Mortrexo

Chapter 494. Digesting Gains. Tackling the Fourth Energy Cycle! [AotSC]

[Reward 7: Gain one chance at combining Skills below <C- Tier> to create a more powerful skill. The result will be decided according to the potential of the chosen skills… Completion Rate is improving the reward. You have 14 chances to combine your skills. Depending on the chances remaining at the end, the potential of those you combined will be further enhanced.]

Liu Shu wanted to smack someone with her roots after reading this. At first, she wanted to gather the skills that were very similar and combine them into several different skills. This way, she would keep the overall flexibility of each skill without losing much on creating powerful skills. 

For example, Enchanted Land and Land Modifying could meld into one, but adding Runic Living Wood City would be a bit too much. Instead, she would mix that skill with another to create another individual skill. Now, though, the last sentence basically forced her to cram as many skills in one combination as she could. 

“Let’s see, which ones are the <Talents> I have right now?” The World Tree asked the System to summarize them with just their names, and a message appeared in front of her gaze. 

[Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Talents> below C- Tier are the following: <Enchanted Land>, <Runic Living Wood City>, <Land Modifying>, <Weeping Willow’s Aether Barrage>, <Explosive Root>, <Root Light Burst>, <Root Severing>, <Root Strike>, <World Tree Calling>, and <Nature's Gift>.]

Our World Tree looked at those and became thoughtful. “System, can I use this reward to combine <Talents> with <Passives>?” 

[It is not possible to combine them even if their nature is similar or closely related. Please think of other combinations.]

A pout appeared on Liu Shu’s face for a moment. “That’s so bad… I could mix everything together and create a super skill or something.” 

[Please think of other combinations.]

“Ugh! Don’t repeat it! I heard you the first time, silly System!” 

[...]

A sigh escaped the World Tree as she observed her talents. “Let’s see… The two obvious groups are the attack talents and the aura talents. Then, we have three outliers, which are <Runic Living Wood City>, <Nature’s Gift>, and <World Tree Calling>. I don’t see a way of mixing these three…” Liu Shu suddenly paused and squinted. “Or, wait. The Rune City skill is related to all my trees. So, can’t I use that to procure a channel and perhaps link all my talents into one massive skill?” 

Instead of thinking so deeply, she asked the system for confirmation. “System, can I combine all my talents except <World Tree Calling> into one?”

[Analyzing…]

[It is not possible to combine all <Talents> in that manner. Please think of other combinations.] 

“Tsk. What good is this reward if it can’t do something as simple as that!?” 

Liu Shu’s complaint was met with silence, and the World Tree couldn’t help but complain about the silence. “Now you are ignoring me? Great! Silly System has been downgraded to Stupid System!” 

[...]

“Hehe.” Liu Shu laughed a bit and then refocused on the task ahead. 

After thinking for a few minutes, Liu Shu finally formulated the best way to mix her <Talents>. Or, at least, the best she could think of. “Okay, we’ll leave <World Tree Calling> by itself. It is a strong skill that I don’t mind pouring my experience into to upgrade individually. Then, I will separate the other talents into two groups and combine them.”

The World Tree’s joking attitude was gone as she stated solemnly. “System. I want to combine <Weeping Willow’s Aether Barrage (E+ Rank)>, <Explosive Root (D- Rank)>, <Root Light Burst (E+ Rank)>, <Root Severing (E- Rank)>, and <Root Strike (D- Rank)>.” 

[Analyzing…]

[...]

[Combination possible. Do you want to combine those talents and proceed to the fusion?]

The World Tree was about to nod when the System reminded Liu Shu.

[Remember that you have 14 chances. If you go ahead now, you will combine these talents and use all the energy left to enhance this combination of talents.]

“Wah!? I almost agreed with you, Stupid System! Thankfully, you were sensible enough, or I would’ve messed up badly.”

There was a trace of lingering fear in Liu Shu’s heart. If she wasted this reward just because of a wording problem, she would be angry enough to flip the entire continent upside down. 

“Okay. Then, show me the <Passives> I can combine together.” 

[Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Passive Skills> below C- Tier are the following: <Speed Root>, <Gentle Sap>, <Treefluence>, <Root Regeneration>, <Pain Tolerance>, <Charm Of The Seedling>, <Living Roots>, <Minor World Builder Aura>, <Mind Echo>, and <Runic Coverage>.]

The World Tree scanned them and then began formulating the combination skills. In the end, she came up with four total combinations for all her <Talents> and <Passives>. The only skill that would be left uncombined would be <World Tree Calling>. 

“Okay, listen well, System. These are the four combination skills that I want.”

“The first <Talent> will be a combination of <Enchanted Land>, <Runic Living Wood City>, <Land Modifying>, and <Nature’s Gift>.”

Nature’s Gift had been a very powerful skill for her early days. However, now that she had almost reached the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, it was of little to no use to her. Therefore, it needed a major overhaul, and combining it with those skills might create something incredibly powerful. 

“The second <Talent> will be a combination of <Weeping Willow’s Aether Barrage>, <Explosive Root>, <Root Light Burst>, <Root Severing>, and <Root Strike>.” 

Her attacking skills were mediocre at best. Therefore, a combination of all of them would probably create something worthy of her current level. 

“For the first <Passive Skill> we will combine <Speed Root>, <Gentle Sap>, <Root Regeneration>, <Pain Tolerance>, and <Living Roots>.” 

All of these skills were enhancements for herself, which made Liu Shu think of combining them. She was pretty sure that it would work since they shared that exact self-enhancing nature. 

“And finally, for my second <Passive Skill>, we will combine <Treefluence>, <Charm Of The Seedling>, <Minor World Builder Aura>, <Mind Echo>, and <Runic Coverage>.” 

Charm Of The Seedling was the skill that helped Clavel find her and change her fate. Sadly, it was far too low of a rank to be of any effect now. Runic Coverage suffered the same fate. While it helped mask her at first, her current strength and size had long surpassed the limits of what the skill could do. Overall, this combination was all passive skills that affected the people around her. 

[Analyzing…]

[...]

[Combination possible. Do you want to combine those <Talents> and <Passive Skills> and proceed to the fusion? You still have 10 combination chances.]

After giving them one last overview, Liu Shu nodded firmly. “I am sure. Go ahead.” 

[Confirmation Received.]

[All rewards have been explained. Now, the System will begin the reward delivery. Please wait for a moment…]

Liu Shu’s mind suddenly shook as the Quest’s essence exploded within her and dug deeply into her soul. There, it started pouring endless rivers of ternary essences to upgrade, modify, or add all the rewards. 

System messages appeared in her eyes one after another with all the rewards rolling in.

[Congratulations! You’ve earned 1150 Sylvanium <Alloy>, 1150 Etherium <Alloy>, 1150 Ascendium <Alloy>, 1150 Celestium <Alloy>, and 1150 Cognium <Alloy>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve earned 11,500,000 Experience Points!]

[There have been changes to your <Titles>.] 

[You’ve lost <World Tree Province>.]

[You’ve lost <Forest Ruler>.]

[You’ve lost <Minor World Builder>.]

[You’ve lost <World Tree Building>.]

[Congratulations! You’ve earned <Continental World Tree>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve earned <Apprentice World Builder>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve earned <Miracle Tree Architect>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve earned <World Ruling World Tree>!]

[There have been changes to your <Talents>.]

[You’ve lost <Enchanted Land (D- Rank Level MAX).]

[You’ve lost <Runic Living…

[You’ve lost <Weeping Willow’s…

[You’ve lost…

[,,,]

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire (A Tier Level 1 [0/589,900])>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe (A Tier Level 1 [0/589,900])>!]

[There have been changes to your <Passive Skills>.]

[You’ve lost <Charm Of The Seedling (E+ Rank Level MAX).]

[You’ve lost <Mind Echo…

[You’ve lost…

…

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <World Embracing Endless Roots (A Tier Level 1 [0/589,900])>!]

[Congratulations! You’ve learned <Soul Enthralling World Tree (A Tier Level 1 [0/589,900])>!] 

Liu Shu looked at these messages with her heart surging. She wanted to check the four skills. However, she felt that she needed to take the current wave of energy pouring into her and push through. Her gaze locked onto her Accumulated Experience Points, and Liu Shu spoke solemnly to her family members.

“Come get the children!” 

Her roots moved the children outside of her body, while those who could fly rushed up to receive them without asking a single question. They could see the turbulent ternary essences about to burst from her body. Liu Shu held everything down with incredible tenacity until Tempestria, Flor, and the others received the babies. 

Once they were safe, she let go, and her ternary essences burst upward and pierced the sky.  

“Level Up!” 

From the bottom of her soul, the energy she had accumulated through killings and normal accumulation surged and enveloped her entire existence. Liu Shu didn’t know until what Level she could go, but she could notice when she would lack enough Experience Points to break through to the next <Sub Energy Cycle>. 

Her gaze seemed to pierce through reality as her mind separated from her body and began to observe it. She poured, poured, and poured Experience Points without rest.

Finally, after pouring millions of Experience Points into herself, the energy flowed like an ocean through her entire being and upgraded her existence level.

[You’ve used 39,116,550 Accumulated Experience Points!]

[Level Ups will be postponed until Tianlian Liu Shu completes the <Fourth Energy Cycle> breakthrough.]

In the <First Energy Cycle>, Liu Shu had created an orderly way of instinctively spreading her roots out. 

For the <Second Energy Cycle>, Liu Shu connected her deepest core with the entirety of her existence, connecting her body with the <Shadow> of her own being. This synchronization allowed Liu Shu to wield strong power and be much more efficient in spreading energy throughout her root net.

Then, during the <Third Energy Cycle>, Liu Shu opened all her closed pathways and allowed her entire body to interact and absorb the surrounding Ternary Essences. During this change, Liu Shu’s spells and strength made a qualitative jump. 

Now, to reach the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, Liu Shu needed to cross another hurdle that would further define her existence. Energy cycles were limits that prevented creatures from developing further, depending on their potential. If someone’s existence level was too low or the <Completion Rate> for previous cycles was mediocre, continuous breakthroughs would become increasingly complex. 

After Liu Shu’s mind separated from her body, she could see her entire being from a third-party perspective. All her roots, all the details of her net, and each and every nook and cranny appeared in front of her in the form of an illusory white projection.

Liu Shu in this space was not in the form of a human. After all, her nature was a World Tree. Hence, when she extended her limb, a branch moved forward and slowly divided into finer strands. When manipulating things in this space, these tendrils were a hundred times better than human hands. 

[Congratulations on reaching the <Fourth Energy Cycle> space. To break through into the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, you need to transform your root and ternary essence net. Once you do it, you will be able to digest all kinds of energy and convert it into your own.]

[Once you complete the transformation, you will become prepared to interact with the environment beyond the World. Only beyond <Fourth Energy Cycles> have the ability to fly without the aid of any tool. If you manage to advance perfectly, your strength will not only leap <Attribute> wise, but also elemental affinity-wise.]

Liu Shu asked, her gaze profound and otherworldly. “Summarize the major difference between a Third and Fourth Energy Cycle.. 

[The most significant difference between the <Fourth Energy Cycle> and the <Third Energy Cycle> is their ability to manipulate the ternary essences around them, allowing them to do feats similar to those with telekinesis. Effects on others are minimal, but it is enough to fly at high speeds and move inanimate objects without deep ternary essence influence.]

‘I see. No wonder one <Fourth Energy Cycle> is so fearsome. The Terragore King and Queen were monsters, so they didn’t really think of subtle ways to use this strength. However, an intelligent race at the <Fourth Energy Cycle> is a fearsome being. Thankfully, none came to attack me, or I’d be in much more trouble than I imagined.’ 

While Liu Shu pondered, she suddenly felt energy come from the depths of her soul. “Hm? Is this the energy leftover from the <Tier Up> that happened not long ago?”

[Energy boost detected.]

[<Title: Perfect Cycle> detected.]

[<Fourth Energy Cycle> will be accelerated. Tianlian Liu Shu will receive an enlightenment boost. Chances of a <Perfect Fourth Energy Cycle>... 99.9999%]

Her mind suddenly cleared up as countless ideas surged in her mind about how to perfect everything. Following this impulse, Liu Shu’s tendrils multiplied and began transforming her own body at an incredible speed. 

The transformation that was going to last for almost two decades was suddenly reduced to two years.

Meanwhile, outside dear Liu Shu’s mind, Flor and the others were slurping heavily from their emotional support tea cups. Melody seemed to have joined the club, as she was sitting in the room with the others. She sipped tea as if doing so was the only way to save her from having a breakdown. ‘Why is my daughter-in-law so abnormal? She is slicing decades of lifespan from me!’ 

Tianlian Liu Shu Avatar, Opening Her Eyes To The World. (Colored Sketch)

Pretty with both censured and non-censured versions~. Hehehe

Chapter 1282. Celestial Dragon Breath.

“[Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain].”

The Abyssal Human heard those words, and then his sight was filled with light. The next thing he knew was that he was flying into the stratosphere, having pierced through the Abyss Fog Wall and streaking up into space without any control at all. ‘What happened?’

As confusion enveloped his mind, terrible pain jolted him out of the temporary daze. “Ha!” 

He shouted once to explode his aura and Corrupt Domain around him, stopping his ascent. His gaze looked down, and he realized that he had been sent almost 400,000 kilometers into space. Even at this altitude, he could not even start to see the edges of the massive world they lived in.  

Looking at himself, he noticed that he had been heavily injured. His face couldn’t help but change. ‘I didn’t expect her to have this kind of strength. What is that Intent Domain? Why is it so powerful?’

A being surrounded by powerful energies rushed toward the sky at an incredible speed, catching the Abyssal Human’s attention. “You actually dare to come after me? Even if your surprise attack worked, that doesn’t mean that I am helpless!”

His voice boomed down, reaching the people on the ground. “Activate it!”

Yasenia was closing the distance when she heard his loud command. This confused her, and she quickly looked down. The Abyss Fog Wall surrounding the sect’s domain started shrinking violently, dragging everything with it. Be it mountains, rivers, forests, or any other thing containing life around the sect, everything was swallowed by the Fog Wall as it collapsed toward its center. 

‘What is that?’

The Abyssal Human laughed when he saw Yasenia stop to look. “Surprised? Fearful? Now it is too late!”

Yasenia looked at the Abyssal Human calmly and asked. “What have you done?”

The Abyssal Human seemed very proud, and he shared it without any reservations. “You might not understand what that Wall is meant to do. While it is a defensive measure, it is also a way to condition an area and make it more adequate for the [Abyss] to descend!”

Yasenia’s face was serious. ‘If that’s true, then we might be in trouble.’ 

Now, she had two choices. The first one was to continuously attack the Abyssal Human and eventually kill him. 

However, while the [Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain] was very powerful, that didn’t mean that the other side had suddenly become a weakling she could immediately kill. 

Yasenia calculated that she would need around 20 minutes to kill the Abyssal Human if both sides fought perfectly. Her fastest kill would be around 5 minutes later, as long as she maintains an advantage. Meanwhile, her slowest kill would mean that the other side escaped. 

The other option was to ignore the Abyssal Human and retreat with the others. The Abyss Fog Wall would collapse in four minutes or so as long as the speed didn’t increase over time. Once all that energy collided in the middle, the explosion of Abyss Energies would probably be enough to open a small passage to the Abyss.

“It’s a rushed passaway. Are you sure you want to do that?”

Yasenia squinted and asked the Abyssal Human. In her current state, each and every word she uttered seemed to have weight as it smashed into the man. The Abyssal Human didn’t show it, but internally, he was terrified. ‘This woman is too dangerous.’ 

“So what if it is rushed? As long as we have enough resources, expanding the Abyss will be a matter of time! Once the first few Transcendence Cultivators fall and feed it, everything will develop exponentially!” 

There were limits to the Abyss Dimension’s growth speed. Nevertheless, those limits were far from low-level Transcendence passages. Therefore, Yasenia’s mind spun, and she thought of another way.

“Hmph. Since it is like that, I will stop it!”

Yasenia didn’t want to get too deeply involved. However, since she had angered this Abyssal Human, she might get hunted down in the future by these monsters if she were unable to cut the threat from its roots. ‘If I am being chased by these abominations, my baby might have some trouble growing up.’ 

The determination of a mother filled her body as her cold face gained a touch of ruthlessness. “Since you are betting everything, let me disrupt that.” 

Instead of continuing to fly toward the Abyssal Human, Yasenia changed directions and descended from the sky like a meteor. 

The Abyssal Human was momentarily confused until he noticed Yasenia’s direction. Seeing her streak down towards the center of the Abyssal Worshiper Sect, his face changed, and he quickly rushed after Yasenia. “Yasenia Dravory! If you dare go and disrupt my plans, I’ll make sure all of us in the Abyss know of your existence and hunt you down with fervor!”

Yasenia didn’t answer, and her body accelerated. As she accelerated downwards, her voice spread through the space around her, energy rushing toward her and creating a bright ball of energy. 

“[Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Cosmic Transformation]!” 

BOOM!

A few moments before that, the five Transcendence Realm cultivators were entangled with the 10 enemy Abyss Cultivators. Their fight was slowly leaning in their favor, and soon, they would probably be able to get rid of one or more of the enemy cultivators. Of course, “soon” for them was a day or two. 

While they were fighting, the Abyssal Human’s voice reached them, and the 10 Abyss Cultivators smiled in a distorted manner. 

“You are done for!”

“Hahaha! Seeing your despairing expressions will be so delightful!”

Mo Yun and the others frowned and looked around them when the atmosphere changed. There was a sense of danger coming from all around them, forcing them to stop battling. The 10 Abyss cultivators didn’t seem to be pressed with time, as they also stopped and looked at them with ear-splitting grins.

Gao Yan suddenly shouted. “The Abyss Fog Wall is moving!”

“What?” 

Everyone looked over and saw the giant wall in the distance moving closer towards them from all directions. Mo Yun looked at Chen Jizhen and asked with worry. “Brother Chen, what do we do?”  

Chen Jizhen looked up with a frown. “I can feel Yasenia coming back down. I don’t know what is happening, but we shouldn’t leave if Yasenia is still willing to give it a try.” 

Gao Yan wanted to complain, but at that moment, an aura that made everyone tremble swallowed the world around them. 

The fifteen Sixth Realm cultivators, regardless of which side they were on, looked upward and saw a ball of light in the sky growing and growing in size, reaching over 100 kilometers in diameter.

That ball of light then exploded, and with it, a world-shaking dragon roar made everyone’s souls tremble.

ROAR!!!!

A gargantuan dragon with 20 kilometers in height, 60 kilometers of body length, another 70 kilometers of tail length, and 100 kilometers of wingspan descended from the sky. 

Mo Yun and the others opened their eyes wide, their hearts trembling at the sight of the equally terrifying and gorgeous creature descending from heaven. 

The dragon’s body looked like a patch of the universe transformed into a dragon form, starlight shining all over her body and even creating constellations. A crystal mane ran down the back of her gorgeous neck, while the golden claws, horns, and tail rings added a trace of nobleness to the ethereal creature’s bearing. When they saw the realistic Sun and Moon glowing on each of her wings, their breath was stolen away because of how stunning the creature was. 

Yasenia’s dragon form shone with both strength and elegance, overshadowing everything around her and forcing everyone to focus on her.

While Yasenia descended from the sky, Celestial Energy gathered around her body endlessly like ocean waves. As energy surged, the Celestial Black Hole Star Energy Core linked with her Mythical Beast Core and overflowed her already boosted strength another extra notch. 

The presence Yasenia exuded was suffocating even for the Sixth Realm people fighting down below. 

Mo Yun muttered, her eyes misty and dreamy. “Such a beautiful dragon…”

Mo Zifei nodded at her sister’s words. “I already expected it from her dragon tail and wings, but she is truly gorgeous in her Dragon Form.”

Gao Yan asked, his tone not understanding Yasenia’s intentions. “What does she want to do?”

Chen Jizhen had been observing the Abyss cultivators, and when he saw their facial expressions changing and becoming anxious, he shouted. “Whatever it is, stop these ten from bothering her! Protect Yasenia! [Star Mountain Intent Domain]!” 

The other four looked at the 10 Abyssal cultivators with murderous intent, and their strength surged, quickly suppressing them and bombarding them with an endless barrage of Star-Attributed skills. Mo Yun spoke coldly. “If you want to touch Yasenia, you’ll need to kill me first!”

“You annoying human woman! I’ll do as you wish then!”

The battle increased in intensity. 

Meanwhile, Yasenia’s dragon eyes were focused on the Abyssal Worshiper Sect. All the energy around her body was gathering into her lungs as the air around her wobbled with terrifying strength. 

Far behind her, the Abyssal Human bellowed. “STOP!”

However, Yasenia didn’t even hesitate as her maw opened wide and her throat started glowing with light. 

“[CELESTIAL DRAGON BREATH]!”

The world seemed to stop at that moment as a new star was born in the middle of the sky, overshadowing the Sun in the sky. 

The people in the Abyssal Worshiper Sect looked up, confused as to where all this light came from. Moreover, as the light bathed their sect, a tingling feeling spread on their skin. 

However, that sensation was only for a second before the pressure of Yasenia’s Intent Domain and Celestial Dragon Breath slammed against them.

Even before the attack arrived, all cultivators in the Third Realm and below had their internal organs explode due to the pressure, and they instantly died. The Fourth Realm ones weren’t any luckier, since the pressure directly slammed them against the ground, unable to move an inch. Only the Fifth Realm ones were able to somewhat resist the pressure, but they couldn’t do anything before Yasenia’s attack arrived. 

The Abyssal Human’s facial expression twisted beyond human limits as he screamed with billowing murderous intent. “YASENIA! YOU ARE DEAD!”

And then, the Celestial Dragon Breath impacted the ground. 

A flash of light swallowed the entire domain inside of the Abyss Fog Wall. The new star that was momentarily born in the middle of the sect vaporized every single thing in a radius of 1,000 kilometers. That was only the beginning, though. As the energy Yasenia’s attack delivered started to expand, a shockwave powerful enough to level mountain ranges expanded outwards at speeds difficult to describe. 

Mo Yun and the others looked over with squinted eyes before the shockwave reached them.

BANG!!!

Their bodies felt as if a steel wall had struck them, blasting them away a few hundred kilometers. When they recovered their sight and looked over, their faces twisted with disbelief. 

The place where the Abyssal Worshiper Sect had existed before was now a giant crater with nothing left behind. Above the gargantuan crater, Yasenia was flapping her wings with a cold expression. Even her giant Dragon body looked small compared to the crater she created. 

Stunned, the Abyssal Human froze mid-air. His eyes were wide open, never expecting such destructive power from someone at the first level of the Transcendence Realm. 

Seeing the Abyss Fog Wall collapse and start to dissipate, Yasenia looked up with a cold look. Her ethereal draconic voice echoed around the crater, noble and regal. “Your everything is gone now.” 

