Chapter 226 Are the Dragon Blood Trees really in such a rush to die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year? ...
Thick fog rolled in from where the water met the shore, and in an instant, it felt like being in a fairyland.
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out: "Get out!!!"
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, and it pierced right through the fog.
"I finally found you, why are you treating me like this?"
Simmons stood in the fog, momentarily stunned, before she could make out that it was Su Jiang approaching. They had been separated for who knows how long, and the other two were nowhere to be found.
The furtive roots behind him receded.
"I must be seeing things." Simmons pretended nothing was wrong, sat down on the ground, and said, "You've come at the right time; something's amiss here. Have you seen anyone else?"
Su Jiang said, "No. Aren't you afraid there might be something on the ground?"
Simmons said seriously, "Based on my feeling, we shouldn't be far from the shore." Then he laughed and thought it would be better to slip away first, but he couldn't find the other two people, so he was very scared and helpless.
Su Jiang frowned and glanced at the mist: "I just saw some illusions. Did you see them?"
Is this the thing you care about most?
Su Jiang nodded. Xi Mengsi, seemingly lost in thought, patted her hand, gesturing for her to sit down as well. Su Jiang, shoulder to shoulder with her, realized that this person was considerably thinner than herself; her shoulders had little flesh, and her bones felt bony. Her body smelled of sandalwood mixed with the scent of soap, and her blue clothes, washed many times, were somewhat rough and stiff. Looking down, she realized that Xi Mengsi had affixed a talisman sometime during the night. The spell within the talisman placed the two of them in a relatively safe circle.
The woman sighed, "Oh dear, it's another illusion. We'd better hurry and find them. Those two are so obsessed that they probably won't even know they're inside that great demon's belly when they wake up."
The two sat and discussed for a while. Suddenly, a soft sound rang out; the talisman had turned to dust. A terrible omen; the creature trapped in Kunlun Void was no benevolent being. Simmons's expression grew more serious, and he gave a wry smile.
"It's urging us on. Let's go!"
The two walked through the fog, holding hands tightly to avoid getting separated. The calluses on Simmons' hands were rough, and Su Jiang looked down at them, feeling that her hands, weathered by time, truly reflected her age.
“Actually, I’ve wanted to ask this for a while,” Simmons suddenly said, “how come you have the same face as her?”
"She" naturally refers to the previous saintess. Su Jiang raised her eyes; her eyelashes were as white as snow, with purple jade beneath them. These unique eyes were indeed one of a kind. After a long pause, she said, "Have you heard the legend of the dragon having nine sons?"
Simmons nodded. Su Jiang continued, "Legend has it that the true dragon gave birth to nine sons, not in a true 'birth.' It's a secret technique that allows one to divide their soul into several pieces. As long as a vessel is found, these pieces can reside within it, nurturing new individuals. What these individuals possess, remember, and obey is entirely determined by the individual. This secret technique has been lost for a long time, yet the Holy Maiden somehow found it. At that time, she was nearing the end of her life, and Jialan couldn't live without the Holy Maiden..."
She lowered her eyes. "So, she used this secret technique on herself."
Thirteen vessels, personally selected and crafted by her. Su Jiang was one of them, the most unique and exquisite, destined to inherit all of her superficial aspects and ascend to the position of the new Holy Maiden of Garan. The others, each carrying memories and fulfilling their respective duties, paved the way for this core figure, propelling her to a position of immense prestige and adulation.
"However, I'm not particularly special; I don't have her memories, I was raised like an ordinary child. The Holy Maiden was the first leader of Garan after it was pieced together into a nation, and she remains so to this day..."
"So, what exactly did you get from her?" Simmons asked curiously. "You're definitely not like her at all."
“I don’t know. I’m probably just a vessel, and all she gave me was an empty shell. Ami said that’s the heart of a child.”
“A pure heart…a pure heart.” Xi Mengsi smiled. Su Jiang looked at her and thought, how could someone smile so strangely, with her eyes curved but no smile in her heart.
