Chapter 52 The Reasons and Causes of This Tree's Fate—
52
The magic trick seemed to have taken a short nap.
Her spirit bones were shaken and weakened, and a dense, tingling sensation surged around her like a rising tide. After being caught by someone, she swayed and began to have an unstable dream.
In her dream, she vaguely returned to the time when she was a tree.
The wind blew against her back, and rain fell on her hair; no one sheltered her.
When Miaojue first transformed from a human into a tree, he was often so angry that he cried.
She was rooted firmly in the soil, unable to move. The little princes and princesses in the palace would swing on her, and the more unruly pets would urinate at her feet. She stood still in the wind, sun, rain, and snow. Scratching her itch became her lifelong wish.
Later, when the male and female protagonists began their trials, she became the Tree of Marriage.
What is a marriage tree?
Miaojue pondered in her dream, "Yes... why did she become the Tree of Marriage? She herself didn't have any life-or-death obsession with marriage."
What exactly is this intricate web of cause and effect?
Becoming a tree is the first step in this century-long plan.
Becoming a marriage tree seems to be the true beginning of entering into a destiny-bound tribulation.
She became the witness to the love between the male and female protagonists, and the record of their torturous romance. From initial anger to complete numbness, she only hoped that the perfect couple would finish their fight as soon as possible so that she could turn back into a human and find her companions, whether they were her older brothers or sisters, or even that fierce boy.
As she thought this, time in her dream naturally slid towards the last day—the villains struck to destroy the world, the male and female protagonists turned against each other, and the final tribulation of their torturous love story began.
In the dream, Miaojue clearly knew that she had experienced all of this. She also remembered seeing the Azure Dragon and the Qilin pointing to the other side of her, with the only place being under the Marriage Tree.
Time flows on, and she seems to be an unwavering pillar in this torrent, existing independently of time.
She saw the male and female protagonists still standing in front of the marriage tree, their eyes bloodshot and swords drawn against each other. But at a certain moment, they suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.
Miaojue couldn't look up, because she was a tree.
However, her eyesight and hearing were at the same level as her body's celestial bones, and they did not change over time.
Then she heard the sound of wind, like thunder and rain, rustling her leaves in the distance. She saw a reflection in the shocked eyes of the male and female protagonists.
It seemed to be some kind of living thing, extremely large, like a shadow sweeping across the sky, slowly approaching them.
Miaojue felt a slight clench in her heart during the dream, realizing that this was the scenario that was going to unfold.
If she hadn't broken the rings of time and gone back ten years, this giant object would have appeared on the day of the male and female protagonists' finale.
What was that giant object?
Before he could see clearly, Miao Jue felt the force attacking his kidneys again. This time, it wasn't the male and female protagonists, but the invasion emanating from the enormous shadow overhead. It wanted to break the tree, hollow out its roots, and find something buried deep beneath it—
But the footsteps and wings were faster, rushing toward her with a whoosh.
In the instant she collapsed and trembled, she saw those pale hands reaching out to her again.
The red birthmark on the fingertip is so obvious.
Just like his panicked eyes.
With a sudden tremor, Miao Jue awoke from her dream.
...
She was nestled under the vast, dark wings, being held firmly in someone's arms, with the familiar texture of a chest behind her and the person's cool breath.
They are flying towards the mainland, and they don't know how long they have been flying.
Miao Jue breathed a sigh of relief, her clenched heart relaxing slightly in the familiar atmosphere.
She didn't turn around, lost in thought amidst the ache in her bones.
It turns out that Chen Jinshi had already recognized her back then, recognized her for the ten years she was in the tree. But how did he manage to chase after her for ten years, avoiding the misalignments created by each time time flowed backward, and find her again?
Time can take countless turns, and so can countless possibilities. For example, they might never have met, or he might not have recognized her, and she might not have seen his birthmark.
That would be another long detour.
The power to reverse time is the only way to correct this.
She increasingly understood the mystery of finding this one unique method from among the myriad paths of the Tao.
Her subtle movements were noticed by the person behind her, who tightened their arms around her. Chen Jinshi's calm and leisurely voice came from above, "—Having a nightmare?"
Miaojue shook his head and said in a low voice, "It wasn't a nightmare."
She could sense that the dream was a concrete manifestation of the "Time Bone," telling her that she could now exist outside of time, obtain more information, and observe other parallel storylines, just like the only one who could independently create a habitat for everyone.
