Chapter 130: Chapter 35: The Coming Storm
Of course, regardless of which rumor it was, the people who discussed such things were already dead, having become fertilizer for the Divine Wood.
Yongning Celestial Palace was not heavily guarded. All told, there were only twenty-seven palace maids and servants of the Martial Artist realm. After becoming the Divine Wood’s Beloved, they had no need for food, drink, or sleep, which naturally simplified many matters. Furthermore, the two who resided here—the Divine Emperor and the National Preceptor—were both Grandmasters, unmatched in all the world. They required no other guards. Even the Imperial Guard only patrolled New Southern Celestial Capital beneath the tree, so most of their contingent had been dismissed, leaving only a handful of guards with special duties.
The Celestial Palace on Cloud Peak seemed isolated from the Human World. Sometimes it looked down on the flowing clouds that drifted below; other times it was completely swallowed by towering rain clouds. The only constant was its tranquility.
But today, that tranquility was shattered.
Inside a spacious room within the palace, a large leaf suddenly glowed with a bright, cyan light, revealing clearly visible patterns upon its surface. A Full Armor Guard who had been waiting there immediately rose from his chair, strode forward, and plucked the leaf. Without a second glance, he turned and left, striding quickly but silently toward the highest point of the palace.
Along the way, other maids and servants looked up, revealing surprised ’gazes’.
They were ’humanoid’ figures composed of leaves and twisted branches. On ordinary days, they would root themselves to the floors of the Celestial Palace, absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi like plants and basking in the Wood Qi that emanated from the Divine Wood—of course, they dared not absorb a single trace of the Wood Qi, for that was a precious resource that only the Divine Emperor and the National Preceptor could enjoy.
Both guards and maids lived quiet lives, much like plants... It had been a long time since a situation so urgent required a report.
Soon, after navigating a series of corridors, the tall Full Armor Guard arrived at the palace’s highest point—the treetop of the Immortal Banyan Tree.
And the massive, three-tiered Celestial Altar built around it.
Above the Celestial Altar, the sun blazed like fire. Unlike the city and its defensive lines below the canopy, which were steeped in rain and misty clouds, this place was sunny most of the time. If there were no clouds, one could easily look down upon a thousand li of mountains and rivers. Even with clouds, one could still feel the vastness of heaven and earth.
Two figures, exceptionally tall and ’slender,’ could be seen ’rooted’ in the center of the Celestial Altar. Cyan Spiritual Light gathered from all directions, converging upon the two ’people.’ Even the guard felt faint wisps of Wood Qi being stripped from its body and drawn into the two figures.
Serene... These two tall figures, like giant wooden statues, were as tranquil as plants. They quietly bathed in the sunlight, rooted and perfectly still, as if they were one with heaven and earth.
Without speaking—perhaps it had long since lost the ability to speak—the Full Armor Guard strode forward. Ignoring its own arm, which was gradually withering as its Wood Qi was drained away, it half-knelt before the figure wearing the Deep Cyan Wood Virtue Dragon Robe and presented the large, pattern-covered leaf.
"Mm."
The figure did not turn or even move. It didn’t speak, but merely uttered a soft, single-word sound, signaling for the guard to withdraw. The leaf floated into the air on its own, drifting before the figure for it to read. The guard hastily and silently retreated.
But before leaving the Celestial Altar, the guard heard a soft snort laced with anger.
"Useless."
In an instant, dark clouds suddenly gathered around the once-sunny Cloud Summit Altar. Responding to the Emperor’s will, the cyan Wood Qi vibrated in midair, stirring up a violent squall of wind, clouds, and moisture. The entire Celestial Altar was enveloped by the spreading gloom. Within the dark clouds, the guard felt all life extinguished. Whether microbes or moss, everything was reduced to lifeless husks and withered branches.
’An Innate Anomaly!’
Realizing this, it shuddered and retreated even faster.
On the Celestial Altar, the pupils of the figure who could stir the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi with a single thought shifted. After reading the patterns, the figure in the cyan Dragon Robe casually flicked the leaf, sending it flying toward the other figure, who wore a Daoist Robe. "A few days ago, they said ’a hundred men are enough to take it.’ Today, they say ’a thousand men might be worth a try.’ So tomorrow, will they be saying ’nothing less than ten thousand will do’?"
"Why not just say I need to lead the campaign myself?"
This was said in anger. The figure in the Dragon Robe shook his head, withdrawing the deathly cloud of qi that had spread across the Celestial Altar back into his body. He mused, "It’s only been a few days, and we’ve already lost two Grand Admirals... Both Red Land and Beast Taming were prudent veterans; they wouldn’t make reckless decisions. I suppose either there’s a problem with our inside source, or the rebels of the Hundred Schools truly have another new Grandmaster hidden on Taibai Mountain, and they caught our forces off guard."
