When Violet returned to the first floor with the little wolf cub in her arms and Minchen by her side, Tiyelu, in her Lulu form, seemed to have calmed down. She had reverted to her usual cheerful self and was chatting with Little Blue with a smile.
Seeing the priestess and Minchen appear, Tiyelu lazily turned her head, her probing gaze briefly touching on Novia before she leaned against the sofa and tilted her head.
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“Finished talking? What little secrets did you two discuss in there? Took so long, you know we almost fell asleep waiting?”
Minchen quickly laughed it off.
“No, no, just some old stories, nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning, haha!”
“?”
Noticing the strange looks from everyone due to their odd reactions, Violet didn’t expose him. Instead, she stifled her laughter and changed the subject.
“Ahem, almost done. So, shall we start now?”
Miss Butterfly rolled her eyes at her unceremoniously.
“What else? Should we throw a banquet to welcome you, celebrate the upcoming great changes in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, and then get down to business?”
“You, mind your attitude when talking to the master, don’t push your luck.”
Before Violet could say anything, a certain dragon lady standing not far away expressed her displeasure, casting a cold and threatening look at Tiyelu. However, our Lord Ancestor was obviously not one to be easily intimidated and glared back without yielding.
“Oh my, little dragon, do you think I, Tiyelu, am easily scared? Others might fear you, but I don’t. What, are you going to hit me?”
“You looking for trouble?”
“Ahem!”
Seeing the sudden and inexplicable tension that made it seem like a fight could break out at any moment, the priestess quickly coughed a few times and hurriedly grabbed her dragon companion’s hand. Minchen, equally perceptive, stepped forward and pulled the displeased Lord Ancestor away.
As for the others present, they either watched coldly or stood around dumbfounded. After all, both Tiyelu and Xiao Guang were truly mythical beings. If they clashed, probably only the priestess or the gatekeeper could intervene effectively.
“Master, don’t stop me this time! This insolent butterfly has been too arrogant for too long. You’re helping them solve their problems, and she dares to be disrespectful! She doesn’t know what gratitude means! Today, I must teach her a lesson!”
“Come on, come on! Do you think I’m scared? A mere dragon cub not even five hundred years old dares to talk big. Just because you defeated that idiot Flame, you think you’re impressive? When Lord Tiyelu roamed the world thousands of years ago, you weren’t even an egg yet... mmph mmph! Minchen, don’t pull me away! Today, I’m going to teach this overconfident little dragon what it means to respect her elders!”
“Stop it!”
Struggling to hold back her dragon companion, who rarely wasted words and was always ready for a fight, Violet helplessly intervened in the nonsensical dispute. At the same time, she shook her head meaningfully at Miss Butterfly.
“Alright, Tiyelu, I understand you’re feeling agitated, but lashing out like this is meaningless. You’ve lived for thousands of years, and I shouldn’t need to repeat this. Planting the Divine Tree is mutually beneficial, but if you truly have reservations, I won’t force you. There’s no need for petty actions either. Just give a clear answer: if you shake your head, we’ll leave right now. How about that?”
“Just joking around to lighten the mood, why get so serious all of a sudden? Fine, I’ll help plant it...”
Seemingly intimidated by the priestess’s unprecedented sharpness, Tiyelu averted her gaze, feeling a bit guilty, and didn’t dare to say anything further. Though she could be quite capricious at times, the ancient protector of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain understood boundaries.
Seizing the moment, Minchen quickly interjected to mediate.
“Yes, yes, I apologize on behalf of this silly butterfly. She’s just childish, don’t take her too seriously. Let’s get back to business, shall we?”
“Alright then, let’s move on. This won’t happen again. Let’s go, Xiao Guang, everyone, let’s find a suitable spot.”
Seeing that her warning had the desired effect, the black-haired girl nodded slightly and led the way outside. Xiao Guang and the other girls exchanged glances and promptly followed Violet out.
Once only Tiyelu and Minchen remained inside, Eileen, who had been silently reading, closed her book and stood up, glancing amusedly at the sulking butterfly.
“Who would’ve thought that a cunning and ruthless person like you would get put in your place? There’s always a taller mountain. It seems we didn’t lose to her unfairly.”
Without waiting for Tiyelu to puff up her cheeks and retort, the girl walked out on her own.
“You! Ugh, damn it! One after another...”
Seeing Lord Ancestor looking all puffed up and frustrated without knowing whom to vent on, the gatekeeper beside her could only shake his head helplessly.
“Alright, this is what you call self-inflicted. Of all people, you had to provoke that dragon. Are you looking for death? If you fight, it’s impossible for you even to touch her. Also, couldn’t you see her special relationship with Miss Violet?”
“How was I supposed to know they’d react so strongly... These two are ridiculous, always protecting each other. Hey, Minchen, you don’t think they’re...?”
As long-time friends, the gatekeeper immediately understood Tiyelu’s insinuation and responded with a bemused sigh.
“What good does it do asking me? I may have some romantic experience, but it’s all legitimate... Ahem, alright, stop gossiping and let’s catch up before we miss the important business.”
“Got it, got it. By the way, why have you been defending them since earlier? Could it be that they have something on you?”
“Uh! How, how could that be? Haha...”
.............................................
The preparation stage for planting the Divine Tree was lengthy and complex, but the cultivation process after the seeds matured was straightforward. The Portal Ground was a small buffer zone created by the demon god’s great power when he made the Illusionary Realm.
It was exposed to the light of the sun and moon from the real world, and the magical environment was intermediate between the two worlds. Although relatively complex, some hardy plants could still grow there.
Thus, the Divine Tree, derived from the Goddess of Life, would naturally thrive as well.
Everyone found a relatively open area with fertile soil near the center of the Portal Ground. Violet nodded to the green-haired girl beside her, and Theresa understood. She stepped forward and dug a small hole in the ground with a pre-prepared iron shovel, then carefully placed the green seed she had nurtured into the hole.
Next was the final step.
“Hu...”
Theresa stood up and took two steps back, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands in prayer. A surge of energy and an intense divinity not belonging to her began to rise. Her green hair moved as if blown by the wind, and a brilliant column of light descended from afar, stirring waves of life awakening!
“Great Goddess of Life, we humbly invite your presence!”