Chapter 153: Chapter 46: Beholding the Divine Tree
When the voice of the Earth Vein resounded between heaven and earth, it was a roar that surpassed even thunder.
So much so that even the oppressively thick clouds over the Northern Lands were blasted apart by the superheated hurricane from the Volcano’s eruption. A circle of clear sky revealed the golden sunlight behind, magnificent and brilliant... but this was no time to marvel at the wonders of nature!
"P-Probably!"
By now, even Zhou Buyi, who had been so confident before, had turned a little pale. Still, he forced an explanation. "This is just harmless dust and smoke! It doesn’t count as an eruption!"
But in the next moment, there was no more time for explanations.
Because that "harmless dust and smoke," mixing with the rain and snow in the sky, had turned into a high-temperature "rain of mud and rock" that was now falling from above.
The entire team had no choice but to flee the affected area with all their might.
"Oh well. I came here with the rumbling of a volcano, and I’ll leave with the rumbling of a volcano. It brings things full circle, I suppose." Spattered with mud from head to toe, Su Zhou could only try to make light of the situation. ’At least it’s spewing mud and not lava.’
After a day and a half of frantic travel, Su Zhou finally saw the Hundred Schools’ troops sent to meet them.
"Whoa! I heard Zhou Buyi and the others talk about them, but I never thought I’d actually see a True Qi Airship!"
He could now see it, parked quietly in the snowy plains not far away. It looked something like a hot air balloon or a flying airship, but it was a ship-shaped vessel with a smaller gasbag. Su Zhou couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. ’I can’t believe I’m actually seeing a creation of True Qi-punk in a real world!’
’You’ll have plenty of opportunities to be amazed in the future,’ Yara chuckled in his mind. ’The worlds are infinite, and each is infinitely different. You are fated to travel among them, Su Zhou.’
The rendezvous itself was unremarkable. It was worth noting, however, that nearly all the Martial Artists looked at their group with great admiration and reverence.
"...That’s pretty much what happened. No one died, but we didn’t have time to clean ourselves up."
When the Swordsmith Martial Artists, who had been traveling for a day, met the reinforcements from the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army, Li Daoran—covered head to toe in dust and mud—explained helplessly to the welcoming Martial Artists, "Just as the experts from the Hundred Schools predicted, the Taibai Volcano didn’t truly erupt. In fact, because it vented some smoke and dust, its next major burst has been delayed by about eighty years... But our journey was indeed a bit wretched. We’re filthy and have probably breached etiquette."
"How is this wretched?"
But beside the three True Qi Airships, the five Grandmasters who had come to meet them—but had been blocked at the Liaozhou border by the Demon Dynasty’s reinforcements—all cupped their fists with solemn expressions. They bowed sincerely to the fifty-odd Martial Artists before them, who were so caked in mud and dust they looked worse than beggars. "You who hold righteousness in your hearts, who braved a desperate situation for the people in this time of crisis and plunged through fire and water—what is so wretched about a little dust? And how could this possibly be a breach of etiquette?"
"On the contrary, it is we who have been disrespectful and shown poor etiquette by not having hot water and fresh clothes prepared. Please forgive us. Everyone, please board the Aerial Battleships! Although the National Preceptor has fallen and the Demon Army in Liaodong has scattered on its own, the Demon Emperor still remains. If you need to rest, rest aboard the aerial battleships!"
Naturally, Su Zhou was the center of attention for these Grandmasters. This was especially true after they sensed the immense Spiritual Power Cultivation he revealed to them. They knew at once that this was indeed the Abnormal Person who had slain the National Preceptor in battle, a man whose strength likely surpassed even the three Grandmasters of the Hundred Schools. Their attitude became even more respectful. "Master Su, please. We have prepared the best guest room for you!"
"...You don’t have to talk like that. I’m not quite used to it..."
Su Zhou felt the gazes of the two hundred-odd reinforcement Martial Artists around him. Their stares were scorching, filled with reverence, which was in turn mixed with admiration, and within that admiration, a hint of curiosity. Although Su Zhou considered himself the kind of righteous person who got a huge kick out of others’ gratitude and thanks, he still found it a bit unsettling.
