everything around Yasenia had disappeared. Then, he looked at the score, and he almost choked.

The other seven people were all within the range of 1 to 12 million people. It showed the ease with which a cultivator of their level could kill peak-level mortal cultivators. 

However, that single attack Yasenia used had skyrocketed Yasenia’s score not to 10 million, not to 100 million, and not to 1 billion. 

Yasenia observed her score and then urged her regeneration to heal her mouth. “Now, my score is 9.6 billion. Can we fight?” 

The general swept the area with his spiritual sense and noticed that there was no one in a radius of over 100 kilometers around them. You must understand that each peak-level mortal cultivator was able to absorb the damage that would be used to destroy a large mountain range. Some could even absorb continental-level damage! 

With very rough math, Yasenia’s dragon breath would’ve been powerful enough to annihilate more than 10 rocky worlds if they were placed in a straight line! 

The general landed in front of Yasenia with a curious look. “Compared to your previous two attacks, this one is much stronger. However, don’t think that I will allow you to hit me with it. If this is your only weapon at this level, you should give up.”

Yasenia looked at him, confused. “You… Why are you so chatty? You look so stoic, but are you secretly a gossiper?” 

The man almost choked again. 

“You know, my mate is similar. Everyone confuses her with an indifferent and aloof person, but she is always chatting with me. She is so cute that I want to eat her whole each time and melt that cold facade away!” 

“Enough. Let’s fight then.” 

Yasenia’s eyes glittered. Grinding her own combat abilities against powerful people was her preferred way of getting stronger. After all, what better way to improve than getting your ass beat?

With that in mind, Yasenia transformed back into her humanoid form and charged at the general. 

Meanwhile, on the other battlefields, the fighting Transcendence Realm cultivators were having very colorful reactions.

“W-What did that woman do!?” The female Charm Snake Demon had been quite disgruntled with Yasenia. When they first entered the room, she almost lost control over the five men she was subtly controlling! 

Yasenia’s appearance was so impactful that they almost broke away from her charm spell. That was a slap on the face for the Charm Snake Demon. After all, Yasenia didn’t even try.

So, she was quite happy when she saw the woman’s score stay at 0 in the beginning. While her numbers started soaring after a while, her killing spree stopped once more after another short while. 

In her mind, she wanted to convince herself that the surge in kills was because Yasenia used some powerful skill and then became tired. 

It was then that something extraordinary happened. While checking the number of kills, the dragon woman’s score suddenly started skyrocketing at a nonsensical speed! 

It reached 10 million in the first instant, and then, it soared to 100 million after just half a second. Two seconds later, the number 9,655,640,001 appeared in front of her eyes, almost blinding her. 

The Charm Snake Demon didn’t know if she could kill all those before the trial ended, and now the other person killed them in just a few seconds! 

“S-She cheated! Hey, trial-maker! She is cheating! There is no way something like this is possible with just Level One Transcendence Strength!”  

But she received no answer. This infuriated her so much that her face had twisted to the point of distorting her beautiful appearance. “This dragon! I’ll make sure to make her my plaything later! How dare she be better than me!” 

Meanwhile, Yasenia was having the time of her life. The general was a true powerhouse. Even when they were both at the same level, Yasenia was having some trouble facing him. 

Of course, Yasenia refrained from using all her berserk skills and [Celestial Intent Domain]. Nevertheless, it was extremely fun for her. 

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Their bodies flashed around the place, creating shockwaves that rippled outward like explosions each time they collided. “Who would’ve thought that you’d have the [War Intent Domain]? You are quite the monster, no? Were you very talented when you were alive?”

Yasenia’s sword sneaked past the man’s halberd, landing a powerful blow to his side and blasting him into the distance. Meanwhile, the general was about to start complaining. “Who here is the monster!? You have an Intent Domain combination of War and something else! How did you even combine an Intent Domain as complex and profound as War!? It took me 300 years to transform my War Intent into a Domain, and I was called a super genius…” 

Yasenia appeared behind him, punching him in the back instead of using the weapon. Her eyebrows were slightly tightened. “Hey, why are you distracted? I have yet to see more things from you. Do you know how hard it is to find someone with a Level 2 War Intent Domain?” 

The man fought back and sighed, speaking among the barrage of attacks from the dragon woman. “You are holding back, aren’t you? Honestly, I can’t exert much more strength than I am currently using.” 

Yasenia didn’t stop her attacks, looking at him with a disappointed expression. “Really? I’ve only used [Immortal Breaker Body], [Celestial Dress], and [Celestial Dragon Body]...” 

“...Only?” The man’s eyebrow twitched. ‘Her body is currently so tough that I don’t think I can cut her even if I land a hit. Yet, she is not going all out? Heavens, I think that the Battle Formation will finally find an owner.’

Thinking like that, the man commented. “Dragon, stop fighting for a moment.” 

Yasenia stopped, confused, and the general stood a few meters away. His armor was riddled with cuts, dents, and broken parts. Clearly, Yasenia’s attacks were brutal enough to push him to the limit. 

“What’s wrong?” Yasenia frowned, her body almost pristine compared to the start. She had a cut here and there, but it only sliced her skin, not reaching her muscle. With her regeneration, the cuts would go away in a few seconds. 

The man commented. “In this trial, most of the score you’ll earn happens during the first few days. By the end, the scores will stagnate because the soldiers will start using the [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation].”

“Oh…” Yasenia blinked and asked. “Are they stronger than you by then?”

“No.” The man’s lips twitched. “I am supposed to be the arbiter of the first trial. Beating me is already ridiculous. After all, I can fight Level 3 Transcendence Realm cultivators with ease.”

Yasenia blinked. “Then… What are you insinuating?” 

“Unless you are killed outside of the trial, you will be the one obtaining the Battle Formation. Therefore, how about I tell the army to start using it already and give you an idea of what it can do? I can also tell you about the other trials if you want.” 

Hearing this general’s words, Yasenia showed interest. After pondering for a while, she asked. “Will there be extra rewards for defeating you if I accept the deal?”

“Ahem.” The general cleared his throat. “I’ve already registered my defeat. So, yes.” 

Hearing that she would receive the goodies, Yasenia smiled with satisfaction. “Alright, I accept! I am curious as well about what a Battle Formation can do. I can also increase my score.” 

Chapter 513. Turning Cogs. [AotSC]

Author Note: I was checking Patreon, and I noticed that AotSC was only 14 chapters ahead instead of 15. I totally forgot! So, today I’ve woken up very early and written the two chapters you dears deserved for a long time. Hahaha. Anyway, here it is~. 

****

After that day, the Golden Sap City leaders completely reorganized the structure of the berry collectors. The group in charge of Liu Shu would remain unchanged. Nevertheless, they needed to take disciples, at least five each. Using this method, the <Berry Collectors> would teach their disciples and then send them to live in the <Lignified> trees to collect their fruits.

Only those who showed promise would be promoted to high-level collectors, who would have the honor of picking fruits straight from Liu Shu’s branches. At the same time, the opposite could also happen. If one messed up during collection time, they would be demoted. Of course, as long as they could prove that it was an accident, the demotion could be considered temporary instead of permanent.

By now, Liu Shu was already deeply rooted as the sacred World Tree. Even a single one of her leaves was sold at a high price. After all, World Trees were a source of materials that you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Among the new reforms, Liu Shu miscalculated something. Her tree-related skills affected all assimilated trees… All of them.

So, while Liu Shu was sorting out her vault, she suddenly felt several messages from other World Trees and Life Trees through the I.C.A.R.E. network.

Prarya, like always, jumped on the trigger first. “Liu Shu! What is this strange information about fruits that has appeared in my head? Your Rune and Nature Empire skill thingy is so strange!”

“Oh?” Fortuna muttered. “You have also received the same notification? That’s interesting.”

Even Tree joined in, her pleasant, soothing, and gentle voice reaching Liu Shu. “These fruits look powerful… They are like the ones you could grow at first. Did the skill evolve?”

Warlya commented. “I really like this Elemental Lord one. Sadly, I can’t grow the Cerulean Bloodfruit… Still, the Refinement Berry is quite to my taste.”

Many more messages reached her, and all of them were very similar to those. Checking her skills and titles, Liu Shu quickly understood what was happening.

The buffs of the <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> went as far as her roots reached. So, these World Trees had become, by the system’s definition, something similar to a <Lignified> species, but not entirely one. This association was enough to unlock the benefits.

“Hm… Since you can grow them yourselves, choose as you like. Nevertheless, don’t worry about choosing the ones that will benefit you the most. I can grow all of them, and if you need any, I can give or sell them to you for a cheap price~.”

“All of them?” Snow asked, her tone surprised. “I can barely grow two different fruits at once…”

“Same…”

“Big Sister Snow, you are not alone. I can only grow one!”

Liu Shu chuckled and focused her gaze on the two underwater World Trees. “Lakeborn, Reef, are any of those fruits suitable for you?”

Lakeborn’s myriad voices reached Liu Shu, gentle and soothing currents swimming among the multiple voices. “We have found suitable ones, Liu Shu. What about you, Little Sister Reef?”

Liu Shu chuckled. “I can easily grow all of them. I am also curious about sister Reef, though.”

Reef was a relatively old World Tree. Still, it was younger than Lakeborn, who had lived for several hundred years. Moreover, since her way of speech was still quite immature, Liu Shu took her time when speaking with this shy World Tree.

Accustomed to living underwater and in isolation, Reef found the new I.C.A.R.E. network a bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, she was getting accustomed.

With a choppy tone, the World Tree answered Liu Shu slowly. “There are… many… interesting… fruits… to grow.”

Liu Shu found Reef so cute that she started petting her with her roots. “Great, great. If you need any help, tell me.”

Being aggressively petted by a World Tree more than ten times younger than itself was a strange experience. Even so, Reef was not upset about it.

After settling everything with them, Liu Shu finally could focus on the task ahead. “Time to see my quest. Hehe.”

[Chain Quest activates!]

[You’ve received <Sylvan Quest: Become a True World Tree>.]

[Description: You’ve gone from a small sapling in the forest to extending your roots throughout an entire continent. Your ability to overcome obstacles is undoubtedly prodigious. Nevertheless, everything you’ve done until now was a preparation for what you must do next. Your next stop: the world.]

[Objective 1: Take over <Ceperet>.]

[Objective 2: Build your Fourth <Temple>.]

[Rewards: Modifiable reward depending on your needs.]

[Punishment: Death.]

Liu Shu was stunned. “That’s it?”

She looked at the quest again, trying to see if she missed any hidden objectives or anything. But no. Other than forcing her to build her <Fourth> temple, there were no objectives.

“It feels as if the quest chain is saying, ‘I’ve taught you enough. If you can’t do this next step alone, your fate is bleak.’”

Liu Shu was a bit nervous. Thankfully, the mission showed some sort of progress.

[Objective 1: Take over <Ceperet>. (19% Completed).]

“Already 19 percent?” Liu Shu frowned. “If that’s the case, it might be easier than what I was thinking.”

In Liu Shu’s mind, “taking over” meant that her roots would need to be everywhere around and inside the world. Meaning, she would become one with the World in the truest sense of the word…

“But if I have already taken over 19%, with the pitiful sphere volume I’ve taken over compared to the entirety of the planet, I should only be required to take the surface area.”

Liu Shu hummed for a few moments, lingering on what to do and what not to do. “Even if it is only the surface… The quest has always rewarded me with extra rewards as long as I went above and beyond to complete it…” Gaining a touch of resolution, Liu Shu’s roots gathered energy and began digging deep toward the center of the world.

Of course, whether she would be able to reach it or not was an entirely different matter.

A World’s core and its surroundings had pressures high enough to transform all materials into a single molten slag. A liquid core, radiating incredible power and warmth, constantly fighting to maintain a balance with natural forces beyond a mortal’s scope.

If there was one being who could fight against this type of natural force, it was another force of nature. The miracle created by life to carry the sky over its canopy and creation throughout its roots: a World Tree.

While Liu Shu slowly but steadily made progress toward the center of the planet, her roots covered the surface of the planet at an accelerated pace—especially the Abyssal Void Nexus’ surroundings.

After a little while, Liu Shu suddenly sensed a boat departing from the Abyssal Void Nexus’ shores. This caught the World Tree’s curiosity. If it were something valuable, Liu Shu would destroy it. ‘If it wasn’t that important… Heh, who am I kidding? I’ll destroy it as well. Hehehe.’

In the first place, Liu Shu paid attention to this particular luxurious boat because of the aura it carried within. At first, she was just suspicious, but later, Liu Shu recognized the auras coming from inside the boat. ‘Hm… <Fourth Energy cycles>? Five of them at that? Where are they going?’

Liu Shu would love to follow them. Nevertheless, that area was Pelagia’s. Therefore, she could only ask the other World Tree politely to keep an eye on them. Pelagia did so; she was not an enemy of Liu Shu. She noticed that Skyflower and Liu Shu had a very close relationship as well, which were extra points for the World Tree.

It didn’t take long before Pelagia noticed their direction and reached out. “Liu Shu, you might not like it, but they are going straight towards your continent.”

“Oh?”

This came as a surprise to Liu Shu. Thinking back, she remembered that archer who came a while back. Perhaps these are people who have come to retrieve her or help her. Regardless, Liu Shu knew that they wanted trouble. So, she would give them trouble.

“You five come just in time for me to check my summoning skills~. <World Tree Calling>.”

A pillar of green light quickly soared to the sky, piercing the clouds and breaking the space above her. From the portal, ten serpents descended.

Their bodies were enormous, and their wings even more so. Among them, the number of melee-focused summons was five. Accompanying them were two healers, two magic casters, and finally a physical one with potent offense but much weaker defense than the first five.