They are at opposite ends of time and space.
Now they sped towards the mainland, flying back the way they came, with countless mysteries looming ahead, which could only be solved by finding the one.
But the significance of being the only representative is simply too great.
At present, Dongfang Qianye has discovered the clues nested within the cracks in the Destiny Seals of the male and female protagonists. This has almost grasped one end of the secret technique of Time Reversal. If he is ruthless enough and willing to give up the Destiny Tribulation he has planned for many years, he can really destroy the Source of Time Reversal.
But the wonder lies in the fact that she was uniquely embedded in the Seal of Destiny.
She knew human greed and understood the desires of the East, and thus created this delicate yet stable balance.
Where exactly is she on the marriage tree? Why did the secret remain undiscovered for ten years?
Chen Jinshi, who had been intently observing his surroundings, lowered his eyes slightly upon hearing this, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What do you mean by not a nightmare? So it's a bit of a nightmare?"
Miaojue looked at his arms, which were tightly wrapped around her, thought for a moment, and said softly, "It means... it was supposed to be a nightmare, but I dreamt about you."
It won't be too bad.
Chen Jinshi suddenly stopped, his back bent down, and then his arms tightened their grip.
Her long eyelashes fluttered for a while, then she muttered something about turning her eyes away.
Why does she always speak so ambiguously? It's scary. Where did she learn that?
This really affects him; it's also a bit much if they're kissing each other in the air...
Chen Jinshi tapped his fingertips, which were slightly hot, but suddenly his hand was grabbed by her, and his back stiffened.
This woman's initiative is frightening.
Chen Jin tried to control himself, but his fingertips still trembled.
Miao Jue suddenly noticed something, and examined the two well-defined hands carefully, turning them over and over, and confirmed it.
His red birthmark disappeared.
"Where did you go?" Miaojue asked.
Chen Jinshi paused, then said with a hint of smugness, "Little Sapling, you can even notice such a subtle change in me right away... Isn't your liking for me a little too much?"
The brilliant idea left him speechless; what a flamboyant bird!
She gripped his hand and examined it closely, checking both hands. The red mark had indeed completely disappeared.
She had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and then she considered Chen Jinshi's criminal record.
So, what did the bird do to its body while she was asleep?
Behind her, the young man in white didn't answer, a smug smile playing on his lips. "You'll find out soon enough—"
After the Golden Crow transforms into human form, what exactly is that little red dot on its fingertip?
...
The wind was fierce, and Miao Jue couldn't see the expression on the person behind him. He just knew from experience that the more nonchalant the person's tone was, the bigger the matter was.
She was about to say something when she suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound behind her.
Miaojue instinctively tried to turn around, but Chen Jinshi pressed her shoulder down.
“Look ahead,” Chen Jinshi said steadily, flapping his wings, “Let’s go find Wei Yi.”
Miao Jue suddenly realized something and tugged at his sleeve: "Are we just going to look for it ourselves?"
The fact that the other members of the Underworld Clan remained in Langhuan made Miaojue sense something was amiss.
Chen Jinshi's voice remained steady, even carrying a lazy smile, as if deliberately reassuring her: "Because they want to stay and catch that old bastard Dongfang Qianye."
After Miao Jue completely collapsed from exhaustion, they frantically pieced together the information and learned that Dongfang Qianye possessed a method that could backfire on Miao Jue's spiritual bones.
Everyone looked serious, ready to storm his lair at any moment.
Miaojue blinked, "Zero ring..."
In the original storyline, the male and female protagonists never even entered this place, as it was the deepest, most hidden place in the entire Langhuan Ring. It is said that the space after entering the first ring is not fixed like the other ring walls, but is a truly ethereal "fairyland," which led to a class conflict between the male and female protagonists.
So the key question is: "With so many people left behind, is it difficult to find them?"
“No,” Chen Jinshi tidied her hair that had been blown about by the wind, “...it can’t be opened.”
A sorrowful look appeared in his dark eyes. The cunning deer had been buried underground in the Fourth Ring for far too long, so long that her earth spirit had become one with the soil of the ancestral land, so long that she could sense the deepest part of the soil... what stood there.
Beyond the second ring lies the prosperous area of the Dongfang family; beyond the first ring lies the illusory realm; beyond the zero ring… she cannot see it, but she can sense it.