The fog spread, slowly penetrating deeper into the heart of the land, its roots covering the ground, making it almost impossible to avoid. Simmons said calmly, "Since that's the case, the karma is cleared. I have something to do for Fellow Daoist Shen and the others. When that happens, I'll trouble you to let me stay in Garan."
How can one say? Disappointment was inevitable. He had harbored resentment for so long, given her immortality, abandoned her eyes, and destroyed everything he once loved and hated. He owed her nothing, and in the end, such a person could no longer exist in this world. What difference was there between being shattered to pieces and having one's soul scattered? There would be those who remembered the past, but they would no longer be her.
He heard the bitter fruit break, landing with a resounding thud. His smile vanished, and as he stood bewildered, he saw two shadows ahead, one near and one far, both entangled in roots.
Simmons instinctively covered the mouth of the boy beside her, but unfortunately, she stepped on a root and it crunched—
The shadow disappeared.
When she looked up, she realized that they hadn't disappeared; rather, the roots had entangled them and hung them up!
The disturbed branches rustled, and the fog cleared. An indescribable stench, impossible to mask by any fragrance, suddenly assaulted the nostrils. Above, a dozen or so shadowy figures hung, still breathing, though unconscious; below, the ground was littered with bones and half-eaten limbs—at a glance, they appeared to be cattle, sheep, pythons…
The ground was littered with skeletons.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound rang out, followed by two sharp cracks. A figure in pure white gracefully landed, her black hair flowing like silk, a silver sword gleaming in her hand. It wasn't her usual sword; the blade was broad and long, heavy and exuding a chilling aura.
But it accepted her and then used her.
The young man swept his sword, the sword of slaying evil, cleansing away the heavy, stench of ghosts; bones turned to ice, shattering into countless pieces on the ground. The thick fog suddenly dissipated several inches, and for a moment, all was clear and bright.
Simmons picked up a shard of ice from the ground, and with a few swift flashes of silver light, the people hanging from the ceiling fell down. Qiao Yanshen's eyes sharpened, and he stepped into the air to catch one of them. Simmons and Su Jiang each caught one of the others, but unexpectedly, the vines wrapped around them again and suddenly swept the others away.
"Damn it!" Simmons shouted, "What's the point of hiding so many living people in this thing? We haven't even seen them eat them!"
Qiao Yanshen said, "It wants to use them as bait to devour the entire Heavenly Lake." She hugged the person in her arms tightly and pushed aside the tangled vines. A familiar face was revealed, with furrowed brows and tears streaming down her face.
Qiao Yanshen sighed softly, raised his sleeve to wipe away the moisture from the corner of her eyes, and called out, "Junior Sister."
A moment later, his eyelashes fluttered, and the boy opened his eyes in confusion. Had she come out? When he met a pair of clear, dark eyes, like icy beads, he finally realized she had truly left Kunlun in his dream. He choked out, "Senior Sister..." He reached out and hugged her tightly, drawing warmth from her body. "Senior Sister...!"
Qiao Yanshen smiled gently and said, "It's good that you're awake." It was truly a close call.
If she had arrived any later, the two of them would probably have been hanging there, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Simmons picked up the ice shards, swiftly slicing through the vines, and laughed as she cursed:
"You still have the mind to act out a story? How cheesy! Fellow Daoist, are you injured in the leg? You need your senior sister to carry you... Ouch, look, aren't those people awake!"
Shen Lixia's ears turned red. She struggled for a moment before stepping onto the ground. Qiao Yanshen smiled faintly and said softly, "It's alright, it's warm for Junior Sister to hold you."
When she summoned the Blazing Fire, Shen Lixia noticed that she was holding Frost Sky instead of Rain Blade, and couldn't help but be stunned: "How come..."
"It said that Yu Feng was too young, and it had more experience in exorcising evil spirits, so it let me use it first."