Overall, it was a balanced team. What impressed Liu Shu was that, like she had hoped, all of them were <Fourth Energy Cycles>. Moreover, most of them were at Level 80 or 90.

“Ophion. Nice to see you again!” While the World Tree always had a powerful summon out, taking advantage of the Temple of Summoning’s bonuses, it was rare for Liu Shu to summon the serpents.

Even though Ophion was constantly growing in size, level, and tier, this time around, the World Tree had left him in the dust.

Liu Shu used her branches to caress all ten serpents, and they all reacted like puppies, rubbing their bark-like scales against Liu Shu’s body. The exchange of sensation was very comfortable, as if she were stroking smooth skin.

“Someone is coming to attack me. Can you protect me?”

The ten adorable Arboreal Winged Serpents stopped acting cute, and a terrifyingly cold and murderous aura enveloped their bodies. Ophion hissed, his green eyes showing anger. “Who dares? Have they still not learned?”

Liu Shu giggled. “It seems that they haven’t.”

A female serpent hissed gently and rubbed her head with Liu Shu’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Liu Shu. We will eliminate the threat quickly.”

Then, the ten of them jumped from Liu Shu’s body and extended their massive wings. Their shadows flashed by the city, and soon, they disappeared in the distance.

Meanwhile, the five people on the runic speedboat sighed to each other. “That woman is truly troublesome. Couldn’t she have just investigated first and then returned? If we were all together, it would have been easier to deal with the Third Energy Cycle World Tree.”

“We can’t keep assuming that whoever became a <Fourth Energy Cycle> is another creature, alright? If Tianlian Liu Shu was indeed the one improving, we are in deep trouble. Some of us might die taking her down.”

“You wish!” Another person laughed. “How can someone from a world that’s not even part of a Star System force have so much strength and talent? Resources don’t fall from the sky, so not everyone has the same opportunities.”

Meanwhile, inside the former Terragore Empire, a group of warriors led by Edharen had just defeated the sixth level, killing the Terragore Queen, and leveled up to the <Fourth Energy Cycle>.

At once, the Golden Sap Arborarchy had gained twenty-five extra <Fourth Energy Cycles>. All elites that were forged by war, who had finally digested their gains and stepped into the top powerhouse section of the continent.

Moreover, with them, they finally managed to gather a group to tackle the still mysterious and undefeated Terragore Oracle Queen.

Chapter 512. Berry Math: The Return Of The All-Berry Wielder. [AotSC]

Since Skyflower’s warning, Liu Shu took a step back in her journey to dominate the Abyssal Void Nexus. After all, if she shows up and these people communicate with those above, wouldn’t she be in trouble? Liu Shu didn’t want to deal with a powerhouse beyond Level 100. Not when Level 100 was an incredibly profound divider.

‘I need to surround them and create a powerful anti-communication Runic Field that covers their entire continent. That way, their messages will be unable to make it through…’ Liu Shu was doubtful, though. ‘Can I truly create something that their advanced technology can’t deal with?’

“Ugh… Why did things complicate again? I guess that I should’ve already expected it when we found that strange technology and corrupting methods. Skeptically thinking that the Abyssal Void Nexus was just more technologically advanced was a mistake.’

After a little while, Liu Shu finally decided on what to do. “I’ll surround the Abyssal Void Nexus continent slowly as I spread everywhere else. In the meantime, I’ll use my main consciousness to check on the only thing I have yet to check… Berries!”

After merging Nature’s Gift with all the other skills, Liu Shu noticed a ridiculous change in all her fruits and many more details about her house daughters.

“Wow, so many numbers to go through~! Hehehe. I am excited!”

Let’s start with the biggest change that <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> brought for Liu Shu and her berry-producing capabilities. Among the many sentences, it was easy to miss, but one of them read as such: [Finally, all Lignified Species will be able to grow one or two fruit varieties, at random, that the World Tree can grow herself.]

Once Liu Shu realized what this truly meant, her little mouth almost dropped. “W-Wait. Doesn’t this mean that all the structures I’ve built can grow berries in their branches…? ALL of them!?”

Moreover, the advantage of this was that the trees themselves would collect the ternary essences needed for the berries to grow quickly. This was both an incredibly welcome matter and a headache. “Just how many berries will I be able to produce once I start producing berries again?”

Of course, there have been changes to her berries; Liu Shu could even see two new varieties among them. Regardless, all berries were now A Rank. This came with incredible changes in production volume, costs, and effects.

(Author Note: Fruit Descriptions are at the bottom of the chapter. In case you want to check them. OwO)

Liu Shu slowly read each and every berry’s effects, and after reading them all, she took a deep breath. ‘Strong… Too strong.’ The berries had truly been reborn, and now they were nothing like they were in the past. Moreover, Liu Shu was surprised to notice one sentence at the very beginning that made her quite excited.

[Liu Shu can use 10% of the berry’s cost to accelerate 720 Gestation Days. After the berries have reached the <World-Rank>, you can use all of them on yourself.]

Previously, she could use the 10% cost to accelerate 100 days. It was not 720, which was a gigantic change. Nevertheless, the next sentence was the game-breaker. “I can eat my own berries!”

[System Hint: Tianlian Liu can’t eat berries produced by herself. Nevertheless, now that Tianlian Liu Shu’s progeny can develop these fruits, they will take effect as long as they come from them. At the end of the day, they are separate entities to Liu Shu, despite the high level of linkage between them.]

Liu Shu exclaimed. “Ohhhh! No wonder, no wonder. So, even if they didn’t reach World Rank, I could’ve shared?”

[System Hint: That’s incorrect. It is because they’ve reached World Rank that your progeny can create the fruits. Not the other way around.]

“Gotcha, gotcha. So, I am awesome, and therefore, my babies are now super awesome as well.”

[…]

Liu Shu looked at her Ternary Essence regeneration and the costs of berries and started doing the math in her head. “So, if I use this, I am spending ten million shards… But I should spend more… Ah, right. I can add a bit of this and another bit of this… How do the calculations come along this way? Hwah!? I am in the negatives! Too many high-level fruits…”

For almost half a day, Liu Shu accustomed herself to the new numbers, the Ternary Reserves she possessed, and cost-effectiveness.

“Purrfect! Hehehehe. System, show me the summary!”

[Analyzing… Tianlian Liu Shu has decided to grow a total of 89,441,804 berries monthly.]

[Estimating average increase thanks to Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Lignified> children…]

[Simulation completed. Each of Tianlian Liu Shu’s children can yield a ten-thousandth compared to Liu Shu, or 0.01%, with some being more efficient.]

“Oh… So cute~.”

[Tianlian Liu Shu has 13,719 <Lignified> structures that can grow berries inside <Golden Sap City>.]

“O-Oh… I am a big mama. Almost fourteen thousand children. O_O”

[Calculating efficiency…. An estimated 217,091,000 fruits are produced monthly, combining all of the <Lignified> species and Tianlian Liu Shu.]

“Over two hundred million fruits a month! Wowah!” Excited, Liu Shu asked the system. “Separate them by fruits, system!”

She had already done the math, but she wanted to check if she was correct.

[Sorting out…]

[Completed!]

[This is the following monthly yield for each fruit.]

<Delicious Berry>: 80,883,332

<Phoer Berry>: 40,441,665

<Mana Berry>: 40,441,665

<Energy Berry>: 40,441,665

<Breakthrough Berry>: 30,331

<Resonant Berry>: 3,639,750

<Refinement Berry>: 3,639,750

<Affinity Berry>: 3,639,750

<Palace Berry>: 3,639,750

<Energy Cycle Experience Berry>: 34,121

<Cerulean Bloodfruit>: 10,919

<Elemental Lord Fruit>: 27,261

<Focus Fruit>: 160,576

“OWO. Hehehehehehe.”

Liu Shu happily looked at those numbers. While they weren’t that much more than before, you had to take into account that the quality had gone from D Rank berries to A Rank. Even then, the quantity didn’t decrease thanks to her immense growth and the new ability of her babies to grow fruits as well. According to the system and her own calculations, her babies more than doubled the total yield of fruits.

“Let’s eat the fruits and see what their effects are.” Focusing all her energy to help her babies mature the fruits she wanted, she soon had them in her branches. She grabbed them and pondered how to eat them.

“Should I just throw it against my body? Bury them in my roots? Eat them through my mouth? Perhaps my avatar?”

[System Hint: Eating them through your main body will digest the gains the fastest.]

“Ooookaay~.” Dragging her words, Liu Shu moved the branch and threw the few dozen fruits into her mouth. Compared to her body, these fruits were smaller than a dust mote.

Effects came to her after waiting for a little while.

[Congratulations! You’ve eaten 10x <Resonant Berry>, 10x <Refinement Berry>, 10x <Affinity Berry>, 10x <Palace Berry>, 1x <Cerulean Bloodfruit>, and 1x <Delicious Berry>.]

[You’ve gained 12,000 <Aether>!]

[You’ve gained 12,000 <Physique>!]

[You’ve gained 12,000 <Anima>!]

[You’ve gained 12,000 <Willpower>!]

[You’ve gained 75% <Aether Resonance>!]

[You’ve gained 75% <Physique Refinement>!]

[You’ve gained 75% <Anima Affinity>!]

[You’ve gained 75% <Mental Palace>!]

[You’ve earned 303 Experience Points!]

“Pffft. Hahahaha! What a ridiculous buff! No wonder only <Third Energy Cycles> and above can get it. It basically doubles the stats of almost anyone in the <Third Energy Cycle>. If someone below Level 50 ate these fruits… They would probably explode from all the energy.”

Happy with the changes to her stats, Liu Shu became quite happy. Moreover, now she was earning 1,353 Experience Points daily passively. The earnings were truly egregious. “I can level up every 2,240 days, which is around six years…. Even if I don’t earn passive experience points from occasional eliminations of flora and fauna in my territory, this leveling pace is impressive.”

To show how crazy that was, Liu Shu could go from Level 90 to Level 99 in just under 75 years by just… existing. This Leveling speed was unheard of for World Trees in the Ceperet World.  

“Alright, this is sorted. I need to inform the Berry gatherers and Flor about my babies’ abilities to grow fruits~. I bet she will be super happy!”

After a while, Liu Shu spotted Flor resting with the rest of her family. They were all in Red’s backyard, Cinderielle’s Tree House Daughter.  

“Liu Shu is pregnant again?” Flor asked, baffled.

The girls smiled bashfully, and Harmonixia coughed. “It’s mine this time around, probably. Also… It’s not entirely our fault. Lian’er gets pregnant super easily…”

Flor rubbed her forehead. “I wonder how many children she will eventually have.”

Liu Shu jumped into the conversation at this time. “What is that tone for? You and Mommy Ignatia are the two least qualified to tell me that I am having too many babies!”

Flor’s eyebrow twitched. “You already have over ten thousand children if we count the <Lignified> structures. Are you even taking care of them? I am sure that they want their mother to speak to them!”

“Of course I am taking care of them!” Liu Shu added proudly. “I have even given them the ability to grow fruits like me!”

Everyone turned silent, frozen in place. Their necks creaked while they turned to look at the gargantuan World Tree. Flor stuttered, her heart hurting. “Y-You gave them what?”

Liu Shu spoke proudly. “The ability to have my fruits! Moreover, they are World-Ranked fruits! Growing fruits will be something quite fun for them. As trees, I am sure they will be delighted. Of course, the number of fruits they can produce is not small. When combined, they can produce more than their mommy! I am so proud, hehehehe. From my calculations, they should yield around 120 million berries monthly! Aaaaaaalll World-Ranked fruits!”

Flor’s trembling hand scrambled to find her emotional supper teacup, and she took a deep slurping sip from it. Only then was she able to fall back onto the comfortable chair. “Ah… The weather is so nice.”

Looking up, everyone could only see Liu Shu’s gargantuan canopy blotting the sky. After all, Red and the others were in the inner part of the city, where Liu Shu’s canopy reached almost everywhere.

Still, nobody denied it. Melody took a long sip as well, speaking softly. “Indeed. Such a beautiful cloudless sky.”

Liu Shu, looking at the cloudy sky above her canopy, was confused. “But… Mommy, the sky is—”

“Shhh….” Flor hushed gently. “Let me have a few minutes of peace before all forest fire breaks loose.”

Somehow, Liu Shu decided to give them this moment of peace. Even if she didn’t understand, she respected her mother’s wishes. In the meantime, Liu Shu continued explaining her fruits and their effects.

Each time she finished explaining one, all people present, even Cinderielle and the other lovers, took a long and much-needed sip of the A Rank calming tea, refilling their cups each time they finished it.

By the time Liu Shu finished explaining, they had all drunk 8 cups—almost one cup per berry.

The reason? Well, take a look for yourself:

[Thanks to <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire>, all Lignified Species will be able to grow one or two fruit varieties, at random, that the World Tree can grow herself. Tianlian Liu Shu can use 10% of the berry’s cost to accelerate 720 Gestation Days. After the berries have reached the <World-Rank>, you can use all of them on yourself.]

<World-Rank Delicious Berry (A Rank)>: +0.02% Current Level’s Required Experience Points. Level 199 and below 1/day. Minimum 100 Experience Points. Production Cost: 480 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 192 Days. (Example: 1,000,000 Exp needed to Level Up = 200 Experience Points per berry)

<World-Rank Phoer Berry (A Rank)>: Recover 5% Max Phoer Reserves. Level 199 and below 5/day. Minimum 5 Cores. Production Cost: 480 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 192 Days.

<World-Rank Mana Berry (A Rank)>: Recover 5% Max Aether Mana Reserves. Level 199 and below 5/day. Minimum 5 Cores. Production Cost: 480 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 192 Days.