"Because...that is the ancestral stone."
In the dust of time, the ancestral stone became the last refuge for the enemy.
The secret lies in the slight contraction of the pupils.
Something flashed through his mind in a split second. The Ancestral Stone—the birthplace of the Underworld Clan…
If the Dongfang family has completely taken control of the Ancestral Stone within the last hundred years, then wouldn't that be...?
The image of the enormous living creature she had seen in her dream flashed before her eyes in an instant; it seemed that this dream had been waiting for her to see it all along.
Is it possible that something that was originally supposed to appear in the story... already exists?
If the Dongfang family were to possess the Ancestral Stone, could they also forcibly create an existence similar to the Underworld Clan...?
Miaojue felt a great unease rise in her heart and clenched her palms tightly.
Don't panic, don't panic.
Fortunately, she is Shi Gu; fortunately, she can change everything.
Once she finds the one and completely breaks through to the Xuan level with the spiritual bone, she will surely be able to rewrite everyone's destiny.
But misfortune had already quietly crept in.
A barely perceptible groan suddenly reached her ears from behind, which Miaojue keenly caught. She immediately turned around and saw Chen Jinshi's furrowed brows, which he hadn't had time to conceal.
The system notification arrived at that very moment.
"The heart-wrenching moments for the male and female leads continue! After being treated by the Langhuan Immortal Court, the female lead's shattered spiritual bones were repaired, but upon waking, her Dao heart was completely broken. She questioned Dongfang Yaotian about why he saved her and why he humiliated her in this way—"
"The male protagonist did not agree to feed the female protagonist with the blood and flesh of the female protagonist, but he could not explain himself because he discovered that the mastermind behind all of this was his own biological father!"
"Thus, the male and female protagonists completely erupted into conflict, conjuring a teleportation array to chop down the marriage tree—"
Miao Jue's eyes widened, but the anchor point of the teleportation array had still been moved by Chen Jin, so what they were cutting was...
"The male and female protagonists discover they can no longer find the tree that symbolized their love, their relationship has reached a dead end, they both break down, and they take turns cutting down the tree—"
Miao Jue clenched her fist and suddenly reached out to touch his back.
Chen Jinshi dodged to the side while teasingly saying, "What are you doing? If you keep taking the initiative, I won't be able to resist."
Miaojue really wanted to pluck out his fur to stuff in his mouth, but when he reached down, he couldn't feel any blood. This was because this person was best at hiding wounds and bloodstains. However, no matter how he hid them, the strong smell of blood still leaked out from his wingspan.
"Why are you making that face?" Chen Jinshi pulled out a clean hand and touched her cheek. "You've been through all of that too."
Miao Jue remained silent, his heart heavy with unease.
“That old codger Dongfang Qianye already knows how your spiritual bones grew. Although he is reluctant to harm the Chosen One, it’s only a matter of time before he finds your marriage tree.”
So he could hold out as long as he could. Once he found the one and only, he would understand the cause and effect that made the magic formula a tree of marriage...
Seek the cause through the effect, and break free from constraints.
Her spiritual essence is not subject to anyone's control.
The system notifications kept ringing in Miao Jue's mind. After several plot climaxes, the tragic love between the male and female protagonists finally erupted—and it is even very likely that this was the intentional guidance of the Dongfang family, following the cause and effect along the formation of the Destiny Seal.
Therefore, Chen Jinshi remained calm and composed, revealing no clue whatsoever; otherwise, the other party would have immediately discovered it through the resonance of the Heavenly Mandate Seal.
Just as he said, the swords and blades of the male and female protagonists had no effect on him.
The secret was to close your eyes.
Yes, after all, it's a golden crow whose heart could be ripped out.
Miaojue felt a stinging sensation in her nose, but he gently rubbed her cheeks and made her look up ahead.
"Look, we're almost there."
…
The system's audio was transmitted simultaneously.
"Langhuan is in ruins, and disasters are raging across the continent. The male and female protagonists finally decide to return to Tianyan Kingdom, to personally return to the place where they fell in love, to personally inscribe a mark of their tragic love, and then join hands to save the world."
When the male and female protagonists return to the marriage tree, Dongfang Qianye will immediately understand everything.
As soon as the male and female protagonists leave Langhuan, they are greeted by countless immortals.
