Rise of Humanity

Chapter 453 - Six Paths Fruit Tree

Chi Xue’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Zhong Yue with a pair of puzzled eyes.

Feng Zhishan laughed and then said, “Good! Princess Chi Xue, since our Little Friend Zhong has already agreed to it, then I hope the princess can follow as well. Otherwise, he might say that we are deliberately sending him to his death. With a princess to accompany him, he will have nothing left to say!”

Chi Xue gave a bright smile, revealing her pearly white teeth as her flawless eyes curved like crescent moons. She then said, “Since I’m going, I want Ying Nu with me as well.”

“No,” Chi Qing curled her arms around Ying Nu and laughed, “Ying Nu is too weak, she can’t be compared to you three, even if she follows, she will only be a burden.”

Anger flared in Chi Xue’s eyes. She was planning to bring Ying Nu along, and together with Zhong Yue, they might be able to find a way to escape. However, who knew that Chi Qing saw through her plans and preemptively stopped her.

Seeing the way that the situation developed, Zhong Yue’s heart sank even further - he had the same plan, and that was why he was so quick to agree.

But now, with Chi Qing and Feng Zhushan holding Ying Nu hostage, they effectively quashed their plans before they were even able to implement. That was unless the two of them were ruthless enough to ignore Ying Nu’s life for their own.

Chi Xue continued to maintain her smile as she said, “That’s fine by me too. Senior Martial Brother Zhong, Feng Dong, let’s go!”

Zhong Yue, Chi Xue, and Feng Dong moved toward the godly mountain. They were nearing the divine tree when suddenly, Zhong Yue asked, “Chi Xue, what’s going on?”

“What else can it be?”, Chi Xue sighed, “All because of the fight for the throne. If I die here, then my sisters will have one less competitor. Thus, they all long for me to meet my end here. I asked you to come because I hoped that you could help me.”

Feng Dong heard them, and his face suddenly drastically changed.

Meanwhile, Zhong Yue was still smiling as he said, “You’ve gone to Ancestral Star, I don’t think you were there for me, were you?”

Chi Xue nodded, and she held a worried look on her beautiful face as she replied, “I was there for Bi Xue. I heard that he is strong, and I thought he would be able to help me to pull through this ordeal. But after seeing you, I changed my mind. Although Bi Xue is really strong, I don’t think he can beat you. There’s also the fact that I like you more than him!”

Zhong Yue laughed, “Princess, you are thinking too much. I promised that I will help you once, so now, it is time to uphold that promise.”

“You have a way to get through this thing?” Chi Xue looked at the divine tree and said with furrowed brows.

The divine tree was on the foot of the mountain, it had countless branches and were shrouded with godly rays. As they walked closer to it, the imposing and saintly air continued to thicken and intensify. Chi Xue had the divine eye as well, one that was even stronger than Zhong Yue’s in certain regards!

For example, although Zhong Yue’s divine eye was powerful, he couldn’t see through Feng Wuji’s incarnation, whereas Chi Xue could. She had also seen through the fact that Zhong Yue and Long Yue were, in fact, the same person.

Thus, she was able to see the divine tree siphoning nutrients from the godly corpses below!

In comparison to that pile of godly corpses buried underneath, the size of the divine tree looked more like a little twig that grew atop a mountain!

However, its roots were tangling, curling, and grasping on the many godly corpses, sucking nutrients off from the bodies unceasingly!

This was definitely something else, it wouldn’t be as simple as an ordinary divine herb.

If they ever dared to offend the divine tree by even the slightest thing possible, they would end up as another few corpses added to its collections!

Zhong Yue didn’t answer her question immediately, instead, he turned to Feng Dong and looked at Chi Xue again.

Feng Dong’s face faltered instantly, and he turned back to see only a hill of soil obstructing his line of sight to Feng Zhishan and the others and them to him.

Right as he turned his head back, Chi Xue took out a silver hairpin from her hair that soon enlarged to the size of a common sword. She swung the silver sword and swiftly decapitated Feng Dong’s head!

“He is not one of mine. But don’t worry, we’ll just kill him.” The silver sword quickly reverted to its original size before she elegantly inserted it back into her hair again.

