Chapter 136: God of Kongsang
Outside are green mountains and fields, with flowers everywhere.
But when he stepped through the door, what greeted him was a barren land.
He walked forward without retreating.
A huge sun appeared above his head. Mu Jin had never seen such a scorching sun.
He was so sunburned that sweat kept dripping down and he could hardly stand.
It was like walking through a furnace. His clothes were soaked with sweat.
The sun was so hot that he couldn't lift his head and felt dizzy, but he kept moving forward.
This seems to be the boundary between heaven and earth, and life does not reside here.
Mu Jin's throat felt like it was on fire, but he couldn't stop, not even for a moment.
His mind was full of Jiaoran.
He didn't know where she was taken, or if she was hiding somewhere and refused to come out. He wanted to find her and take her back.
At this moment, a golden tree appeared before my eyes, and every leaf was shining with golden light.
Mu Jin was ecstatic and ran forward, stretching out his hand to touch the tree.
But for some reason, every time his hand was about to touch the trunk, the tree disappeared from his sight.
After looking at the mirage several times in a row, he finally realized that it was just an illusory shadow and the answer he was looking for was not there.
Mu Jin didn't know what lay at the end of this barren land.
He could only keep moving forward.
Keep going forward.
Aimless.
Like a prisoner exiled here.
If it were someone else, exiled in such a desolate place, heading towards an endless answer, they might go crazy, but Mu Jin would not. He remained calm because he grew up alone in darkness and loneliness. He realized too early the boundary between existence and non-existence, and the fusion of darkness and light.
He continued walking forward.
Until you reach the edge of the yellow sand.
An ancient tree as huge as a pavilion appeared in front of him.
This is not a flourishing tree.
It has no green leaves, and its dead branches look extremely sad under the blue sky, but it just stands there quietly.
Seems to be waiting for someone.
Mu Jin stood under the tree for a long time.
There was originally no breeze in the wilderness, but suddenly the wind blew here, and his clothes fluttered, making him look like an immortal.
He went no further, for he sensed that this was the place the man had told him to go.
Mu Jin knelt down reverently and kowtowed to the ground, "Sacred tree above, the mortal Mu Jin has something to ask of you."
“Hahahahahahahahahaha…”
A young girl's laughter was as loud as a silver bell. As soon as she heard Mu Jin's voice, she sat on a branch, her bare feet swinging in the air.
"You're here?"
He spoke as if he was very familiar with her.
"You, a mortal, are always lucky, but also always unlucky."
The girl said to him, a hint of pity in her eyes, "What do you want from me this time?"
"Again?" Mu Jin said, "I've never begged you before, except this time."
The girl smiled, jumped down from the tree, and landed in front of him. "You said the same thing last time."
"You mortals only have a hundred years of time and a hundred years of memories. When you die, your memories are erased."
"However, this is God's grace to you, you have to be grateful."
Mu Jin asked, "My past self, do you mean that in my previous life I also found you and begged you to fulfill my wish?"
The girl nodded, "Yes, you are the smart one among mortals, I like you very much, but I don't like stupid mortals."
Mu Jin asked, "No matter what wish I make, can you fulfill it?"
The girl waved her hand. "You are very smart, but you are also greedy. I can see your greedy nature at a glance."
Mu Jin couldn't tell what she liked or disliked, and didn't know whether her words came out of dissatisfaction.
"But don't worry. All mortals are greedy. Even immortals cannot escape greed. As long as they don't completely cut off their emotional attachments, they will always have desires and thoughts. This is only natural."
Mu Jin felt relieved.
The girl mentioned his first visit here. "You asked if there was any way to save your kingdom, which was on the verge of extinction. I said I could help your kingdom and its people survive for another ten years, at most. At that time, you asked me what I wanted in exchange. I looked around you and took something away."
"What is it?"
The girl said, "A jade pendant, an insignificant jade pendant."
"This deal doesn't seem to be a good deal." Mu Jin said.
The girl smiled again. "Trading a jade pendant for ten years of a kingdom's time is certainly not worth it. But when you complete your first business with me, the traces of the sacred tree will be engraved into your soul. No matter how many lifetimes you go through, whenever you have a wish that transcends mortal abilities and want to express it, you will return to the sacred tree."