The Abyssal Human’s aura exploded and transformed into a pillar as his eyes exuded almost solidified killing intent. “You are dead!”

The Abyssal Human charged at Yasenia, and Yasenia flapped her wings, ascending towards him. It was time to finish this battle.

Chapter 493. Rewards With a Sprinkle of Sugar. [AotSC]

When Liu Shu accepted the rewards, System messages began flooding her vision. Even her surroundings stirred as Ternary Essences flowed around her body. 

“Hehehe, time to reap the rewards!” 

[Quest <Become A Young World Tree> Completed! Calculating efficiency…]

Liu Shu almost forgot about the <Completion Rate> in quests. ‘I did quite well, right? I wonder how high it will be.’

[Objective 1: Reach B- Tier… Tianlian Liu Shu has reached A+ Tier. 250% Efficiency added]

[Objective 2: Dominate the <Terragore> Nest and control their threat… Tianlian Liu Shu controlled the threat and then built a <Dungeon> with the remaining traces of the threat, doing a reversal of fate. 300% Efficiency added.]

[Objective 3: Deal with <The Abyssal Nexus> in the Wild Continent… Tianlian Liu Shu managed to annihilate the threat without leaving any chance of recovery. Beyond that, Tianlian Liu Shu’s constant use of <Curse Cleansing Aurora> has purified the land and allowed a few of the <Corrupted World Trees> to be reborn. 200% Efficiency added due to total annihilation. 250% Efficiency added due to the rebirth of World Trees.]

[Objective 4: Build your third <Temple>... <Temple Of Craft> was created with exceptional materials. 50% Efficiency added.]  

[Total <Completion Rate> is 1150%. Rewards will be given out accordingly.]

“Whoa! Almost as high as the other time! This is great. Big rewards incoming, hehehehe.” 

Liu Shu’s branches bounced with happiness as her lips arched into a big and gorgeous smile.

[Reward 1: 100 of each Elemental Material… Completion Rate boosts rewards to 1150 Sylvanium <Alloy>, 1150 Etherium <Alloy>, 1150 Ascendium <Alloy>, 1150 Celestium <Alloy>, and 1150 Cognium <Alloy>.]

“Great! With this, I’ll be able to create a few C Ranked items. Just in time to create nice tools for my babies!” 

Speaking of babies, Liu Shu’s Avatar caressed her slightly bulging belly while holding the youngest child in her arms. A happy smile was constantly etched on her face.

This baby had been developing for a few months after she entangled with Cinderielle when she woke up. Of course, now that she didn’t need to go to sleep after romping on the sheets once, the Sylvans were attacked and squeezed dry almost every time they went to visit. 

They had spoken with each other about going together, but they were a bit too thin-skinned for now to share their lover at the same time. So, to avoid that embarrassment for now, they continued their previous arrangement of going one week each, dividing the month among themselves as they found it fit. 

Nevertheless, that arrangement happened around two weeks after Liu Shu woke up. Before that, all of them visited at different hours depending on their availability. During that time, Liu Shu was ruthless and became a soul-sucking plant that needed watering every day. 

Thinking of that, Liu Shu’s face became doubtful. “I spent a lot of time with all of them, so I can’t really confirm that the child is Cinderielle’s. She was the first to plant seeds in me after I woke up, but that doesn’t really seal the deal…” There was a chance for the child to be from another one of her lovers since, during that week, Liu Shu was quite ravenous and called them almost every day.

Her eyes flashed with amusement and laughter. ‘Not knowing whose baby it is… If I were a normal being, I’d be condemned by everyone! Hahaha.’

Regardless, Liu Shu could now enjoy and do guesswork about the mystery bundle growing inside her body. “A mystery that will unravel only after I give birth~.” Our World Tree paused, her thoughts reaching another happy conclusion. “Even then… My fertility sure is great!”

She giggled, almost bouncing on her seat with happiness. She wanted to give birth to as many babies as she could! 

Her joyful bouncing was interrupted by a soft and milky voice. “Ma?” 

Looking at the source, Liu Shu spotted her four Alraune-related children looking at her with attentive eyes. They were curious about why their mother was laughing and speaking to herself. 

Pyara was especially happy, drinking the delicious milk of her mother and looking up with almost unblinking, adoring eyes at Liu Shu’s face. 

When Liu Shu saw her gaze, her heart overflowed with joy, and she squealed with happiness. “Kya! If you look at me like that, I will love you to death!” With a gentle yank, she detached the baby that was latched onto her chest. The popping sound that followed reiterated the suction force behind the Sanguine Blaze’s sucking. 

Regardless, Liu Shu squeezed Pyara into a hug as she happily looked around at her babies. “Ugh! Why are all of you so adorable!? Come here! Mommy is going to love you until you are giggling and laughing!” 

The loving World Tree mother naturally didn’t stop there. 

Her vines appeared from the walls, and they snatched the four babies from the sides. Then, they were smushed against their mother’s naked chest while Liu Shu hugged the four of them and rained kisses on their faces. Their World Tree mother’s heartbeat pulsed through them, making them feel as if they were back in their mother’s womb.

Dewna was delighted to receive love, so she just giggled and hugged her back. “Hehe, Ma! More!”

Eluan’s handsome little face gained a touch of happiness, but he still complained verbally. “Ugh… Tight…”

Sylvia’s big eyes curved with joy as the mouth in the belly opened to release a surprisingly pleasant, ethereal voice. “Ma, love love.” 

Meanwhile, Pyara’s eyes burned with delight and love as she happily bathed in Liu Shu’s love without a single sound and reciprocated as much as possible. 

While the Avatar pampered the babies with love and care, so as not to bother the other baby in her womb, her primary consciousness remained focused on the rewards.   

[Reward 2: 1,000,000 Experience Points… Completion rate boosts the reward to 11,500,000 Experience Points.]

Liu Shu blinked and checked her Experience Points. 

***

Accumulated Experience: 49,582,660

***

This made Liu Shu burst into laughter in her mind. “This is hilarious. At first, my Accumulated Experience was reduced to 33 million when I Leveled Up to Level 74. Then, I earned around 5 million back during the Continental Sweep. Now, adding the Quest Reward, my Experience Points have surpassed the amount I had before I Leveled Up!” 

Smiling as the joy from her Avatar warmed her existence, Liu Shu prompted the system. “Continue, System.” 

[Reward 3: Improve <World Tree Province> Title to <Continental World Tree> Title… Completion Rate can’t improve the reward. Accumulating energy and spreading it among the rest of the rewards.]

<Continental World Tree>: The Title will affect all non-hostile creatures entering the Continents you control. First, they will feel a soothing, calming, and mind-cleansing aura. Crafters have an increased 10% chance of success in their projects. Additionally, everyone’s comprehension speed is increased by 5% regardless of what they are trying to do. 

Liu Shu read that <Title> closely, and her eyes couldn’t help but shine. “This Title is so strong!” 

The previous Title provided the calming aura and the 10% chance. While it was good, it wasn’t extraordinary. However, the new changes made it incredibly powerful. A 5% extra comprehension rate was an influential buff. It meant that those people who lacked that small step to become geniuses would receive the little push they needed, pushing them over the edge and right into the rank of geniuses. 

Of course, those realizations won’t disappear after they stop receiving the buffs. Only, their mind would be slightly more muddled without it, and making further progress would be like reaching for the stars. Nevertheless, once they manage to break through, they will transform that knowledge into their own. 

[Reward 4: Improve <Minor World Builder> to <Beginner World Builder>... Completion Rate is improving the reward. Title evolved to <Apprentice World Builder>.]

<Apprentice World Builder>: A creature that has taken the first step to become a World Builder. You will receive insights on how to become a <World Builder> depending on your <Destiny> value. Additionally, Tianlian Liu Shu will receive:

+300% building speed.

+25% Material Cost Reduction.

-10% Material Rank Requirement. 

“Wow!” 

This reward honestly surprised Liu Shu. The previous title gave her 50% building speed and 15% Material Cost Reduction. With the improvement, not only would her speed increase by 250%, but the materials she required were of a lower rank! That meant that if something needed a B- Rank material, it might be reduced to C+ Rank! That was incredibly useful with higher-ranked items.  

“This is great! Next reward!” 

[Reward 5: Improve <Wonder Tree Building> to <Wonder Tree Architect>... Completion Rate is improving the reward. Title evolved to <Miracle Tree Architect>.]

<Miracle Tree Architect>: All buildings will receive the following benefits if they haven’t already. 

All buildings created/assimilated by the World Tree will increase one Major Tier.

All buildings created/assimilated by the World Tree will grow and reach the World Tree’s Levels, advancing 1 Level per week. 

Any building created/assimilated by the World Tree can’t be two major Tiers below the World Tree. Any building below that rank will be improved over time. 1 Sub-tier per half a year. (Current minimum Tier: C+ Tier)  

Liu Shu almost choked on her own sap. “What is this!? Overpowered! Absolutely overpowered <Title>!” 

The others were strong, but they didn’t completely rebrand the strength of her construction. The temples would also be affected by this title! So, from now on, her temples would probably reach B Tier! 

‘Will they have new effects once they reach B Tier?’ She was curious about it, but now it wasn’t time to check. Her gaze moved towards the next reward.

“Give it to me!” 

[Reward 6: Improve <Forest Ruler> to <World Ruler>... Completion Rate is improving the reward. Title evolved to <World Ruling World Tree>.]

<World Ruling World Tree>: You are the World Tree that will rule the World. All plant life, including World Trees, forms part of yourself as a whole without losing their individuality. Your ability to process information and catch small details is increased by 1,000%. All creatures will instinctively know you are a ruler, and it will be easier to convince them to come under your domain. 

Liu Shu looked at this title with a thoughtful expression. She didn’t doubt that it was an extremely powerful title. “Strong… It is strong… but…” Liu Shu frowned. “Isn’t this a form of mind control?” 

She was naturally not someone who didn’t understand the threats of betrayal. This <Title>, once in effect, would probably squash any voice of dissent among all plant life within her domain. Yet, that was similar to brainwashing everyone who was affected by this title. 

After thinking for a while, Liu Shu came to a conclusion. “Well, it’s not like I have evil intentions behind my actions. So… It can be considered just a precaution. Moreover, this <Title> might help me convince Warlya and push her to accept everything.”

She was very much hesitant to deal with Warlya, mainly because she respected and wanted Warlya’s end not to be a gruesome one, but a peaceful retirement. Warlya had suffered a lot during the years, and she deserved some rest. Moreover, her wisdom in war won’t be any less than her own, and she could act like a World Tree General in times of danger.

The system popped up at this time.

[System Hint: <World Ruling World Tree> doesn’t forcefully erase or manipulate the personality of the other side. It just makes the other side notice your true nature and be influenced by it more easily. It is similar to accelerating the effects of your influence on others.]

“Oh?” Liu Shu asked, confused. “My presence makes people want to submit to me?”

[System Hint: Tianlian Liu Shu must’ve seen semi-religious groups appearing around you. These are caused by your naturally godlike aura and influence on everyone’s minds. The System wants to reassure you that everyone who loves you has never had their decisions influenced by this aura.]

Our adorable World Tree almost laughed aloud. It was clear that the system was reassuring her. Moreover, the System couldn’t lie, and Wisdom has confirmed this in the past, so Liu Shu trusted its words. 

She answered cheekily. “Hmph. Although you are usually useless and impossible to deal with, you were of use this time. Still, you took long enough to say something of value! Tsk!”

[...]

Seeing the familiar three-dotted answer, Liu Shu’s eyes were filled with laughter. She spoke softly. “System, give me my last reward!” 

Liu Shu’s eyes shone with anticipation. Finally, the reward she had wanted the most from the quest arrived! 

[Reward 7: Gain one chance at combining Skills below <C- Tier> to create a more powerful skill. The result will be decided according to the potential of the chosen skills… Completion Rate is improving the reward. You have 14 chances to combine your skills. Depending on the chances remaining at the end, the potential of those you combined will be further enhanced.]

Liu Shu was startled when she finished reading, and all the plans she had prepared previously were thrown out of the window straight away. “WAH! Why did you add that last sentence!? You stupid system!!! That changes everythingggg! QAQ!”

Chapter 492. Azure Rose Confederation Meeting. [AotSC]

In the depths of the Azure Rose Confederation, a council made up of the leaders from the major territories of the Confederation gathered. In the room they had gathered, they all sat at a large circular table with a large rose growing in the middle. This rose’s color was a gorgeous flowing azure color, with a height of around 20 meters. 

Clearly, this being in the middle represented or substituted the being that kept the entire confederation together as one entity, the Azure Rose. 

Unlike in the Celestial Lotus Empire or the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, the Azure Rose took a much more active part in mediating and regulating the entire territory. At this moment, the World Tree had received news and summoned all council members.

The voice of the Azure Rose was firm but with that very particular touch of gentleness all World Trees had. It sounded like a female ruler speaking in a soft tone to her subjects, firm but reassuring. 

“Today, I’ve gathered all of you to speak about the situation of the Wild Continent.” 

Everyone frowned, but no one dared interrupt. The Azure Rose’s ruling was done through strict laws. There was no one who could match her in strength or hide things because of her unique nature as a World Tree. 

The Celestial Lotus was a gargantuan plant that spread her roots like any other World Tree. Her special abilities all focused on soul-related ones, but over that, it was her strong fertility even among the World Tree species. She could easily give birth to one Sylvan almost every year through multiple pregnancies at once, and the Sylvan’s Tier would at the very least be B- Tier. 

Additionally, as a Lotus Flower, her ability to fight in water areas was unparalleled. No enemy ships could even approach 200 kilometers near her coast before they were sunk and destroyed by the Celestial Lotus.  

Meanwhile, the Verdant Skyflower was called as such due to her control over the air. She was a World Tree with a special ability to create many flying seeds like a dandelion and protect both the sky and land. Moreover, when these seeds landed, trees would grow, or they could give buffs to people. In case the Skyflower wanted to fight, she could also turn these seeds into strong attacking power. 

All the territories covered by the Verdant Skyflower were prosperous and perfectly defended from any attack, as they could predict everything except the very unusual and complicated underground attacks. 

Finally, the Azure Rose power’s specialty was body dividing. Her fruits were not so much fruits as they were seeds that could sprout powerful Azure Roses. That particular skill was the reason for her name, not because her main body was an Azure Rose. These Azure Roses had part of the main body’s consciousness and strong defensive and offensive abilities at close range.

Therefore, if you wanted to invade the Azure Rose’s territory, you would need to deal with all the small clones that could probably fight with a weak Fourth Energy Cycle being. Thousands of those made it so that her territory was as impregnable as the other main World Trees and a source of many headaches for the Nexus.

In this meeting room, the Azure Rose had deployed her strongest <Azure Rose>, with a fighting power of a Level 90 B+ Tier powerhouse. 

“As you all know, the Wild Continent was attacked by the Abyssal Void Nexus and almost doomed to be conquered.” The voice of the Azure Rose spread in the room with a refreshing fragrance. “Honestly, I was a bit disappointed at your performance in failing to protect the territory we won in the Wild Continent after so many years of fighting. Still, I never really blamed you because the enemy and our… allies never really cared to defend.”

As her words flowed smoothly, no one interrupted. The biggest rule in the Azure Rose Confederation was that whatever the big lady said was right. Of course, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t disagree with her. Only that the last decision power was hers. 

“Unlike what we predicted, though, the Wild Continent has not fallen under the Abyssal Void Nexus’ hands.”

This surprised the gathered group of people. Among the few dozen, there were a few <Fourth Energy Cycles>. These powerful people were the ones who didn’t have as many reservations and spoke the most during these meetings. One of them spoke up. “Did Lady Warlya regain her power and push them back? Other than that, I can’t think of anything that could stop their massive army. Even our reinforced locations with some of Your Ladyship’s Azure Roses fell under the bombardment of those powerful artillery cannons.” 

The Azure Roses didn’t have a lot of attack range, so while powerful, they were easily countered. They were something to tilt the scales in their favor in a balanced situation. 

Listening to the words spoken by that person, the Azure Rose spoke softly. “Wrong. It is the being I told you in the past to try and ally with that created a miracle.”

Someone blurted. “How can that be possible? Tianlian Liu Shu is indeed an outlier among other Lady World Trees, but she is too young! Not even ten Tianlian Liu Shu’s would be able to match up to one Warlya.” 

The Azure Rose’s peaceful aura changed for the first time, and pressure radiated from the 20-meter-tall Azure Rose. “Human child. Your perception is flawed, and your ego is too high. Aren’t there geniuses among us who manage to reach high levels in an incredibly short time? Have you ever thought about how such a genius would look if it appeared in the World Tree race?”

That man paled and quickly stood up, banging his forehead on the sturdy table with enough strength to make his forehead bleed. “This one spoke out of turn. Please, Lady Azure Rose, be benevolent with your punishment.”

The Azure Rose paused for a second, and then a strange breeze flew inside the closed meeting room. That breeze pushed that man back up and forced him to sit back. “Enough. I am not here today to hear your orchestrated plays. At the end of the day, you are the governors of countries within my domain, so you need to have some dignity.” 

Knowing that he avoided calamity, that person quickly thanked the Azure Rose. 

“Regardless, that little one that Celestial Lotus stole from us is now sweeping the Wild Continent after annihilating the Abyssal Void Nexus’ main force.” 

Everyone was stunned. One person caught something unusual about this situation and spoke up. “But Lady Azure Rose, that young sapling is beyond the Wall Forest, right? How could she pass through it without angering it? Not even Lady Warlya in her prime was able to do something like that.” 

“I am unaware of this as well.” Azure Rose spoke nonchalantly. “Regardless, it is clear that thanks to our attack, the little one has managed to gain enough time to spread her roots. From now on, the Abyssal Void Nexus is presented with two options.” 

The gorgeous blue rose swayed gently as she spoke through it. “The first is to swallow this loss and take revenge in the future. This is risky because Tianlian Liu Shu might grow too much. After all, the War must’ve given her a great deal of Experience Points.” 

Everyone got thoughtful when they heard their words. This was honestly something that didn’t suit those arrogant people who thought they were above nature. Still, Tianlian Liu Shu’s existence was just too mysterious. 

After waiting for a bit, the Azure Rose spoke once more. ”The other option they have is gathering a force from the Main Continent and attacking once again with their Fourth Energy Cycles. The problem with this is that, if they dare to do something like that, we won’t remain silent and will deal a terrifying blow to them while their Fourth Energy Cycles are missing.” She added softly. “Moreover, Skyflower is too compassionate not to protect a talented little one like Tianlian Liu Shu.” 

Everyone nodded at those words. The Verdant Sanctity Covenant was a religious group that placed the security of World Trees above everything. Among all three World Trees, Verdant Skyflower was clearly the strongest. Her methods of attack were just too difficult to deal with if she used them maliciously.  

In Azure Rose’s honest opinion, the only reason she and Celestial Lotus could live so peacefully was that Verdant Skyflower didn’t want to hurt or attack them. Even before Azure Rose expanded, she still remembered that Skyflower had always been there. She was probably the most ancient World Tree on the entire planet. 

‘I still can’t understand what that tree is thinking… Even if she never pushes them, won’t they stay in a stalemate forever? There needs to be one final winner for a true World Tree to be born.’

The three of them, Azure Rose, Celestial Lotus, and Verdant Skyflower, were at Level 99. Just a step away from Level 100. However, unless a World Tree managed to spread its roots throughout the entire planet, reaching Level 100 was impossible.

When Azure Rose talked in the past with Skyflower, she told her that there would be a time when such differences matter no more. Such confusing words were something that she couldn’t really accept. ‘Does she mean that her lifespan is longer than ours? But World Trees have practically inexhaustible lifespans. Even at the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, a World Tree could live for hundreds of thousands of years without showing any sign of decay. 

Of course, the number of World Trees that reached even a fraction of their true lifespan was almost nonexistent because they would die due to external causes more than 99 out of 100 times. 

“So, Lady Azure Rose, what do you want us to do?”

Azure Rose spoke. “If the Nexus attacks, we will protect Tianlian Liu Shu. The Wild Continent had always been a wild card that could help the Void Nexus, so if it falls into the roots of a World Tree, it will become their enemy. This will create a powerful ally for us through force majeure. No World Tree that has reached the <Fourth Energy Cycle> is weak.” 

Her words made them think, and soon, they accepted it. 

Meanwhile, the World Tree they were speaking about was reaching the end of her cleanup of the Continent, leaving only Warlya’s territory untouched. Liu Shu looked at her Level for a moment.

‘I’ve reached Level 74 and still have over 36 million experience points…’ Then, she looked at her system messages and saw one very eye-catching message.

[Congratulations, you’ve completed <Sylvan Quest: Become A Young World Tree>. Do you want to receive the rewards?]

Liu Shu’s roots wiggled with excitement. “Before I deal with Big Sister Warlya, I should reach Level 75 and receive the quest rewards. Then, I will have enough strength to smack some sense into her!’ 

She still remembered her experience with the first Corrupted World Tree. Her arrogance due to her supposed strength back then almost cost her everything. Therefore, she wouldn’t make the same mistake this time around. 

“Accept the rewards!” 

Chapter 1281. Tyrannical Strength.

Yasenia looked at the pressuring domain around her with a solemn expression. The power difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 domain was vast. She knew that the Monarch Domain was one of the high-level domains. Nevertheless, so was the Abyssal Human’s domain. Therefore, they had been evenly paired before and were countering each other.

Now, the entire world around Yasenia seemed to be pressing down on her body, slowing down her body as the domain tried to affect her. If Yasenia wasn’t as powerful as she was, the deployment of the Level 2 Corrupt Domain would’ve sealed the battle’s conclusion instantly. 

The Abyssal Human’s face was full of arrogance and anger as he slowly flew up and glared at Yasenia. “You understand now? You never had a chance to fight against me. Now, it is your turn to be pummeled and corrupted. Become part of the Abyss!”

The man’s body exploded with new strength as the Corrupt Domain enhanced his strength. With a single step, he vanished and reappeared in front of Yasenia, swinging his sword while slicing the air around it. “[Twisting Abyss Sword]!” 

Yasenia’s body exploded with Star Energies as a giant bear made of starlight surrounded her body. “[Heavenly Constellation Steps, Second Sky: Ursa’s Grasp]!” 

Strength bloomed within Yasenia’s body as Ursa’s Grasp increased her overall strength several times over. Even then, it was barely enough to defend herself.

His sword collided with her gauntlets, and Yasenia’s face twisted with slight pain as the shockwave rippled inside her body and organs. 

BOOM!

Her body was blown backward, followed closely by the Abyssal Human. Yasenia took the chance of being blown away to flap her wings and increase the distance. ‘This is bad. I don’t know if I can defeat a Second Level Domain.’ 

