Chapter 182: Chapter 182: The Truth (Part 2)
"The entrance is right here."
In the swaying vision, a towering tree with lush foliage stood tall in the center of the Holy Land, reaching straight into the clouds.
Countless white crystal stones were strung together with fine white strings, hanging among the dense green branches, and even the entire trunk was coated with glittering stone powder.
Looking from afar, it indeed resembled a sacred and immaculate Divine Tree.
Before Wen Shu could regain her senses, her body was lifted by the Divine Tree Leaves, floating toward the center of the giant tree.
And she saw clearly the face of that mermaid clan Beastman, with silver hair and purple eyes, bearing some resemblance to Sai Yin.
"Let’s go, Serge."
The ground cracked open a passage, and Alin and the mermaid Serge slowly walked in, awakening the Divine Tree, curled up like a bud deep within the Earth Core.
Then, after the Divine Tree unfurled and grew, they were absorbed into the interior space of the Divine Tree.
"It’s right here. Once you awaken the Beast God, he will grant your wish."
Serge pointed to the high platform at the end.
Impatiently, Alin placed the leaves into the stone platform.
A burst of golden light shot up from the platform.
What happened next was all so sudden!
The Beast God had not yet been fully awakened when Serge suddenly collapsed to the ground.
A scarlet mist burst from his body, enveloping the high platform, greedily absorbing the Beast God’s power.
Ye Lin realized she had been deceived.
She chose to self-destruct, perishing together with the red mist.
Alin, covered in cracks, was barely alive beneath the platform.
Wen Shu held her breath. Was it to let her see how her close friend died once again, that the Divine Tree Leaves brought her into the Illusion Realm?
As if sensing her emotions, the scene before her eyes sped up rapidly, changing quickly.
Ye Lin, having absorbed part of the Beast God’s power, was ejected from the interior of the Divine Tree, surviving together with it.
But with the passage sealed, she could no longer leave the Earth Core.
For the next several hundred years, she languidly passed the time, from youth to a face full of wrinkles, purifying the withered Divine Tree daily with her weak Healing Ability.
Finally, the Divine Tree awakened once more.
In her final moments, Ye Lin wished to see her old friend one more time.
The Divine Tree granted her wish.
And while she was reminiscing about the past, the Divine Tree, having developed sentience, made a decision when it saw Wen Shu, who could purify an entire city single-handedly in the end times.
"The Beast God had a portion of his power absorbed, so even if awakened, he wouldn’t be able to completely purify the continent?"
Nourished by the Divine Tree to survive, Ye Lin had long been a part of the Divine Tree.
"You want to ask Ashu for help?"
Understanding the Divine Tree’s intention, she said, "Alright, at least here is safe, and with Ashu’s ability, she can quickly heal you."
But not long after, her expression turned difficult, "Even if the Holy Female is chosen by the Beast God, and fate cannot be altered, you can’t wrong my Ashu, right?"
"If you dare harm her, I can save you, and I can chop you down too!"
Ye Lin threatened the Divine Tree with her stance to chop it down. The Divine Tree, in a hurry, flickered with a light halo, making her relent, "That’s more like it, I’ll leave it to you. At the time, tell her to push the Holy Female to enhance her abilities, and once she’s accepted the legacy, she can leave..."
"Sigh, it’s been almost two hundred years now, I think I’m about to dissipate too."
She let out a long sigh, looking up to see Wen Shu undressing.
Yet the golden scene still floated above the Divine Tree, showing no sign of dispersing.
Ye Lin scratched her graying hair and pressed a palm against the tree root, "Old tree, don’t tell me you’re also growing a soul?"
The Divine Tree trembled its leaves.
"?"
Ye Lin, now like an old granny, still full of vigor, kicked at the tree root, "You thousand-year-old tree spirit! Do not set your sights on Ashu!"
The scene from the end times continued to flash in mid-air day after day.
