Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Deep Within the Divine Tree
In the silent Holy Temple, the two embraced each other in silence.
Only when their intense emotions subsided did Wen Shu put Mious, who had transformed into a black snake, into her sleeve and leave the Royal Palace.
She moved quickly, wearing a guard uniform, and made her way out of the Royal Palace without hindrance, beckoning to Wu Xuan and heading straight to the city gate.
With the plan completed smoothly, fearing interception by the Queen, they did not linger and set off directly to the Holy Land.
The two places were very far apart, and even though Luo Fei had good stamina, it took them an entire day and night.
Along the way, countless beastmen were migrating towards the Royal City.
They looked weary as they trudged through the snow, resembling a swarm of ants struggling in pain when viewed from above.
As they approached the Holy Land, the dense forest that was once lush green was now buried under snow, showing no sign of life and leaving the direction indistinguishable.
Wen Shu observed the Divine Tree Leaves, and as Luo Fei turned to the second circle, she whispered, "Here it is."
With a giant dragon wing shaking off the heavy snow pile, Wu Xuan was the first to leap to the ground, his long legs plunging into the snow, leaving only above his knees able to move.
Seeing this, Mious, fearing Wen Shu would freeze, directly lifted her and naturally handed her to Wu Xuan upon landing.
In the haste of leaving the Royal City, Wen Shu was indeed not dressed warmly enough; her face turned somewhat white from the cold as she nestled into Wu Xuan’s embrace, immediately enveloped by warmth, feeling much more comfortable.
"Let’s go."
She placed the Divine Tree Leaves in her palm, waiting for Luo Fei to revert to human form, and followed the path of the Holy Land inward.
Unlike the bustle of previous days, the Holy Land was eerily quiet at this moment, without a single soul in sight; even the guards had left early due to the heavy snow.
In the piercing cold wind, they soon reached the interior of the Holy Land, where the central giant tree stood, encrusted with icicles and snow crystals, identical to what was seen in the Illusion Realm.
However, Wen Shu leaned against Wu Xuan without the mood for admiration.
Here, it was too quiet.
Upon entering the inner circle, even the sound of the wind seemed to vanish instantly.
She surveyed her surroundings, her gaze scanning the collapsed snow heap ahead, gripping Wu Xuan’s arm warily.
"Wait..."
At that moment, Yining’s deliberately lowered voice called from a distance behind, "Ashu!"
Nan carried him and Bai Qiao and the group just landed, hastily chasing after them.
Yining’s forehead was clad in fine sweat as he stopped beside Wen Shu, panting, "There’s danger, let’s leave here first..."
Before he finished speaking, a faint "click" sound suddenly echoed.
Following that, dozens of heavy footsteps approached from all directions, enclosing them completely.
A chill ran down their spines, and Wen Shu turned around abruptly.
Under the overwhelming shadow of the giant tree, a tall and broad figure, resembling a lurking beast, slowly emerged from the darkness.
His curly silver hair was slightly disheveled, eyes nearly stained red, staring at her for a few seconds, then shifted to Yining’s face, his lip line crooked into a sly smile, "Everyone’s here."
The deep and cold voice overlapped, echoing across the vast Holy Land.
Wen Shu froze upon seeing Sai Yin’s current state, feeling a hint of surprise.
She recalled the Illusion Realm, where the Mermaid Clan male deceived Ye Lin, the persistent red mist that absorbed the Beast God’s power and kept haunting the Mermaid Clan, found Sai Yin after all!
Noticing her gaze, the red light in Sai Yin’s eyes dimmed slightly. He curled his lips towards her, extending his hand in invitation, "Xiao Wen, come here, I won’t harm you."
Before Wen Shu could react, Wu Xuan tightened his arm, took a step back, while Luo Fei and Mious placed themselves protectively in front of them, their expressions unfriendly.
Seeing them encircle Wen Shu tightly, Sai Yin sneered coldly, disdainfully shifting his gaze to Yining, "Hand over the Divine Tree Leaves. You should know well, I am godly, even stronger than your worthless Beast God!"
"If you choose to worship me, I will spare your lives, and conveniently rescue the continent, how does that sound?"
Faced with an old rival, Sai Yin restrained his aura, releasing it suddenly, terrifying pressure enveloped in surging murderous intent and oppressive strength, sweeping towards Yining and his group.