If the opponent were at her same cultivation level, Yasenia would be more than confident. Even one level more wouldn’t give her too much pressure. However, her opponent was a third-level Sixth Realm cultivator. Clearly, his strength had surpassed hers.

“Die!”

‘He caught up already?’ 

Looking behind her, her strength quickly surged as she activated her skills. “[Grand Cosmos Martial Art, Fourth Form: Cosmic Air].” 

An ethereal aura surrounded her, and Yasenia’s perception and reflexes reached their peak. Her slit pupils thinned to lines as she laser-focused on her enemy's movements, and the world around her slowed down. Her hand stretched and quickly moved aside before the sword impacted. The second her hand moved to the side, Yasenia moved it back and hit the side of the sword which was falling onto her. 

BANG!

The impact deviated the strike, and the enormous purplish-colored sword energy sliced past her and struck a mountain down below. The surface of the mountain gained a long scar from the impact. However, even before that sword energy hit the mountain, the Abyssal Human had released a barrage of thousands of attacks. 

Yasenia moved between the strikes, her movements flowing like water and light like air. Her hands, tail, and even wings constantly moved with microadjustments as she parried attack after attack. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Abyssal Human didn’t stop the rampage, but his facial expression changed from furious to one of disbelief as Yasenia defended strike after strike with perfect accuracy. “How are you deviating my attacks!?”

The second he spoke and glared at Yasenia, the dragoness’s golden eyes flashed, clearly seeing the opening his distraction created. A fierce light bloomed in her eyes as her energy concentrated to the limit, and she stepped forward.

“[Grand Cosmos Martial Art…”

Her body slipped past the Abyssal Human’s sword, the attack grazing her wing’s lower edge. 

“...Seventh Form…”

The Celestial Black Hole Star Energy Core spun wildly, energy surging like rivers through her meridians toward her tightly clenched fist.

“...Astral Convergence]!” 

The Abyssal Human’s disbelieving expression was fixed on the gorgeous woman who managed to close the distance despite their difference in strength. Then, the gauntlet-sheathed fist made contact against the chest of the Abyssal Human. 

When it hit, pure concentrated energy exploded against his body and soul in a world-shattering explosion.

BOOM!!!

The Abyssal Human flew backward like a meteor, his ribcage cracking and his soul rippling as if a large rock had splashed onto the surface of a calm lake.

Even as he flew and pain shook his mind, the Abyssal Human’s gaze never left Yasenia’s cold and indifferent expression. The draconic golden eyes with the color of the warm sun seemed to emit so much coldness that they could freeze one’s soul. 

Yasenia didn’t waste this chance. She gathered strength within her and took a deep breath. “Now… [Celestial Cosmos Dress].”

Her modest blue dress instantly transformed into a gorgeous floor-length white dress with the images of the Sun, Moon, and the Stars adorning its long skirt. The long sleeves that bloomed like white lotuses from her shoulders carried images of interlocking silver and golden eastern dragons, while a deep cut revealed an irresistible landscape down the middle. The cinched waist only accentuated Yasenia’s beauty, while her current aura made her look like a Celestial Goddess who had descended from the Heavens to rule the world.

The Abyssal Human was immune to Yasenia’s charm, but he could feel that the dragoness’s body had almost reached the limit of what it could bear in terms of self-strengthening abilities. ‘She has used five ridiculously powerful self-strengthening skills; I refuse to believe she has more!’ 

But he was bound to be disappointed. While he rushed back to fight Yasenia, the dragoness took a gorgeous stance while Draheart transformed back into the giant sword form. 

“[Grand Cosmos Martial Art, Sixth Form: Celestial Alignment].”

A spiral galaxy of stars appeared around Yasenia, surrounding her body as the Moon and Sun aligned around her. After Yasenia understood the essence of the Star Attribute when summoning Draco, this move had become one where Yasenia connected with the stars to very faintly gain a premonition-like ability. She would be able to enhance her perception to the point that it might as well appear as if she were seeing into the future.

At that instant when her energy transformed into a pillar of pure Celestial Light, her golden eyes changed color. Two dragon eyes that mirrored the cosmos substituted her warm golden irises. Her gaze made the Abyssal Human feel a creeping feeling up his spine, as if Yasenia’s dragon eyes could see through the past, present, and future events. 

“RAAH!”

A powerful scream exploded from the Abyssal Human as he arrived in front of Yasenia and slashed his sharp sword with incredible speed and strength. 

The dragoness’s eyes observed her enemies' every movement, and she instantly knew what she needed to do. ‘This is a feint. He is pulling me in.’

Yasenia faked moving forward. 

The second she did so, the seemingly reckless attack of the Abyssal Human changed directions. Even his expression went from an enraged one into a cold, murderous, and calculating one. 

With speeds hard to follow with the naked eye, the strike changed course from a vertical one to a horizontal one, slicing the air where Yasenia’s neck would’ve been. Nevertheless, when the edge of his sword didn’t transmit the feeling of cutting through flesh like he expected, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes. ‘How did she dodge?’

“[Celestial Sunder].” 

Blue light enveloped his sight even before his attack was completed. Looking to the source, Draheart approached him from his wide-open left side. He noticed that Yasenia had actually stepped back and was now using the massive length of her giant sword to attack him, matching his own surprise attack. ‘She perfectly matched my rhythm!? How is that possible!? I am faster than her!’

Reality was right in front of his eyes, though. So, the only thing he could do was harden his natural resistance as he forwent using defensive skills in order to attack Yasenia. But even if he wanted to exchange injury for injury, he first needed to take Yasenia’s sword strike.  

BANG!

The man’s cold facial expression twisted as his body bent like a bow from the strike. ‘How is it so heavy when she is already suppressed by my Corrupt Domain!?’

Helpless to resist the violent physical strength of the Dragoness, his body flew sideways with a large gash in his side. 

Even then, he was quick to recover and charge back at Yasenia. 

This time, Yasenia and the Abyssal Human began a storm-like exchange of attacks between each other, with Yasenia always barely managing to evade his attacks. 

The people below were always paying attention to the battle in the sky. When the Abyssal Human revealed the Second Level Corrupt Domain, their faces paled slightly, thinking that Yasenia was done for. Yet, Yasenia was only pressured for a while before her strength increased another notch, and she started to counterattack the other side.  

In everyone’s eyes, it was clear that the Abyssal Human triumphed in overall power, speed, energy quantity, and even domain influence. And yet, during the exchanges, only the Abyssal Human’s body was gaining wounds, while Yasenia appeared to have entered an entranced state. 

The dragoness’ gorgeous eyes followed all movements, energy ripples, and even aura fluctuations as her body dodged, parried, deflected, attacked, and counterattacked. Hundreds of strikes were traded each second at speeds that left blurs around them.

Her tail and legs would hit the legs, body, and other pivoting parts of the enemy, interrupting the other side’s rhythm enough to give her an advantage while her sword slashes opened wound after wound in his physical and soul body. ‘The state of flowing battle. Everything around me moves at a low rhythm while my surroundings become my tools in my encounter.’

As she approached the mountain, Yasenia shot a star against it, creating a surge of dust that flowed between them at an extremely precise moment. The other side swung where he thought Yasenia was, but the dragoness had predicted that and appeared by his side, her sword landing on the Abyssal Human’s neck. 

Celestial Sunder activated, trying to cleave through his durable skin and muscles, but it could only sink for a centimeter or two before Draheart was forcefully repelled out of his body. Yasenia’s facial expression didn’t change as her wide eyes captured every instant of the interaction. 

‘The battle for supremacy among us… A War.’ 

Yasenia’s movements became increasingly more aggressive, but she never let go of her calculated movements. Her surroundings also stirred, as Yasenia used them to her advantage. 

‘A war among peers, a war for triumphing in life. Surroundings that bend to my will and fulfill my orders to fight my enemies. Surroundings that lose their battle for life due to the simple consequence of the powerful fighting.’ 

From the ground, everyone could feel the change in atmosphere. Meanwhile, the Abyssal Human noticed that he was actually slowly being pushed back and the other side was gaining the advantage. “What is happening!? What are you doing!?”

Yasenia Monarch Intent Domain rumbled with power as her aura started to skyrocket. 

“In the War for survival, I am the one who chooses your fate.”

For the first time since he deployed his Level Two Corrupt Domain, the Abyssal Human noticed that Yasenia’s sword strike was actually going in a straight clash against his own sword. His eyes shone with a seemingly endless amount of murderous intent, flooding the space with the scent of blood. “You are underestimating my strength, Yasenia! Did you think that because you could injure me, you are on par with me!? Know the difference between us! [Abyss World Sword]!”

The sky changed colors as a gargantuan phantom of a twisted world reflected above him. The dimension flowed like river water towards the Abyssal Human’s sword, exploding with enough power to momentarily pause the battle below them.

However, Yasenia’s face maintained her regal expression as her seductive lips moved.

“My existence represents the one who rules through war…”

The two celestial bodies in her Solar System Dantian, representing the War Intent and the Monarch Intent Domain, collided into a massive explosion and burst with incomparable strength. The energy from the collision transformed the planets into a small star that shone with supreme power, and Yasenia chanted this newly born star's name.  

“...[Tyrant Warlord Intent Domain].”  

At that moment, everything fell to its knees, and Yasenia’s sword exploded with incomparable strength capable of making her enemies despair. 

The Abyssal Human’s face gained a trace of fear as his attack was blown into pieces and a wave of energy struck him like a meteor. 

His Corrupt Domain collapsed as his entire body flew toward the sky, hitting the Abyss Fog Wall above them and bursting it open. 

Everyone below looked with wide-open eyes until Yasenia’s dragon wings combined with the pegasus wings and transformed her into a ray of light to chase after her enemy.

“What… was that?” 

Chapter 491. Reaction To Liu Shu's News. [AotSC]

While Liu Shu systematically conquered the Wild Continent, information about her finally spread everywhere around the Ceperet Planet. 

In one city of the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, people were sitting around a place and praying toward their World Tree when someone entered the room, bursting from the doors as if he was being chased by ghosts. 

“We have information about the Wild Continent! We finally managed to get intel on what is happening!”

One of the praying people, a human man, slowly opened his eyes and looked over with a stern expression. “Is it so urgent that you needed to interrupt our daily prayers?”

His tone was calm, but the air around him made everyone in the room feel as if they were suffocating. Clearly, his strength was at the <Fourth Energy Cycle>. 

The person who entered quickly fell to his knees and slammed his forehead onto the ground. “L-Lord, has something happened to delay today’s prayers?” 

The man’s tone was fearful, but his words reminded everyone in the room that this was not usual prayer hours. The man squinted, but he didn’t pursue the matter anymore. Instead, he asked about what happened. “Speak. What’s so urgent?”

“Yes! We’ve found out what happened in the Wild Continent!

A woman at the side snorted. “Is it that important? The Abyssal Void Nexus probably conquered everything and defeated Warlya, right? That doesn’t warrant you entering the room like you did! Someone, punish—”

The man interrupted. “The Abyssal Void Nexus was defeated!” 

Everyone in the room suddenly stopped what they were doing, and even the powerful man showed signs of surprise in his seemingly stone-hardened expression. “How is that possible? Are you sure you have not received deceptive information coming from them? They might be trying to set up some kind of trap.” 

The man looked up and spoke firmly. “This information has spread everywhere, Lord. The fact is, I didn’t receive it from informants in the Wild Continent. Only, there seem to have been some people coming from the Wild Continent and carrying such news. These people are part of a new coalition of forces that was born to defeat the Abyssal Void Nexus, named the Golden Sap Country.”

“Golden Sap Country…” The powerful man frowned and suddenly remembered a very niche piece of information. “Wasn’t there a relatively powerful World Tree in a city called Golden Sap City? Moreover, this city appeared not long ago, right?”

“It’s the same, Lord.” The man nodded and explained. “In the Wild Continent, a World Tree named Tianlian Liu Shu was born around three decades ago. This World Tree’s growth has always been abnormally quick, and she gathered strength quickly. Now, having reached around Level 70, the World Tree was able to fight the Abyssal Void Nexus threat almost on her own. Lady World Tree’s name seemed to have spread far and wide, becoming the Heavenly Willow.” 

“Heavenly Willow.” The same woman as before frowned deeply. “How can a Level 70 World Tree gain such a name? She has yet to reach the <Fourth Energy Cycle>, and she is already so arrogant!”

“Silence!”

The man’s voice exploded in the room, hitting everyone’s chest strongly. The woman’s face paled as she went down to her knees with a bang. “P-Please forgive this one; I know I overstepped my boundaries.”

The man looked at the woman coldly for a second before looking away. “Lady Heavenly Willow has reached Level 70 in less than 30 years. Her potential is for all to see, and unless she is destroyed, she will reach the Fourth Energy Cycle and become the Fourth World Tree that reaches this stage. Her potential alone makes Lady Heavenly Willow more than qualified to carry such a nickname. Only…”

The man was slightly confused, and he asked. “I remember that Lady Heavenly Willow was part of the Celestial Lotus Empire. Am I wrong?”

“That’s…” The messenger put on a confused expression as well. “Lord, you should be right. However, it doesn’t seem like they are advertising themselves as such.”

“Oh?” The man raised his handsome eyebrow, and then, his cold face gained a faint smile. “That’s interesting.”

Meanwhile, in the Celestial Lotus Empire, someone slapped the table harshly.

BANG!

The woman who did so spoke with an angered tone. “What is the meaning of Lady Tianlian Liu Shu!? Does she want to eat from our lands and then detach as if nothing happened!?” 

“Calm down.”

“Calm down!? That World Tree is trying to betray her loyalties!”

The woman who spoke glared over, and her aura exploded with intense Aether Mana. The shouting woman’s face turned slightly pale.  

“I said… Calm. Down.” 

The woman’s face was unreconciled, but she stopped raising her voice. “Yes, Lady Naeris.” 

Naeris was the person in charge of Liu Shu’s matters, so her words and opinions in these matters carried the most weight. Moreover, since she was an A- Tier Sylvan at Level 82, she was respected everywhere within the Celestial Lotus Empire. Not many could match her strength, influence, and beauty. 

A voice that came from everywhere and could press down onto the world descended from above them. “Naeris, explain.”

The woman’s aura turned from aggressive to formal as she elegantly bowed her waist once. “Yes, Lady Celestial Lotus.” 

After she straightened her back, Naeris spoke smoothly, her voice pleasant like a water stream flowing down the mountain. “Lady Heavenly Willow has never received resources on the level of the threats she has faced. While we’ve sent things over, the overall strength we’ve shared has been around 500 Third Energy Cycle people and enough resources to equip them for battle.” 

One of the few men in the room spoke with a confused expression. “How is that small? The Wild Continent shouldn’t have too many people at that level.”

Naeris didn’t answer him directly. Instead, she spoke about what she knew. “This time around, Lady Heavenly Willow was attacked by a force of nearly 1,500,000 people, with a ratio of around 3 to 7 percent of them being Third Energy Cycles. There were also a few Peak Third Energy Cycle generals among the enemies, with the lowest-level troops being Level 40.” 

When everyone heard that, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes. The woman who was complaining at first couldn’t accept it and naturally went against it. “That’s impossible! That kind of force is used to attack OUR main cities! Not some forgotten lands in the Wild Continent!” 

Naturally, with a <Fourth Energy Cycle>, the Celestial Lotus Empire would have no problem facing that kind of power. Even then, if that level of powerhouses were not participating, it would be a force difficult to defend against, even if the terrain attacked was defended by a powerful Third Energy Cycle World Tree.

Other people mirrored the words of the complaining person, filling the room with voices of dissent. Naeris didn’t go in circles and looked at everyone present with a cold expression. “My words are the truth, and I don’t care if you want to believe them or not. Under the attacks of such an overwhelming force, Lady Heavenly Willow not only defeated her enemies, but she also annihilated them.” 

Everyone suddenly froze, and Naeris repeated her words with emphasis. “She didn’t defeat them. She didn’t push them back. Instead, Lady Heavenly Willow annihilated every single one of the enemy troops. There are no known survivors.”

Silence filled the room after Naeris stopped speaking, and taking advantage of it, Naeris continued speaking. “Lady Celestial Lotus. While we’ve given them cover and resources to overcome some of their challenges in the past, we’ve also failed them during their most difficult moments. It is normal for them not to have loyalty towards the Celestial Lotus Empire. We weren’t the ones who helped them defeat an army that would otherwise raze down the entirety of the Wild Continent.” 

After Naeris stopped speaking, the ethereal voice of the Celestial Lotus spread around. “You seem to have some thoughts. Speak up.”

“Yes.” Naeris opened her mouth, fearless. “Lady Heavenly Willow has shown incredible potential, strength, and growth during the last few years. I doubt this will be the end of her growth. So, I recommend not pushing them to worship your Ladyship.”

“Oh?” The Celestial Lotus answered with a faintly inquisitive tone. “Are you saying that the child on the other side of the shore is equal to me?”

Terrifying pressure descended on the room, making everyone feel short of breath with terror chipping their courage away each passing second. Naeris kept a serious face, her body tensing to resist the terrifying coercion of the Celestial Lotus. Even being in the same Fourth Energy Cycle, Naeris never felt even close to being able to challenge the Celestial Lotus strength-wise. 

Still, gritting her teeth, Naeris spoke solemnly. “Lady Celestial Lotus’ roots have yet to expand beyond the sea due to your Ladyship being entangled with Lady Azure Rose and Lady Verdant Skyflower. Nevertheless, Lady Heavenly Willow is a young World Tree whose potential is unknown.”

“Unrealized potential is the same as dreams, a fleeting cloud that the wind can blow away.” The Celestial Lotus spoke majestically. “Regardless of talent, if they die, they will be nothing but a dead genius. Never a powerhouse.”

Naeris’s face remained as stoic as possible as she spoke. “Then, Lady Celestial Lotus needs to make a choice. We either join hands with the Abyssal Void Nexus to deal with Lady Heavenly Willow and clip her roots before they become too sturdy, or we don’t do anything and become allies in the future as equals when Lady Heavenly Willow gains strength to become the Fifth Power of the Continent.”

“Naeris!” A woman at the side spoke sternly. “You are challenging Lady Celestial Lotus with your words!”

Naeris didn’t answer and waited for the Celestial Lotus to speak. After a while, the pressure in the room finally eased up, and the tone of the powerful World Tree regained the touch of tranquility it had before. “Good. I have not raised you for nothing, Naeris. I understand your concerns.”

Everyone in the room was somewhat confused, and then they heard the Celestial Lotus speak. “If that child ever reaches such heights, we will naturally be amicable with her. She has fought hard battles since birth, and her Destiny is certainly one beyond ordinary bounds.” Celestial Lotus spoke softly. “Sadly, that child doesn’t know that what she might think of as the Sky is nothing but a mirage. Once she understands, I hope she doesn’t despair.” 

Naeris’ nerves finally relaxed, making her heave a sigh of relief. ‘Thankfully, Lady Celestial Lotus understood my intentions. Moreover, I’ve heard that Lady Heavenly Willow has other World Trees within her domain and is living with them. If that’s true, then her existence might become the final puzzle piece that we need to push the Abyssal Void Nexus off the planet.’ 

Naeris looked out of the window and smiled faintly. ‘Get stronger quickly, Tianlian Liu Shu. I’ve done everything I can for you here.’ 

Chapter 1280. Abyssal Human Vs Celestial Dragoness.

Below, both sides waited for the aftermath of the first clash. Depending on how their top powers compared to each other, the people below would have different objectives. 

After the explosion occurred, a shadow flew out of the large cloud it created and smashed into a distant mountain. Everyone’s faces were tense, and they quickly zoomed in through their spatial sense. 

“Yasenia Dravory, you are dead!”

A shout came from the mountain as a warping aura blew apart the dust cloud, revealing the Abyssal Human. Mo Yun and the others smiled while their 10 opponents gained ugly looks. With the result of the first clash showing advantage towards their side, the five Star Immortal Sect cultivators waited not a single second more and charged forward, attacking the 10 enemy cultivators. Even if their numbers were lower, their overall realm was higher, giving them an advantage. 

When both sides below collided, the cloud in the sky was blown apart, revealing Yasenia’s figure surrounded by hundreds of thousands of stars. She looked like a sovereign overlooking the world as she controlled the cosmos around her. Then, she pointed at the Abyssal Human and spoke indifferently. “[Empyrean Galaxy Domain: Sky Collapse].” 

Her charming and mellow voice echoed with the majesty of an immortal cultivator, suppressing all mortal lives in the nearby surroundings. Then, hundreds of thousands of stars painted white streaks in the blue sky, illuminating the sky. 

Seeing the barrage of attacks coming his way, the Abyssal Human’s aura sharpened, and his sword created afterimages as he attacked with ridiculous speed and defended against the attack. 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed in his surroundings, but with the help of his detection methods, he was more than able to counterattack the barrage of stars. However, when the sky collapsed, the stars weren’t the only thing that would fall from the firmament. 

Terrifying heat and frost covered the land, prompting the Abyssal Human to look upward. “What is that?” 

The clouds above him parted, revealing two colossal celestial bodies. One of them was a magma fireball emitting tsunamis of heat, while the other was a silver rocky sphere freezing the air around it to the point that it started solidifying. 

The Abyssal Human’s face changed as the 100-kilometer-wide spheres descended from the sky. Their sheer size was enough to cover most of the sky above him. “[Twisting Abyss Sword]!” 

Energy flowed out of his body toward the sword as it gained incredible sharpness. Then, he slashed toward the sky several times in a fraction of a second. 

Purplish sword energy covered the sky, slicing both massive celestial bodies into pieces and exploding them into a mixed explosion of heat and cold. “Gah!” A grunt escaped the Abyssal Human’s throat as the attacks affected his soul because of the [Celestial Tyrant Soul Unshackled] skill. 

Yasenia was not idle during this time. Her hand gently covered Draheart from the start of the blade to the tip. Once her energy spread evenly all across, her soul surged and poured Soul Energy into Draheart. “[Firmament Soul Sword].” 

Draheart’s sword energy surged to the sky in happiness, slashing the air around Yasenia just from the energy release. The sword was feeling extremely comfortable as Yasenia’s Soul Energy penetrated deeply into her body and core. 

While the skill needed some time to activate, the result was a terrifying combination of a physical and ethereal weapon. Yasenia smiled coldly when she saw the Abyssal Human rushing towards her. “Now, we can kill him and prevent many of his annoying tricks.” 

Abyssal Humans were feared for three reasons. The first and most obvious was that they had intelligence comparable to that of humans. Only the uncontrollable impulse to corrupt everything kept them away from reaching the same level of cunning as humans.

The second reason was their strength. Even the weakest Abyssal Human had Transcendence Realm strength and was born with a deep understanding of the Corrupt Domain, the Abyss’ version of the Intent Domain.