<World-Rank Energy Berry (A Rank)>: Recover 5% Max Anima Energy Reserves. Level 199 and below 5/day. Minimum 5 Cores. Production Cost: 480 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 192 Days.

<World-Rank Breakthrough Berry (A Rank)>: +1 <Sub-Tier>. Max <A- Rank>. Any Creature can ingest one every 10 years. (Can Ingest Higher Ranked Breakthrough Berries with a 1-year cooldown). Production Cost: 4.8 AMC and AEC. Gestation Time: 1,728 Days.

<World-Rank Resonant Berry (A Rank)>: For Level 50 and above: +200 <Aether>, +5% Aether Resonance. 10 Max. Production Cost: 4800 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 208 Days.

<World-Rank Refinement Berry (A Rank)>: For Level 50 and above: +200 <Physique>, +5% Physique Refinement. 10 Max. Production Cost: 4800 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 208 Days.

<World-Rank Affinity Berry (A Rank)>: For Level 50 and above: +200 <Anima>, +5% Anima Affinity. 10 Max. Production Cost: 4800 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 208 Days.

<World-Rank Palace Berry (A Rank)>: For Level 50 and above: +200 <Willpower>, +5% Mental Palace. 10 Max. Production Cost: 4800 AM and AE. Gestation Time: 208 Days.

<World-Rank Energy Cycle Berry (A Rank)>: Increase the Completion Rate of an Energy Cycle by 5% up to 80%. You can ingest one berry per <Major Energy Cycle>. Production Cost: 4.8 AMC and AEC. Gestation Time: 1,152 Days.

<World-Rank Cerulean Bloodfruit (A Rank)>: For Level 50 and above: +10,000 <Aether>, <Physique>, <Anima>, and <Willpower>. Increases <Aether Resonance>, <Physique Refinement>, <Anima Affinity>, and <Mind Palace> by 25%. Gives those who eat it immunity to poisons below the rank of the fruit. You can ingest 1 Max. If you consume higher-grade ones in the future, the effects will increase up to those effects. Production Cost: 9.6 AMC and AEC. Gestation time: 2,880 Days.

<World-Rank Elemental Lord Fruit (A Rank)>: A fruit that grew through ingesting the pure Aether Mana of the world. For Level 50 and above. +100% Elemental Affinity. Production Cost: 4 AMC and 2 AEC. Gestation time: 1,920 Days.

<World-Rank Focus Fruit (A Rank)>: A fruit that can increase the concentration and ability to focus of those who ingest it. Effects vary between individuals. Production Cost: 2.4 AMC and AEC. Gestation Time: 240 Days.

Chapter 1301. The Hidden Treasure.

The loud sound attracted the attention of the group at the front. “What was that?”

Turning around, they saw an empty corridor. The hallway was adorned by thick half-columns protruding from the walls, while the floor was constructed with rock slabs. The place showed the scars of time as well, with most of the decor being either eroded or broken.

The female snake demon commented. “It seems that the doors closed. Brother Guo Yantao, what do we do?”

Yantao frowned and waved his hand, throwing a powerful wave of energy against the door.

BANG!

The loud sound reverberated, but other than blowing up the resting dust around, it did nothing.

One of the rogue cultivators commented. “Should we try physically pushing it open?”

“No,” the male demon spoke cautiously. “There are some trials that take you touching the door as a signal of surrender. We don’t want to be mistakenly disqualified. If we need to leave through the door later, we can try at that time.”

Then, they turned around and continued their exploration. Yasenia was somewhat surprised at the Demon’s caution. ‘That’s actually quite a good point… I guess that I’ve been lucky in the past. I’ll need to be a bit more careful in the future.’

After thinking that, she quickly moved and trailed them. She always made sure to keep a safe distance. This sneaking around lasted for 10 minutes before a bifurcation appeared in front of them.

Seeing them discuss and go left, Yasenia was confused.

“Hm… They took the left at this bifurcation? Why is that?”

At first glance, both paths were identical. However, Yasenia was quick to notice the danger of the left path. Her instincts were telling her that the right was a better choice. ‘Rarely are my instincts incorrect in this regard. So, I think I should continue trusting my gut instead of following them like a blind chicken.’ 

So, Yasenia separated from them and took a right here. Since there was no one in front of her, the dragoness stopped being so cautious and accelerated her pace. She could see peak-level Heaven-Ranked treasures strewn along the hallways. Nevertheless, treasures at that level were something Yasenia didn’t want to waste her time on.  

If she wanted them, she could always collect them on the journey back.

While the dragoness rushed forward, three paths diverged in front of Yasenia. “Hm… Either the middle or the right path. The left continues to be dangerous.”

Her journey traversing the hallways of these ruins went on uninterrupted for around two hours before something finally happened. After following the paths, Yasenia stopped in front of a large door. “If this door is like the first one, it might shut behind me.”

Knocking on the door, Yasenia noticed the sturdiness of the materials and gave up on shattering the door or the walls. “Either way, let’s go.”

Pushing the doors open, Yasenia stepped forward. As soon as she did so, her body was teleported to the balcony in a tower several hundred meters tall.  

Once she did so, an ancient voice reached her. “Child, you will now start the competition. Your score will be recorded on a secret list. Once you complete all five tests, I’ll rank you for a chance to obtain part of our secret legacy, [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation].”

Yasenia stopped when she heard that. “Battle Formation?” The dragoness was baffled and excited. “It is actually a Battle Formation! Even Mom only has a handful of those, most of which are common ones. If this formation is strong enough, I’ll be able to gain a great trump card.“

Yasenia looked around the room and found a rock stand at the side for her to sit. They were perfect to wait for the others. “I’ve been registered; there is no point in hiding anymore.”

Picking a place, Yasenia sat cross-legged and waited with her eyes closed. It wasn’t until 8 hours had passed that there was some movement on the other side.  

Yasenia stopped meditating and looked at the entrance indifferently.

The seven people who had entered fresh and full of energy were now quite a sorry sight. Clearly, the path they chose was riddled with dangers, heavily injuring them.

The snake woman, her face full of cautiousness, quickly scanned the room they had entered. It was a circular room with three levels of rocky stands stacked against the walls. Seven great pillars rushed upward and connected the floor with the cracked ceiling.

“Over there!” One of the rogue cultivators exclaimed aloud. Nevertheless, there was no need for that. After all, Yasenia was quite eye-catching among the ruins of the temple.

Her pristine purple-gold dress didn’t have a single dust mote or wrinkle, spreading around her like a flower in bloom. Her indifferent face was half-hidden by the black, transparent veil, while the energy around her rotated and glittered with celestial lights due to her light meditation. At first glance, her aura felt boundless and mysterious, more so when they noticed Yasenia’s golden slit eyes looking at them with a cold and calm look.

Of course, everyone knew that Yasenia was under the same limitations as they were. Yet, she felt extremely dangerous.

The male Charm Snake Demon was not stupid, so even when his entire bloodline was pushing his body into heat, wanting to possess the creature sitting there like a pristine purple lotus, he controlled the urge.

“Who are you? How did you arrive here before us?”

Yasenia didn’t answer, angering them. But, before they asked for more, the same voice from before interrupted them.

“Children, you will now start the competition. Your score will be recorded on a secret list. Once you complete all five tests, I’ll rank you for a chance to obtain part of our secret legacy, [Immortal Big Dipper Battle Formation].”

“Battle Formation!” Everyone’s eyes shone with greed.

Battle Formations were like normal formations, but, as the name implied, for battles. With it, lower-realm cultivators were able to gather enough strength to show power beyond their level.

“Everyone in the [Fourth Immortal Star Ruin] has now gathered in the trial entrance. From now on, you will all compete in four individual trials and one group battle.” The ancient voice stated.

Yasenia’s face didn’t change. ‘Seven ruins… seven pieces of the puzzle. I wonder if it is even possible to gather them in the ten-year limit Star Forge gave me to explore the Secret Realm.’

“The fourth ruin challenges the ability to deal with a large number of creatures. Your soul will be pulled into a simulation. Please don’t resist.”

The pull quickly overtook everyone in the room, and soon, their consciousness shifted. For Yasenia, it felt as if the world had gone black for a second before a flash of light forced her to close her eyes.

When she opened them, Yasenia appeared in the middle of a ruined landscape. It was a battle-scarred landscape of desolation and lifelessness. Looking up, a giant constellation shone in the middle of the black sky. This constellation was the Big Dipper.

Each of the stars illuminated the world like a small moon, while the fourth one acted like a small sun. The total luminosity of the surroundings was similar to that of the full moon during a cloudless night sky.

Yasenia’s ears twitched, and her attention shifted away from the beautiful constellation illuminating the dark sky. On the horizon, Yasenia could see a greyish wave approaching.

The ancient voice spread throughout the entire valley. “All your life you’ve heard the saying: All below Transcendence are ants. However, most Transcendence Cultivators forget, due to arrogance, that even an elephant can be bitten to death when enough ants stack to kill it.”

Eight images appeared in the sky with the number zero below them. These eight figures were none other than themselves.

“First test. Show me how many ants you can crush before the time limit of one week runs out. Of course, if you die during the war, you will be disqualified.”

Yasenia’s eyebrow rose for a second. “You are asking me to participate in a war?”

Her lips arched coldly as she started walking towards the approaching endless army.

“That’s my specialty. [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain].”

Yasenia’s aura exploded, her hair and dress fluttering. Then, her perception pulsed outward, covering thousands of kilometers around Yasenia. Every creature, every soldier, every rock, and every fissure all entered her powerful mind.

Above her, the others had already started killing, racking up tens of thousands of deaths with each strike. Only Yasenia’s figure remained at 0.

However, Yasenia didn’t rush.

Instead, she digested all the information before muttering. “Peak-level mortals. The strength of each person can be considered average. There is coordination, but when fighting a single individual, only Battle Formations are effective…”

Yasenia’s spiritual sense, boosted by Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain, swept the endless army until she came across a unique figure among the virtually endless peak-level fifth realm cultivators. “I can feel a distant general at the first level of the Transcendence Realm, but they don’t feel like they are going to be participating. Are they the army’s head? If that’s the case…”

After analyzing everything, Yasenia began trotting.

Her calm steps quickened very slowly, covering more and more land. She went from a walk to a light run to covering several meters with each stride.

Looking from above, it felt as if a single dust particle was rushing to meet a mass swallowing the desolate land.

Yet, there was not a single hint of nervousness in Yasenia’s expression. Draheart, feeling her master’s powerful beating heart, buzzed in excitement, while Dramel shot to the sky, her cords ready to spread Yasenia’s war song.

Energy condensed around Yasenia, while her face transformed back to the one she had during her War Trial almost a century ago.

No emotions.

No desires.

Only cold calculation and ruthlessness.

After another step, Soluna manifested behind Yasenia, her body soaring upward behind Yasenia’s galloping figure.

Then, Yasenia took her second-to-last step. Energy soared like a tsunami, stars manifesting behind her in the figure of [Pegasus]. The gorgeous winged horse forged of pure starlight neighed as Yasenia’s wings sprouted. Then, it rushed down and merged into the dragon woman’s draconic wings.

Finally, Yasenia took her last step before the collision, and her wings prepared to flap. Her muscles tensed, energy roared inside her body, and auras roiled around her figure.

“War is where I thrive. Now, perish.”

The dragoness pushed against the solid ground, timing her wing flap in perfect synchronization. Then, her body exploded with blinding acceleration. The very air compressed around her, as if she were forcing her way through stone, but nothing slowed her down.

Then, the black tide swallowed the blue speck of light. A single visceral instant later, the collision registered.

BOOM!!!!

The shockwave ripped outward, rattling the desolate land as though a meteor had crashed into the horde.

From above, a bluish comet of energy split the black sea, leaving behind a crimson trail as she carved through the army like a hot knife through butter. Bodies ruptured in quick succession, powerless to slow her.

And worse, Yasenia hadn’t even swung her sword. Speed, pressure, and sheer physical might were enough to pulverize everything in her path. Her wings folded tight before her like twin angled shields that shredded anything within reach into bloody pulp.

Instantly, the number of deaths skyrocketed. Her score surged from zero to tens of thousands in less than a second. Still, her sword remained behind her—for her draconic eyes were fixed only on that distant figure.

‘Kill the general, annihilate the disorganized army.’

Chapter 511. Skyflower Gets To Know Liu Shu. True Origins Of the Superpowers. [AotSC]

“Tell me, Liu Shu. Do you intend to become the True World Tree?”

That question was strange for Liu Shu. First of all, she didn’t really understand what Skyflower meant by “True” World Tree. For our big lady, she was just being herself. Becoming the major World Tree of the world was a matter that was an inevitability, not a possibility.

Therefore, when Skyflower asked her, her answer was rather simple. “I don’t know what you mean by True World Tree, Skyflower. Nevertheless, what I will become is a World Tree that spans the entire world.” Liu Shu spoke solemnly, her tone soothing yet firm, carrying an unbreakable will behind it. “My roots will reach every corner of this world, spread throughout both land and sea. Where you currently live, where Azure Rose and Celestial Lotus live, where the Nexus’ territory is... Everything will fall under my influence. I’ll make sure of it or die trying.”

Skyflower was stunned by this declaration. It was true that all World Trees had the same instinctive desire. All of them wanted to stretch their roots as far as they could. Nevertheless, the motivation behind it was much different compared to Liu Shu’s. 

If a normal World Tree wanted to spread its roots, once blocked, it could come to an agreement and even stop its expansion with the correct motivation or circumstances. No World Tree would expand its roots at any cost. After all, their nature was one of acceptance, not defiance.

Nevertheless, Liu Shu sounded nothing like such. It felt as if Liu Shu would rather flip the entire continent before accepting her death. This simple fact made Skyflower shiver. 