How should he put it? It was like... playing a video game is fun, but playing for twenty-four hours straight isn’t so fun anymore. That was more or less how Su Zhou felt. The intensity of their passion made him a little uncomfortable. It even reminded him of the time several Academy professors had surrounded him to watch his Cultivation.
Of course, the Grandmasters and Martial Artists present could see Su Zhou’s predicament. Two of the Grandmasters immediately took the lead, guiding him to a guest room on a True Qi Airship to bathe and rest. The remaining three began a solemn discussion with Li Daoran and Weilie, seemingly about the matter of Grandmaster Han’s defection.
"Sigh... Old Han. We truly let him down..."
"He had no wife, no children. He wasn’t particularly close to his few disciples, and basically all his relatives were dead..."
"Indeed. If you have no descendants and are all alone, what does it matter if you succeed in resisting the Demon Army? In the end... it’s just death anyway. His betrayal isn’t surprising at all. In fact, it’s tragic."
"Ensuring the core members of the Rebel Army get married and start families must be the top priority of our ideological work from now on. In the future, to participate in high-level meetings... priority must be given to those who are married and have children."
"That’s right. A man with no stake in the future has no reason to stand firm..."
「It was now late at night.」
Su Zhou could see the silvery full moon in the sky. It was his first time away from the lands perpetually covered by blizzards and dark clouds, his first time seeing the starry sky of the Divine Wood World with his own eyes.
The stars weren’t too different from what one could see on Earth, at least as far as Su Zhou’s astronomical knowledge went. Although some parts of the star-filled sky seemed a bit off, it was an Otherworld, after all. It would be strange if it weren’t different.
As for the True Qi Airship, its design was surprisingly less distinctive than the True Qi Furnace he had seen before. To put it bluntly, it was just a warship with a large propeller and a flotation gasbag. Its overall shape was fusiform, designed with aerodynamics in mind for high-altitude conditions. It was also covered in Spirit Patterns, and based on their aura, Su Zhou could identify them as Gale Spirit Patterns, meant to handle strong winds.
This was probably why the reinforcements from the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army and the Demon Dynasty had arrived so quickly. Compared to the difficult overland routes and the meandering waterways, being able to fly in a straight line truly saved a great deal of time.
"Thanks, but I don’t need anyone to wait on me while I bathe. Just send plenty of food and drink."
After arriving in his guest room, Su Zhou sent out a jolt of Spiritual Power, shaking off all the mud from his body and leaving himself spotless. He controlled his Spiritual Power to gather the mud into a ball, which he then tossed outside the Aerial Battleship. This display of exquisite control over his Spiritual Power made the two Grandmasters stare in astonishment, sighing in constant amazement.
As for the two Grandmasters’ suggestion of finding some maids to help him bathe and change, Su Zhou naturally refused. After running through the snow all day, he was far more interested in a hot meal. "No alcohol, I don’t drink. Just make sure there’s a lot of food."
"Hmm... let’s start with ten servings!"
Time waits for no one. The battle on the front lines was still raging, and the Demon Emperor was still trying to advance to the Innate realm. To save time, the grand welcome and celebration that should have taken place were all omitted.
While Su Zhou was happily feasting in his room, the other Martial Artists also dispersed to their quarters aboard the aerial battleships. Then, without any hesitation, the True Qi Furnaces ignited. Immense Inner Strength activated the Talisman Cloud Patterns, causing the gasbags to inflate and rise.
Urged on by several Daoists, the propellers began to spin. The three True Qi Airships lifted straight into the air, confirmed their direction, and then sped off towards the southern lands.
On a night of a thousand stars and a full moon, bathed in its brilliant light, the three aerial battleships raced south, toward the true front line—the battlefield that would decide the fate of this world.
A profound silence lay over the frost-covered land below. Three long shadows swept across it, stirring up the silent, powdery snow.
In the distance, the Taibai Volcano was still rumbling, its rising black smoke like a farewell.
「Five days later.」
After a swift journey, unimpeded by any Spirit Plant Demon Beasts, the group arrived at the Hundred Schools’ front line on the Nanjiang River.
And Su Zhou, wearing the Divine Blade of Extinction at his side and standing at the very front of the Aerial Battleship, saw the ’Immortal Banyan Tree’ with his own eyes.