"So what do you want from me this time?"
"I haven't finished yet. Listen to me first. The second time you came to the sacred tree, you prayed that you could cure the plague in a small town and protect them from natural disasters. I also helped you fulfill this wish."
"That has nothing to do with me. This time, I will no longer make a wish for a country or the people in a small town. I only care about one person."
The girl asked, "Don't you want to know what you exchanged for the second time?"
"Is it life?"
The girl said no, "It's the warmth of the human world after your reincarnation."
Mu Jin was silent for a moment, as if he understood why he was frightened as a child and longed for even a little warmth but could not get any.
"Originally, you couldn't even experience love in this life, but you still got it. Do you know why?"
"Is it God's grace?"
"Haha ...."
"Jiao Ran...she found you, didn't she?"
She said, "This time, you came here specifically for her?"
"yes."
"Tsk tsk, this time, it's going to be difficult. She's more important than the previous two wishes. You might be curious why a mere person could defeat an entire country, a small city. It's a pity you're mortal, otherwise I'd tell you the reason. Actually, whether you beg me today or not, she won't disappear. It's just another life."
"I only want Jiaoran. The current Jiaoran, even if reincarnated, will no longer be the Jiaoran in my heart. The woman who has been through everything with me is the one I love."
The girl laughed heartily, "You and Kuang Heng are truly two completely different men. No wonder she can't let go of him. Now I understand. Tell me, how exactly do you want me to help you?"
"I want to know where she has been taken now."
The girl knocked on the tree trunk, and the dead branches immediately emitted thousands of golden lights. In the golden light, Mu Jin saw Jiaoran lying under the tree with blood flowing from his eyes.
"I want to go to her right now!"
The girl said, "Be patient. Even if you go now, what can you do? Take her away?"
"Yes, I will take her to a place where the Phoenix chicks will never find her."
The girl sighed, "There's no place like that in the world. You won't find it."
"Then what should I do?"
The girl asked him to stretch out his palm.
Mu Jin turned his palm upwards, and in his palm appeared a strange bright red seed.
"What's this?"
"Seeds from the Kongsang tree."
"Why are you giving me this?"
The girl said, "I will help you, and you have to help me."
"How can I help?"
"I'll send you to rescue her and temporarily hold off Kuang Heng for you. Plant this seed, and Kuang Heng won't be able to track you within a hundred miles."
"Really? This seed can prevent him from finding us?"
"I never tell lies."
"So in exchange, what do you want from me this time?"
The girl walked around him three times, looking at him again and again, and was very satisfied. "I think it's settled."
"what would you like?"
"Two lives. In this life, I want ten years of your lifespan, and thirteen thousand paintings from your brush. In your next life..."
"What do you want in your next life?"
The girl laughed twice. "I won't tell you, but you have to promise me anyway, because you need something from me."
Mu Jin felt uneasy, "Okay, I promise you, take me to find her now."
"You agree?"
"yes."
"Okay, I'll send you to find her now, but this seed won't be that easy to keep alive."
"Isn't this an ordinary planting method?"
"Of course, earthly dust is fine, but the seeds of the Kongsang tree need to be irrigated with blood and fertilized with hearts in order to sprout and grow quickly. Otherwise, if the Kongsang tree doesn't grow, its divine power will dissipate, and then Kuang Heng will find you easily."
"What kind of heart? Is everyone's heart okay?"
She said of course not, "Bury five hearts, add your blood, and the Kongsang tree will grow."
"Five hearts?" This also means that he is going to kill five people.
“One heart is a heart of perseverance, one heart is a heart of compassion, one heart is a heart of wisdom, one heart is a heart of fearlessness, and one heart is a heart of protection.”
“How do I find these five hearts?”
The girl said, "You don't need to look for them. When the time comes, you will naturally find them. As long as you are smart, you can find where they are and just take them away."
Mu Jin lowered his eyelashes. For Jiaoran, it was worth it for him to kill as many people as he wanted. However, if Jiaoran knew about the crimes he had committed, she would definitely be sad.