Among all creatures, World Trees themselves understood just how powerful they were. 

Most people focused on the terror that the World Tree’s main body imposed. However, few creatures could truly understand just how much influence World Trees held over the world around them.

Take, for example, Warlya. 

During her peak, Warlya had spread her roots across the majority of the Wild Continent. Just this fact was enough to state that, during the last few years of confrontation against the Humanoid Ant Queen, Warlya could’ve won.

How? Simple, actually. 

If Warlya destroyed the Wild Continent, the ants would’ve lost their foundation and become a mess. From then on, Warlya only needed to deal with the Humanoid Ant Queen. In a one-on-one scenario with no distractions whatsoever, Warlya would come out victorious in nine out of ten confrontations.

Of course, Warlya never even thought about it. Destroying the continent was like a human thinking about losing their arms to kill their enemy. Yet, not entirely the same. After all, the consequence was much less punishing. The reason? With enough time, a World Tree could “regrow” those “arms” she sacrificed. Their nearly infinite lifespan made sure of that. 

The only damage impossible to heal with time was damage straight to their core. 

So, a tactic of mutual destruction had all the benefits without any permanent loss. 

But, if a World Tree did that, how many creatures would die in the process? Sinking an entire continent was not something a World Tree would do, even for its own survival.

Warlya already showed incredible determination and specialness for a World Tree. During her last moments, she actually pushed herself until becoming a cripple just because she couldn’t accept the Humanoid Ant Queen’s victory over her. Her sacrifice was so unique that the System gave her several titles for it. 

Knowing that, Liu Shu’s statement was chilling. It felt as if, in Tianlian Liu Shu’s mind, there were two outcomes.

“Her world.”

or

“Nobody’s World.” 

Skyflower completely reevaluated Liu Shu after her answer. Of course, she could be overthinking, but Skyflower truly feared that Liu Shu lacked the basic inhibitors every World Tree had since birth. 

“Liu Shu, I understand. Nevertheless, isn’t it better to slowly spread your roots? Your ability to spread is incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen. You have already covered around 10% of the world’s surface, and you are just starting! In a few decades, you will cover everything that other World Trees have not covered already.”

“Hm…” Liu Shu answered with a strange hum. Skyflower was somewhat confused, only to hear Liu Shu ask her, her tone somewhat low and amused. “Skyflower… Are you afraid?” 

“What?” 

That question was preposterous for Skyflower. Why would she be afraid? 

Liu Shu answered her doubts simply. “I said I am able to take on the Abyssal Void Nexus, but you are clearly trying to slow me down. I spoke about my ability to take over other World Trees, but you are telling me to delay it until I take everything else…” A chuckle reached Skyflower, making her feel a strange chill. “Your words… It feels as if you are afraid.” 

“...”

Skyflower couldn’t answer. Did she fear Liu Shu? Not exactly. What she feared was much more complex. Skyflower feared things going too awry from her initial plans. Skyflower feared that if Liu Shu was capable of that, she might destroy her and everyone she took as a threat. Skyflower feared that all her plans would be for nothing just because of the specialness and strength of this ridiculously young yet powerful World Tree.  

But… When she summarized all her thoughts, she realized that, yes, at some point, there was a hint of fear within her. ‘Ridiculous… Didn’t Liu Shu assimilate other World Trees? I also heard that they are living peacefully in her domain as well. Why would I be doubtful of her treating me differently?’

Her doubts lay in the knowledge Skyflower had. 

Unlike the current Liu Shu, who only had some doubts, Skyflower knew that there was a much vaster world beyond the sky. So, she was afraid of what Liu Shu might do to gain strength once she knew about it. ‘Will she purge all World Trees to strengthen herself? Will her core values change when she learns about the vast world outside?’

Liu Shu felt the heavy mood of the ancient and gentle World Tree. A faint and soothing aura gently seeped out of her, touching Skyflower. “Big Sister Skyflower, I am not a scary World Tree. In truth, I’ve never killed large flora other than corrupted World Trees. What I want is not to swallow everything into my belly.”

Skyflower listened closely, and Liu Shu continued soothingly. “What I want is to be the bridge that connects everything. I want to become the foundation of the World, and a network that can help all of you live together and without conflicts…”

A surge of emotions rushed through the ancient World Tree’s roots. The fear from before slowly transformed into a strange rush of both tranquility and happiness. When Liu Shu’s aura gently caressed her, there was a strange feeling of returning to the embrace of one's parent. It was protective, loving, caring, and full of kindness.

“That… Is that the truth?”

Liu Shu laughed softly. “Of course. Wouldn’t it be too lonely to be the sole World Tree in the entire world? I would rather have many big sisters, aunties, and friends who keep me company.”

“I see…” Skyflower smiled to herself. “If that’s the case… I’ll trust you.”

Liu Shu squinted slightly. She meant everything she said. But, usually, with how Skyflower’s mood was spiraling down, it would take more than that to convince her. After all, Skyflower had become guarded for some strange reason. Breaking this guard took much more time than creating it.

‘Yet it took a few sincere words to convince her… Is this the effect of my <Titles>?’ 

Her numerous <Titles> and <Passive Skills> made her much more charismatic, simultaneously increasing the influence of her presence and words. While Liu Shu knew and understood that the effect was like allowing the other side to understand her true intentions better, it felt somewhat odd. ‘Well, I guess it is better than escalating to a battle between us before we reach an agreement.’ 

With that taken care of, Skyflower let down her guard for good and sighed to herself. ‘I guess Liu Shu will be the World Tree who rules Ceperet. I should inform her about the basic structure of the world.’

“Liu Shu, listen to this old lady for a while, okay?” 

“Okay~.” Her tone returned to the cheerful and easygoing tone. “Tell me! I want information!” 

Skyflower smiled and laughed a bit. She really liked this side of Liu Shu. It gave her the feeling of wanting to squeeze her and pat her with her roots. “Ahem. As you know, this world is said to be divided into four major forces. Well, that’s not entirely correct. The number of major forces is five.”

“Five?” Liu Shu thought and asked, curious. “Is it the <Explorer Association>?” 

“Yes.” Skyflower was not surprised that she could guess it. “Of these five powers, only three can be considered true superpowers.” 

Liu Shu muttered again. “That would be the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, the Abyssal Void Nexus, and the Explorer Association, right?”

“Yes. Those three, as you probably guessed already, did not originate from the Ceperet World. Our World is in quite a remote part of the galaxy, with sparse stars and planets. Therefore, not many World Trees are able to reach anything beyond becoming a Planetary World Tree.” 

“Planetary…” 

Liu Shu muttered and remembered the sight of the Moon and the night sky. That night, the first time she saw the night sky, the mysterious and beautiful night sky was imprinted in her soul.

“Correct. As you’ve guessed, there are many ways to classify World Trees. Nevertheless, I won’t dive into that for now. Until you completely swallow Ceperet into your roots, knowing more will only make it troublesome for you.” 

Liu Shu hummed. “While I don’t think that’s the case, I’ll trust you this time around. Tell me, what’s the deal with the Explorer Association? I don’t know what would offend them. And, honestly, I feel that they are much more dangerous than the Abyssal Void Nexus.”

“You are right to think that.” Skyflower smiled. “Abyssal Void Nexus and my power are <Star-System Domain Cosmopowers>. The level of powers beyond planetary are divided as such, from what I know.”

“Planetary: The power controls one or more worlds.” 

“Solar System: The power controls all planets orbiting their home star.”

“Star-System: The power controls all stars orbiting near their home star.” 

“Globular Star Cluster: The power controls several two or more Star Systems.” 

Skyflower commented. “Beyond that, I am unaware of how the powers are divided. Nevertheless, you must know that our powers are Star-System, while the Explorer Association is beyond the Globular Star Cluster level.” 

“B-Beyond?” Liu Shu exclaimed, baffled.

“Yes,” Skyflower muttered somewhat fearfully. “From what I learned in the past, they are a massive neutral power that no one dares to offend. So, it is in your best interest to never offend them.” 

“I’ll… try my best.” Liu Shu muttered. After all, if there was a day when she needed to face them to continue expanding, she couldn’t promise not to offend them. She would try her best not to, though.

With that new information, Liu Shu started planning what to do next.

Chapter 1300. Discovering Another Group.

Searching for a treasure usually requires luck. After all, treasures didn’t reveal their existence in the true sense of the word. Naturally, there were some that could be felt from a distance. Others even announced their arrival with heavenly visions, energy fluctuations, etc. 

Regardless, the point is that treasures that had been hidden for a while could only be found with luck. 

Here is where Dragons differed from most other species. If a treasure was nearby, a dragon with a high-level bloodline would be able to sniff it out. This ability varied a lot between individuals. Still, in Yasenia’s case, she could be considered somewhat sensitive to treasures even among her own. 

So, as Yasenia approached the actual treasure location, she noticed that reaching it wouldn’t be simple. There were scents of less valuable treasures on the way to the treasure. This usually meant one of two things.

On one side, the treasure was purposely hidden behind a set of obstacles or treasures so that people couldn’t find it. On the other side, it could mean that this treasure was placed here so long ago that natural treasures spawned around it thanks to the leaking energy and influence of the treasure. 

Either way, Yasenia knew that the treasure she was hunting was much more valuable than she had thought at first. Traversing the inner side of the island was not easy. After all, there were many Sixth Realm creatures. Thankfully, the deterrence when she used [Dragon Strength] and bloodline pressure kept most of them at bay. 

Wherever she moved through their territory, beasts would scatter out like scared rodents seeing their predator. The exceptions that came to face her were few and far between. 

“GRAH!”

Yasenia stopped as a giant red-furred monkey landed in front of her while showing its massive fangs. Yasenia could tell that its body was terribly tense and full of wariness when it looked at her.

The dragoness looked on coldly. “Step away. You are not my objective.”

Her voice carried her pressure and intent. For the red monkey, it felt as if a giant phantom had appeared and grabbed the top of its head, intending to slam it against the ground. 

Yasenia flapped her wings, flying forward as if the twenty-meter-tall monkey wasn’t there. The monkey tensed so much that its muscles started to cramp. Each second felt like an eternity, and its heart pounded faster and faster, as if it were about to burst. 

Nevertheless, the dragoness didn’t even look at him once and flew by his head, her face indifferent the whole time.

From beginning to end, the Sixth Realm beast didn’t dare move. Even if it wanted to, it stood still as if moving a single finger would signify its death. 

Only after Yasenia flew past him, leaving a floral scent in her path, did the monkey dare to look back with trepidation. Thankfully, Yasenia was not in the mood to fight, so it was spared from death.  

“Hm…” Yasenia hummed while looking down at a large cave entrance. “It’s here. I can sense it alongside the other treasures.” Squinting her eyes, she muttered. “I can also feel a hint of danger. Are there traps inside?” 

After pondering for a moment, Yasenia decided to dive inside while smiling. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” 

With a single flap of her wings, the dragoness dove straight into the cave. The cave was almost two hundred meters wide. There was not that much space for cultivators at her level to fight. ‘Thankfully, the surroundings are durable. So, even if I go all out, the chances of the rock collapsing are low.’ 

Being buried wouldn’t kill her or hurt her. Still, digging back to the surface would be an annoyance after making it all the way here.

“This cave is so deep…” 

The dragoness was stunned. She had been flying for almost ten minutes, following paths that drove her lower and lower. For someone with her movement speed, ten minutes was enough to travel several thousand kilometers!  

Her senses suddenly tingled as a slight fluctuation entered her spiritual sensing range. “Hm? Are there other people here?”

Yasenia held her breath and slowed down, merging with the environment around her. 

Soon enough, she heard people talk in the distance. 

“Are you sure it is this way? We’ve been traveling for over a month with no results.” 

Answering the man with a clear voice, another person spoke sternly. “Are you saying that the sect elders have given us the wrong map? One of the [Seven Star Fragments] must be in this zone.” 

Yasenia’s eyes flashed with curiosity. ‘Seven Star Fragments?’ 

“Hey! Don’t speak of it aloud. What if there is someone listening?” 

“Right, you wish. Do you think that someone can hide from my [Shadow Sea Intent Domain]? If there was anyone nearby, I would sense them straight away.”

Yasenia, hiding nearby, blinked twice innocently before smirking. ‘Sorry, it seems that the effects of my Celestial Intent Domain are a bit better than your Shadow whatever Domain~. Hehe.’ 

Our dragoness slowly approached them and analyzed this group. It was made up of seven people, two women and five men. Surprisingly, two of them, one female and one male, were demons. ‘Oh? I heard that there are demons and divines in the Blue Pearl World. Never did I expect to meet them here. After all, they usually avoid Secret Realms that human forces frequent.’ 

Unlike in lower Heavenly Layers, where Demons and Divines have the racial advantage, Humans and beastkin played on a much more balanced field. After all, starting from the Sublime Heavenly Layer, the Transcendence Realm was much easier to reach. For there to be Seventh Realm people, the number of Sixth Realm people who were stuck needed to be quite numerous.  

And from the Sixth Realm onwards, humans unlocked their bloodline potential, so any advantage demons and other species had practically disappeared. Only beasts were naturally stronger in the same cultivation level after Transcendence due to their specialness. 

“Can we stop lingering? We don’t know when others will find and explore this cave. The best-case scenario is we find the fragment and then leave.”  

One of the demons spoke with annoyance. She was a woman with large fleshy wings sprouting from her back, as well as purplish skin, a great figure, and a pair of black ram horns. She looked mostly human, except for the peculiar colors of her skin and other details.

Yasenia curiously looked at her. ‘This woman… Is she a Charm Snake Demon?’ 

Demons were among the many subjects Yasenia had studied. There were not so many different species compared to the beasts, making it much more bearable to learn.

