Chapter 51 Sensation

The news that Qinglinze Holy Land had been razed to the ground was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake in the Three Realms, stirring up towering waves.

All factions were shocked by the Demon King Chi Li's ruthless, even cruel, methods.

At the same time, they realized more clearly that the little tree spirit, who seemed to be just the darling of the demon king, was far more important than they had imagined, and was a truly dangerous creature that could kill them if touched.

Within the demon realm, some powerful demons who might have harbored reservations about Tang Lu's special status or secretly coveted her abilities fell completely silent, their hearts filled only with awe and reverence.

The atmosphere within the palace became even more solemn, and all the attendants and guards, in addition to their respect for Tang Lu, displayed an indescribable caution.

However, Tang Lu, who was in the eye of the storm, was completely unaware of this.

She continued to happily move about in her own little world every day, but she keenly sensed that Lili beside her seemed... to be more clingy to her?

Previously, he would only be especially close to her after she returned from her "exploration," but now, almost whenever she is awake, Chi Li's gaze will always fall on her, seemingly casually.

Moreover, the pleasant scent in the air that made her feel comfortable and at ease seemed to have... disappeared?

Tang Lu couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she felt that the "background noise" around her seemed much quieter, and the subtle pull that made her instinctively want to get closer was gone.

She attributed this minor change to the weather, or perhaps that her sense of smell had become less sensitive, and did not investigate further.

What truly confused her was something else entirely.

On the third night after Qing Linze was erased, Tang Lu had a strange dream.

There were no specific images in the dream, only an endless, gentle blue light, like a warm tide enveloping her.

Within the light, there seemed to be countless faint murmurs and sighs, indistinct yet causing her heart to ache and swell, with an urge to cry.

Then, in her dream, she heard a mournful cry that was extremely distant yet incredibly clear, seemingly originating from the depths of her soul.

That mournful cry was not a sound, but rather a transmission of emotion.

It is longing, it is resentment, it is the excruciating pain of a sudden break, it is the despair of a silent dissipation.

"Waaah..."

Tang Lu curled up in her sleep, letting out a soft whimper with a sob in her voice, her little hands unconsciously gripping the brocade beneath her.

Chi Li, who was a light sleeper, woke up immediately and pulled her into his arms, blanket and all, with his warm divine power gently caressing her mind: "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Tang Lu snuggled against her, opened her eyes groggily, her amber eyes still moist and bewildered.

"Lili..." Her voice was hoarse and aggrieved as she woke up, "Tanglu... feels sad."

"Where does it hurt?" Chi Li's heart jumped instantly. He carefully examined her body with his divine sense, but found nothing unusual.

"I don't know..." Tang Lu buried her face in the crook of her neck, her voice muffled, "It's just... a sour feeling, like I want to cry. It's like... something is missing..."

She tried hard to describe the feeling, but couldn't find the right words.

Chi Li's body stiffened for a moment.

She understood immediately.

It's Qing Linze!

It was the collective grief that arose when the core of that swampy land was completely annihilated, and countless Wood Spirits perished along with the Ancient Tree of Life, affecting all living beings of the same origin.

This wave of sorrow, originating from the very essence of life, transcended space and even affected Tang Lu, whose spiritual consciousness was pure and who had a subtle connection with the Wood Spirit Clan.

Even though she had personally erased the source, the final echo of despair before it dissipated still resonated around the person she wanted to protect most.

A chilling aura surged into Chi Li's heart once more, but looking at the bewildered and aggrieved little tree spirit in her arms, she forcibly suppressed it.

She couldn't tell Tang Lu the truth; it would be too cruel and pointless for her.

"Perhaps you were too tired from playing all day and had a nightmare." Chi Li gently patted her back, her voice deliberately slow and gentle. "It's alright, it was just a dream. I'm here."

She lowered her head and kissed Tang Lu's forehead, using her own breath to firmly cover and dispel the subtle sadness that did not belong to Tang Lu.

With Chi Li's comforting words, Tang Lu quickly fell back asleep, though her brows remained slightly furrowed, as if the lingering, invisible sorrow still left a faint mark on her pure consciousness.

Over the next few days, Tang Lu became somewhat quiet.

She no longer explored with the same energy as before, but preferred to sit next to Akari or stay by the window alone, staring blankly at the sky outside.

When she used her wood spirit energy to nourish the flowers and plants, she became less lively and more tender, perhaps without even realizing it herself.

As if unconsciously responding to the hazy perception of the transience of life brought about by that distant demise.

Chi Li witnessed all these changes, and her irritability and inexplicable sense of depression grew day by day.

She destroyed the threat and protected her tree spirit.

But the aftershocks of that destruction still reached the world she wanted to protect in ways she had never anticipated.

That day, while Chi Li was reviewing memorials, Tang Lu sat quietly on the cushion next to her, holding a spirit pen that Chi Li had given her to play with, which was used to draw simple formations, and unconsciously scribbled on the smooth floor.

Chi Li didn't pay attention at first, until she finished processing a memorial and glanced at it unintentionally, her pupils suddenly contracted!

What Tang Lu unconsciously drew was not a chaotic mess of lines, but an extremely simple yet beginning-to-be-captured picture.

It was a fenced-off, rippling body of water, and in the center of the water was the outline of a large tree with drooping branches, as if it were crying!

Although the brushstrokes are immature and incredibly abstract, the imagery and the feeling...

It bears an astonishing resemblance to Qing Linze and that ancient tree of life that has been annihilated!

The magic pen slipped from Tang Lu's hand. She seemed bewildered by what she had drawn and looked down at it.

Then she haphazardly rubbed the painting with her little hands, making it blurry, and muttered under her breath, "It's ugly..."

Chi Li's knuckles turned slightly white from the force she exerted on the memorial.

Her little tree spirit had never even heard of Qinglinze, nor had she ever seen the Ancient Tree of Life.

Yet that bloodline connection, rooted in shared origins, and the collective grief brought about by that destruction, somehow transcended the barriers of time and memory, leaving traces in her unconscious writing.

This is no longer a simple emotional contagion; it is a deeper resonance, imprinted on the very essence of life!

Chi Li closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the turbulent waves surging in her heart.

She discovered that some things cannot be completely severed simply by force.

Some connections exist deep within our blood and soul, silent yet resilient.

Her tree spirit has a deeper and more complex connection with this world than she imagined.

But his domineering protection, capable of severing outstretched hands and annihilating distant marshes, seems... unable to completely sever the whispers and echoes originating from his instincts.

For the first time, when faced with matters related to her little tree spirit, Her Majesty the Demon King felt an almost overwhelming sense of powerlessness...