That's why Chen Jinshi flew so fast; he was trying to save her life.
Miao Jue looked down at the scenery rushing past beneath his feet; the entire continent had changed during their absence.
From east to west, there are constant floods and insect plagues, like wounds festering all over the land.
The mortal world is like an abandoned land.
Most of the mainland cultivators who crossed the sea to enter the Celestial Court died within the tenth ring, and almost all the major sects and families declined.
In the eyes of ordinary people, all of this was related to the Underworld Clan.
It is the return of the Underworld race, bringing ominous calamities.
Considering that the Langhuan Immortal Court once brought drought and scorching fire to the continent just to smear the Fire Qilin, it is not surprising that such calamities are happening now.
People kowtowed in the direction of Langhuan, praying for divine blessings and the appearance of a savior—this became the script written by the chosen one.
Chen Jinshi didn't care about any of this and rushed into the territory of Tianyan Kingdom with her.
From afar, Miao Jue discovered that this small country had also undergone a drastic change.
The two landed inside the Tianyan Kingdom's palace, their ashes and wings burning away.
The hem of his white robe fell gently, and his long eyes lifted.
The place where the ten-tiered white stone altar was once built is now overgrown with weeds, chained up with iron chains, and marked with ominous and unlucky words.
Once a pure and innocent man, the Dust Dao Lord who protected the Tianyan Kingdom with its spiritual energy and ensured the people's peaceful lives, turned out to be a vicious member of the Underworld Clan lurking in the human world.
After leaving the coastal city, the thick fog over Langhuan dissipated, finally secretly reaching the mainland.
The entire continent was suffering from natural disasters, and this misery led them to direct their anger at readily available targets.
When the white-clad figure reappeared, the first reaction within the Tianyan Kingdom was not fear, but rather hostile resistance.
"Why is he here...?"
"He's from the Underworld Clan... I really couldn't tell!"
Chen Jinshi's smile remained unchanged, but Miaojue pursed her lips and silently walked forward.
What replaced the former pinnacle of the Taoist altar was...
Tree.
It is her marriage tree.
When she had become a celestial being, the top of her tree grew taller than the original altar, standing gracefully.
She became the sacred tree of marriage in the human world.
Inside the palace, incense offerings flowed continuously onto the altar in front of the tree, as people bowed and prayed, expressing their wishes.
The moment the magic returned, the shadows of the trees swayed and danced, and a spiritual aura filled the air.
Her soul resonated with her body.
The secret suddenly became clear.
Her soul returned to her true form, carrying the power that the Heavenly Bone could bear, and she suddenly understood everything.
"The divine tree! The divine tree has shown its power!..."
"May the Sacred Tree of Marriage quell the calamity of the underworld, utterly annihilate the underworld race, and bring peace to the world!"
"That man is terrifyingly cunning and deeply calculating. We pray that the sacred tree will appear and take him away!"
"May the sacred tree grant us a miracle!"
Amidst lush greenery and fluttering red ribbons, the towering marriage tree stands silently.
Like a girl standing still.
Chen Jinshi crossed his arms and stood to the side for a while to catch his breath.
In fact, he didn't care at all what these people were saying or how they looked at him. Just like when he protected this place with its abundant spiritual energy, it was only to take advantage of the situation and enter into the tribulation of destiny and love.
But his sapling seemed to care a lot.
He touched his empty yet burning heart and swayed back to her side.
Miao Jue didn't turn back, but amidst the clamor of rumors, he raised his hand and traced a circle around the area.
Time flows silently.
She traced all these people's memories back to the past.
Let's go back to the time when they were still grateful to the White-Robed Daoist, and looked up to him with reverence.
Although it's just a case of locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.
Don't treat the birds like that.
Chen Jinshi was stunned for a moment, his expression unreadable, his eyes flickering with a mixture of light and shadow, before he simply took her hand in silence.
He wanted her to like him.
But if she's too good to him, he really can't handle it. "You...I..."
Dust settled down and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, her peach blossom eyes were clear again as she looked up at the sky.
"They came so fast..."
The marriage tree stands so tall and elegant; it's truly eye-catching.
The golden crow's wings slowly emerged, their dazzling light reflecting off the tree shadows and gilding them with a golden edge. Ash rose from the cold white side of his neck to his eyes. He didn't turn around, but simply said, "Little sapling, go find Wei Yi. Don't worry about the others."