‘Charm Snake Demons are part of the succubus lineage, mixed with a touch of dragon blood. Nevertheless, since the dragon blood never manifested within them, unlike their higher-strength variant, Charm Draconic Demons, they are called snake demons. The difference between these two is their horns.’ 

“Little sister, I know you are impatient. Nevertheless, they won’t deny you later. Can’t you see their gazes?”

Yasenia looked at the other demon. ‘Oh, same species, but a male version…’ 

This one was surprisingly slender, his height not much taller than a human. The two fleshy wings and the humanoid body were also relatively standard. The specialness was the large and thick tail behind him. This tail looked like a giant snake, with a mouth at the end and eyes. ‘That tail can devour creatures and do… quite a few nasty things with them. Both males and females can use aphrodisiac venom, so I have to be careful.’

She was naturally confident in her mental resilience. Nevertheless, if she could avoid being affected, that would be for the best. Overconfidence was a silent killer, and Yasenia refused to become its victim.  

After hearing them speak for a while, Yasenia finally understood everything. ‘So, to summarize, this is one of the hidden locations where the Seven Star Fragments are located. These fragments, once fused back together, can give birth to a very powerful treasure.’ 

Squinting her eyes, Yasenia pondered whether to get tangled in this or not. ‘Hm… Let’s follow them for now. If I find that I can’t sneak past them or something, I’ll just leave.’ 

The scent of that treasure was tempting, so she decided to give it a try. It wouldn’t be too late to leave after being discovered. ‘If I had not developed my Celestial Intent Domain, I would probably have given up.’

While following them, Yasenia took in all the details of their robes. ‘Those two demons are part of the Thousand Serpent Cult… Color me surprised. The five humans come from different sects, though. The only human woman is from a righteous sect: [Shore Shift Sect].’ This was a bit confusing. ‘Has she been charmed by the demon? Her strength doesn’t seem to be far behind the demon, though…’ 

Still, Yasenia had no way of knowing their strength outside of the Secret Realm. Therefore, the woman might’ve been charmed outside before they entered. 

‘Of the four males, two of them belong to the woman’s sect. The other two seem to be rogue cultivators.’ 

“We’ve arrived, Lady Lian Ruxue.” 

The female spoke, pointing forward. “That’s the place.”

Yasenia and the others looked over and saw a giant pair of doors. 

“Doors?”

Everyone tilted their head. Wasn’t this place a natural-style secret realm? Why would there be any type of construction here?’

The woman nodded. “From the lost details I read, the seven fragments are one of the supreme treasures of the Secret Realm. Therefore, the owner didn’t want to just throw them around. Inside these doors, there are trials, and depending on the results, you can get different treasures.” 

The female demon clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. No wonder your sect has been on the rise for a few centuries. The treasures here must be anything but simple. So, even if you don’t get the fragment, anything else still makes the journey worth it.”

The male demon asked, his voice smooth and charming. “What do we do, little sister? Do we call others and have them try together?” Turning sideways, he asked the woman. “The more people, the more rewards, right?”

The human woman didn’t speak, so the demon frowned and approached her. 

Seeing that, the two males from the same sect as her flinched, wanting to step forward. Nevertheless, a single look from the female demon stopped them in their tracks. 

Yasenia observed the situation and saw the male demon open his mouth and sink his fangs into the woman’s neck. After a few seconds, he released her. Almost instantly, the woman spasmed and fell to the ground, her body writhing as she moaned. 

Then, his tail moved and swallowed the woman in one gulp.

The dragoness’s eyebrow twitched, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

After five minutes, he spat her back out and asked her with a smile. “Is it better to call more people? Or is it better not to call more? If you answer, I’ll let you inside again.” 

“T-The more people, the worse the rewards. There are trials with people facing each other, so a small number is better.” 

The Charm Snake Demon smiled widely. “Good. That’s why I like you.” Then, he stood up and swallowed the woman back into his tail. 

The dragoness could see a mix of expectation and despair on the poor woman’s flushed face. Clearly, her mind and body were reacting very differently. 

The dragoness sighed and looked at the interaction with some pity. Then, she decided to follow behind the group and through the large stone doors.

BANG!

Once Yasenia walked inside, the doors closed behind her. Her face changed, and she quickly used her Celestial Intent Domain to hide her presence and move to the side, holding her breath.  

Chapter 1299. Star River Rose.

By the time Yasenia approached the middle of the island, she had managed to collect a large mountain of herbs, minerals, and other treasures. Using just and fair methods when dividing loot, Yasenia took around seventy percent of what she found, leaving the rest for the sect. 

Even then, thanks to her dragon nature, that thirty percent was much more abundant than the entire haul of many cultivators trying their best. 

When Yasenia approached the center, she became cautious. The scent of the treasure was getting stronger, but simultaneously, her danger senses were starting to warn her of her surroundings. 

“Hm… A 50,000-year-old Star River Rose… That’s a peak-level Transcendence Realm treasure, and you can make powerful pills with it. But…” The gorgeous white rose proudly grew in the middle of a clearing inside the jungle. The white petals were opened, and a milky white liquid flowed from the petals, creating a small pool around it. This liquid glittered with lights and smelled heavenly. Yasenia knew, though, that this liquid was the stomach acid of the rose.

This rose’s true form was below the pool. The beautiful white rose in the middle was nothing but bait, while powerful roots and sharp-toothed mouths hid in the liquid, ready to strike anyone who dared take a sip of it.

Of course, for the bait to be successful, the rose’s liquid was damaging but with miraculous effects for the body. For a spiritual cultivator, the liquid was able to increase the bodily strength permanently, as long as they managed to resist the corrosiveness of the liquid.

“Is that the treasure I was sniffing out?” Yasenia took off the veil from her face and sniffed the air, her eyes closing as she sank deeply into her treasure-sensing receptors. In truth, the “treasure sensing” ability came from a dragon’s ability to distinguish and pinpoint locations or items with a high concentration of natural heavenly energy.   

After a few minutes of treasure sensing, Yasenia looked somewhat surprised. “It’s not this rose. Is there something better on this island than the Star River Rose?” After thinking, she muttered. “I first need to collect this one. I can gather the other treasure later. I can’t sense any other people nearby, after all.”

The first obstacle when collecting the rose was the guardian beast. Almost all powerful treasures in nature had a guardian beast. Not because they came with one, but because of the benefits that the beast in charge of it got from it. In short, powerful herbs and trees grew beasts to protect them from predators, creating a symbiotic relationship. 

How to hunt this beast without hurting the rose was the biggest headache. Or, at least, it would’ve been for a normal cultivator. 

Yasenia strutted forward, relaxed and full of confidence. Yasenia reached into it when she came close to the white pool surrounding the knee-high rose. This triggered the spiritual herb to act. 

Crystalline vines shot from the milky white water, latching around Yasenia’s arms, ready to drag her into the pool. However, while it was almost a Supreme Level plant, its strength was only comparable to a Second Level Transcendence Realm cultivator. 

So, Yasenia tensed her muscles and body, becoming an immovable rock. ‘The guardian beasts don’t appear from the beginning. Some allow others to approach so that the herb they are protecting can eat and grow stronger. Since the Star River Rose has a powerful offense, the Guardian Beast will naturally not act straight away.’

Looking at the transparent, crystalline vines around her left arm, Yasenia pulled toward herself. This was to show the rose that it had no chance of eating her. Once the rose noticed its predicament, it created a strange humming sound around it. The hum was low and almost impossible to catch through normal hearing. 

Yasenia’s ears were anything but normal, though. A faint frown appeared on her face. “Ugh. Such an annoying buzz. It’s like having a bee flapping its wings right by my ear.” 

While complaining, she felt something sneaking up from behind her and lurching forward with incredible speed and precision. This creature’s body was furry and white in color. Nevertheless, Yasenia could swear that there had not been such a beast nearby before it lunged. ‘Camouflage? That’s a surprise. I guess the strange danger sense I was feeling was due to this beast watching me all this time.’

The white panther, around three meters in height, swiped its claw at Yasenia.

“[Celestial Intent Domain].”

From the rose’s perspective, Yasenia and the large cat suddenly disappeared. While it was a plant, its spiritual intelligence was slightly developed. After all, from transcendence onward, all living beings had a chance to develop spiritual intelligence.

It used its spiritual sense to look around, trying to sense them. Nevertheless, it found nothing. Even when it continued to strain its senses and try to sense something, there was not a single trace of the two creatures. 

After a few minutes, strange fluctuations rippled 100 kilometers above it. The rose quickly looked up, only to feel as if the sunlight seemed to have disappeared. 

Looking up, it saw a giant white panther falling from the sky. Its body was several times larger than before, reaching almost three kilometers in height and twelve in length if you took the tail into account. 

Unlike before, the panther’s body was riddled with giant gashes, and the neck barely connected to the rest of the body. Its powerful soul had already dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a husk. 

The rose panicked, and hundreds of crystalline vines shot skyward with the intent of catching the body falling towards it. It would be a disaster if that giant body fell on top of itself. The rose’s main body was extremely fragile, after all. 

Still, while the panther was large, it didn’t really explain why the sky had darkened so much. The panther was not that big, after all. 

Right then, an ethereal and powerful voice spread all around. 

“Relax, pretty flower.”

A claw descended from the sky, large enough to comfortably catch the mountain-sized panther’s body. Seeing the golden dragon claw grasping the enormous carcass, the rose was stunned.  

When it looked beyond the giant panther, it realized what “giant” truly meant. It also understood why the Sun suddenly disappeared. 

A gargantuan dragon that blotted out the entire sky was flapping its giant wings right above it. Its size was so large that even a mountain-sized panther looked like a newborn kitty in front of an adult beast. 

After a flash of celestial light, both things disappeared, and Yasenia descended comfortably from the sky with a few superficial scratches on her body. Nothing that didn’t heal in the few breaths that took her to land in front of the rose. 

“Now,” Yasenia, now in her human form, smiled at the rose. “Will you come into my spatial ring of your own volition, or do I have to uproot you by force?”

The rose showed meekness and even stretched a few vines towards Yasenia to pander to her. The dragoness chuckled. “Great choice. But first, let me bathe in your lake.”

The dragoness took off all her clothes and gently lowered her naked body inside. 

First, the white fluid slowly hid her fair feet, their perfect form and rounded toes quickly disappearing inside. The white liquid continued up, covering her rounded calves and then reaching her luscious thighs. Their curved shape and softness were heart-pounding, luring one to want to hug them. 

As the liquid continued up, it reached Yasenia’s special place, covering her imposing dragon and plump lower lips. The tingly sensation made Yasenia moan a sigh in comfort. 

Not stopping for a second, Yasenia submerged her rounded and curvy butt. The white, supple roundness was ripe for grabbing them tightly and sinking your fingers inside. After a few moments, her generous behind was submerged together with the long, thick, and beautiful dragon tail. 

As the water level reached her faintly protruding navel due to the pregnancy, Yasenia released another comfortable sigh. The sensation of her body getting nourished was truly phenomenal. ‘I hope baby can also absorb a part of mommy’s energy~.’ 

She continued with a smile etched on her lips as her most prominent curves sank into the milky waters. Her breasts parted the liquid with a soft ripple, their full weight and roundness rising proudly above the surface. At their peaks, the blossom-pink tips crowned them like delicate petals, accentuating both their perfection and perkiness.

Finally, after passing her beautiful collarbone and slender neck, Yasenia submerged her face and long, floating hair into the acidic liquid.

The rose was confused. Why would this powerful creature become its food willingly? Nevertheless, since it was now in what was essentially its belly, the rose used its energy to increase the acidity of the white fluid to its maximum potency. A normal Transcendence Realm cultivator wouldn’t even last a few seconds inside the pool of white water.

Yasenia showed no signs of discomfort, though. On the contrary, her face was even more pleasant than before. Closing her eyes and entering a meditative state, Yasenia began cultivating and absorbing the potent medicinal effects of the rose.

Why could Yasenia resist this powerful substance? The reason was simple, really. Yasenia’s body cultivation technique, [Celestial Cosmos Immortal Body Technique], had the [Celestial Cosmos Body Refinement] skill. 

This was the skill that allowed Yasenia to take those medicinal baths to refine her physical body, soul, and even her energy. Those baths were one of the most influential reasons for the unreasonable bodily strength and physique of our dragoness. 

Having been refined by them, her ability to withstand this type of plant-based digestive substance was top-notch. 

In summary, thanks to the refinement, Yasenia’s flesh, bones, and organs were ridiculously tough to digest. In contrast, once digested, it would probably be one of the most nutritious supplements one could take at the same level. 

A dragon’s body was a treasure, and Yasenia followed that mantra and then elevated it to new heights. If people knew how truly valuable Yasenia’s body was, she would be unable to live in peace ever again.

While the rose confusedly looked at the dragon woman peacefully cultivating inside its digestive fluids, it noticed a relatively weak Sixth Realm beast approaching. Not convinced, it threw its vines to wrap around that beast and dragged it into its fluids.

The beast thrashed around, but it didn’t even have an Intent Domain. Therefore, it fell inside without a single chance of resistance. 

“GRAAAHH!!”

The beast writhed crazily as its body instantly began decomposing. It didn’t take longer than five seconds before its struggles weakened, and it died soon after being consumed by the max-potency fluids of the rose.

The rose was not happy, though. It was horrified. 

Looking at the clearly comfortable dragon woman enjoying its digestive fluids as if they were bathwater, the rose wanted to cry and ask for forgiveness. It swore to never go against this stupidly powerful dragon in its entire life!    

Yasenia kept cultivating for an entire month before she opened her eyes and felt no more improvement. ‘Wow… Truly nutritious. This cultivation session felt like 2 years of straight cultivation. How long has it been?’ 