Zhong Yue deeply gazed at her. His first impression on Chi Xue was a pure and naive young girl, one who was mischievous at times but still amicable. But now, the more of her true self he saw, the further the departure from his impression of her she seemed to be.

The Chi Xue he was now looking at was a young heroine, one that acted with decisiveness and a boundless conviction that was no lesser than Zhong Yue’s.

“I have a treasure, one that can be used to stop the divine tree from attacking us.”

Zhong Yue took out the shabby copper lamp and said, “As for defeating or even keeping the divine tree for ourselves, that is beyond our current abilities. However, if you have any treasures like the god’s inner cores or anything similar, we might just be able to do it.”

The copper lamp was none other than the one Xin Huo used to reside in. Back then, Zhong Yue kept the Divine Wing Saber in it with the help of the beast god inner core. Although he had succeed in doing so, the beast core inner core was also nearly depleted away.

The Divine Wing Saber was Lord Kun’s saint weapon, it was extremely strong and was regarded as the Kun Peng Celestial Race’s greatest weapon. Yet, even such a strong weapon was sealed away by the copper lamp. One could tell how strong the copper lamp was.

However, Zhong Yue’s beast god inner core has long been drained of its essence. Without the inner cores of the gods, there wasn’t even a chance they could keep the divine tree away. However, the divine tree wasn’t dumb either, it was capable of higher-level thinking just like any sentient being, and with the mysterious copper lamp on their side, it would simply elect to not engage them.

“The godly inner cores…”

Chi Xue frowned, she said, “I have a few in my treasure vaults, but they are not with me now.”

Zhong Yue held the copper lamp half a step in front of them as they continued walking forward, he said, “Follow me closely, don’t be more than half a step away from me.”

The two of them walked toward the divine tree and slowly appeared back in the Qi Practitioner’s vision. From far, Feng Zhishan’s eyes suddenly squinted down while Chi Qing shouted loudly, “Little Sister Chi Xue, where is Feng Dong?”

Chi Xue turned and her beautiful countenance seemed to be the picture of sadness and sorrow. Wiping away her tears, she said, “Sister, Feng Dong was devoured by the divine roots.”

Chi Qing’s countenance then turned gloomy, and she then stared at Ying Nu with sharp killing intent. She wasn’t foolish enough to trust Chi Xue’s words. Of course, she was able to guess that Feng Dong was killed by Chi Xue!

Meanwhile, Feng Zhishan softly shook his head as he transmitted his voice into Chi Qing’s ears, “First Princess, if you kill her now, there will be nothing left to hold them here. By then, it’d be more than difficult to kill them after that.”

Chi Qing’s eyes flashed with an indiscernible light, and she replied, “Why do we even need to do this? You and I, together we are more than capable of killing her on the spot!”

“Not now, my lady. Not now.”, Feng Zhushan shook his head and said, “Before we reach the Immortality Peach Tree, we must hold refrain from acting rashly. Or else, if the other Qi Practitioners see us killing her, the team will not be as united anymore. After all, we need still these Qi Practitioners to help us. I hear that there are dangers around the legendary trees that require some… fresh lives in order to get past them.”

Chi Qing then forcibly suppressed her anger as she fiercely glared at Zhong Yue and Chi Xue. The two of them were already stepping into the soils where the divine herbs were scattered around.

Even though they longed for Zhong Yue and Chi Xue to die, they couldn’t help but hold their breaths as well when the two of them got closer to the divine tree. However, to their surprise, the divine tree was still unmoving, it didn’t attack Zhong Yue nor Chi Xue.

Chi Qing and Feng Zhishan exchanged a look, and they saw the same puzzled expression in each other’s eyes. The divine tree had been sucking the nutrients off from the god’s corpse, clearly signaling to other’s that it wasn’t wise to tamper with it. Yet, how was it possible for it to ignore Zhong Yue and Chi Xue, two sources of fresh meat?

Can it be that this divine tree doesn’t attack the living but only the dead? The two of them were bewildered at the possibility.