The compelling atmosphere caused even these outstanding males among beastmen to feel a throbbing fear, with some severely paling instantly.
Yet Yining’s lips remained tightly pressed, his expression unchanged.
Compared to his prime, this Pseudo-god was significantly weaker, his power not even matching that of centuries ago.
The Divine Tree, as the Beast God’s legacy, naturally inherited her prolonged memory.
This Pseudo-god was a deity born alongside the Beast God, yet they possessed vastly different powers and dispositions.
The Beast God was compassionate and kind, her abilities focused on purification and healing.
The Pseudo-god was cruel-hearted, spreading plague and pollution everywhere.
The two deities battled for thousands of years, culminating in the Beast God sealing the Pseudo-god.
However, a trace of power of the Pseudo-god lingered on the continent.
He survived in pollution for years, using beastmen’s greed to incite them into waging wars, eventually resurrecting amidst sacrificial mountains of corpses.
Indeed, as a deity, he can save the continent, but at a heavy price!
Without the Beast God’s intervention, with his vile and violent nature, pollution would quickly engulf the continent, beastmen turning into mutant beasts, leaving the entire realm lifeless.
Yining’s brows furrowed as he silently took out the Divine Tree Leaves, yet did not hand them to Sai Yin. Instead, he swiftly tucked them into Wen Shu’s embrace, "Take Bai Qiao to awaken the Beast God, leave this to us!"
The tense atmosphere snapped completely.
Sai Yin’s gaze sharpened, his hand raised when Yining, shifting into a lynx, leapt savagely towards Sai Yin, his wide-open claws flashing with cold light, aiming directly at his heart!
The confrontation burst forth.
The surrounding Sea Clan beastmen immediately launched an aggressive attack towards them, while the males also retaliated swiftly by transforming into beast forms.
In just a moment, agonizing cries rang incessantly, the sprayed blood and remnants covered the dark ground.
Seemingly influenced by the gruesome scene, the clouds rolled darker across the heavens, accompanied by a piercing scream, pelting the ground with fresh snowballs once more.
Wen Shu slightly widened her eyes, grabbing the seemingly dazed Bai Qiao, her steps swiftly sprinting towards the giant tree. Before running a few steps, a cold light flashed, viciously striking towards Bai Qiao’s heart!
"Get out of the way!"
She abruptly pushed Bai Qiao aside, tightened her calf, and spun around, kicking the Sea Beast to the ground, its long claws relentlessly piercing then swiftly pulled back.
I couldn’t care less about the blood drop at my nose, taking Bai Qiao to the giant tree’s base, fusing the Divine Tree Leaves, inserting them into the sticky soil.
As the halo appeared, the dark ground cracked open a passage, a staircase endless in sight appeared at their feet.
Wen Shu eased her breath slightly, while Bai Qiao stared blankly at her, her mind filled with just the scene of saving her... Just like the day they first met.
Her thoughts were chaotic, she suddenly realized something, yet before she could clarify, a stem was stuffed into her palm.
"Bai Qiao, you go and awaken the Divine Tree first, I’ll be right there!" Wen Shu urged urgently, glancing back at the battling beastmen.
Wu Xuan and the others had dealt with most of the Sea Beasts, but the snow kept falling heavily, within minutes it was over their calves, drastically slowing down their pace.
The staircase leading to the Earth Core was interminable.
Not waiting for them to awaken the Beast God, everyone would drown in this heavy snow!
Wen Shu’s brows knitted tightly, noticing the disfigured Jin Yu among the crowd. She remembered this old beastman, who for his tribe, defied Sai Yin’s orders regardless of his life.
"Jin Yu, will you watch the entire Sea Clan perish for this Pseudo-god?"
Jin Yu paused in his tracks.
Seeing he heard, Wen Shu promptly stopped others, "Wu Xuan, you all come in first!"
The males responded promptly, Jin Yu also struggled momentarily, then blocked the Sea Clan beastmen, urging them to retreat towards the Earth Core passage.
However, before they could draw near, a silver-white figure streaked past swiftly.
"Ashu! Watch out!"
Wen Shu only caught Yining’s call, and a phantom flashed before her eyes, reaching out to defend, yet the opponent slid ghost-like into the Earth Core, their target not even her!