After surfacing and putting on her purple-gold dress, Yasenia took out something that counted the days. “Thirty-three days! I made the same progress in two years in just a month. That’s great.”  

If before Yasenia was at around 70% of the first level in all her paths, now she was nearing 85%. “I will store you now, Star River Rose.”

The rose didn’t even say a peep and allowed Yasenia to store it away. With a wave of our dragoness’s hand, the entire lake around the rose and its underground roots disappeared, leaving behind a large void. 

“This rose will probably be useless after a while… Should I leave it in the Star Immortal Sect? If they use it correctly, it can lay the foundation for powerful generations of cultivators…” 

These types of treasures were the ones that sects were looking for in the secret realm. Now, whether Yasenia would give it to them or not was another matter altogether. After all, she could use it for low-level cultivators in a future power she created.  

“Hm… I’ll think about it later. For now, let’s help it grow further inside my Five Realm Spatial Ring.”

Yasenia, feeling refreshed from having gained some more strength, took a deep breath before following her nose to find the next treasure.  

Chapter 510. Skyflower and Liu Shu. [AotSC]

Liu Shu first scouted the nearby shores of the Abyssal Void Nexus. There were locations with ports and others that were common beaches. There were also cliffs, prime locations for Liu Shu to sink her roots into the continent without being noticed.

‘What should I do?’ Liu Shu asked herself. ‘I want to enter without being noticed. But at the same time, I want to infiltrate their cities and learn about them.’ 

While Liu Shu was very sure that their culture was incompatible with her own, she wanted to know them so that she could attack them where it hurt. ‘If I know what they find important, perhaps I can use political tricks to hinder their society. Humans, while extremely cunning, are also strangely empathetic. There will be humans who give up their human heritage and people just to protect creatures who they think are in the right.’ 

Liu Shu didn’t mean to attribute this as a faulty characteristic of humans. After all, Liu Shu herself was someone who protected all types of races with her own strength and body. Nevertheless, she never lost her focus when doing it. Hyperfocusing on some of that protectiveness might lead you to ignore or even fail to see that you are doing the same to others in order to protect one side. 

“Balance…” Liu Shu muttered. “As long as they adapt, there must always be balance.”

Thinking away from those matters, Liu Shu slowly approached one of the coastal cities. ‘Hm… There are no Runic Fields or Arrays. Strange.’

When Liu Shu’s roots were about to enter the city, Liu Shu felt someone poke her from the side. The presence of this creature was vast and powerful, not much worse than her own. 

Looking over, Liu Shu noticed roots from an unknown being. “Um… Hello?”

“Hello, Heavenly Willow. We finally meet.”

Liu Shu was impressed by this being’s voice. It was gentle but inexplicably airy, as if the female voice came from somewhere far away, yet close enough to hear it. Such a mysterious yet beautiful voice distracted Liu Shu for a bit. “Um… Who are you?” 

Not knowing how to respond to that sentence, Liu Shu could only ask back. Nevertheless, she had some guesses in her mind of who this being was. 

The being on the other side chuckled. “I go by many names. But since you probably don’t want to hear them all, how about you call me simply… Skyflower?” 

“Whoa!” Liu Shu exclaimed. “So you are Skyflower! Why are you so close to the Abyss’s Continent? Weren’t you far away because of some treaties or something? Also, I’ve heard that you are the oldest World Tree in the world! How old are you? Also, also, also—” 

“Wait, wait.” Skyflower laughed, her tone gentle and soothing. “Don’t ask so many questions at once. Since we’ve met, I won’t naturally shy away from answering what I can. Let’s take our time, alright? No need to rush everything.”  

“Ah…” Liu Shu answered a bit shyly. “O-Okay.”

She was carried away and began bombarding the other side. “Then… Then… Let’s start with the most important!”

Skyflower asked back with a faint smile in her tone. “Which is?”

Liu Shu blurted. “Will Big Sister become part of my domain? I promise to treat you suuuuper well!” Liu Shu paused. “Well, as well as I do the other Big Sisters! No preferential treatment for those equally talented!”

Skyflower paused before laughing. “That’s the most important? I thought you would ask other things.”

“Tsk, tsk. Big Sister Skyflower doesn’t understand!” Liu Shu ‘taught’ Skyflower. “If you become part of my domain, won’t we be able to talk about anything later? It’s a strategy! A strategy!”

Skyflower answered back, amused. “How will this strategy work if you say it to me, then?”

“Easy! Once you become part of my domain, I’ll tell you!”

“Hahaha.” 

Skyflower showed no hints of anger at Liu Shu’s “rude” words. On the contrary, she seemed very fond of Liu Shu when she spoke. “We can talk about this later, okay? Now, I reached out to tell you something. Can you listen to me, Heavenly Willow?”

“No!” Liu Shu snorted. 

Skyflower was startled. “Huh? Why?”

“If you keep calling me Heavenly Willow, I’ll smack your roots! Ugh… Just hearing it makes my roots shrink…” 

Skyflower asked, somewhat curious. “Oh? You don’t like the title? It sounds quite grand and beautiful, does it not?”

“I don’t care if it is the most beautiful title in the world! My name is Tianlian Liu Shu, and so that is what those whom I care about will call me! As for the rest… Well, them calling me that way is the same as farting!”

Skyflower hummed, interested. “I see. Then, Liu Shu, will you let Big Sister Skyflower speak some words with you?”

“Of course!”

After Liu Shu answered cheerfully, Skyflower started speaking softly. “I can see that you are trying to attack the Abyssal Void Nexus. Am I right?”

“Yeah!” Said Liu Shu proudly. “With my current strength, I can cause severe damage to them!”

Skyflower hummed. “I don’t doubt that. Still, do you know how many <Fourth Energy Cycles> there are in their continent?” 

Liu Shu hummed. “I don’t know… Fifty? Sixty?”

Liu Shu generously guessed a high number. After all, if the Nexus could fight all other powers, their <Fourth Energy Cycle> numbers must’ve been high enough to do so.

”Wrong.” Skyflower retorted gently. “There are 214 Fourth Energy Cycles.” 

“Two… hundred?” Liu Shu was startled. It didn’t matter how strong she was. If the other side besieged her with over 200 <Fourth Energy Cycles>, she would be in trouble.

“That’s right. Will you continue your plans knowing that there are so many of them?”

Our World Tree hummed. “I will, yeah.” She reviewed her skills and whether the <World Tree Calling> continued to be as powerful as in the past. She was confident in facing an army of 200 <Fourth Energy Cycles>. After all, if she could summon 50 <Fourth Energy Cycle> serpents, fighting them would be easy. 

Liu Shu’s strength was comparable to the armies of the same Energy Cycle, not individuals. Therefore, even if the enemy had many more than she had anticipated, it just changed the difficulty from an easy conquest to a slightly inconvenient problem.  

That answer naturally startled Skflower. She had thought that Liu Shu was unaware of the other party’s strength. Therefore, once she knew, Liu Shu would feel a bit lost. 

In truth, Skyflower had not come to stop Liu Shu. She wanted to help her plan out a proper invasion plan against the Abyssal Void Nexus so that they could uproot them and leave no chance of recovery behind. ‘Once Liu Shu is successful, the upper echelons will finally be able to move.’

Curious and, honestly, skeptical, Skyflower spoke to our World Tree. “Liu Shu… I don’t want to underestimate your strength. Nevertheless, 200 <Fourth Energy Cycles> is not a joking matter. Unlike <Third Energy Cycles>, powerhouses in the fourth cycle can fly and therefore use very different tactics. A comparison would be you facing alone 20,000 Third Energy Cycles during your Third Energy Cycle days.

Liu Shu heard that and chuckled. “Oh… Then it's not a problem at all! I’ve faced larger armies!”   

Skyflower was confused. “Wasn’t that with the help of the armies of your territory?” 

“Well… They helped. I won’t deny it. Nevertheless, I did most of the heavy lifting.”

During the final war in the Wild Continent, Liu Shu had help from her allies. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that Liu Shu was incapable of fighting that war on her own. She destroyed their artillery, she destroyed their highest-level command, and she also made sure that lower-level creatures were incapable of using number advantage. 

If Liu Shu were not a World Tree defending a territory and trying hard to avoid bringing even the slightest bit of danger to her citizens, she could’ve trapped the enemy armies in one conquered city and completely razed them to the ground with her <Lignified> structures.

Moreover, from the beginning to the end, Liu Shu never participated with her main body. You must understand that Liu Shu’s main body was not only 30% more powerful than her <Soulseed>. Her main body was incomparable, be it in offensive, defensive, or even regenerative powers.

So, Liu Shu was not being arrogant when she said that she could take 200 <Fourth Energy Cycles>. Still, she clarified. “Oh, don’t misunderstand me, Skyflower. I can’t attack and kill them all. But if they dare come attack my main body, they won’t be returning.” 

Skyflower was startled. She had thoroughly underestimated Liu Shu, even when she thought that she was taking her in high regard. Poor Skyflower didn’t know that what happened to her was what had happened to all armies attacking Liu Shu. 

They thought they knew her limits; they even prepared for “worst-case scenarios.” Nevertheless, fighting Liu Shu was not the “worst-case scenario.” It was the “nightmare-case scenario.”   

“Um…” Skyflower was a bit at a loss for words for a moment. This was something that had not happened to her ever in her life. Ever since she was young, she had been a relatively talented World Tree. She grew quickly, and she was given important missions. She was even scouted by a power that came from beyond the Ceperet World to act as its guardian and, if possible, become the True World Tree.

At first, Skyflower fought for that position. Her roots spread and gained terrain, and her strength quickly reached the limits of the world. Nevertheless, even with her powerful aerial and land capabilities, she came up short in the end.

The Abyssal Void Nexus had powerful people on its side as well. Their corruption methods are incredibly effective. With her Completion rate for the <Fourth Energy Cycle> having reached 88%, Skyflower was unable to deploy all her strength far away from her main body.

So, they entered a stalemate. After more than a thousand years of war, Skyflower understood that she was not meant to conquer the Ceperet World. She was not meant to become the True World Tree. 

Somewhat guilty of all the lives she had taken, World Trees, Life Trees, Humans, Sylvans, and Beastkin alike, Skyflower decided to retreat and give way to new life. 

If, in the future, she needed to pass the mantle to a more powerful World Tree, she would, even if it meant her destruction. 

‘As long as this world gets rid of corruption and has a World Tree reigning, I don’t mind becoming the stepping stone that will elevate that World Tree to those heights.’

So, for the next few thousand years, Skyflower helped a total of three World Trees grow to Level 99. The first one she helped was Azure Rose. She noticed her peculiar abilities and high tier, and she ordered her secret legions to protect and nurture her. 

Nevertheless, Azure Rose failed at the end as well. 

The next World Tree she nurtured was Celestial Lotus. 

Similar events happened, and this time, the Abyssal Void Nexus was able to hold her back much more. Moreover, Azure Rose was not convinced, and she also came in the way of Celestial Lotus many times. 

Eventually, the world was divided into four groups from the initial four.

The final World Tree that Skyflower nurtured was Pelagia, the underwater World Tree. She was actually in the process of nurturing it. In Skyflower’s opinion, if Pelagia could take over the entirety of the oceans, its strength would grow more than large enough to swallow the continents.

‘Only Warlya became a completely natural Fourth Energy Cycle World Tree. Sadly, she was like a shooting star. Bright, powerful, and shining stronger than anyone else in the sky. Yet, her presence was ephemeral as an equally significant evil managed to dim her light.’

Humanoid Ant Queens, creatures comparable to World Trees in strength. 

‘Now, here is an even brighter star. Is she the one that the senior spoke to me about three thousand years ago? Perhaps… prophecies are so unreliable. But with Liu Shu, I am willing to bet. Sorry, little Pelagia. You have great potential, but compared to the World Tree in front of me… You are severely lacking.’ 

“Tell me, Liu Shu. Do you intend to become the True World Tree?”

Chapter 1298. First Few Days In The Seven Broken Stars Secret Realm.

Yasenia looked around as she flew, her gaze and spiritual sense covering hundreds of kilometers around her. The Secret Realm was peculiar, something Yasenia had never really experienced. Instead of being one piece of land, it was one giant ocean world with islands, large beaches, and most likely underwater caves to explore.

While she flew, her large dragon wings moving her body forward, the dragoness was thoughtful. “No wonder there are still many secrets. Oceans are difficult to explore. It is like being in space, but the viscosity and pressure of the water could be quite annoying compared to the vacuum of space. Moreover, spreading spiritual sense is more difficult. After all, water acts as an obstacle, unlike space.” 

While she flew around one kilometer above the surface, her spiritual sense could spread to a depth of nearly 100,000 meters. Even then, she could rarely see the bottom of the ocean unless she was near islands.

‘These oceans are probably the deepest I’ve ever seen… Well, I don’t know how deep Blue Pearl World’s oceans are.’

As she pondered, she felt a giant shadow shoot from the depths, swimming up and jumping from the water with its giant maw wide open. Yasenia stopped where she was, her flight manipulation far surpassing what the creature that jumped had calculated. 

The dragoness observed as the fish, larger than average mountains, chomped nothing while its eye looked at her. 

“That’s… An interesting way to catch prey.” Yasenia observed, her eyes full of curiosity. 

As the fish fell down, waves and columns of water shot skyward, much smaller than one would think. It felt as if its body was made to not create splashes when falling back down into the water. 

“Strangely, the beasts of this place don’t follow the rules entirely… That fish was a Second Level Mythical Core Realm Beast. I wonder if there are stronger creatures?”

Seeing the shadow dive deep down, far beyond her sensing range, Yasenia pondered what to do. ‘Should I fly higher or lower?’ 