However, compared to the previous two, the third reason was what gave people headaches. The Abyssal Human was able to survive fatal injuries through a myriad of strange methods. Completely killing an Abyssal Human was extremely hard without erasing body, soul, and Abyssal energy.

“Yasenia!”

The dragoness’s indifferent expression gained a faint frown for a second. “Can you stop calling my name? You are tainting it with your ugly voice.” 

“DIE! [Twisting Abyss Sword]!”

The dragoness’s eyes flashed with a thoughtful look. ‘Again, the same skill?’ 

Draheart’s body burst with celestial radiance as Yasenia’s energy concentrated into it. “[Shattering The Heavens].”

The sky rumbled as Yasenia’s sword cleaved the sky in two, swallowing the Abyssal Human. 

BOOM!!!

Seeing her own strength, even Yasenia was slightly surprised. She had not had any chance to just go all out in the past, so she was somewhat uncertain of the limits of her strength. Even more so when her understanding of the strength between Transcendence Realm levels was still somewhat shallow. 

Sensing how the Abyssal Human was sent flying once again by her attack, Yasenia gave chase. Two illusory white feather wings made of starlight seemed to merge with her own dragon wings as her speed increased explosively. 

The Abyssal Human was honestly confused. ‘How has her strength increased so much after just a few years?’ 

The first time they fought, both sides were equally matched and exchanged blows for a long time. At that time, he had his figure hidden with the help of his robe and the Abyss Energy. 

During that confrontation, Yasenia had used some of the skills she was using now. Nevertheless, the strength back then and now was like comparing a child's strength with that of an adult. 

Sensing the dragoness catching up to his figure, the Abyssal Human’s mind spun. ‘Do I need to go all out just to deal with a first-level Transcendence Realm Cultivator?’

Yasenia was clearly a strong opponent, but he knew that there were much stronger cultivators in this area. If he couldn’t even deal with one Yasenia Dravory without needing to use all his resources, he didn’t have any chances to continue his plans. 

The dragoness appeared in front of him, moving at a speed that was hard to follow with his eyes. A sense of danger chilled his heart as he hastily raised his sword and enveloped himself with a defensive technique. 

“[Soul Dividing Tyrannical Cleave]!”

Time seemed to slow down as the sense of danger only increased in the Abyssal Human’s heart. The sword in Yasenia’s hand was packed with so much energy that it looked about to blow up with a single touch. Moreover, when the dragoness swung her arms, the physical strength behind the sword swing honestly scared him. It felt as if his body would explode if he received one punch from the dragoness. 

Knowing that whatever this attack was was enough to heavily injure him, the Abyssal Human made a decision during that split moment between the start of the attack and contact with his body. “[Abyss Body Warp]!”

Yasenia’s facial expression changed when she sensed danger. ‘He can counterattack from this position? I need to dodge.’

Her sword struck the target first, phasing through the other side’s defenses as she cleaved through his body. Her sword's energy and all other buffs exploded inside the Abyssal Human, making him scream sharply in pain. However, as he screamed, his body crumpled as if he were a sheet of paper being crushed into a ball.

Yasenia didn’t understand what was happening, but she quickly made the decision to flee as fast as she could. Pegasus Gallop activated, and her wings flapped with all their strength.

As soon as she left, the area around the man suddenly collapsed as part of the Abyssal Dimension descended around him. His body exploded within that Abyss Dimension, filling everything with an extremely damaging explosion. 

Thankfully, Yasenia managed to outrun the shockwave, barely escaping from whatever that was. 

When the explosion stopped, the Abyss dimension that descended collapsed inwards and reformed into the Abyssal Human’s body. From the outside, he looked pristine, as if nothing had happened. 

‘What a bizarre skill.’ Yasenia understood that Abyssal Humans were the little darlings of the Abyss, but she didn’t expect that they could do something like explode and reform their body through a brief summoning of the Abyss dimension. 

The Abyssal Human grinned twistedly. “I am unkillable, Yasenia! There is nothing you can do about it!”

The dragoness didn’t answer as he looked at the seemingly unscathed man. “[Celestial Dragon Roar].”

ROAR!

She opened her mouth, and her energy burst from her mouth together with a deep and sonorous dragon cry. The waves of Celestial Energy struck the Abyssal Human’s soul once more, and his body burst with blood right across the path her sword slashed through before. 

Yasenia’s lips arched coldly. “You can recover your body, but not your soul.”

She had made a bit of a change in the [Celestial Dragon Roar] skill. Before, it was useful as a means of stunning the enemy or dealing with large groups of low-level people. However, Yasenia felt that kind of thing was unnecessary. 

Now, [Celestial Dragon Roar] would resonate with the enemy’s soul and open the soul’s wounds on the physical body. So, if Yasenia sliced someone’s hand in the Soul Body, and then she roared, the other person’s physical hand would explode and disappear.  

As the Abyssal Human vomited liters of blood, he glared at Yasenia with both bewilderment and anger. “W-What did you do!?” 

Yasenia chuckled. “I am not here to explain anything.” Draheart melted away as it slowly wrapped around her arms, creating two elegant and agile-looking clawed gauntlets. The colors of the sword shone on the gauntlets’ surface, while two large, celestial-blue spherical gems protruded from the back of Yasenia’s hands. 

The Abyssal Human’s expression was already twisted when Yasenia’s figure vanished and she appeared right in front of the man. “[Grand Cosmos Martial Art, Third Form: Comet Descent].”

BOOM!

Her fist landed on the man’s face, her figure leaving a blazing trail of scorching stellar fire behind her. The strike sent the man flying, and Yasenia pursued quickly, arriving at his side. “[Grand Cosmos Martial Art, Second Form: Galaxy Flow].”

Her breath changed from tyrannical to one of ethereal flow. Then, her attacks fell on the man with seemingly not a single instant of pause between them. 

As Yasenia pummeled him with a mix of punches, kicks, and tail strikes, her breath condensed and gathered in her right fist. “[Grand Cosmic Martial Art, First Form: Stellar Burst].”

The Abyssal Human felt Yasenia's fist land on his chest, time stopping for a moment as he looked at Yasenia’s pair of cold, golden slit eyes. Then, everything blurred as his consciousness was almost blown away with his flying body.

After he cratered on the side of a mountain, his body and soul felt as if they had been struck with countless hammers, making him want to scream in anger and agony. Seeing Yasenia descend toward him, rage finally rushed to his brain, and his aura changed. 

Yasenia’s facial expression became somewhat solemn as she rushed toward the Abyssal Human. She could clearly feel the intense energies surging from the bottom of the man’s body. ‘I can’t reach him!’

“[Abyss Corrupt Domain…]!”

His voice echoed with the twisting of space around him.

“[...Level Two]!”

Surprise flashed in her heart, and Yasenia quickly changed from offense to defense. “[Celestial Aegis]! [Grand Cosmos Martial Art: Nebula Ripple]!” 

All her energy was focused in front of her as she punched the expanding aura around the man and created a protective nebula in front of her. 

BOOOM!!!

The dragoness’s body trembled as the shockwaves harmed her durable muscles and a bit of her internal organs.

Chapter 1279. Serious Threat.

Yasenia and the other five floated side by side in front of the Abyss Fog Wall. The dragoness’s face was indifferent and cold, her body exuding the majesty of her bloodline and strength. Even when she was the person with the lowest realm in the group, her natural coercion was by far the strongest. 

“Now, let’s see what is waiting for us inside.” Her energy surged, and her body flooded with Celestial Energy. That energy seeped deeply into every single inch of her body as her breath reached its peak. At that moment, Yasenia summoned Draheart and grasped the handle tightly.

When her energy poured into Draheart, the sword whistled and roused the energy in its surroundings. The reaction was caught by the other Transcendence Realm cultivators by her side, leading them to realize that Draheart was a treasure with a spirit. 

A trace of jealousy flashed in their hearts, since that kind of treasure was extremely precious. Nevertheless, they quickly returned to normal. 

Meanwhile, Yasenia raised Draheart with both her arms and then slashed down using her Body Path Technique. “[Firmament Shaking Arc].”

Her bodily strength exploded like a volcano as she cleaved the air and shot a vertical crescent against the Abyss Fog Wall. 

BOOM!

A gargantuan explosion followed the shockwave of the explosion, pushing them back for a few steps. Mo Yun giggled. “Yasenia’s attack power seems to be as unreasonable as ever. Moreover, I strangely could only feel a few traces of Spiritual Energy in this attack. Did you do it with your bare body?”

Yasenia spoke with a faint smile. “The perks of being a Dragon. Sorry, Mo Yun, this is something that comes in a package with my birth qualities.” Then, she rushed forward.

Mo Yun harrumphed once before following behind with the rest. “Boasting about your race in front of a human? Wait until my bloodline reaches the Immortal Realm! I’ll show you then!” 

Humans were considered one of the strongest races under Heaven, so her words were not too preposterous. If Humans weren’t strong, they wouldn’t be as numerous as they are or dominate so many areas.  

A distance of 50,000 kilometers until the Abyssal Worshiper Sect was neither too much nor too little for someone at their level. If they were serious, reaching there in just a few seconds was a piece of cake. Of course, it all depended on their aim. 

This time, Yasenia was advancing at a steady pace of 1,000 kilometers per second. Her speed could even be considered slow. Chen Jizhen asked, confused. “Why are we taking it slow? We are giving the opponent a chance to react to our attacks.”

“They already know that we are here after destroying the Fog Wall.” Yasenia looked at the dark expanse of terrain in front of her and squinted her eyes. “Even before we did so, they were aware of our presence.”

Gao Yan frowned. “How is that possible? Didn’t we show our retreating figures? They should think that we are gone, right?”

“I’ve said it a few times already, Senior Brother Gao Yan,” Yasenia spoke with a serious tone. “The enemy also has someone with deep intelligence.”

“You mean… Him?” Gao Yan’s tone was somewhat careful. Of all the enemies they’ve fought, only one of them gave Gao Yan a creepy feeling. Strangely, that creepy feeling came from the most “normal”-looking one of them. 

“Yes.” Yasenia squinted her eyes after affirming his words. “Stop.” 

Everyone stopped mid-air. They were around 5,000 kilometers away from the sect. With their powerful vision, they were able to see it as if they were standing in front of it. 

The Abyssal Worshiper sect surprisingly didn’t look much different compared to other ones. If anything was out of place or strange, it would be the occasional structure built out of some pulsing fleshy material. However, these structures were so sparse and few that they could be taken as bizarre monuments spread in an otherwise normal sect. 

Yasenia looked at those pillars with squinting eyes and spoke in a solemn tone. “We need to destroy those things. They are collecting the excess Abyss Energy created from the disciples and are guiding it toward some other place in the sect. I guess that they are the structures feeding whatever is going to open the Abyss portal.” 

“Clever.”

A man’s voice reached them, putting them all on alert. Then, in front of them, around 2,000 kilometers away, the remaining 11 Abyss Sixth Realm cultivators appeared. 

Most of them had monstrous humanoid figures, while the person right in the middle looked like a middle-aged man with a strangely long arm. This time, the man had appeared in front of them without a robe to cover himself.

The man’s body was pale grey, while his eyes were probably the most monstrous part, consisting of a pulsing purple iris and wriggling black sclera.

When Yasenia saw his figure, her face changed from indifferent to solemn. Mo Yun noticed the tensing up of Yasenia and was startled. ‘Yasenia flinched? But… He doesn’t look that scary.’

“Yasenia, is there something wrong with that person?”

The dragoness spoke with a tone much more serious than what they’d heard in the past. “That’s… an [Abyssal Human].” Then, Yasenia spoke to herself. “How did an Abyssal Human make it out of the Abyss before the portal to the dimension even opened?” 

Meanwhile, the other party also showed a look of shock for a moment before he frowned deeply. “How do you know that information, Yasenia Dravory? Where have you heard about Abyssal Humans?”

While he looked imposing on the outside as he asked, inside, he was alarmed. There was only one clan throughout the entirety of Heaven that called his race Abyssal Human, and those were [Abyss Hunters]. ‘Is she an [Abyss Hunter]? No, impossible. The aura around her is completely different from that of those people. However, seeing that she has recently reached the Sixth Realm… Is she an initiate of that group?’

His mind started spinning as both groups became even more on guard against each other. 

Yasenia spoke to the others. “I want to ask you five to restrain the ten people on the other side.”

“Yasenia…”

Chen Jizhen wanted to interrupt, but Yasenia raised her voice and used her aura to pressure him. “Chen Jizhen, this time around, I am not playing around. I want you to quickly cooperate with me. I MUST deal with that Abyssal Human before the Abyss breaks open, or this continent might be doomed!”

Mo Zifei asked with a whisper. “What is an Abyssal Human?” 

Yasenia didn’t have time to explain, so she spoke briefly. “One of the few intelligent species inside the [Abyss]. Only one in a hundred million is an Abyssal Human on that side. They are considered Leader Type Abyss Monsters.”

The man’s face was currently twisting with killing intent as black lines spread along his body through the places where his veins should be. His aura increased exponentially as well, making even the air around them feel hard to breathe. 

Seeing that terrifying change and his aura, Chen Jizhen knew that they didn’t have time to discuss. “Go!”

That word gave Yasenia the reassurance she needed. Then, for the first time, she used 100% of her strength and activated all of her buffs.

“[Celestial Tyrant Soul Unshackled].”

When Yasenia used this skill, her Soul Energy roared like a waking dragon and exploded from her body with pressure that couldn’t be explained other than “suffocating”. This skill increased her Soul Power severalfold, and it also gave all her attacks the ability to injure the enemy’s soul regardless of their nature. Even a simple punch would hurt the enemy’s soul in this state. 

“[Immortal Breaker Body].” 

This time, her Body Energy surged from every cell of her body. Every cell seemed to be a nuclear reactor as her physical strength increased exponentially to the point that a single punch was able to shatter planets.  

She was far from done, though. 

“[Celestial Dragon Body].”

Spiritual Energy surged around her this time around as the skill stimulated her Celestial Attribute. This time, her body grew some dragon scales as her Dragon Wings fully spread out and her tail quickly lashed once behind her. The shockwave from the tail lash leveled a forest down below, showing the ridiculous strength each and every movement carried.

Finally, Yasenia bathed her body with her Dragon Strength.

“[Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Sovereignty].”

Everyone was looking at Yasenia with terrified faces as her aura became so tyrannical that even those she wasn’t targeting felt the need to step away from Yasenia. 

The [Abyssal Human] looked at Yasenia with an extremely solemn expression. Never in his dreams did he think that this creature could explode with such overpowering strength. 

“What are you!?” 

The man shouted, his voice distorted due to his Abyss Energy running rampant inside his body.

Yasenia waved her hand once, and a constellation appeared around her, forming the figure of a gentle beauty. “I am your executioner. [Heavenly Constellation Steps, Fourth Sky: Lyra’s Harmony].”

The constellation became lifelike, and with it, a woman appeared behind Yasenia. She was made out of starlight, and her facial features were indistinct. Even then, one could easily distinguish at first glance her gorgeous and gentle beauty. 

Then, this woman took out a harp-looking instrument and moved her fingers, making starlight fall below her. At that moment, Dramel appeared, and her chords began playing on their own, spreading the gorgeous melody throughout the battlefield. 

Under the Pipa’s sound, the Abyss Sixth Realm cultivators felt a strange weakening feeling, while Yasenia’s allies were strengthened. 

Mo Yun looked at the dragon floating in front of her as if she were getting to know her for the first time. The mix of tyrannical strength and empyrean beauty combined so perfectly that it could enchant souls away. 

“[Monarch Intent Domain], [Pegasus Gallop].”

“[Abyss Corrupt Domain], [Abyss Shrink Step].” 

Auras spread out from both of them, colliding and creating sparks at the edges as they tried to overpower each other. With that collision, the air was blown apart, creating a void that sucked both of them in. 

Neither of them fought against this pulling force as they shot to the sky at a terrifying speed, their bodies turning into two streaks of different colored lights. Once they reached a middle point in the sky, Yasenia swung Draheart without any restraint. 

“[Celestial Sunder]!” 

Her energy swept the area with terrifying pressure. The power behind this sword strike could probably slice through several planets without problem.  

“[Twisting Abyss Sword]!”

Tentacles spread from his extremely long arm, creating a sword so sharp that it hurt the eyes looking at its edge. The energy around it was twisted beyond words, making those looking feel sick to their stomachs.

Then, both attacks collided, creating a gargantuan explosion that swallowed the sky and pushed out the clouds.  

Chapter 490. Cleansing the World. A Much Deserved Rest. [AotSC]

The war against the rest of the continent was not that complicated for Liu Shu. There were indeed quite a few enemies, and since Liu Shu couldn’t completely annihilate everyone, some information about her strength finally started to flow out and reach other powers. 

Still, Liu Shu wasn’t bothered about people knowing the baseline of her powers or strengths. If anything, receiving some information might push them away from investigating deeply about her true strength. 

‘Hm… Other than that, I finally managed to move the four <Soulseeds> I’ve summoned.’ The giant trees couldn’t really be left there; they were just too big. Moreover, they were good defensive structures deeply connected to her. “I’ve placed two along the Wall Forest and the last two on the eastern and northern shores from my city. This way, the shortest paths to attack my city have been blocked.” Now, if someone wanted to besiege her while avoiding those four beings, they’d need to come from the south, traveling through the Snow Lands.

While Liu Shu was pondering about these things, she noticed the aura of corruption touching some of her advancing roots. “We’ve arrived.”

Her gaze moved towards the edge of her domain, and she looked at the roots in front of her. “They are from a Level 54 Corrupted World Tree. Not my rival.” 

Without a single moment of hesitation, she continued advancing forward and clashed with the enemy roots. As if the other side had suddenly awakened, it fought harshly against the invasion and tried to resist.

Liu Shu’s basic attributes before any buff had already reached 70,000. So, when a relatively ordinary World Tree attacked her, it was like a bunch of dry branches clashing against nourished ones. 

The army marching nearby almost lost their footing when tremors spread from below the ground. Everyone was confused, questioning what was happening. 

“Ma’am!” 

The woman at the lead looked toward the person arriving from a distance. She was a tall, bearkin woman with a sturdy physique and wild beauty. Her demeanor after so many battles was that of a heroic general, deterring everyone around her. Just one look would push people to straighten their backs.  

“Report.”

“Yes! Lady Thalgryn, the tremors are caused by underground fighting. We’ve spotted mounds of earth appearing from those collisions, while the landscape in some locations has started distorting.” 

Thalgryn relaxed when she heard the report. The power behind the tremors was honestly too high, and it made her somewhat tense. “That kind of battle trace is usually the result of two World Trees clashing with each other. We can be sure that Lady Heavenly Willow has begun her offense against the Corrupted World Tree around 90 kilometers away from our current positions.”

One advisor at the side agreed but added something. “Just in case, we should confirm with Lady Heavenly Willow.” 

After the war’s results and Liu Shu’s ability to summon her clones spread in the territory, Liu Shu’s nickname had become the most respectful way of calling her. Many citizens already considered Liu Shu some kind of deity-like being comparable to the Celestial Lotus and other similar World Trees. 

Thalgryn noticed that when the advisor spoke about Liu Shu, there was respect in his voice and attitude. Even the way he pronounced the three words seemed to be full of carefulness not to offend the being he was mentioning. 

“Right, we should.” Thalgryn naturally had no problems calling Liu Shu by her name. However, to keep Liu Shu’s image pristine in everyone’s mind, Thalgryn followed the others in her way of calling her. “Lady Heavenly Willow, is it your esteemed self who is fighting far ahead?”

Sadly for Thalgryn, Liu Shu didn’t answer. Not because Liu Shu was ignoring her, but because she had decided not to pay attention to anyone who called her Lady Heavenly Willow. She completely shut down her hearing receptors for everyone who spoke of her like that.

Unaware of that truth, Thalgryn frowned for a moment, puzzled as to why the World Tree was not answering her words. ‘It’s not possible that she didn’t hear me since we are tracing the path Liu Shu’s roots went through. Is the battle a bit harder than expected, and therefore, she can’t pay attention to other matters in the meantime?’ 

While Thalgryn pondered about it, she decided to keep silent and send the scouts to keep her informed. 

Meanwhile, Liu Shu was advancing at an unhurried pace, her roots aggressively coiling and destroying the Corrupt World Tree’s roots. After a few hours of battle, Liu Shu managed to trample through 90% of the territory, reaching the walls of the city around the Corrupted World Tree. 

“Invader! Why are you attacking us!?” 

Finally, after fighting for a few hours, Liu Shu heard the corrupted and somewhat desperate voice from the other being. When dealing with these beings, Liu Shu was patient in her tone and voice, a contrast with her attacking methods. “Hello, Corrupted World Tree. I’ve come to purify you. You’ve managed to hurt some of my weaker roots, so you probably can feel the purifying aura coming from my sap. If there is a will remaining within you of what you were before, stop resisting. When I reach your core, I’ll absorb all your Corruption and reincarnate you.”

Her tone was peaceful, spreading throughout the Corrupted World Tree’s root net like a mountain spring. When she heard our World Tree’s tender tone and voice, there was a surge of relief inside the Corrupted World Tree, as if all the tormenting voices suddenly stopped, leaving only the incomparably beautiful voice of the World Tree.

“You… You are talking nonsense! Die!”

Even when those feelings were prominent and seeped deeply inside, once corrupted, it would be impossible to maintain a healthy mentality unless the World Tree’s will was incredibly sturdy. 

“Relax, Big Sister.” Liu Shu’s voice was like a natural melody, soothing the soul and heart. “I am not here to hurt you. I want to help you enter a peaceful sleep.” 

A World Tree’s powerful mind was able to detect Liu Shu’s true voice easily, unlike normal creatures. Therefore, instead of sounding like a chorus of a thousand voices, it sounded clear and melodious like a lullaby hum. 

The power behind Liu Shu’s voice came from some of her skills, but beyond that, her purifying nature. 

Sadly, the Corrupted World Tree’s core was twisted, so a mix of both relief and anxiety filled her heart. This agonizing feeling of wanting to lie back, but the heart pounding too fast to feel relaxed, forced the World Tree to lash out. “Away! Back off! I don’t want this! I don’t want you coming closer! LEAVE!” 

Corrupted Aether Mana and Anima Energy flowed to the sky from the Third Energy Cycle Corrupted World Tree. Liu Shu sighed softly, her gaze full of both tenderness and compassion. 

“<Curse Cleansing Aurora>.” 

The Level 2 Curse Cleansing Aurora covered the sky several kilometers across. Everyone around stopped what they were doing and looked up at the multicolored lights covering the sky. From them, light fell like gentle rain, unlike other times.

Until now, Liu Shu had used the skill aggressively, attacking and intending to cause harm. Therefore, the effects were much more violent, like summoning pillars of light or strong shockwaves. 

This time, it was different. 