Zhong Yue held the copper lamp and stood underneath the divine tree’s tree crown. He looked up and saw many orange-colored fruits fruiting hanging above from the tree branches. Each of them had small specters flying around them, with many tiny figures of gods circling around the fruits. All of these gods had six light wheels behind them.

Even more, they were also chanting some gospels as they flew around!

These were the divine fruits, each resembling a dead god!

This was the Six Paths Fruit Tree.

Zhong Yue and Chi Xue were standing beneath the tree with saliva trickling down their mouths. These Six Paths Fruits were the best of the best among the divine herbs. Furthermore, the chants coming from the Six Paths Fruits were resonating with the six secret realms in their bodies. Clearly, these Six Paths Fruits and the Six Paths Reincarnation and the Qi Practitioners’ six secret realms must have certain mysterious links. These fruits had enormous benefits for the Qi Practitioners that had opened the sixth secret realm like themselves!

However, although they had an incredible desire for the fruits, they have no choice but to hold themselves back.

The specters around the fruits had given them a clearer look as to how strong the Six Paths Fruit Tree was! There would be no return from death if one plucked the fruits down!

“No danger!” Zhong Yue turned and shouted, and he waved at Chi Qing, Feng Zhishan, and the others.

Chi Xue’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly followed Zhong Yue’s lead, “Sister Chi Qing, come, it is safe here!”

Chi Qing and Feng Zhishan were overjoyed. Immediately, Qi Practitioners tried to rush forward, with Chi Qing among the clambering practitioners. Suddenly, Feng Zhishan shook his head and stopped the crowd while saying, “They are safe now, but that doesn’t mean that it will also be safe when we pluck the fruits. We should wait a little longer!”

Zhong Yue and Chi Xue saw them stop, and they exchanged a look and thought, It really is hard to make them fall for traps…

Chi Xue then whispered softly, “Senior martial brother, can you pluck a divine fruit?”

Zhong Yue’s eyes lit up, and he then reached out to the divine fruits. Just as his hands are getting closer to the fruits, the tree branches started to sway, they extend out and curled down toward him.

Cold sweat burst out of Chi Xue’s forehead and she gritted her teeth, saying, “Stop, don’t do it anymore…”

Zhong Yue then suddenly moved, the little girl divine herb Nightshade appeared in his hands, and he laughed, “No danger, we are safe even if we pluck the divine fruits!”

Chi Xue’s heart was pounding heavily, even the Six Paths Fruit Tree was swaying in the breeze, looking as if it was in between laughter and tears.

Zhong Yue turned and looked back. Chi Qing and the others finally let their guards down and rushed over as if afraid that Zhong Yue and Chi Xue would strip all the fruits clean before they were able to.

The two of them then smiled, and just as they were able to leave the same way they were forced to come in, an appalling surge of psyche rammed into their head.

Krong——

“Little friends, this old tree greets the two of you!”

A bout of dizziness struck the two of them, and their hearts thumped in shock, “This Six Paths Fruit Tree is talking!”

Zhong Yue held the copper lamp tight in his hands as he said anxiously, “Senior, what do you need from us?”

“I was just an ordinary divine tree when the honorable Reincarnation Monarch planted me here 120,000 years ago.” The Six Paths Fruit Tree’s psyche kept ramming into their minds, resounding inside their ears as it said, “Although the Returning Ruins is a good place to stay, it will, sooner or later, one day be crushed by the black hole… and I will die along with it as well. Today, I’d like to make a deal with you two, I’m finding for a way out and if the two of you happen to know of some way, please do tell me. In return, I will give a Six Paths Fruit to each of you.”

Zhong Yue and Chi Xue’s heart began to pound, with Chi Xue suddenly smiling and saying, “If senior doesn’t mind, you can come into my Yuan Shen secret realm.”

On the other hand, Zhong Yue shook his head and took out a Teleportation Golden Tablet, he said, “Senior, as long as you have this, you will be able to leave the Returning Ruins. You can find them on the Qi Practitioners, we all have one each.”

Chi Xue was bewildered, and she quickly said with a mental transmission, “Why don’t you let it come into our Yuan Shen secret realms? It might be able to help us…”