The girl saw through his thoughts and said, "Are you afraid that your lover won't understand you? Go ahead. She won't hate you for this. I swear, I've seen those five hearts waiting for you to pick them."
"If one is missing, can the Kongsang tree still grow?"
The girl said, "None of them can be missing. These five hearts correspond to gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Without any one of them, the Kongsang tree cannot thrive."
He added, "The Kongsang tree is a sacred tree. The one on earth is almost dead and has lost much of its divine power. Plant this one and irrigate it immediately with blood, and it will sprout. The newly sprouted seeds are also very powerful and can help you hide for a while. If the one you plant grows, it will become the most powerful divine barrier on earth. With its protection, her cultivation will be twice as effective with half the effort, and you will be helping her achieve enlightenment sooner."
"What is the realm of transformation?"
The girl let the secret slip and quickly covered it up. After a moment, she continued, "But that's not necessarily true. Kuang Heng's cultivation is too terrifying. He was depleted before and was seriously injured after leaving the Wonderful Realm. But now he has slowly recovered. Even if he can't defeat the one from a thousand years ago, he is no match for ordinary people now. Planting the Empty Mulberry Tree only gave her a boost. As for whether she can defeat Kuang Heng, that's another matter."
Before Mu Jin could ask again, the girl stretched out her hand and pushed him into the golden circle of light on the treetops.
The aperture is like a door in time and space.
Mu Jin fell to the ground, his whole body falling apart.
Just as he took a breath, he saw a dead tree, which was somewhat similar to the one he saw in the wasteland just now.
By this time the sky was bright.
The trunk of that tree seemed to be soaked in something.
It seems to be water.
Mu Jin felt a chill in his heart and stumbled towards the tree.
Then his steps became slower and slower, and he looked down to see the glaring red.
It turned out that it was not a pool of water, but a pool of blood.
The blood flowed into an uncoagulated river.
Mu Jin's knees felt a little weak. He held onto the giant tree and walked dozens of steps before turning to the other side of the tree.
A bloody path connected her to the pool of blood.
He hurried forward, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. When he picked her up, he saw that one of her star-like eyes had been gouged out, and the blood from her eye socket had solidified on her face.
Mu Jin was terrified and carefully picked her up by the waist. "I'll take you home, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
He sneered and said, "You can try to see if you can take her away."
Mu Jin's eyes burned with anger, "You dug out her eyes?!"
The Phoenix Chick opened its palm, and sure enough, there was a bloody eye on it.
Jiaoran had fainted from the pain.
"What beautiful eyes, like obsidian. I have never seen such clean eyes." The Phoenix Chick looked at Jiaoran's eyes in fascination.
"I want to treasure it."
"I kill you!"
Mu Jin slashed with his sword, but Phoenix Chick stopped his sword in mid-air, "You don't know whether to live or die."
With a casual wave of his hand, Mu Jin flew out.
As he was walking towards Jiaoran, a strong wind suddenly blew up, breaking the branches of the giant tree into pieces. The wood chips were like arrows and flew towards the phoenix chick in an instant.
At this time, Mu Jin picked up Jiaoran and disappeared in the strong wind.
The phoenix chick hurried to chase after it, but the strong wind was like a seal, blocking him in front of the tree trunk. He chanted a spell, but the wind still did not stop.
He waved his hand to summon his sword, formed a seal in the air, and then slammed it into the ground. The wind roared like a wounded animal.
At this moment, the phoenix chick suddenly drew out its sword and stabbed it into the sacred tree in front of it. Bright red blood actually flowed out of the trunk.
The corners of his mouth curled up, "It's you."
As soon as the words fell, the wind stopped.
The phoenix cub drew out his sword and walked away without looking back. Behind him, the sacred tree collapsed like a ruined house.
"Do you think you can stop me?"
He raised his hand and released several golden butterflies. With the tip of his sword pointing downward, he dipped the undried blood on the ground and threw them into the air. The golden butterflies were stained with blood and turned red.
He said, "Go find her."
The golden butterflies seemed to understand what he said and left in different directions.
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