The Corrupted World Tree’s core seemed to feel a terrifying premonition of what was about to happen and lashed out against Liu Shu, her roots attacking as if they wanted to explode together with the other party.

This time, Liu Shu didn’t counterattack. Instead, she received all attacks while gently surrounding and coiling the enemy’s roots underground. “Shh…” Liu Shu’s gentle voice reached the terrified Corrupted World Tree. “I am here. Don’t worry anymore. There is no need to lash out.”

“Let me go! Let me go! I WILL KILL YOU! AHH!”

The strength of a Third Energy Cycle was nothing to scoff at, and the ground constantly trembled under the barrage of attacks from the enemy. However, Liu Shu ignored everything and metaphorically opened her arms and hugged the other party. 

“Aurelise, can you send a gentle stream of healing energies into my root net? Not much, though.” 

Aurelius was gently swaying with the soft wind when she heard Liu Shu’s voice. She quickly reacted, her aura surging as healing energies flowed through her roots into Liu Shu’s body. “Here you go, Liu Shu!”

Our World Tree couldn’t help but laugh gently. “You won’t ask why I am asking you for this?”

“Well…” Aurelise spoke with a soft tone. “I won’t. Liu Shu, your aura now feels so… gentle and tender that I don’t want to interrupt it. You take my healing energy and continue doing what you are doing; it is so comfortable around you now that I just want to go to sleep~.”  

While Liu Shu was curious about Aurelise’s words, she didn’t dwell on them much. The most important thing was purifying the Corrupted World Tree without hurting it too much. So, she guided the healing energies and refocused her primary consciousness on the battlefield. 

There, the Corrupted World Tree was starting to crack as it overexerted its strength to try to deal with Liu Shu. Sadly for it, our World Tree’s roots were ridiculously tough. 70,000 <Physique>, and the buffs after that pushed her stats easily over 100,000. Then, her 85 percent natural <Physical Resistance> made it look as if Liu Shu’s roots were made of an indestructible material. 

The Corrupted Tree struggled with all her might, throwing curses and other types of physical attacks at the roots expanding in her territory. ‘Why won’t she break!? Break! Break! Break!’ 

But Liu Shu remained unbothered, her roots taking more and more terrain. 

Only 4 hours later, Liu Shu had enveloped the grand majority of the enemy World Tree’s terrain while her <Curse Cleansing Aurora> constantly rained on the territory.

Every single person who was not related to Corrupted Arts felt as if the rain was cleansing their souls of all filth. Meanwhile, those with cursed arts, auras, titles, or anything similar felt as if the rain was acid rain. Moreover, to their dismay, Liu Shu’s <Curse Cleansing Aurora> bypassed their house’s defenses entirely, so regardless of where they were, they’d suffer from the attack. 

“Ah… What…? Where…? How?” 

Liu Shu heard a clear and elegant voice, completely different from the previous scratchy and hoarse one. “Do you feel better?”

Looking at the World Tree’s body, Liu Shu could detect how the other party’s body had started giving up under its own weight. The dried wood was slowly splintering, and it wouldn’t be longer than a few minutes before she collapsed just by herself. 

“Who are you?” The last moments of clear conscience from a once gentle and caring World Tree reached out to Liu Shu for answers. Our World Tree naturally didn’t shy away from speaking to her.

“I am a World Tree. I’ve come here to cleanse you and purify you so that you can be reborn without any impurities.”

“World Tree?” The voice sounded confused and surprised. “You are… helping me?”

“Yes.” Liu Shu answered patiently. “Now, relax. I promise that when you close your eyes, you will be able to feel peace and calmness like when you bathe your roots in a clear river.”  

“Really?” The voice sounded surprised but pleased. “Then… Thank you. I’ll relax now.” 

Liu Shu felt the last traces of resistance disappearing, and her purifying energies bloomed in the Corrupted World Tree. 

The energy surged alongside the collapsing root net and filled the World Tree’s enormous body one last time. 

Everyone in the city looked as the dull and half-dead World Tree suddenly exploded with colors. The bare branches bloomed with countless leaves and flowers, and the body of the World Tree showed signs of revitalization. 

The beauty of the spectacle left everyone breathless. 

Sadly, this was one last show of what was once a gorgeous being, a miracle of nature. 

A cracking sound reached everyone as the tall World Tree began leaning sideways. The direction it leaned to was guided by Liu Shu, and it was the Nexus’s headquarters in this city. 

“Rest and, with that, give one last strike back to those who tainted your beautiful existence.” 

In the Golden Sap City, Liu Shu was glowing with gorgeous lights that made those looking feel like tearing up. 

A final thought reached Liu Shu before her consciousness was put to a much-deserved rest. 

“Thank you… I feel much better now.”

Liu Shu answered gently. “Rest well.” 

And then, the World Tree’s body fell and shook the land, killing thousands of those who tainted her with the impact while Liu Shu protected the rest with her roots. 

Chapter 1278. Preparation to Strike.

After placing that girl in there, Yasenia looked at the battlefield with her spiritual sense and sighed. ‘It is soon time to take that extra step. Otherwise, more meaningless death will follow.’

Although “only” around one to two percent had died during the last three years, Yasenia felt that it was a bit too much. They were the attackers, and they weren’t going to receive support or reinforcement anytime soon since the other battlefields were still ongoing. ‘Moreover, I can’t get stuck here with these people. This is the Sublime Mid Heavenly Layer. The place I am currently at could be taken as a remote location since there are no cultivators beyond the Seventh Level of the Transcendence Realm.’ 

While the Star Immortal Sect had declined, it was still one of the top-notch Immortal Sects on this continent. That spoke volumes about the general strength of this place. For Yasenia, this cap was both good and bad.  

On one side, Yasenia didn’t need to worry about one day encountering someone who could slap her out of existence. While she was not a match for a Seventh Level Transcendence Realm cultivator, she could at least attempt to escape and react to their attacks.

On the other hand, the energy quality here was far from being the best, even when it was like purified water compared to the mud-like energy she had previously trained with. So, if she went to a place where even the top bosses here thought of it as “top-notch,” she would be able to advance even quicker. 

It was all a matter of risk and reward. The higher the risk, the better the rewards. 

After she traversed the distance between her location and the meeting room for the Sixth Realm people, Yasenia tapped a formation inside the room and activated it. When she did so, energy flowed around the entire room before the formation started buzzing. When she completed that preparation, an aura pulse spread around, reaching everyone on the battlefield without fail. 

Yasenia waited for a little while, and soon, Chen Jizhen arrived. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he looked at Yasenia with confusion. “What is wrong? Why did you activate the [Emergency Return] array?” 

Yasenia and Chen Jizhen had slowly worked out their differences during the last years. They didn’t really like each other, and that was a fact. However, they had come to terms so that, during this mission, both would cooperate and come to agreements without allowing their feelings to get in the way.

The dragoness glanced at him and smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, once everyone is back, I’ll explain. I don’t want to repeat my explanation each time someone arrives.”

Chen Jizhen didn’t like Yasenia, but that didn’t mean that he had not recognized how accomplished and intelligent she was. Therefore, he trusted that this call was not without reason. Not answering Yasenia’s words, he moved toward one chair and sat down.  

Mo Yun, Gao Yan, Jilang Qin, and Mo Zifei didn’t take long to arrive, and Yasenia began explaining her reasoning for activating the formation. “By now, we know each other, so you must know that I hate going in circles. I’ll get straight to the point. We’ve harassed them to the point that their disciples are barely leaving their bounds already. The number of losses on the other side in terms of mortal realm disciples reached a few tens of thousands, thanks to us intercepting the returning disciples and our juniors working hard.” 

Mo Yun blinked and asked curiously. “So… Do you want us to stop attacking and force them to turtle?”

“No.” Yasenia commented. “At this pace, it is true that we might be able to deprive them of resources. However, how long will that take? The Abyss is dangerous because it has the ability to swallow its surroundings extremely quickly. Even if our World has a High-level Heaven, the [Abyss] won’t take long to descend and start its true attack.”

Mo Zifei tilted her head. “True attack?”

“Yes.” Yasenia pointed to the side with her tail and summoned a map. “After analyzing the inside of the Abyss Fog Wall, I noticed that the energy fluctuations in the middle have been steadily increasing over time. This means that they are using some kind of method to do something there, and that something is probably opening a passage to the [Abyss] dimension.” 

Chen Jizhen spoke slowly. “If they manage to do that, what forces will appear from there? 10 Level 1 Transcendence Realm cultivators?”

Yasenia laughed. “That’s an optimistic estimate, little Zhen~.”

Chen Jizhen’s expression almost turned black. “Don’t call me that.” 

The dragoness smirked. “Sure, Chen Chen~.”

Mo Yun laughed and called after Yasenia. “Chen Chen, so cute!” 

“Enough.” He spoke somewhat tiredly as he rubbed his forehead. The times he has been teased during the last three years couldn’t be easily counted. “Tell me, what are your expectations with this summoning ritual they are doing?”

Yasenia didn’t sweeten her words and blurted it out. “Most likely a Level 8, 9, or half-step Abyss Monster.” 

Her blunt words made the five people tense up as their expressions changed from confused to serious. “Impossible.” Chen Jizhen at first refuted her words. “How can that be possible? Monsters of that caliber can’t appear on our continent. The energy is too thin for that to happen.”

Yasenia shrugged. “They are not native to this place.” She really didn’t find that difficult. “If they open a portal, the limit is not on the energy level but the Heaven Level. This part of the World is clearly somewhat limited, as I can feel a similar pressure compared to my origin world. That world was also limited to the peak of the Sixth Realm. So, the Abyss Monsters that can descend here are, most likely, of that level.”

After digesting her words, Gao Yan spoke up. “What’s the plan, then?”

Yasenia spoke simply. “We will attack them and prevent it. We sent a few letters back to ask for reinforcements, but all of them have been denied for some reason.” The dragoness didn’t want to be pessimistic, so she was thinking that the other side was too preoccupied with the other Demonic Sects to act with them. Still, there was the possibility of the other side not answering to test her or something.

‘If it is the latter…’ Yasenia’s eyes flashed with a cold light. 

Mo Yun looked at the map and frowned. “How do we attack? The fog is too dangerous for us, Yasenia.”

“I have been researching and testing it these last three years. Now, I have a solution. The enemy has 1 Level Three, 3 Level Twos, and 7 Level Ones left. We have 2 Level Threes, 3 Level Twos, and me. I think we are more than able to have an advantage against them. 

The Level Three Transcendence Realm cultivators were Jilang Qin and Chen Jizhen, while the other three were Level 2. Everyone had a Level 1 Intent Domain, with Chen Jizhen having already stepped one foot into the next Intent Domain Level. He only needed an epiphany to take that leap. 

Meanwhile, Yasenia was also a step away from understanding the War Domain. During the last three years, Yasenia had never stopped cultivating when she could. ‘My [Mortal Shackles] are slowly being shed, while my energy is slowly coating and changing my skin for the [Skin Shedding] step. The Soul Path is relatively easier now that I have used the [Primordial Palace] as my Soul Palace. The first realm of [Soul Palace Surfacing] is basically conceptually completed, and I only need energy for the path to break through.’

She paused after that. 'Of course, after Dramel linked all paths, I won’t be able to complete the level without pushing all four paths at once.'

While she pondered that, the other five people discussed among themselves and eventually came to an agreement. Chen Jizhen spoke up. “Yasenia, tell me, what can we do to avoid being affected by the Abyssal Fog Wall? Also, will we really be okay once we cross it?”

Yasenia took out five discs and spoke. “I’ve engraved these five disks with some basic formations to let my aura envelop all of you. They can last up to five years, so we have more than enough time to fight inside even if their attacks consume the disk’s energy.”

The orange-colored disk with green and blue energy flowing through the formation paths was no larger than Yasenia’s palm. It was a small and intricate device she built with some brute force.  

Chen Jizhen glanced at Yasenia’s tail and spoke. “If we could create a coat with your scales, we would be safer.”

“Yes.” Yasenia smiled. “You’d be safer from the Abyssal Monsters. However, you wouldn’t be safe from me.” Her eyes shone with a cold light as she asked. “Who do you want to antagonize, Chen Jizhen? Abyssal Monsters or me?”

The man snorted and didn’t answer. However, everyone could easily notice that he feared Yasenia more than he feared the Abyss Cultivators.

Yasenia didn’t linger on that and commented. “Since we are all agreeable, let’s go. We’ll go attack them once the juniors return and are safe and sound.”

Meanwhile, in the Abyssal Worshiper Sect, the Third Level Transcendence Abyss Cultivator was tapping the table with a thoughtful expression. “How are the preparations going?”

The Abyssal Cultivator Yasenia bisected spoke up. His body had recovered, even if a massive vertical scar remained, as the Celestial Energies still caused havoc inside of him. “The next time that annoying Dragon appears, we’ll be able to deal with her.”

As they spoke, a messenger arrived. It was one of the flying tentacle-eye monsters. “Report! Report! The enemy cultivators are retreating!”

“Hm?” The leader frowned for a second. “Why did they retreat? Were we too obvious? Or is it a coincidence?” 

A female cultivator spoke up, her tone confused. “That dragon doesn’t seem like someone who gives up. I’ve seen her run around somewhat hastily to save all the disciples she can. So, if she discovered our plan, she wouldn’t ask for such a retreat.”

“Why do you say that?” The leader asked, curious.

“While that Dragon Woman is clever, she has a soft spot for the disciples. So, instead of letting them retreat to the cave, she would’ve sent them back to their sect.”

“Hm… That’s reasonable.” The man stood up and commented. “Either way, prepare to activate it. It won’t really hurt us either way.”

Chapter 489. A+ Tier. Numbers Go Biiiiig! Checking On Tanya. [AotSC]

Liu Shu checked her system messages before starting to do her two major tasks: dealing with the <Enhanced Life Tree Core (A- Rank)> and finishing the <Sylvan Quest: Become A Young World Tree>. 

‘It has been a while since I checked everything! Let’s do it without descriptions. I’ll check more in-depth after I complete the mission and Level Up as much as I can with my 45 million Experience Points. 

***

Name: Tianlian Liu Shu

Titles: 

<Awakened>

<World Tree>

<Forest Ruler>

<Defender>

<Wonder Tree Building>

<World Tree Province>

<Perfect Cycle>

<Touched By Dimensions> 

<One With The World Tree>

<Mother Of The Forest> 

<One With The World>

<Galactic Overlord>

<Tempest Of Chaos>

<Songs Of Chaos>

<Sprouts of Chaos>

<Embers of Chaos>

Hidden Titles: [7]

Race: World Tree (?)

Energy Method: Basic World Energy Gathering

Level: 68 [0/1,633,320] 

Aether Mana Cores: 3,318/3,318 (331,747,058) (+120 Cores/Hour)

Phoer Body Cores: 3,421/3,421 (342,074,211) (+124 Cores/Hour)  

Anima Energy Cores: 3,267/3,267 (326,635,298) (+118 Cores/Hour)  

Attributes: Aether 74,937 (10,156+60,226) / Physique 76,008 (10,156+61,242) / Anima 74,402 (10,156+59,718) / Willpower 34,354 (10,156+23,563) / Destiny 7,400 (6,800)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (376), Physique Refinement (386), Anima Affinity (371), Mental Palace (15) 

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (85), Physique Resistance (85), Spiritual Resistance (85), Mental Resistance (83)

Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-83%), Summon Enhancement (+30%), Summoning Invoking Time (-83%), Summon Upkeep (-83%)

Tier Stars:

Aether Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Phoer Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Anima Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Willpower Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Overall Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Talents:

<Recolocation (S- Rank Level 1 [20,000/839,900])>

<Soulseed Projection (A Rank Level 2 [125,580/4,718,600])>

<Temple Seed (A Rank Level 1 [0/589,900])>

<Curse Cleansing Aurora (A- Rank Level 2 [15,800/3,888,000])> 

<Enchanted Land (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Runic Living Wood City (D Rank Level MAX)>

<World Tree Calling (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Nature's Gift (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Weeping Willow’s Aether Barrage (E+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Land Modifying (E+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Explosive Root (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Root Light Burst (E+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Root Severing (E- Rank Level MAX)>

<Root Strike (D- Rank Level MAX)>

Passive Skills:

<World Tree Heart (A Rank Level 1 [298,540/589,900])>

<World Tree Eye (C Rank level MAX)>

<World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank Level MAX)>

<Cerulean Bloodsap (B- Rank Level MAX)>

<Speed Root (D+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Gentle Sap (D Rank Level MAX)>

<Treefluence (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Root Regeneration (D Rank Level MAX)>

<Pain Tolerance (E+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Charm of the Seedling (E+ Rank Level MAX)>

<Living Roots (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Minor World Builder Aura (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Mind Echo (D- Rank Level MAX)>

<Runic Coverage (D Rank Level MAX)>

Accumulated Experience: 45,670,400

***

“Wow, so many MAX Level skills! My World Tree Heart has also begun to increase in proficiency. I guess that it is related to my Core Room. Hm… I should be able to increase my World Tree Eye skill rank as well. I wonder what will happen when it reaches the B Tier?” 

The system page was quite nice to look at with so many things. “I wonder how my stats will change when I spend all my experience?” 

Liu Shu was planning to reach Level 80 if she could and then use the rest of the Experience to Level Up skills that remained after she used the rewards from the quest. Of course, if she had enough Experience Points to reach Level 90, she wouldn’t be too upset about it. Each 10 levels was a slight increase in attributes that could make a difference. Although the biggest difference between levels was not the attributes, since the Level Up attributes amounted to nothing by now, it was the increase in Ternary Essences. 

For example, if she were at Level 60, compared to Level 69, she would have around 20% less Ternary Essence reserves at the very least. 

“However, there is something strange about my stats page. My Ternary Essences are TOO high! And my Tiers…”

Liu Shu checked, and once she saw, she almost choked. 

***

Tier Stars:

Aether Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Phoer Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Anima Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Willpower Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

Overall Stars: 17 (A+ Tier)

***

Looking at this, her face was full of confusion. She was very clear that her Aether was significantly lower than the others before. Now, though, all of them had seemingly stabilized. The reason she didn’t realize it was that there were numerous system messages from all the tasks that had been completed during her sleep, making it difficult for her to find any of the truly important messages right away. 

That’s why she checked the general System Page instead of going through the messages. Now, though, she needed to dig for a bit and ask for specifics. 

“System, show me the messages related to my <Tier Up>.”   

[Searching for messages…]

[Located.]

[You’ve unlocked the <Hidden Title: Embers Of Chaos>. You’ll receive a major <Tier Up>!]

[...]

[Error! Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Willpower> and <Phoer> are about to enter the S Tier. Foundation would destabilize, and several problems would appear from a forceful partial breakthrough into the S Tier.]

[Finding solutions…]

[Found. Tier Up energy will be digested and divided to balance all of Tianlian Liu Shu’s <Star Ranks>.]

[Aether Star Up!]

[Aether Star Up!]

[Aether Star Up!]

[Anima Star Up!] 

[Aether Star Up!]

[Overflowing <Tier Up> energy… Finding places to spend it.]

At that moment, Liu Shu noticed Wisdom’s messages. 

[Wisdom: Direct overflow energy toward the <Five Origin Branches>.]

[Redirecting…]

[<Sylvanium Branch> has been enhanced. It has reached <World Rank (A+ Tier)> artifact level.]

[<Etherium Branch> has been enhanced. It has reached <World Rank (A+ Tier)> artifact level.]

[<Celestium Branch> has been enhanced. It has reached <World Rank (A+ Tier)> artifact level.]

[<Ascendium Branch> has been enhanced. It has reached <World Rank (A+ Tier)> artifact level.]

[<Cognium Branch> has been enhanced. It has reached <World Rank (A+ Tier)> artifact level.]

[Stats have been limited until the <Fourth Energy Cycle> is achieved. Otherwise, the user will receive a backlash from the overpowering stats.]

[Wisdom: Remaining energy is too faint to do anything with it. Redirect it towards purifying the bloodline. This won’t increase Tianlian Liu Shu’s stats, but it will help her achieve a perfect <Fourth Energy Cycle>.] 

[Congratulations! <Tier Up> Completed.]

Liu Shu looked at those messages with a baffled expression. Her real body opened her eyes, revealing a gorgeous pair of verdant green eyes, unlike the amethyst-colored eyes she has in the <Core Room>. Then, she looked toward the five distinct branches in her canopy. Those five branches were thick and glowed with five distinct colors, so she easily noticed them at a glance. 

“Whoa… The aura they are exuding is truly imposing.” Her gaze suddenly noticed a few tiny beings among her branches, and she couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Oh? What are you little darlings doing among my branches?”

The Berry Collectors were in utter shock. They had never expected their Lady World Tree to wake up and look their way suddenly. Seeing the perfectly carved face, basically glowing with beauty, strength, and gentleness, all the fairies and other flying creatures collecting berries had their brains malfunction. Some of them even fainted. 

Liu Shu, nearly reaching 3000 meters in height, was enormous in comparison to any of them. So, her face was large enough to look like a massive Tree House on the ground. 

Liu Shu was somewhat startled when she saw them start to tremble and faint. “Oh dear, did I scare you?” A few of her thick branches moved below the fainting Berry Collectors, catching them tenderly and avoiding any damage. 

Then, seeing that all of them were about to have a panic attack if she kept looking in their direction, Liu Shu decided to give them a break. “Okay, little ones, I’ll stop looking now. Continue working as you have and be careful, yes? I don’t want anyone to fall from my branches and have an accident.”

Her head turned after she spoke, letting the poor Berry Collectors rest so that their hearts wouldn’t explode from all the bursting emotions inside of them. Some of them barely made it to some branches as their legs softened and trembled while their wing muscles cramped. “Oh, branches above, oh, branches above, Lady World Tree was talking to me! My heart, oh my, I am going to die. Why is it beating so fast and loud?

Almost all of them had trouble even standing up as their limbs failed to respond to them. Liu Shu looked at them from the corner of her eyes and sighed softly to herself. Now, though, Liu Shu was more mature, so she didn’t mind that much. With her children and family, she was slowly letting go of her dream to find a genuine friend.

“Speaking of which…” Liu Shu’s gaze expanded outward as she tried to find the catkin Tanya. It didn’t take long before she found herself sitting in a room with other children her age. The hour was somewhat after noon, so the classes for young children had yet to finish. 

Seeing the catkin girl working hard, Liu Shu began pondering whether to continue her previous interactions with this girl. Her gaze moved toward the backpack, and she saw a plushie of herself hanging on it. Now older than the time she first found her, the catkin had understood more about the world and Liu Shu’s existence. Even then, it seemed that the girl continued to be her number one fan.  

With that in mind, Liu Shu decided not to contact her for now. ‘If the girl continues trying to search for me and reaches a high rank, perhaps, in the future, we can meet. I can sense that her talent is not small, as her life force is quite strong. So, I’ll leave it up to Destiny.’ 