Ye Lin lay in eternal slumber at the tree root, her body rotting and decomposing, becoming nutrients merging into the Divine Tree.
It wasn’t long after her demise that the Divine Tree began to show signs of withering again.
The broadcast of the apocalypse abruptly ended with Wen Shu’s death, and the Divine Tree once more curled up into a sapling.
And on that pitch-black branch, a wisp of ghostly blue mist timidly poked out half a head.
Wen Shu immediately recognized him.
It was Yining.
Upon learning the truth of her arrival in the Beast World, she furrowed her brows tightly.
As the Illusion Realm faded away, Yining’s eyes, filled with hidden anticipation, enlarged before her, "Ashu, you’re awake..."
Before he could finish, Wen Shu pressed her palm against his shoulder, "So, are you the... soul of that Divine Tree?"
As the questioning voice rang out, the males began to emerge from the Illusion Realm, the shock not yet fading from their faces.
Wu Xuan, upon waking, found Wen Shu missing.
Turning his head, he saw her confronting Yining.
"Ashu!"
Unable to restrain the impulse, he stepped forward, pulling Wen Shu back into his arms, "Let me take a look at you."
His large hand caressed her small face, and Wu Xuan’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter, feeling she had suddenly lost a lot of weight.
That world was so dangerous that even finding food could cost one’s life.
He couldn’t imagine how many hardships Ashu had endured to survive and become such a formidable person.
The males around him shared the same thought.
They surrounded Wen Shu, blocking off the light above her completely.
"Deputy Commander of Dawn Base, Ashu, you’re truly amazing!"
Luo Fei tightly gripped her hand, expressing his feelings and then furrowed his brows, gritting his teeth, "It would be great if we could go back. We’ll help you kill that damn commander and wipe out all those who betrayed you..."
Just as he was getting fired up, Mious glanced out the window, his expression grave as he interrupted them.
"It’s snowing again."
Mious gently tightened his grip on Wen Shu’s hand, "You guys let go of Ashu first, it’s important to deal with the pressing matters."
Understanding his words, Wen Shu’s brow moved slightly. Following his lead, she sat up from Wu Xuan’s embrace.
Looking at Wu Xuan and Luo Fei’s hands, she gently soothed, "Don’t worry, the rest we will discuss in detail once we’re home."
Having said that, she looked toward the other side, at Yining who gazed back quietly, his eyes deep.
"Yining, what do you need me to do?"
The car fell silent for a few seconds, Yining explained with a steady expression despite being under the gaze of four pairs of eyes.
"The Beast God planted the Divine Tree and selected the Holy Female to awaken him again and purify the continent’s pollution."
He paused and continued, "However, the Pseudo-god devoured a part of the Beast God’s power... Ashu, only you can compensate for this missing power."
Wen Shu tightened her lips, not quite understanding, "But in the stories I’ve read, after the Holy Female sacrifices..."
She suddenly realized something, "Was it Alin’s arrival that disrupted the original story?"
"That’s right," Yining lowered his gaze, hearing her mention this, "I’m sorry, Ashu, when the Divine Tree summoned you, the rules were set fearing you might disrupt the fate of the Holy Female and required you to fulfill this body’s mission..."
"But it was never intended to make you die, only to unleash the Holy Female’s potential, guiding her onto the path of becoming a savior, and you could leave."
"Initially, the Divine Tree Leaves were intact, never expecting you to suffer so much..."
Seeing his pallor and guilty expression, Wen Shu opened her mouth but couldn’t complain.
But she also knew, after Yining found a body, there was no way he could have known the Divine Tree Leaves would be intercepted by thieves.
Forcing her to feign death and escape was not his intent.
Wen Shu pressed her lips together, murmuring indistinctly, "It’s all in the past, let’s discuss what to do next."
Lifting her hand, she drew open a small gap in the curtain, the biting cold wind laden with fluffy snow rushed in, making her shiver.
"The snow has been falling more heavily lately."