"National Preceptor, what are your thoughts?"
The figure in the Daoist Robe, addressed as the National Preceptor, took the leaf. After reading it, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked up, formed a hand seal, and his eyes blazed with a Spiritual Light as bright as the sun.
He gazed to the northeast, his Spiritual Power swirling around him as he seemed to peer into the extreme distance through some medium.
"Cough!"
But a moment later, his body trembled. With a muffled grunt, layers of cyan Wood Spirit Qi rippled from his form, which then transformed into arcs of Wood Thunder Light that swept across his entire body like electricity.
’I cannot see... Is this a backlash from the Heaven and Earth Qi?’
The National Preceptor took a deep breath, calming the electrical arcs around him and healing the internal injuries caused by the turbulent Spiritual Power. He murmured the question to himself in confusion, then turned to the figure in the Dragon Robe beside him. "Your Majesty, perhaps that Divine Soldier was born bearing the Destiny of the Divine Land Human Race, and even the Destiny of all living things. It may exist as part of the ’Dragon Transformation Tribulation,’ or even as a ’Celestial Tribulation’ for the ’Immortal Divine Tree.’ That is why it is so difficult to deal with, and even to scry."
"If we wish to eradicate it, I fear it is not a matter of simply sending a few more Demon Generals."
One could see that this National Preceptor had a rather peculiar physique. His face and body structure were not too different from a human’s, and could even be described as refined and otherworldly. However, he stood fourteen chi tall, with a face like Cyan Jade, resembling not a living being but an exquisitely carved jade statue of an Immortal. Yet, from behind his shoulders and at his waist, vibrant, cyan wooden roots coiled, forming structures like wings and a tail, and were rooted into the Celestial Altar.
From a distance, his entire being resembled an old tree without a canopy.
The National Preceptor wore a Daoist Robe and a Red Gold and silver-patterned Magic Sword at his waist. The likenesses of the Four Symbols Sacred Beasts and a Qilin flashed on its scabbard, pulsing with bright Thunder Light. Strangely, the Magic Sword was only four chi eight cun long. While not short, it was certainly unwieldy for the Cyan Jade Giant. His enormous fingers would have difficulty even gripping the hilt. It was a mystery why the National Preceptor, who wielded the power of an entire nation, did not have a Magic Sword forged that better suited his size.
"The Divine Soldier of the Hundred Schools rebels..."
The National Preceptor put down the leaf. His jade eyes, completely devoid of pupils, shifted slightly. He said coolly, "This Blade of Annihilation can gather the power of the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire to destroy our bodies, and channel the Nirvanic will of High Monk Relics to silence our minds. What’s more, it is forged from Western Star Gang Sand, allowing it to gather the power of Celestial Star Celestial Fire to sever the Divine Wood Undying Qi... A Divine Soldier like this can indeed sunder body, soul, and qi. It is a weapon that can truly kill us, the undying."
"And now there is a new Grandmaster, as well... Your Majesty, it seems that sending more Grand Admirals will not be enough."
"Mm." The figure in the cyan robe, whom the National Preceptor addressed as "Your Majesty," nodded. He did not say much, only murmuring softly, "My dear minister."
"I understand. Your Majesty should focus on monopolizing the Divine Wood Qi, achieve Dragon Transformation soon, and advance to the Innate realm."
Hearing this, the National Preceptor nodded slightly. He shook his body, pulling the roots connected to the Celestial Altar from the soles of his feet and his tail one by one, producing a series of crisp CRACKING sounds.
Once all the roots were pulled free, he stretched his limbs. A surging tide of Spiritual Qi poured from his tall, burly frame, transforming into a roiling Wood Wind that churned in the High Heaven. This wind resonated with the clouds below the Celestial Altar, and instantly, a howling gale that sounded like a Dragon’s Roar echoed across the entire zenith.
Faintly, lightning flashed within the clouds, and thunder boomed amidst the wind.
Amidst this sound of wind and thunder, a voice spoke—faint, as if devoid of all human emotion and desire.
"And I shall lead the Divine Wood Guard and personally lead the expedition to Taibai Mountain in Your Majesty’s stead."
「79th Year of Yongning, during the Minor Cold.」
A True Qi Airship departed from the Southern Celestial Capital, flying straight toward the far mountains to the northeast.
In its wake, clouds and mist rose, and a thundering downpour followed.
The storm was coming.