Her gaze stayed on the pretty catkin for a while, and after thinking about it, one of her branches snuck up and hung on her backpack. Then, Liu Shu severed the ribbon-shaped root. “Now… <Runic Coverage>.” 

Her aura shifted inside the room for a moment, startling the people, who did not really know what had happened. As they looked around, the wooden ribbon transformed into a soft-looking red one with a clip that could attach to the catkin’s hair.  

‘This will help you. My aura will ward you off evil spells and also help your mind stay clear and calm when adversity comes.’ Her tone was soft in her mind as she laughed. ‘Let this be my little goodbye present until we cross paths again.’

Her gaze zoomed out, and she looked toward the horizon. Her soft gaze turned serious as her energy began gathering around her. The over 3000 Ternary Essence Cores surged through her roots and pulsed outward at incredible speeds. “Time to finish this. I’ll leave Warlya for later.” 

The World Tree was effectively trapped within her own domain, unable to grow due to old injuries. Therefore, she didn’t need to deal with her for the moment. 

That day, the Abyssal Void Nexus lost more than 10 towns and cities under the siege of powerful roots and spells. Not even the armies that previously invaded were so fearsome. ‘Heh. More Experience Points~.’

Chapter 1277. Three Years. Hard War.

A group of six people cautiously traversed the forest and stopped around one kilometer away from a distant group of creatures. These beings were besieging a Level Two Fusion Core Realm beast, slowly infecting it with a strange purplish-red energy. What was special was that among all the people who were participating, there was one who looked perfectly humanoid with strange eyes. 

The leader of the hiding group spoke, his voice pleasant and calm. “The mission this time is true. One of their top geniuses has appeared here.” 

A woman in the group squinted her eyes. “To be able to maintain such perfect bodily integrity at the peak of the Third Realm, this person’s affinity with Abyss Energies must be top-notch. Once we kill him, we should receive quite a lot of Sect Points.”

Another man laughed, his tone carefree. “Not to mention, losing that guy must be a hard hit to the sect. Talents like him are quite rare among them and extremely hard to nurture.” 

The six people were at the Fifth Level of the Unification Realm, and they had all managed to understand the first level of an Intent. While it was challenging to do so at this level, the high-quality environment and energy of the Sublime Mid Heaven made it much easier to understand them.

After waiting for a while, the six people rushed across the vegetation and entered into a confrontation with the 15 Abyssal Worshiper juniors. They all had around peak-level Third Realm strength, so even if they were outnumbered, the Star Sect’s disciples’ strength was much higher.

The humanoid abyssal disciple’s face changed, and he shouted. “Ambush! Prepare to counterattack!”

The man summoned a strange pulsing item and threw it as he shouted. When the Star Disciples saw the item, they all showed terrified expressions and backtracked. The leader shouted. “Use teleportation talismans!” 

Boom!

The pulsing item burst to the sky and exploded, the sound extremely loud. The six disciples paled as, a second later, a terrifying presence descended from the sky.

The creature that came was a female humanoid with half her face deformed and tentacle legs. “You little bugs really like to bother our geniuses, eh? Die.”

The woman waved her hand, and a pressure that could crush a continent with ease descended on the disciples. At that moment when the six disciples despaired, a mellow and charming voice reached them from a distance. “Bullying children at your age… You should be ashamed. [Celestial Sunder].”   

SLASH

The entire sky seemed to be bisected by this one sword energy wave, destroying all the pressure that was about to kill them. The six disciples revealed relieved and adoring looks as they glanced upward and saw the woman there. With her dragon wings spread out and a gorgeous, waving tail, the seductive figure of their ethereal elder was unmistakable. “Elder Yasenia!”

Yasenia looked down with a smile. “You did well. Use the return crystals first.” 

The Sixth Realm Half-Horror Human snarled. “Do you think they can come and leave as they please? [Abyss Twist].”  

Yasenia glanced at the vortex of pure Abyssal Energies and gently snorted. “[Celestial Aegis].”

As she raised her hand, a gorgeous bluish shield filled with starlight covered the sky above the disciples. This gave them enough time to activate the Return Crystals. Once they did, they turned into rays of light and sped into the distance. Yasenia smiled faintly when she saw the woman’s face twisted beyond the already deformed facial features. “My children can escape, but yours don’t have the same luck, sadly. [Empyrean Galaxy Domain].”

“Ha! You wish, Yasenia Dravory! [Abyss Corrupt Domain]!”

The two domains clashed, and Yasenia didn’t dodge it. Instead, she pushed all her energy and allowed her domain to rush and collide with the woman’s Domain. Seeing Yasenia’s cruel smirk, the woman realized her mistake. Sadly, it was too late to do anything about it. 

BOOM!!

An explosion occurred when the two attacks collided, pushing Yasenia and the woman back for a few thousand meters. Now, if a shockwave could push two Transcendent Realm cultivators back, it spoke volumes of the strength behind it. When that explosion arrived, the group of Abyss Disciples on the ground was instantly erased from existence. 

“Yasenia Dravory! I want to feast on your flesh and gnaw your bones!”

Her distorted scream made the air around her wobble with sonic booms. Unbothered, the dragoness showed a troubled expression. “Sadly, too many people want to do that. How about you place yourself in line first? When it is your turn, we can talk about it.”

It felt as if Yasenia’s words were pushing her limited rationality to the edge. So, with a distorted voice, the woman screamed. “I am going to kill you!”

Yasenia’s eyes shone with excitement for a moment, her hand flashing with a spherical crystal. 

“Enough. Return.”

Sadly, when Yasenia was preparing to unleash the treasure, a man’s voice descended with terrifying pressure and stopped the woman in her tracks. The woman’s face went through a myriad of expressions, but she eventually turned around and transformed into a ray of dark light, leaving the location. 

Yasenia’s face became somewhat sad, and she sighed. “Can you stop intervening? I could’ve killed another one of your elders if you didn’t intervene.”

“Yasenia Dravory.” The man’s voice reached her from a distance. The tone was contradictory, as it felt smooth yet uncanny. As if it had life taken out of it. Just listening to it would give someone a strange, heart-clenching feeling. “You will die soon, so it doesn’t make sense for you to continue playing these games. It has been three years since your plans started. And I admit that you made a fool out of us at first. However, we now know your methods, and they won’t work twice.”

Yasenia didn’t answer and instead looked down and puffed out her dragon breath. The flames that looked like a river of blue starlight swept everything in the area, leaving a scorched land. “With this, you can’t revive that talented little one. Really, do you know the fright I got when I saw one of your geniuses appearing again on the battlefield? I thought I was seeing a ghost!”

The man speaking to her didn’t answer, but Yasenia could imagine his expression. She had met him in the past and exchanged a few blows with him. However, at that time, neither side felt like having an advantage, so they decided not to fight to the death.

“You can’t provoke me. Even if you kill one genius, another will appear in the future. You are delaying the inevitable.” 

Yasenia smirked. “Am I?” She turned around and then left the place, leaving one sentence behind. “We’ll see who has the last laugh.” 

Her body crossed a long distance and appeared at another location where an enemy senior appeared. Her sword flashed with [Celestial Sunder], taking the enemy’s attention from the juniors and blocking their attacks. Right after, she scanned her disciples and noticed one of them was tainted. ‘Poor little one.’ 

While she battled the senior on the other side and left the disciples from both sides to battle it out, Yasenia spoke with curiosity. “Say, what made you and that octopus woman decide to appear today? You usually hide inside and don’t dare come out, right? Especially so after I sliced away a few of your limbs.”

The man fighting her this time was similarly deformed, with three legs, four arms, and two heads. It was a strange combination that made Yasenia ponder which groin had his genitals. ‘Perhaps he has one set between each of the legs?’

“Yasenia Dravory! Don’t think that you can always stop us! If all of us come out, we will be able to kill your disciples easily.” 

Yasenia noticed that her disciples were about to kill those from the Abyss and grinned, wasting more time as she exchanged blows with them. “Perhaps. However, I wonder if it is worth it? If all of you come out, it will be nothing but a dream come true!” 

The man’s voice came again from the distance. “Don’t let her words bother you.”

Yasenia’s grin collapsed as she put on an annoyed expression. “Hey, do you like stalking me? Why are you always interrupting me?”

Her sword quickly blocked a quick barrage from the enemy before she snuck close range and struck the man’s stomach with the pommel of her sword. 

“Gah!”

Yasenia deployed her Monarch Domain and Empyrean Galaxy Domain, immobilizing the powerful foe for a fraction of a second. Then, using her Grand Cosmos Martial Art and Celestial Sunder, she cleaved the man’s body almost right up the middle.  

This set of movements was done seamlessly in less time than it took to blink once. Seeing their elder bisected, the disciples below were stunned. The Star Sect Disciples didn’t let the chance go by and finished them off.

Meanwhile, when Yasenia was about to end that senior’s life, a terrifying pressure descended and struck Yasenia, sending her flying a few thousand meters back. Then, a giant black, smoky hand descended from the sky and took the bisected Sixth Realm abomination away.

The dragoness snorted, dissatisfied, and then muttered. “If you weren’t their nanny, I would’ve already cleaned this place up.”    

She landed between the disciples, and they all bowed to her. “We greet Elder Yasenia!”

Yasenia nodded and turned toward a girl at the side. The girl had a pale face and was holding her side with a painful expression. Yasenia sighed to herself and approached her. “Come, child. I’ll take you to the infirmary.” 

“Um… Elder Yasenia!”

When the dragoness picked the woman up in her arms, one man approached with a nervous expression. “Can… Can she be healed?”

Yasenia didn’t turn to look and spoke softly. “It will be up to Heaven’s will.”

Then, she left the place with the girl in her arms. As they flew, the girl spoke softly. “I can’t be saved.” 

Yasenia looked down and nodded, looking at the girl’s eyes. She didn’t hide it and spoke softly. “You can’t. The Abyss Energy has taken root in your Dantian.”

“Elder Yasenia…” The woman spoke tiredly as she looked up. “Can I die in between your arms?”   

“You can.” Yasenia smiled and moved her energy into her body. Her soul energy enveloped the woman’s soul, as if she were hugging her. “Close your eyes, child.”

The dragoness didn’t ask why and respected the disciple’s wishes. Even when the disciple hugged her tightly and buried her face in her neck, Yasenia kept calm and moved her soul energy. 

Then, she eased up her pain, making the girl relax and feel as if spring water was washing her body and soul. ‘So comfortable…’

Then, the second the woman reached the most comfortable state, Yasenia’s soul pressure squeezed as hard as it could and popped her soul like a bubble. 

There was no pain; there was nothing but darkness descending forever into the woman’s world.

After that was done, Yasenia returned to the base and landed at the back of the mountain. There, a cemetery holding around 800 graves had been erected. With somewhat practiced motions, Yasenia dug a new grave and placed the girl inside. Then, she took in a soft breath and puffed gently. 

Her flames flooded the grave with a gentle heat before she closed the grave. This would ensure that no abomination was born from the corpse.

Yasenia whispered. “Three years… We managed to kill two of their Sixth Realm people and several thousand of their disciples. Our objectives are being completed, but at what cost?”

Looking at the cemetery around her, Yasenia sighed softly. “Sadly, I can’t really think of a better solution. Not with our limited resources.” 

With another step, Yasenia turned into a streak of light and returned to the battlefield.

Chapter 488. Melody and Liu Shu Conversing. New Treasure. [AotSC]

“So, you wanted to talk? What do you want to talk about?”

Liu Shu’s peaceful and gentle voice spread in the room, where Ignatia, Verena, Flor, and other family members had reunited. Her words were directed at the person with the most strength in the room, Melody. 

Melody smiled faintly before speaking. “Don’t worry. I am not trying to investigate or change anything that you are doing. Only, since you are now my daughter-in-law, I want to get to know you.” Her tone was peaceful and reassuring. “Don’t worry, Liu Shu. I am very happy with how everything has gone until now.” 

Liu Shu could feel Melody’s sincerity. Honestly speaking, she didn’t fear her, nor was she wary of the powerful Sylvan. The reason she was somewhat guarded was that the clan accompanying Melody was quite powerful and could exert significant influence over many industries and cities. She didn’t care much about the back-and-forth between the people in her city. However, she didn’t really want a single family to have full control over everything. 

If, for example, they used their superior means to get in charge of industries and political positions, their influence could become something dangerous. 

Liu Shu pondered for a few moments before speaking. “Aunty—”

“Mom.”

“Eh?” Liu Shu asked with a somewhat silly tone. Even Flor and Ignatia looked at Melody strangely. 

When she saw the strange looks from the people around, the powerful Sylvan blinked and tilted her head. “Don’t you call ‘Mother’ or ‘Mom’ to your in-laws? In our clan, calling your in-laws as such is a very regular practice.” She added with a sincere smile. “Of course, if you feel more comfortable with another way of calling me, I don’t mind at all.”

Liu Shu understood and commented politely. “Aunty Melody, while I don’t mind, I feel that calling you Mom would reduce Flor’s, Tree’s, and Ignatia’s positions in the hearts of others… I have these three moms, and I don’t really want any more.”

Melody spoke with a bit of reluctance. “That’s a shame. Still, I understand. Aunty, it is.” She extended her hand and summoned a green orb. When the orb appeared, a ridiculously profound aura of Life Aether Mana spread in the room, attracting everyone’s eyes toward it. “Here, this will be my gift to you, Little Liu Shu. I got it in the past and never really knew what to do with it. Since we are now family, it is just right~.”

Liu Shu was curious about that orb, but there was no greed in her heart. She analyzed it and read the findings. 

[<Enhanced Life Tree Core (A- Rank)>: This is a mostly uninjured core of a Fourth Energy Cycle Life Tree. The Core has preserved most of its aura, and it can help nourish the land. It can also act as a tonic for plant beings. If a plant creature bathes in the core’s aura while they are young, they will receive incredible benefits. It is a precious treasure that’s hard to come by.] 

Liu Shu was surprised when she read it, and her first thought was to give it to Tree. She asked. “Will this help Tree?”  

“Tree…” Melody pondered and commented. “I’ve come near that Life Tree, but I think that this core won’t really help her much. On the contrary, the other Life Tree in that lake would benefit greatly from this item.”

Liu Shu pondered. She was not reluctant to give the core to Aurelise. She was an important part of the Golden Sap City. Any strengthening she went through would make everyone in the city have healthier lives. After all, Aurelise was a Life Tree focused entirely on Life Aether Mana.

Still, there was a bit of selfishness inside of her that didn’t want to use this precious core that way. She muttered. “How about using it to create a Meditation Runic Field for our children and close family members?” 

Everyone paused and pondered over those words. Melody commented. “Isn’t it a bit of a waste to create a zone for meditation? I think that Life Tree named Aurelise could really benefit from this. Still, since I’ve given it to you, you can use it as you please.” 

Liu Shu also thought like her. But the more she looked at that precious core, the more that idea took root in her heart. For once, Liu Shu wanted to be a bit selfish and reserve the benefit from the core for her family.  

A root extended from the side, and Liu Shu commented. “I’ll think about it. Thank you, Aunty Melody.” 

Flor waited for Liu Shu to put the core away before she spoke. “Melody, we are now family, so I won’t mince my words with you.” 

Melody grabbed the teacup elegantly and took a gentle sip. “Speak.”

Flor nodded and blurted it out. “In this place, Liu Shu is a priority over everything else. I know you understand this truth, but I don’t know if you understand how deep that truth is.” 

Melody’s cup made a gentle clinking sound when it landed as her eyes scanned Flor’s face. Then, she smiled secretly before uttering a single word. “Explain.”

“Yes,” Flor commented. “What I mean by priority is that, if in the future we are being pushed back, we are willing to sacrifice everything as long as Liu Shu remains standing.”

The sentence was said lightly, but the implications were anything but. With just those words, Melody understood the extent of their protective attitude. 

“Flor…” 

Hearing the World Tree’s words, the Flower Fairy spoke sternly. “Liu Shu. Not now, love.” 

Melody’s index finger circled the teacup, her expression not revealing a single thought or emotion. After letting the tension in the room increase for a little while, Melody finally spoke. “I understand. Still, I will speak as a mother and not a clan leader.” Her tone was light like Flor’s, even when the words that came out of her mouth were also somewhat impactful. “Harmonixia is my little world. So, if you ever think of using her as some kind of chess piece for Liu Shu’s survival, I will rebel.”

Harmonixia at the side didn’t know what to say. She was both happy and worried about how the others would think about her. However, Verena had said something similar in the past, so her worries were not too deep.

Flor nodded with a smile. “That’s only natural. I can understand why you said that, and I would’ve been worried if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

Liu Shu harrumphed at this time. “Always talking about such serious things. Why speak about the worst-case scenario? Nobody knows how you will act during desperate times. So anything you say now will be empty promises when the time of reckoning arrives.”

The people in the room couldn’t help but pause. Unaware that she had almost destroyed the convictions of these people, Liu Shu continued her words. “Anyway, I am now awake, so it is time to take over the continent. Melody won’t participate, and I will participate as support during this part of the conquest. The rhythm will be set up by me as well. Any questions?”

Verena leaned back and asked with a smile. “What’s the plan?”

“That’s easy~.” Liu Shu smiled. “I will spread my roots. Each time I reach a city or town, the army will invade that place. With my presence there, I will make sure no corruption occurs and that all stragglers are caught. The process won’t be difficult, only tedious. By the end of it, I hope everyone in the army has at least participated in one large city siege.”

Melody took another sip before asking calmly. “What are your intentions about Corrupt World Trees? There are a dozen of them or so, right?”

When she asked, she expected Liu Shu to call for murder and slaughter. Instead, what she received was gentle reassurance. “Don’t worry, Aunty Melody. I’ll make my utmost effort to absorb their corruption and purify all of them. Those Big Sisters are suffering, and I don’t want them to have such a painful end. I’ll liberate them as much as I can before taking them down and making sure a new World Tree is born in their place.”

Melody stopped her motions and showed a hint of surprise for the first time since they gathered in the room. Her loss of composure was quickly hidden, but the waves that Liu Shu’s words stirred in her heart took a while to settle down. “That’s… dangerous. Isn’t it?” 

Looking around, Melody could see the mixed expressions on everyone’s face. There was a hint of blame and annoyance, together with one of pride and praise toward the World Tree’s attitude. Clearly, if it were for anyone other than Liu Shu to choose on this matter, the fate of those Corrupt World Trees would be very different.  

After she heard Melody’s cautious words, Liu Shu laughed. “Yes. It can be dangerous.” Even then, she added with a gentle and caring tone. “However, I have the strength to liberate them. So, I will naturally not keep my branches away.”  

Melody didn’t say anything after hearing that. ‘No wonder Flor spoke like that before… It seems that my adorable daughter-in-law has a bit of a martyr mentality. Since that’s the case, only by making her the top priority can we counteract those tendencies.’

Liu Shu’s attitude was not a problem in Melody’s mind. That attitude is something very few people can afford to have, and even fewer are willing to have. In an era where selfishness and one's own safety have become the norm, someone who is willing to go an extra mile for others has become a genuine precious gem—rare and valuable. 

After that, Liu Shu explained the path she wanted to take. The way she did so was by placing a large continental map on the wall and then spreading roots out from the Golden Sap City. Once she covered her current root net’s area in the map, she explained where and how she would expand her network.

Melody noticed the void in the middle of the continent and asked, her tone uncertain. “That void in the middle… Is that where Warlya is located?”

“Oh?” Harmonixia blinked. “Mom, do you know about Warlya? You never taught me about her.”

Melody nodded. “I do know about her.” Then, she added with a worried gaze. “Won’t she become an obstacle? She is quite strong, right?”

Cinderielle commented. “Aunty Melody, if we make her our ally, won’t we be able to avoid those troubles?” 

“Ally?” Melody blinked twice and shook her head. “That’s impossible. Warlya would rather die than join Liu Shu.”

Flor frowned. “Why are you so sure?”

Melody turned her head, and her eyes landed on the resident Ant Queen. “Because she exists.” Everyone else paused for a moment. They knew Warlya’s history with ants, so Melody’s words were not outrageous. The old Sylvan added. “Even if you can somehow heal Warlya or show her that Ignatia is inoffensive towards nature, Warlya won’t accept it. She was battling ants for centuries and eventually fought to the death with the Ant Queen of the past. She won’t ever trust an Ant Queen, regardless of what proof you show her.” 

Everyone became silent, while Liu Shu sighed to herself. “Even then, I need to try.” 

Ignatia spoke firmly. “I’ll help. I will show my Status Window to Warlya as well. We will be able to come up with something.”  

Melody looked at her but didn’t say anything else. 

From that day on, the proper Continental Domination plan started. 

Chapter 487. Presenting Pyara to the Family. [AotSC]

Tempestria, Harmonixia, and Verdantia were sitting on a plot of land near their Tree House Daughters. The three of them were chatting with each other with their children nearby. In the middle of the table, Harmonixia’s flower daughter was gently swaying in the gentle breeze. Her petals have already bloomed into a gorgeous purple and neon blue. At nighttime, the illumination would change, emitting a peaceful, purple glow. 

Verdantia looked at the 30-centimeter-tall flower with some fascination. “Harmonixia, I know I’ve said it often, but this child is truly beautiful. Look at how perfect the edges of her petals are. If she could transform into a humanoid form, she would be a beauty no worse than that of a Poppy species.”  

“Hey!” Harmonixia frowned. “Can you not compare my baby daughter with those dangerous flowers? A Poppy is beautiful, but one might get their soul stolen if they are not careful.” 

Tempestria chuckled after she took a sip of tea. “Isn’t that high praise? Not many can say they have a beauty similar to a Sylvan with Poppy Flower lineage.”

“Right.” Harmonixia rolled her eyes. “And not many can come close to the number of people that fall prey to the addiction their bodies can cause. Around eighty percent of the people dying during intercourse are related to Poppy Lineage Sylvans!”

Verdantia smiled a bit. “It’s not their fault. Information about them is available everywhere, and even they themselves warn about the risks. Only, some people are just too greedy for beauty and end up falling under their skirts with smiles on their faces. This is quite traumatic for some of the Poppy Sylvans.” 

Tempestria added. “Thankfully, it seems that after Liu Shu’s auras increased everyone’s attributes, the number of deaths due to them has plummeted. Now, it only happens when someone with a low level interacts with a high-level Poppy Sylvan.” 

Harmonixia sighed. “The fact that some people throw themselves into their arms even knowing the consequences is quite… befuddling.” 

Poppy Sylvans produced addictive substances through their bodily fluids and scent. Usually, they wore long dresses specially tailored for them so that they could live among other people. It was not rare for innately venomous, poisonous, or narcotic Sylvans to appear since plants were the kings of those substances. Poppy flowers were among the strongest ones, and it was known that having intercourse even just once with a Poppy Flower Sylvan could make whoever did it have addiction problems for life. Meaning, unless it was with them, they would feel nothing. 