While she thought, she caught a few presences flying far behind her. Her straight eyebrows gathered in a faint frown, and she quickly changed locations, getting out of their general direction. 

Nevertheless, when she did so, those people also changed directions toward her. This made Yasenia’s frowning face transform into a cold and murderous one. 

Two people approached her from a distance, a man and a woman. The man looked handsome and muscular, his body naturally perfected due to the Transcendence Realm transformation. The woman was similarly incomparable to any mortal beauty, possessing black hair and dark eyes that sucked you in. Nevertheless, she was many levels below Yasenia’s looks. 

The man spoke with a smile. “Fellow Immortal, we’ve felt the aura of a powerful creature in this direction. Could you tell us what happened?”

Yasenia looked at them indifferently and answered with two words. “No. Leave.”

The woman’s beautiful, curved eyebrows furrowed. “Rudeness will gain you enemies, fellow Immortal. You shouldn’t be too cold-hearted.” 

Yasenia’s lips arched in a mocking sneer. “I will be rude towards those who smell like they’ve bathed in dragon blood. Now, leave. I am not someone you can hunt, and I don’t want to lose any time.” 

The amicable man and woman turned cold instantly and took out their weapons. “Since you can’t understand your position, you shouldn’t speak. [Dragon Pierce]!”

His spear manifested and shone with ridiculous spiritual energies. Yasenia could feel a strange, suppressing strength coming out of it. Nevertheless, it didn’t affect her. Looking at the incoming spear, Yasenia could tell that these two were suppressed cultivators. Clearly, they were someone with at least fourth or fifth level Transcendence Realm strength.

Seeing Yasenia not react with her body while her eyes followed the approaching spear, both of them had different reactions. The man became confident, thinking that the suppression had worked. So, mounting on that confidence, he placed more momentum behind the spear thrust. 

Meanwhile, the woman noticed the odd calmness emanating from Yasenia’s very core. This dragon woman’s eyes easily followed the attack’s trajectory, and her energy didn’t seem affected by the suppression. “Brother Hao, be careful!”

It was too late, though.

Yasenia activated Cosmic Air from her Grand Cosmos Martial art sequence, her body and energy easily deflecting the spear thrust to her side. Then, she took a step forward, her body appearing so close to the man that he could almost feel her breath. “[Seven Cosmos Martial Smite].”

Body Energy gathered around her body, enhanced by her other three paths, and enveloped her right arm. Then, as the other side lunged forward from the spear’s momentum, Yasenia’s fist flashed forward like a meteor, striking right into his stomach. 

BOOM!!

The shockwave from the impact created a depression in the ocean below them. But that was not the end of it. As if the punch she had released had multiplied, six more identical strikes exploded against his body. 

A total of seven of Yasenia’s punches landed on his stomach before he even had time to start flying backward. By the time his body absorbed all the impact, his internal organs had ruptured, and his stomach’s muscles were pierced and leaking blood everywhere. 

Then, the forces acted, and he transformed into a streak of light. 

The woman’s eyes turned wide. “W-What was that?”

“That was me venting my annoyance. That attack should’ve shattered all his internal organs.” Yasenia’s voice came from behind her, prompting the woman to quickly unleash her sword and turn around.

Sadly, her arms were quickly entangled by Yasenia’s extremely long dragon tail. Then, Yasenia grabbed her by the hair with her left hand. “Dragon Hunters… You all smell horribly. Have you become so comfortable hunting us that you’ve forgotten to clean yourself of the remnants that our species leaves behind when dying?”  

The woman’s eyes quivered as she muttered with fear. “P-Please, mercy. We wouldn’t have attacked if you didn’t reveal our identities!”

Yasenia sniffed her neck as her left hand released her hair. Then, she looked coldly at her, not a hint of mercy in her draconic eyes. “You stink. You smell of lies and deceit.” Then, she punched her face.

BANG!

The woman’s head whiplashed backward, and when it came back forward, Yasenia punched her again.

BANG!

And again. 

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The shockwaves of each punch spread around until one of the punches finally shattered her face and dug into her skull. 

Seeing her current state, Yasenia snorted and threw the woman sideways. “Disgusting.”

“Now. I should kill you both. Right?” Her spiritual sense stretched and picked up the two people, placing them above the water.

The man came to himself, recovering his consciousness much quicker than the woman. 

“Stay still if you don’t want your woman being killed.”

The man snapped out of his daze and quickly checked his surroundings. “Y-You!” Seeing the woman’s state, he snarled angrily. “Do you know who we are!? If you dare kill us, you will be marked by our sect! I dare you to try and finish us off! Either you ask for forgiveness, or you flee for eternity from us once we are outside!”

Yasenia chuckled. “That’s very interesting. I was guessing that you would have something like that, so I didn’t finish you two off straight away. This confirmation is delightful and a warning for my future actions!” 

The man snorted, hiding the pained grunt that his ruptured organs forced out. “Since you know that, let us go right this instant.”

The dragoness's smile turned cold. “That would be something you’ll have to ask the fish. Fish Food should ask the fish to let them go.”

A shadow launched from the bottom of the ocean, opening its maws wide and surrounding both of them. His face changed from arrogant to fearful as Yasenia’s smirking face disappeared beyond the maws of the giant fish. 

CHOMP!

Yasenia observed as the fish fell back down to the water again and swam into the depths of the ocean. “Getting their treasures would be nice. But I really can’t risk getting hunted in this Heavenly Layer.” She sighed ruefully. “Well, Mom always said that excessive greed killed the dragon. I need to rein it in now that I don’t have my dears to hold me back.”

Looking around one last time, Yasenia flapped her wings and left the place, going deeper into the Secret Realm. “From what I understand, this is a planar Secret Realm. Meaning, everything is a flat terrain that stretches indefinitely from the entrance point.” Now that she was in the Sixth Realm, she would soon be able to create her own Secret Realms as well. Inside her ring, Yasenia had plenty of information written by Tatyana, Valeria, and Mirrory. 

“They told me to only check it after I become a mid-level Sixth Realm. Meaning, when I reach the Fourth Stage. So, I will leave that aside for now.” 

Her nose suddenly twitched when she approached an island in the distance, and her eyes shone. “Oh, there should be a few treasures on that island.” 

Her flight path changed, landing on the shores of the giant island. “While I call it an island, it is really as large as an average continent in a spherical rocky world—a few thousand kilometers across.”

She took a step forward with a smile. “Time to explo—”

Whoosh! 

Yasenia quickly jumped backward as a circular mouth full of sharp teeth chomped the place where she stood before. Her eyebrows twitched. “Really, you can’t relax your guard even for a second when exploring these places. [Celestial Sunder].” 

Draheart shone with gorgeous energies, slicing the creature in half with a single sword strike. Looking at the monster that attacked her, Yasenia was unsure as to what it was. “Worm? No… Sea cucumber? Hm… Whatever, I’ll store it and see if I can make a dish out of it. It looks a bit chewy, though. I should find a way to make the meat more tender and also wash off some of that slimy liquid.”

After storing the new ingredient, Yasenia walked through the shore and into the jungle. “Quite a large beach; I wonder why it is so large? Although if monsters like the one I killed live there, I guess it makes sense.”

Looking around and sniffing the air, Yasenia prepared an extra spatial ring on her middle finger. This ring would be given to the sect later. “For now, let’s fill it with medical herbs, blacksmithing materials, and perhaps good wood and other items I find.”

So, while moving through the jungle, Yasenia ignored all mortal beasts and focused on collecting herbs that had grown here for who knows how long. She didn’t really look at what she harvested unless it was a plant that needed special attention. “One for me… one for the sect… two for me… three for me… one for the sect… four for me…” 

The way she divided it was a bit uneven, just a tad bit. Nevertheless, having accompanied Kali for many years as her assistant in alchemy, she also had learned techniques to pick spiritual herbs without damaging them. So, she was efficient. This made it so that, even with her completely fair way of “dividing” the spoils, there were more than plenty of treasures for the sect.  

With no obstacles in her way, Yasenia moved deeper into the island in the direction of the treasure she smelled, of course.

Chapter 509. Getting To Know Pelagia. [AotSC]

Two days later, Liu Shu complained to herself. “Surrounding that big sister was truly a hassle. Why is her domain so big? Each time I thought I reached the edge of the domain, there she was. ‘That’s my domain.’ ‘That’s my domain.’ Mememe, mineminemine.”

“... I can hear you.”

Liu Shu snapped at her. “I know you can! That's why I am saying it! You are eventually going to become part of my domain. Why are you being so stubborn!? You’ll be nicknamed Silly Big Sister in the future! Hmph!” 

The other World Tree was speechless. ‘Still, isn’t this World Tree’s expanding speed too fast?’ 

While she had covered a large part of the ocean, she had done it over many thousands of years. Compared to land World Trees, she was somewhat slower than the average. Nevertheless, consistency and constant effort placed her as the World Tree that covered most of the planet’s surface. 

The World Tree felt Liu Shu’s roots poke at another location of her domain, far away from where she previously touched, and then heard Liu Shu scream. “AH! EVEN HERE!? WHY ARE YOU IN THE PASS BETWEEN ISLANDS!? NOW I NEED TO CIRCLE THEM AS WELL! AHHHH! I’LL FIGHT YOU, I SWEAR! I WILL FIGHT YOU IF YOU KEEP STOPPING ME!”

Feeling Liu Shu thrash the place with her roots, creating small quakes that shook the underwater sea floor, the World Tree felt a bit of nervousness. ‘She is actually quite strong, isn’t she?’ 

She also didn’t want to fight, so she checked the location where Liu Shu was poking around. ‘Oh?’

That was on the edge of her domain, and if Liu Shu went between those islands and then straight, she would find the Abyssal Void Nexus’s continent. With a curious gaze, the World Tree spoke.

“I’ll let you pass between those islands, okay? It’s at the edge of my territory either way.”

Liu Shu’s voice reached her, excited and happy. “Really!? Thank you, Big Sister! When I assimilate you, I won’t call you Silly Big Sister anymore! I’ll call you… Stubborn Big Sister!”

The World Tree almost smacked the young World Tree. “Respect your elders! Even if you are strong, older World Trees can create larger shades!” 

“Hehe. I am the tallest, so you are wrong!”

“Oh?” The World Tree asked, curious. “How tall are you? I heard that the tallest was Verdant Skyflower. The top of her canopy reaches almost 3000 meters in height.” 

“Huh?” Liu Shu exclaimed, confused. 

Thinking that she was surprised due to her height, the World Tree chuckled. “See? You can’t be arrogant—”

“Why is she so little?”

“Eh?”

“What?” Liu Shu asked back and snorted. “Also, tell me your name! I can’t continue referring to you as Stubborn Big Sister, right?”

The World Tree spoke with a sigh. “I go by many names. Some—”

Liu Shu interrupted, already knowing the barrage of titles and names that was coming. “Ah. Stop. Stop. Get to the point. The name that appears in the system! That’s the one I want!”

The World Tree felt a bit awkward at being interrupted from her grandiose introduction. Nevertheless, she gave it to Liu Shu. After all, even she was getting a bit annoyed at the nicknames that Liu Shu was giving her. “My name is Pelagia Tidemother. You can call me Pelagia.” 

Liu Shu exclaimed. “That’s a beautiful name! I am Tianlian Liu Shu. Hehe.” She then hummed, thoughtful. “Pelagia means ‘of the sea’, right? The tide mother of the sea… Wow~. Big Sister, your name is so pretty! Did you think of it by yourself?”

“No.” Pelagia sounded lighter, clearly pleased that Liu Shu liked her name. “Verdant Skyflower gave it to me when she discovered me. You see, I was growing between the Abyssal Void Nexus continent and the main continent of the Verdant Sanctity Covenant. While expanding, she encountered me, and she gave me that name.”

“Skyflower…” Liu Shu hummed. “She is so mysterious. All books call her the strongest being in the world. I am just confused as to why she never attacked the Abyssal Void Nexus herself.” 

“Well. That’s for you to discover.” 

Liu Shu snorted. “You are acting like the silly system. Always so mysterious and wording things in a roundabout way. I am here for information, not riddles!”

“...”

[...]

Ignoring their reaction, Liu Shu’s roots pushed between the two islands, destroying whatever the roots of the other World Tree were in her way. This patch of surface was too small to matter, even if destroyed. 

Still, as Liu Shu advanced at ridiculous speed, Pelagia looked on with astonishment and a bit of pain. She didn’t expect Liu Shu to be so strong that she could snap her roots like broken branches. 

As Liu Shu advanced as if Pelagia were not there, the maritime World Tree became apprehensive. ‘If that’s her strength when just advancing casually… How strong can she become when being hostile?’ 

Powerlessness filled her for a second, somehow understanding that if Liu Shu wanted to destroy her, she might not have a single chance of fighting back. 

“Great! Now, straight aheaddd!” 

Pelagia felt a strange urge and spoke up. “Um. Tianlian Liu Shu.”

“Yeah?”

“Ahead of you, there is the Abyssal Void Nexus’ Continent. I wouldn’t recommend spreading that way.”

Hearing those words, Liu Shu exclaimed. “Whoa! Really!? Jackpot! To think that the first continent I found would be the one I wanted to find the most.” 

Pelagia was confused about this. “How come? Aren’t you fearful of them?”

“Fear?” Liu Shu got thoughtful, her roots never stopping. “Hm… I won’t be arrogant and say that I don’t feel anything. Is it fear? I don’t think so. The feeling is more similar to wariness.” 

Our World Tree commented, her tone mature and gentle compared to before. “I understand that this world’s truths are much more complicated than I think they are. Why haven’t you or any of the other World Trees ever tried to fight among each other? I don’t believe that your instincts are silent. They must be shouting at you to dominate the entire world. Or, why wouldn’t all three World Trees spread their roots and attack the Void Nexus from three different fronts? Together, they are more than strong enough to deal with the Nexus Threat.”