The sealed sword spirit would not stand idly by while its junior fell into danger, just like its master. It seemed as if the sword spirit of Rain Peak was whispering, only to be silenced by a buzzing sound from Frost Sky.
The two looked at the spot Simmons was pointing to, and their expressions changed—those who were hanging were indeed starting to move.
But their movements were as stiff as the girl they had seen before, as if they were being manipulated. Three of them looked up, their gazes cold, their pale faces lifeless. Shen Lixia looked closely and saw that they were wearing the robes of the Taiyin Temple disciples on their official duties. Clearly, this evil spirit was using them as puppets.
These apprentices struck first, their swords aimed directly at Qiao Yanshen. The remaining commoners rushed forward, entangling them. Now that they were certain these people were still alive, they couldn't use excessive force. Instantly, the four were immobilized, unable to move. Roots slowly crawled over.
Qiao Yanshen took out a tinderbox and tried to start a fire. There was no wind, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get a spark out.
Seeing this, Shen Lixia lit a spiritual fire in her hand, scaring away many puppets. But the fire was weak and quickly went out. She lit another one, but the same thing happened.
I can't start the fire!
Simmons roared in exasperation, "Hey, stop touching my purse!!! This evil spirit is really something!"
—That's right! Since they are controlled by evil spirits, why not attack their source directly?
Shen Lixia shook off a group of puppets and stared sharply into the depths of Kunlun Void. The tip of her jet-black sword, Liu Huo, flickered with fire. She held her breath, flipped her hand, and slashed down with a mighty blow!
The raging flames rose with the scorching sword energy. Though the Kunlun Void was cramped and damp, the divine fire, fueled by evil energy, burned fiercely, engulfing the roots and burning away the thick fog.
As the screaming hissing sound echoed, Shen Lixia finally saw the true face of this evil spirit.
It is a tree.
Sure enough, it was the tree from my dream.
The blood of the Yin Lord was spilled on the grass and splashed on the tree roots. It instinctively gravitated towards this aura, absorbing it completely, even devouring other vegetation. The divine blood contained not only power, but also... memories.
The blood of the true dragon remains ever new. It glimpsed the wisdom of the gods, gained sentience, and became even more intelligent than other beings, learning to use both kindness and severity. Having consumed the flesh and blood of countless cattle and sheep, it grew from an ordinary tree to a size that now almost supports the entire Kunlun Mountain. Finally, it began to resent remaining in this place.
It needs to get out. To get out, it needs more blood essence.
Humans are far better than livestock.
She glanced back at Qiao Yanshen and the others, and made up her mind. The divine fire burned fiercely, pressing closer step by step, and the puppets grew increasingly ferocious.
If they only fight back and don't retaliate, they might be worn down and killed here.
Qiao Yanshen's heart tightened, and he turned his head to see the young man gripping the Flowing Fire tightly and rushing straight towards the Evil Tree itself.
Ignoring everything else, knowing she would be acting alone again, he swung his sword to sever the entangled roots. Shen Lixia turned around and called out, "Don't come any closer—"
A swift shadow suddenly wrapped around his waist, pulling the boy into the branches and leaves!
He disappeared in an instant.
Qiao Yanshen's face turned pale instantly.
She leaped onto the evil tree, grabbed a vine, and was swallowed up by the tree.
Only Simmons turned around to look, only to find that the two of them had vanished again. The memories of Qingzhou were still vivid in her mind, and she wanted to cry but had no tears.
—Are they all rushing to die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year?!
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Author's note: I need to try to stabilize my update frequency, lol
I feel like I've completely gotten carried away with this story by now, although I'm trying my best to improve my writing (hands clasped in prayer). Anyway, thank you all for following along. After cutting off all unimportant social media contact, I've finally been able to calm down and re-examine this story. I'll finish it eventually, no matter what. I'm currently busy with my graduation thesis and travel plans.
Oh right, I also received some fanfiction! Everyone can go check it out! You'll get to eat a delicious meal from the reader-sensei [Let me see] I've already ruminated on it 100 times... Please go and eat...
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