There was a time when such Sylvans were almost hunted down, until everyone got to know that their personalities were actually quite opposite to their innate nature. It was as if nature was balancing their innate characteristics in order to allow them to survive. 

Poppy Flowers were not only beautiful and dangerously addictive, but they were also extremely gentle and sweet personality-wise. An evil Poppy Flower Sylvan was as rare as a flying one like Tempestria. 

In the entirety of the Golden Sap Country, there were around 1,000 Poppy Sylvans, with 800 of them living in Golden Sap City. Tempestria asked Verdantia. “Speaking of them, how do we deal when an accident like that happens?” 

Verdantia shrugs. “What can we do? We punish them lightly but don’t record it in their resume. I mean, they don’t do it on purpose. So, we can only punish them lightly. All of them always accept it with smiles on their faces or while crying and swearing to compensate the family of whoever they killed.”  

Harmonixia sighed. “Beauty is truly a fatal attraction that pushes all of us to do unreasonable things.” 

Cinderielle’s voice came from a distance. “Tell me about it.”

Verdantia blinked and smiled. “Oh, you are…” Her voice became confused. “Back…?”  

Tempestria and Harmonixia noticed the little darling in Cinderielle’s arms, and both of them smiled widely. Harmonixia commented. “Oh? That’s the youngest baby? She looks so big already!”

Tempestria spoke softly. “She is adorable.” Then she joked. “Not less beautiful compared to a young Poppy Sylvan. Your child will be a true beauty when she grows, Cinderielle.”

Cinderielle saw Verdantia’s eyes shaking as she pointed at the child and sat down with a wry smile. “Yes, you are guessing correctly, Verdantia. She is of that species.”

“NO WAY!”

Her loud exclamation startled everyone around. Verena, Melody, and other elders came from a distance, looking somewhat worried since Verdantia’s voice carried some traces of fear. 

“Love, what’s wrong?” Verena asked from a distance, but as she came running and saw the child in Cinderielle’s arms, she tripped and fell face first. 

Bang!

Not caring about that, she raised her face and pointed at Cinderielle’s arms. “C-Cinderielle! Where have you found that!? Throw it away, child! It is too dangerous!”

Cinderielle smiled awkwardly. “Um, Auntie Verena, she is my and Tiantian’s child.”

Verena’s face twisted, going through a myriad of emotions. ‘Is Liu Shu going to give birth to all dangerous variants of Alraunes!?’ 

When she saw that an Alraune had become Verdantia’s child, she was somewhat worried, but she became resolute in loving the child, regardless of her nature, and in teaching Dewna well.

Then came a Farlune, which was bordering what was acceptable, but she persevered with the same mentality. In the end, these were her grandchildren, so she was determined to take care of Eluan. 

After that, almost scaring her to death, the Sylphaith appeared. Still, she forced herself to look at things optimistically. So, after a bit of time, she could come to love Sylvia either way. 

Now, the fourth child came, and it was, to her horror, a Sanguine Blaze! She was about to have a nervous breakdown. ‘Even if she is my grandchild, there are limits!’

However, when Verena looked at that pair of big, red eyes looking at her curiously, her heart was hit hard. ‘Ah! Why is she so adorable!? I want to pamper and hug her regardless of the danger signals going off in my head!’ 

Melody was quite experienced, so she knew a great deal about plant species. She looked at Pyara with fascination and muttered. “A Sanguine Blaze. This is my first time seeing one in the flesh.”

Seeing the exaggerated reactions of everyone around them, Harmonixia turned to her mother and asked. “What’s wrong with this baby? She looks so cute and special. Look at her flaming hair! It’s such a fascinating trait…” 

Verena stood up from the ground and patted her body to clear the dirt that stuck to her green dress. Then, she sighed and looked at Pyara with a complicated expression. “Well, a Sanguine Blaze is…” And she proceeded to explain to the other two. 

When she was done, Tempestria and Harmonixia were looking at Pyara with horror and fascination. Tempestria muttered. “Her traits make Sylvia look like a little holy flower.” 

Hearing her name, the mouthless, dark-haired little girl looked up with her unnaturally but adorably large eyes at her mother. Tempestria had come to find Sylvia’s eyes super expressive and lovely, so she hugged the child and kissed her face. “Is my pretty Sylvia having fun?”

The large eyes curved in happiness as the mouth in the middle of her stomach opened and licked Tempestria’s belly. "Hahaha, my baby is so cute~."

Verena looked at Tempestria with a complex expression, a mix of pride and confusion. “A mother’s love is truly strong.” She was glad that Tempestria could love her child regardless of her peculiarities, but she couldn’t help but find it strange that Tempestria found the strange and uncanny traits of Sylvia genuinely cute.

‘I mean, if you don’t take those two things into account, she is truly adorable. Still, once they are revealed, they can truly take someone aback.’ 

Verena was not one to judge, since she married a vine plant. All these thoughts were taking into account normal human aesthetics.   

Melody spoke to Cinderielle at this time. Her tone was somewhat concerned as she took a wooden chair and sat down with the four girls. “So… Is little Liu Shu okay? Giving birth to a Sanguine Blaze is not easy.” 

The other three paid attention, and Cinderielle smiled. “Yes. She is perfectly fine. It wasn’t easy, of course. She even told me that the birth almost…” She paused when she noticed Dewna, Eluan, and Sylvia looking at her. Then, she changed her wording. “Well, almost dealt a big blow to her Avatar. Now, she is stronger than ever and healthy.”

“You took a while to return, though,” Tempestria commented with a pointy gaze. The Fire Sylvan scratched her cheek and coughed. “It has been a while since we saw each other, so we took our time.” 

Harmonixia snorted. “So you…” Looking at the children, she also changed her wording. “Mixed with her.”

At this time, Dewna, at the side, bounced over with her lower body half and pulled Harmonixia’s sleeve. “Aunt Harmonixia, what is mixing around? Is it fun?”

Dewna was approaching six years of age, so she had gained enough intelligence to recognize and learn basic speech. Even if, as an Alraune, her intelligence was more limited than that of Intelligent Species, she was not too far behind. 

“Um.” Harmonixia showed a complicated expression, and she picked up the young child. She was already quite big, so she completely filled Harmonixia’s arms, even when the Sylvan was quite tall. “Do you want some honey tea? It is your favorite, right, Dewna?”

Dewna’s pretty face lit up and she smiled like a flower. “Yes! Honey tea is so yummy!”

Having dodged a bullet and Verdantia’s death gaze, Harmonixia gave the child one cup of it. After Dewna grabbed the tea, she used one of her hands to raise the yellow pretty skirt, which hid her lower half, and poured the cup into her flower.  

The dense, honey-like substance around her legs easily absorbed the tea, and Dewna showed a look of enjoyment. “So sweet~.”  

The others smiled faintly, and the conversation finally regained a much calmer rhythm. Looking at Pyara again, the others sighed and looked at Cinderielle. “What’s your future plans for her? You know that it will be impossible for her to grow normally.”

Cinderielle shrugged. “What’s wrong with that? I’ll slowly teach her to control her urges and make sure that, if in the future she finds someone, we have made enough preparations and warned that person.” 

Harmonixia was a bit indifferent in this aspect and commented. “I mean, if someone wants to fall prey to Pyara, what’s wrong with that? It is them who weren’t clever enough to avoid her. Of course, we will have to judge the other side’s sincerity. But if it is a woman or man trying to have some fun… Heh.” Harmonixia showed a cold smile. “It’s their fault for trying to mess with the wrong plant.” 

Their children were not too bright due to the limitations of their species. Therefore, they knew that they would be easy to flirt with or even deceive. Therefore, they expected a lot from their future sons-in-law or daughters-in-law. 

Chapter 1276. Yasenia's Plans.

After losing contact with Yasenia’s group, the Abyssal Worshiper Sect started to prepare. They couldn’t really dip into what other sects had, like formations, etc. After all, those methods required Heavenly Energies that they couldn’t manipulate.

So, to defend themselves, they created [Abyss Towers] in a perimeter around their territory. These [Abyss Towers] were particularly powerful defensive structures that could be linked to create a shielding dome. They worked by linking Abyss Energy and created a dense wall that could block energy and also attack anyone who came too close or tried crossing it. So, more than a solid wall, the dome was like a very thick dark fog that could devour, transform, and corrupt energy sources that came close to it. 

The base of the large dome covered around 8 billion square kilometers, making sure no one could sneak in an attack. Yasenia scanned everything with her Spiritual Sense before returning to the group with a pensive look. 

Mo Yun trotted over and smiled. “Did you find anything new?”

“The dome covers an area 100,000 kilometers in diameter. I’ve sent some traces of energy to see what happens, and the fog would detach and attack anything that comes close. So, our options are very limited in that regard. Brute forcing things has become impossible.” 

It had been around a month since the day they dealt with the Transcendence Realm Abyss members. When they arrived at their territory, they made sure to move undetected and use formations to avoid triggering any enemy alarms. So, they were hidden from their enemies for now. 

Their current location was a large cave Gao Yan found inside a mountain range, around 200,000 kilometers from the enemies. That distance was big enough to escape surveillance. Moreover, with flying treasures or swords, mortals could easily cross a distance of 100,000 kilometers in 10 hours on average. For them, at the Sixth Realm, it took just a few seconds at most. 

Hearing Yasenia’s words, Mo Zifei, Mo Yun’s little sister but with a much more mature aura, asked. “What do we do, then? We can’t attack them or harass them. We can’t bait them out without endangering ourselves… We are in a stalemate.” 

Yasenia agreed with her words and looked at Chen Jizhen. “What do you think? Any ideas?”

Over the last month, they had both worked out their feelings for each other. Now, although they didn’t like each other, they also didn’t have any hate or resentment. At most, they were coworkers and would respect each other at that level. 

Chen Jizhen crossed his arms and asked. “Have you seen their mortal sect members coming and entering through the fog? Or have they turtled themselves?”

“No, they haven’t become defensive to that extent.” Yasenia clarified. “I could sense mortal groups leaving and entering the fog. The people that came out were as strong as Peak-Fifth Realm people or as weak as a novice Third Realm cultivator.” 

Chen Jizhen pondered for a while and then answered. “Then, we will go with your suggestion, Yasenia.”

Mo Yun’s eyes glittered. “Yay!” 

After cheering, she waved her hand and summoned a green jade tablet. When the tablet appeared, she commented with a big smile on her lips. “I have already prepared everything! Check it out!” 

Yasenia took the tablet and after giving it a read, she smiled. “Great. Did the senior elders approve this?” 

Gao Yan smiled and nodded. “All done. They’ve checked everything and accepted it.” 

With a nod, the dragoness took the jade tablet and walked away. Her voice spread throughout the cave in the next instant. “All mortal cultivators are to gather in the main cave room.” 

The cave had been divided into livable spaces, so no one was confused when they heard Yasenia’s mellow and charming voice. 

Everyone moved quickly and rushed toward the center at their highest speed. Yasenia waited while setting up the last few formation strokes. Once she was done, she nodded and turned around. Her spiritual sense swept the area, checking their numbers. ‘79,873. One hundred and twenty-seven less than a month ago.’ 

These cultivators died from the after-effects of Abyss Energy exposure. 

Below, everyone looked at the platform with respect, awe, and some other feelings. Yasenia was restraining her appearance, even wearing a veil and her long-sleeved blue dress with white phoenixes. Even then, her baseline beauty was just too strong for most people in the room not to be affected. 

Yasenia ignored the strange gazes, already accustomed. Instead, she tapped the ground with her tail and activated the formation. The wall behind her lit up, and soon, words began appearing in the native language of this world. It was the universal language, so no one had any trouble reading it. Yasenia spoke to everyone present. “Today is the day we start our attack on the [Abyssal Worshiper Sect]. They have created a defensive structure around the most important sections of their domain, and since the enemy is not too weak, we can’t force entry. However, the area they have is not large enough to cultivate their future talents.”

Yasenia turned halfway, and her tail pointed at the wall while her arms remained elegantly resting at her sides. “This wall is an [Abyss Extermination Mission Wall]. This wall will generate missions that you can accept in exchange for Sect Points.”

The juniors began discussing among themselves with surprise in their eyes. 

“Sect Points?”

“They are really generous.”

“Look, that quest over there gives as many as 100 Sect Points! I can buy a peak Heaven-Ranked healing pill with that many points!”

“...When Elder Yasenia stands sideways, her figure looks too good.”

Yasenia let them speak for a little while before she cut down their chatter. “Silence.” After waiting for a second, everyone stopped speaking. “For the rewards, we have set up a transporting array, and you will need to go to Elder Mo Zifei or Elder Gao Yan. There are 100 posts for people who will help the elders process the missions and give rewards as well. These positions are voluntary. Still, those who volunteer will receive rewards that are not worse than accepting gold-tier missions.”

Hearing the unknown term, many looked confused. They didn’t need to fret, as Yasenia clarified the situation without leaving anything aside. “The missions will naturally require different types of people. We won’t send Third Realm juniors to inspect locations where Fifth Realm enemies or monsters might appear. Hence, we will separate them into different tiers. The missions go as such.”

Yasenia pointed at the wall, and the image of a mission table changed to a map with five different colors. “Places where Third Realm cultivators can participate are Bronze-level sites; for those in the Fourth Realm, they will be referred to as Silver-level sites; for those of the Fifth Realm, we have classified them as Gold-level sites. Finally, any realm where peak-Fifth Realm threats might appear will be classified as Abyss-level sites. We will also mark the sites unavailable for you juniors as forbidden sites.” 

She added sternly. “Anyone who dares to go to forbidden level sites will be punished severely. So, after you download the map into an information jade, check well where you are going.” 

Seeing Yasenia’s stern face, some people couldn’t help but feel shy. ‘Elder Yasenia is so pretty when she worries about us.’

After explaining that, Yasenia asked aloud. “Who wants to volunteer?” 

Around 3,000 people raised their arms, and Yasenia picked 100 of them at random according to their temperament. The ones she chose were either handsome men or pretty women with rather calm personalities. Those who will reassure people fighting Abyss threats need to possess social skills and a pleasant appearance to clear their minds.   

Yasenia turned around and left, preparing for her own role in all of this. ‘Our forces are strong, and we have also prepared a baseline array of treasures so that they can protect themselves from Abyss Energy influence.’ Her eyes became cold. ‘Once they start losing promising juniors, their high-level people might start appearing. It will be then that we will strike. That strike must be a sure kill so that we can scare them and push them to use more Sixth Realm elders at once.’

Yasenia was not afraid that they would move all at once, but that their strongest people would remain tightly tucked behind the Abyssal Fog Wall. Looking out at the distant dark dome, Yasenia squinted her eyes. “That wall feels dangerous, but not insurmountable. I can probably cross it without receiving any permanent injury. The problem is that the enemy has more than 10 Sixth Realm people. I am not confident in facing all of them without developing the War or Celestial Intent Domain. If I can understand any of those domains during my stay here, I can probably guide the others inside with me and clean up the place.”

“What are you thinking about?” 

A man’s voice came from the side. Yasenia turned and saw Jilang Qin approaching. He wore blue robes and had a refined appearance. There was a calm smile on his face, looking free and easy. Yasenia shook her head. “I was thinking that I need to make a breakthrough soon so that I can deal with this problem. Our arrangements will likely work for a few years, but eventually, the enemy may develop items to cause our juniors trouble. Abyss Creatures are tricky to deal with.”   

Jilang Qin nodded, mirroring her worries. “I hope a few of their elders come out before then. I don’t think they have intelligent leadership among them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have tried to scan the area and blitz us with their superior strength.”

“They can’t do that.” Yasenia looked at Jilang Qin’s confused expression and explained. “They have the advantage of being on the defensive. While they could deal a strong blow to us, they know that we are not weak after we eliminated four of them without suffering any serious injury. In terms of strength, each of us can probably face two of them in a stalemate. Therefore, six against twelve can end up in our victory. Even if there are more than I estimated, our treasures will give us an edge.”  

Jilang Qin showed a look of realization. “I see. You noticed that, which shows your intelligence.” 

“Not only mine.” Yasenia smiled wryly. “The enemy can think of something you overlooked, so we are not facing mindless, corrupt monsters. There must be someone with wisdom among them.”  

When he heard that, his face instantly changed from one of surprise to one of solemnity. “No wonder you showed such a worried expression. Are you thinking that our juniors might be in more trouble than we expected?” 

Yasenia nodded and sighed. “We must be outside and monitor them from a distance. Also, once a team returns, they will go through a scan to make sure they weren’t corrupted by the enemy.”

“Got it. I’ll tell the others.” 

Yasenia saw the man leaving, and her face turned serious as she looked into the distance. “I wonder what your next move will be? Will you be slowly asphyxiated by us, or will you use some unknown method to fight us?”

The dragoness turned around to leave and entered a room she had set up to cultivate. ‘Let’s prepare to develop the War Intent Domain next.’

Fortuna, World Tree Of Destiny Avatar. (Completed)

Aaand, completed art~. Gorgeous Big Sister Fortuna!

Chapter 486. Pyara and Cinderielle. [AotSC]

Liu Shu could see that Cinderielle’s expression was off all along the way. Usually, the woman would be so cheery that even her eyes would curve in delight. However, this time, she had a solemn expression and a clearly concerned aura around her. ‘I wonder what’s wrong with her.’ 

Thinking that she might’ve been worried for the child, Liu Shu smiled happily and looked down. “Once she sees you, I am sure she will be delighted.”

At three months old, the Sanguine Blaze had grown into a young girl already, her growth far outpacing human development. She looked like a two-year-old, be it in height or appearance. Her waist-length flaming hair gently trailed the young and pretty contours of her face, and her large, blood-red eyes were constantly looking at Liu Shu’s face, as if in a trance with a small smile on her lips.

Liu Shu looked down and met her daughter’s loving eyes, making her own gaze soften. “Always looking at Mommy with such loving eyes, won’t you get tired, baby?” 

Surprisingly, the Sanguine Blaze shook her head, clearly showing some understanding of Liu Shu’s words. Liu Shu wasn’t surprised, though. Since the very beginning, this child seemed to have been able to understand what she said, but she was unable to speak. 

The Sanguine Blaze placed her face in Liu Shu’s neck and rubbed her young face there, using her arms and tendrils to hug Liu Shu tightly. Accustomed to such clingy shows of affection, Liu Shu patted her daughter’s back and caressed her flaming hair. “There, there.”

As she was cradling the young creature, Liu Shu felt Cinderielle was about to arrive. So, she patted her baby’s butt twice. “Okay, your mother is coming. Stop hugging me and make sure to welcome her.” 

The Sanguine Blaze separated obediently and looked toward the door, her intelligent red eyes shining with curiosity. Even if she was young, she understood already that she had two parents, not just her dear mother. As she waited, the Petal Door was opened, and a tall and graceful woman entered through the door. Her athletic body and gorgeous hourglass figure were enhanced by her temperament, creating an image of pure elegance and beauty. 

The tall Sylvan looked over at the place where her lover’s Avatar usually was, and she saw what she feared. ‘Sanguine Blaze… It really is a Sanguine Blaze.’ 

A plant girl, around two years old, was lying in Liu Shu’s arms without clothes, her flaming hair waving without any air current. The girl’s facial features were exquisite, with Liu Shu’s soft eyes and lips, and her own eyebrows and nose. A mix of Liu Shu’s and her own facial features, enhanced by a pair of alluring blood-red eyes.

Even when she was just a young child, there was a mysterious, charming, yet dangerous air around her that seemed to hook those who approached. Cinderielle couldn’t help but feel her heart tremble for a second. 

[<Passive Skill: Sanguine Blaze Enthralling (A Rank)> has tried to affect your soul. It was ineffective.] 

Cinderielle’s eyes flashed for a second. ‘You mischievous brat, you dare try to charm your mother!? See how I’ll spank you later!’ Of course, she knew that the skill was activated without any intention. The child was born with powers that she had yet to master, so she was unleashing them without any self-control. 

Somehow, the Sanguine Blaze felt a strange chill as she looked at her new mother. She felt that in the future, this woman was going to scold her a lot. So, as Cinderielle approached, the Sanguine Blaze tried to shrink her body inside Liu Shu’s warm and loving embrace. Even then, she was unwilling to turn her gaze away, so she kept glaring at the woman. 

All this time, Liu Shu had been looking between both mother and child with strange eyes. She had initially wanted to present their baby. However, as soon as Cinderielle entered, the child and mother entered a peculiar staring contest, and Liu Shu didn’t know how to react. 

When Cinderielle approached without losing eye contact with the young plant girl, Liu Shu wanted to say something. But she could feel that this moment was important, so she stayed still and didn’t speak. 

Cinderielle reached in front of her lover and child, and then, she crouched down until she was at eye-level with the almost hissing Sanguine Blaze. The fiery hair on the child’s head suddenly lashed out, hitting Cinderielle’s face continuously. 

Of course, the powerful Fire Sylvan didn’t even react when her warm flame touched her. Instead, she smirked and extended her hand slowly. The Sanguine Blaze became somewhat afraid, trying to climb into her loving mother’s embrace. 

Then, Cinderielle finally placed her hand on the Sanguine Blaze’s head and uttered the first word. “Pyara.” 

The plant girl stopped when she felt the large but soft hand land on her head. A sense of strange warmth emitted from the palm, as if reassuring her. Then, the word came out, startling her. This scary mother’s voice was not stern or harsh. On the contrary, it felt like a warm flame during a cold winter night.

Her blood-red eyes glanced upward and saw a smile on the tall and powerful orange-haired woman. That smile, carrying a different type of affection compared to her gentle mother, relaxed the Sanguine Blaze’s feelings. 

“Pyara.”  

That word came out again, confusing the child. Then, she felt the woman’s soft lips on her forehead as she smiled softly. “From now on, your name is Pyara. I hope you grow well and in a loving home with us so that in the future, you won’t commit any unsolvable mistake.” 

Cinderielle placed her nose against Pyara’s and smiled softly. “In the future, Mom and I will protect you and teach you slowly. Even if you make mistakes, we will guide you and be patient with you. So, don’t worry and grow happily.” 

Pyara blinked her large and adorable eyes, and she carefully raised her hands to pat Cinderielle’s face. Cinderielle didn’t move and let the baby get comfortable with her presence. 

Meanwhile, Liu Shu asked her curiously. “What was all of that?”

“I am imprinting on her and checking on you,” Cinderielle spoke slowly. “I’ve read a lot about Sanguine Blazes during these last three months and learned their general behavioral patterns. There is not much information about their early formation years since the mothers who gave birth to them have been fiercely protective of them.” 

Liu Shu more or less understood Cinderielle’s intentions and laughed. “You were afraid that I had been affected by her skills. So, you showed a powerful front and used it to both check on me and make sure that Pyara would understand that you were in charge.”