Miaojue also heard the system's notification at the same time, reminding her that the male and female protagonists were about to arrive.
But her heart was already as still as a tree.
Actually, everything is quite obvious...
From the moment I flew back to the Marriage Tree, the system's voice in my mind became clearer and clearer.
The system had told her this before—
The farther away she is from the marriage tree, the weaker her power becomes.
Why? Because she was trapped under the tree...
Who is it?
Who appears when the rings of a tree appear in the world?
Miao Jue walked step by step into the long shade of that giant tree.
Why didn't she consider whether this world was a book, or simply a record of what had already happened, with someone using a storyline or mission to intervene in the calamity of destiny?
Yes, who else could have stayed by her side all this time, and been so well-informed about her destiny and love tribulations?
She had been guiding her all along.
She was allowed to follow in the footsteps of the Chosen One and rescue every trapped member of the Underworld Clan with Chen Jinshi, without ever mentioning herself.
If all goes well, Miaojue will have already achieved the Heavenly Bone under the cover of the Heavenly Mandate Seal. At that time, Miaojue will surely free the Qilin, save the Azure Dragon, and find her direction.
Then I will definitely come back.
I saw her.
See cause and effect.
Miao Jue closed her eyes and whispered in her mind, "Sister Wei Yi..."
This journey has been so difficult, so very difficult.
Numerous immortals have appeared suspended in mid-air above the dense foliage.
The people on the mainland were overjoyed, believing that immortals from the Langhuan Sect had come to ward off disaster and bring blessings.
Dust settles, I pick up my indifferent gaze.
The immortals, their robes fluttering and their faces solemn, cautiously formed a circle around the marriage tree.
This is a golden opportunity to eliminate the wise ruler's greatest threat!
At this moment, the other members of the Underworld were held back by Langhuan, and only Ming Shi, who had experienced the inner court's invasion and whose major weakness had been discovered by the enlightened ruler, was present.
"Attack his heart!"
"The golden crow has no heart; to strike it is certain death."
"Solve the problem of the Ten Underworld Stars, then destroy the Tree of Marriage."
Numerous immortal weapons appeared out of thin air, only to be blocked by a gust of wind and water spirits.
Without lingering in the fight, he seized the opportunity and leaped to the side of the stunned Miao Jue. "—How is it?"
Miaojue raised her hand and placed her palm on the trunk of the marriage tree. "...I know where she is."
With the spirit of a celestial being, she probed into the tree trunk, following every inch of the familiar veins.
Dust settles, and the question remains: "Is the only one under the tree?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt his heart pounding.
Immediately afterward, the ground beneath our feet began to tremble.
When the wondrous technique, now a celestial being, caressed the trunk of its marriage tree, the tree's long-sealed burden was finally cleansed of dust, revealing its inner essence.
He's the only one who's staying here.
He was the only one waiting for her.
A century of vicissitudes, and still more...
Chen Jinshi suddenly spoke up in a daze: "...A brilliant secret."
His voice was trembling slightly.
"I can feel... my heart."
Miaojue thought he was still going to say something suggestive at a time like this, so she turned her head and glared at him angrily with slightly reddened eyes.
But the ground beneath my feet shook again. It wasn't an illusion; the vibration seemed to run along the veins of the giant tree, stretching endlessly, clearly crisscrossing... weaving into countless blood vessels underground.
Each throb was like a heartbeat.
Chen Jinshi looked surprised, raised his hand, and covered the back of her hand.
The two of them touched the marriage tree together.
In an instant, ten thousand branches trembled, and the trees burst into bloom.
Swaying with the rhythm of my heartbeat.
Miaojue seemed to understand something as well, and at that moment she looked at his eyes in a panic.
So that's how it is, so that's how it is... She protected the last bit of divine power for the Golden Crow, afraid that the children would never meet each other, so she always waited at the place where the destiny began.
The ancestor of the Underworld took away Jin Shi's heart and grew up guarding a tree.
Chen Jinshi took a deep breath.
"So you didn't lose it after all."
His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were fixed on Miaojue.
The cause and effect are finally clear.
A century apart, the two ends of the red thread connect us.
The dust settles, revealing a hidden light in my eyes. I cover my eyes with a smile, my chest trembling.
"So your roots are planted in my heart."
"So you've become a tree of marriage."
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