Liu Shu always felt something amiss. The balance of the world was too… artificial. A Level 99 World Tree’s strength was too high. Before, she didn’t understand to what extent. Now that she had reached her current heights, she understood. “Even if the World Trees have half my stats, I can think of a thousand ways to defeat the Abyssal Void Nexus. Only if their stats are a third of my own would I start being apprehensive. And, from what I know, that’s not the case. Skyflower and the others are not weak Level 99 World Trees.” 

Pelagia hummed, her gaze thoughtful. “I guess you will know soon. After all, Skyflower’s roots are near this area. If you continue expanding that way, you will soon come into contact with her.”

“Oh, really? I can’t wait to meet Big Sister Skyflower!” 

After speaking with Liu Shu, Pelagia couldn’t feel the maliciousness that she had previously thought Liu Shu would have. After all, as a World Tree that has conquered a continent, she must’ve annihilated a large amount of Life and World Trees. But there was not a single ounce of that murderous feeling someone like that would give off in Liu Shu’s gentle and soothing aura. 

“Um… Tianlian Liu Shu.”

“Anything else, Big Sister Pelagia?”

“Yes…” The World Tree hesitated and asked. “Why do you call me and other World Trees big sisters?”

Liu Shu paused for a second before chuckling. “I thought you would ask something important due to your solemn tone.” Then, she explained softly. “I call all of you big sisters because I want to be your little sister. Someone that you want to take care of, but someone who would support you through your toughest times. I don’t want you to feel inferior to me, but I want you to understand that, like with family, I am the little sister who will help you when needed.”

“Help?” Pelagia laughed bleakly. “What help can you give? Uprooting us quickly so that we don’t feel it? World Trees can’t live together. That’s nature, Tianlian Liu Shu.”

“Hm? But you can with me.”

“Eh?”

Our Liu Shu chuckled and spoke softly. “When I say assimilate, Pelagia, I do not mean swallowing you. I mean coexistence. I will spread my roots into your domain, and you will spread your roots into mine. It’s that simple. Only, I will be the owner of the domain because… I am the best! Hehehe.” 

Pelagia was stunned at Liu Shu’s words. “How is that possible? Coexistence between World Trees is impossible! Even in other wo—ahem, words… two World Trees can’t share the same lands.” 

“How do Azure and the others do it then?” Liu Shu asked, curious. “I know there are other World Trees in their domains.”

“That’s calculated cohabitation. Skyflower and the others allow those World Trees to spread on a patch of land, but not beyond. Any World Tree that gets ideas is uprooted by them.”

“Woah… so brutal.” Liu Shu muttered. Then, she said nonchalantly. “Anyway, that’s not how I do things. I like to live with other World Trees. Humans can coexist, Sylvans can also coexist, and even trees in the forest can share the earth. Why can’t we, World Trees, do the same?”  

Pelagia answered, confused. “Isn’t it clear? That’s because we are supposed to be unique. There must be one True World Tree dominating the entire land. There can’t be other World Trees that stop them from fulfilling this condition. Otherwise… It is impossible to reach Level 100.” 

Liu Shu hummed. “Well. Believe it or not, you will know once you join me. For now, I need to create a bit of chaos in the Abyssal Void Nexus…” Liu Shu giggled. “Seven years and I’ll be able to transport my <Soulseeds> and form a defensive domain there~. Hehehehe.” 

Ignoring Pelagia for now, Liu Shu continued advancing. After a few kilometers, she finally noticed the change through the composition of the dirt her roots expanded throughout. The more she advanced, the more acidic they were becoming. It was as if drinking the water and absorbing the minerals here would make her roots wither away.

Nevertheless, thanks to her new Passive Skill, <World Embracing Endless Roots>, such inconvenience was quickly overcome. ‘Hmph, what is a bit of acidity compared to the heat and pressure of the world!’ 

She had never stopped digging down with her roots, and back at home, she was almost 500 kilometers deep. At this depth, the temperature was enough to melt most metals, making the soil a strange mix of hard and soft materials. The compression forces were ridiculous as well. Still, her roots were strong and didn’t falter. 

“Abyssal Void Nexus, here I come~.” Her voice changed from cheerful to cold. “Time to pay your dues.”  

Chapter 508. Discovering The Largest World Tree. [AotSC]

After assimilating the rogue World Tree, Liu Shu’s roots moved forward and reached her main body. ‘This is… A reef?’ 

World Trees came in all shapes and forms. This one seemed to have grown into a giant reef. The zone it occupied expanded several thousand meters in length and width, with plenty of underwater flora and marine fauna. What surprised Liu Shu was that the World Tree had grown some sort of glowing anemone, creating light where there should be none.

‘Wow… So pretty!’ Liu Shu was truly marveled at her. She was entirely different from Lakeborn.

Lakeborn was not a beautiful World Tree. She was extremely imposing and powerful, and her reach was truly terrifying. Nevertheless, her main body was the source of most of her underwater vines, which could be somewhat creepy for some. 

Meanwhile, this one was truly impressive in all senses of the word. “You are really pretty, Big Sister!” 

The World Tree communicated back carefully, still in tree language. “Pretty? Such a strange word to describe me…” She was still wary of Liu Shu, even after receiving all the benefits. After all, the presence of our World Tree was just too imposing. 

Liu Shu giggled and asked. “Can you tell me if there are more World Trees around? I want to assimilate them as well. Oh, and I wanted to ask, can you reach the surface from here? If you can create something like a coral island above the water, I might be able to create an ocean city with you!” 

Lakeborn was managing and developing the underwater city for intelligent aquatic creatures. Nevertheless, those creatures didn’t really live at the depths that this World Tree was. Being able to live underwater didn’t mean that they were immune to increases in underwater pressure. Only specialized lifeforms could comfortably live at her current depth.

And from what Liu Shu knew, there were no intelligent species that lived this deep underwater. Most creatures here were forced into a constant battle for survival, so developing intelligence was a difficult task.

Liu Shu didn’t let that stop her thoughts about creating underwater cities. What Liu Shu didn’t like about them was that, once the underwater city’s protective layers started collapsing, it would most likely mean death for everyone living there. She still had fresh in her memory what she did to those Abyssal Void Nexus people. 

While conversing with the Coral Reef World Tree, Liu Shu learned the basic layout of this aura and in which direction the nearest continent was. “Hm… So if I go in that direction for 800 more kilometers, I will reach the edge of that continent. I wonder whose continent that is? There is a one in six chance of a jackpot!”

She had a map with her. Nevertheless, it was hard to tell where exactly her roots were without proper landmarks or vision at all. If her roots were expanding outward and could collide with each other, she might’ve gone in circles while expanding.

“Let’s see… I’ll take a little while to reach there. In the meantime, should I use my remaining experience points to Level Up my MAX level skills?’  

She had two of them, Cerulean Bloodsap and World Tree Calling. World Tree Eye had increased in Tier together with her level ups, reaching B- Rank. It was currently at the second level as well, so it would take a while to improve. 

“How many Experience Points do I need to upgrade each of them, system?” 

[Experience Needed to Upgrade <World Tree Calling (D- Rank)> is 69,987.]

[Experience Needed to Upgrade <Cerulean Bloodsap (B- Rank)> is 559,874.]

“Oh! Upgrade them. It’s not that much.”

[Consuming Experience Points…]

Experience Points rushed through her body, and soon, both skills got upgraded—neither changed names nor description. 

A fresh sensation covered her body. Cerulean Bloodsap slowly evolved all around and showed better effects everywhere. While the effects were marginal, they were significant. After all, Cerulean Bloodsap didn’t only combat corruption. It also aided the growth of all plants affected by its aura. 

Moreover, this sap was used to make a delicious and sweet syrup that Flor and the others loved in their morning foods. Of course, it was not something that was marketed yet. Liu Shu didn’t want her sap to get sold around without proper control. 

While she was pondering these things, she wondered if Ophion and the other Serpents could keep up with her level. After all, she was quite accustomed to having Ophion around when summoning the serpents.

‘Will I get different summons when the skill levels up? Perhaps, it will make it more Ternary Essence Efficient.’ Even if she could summon very high-tier creatures thanks to her powerful title, it didn’t mean that Liu Shu had to ignore the skill. Who knew what advantages it would get as it grew in tier? After all, each major tier had a chance of significantly changing and improving a skill's essence. 

Liu Shu now didn’t have any skill at Level MAX, other than Wisdom. ‘This skill needs quite a lot of Experience to Tier Up…’ 

She honestly didn’t want to look at it. Whatever it was, it was not worth it. She remembered checking when she was younger and not even knowing the number because of the number of zeros.  

With that in mind, Liu Shu focused on checking another aspect of her new skills that she had yet to look into in detail. “Berries! The changes are quite… large…” 

Or so she would if someone didn’t attack her at the edge of her expanding domain. 

“Who is being annoying now!? Do you want to be smacked!?”

“Out of my domain. I won’t say it twice.”

Liu Shu looked over and noticed the roots of another World Tree. “Oh… Another rogue World Tree! I guess that just because there are no deep-water intelligent creatures, it doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be World Trees. Have there been cases of a powerful underwater World Tree surfacing and taking land in the past?”

She didn’t remember reading about anything similar, so she was unsure. “Hm… This new Big Sister feels quite powerful! More than the previous one! I wonder if she is the one Coral Reef Big Sister warned me about?”  

“Will you not leave? I do not know you, and I also don’t know where you came from. Nevertheless, if you continue bothering me, I’ll have to become aggressive.”

Liu Shu answered, curious. “Wow! Why can you speak the common tongue? Isn’t it common for a World Tree like you to speak with arboreal speech?”

The other World Tree paused. “Hm… I also didn’t expect you to answer back. I was just giving it a try, since I find it more convenient.” 

“Really?” Liu Shu hummed. “While speaking in the arboreal tongue is slow, it feels much deeper. You know, as if each word has much more meaning and will behind it. If I could, I would communicate with that language instead.” She added. “Ah. Don’t get me wrong, though. The quickness to share information through normal speech is very practical.” 

The other World Tree asked, confused. “Are you… lonely? Why are you so chatty?” 

“Wah!? Who is lonely!? I will tell you that I am a mother of many children! And those babies all love me lots! Their mothers love me lots as well! And my Mom, other Mom, and third mom also love me lots! And…”

“Okay. I get it.” The World Tree sighed. “Still, I want you to leave my domain.”

Liu Shu asked back, curious. “How much of the seafloor do you control?”

“35%.”

Liu Shu choked inside her soul. “T-Thirty-five percent!? That’s huuuuge! You probably are the World Tree that controls most land in the entire world!” 

Land makes up around 35 percent of the surface of the planet. So, controlling a third of the oceans meant that this World Tree had expanded through over a fifth of the entire world. Compared with the rest of the World Trees, she was the one with the most terrain.

“Why have I never heard about you?”

“... Are you a land World Tree?”

“Wow! You guessed right!”

“...” The World Tree was really confused as to why this new visitor was so lively. Don’t all World Trees start fighting each other at the mere sight of a foreign root? 

With that in mind, the World Tree decided to give a warning to the carefree World Tree. Her energy pulsed and her roots quickly lashed, striking Liu Shu’s roots. 

These roots were not as sturdy as her normal roots. After all, they were just extended from the main body and needed a bit of time to harden and gain their peak strength. Therefore, when the strike landed, some roots actually broke and started bleeding.

“Ouch! What was that for!?” Liu Shu complained. “Attacking others out of the blue when I just want to talk is rude!”

“Who are you?” The voice from the other side had become a notch more serious. When she struck, the root felt like a metallic appendage. For a root that just extended her way to be this tough, the other side must’ve been at least a Fourth Energy Cycle. 

“Are you Azure Rose? Verdant Skyflower? Celestial Lotus? I don’t remember messing with any of them…”

“I am not any of those big sisters!” Liu Shu commented, rubbing her aching roots with the good ones. “...You really hit me hard, eh? So bad… Hmph.” 

Feeling somewhat helpless, the World Tree asked. “Just… Can you tell me why you are here?”

Liu Shu complained. “Wasn’t I going to do it before you started attacking me and telling me to go away?” She sighed ruefully once, as if complaining that she was too impatient. The other side almost smacked her again. 

After playing around for a bit, Liu Shu finally presented herself properly. “I am Tianlian Liu Shu. A new <Fourth Energy Cycle> World Tree that has taken control over the Wild Continent. It is a pleasure to know you~.”

“Fourth…? How is this possible? There have been no Fourth Energy Cycle World Trees there since Warlya.” 

“Wow! You know Big Sister Warlya?”

Sensing something strange from that sentence, the World Tree asked back, confused. “It seems that you know her as well.”

“Of course! She is under my domain.”

“...What?”

Liu Shu commented proudly. “I have assimilated her, and now she is in my domain! Isn’t that nice? I also took over the land of that pretty Coral World Tree a few kilometers away. She is really pretty.”

The new World Tree felt a strange chill creep up her body. ‘How could someone as headstrong as Warlya accept being under this World Tree? Does she have the ability to swallow World Trees and become stronger? If so, it would make sense why a World Tree of the Fourth Energy Cycle appeared from nowhere, almost with no warning or explanation.’ 

Liu Shu suddenly heard the other party speak with a threatening tone. “Leave my domain. This is your final chance. Otherwise, I will attack you.” 

“Eh? Why are you so aggressive all of a sudden? 

“One last chance. Leave now.”

Liu Shu was confused, but since she didn’t really want to enter a fight at the moment, she left her big sister for later. ‘Mysterious Fourth Energy Cycle underwater tree… I’ll come back in the future!’

And so, she retreated and moved away.