“Yes.” Cinderielle moved and hugged both Liu Shu and Pyara in her arms, sitting comfortably on the leaf bed. Kissing Liu Shu’s lips once, Cinderielle spoke tenderly to the World Tree. “Thankfully, my adorable girl seems to have blocked all of her effects.”

Liu Shu laughed and gently kissed Cinderielle’s chin. “That, I have. The effects are truly terrifying. Her skills were A Rank, after all.”

“A Rank?” 

Cinderielle was startled. Then, they compared the effects of a C Rank and an A Rank, leaving Cinderielle speechless.  

“Those effects are outrageous. 500% stats? If that landed on you, you could probably slap all our enemies out of the continent in just that short hour.” 

Liu Shu felt Pyara grabbing her hair, wanting her attention. Looking down, she saw the big eyes of the girl tearing up as if she had done some unforgivable thing. “What’s wrong?” 

Cinderielle clicked her tongue. “This girl truly loves you, eh? Her face collapsed when I gave you a kiss.”

Liu Shu gazed at Cinderielle with a side glance while raining kisses on the baby. “Don’t tell me that you are jealous of our child?”

Pyara giggled under Liu Shu’s love attack, while Cinderielle groaned. “It seems that I’ve fallen to number two in this house.” 

Laughing, Liu Shu answered. “You were never number one, dear.” 

The Fire Sylvan deadpanned and then sighed. “Truly a shame.” Although she said that, her eyes were unable to hide the love deep inside. She hugged both her treasures tightly and started conversing with the World Tree while playing with her daughter. 

“How was your birth? I heard that labor becomes very complicated during the birth of a Sanguine Blaze.” 

Liu Shu pondered for a moment and then looked at her with a probing gaze. “Are you sure that you want to know?” 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Cinderielle blinked.

“I don’t know…” Liu Shu said sarcastically. “Perhaps I ask because someone almost passed out during my first childbirth… Or were you the one who passed out? My memory is a bit blurry about that time. I almost had to take care of you four and the childbirth at the same time.”

Cinderielle’s face blushed as she looked away. “Ahem. That’s that, and this is this. They are different situations.” Her blush receded as she frowned. “Still, if you are speaking this way, I guess it was very difficult.” 

Liu Shu didn’t mince her words as she lovingly played with Pyara’s nose and laughed at her sneezes. “This pretty girl would’ve killed my Avatar if I had human-like resilience. Even with Sylvan-like resilience, I would’ve needed treatment afterwards.”

Cinderielle’s face turned slightly pale, but she soon recovered. Hugging Liu Shu tightly, she buried her face in her hair and muttered. “I am glad you are okay. I’ve been worried sick for the last three months. I don’t know how many Nexus people I’ve burned just to vent.”

Liu Shu lovingly looked at Cinderielle and kissed the woman’s head. Then, she whispered with an increasingly seductive tone. “I am okay. I don’t care how hard it is, since I love giving birth to your babies. I hope you don’t hold back in the future and take advantage of my fertility~, hahaha.” 

Cinderielle was starting to feel horny, and she looked at Liu Shu strangely. “Wasn’t this supposed to be a wholesome moment?”

“Oh? Was it?” The World Tree blinked a few times, surprised. “My bad, my bad. It seems that my fiery and passionate Sylvan wants to take some rest~.” 

If Cinderielle wasn’t provoked by those words, then she wasn’t a woman. Pyara was confused when her body was lifted up and placed in a smaller room. She was confused when she didn’t see her mother, but since her presence was everywhere around her, she didn’t panic. Soon enough, a root appeared in front of her, dripping with delicious milk-like sap. Curious, the girl licked it once, and then her eyes lit up. ‘Mommy’s milk!’

Pyara latched onto the root, closing her eyes and curling happily as she drank. The roots cradled the baby and gently cared for her, patting her lovingly and creating a super comfortable space for the baby. 

Meanwhile, the fiery and passionate Sylvan entangled with the World Tree below, venting all her worries and desires into her accepting lover’s tight embrace. 

Chapter 1275. Deeper Conversation. Approaching Enemy Territory.

The second Mo Yun clarified the matter indirectly, and Yasenia interrupted the conversation with a tone of confusion. “Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Who was the person who misinformed you about me having any designs about becoming the future Sect Master?”

Chen Jizhen glared at Mo Yun once more, while the girl covered her mouth with a guilty expression. Still, while she showed such a reaction, there was no regret in her heart. ‘Yasenia looks so nice to get along with. I don’t want your pettiness to come in the way of that.’  

Chen Jizhen stared at Yasenia and stated with a snort. “Isn’t it clear why you were chosen for this mission? While I admit that dealing with the [Abyssal Worshiper Sect] is not easy, it’s, by far, the easiest target among all of the Demonic Sects we are targeting this time around.”

The dragoness answered with derision, not convinced. “You clearly do not understand the dangers of the [Abyss] for you to say those words. I would rather fight a Level 5 or 6 Transcendence Realm cultivator than a group of Level 1 and 2 Abyss-related Transcendence Realm cultivators like we have.”

“Who would believe that?” Chen Jizhen didn’t think that Yasenia was being honest. 

However, Yasenia clearly understood the hidden dangers that fighting these monsters would cause over time. Even a light contact with them would leave traces of Abyss Energy that you would need to purify later. The effects that this kind of energy had on cultivators were so varied that it was impossible to even categorize them other than with “harmful effects.”

Yasenia explained her reasoning with that and then added. “...So, even if I am fighting a strong human cultivator, at least I won’t suddenly have a strange reaction that will consume my soul and mind, resulting in strange tentacles or extra eyes growing on my face.”

The other five looked at Yasenia, mild surprise flashing in their expression. Mo Yun approached and asked carefully. “Um… What you just said, is it the truth?” 

The [Abyssal Worshiper Sect] was rather recent, having appeared not longer than a few centuries ago. During this time, they’ve been low-key, slowly absorbing the surrounding population into their ranks. Of course, their acts were brutal and worthy of all condemnation. Therefore, juniors had been sent to deal with the mortal-level Abyss people. 

They all recalled what happened to those who went on those missions and noticed that an unusually large section either stopped cultivating, had a sharp change in attitude, or left the sect. Jilang Qin spoke at this moment. “So… Those children didn’t leave because they had been scared?”

Yasenia looked at them with some contempt. “Facing a new enemy and not investigating what their strengths and weaknesses are is proof of why your sect is in decline. Not only that, your disciples were unaware of a myriad of the most basic energy manipulation and meditation efficiency knowledge.” 

Having reached this point, Yasenia finally shed pretenses and started pointing out the flaws she found during the last months. “The only reason your sect is standing is due to the remnants of your past glory. The installations are powerful enough that, even when your disciples are guided horribly, geniuses can sometimes overcome all those obstacles and become powerhouses at your level.”  

Seeing their somewhat pale faces, Yasenia struck harder, venting for all the slighting she received. “Naturally, now that you—geniuses that had never been properly taught—have become the teachers, the cycle repeats. You were never taught, so you don’t know how to teach. The next generation will be even worse, unless someone appears who changes the overall atmosphere and teaching methods of the entire sect.”  

At this point, Chen Jizhen’s eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at Yasenia coldly. “And you think that someone is you? Is that why the elders think that you are qualified to eventually get the Sect Master banner?”

“As if!” The dragoness scolded while her tail slammed the ground, creating a loud, explosive sound. “You are lucky that the only person that I care about in your sect has some attachment to all of you people and that your installations are good. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered coming here to risk fighting against something as dangerous as the Abyss while pr—, praying that you don’t stab me in the back!” 

Yasenia bit her tongue right at the end, almost revealing her secret out of anger. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yasenia sighed. Chen Jizhen spoke at this time, his tone cold. 

“I understand.” 

Even when cold, a glance at his expression revealed that it was much calmer than it had been before. He had noticed that the dragon woman in front of him was not someone easy to deal with. Honestly, if Yasenia wanted to leave, no one could stop her right at this moment. Of course, she would become a wanted person. But if she changed continents, she could easily shrug off whatever charges they threw at her. 

Yasenia glanced at him, her golden eyes shining with many thoughts. Eventually, she shook her head and looked at the mortal cultivators who were staring at them. “Return to your posts. Are your elders people that you can stare at so brazenly? Where is the respect that we taught you, eh?” 

Her tone was stern, but it wasn’t accusatory. So, everyone saluted and asked for forgiveness once before returning to their posts. 

Looking at these people, Yasenia knew that many of them had been touched by the [Abyss] during the previous fight’s aftermath. Thankfully, only very few had died. ‘Although, at this pace, they will all die before we finish dealing with that sect. I am sure that they are already trying to open a passageway toward the [Abyss], so we need to be swift. Thankfully, I have my ways.’

Mo Yun approached cautiously and looked up at Yasenia’s pensive face. “Um~... Are we okay now? Can I talk to you?”

Yasenia’s tail bonked the woman on the head. “What is there not to talk about? Also, keep your hands to yourself.”

Mo Yun’s hand froze a few centimeters away from the tail. Her fingers wiggled, really curious about the feel of Yasenia’s scales. “Well, then… Tell me about you!”

Yasenia hummed and smiled. “Hm~… No.” 

Mo Yun’s lively expression almost crumbled. “How can you cut the conversation so clearly when you said that we could talk?”

A beautiful eye roll answered Mo Yun’s words. “We have yet to know each other properly. Why are you asking about personal matters? Better to speak of the dao or something like that.”

Mo Yun deadpanned, but thinking about Yasenia’s words about teaching, she might really profit. So, they discussed the Dao and were eventually joined by the other Transcendence Realm cultivators. 

Chen Jizhen spoke aloud in the meantime. “Everything is sorted. Depart! We’ll arrive in the vicinity in a few days, and what we encountered was just a vanguard. The fight will be brutal in the future, so take as much rest as possible and be sure to have your treasures and weapons ready.”

Meanwhile, in the [Abyssal Worshiper Sect], a bunch of humanoid deformed monsters with terrifyingly strong auras gathered together. A woman, or what remained of one, opened her mouth to shriek with distorted speech. “They’ve been killed! Killed! Why are you not sending all of us to devour and assimilate those people!?” Looking at a light screen floating in the middle of the room, the woman gargled with laughter. “That Dragon Woman looks delicious.”

Some others in the room salivated as well, clearly very eager to deal with her. However, the elder and the person who retained most of his humanoid characteristics spoke with a stern tone. 

“Silence.” His voice was the least distorted, clearly showing signs of transforming into something other than an [Abyssal Horror]-type creature. “That group of six cultivators is enough to start our Dimensional Decay Formation. Once we start opening the breach between worlds, they won’t be able to stop it even if they gather a hundred times their numbers.” 

“Then, what should we do, Lord?” A ball of fleshy tentacles by his side spoke, the voice screechy as if knives were slicing their edges against each other. “It is clear that their strength is not bad, since they killed four [Abyss Carriers] so easily.” 

The leader looked at Yasenia with curiosity. ‘Where did this person come from?’ While the rest of his compatriots had a large part of their intelligence twisted by the Abyssal Energies, his had remained untouched. Hence, he could think normally even while his body had the most [Abyss] energy of all those present. 

‘I have not heard of a dragon woman joining the Star Immortal Sect.’ He pondered slowly. ‘In that sect, the only threat was Star Forge and the Sect Master. Now, this Dragon and her energy seem an even greater threat than those two unreasonably strong people.’

Thankfully for him, the threat their sect represented was still being downplayed by the various sects. Moreover, the leader had allowed many of his subordinates to die during the years to appear even more inoffensive as they gathered enough strength. 

Looking back, he saw a large upward structure of dark-gray tentacles and purple, bloated surfaces with hexagonal markings. The entire thing was pulsing and spreading strange roots throughout the surrounding space layer. It was clear that the second the fleshy plant-like structure grew, it would rip open space and allow myriad nightmares to flood into the world.  

As they discussed, they suddenly saw Yasenia turn her head to look directly at them through the screen. “Ah!” Some exclaimed, startled, making the leader turn his head and look over. 

Then, some of them jumped in fear when Yasenia disappeared and reappeared in front of the light screen. Yasenia’s gorgeous facial expressions were cold and indifferent; her bearing showed disgust and pure disdain. 

Yasenia looked at the floating eye, wrapped in a ball of wriggling flesh, and stretched out her hand to squeeze it. “You think that these things can be hidden from my perception?” Yasenia’s hand got covered in scales as her nails grew into long claws. “You are underestimating Dragons too much.”

The eye exploded, not a single drop of blood touching Yasenia’s clothes. Even her hand remained pristine as the layer of energy protected her from everything. 

Arriving by her side, Mo Yun asked curiously. “What was that?”

“Who knows?” The dragoness spoke. “Probably some sort of monster to relay back images to them.”

“Ah!” Mo Yun’s eyes opened. “We were being watched?” 

“So it seems…” The dragoness looked into the distance and had an idea of how to deal with these people. “To take care of pests, you need to smoke them out.” 

Chapter 1274. Complications With The Group.

Yasenia and the other five Transcendence Realm cultivators made quick work of the three Transcendence Realm Abyssal cultivators. What they didn’t expect was that Yasenia would quickly deal with her enemy in less than a few minutes. Usually, battles at their level lasted hours or even days. 

Mo Yun approached Yasenia with glittering eyes. “You are so strong! Didn’t the elders say that you were a Level One Transcendence Realm cultivator who only just understood an Intent Domain?”  

Yasenia looked at the pretty girl with a flowy yellow dress and politely smiled. “Those elders did tell you quite a lot of things.”

Mo Yun paused and her expression became somewhat awkward. “That… Well. They wanted us to keep you safe.”

Chen Jizhen spoke up at this moment. “Mo Yun!” His tone was stern, warning the girl and telling her to shut up. Mo Yun pressed her lips tightly and looked sideways. 

Yasenia glanced at her and the rest and sighed. ‘Now I understand that this team was probably assembled as either my judges or my protectors. It is most likely the former. They might even be here to prevent me from leaving during the expedition.’

She didn’t expect the sect to have this little trust in her.

While she thought that, this was somewhat of a misunderstanding. The high-ranked Sect Elders wanted to keep Yasenia somewhat safe without appearing like they wanted to control her. Therefore, her group had Level Two and Three Transcendence Realm people. However, the half-explanation from Mo Yun didn’t help at all. It would’ve been better for Chen Jizhen to just blurt out everything, but he didn’t know Yasenia’s personality much.

Yasenia ignored this for the moment. ‘Since I’ve joined, I guess I’ll just bear with it until I have no reason to remain in this sect.’ Either way, she wanted to explore the world to find the way to move between Heavenly Layers. This attitude made it easier to sever karmic ties with this sect. 

Instead of mulling over things that she couldn’t do anything about for now, Yasenia focused on the task ahead. Her opponents were [Abyss]-related monsters, something very far from being an easy opponent. After she approached the corpses, Yasenia frowned. “How did they manage to cultivate the Abyss Energy without completely losing their forms and minds?”

The dragoness understood that the Abyssal Monsters were not mindless beasts. Some of them had intelligence that was overshadowed by their bloodthirsty instincts.  

“The [Abyssal Worshiper Sect] has techniques and ways to accustom their cultivators to the Abyss’ energy. This method is something polished for hundreds of thousands of years, added to some ancient teaching from before the [Heavenly Cataclysm].” 

Hearing Yasenia’s confusion, Chen Jizhen spoke up, explaining what he knew. His green robe fluttered as he spoke while looking at the corpse remains in front of them. “As you know, once the Abyss monsters cross the Sixth Realm in strength, they transform from [Abyssal Horror] to [Abyssal Cosmic Horror]. This sect doesn’t deal with Chaos or Nether monsters, so we can focus on Abyssal Horror-related countermeasures.”

Yasenia knew about this and added. “Once they reach the Sixth Realm and beyond, the Abyssal Cosmic Horror releases an aura around them that can corrupt everything, right?”  

“You are correct.” Chen Jizhen added. “The methods I explained earlier are related to those energy emissions. What do you think will happen if you gradually let someone be exposed to that energy since childbirth?”

Yasenia thought about it and answered with certainty. “They’d be dead or become mindless horrors. There is no way of adapting to something that corrupts Heavenly Energies. We are not made for that.” 

“Correct.” Chen Jizhen smiled faintly. “But what if we do it after the Fourth Realm? What if all the previous realms and growth had been done with the intent to eventually try to wield Abyssal Energies?” 

Yasenia frowned deeply and asked. “But… That’s ridiculous. The lifespan of anyone who does this will be reduced by a tenth. Reaching beyond the few early levels of the Transcendence Realm is their limit, and then they will be consumed by it and become mindless monsters suffering until they are killed.” She commented. “Not to mention, the damage that this energy does to the soul would drive anyone insane.” 

Chen Jizhen agreed with her. “That’s why they are considered demonic practices. Moreover, it’s not like it is hard to get ahold of orphaned children in a world where high-level destructive techniques are used from time to time. If you take those children, brainwash them, and point all evil toward normal cultivators, you can easily replenish the numbers of Abyss Cult followers.”  

A sigh escaped Chen Jizhen. “Unless we destroy their methods from the roots, they will never truly be eradicated.” 

Yasenia pondered about it and acknowledged that their methods were foolproof. No person could enter the cult as well without being exposed to the [Abyss] energy and eventually corrupted as well, so destroying them from the inside was almost out of the question. ‘Thankfully, my Celestial Energy seems to be able to destroy Abyss energies.’

Once they finished speaking with each other, Yasenia and the rest resumed their journey toward the Abyssal Worshiper Sect. In the meantime, Yasenia had already read and memorized all the information about them. ‘They have 17 Transcendence Realm cultivators. The strongest is the Sect Leader at the Third Level. There are 4 at the Second Level, and the rest are First Level Transcendence Realm cultivators. Now, we’ve eliminated four of them, leaving 1 Level Three, 3 Level Two, and 9 Level One Transcendence Realm cultivators.’

Yasenia thought. ‘How should they deal with this? Do they ambush their people and eliminate them gradually? Why did they only send six of them in the first place? They are outnumbered three to one.’

Gao Yan spoke up at this time, his tone amused. “Still, they took the bait. It shows that their intelligence network is really limited.”

‘Bait?’ Yasenia blinked and spoke. “What bait?”

Gao Yang revealed candidly. “The enemy thought that only two Transcendence Realm cultivators were coming. That’s why their ambush was four of them with a bunch of lower-level ones to clean up the others.”

“Oh.” Yasenia smiled, but her eyes didn’t carry a smile. “When were you intending to tell me? Should I read your minds about the orders you’ve received? What if I make your plans crumble with decisions that go against the plan?”

Gao Yan, who wanted to lighten the mood, stepped on another landmine, and his expression became stiff. Chen Jizhen sent a glare at him before he answered. “We were unaware that your combat power was this high. So, we never told you. There had been no opportunity since we discovered your strength to explain in detail. That’s all.” 

“I see. A Transcendence Realm cultivator can’t explain something that takes a few minutes to me because he is super busy looking at the clouds.” Yasenia laughed twice sarcastically and returned to the carriage. 

Mo Yun followed Yasenia and spoke from the outside. “Yasenia, can I enter?” 

“No.” The dragoness answered lazily. She had given up on communicating with these people. “Until I receive all the information that I need to know, I won’t continue participating in the assault, by the way.” 

Jilang Qin spoke, his tone stern. “Junior Yasenia, you shouldn’t be this selfish.”

“Selfish? I am sorry, but I refuse to become your bait to attract the Abyssal monsters. I have not lived enough yet, so I am terrified of dying. Unless I know what you guys are planning, I’d fear being stabbed in the back at a critical moment.”

Chen Jizhen sighed and waved his sleeve, throwing a jade into the carriage. Inside, Yasenia caught it and checked the contents. She quickly noticed the discrepancies between the information she received and the information Chen Jizhen had. ‘I was unaware of both the escort mission and the bait mission, and also the fact that these people want to use large-scale unstable energy treasures to blow up their entire place.’

Thankfully, the rest of the operation seemed to be similar to what she had heard before. While she didn’t completely trust them, she could live with a bit of peace of mind. Of course, living with peace of mind and wanting to participate in it were two different matters. 

Yasenia threw back the information jade and continued speaking lazily, with no intention of moving from the carriage. “You guys go do that, then. I’ll wait here. Your jade clearly has taken me as a burden in the mission; if I don’t participate, everything will go much more smoothly.”

Yaenia hated the [Abyss], but she hated being taken as a fool for others or put at risk while keeping things in the dark as much. Was she supposed to accept the deceit going on? That was not something Yasenia was willing to do! They were lucky that Yasenia had developed a decent relationship with Star Forge and Tai Qingzhe. If not, she would’ve probably left the sect with Feixue as soon as she came back. 

Chen Jizhen’s face sank. As the leader of the group, he could naturally enforce his rank on those in the mission. “Yasenia Dravory, if you continue behaving against your superior’s orders, you’ll be expelled from the Sect.”

Without a single heartbeat of hesitation, the dragoness answered languidly. “Expel me then.” 

“You—!” Chen Jizhen calmed down, taking a deep breath. “Yasenia, now is not the time to act childish.” 

“Ha!” Yasenia finally stepped out and smiled mockingly at him. “Good, from now on, we’ll change roles then. You’ll take the mission that was supposed to be my responsibility, and I’ll take yours.” 

The man was speechless. After a few seconds, he sighed and looked at the others. “See? I told you that we shouldn’t trust a Dragon. She is selfish and can’t see the bigger picture.” 

Yasenia’s smile turned from mocking to cold. Her eyes revealed a faint trace of killing intent. However, instead of being bothered by him and answering, she turned toward the rest and waited for their answers. ‘Let’s see. Was it because the leader of the mission was an arrogant and self-important asshole, or are they all of the same mind?’

Mo Zifei finally spoke up and looked up with a slightly disappointed expression. “Brother Chen, you are too headstrong.”

Chen Jizhen’s eyebrows furrowed, and Gao Yan spoke. “Brother Chen, we followed your words because we thought that Yasenia was just a pretty vase as well. After all, she just understood her [Intent Domain]. Now, though, hasn’t she proved herself enough? She killed one of the Transcendence Realm Abyssal Worshipers alone. Not only that, she killed the strongest one among the four.”  

Yasenia’s cold expression relaxed a bit, and she glanced at the Chen-surname man with confusion. ‘Did he have some past experience with dragons that made him hate me? Or is he someone who believes that humanity is number one and the rest are beneath him? Or perhaps… Is he jealous of something?’  

As both sides began discussing, Mo Yun’s words finally enlightened Yasenia. “Brother Chen, even if Senior Chen told you that Yasenia might become the next Sect Master, why must you make things difficult for her?” The woman frowned prettily. “You are being a bit too headstrong in your testing ways!”

The dragoness became flabbergasted. ‘Huh? What Sect Master? Are these people living in a parallel world to mine?’