Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Swish!
As Yinmu waved his huge sleeves, Su Yu felt a surge of turns and shifts, and in a fleeting moment, they had arrived at a different place.
This is the power of All Creations… Su Yu wondered in amazement.
He appeared at a wooden house that had been kept in perfect condition. The yard was full of lush greenery and had been maintained in a very tidy way. In the yard, a lone grave was lying quietly, the wording
Yaomu
carved upon it.
Su Yu looked at it and felt sorrowful. A master of the era had met his tranquil demise at this place, yet there had not been a single person of the same race to pray for him when he was drawing his last breath.
He stepped forward and bowed, paying his respects. He then asked,
Elder Yinmu, before Yaomu Daoren passed away, was he in any pain?
Yinmu shook his head.
He died of old age naturally, so you don’t have to feel too bad.
Su Yu nodded and entered the house. The inside of the house was simple, and he saw no other items within it. It was uncertain if the home’s previous items had all been buried with Yaomu Daoren, or if he had been living in utter poverty and simply didn’t have anything.
The only things left in the house were two scrolls that had been preserved quite well by the ancient bronze tree men. The scroll on the left was rather thin, whereas the one on the right was thicker and much heavier. Su Yu soon discovered that the golden sands that he had lost while chasing them in the Desolate Evil Jungle were quietly lying beside the scroll on the right.
All of the ancient Mu words on the seal were recorded on these two scrolls. The left scroll contains the ancient words deciphered by Yaomu Daoren, so you don’t have to study them anymore. The right scroll contains the words yet to be deciphered,
Yinmu said.
Su Yu nodded, stepping forward to unroll the right scroll, while the numerous, closely packed words entered his sight. There were notes written in red pen beside every ancient word, which was clearly Yaomu Daoren’s detailed research.
His notes occupied one-tenth of the space and ended abruptly. This must have been the time that he had passed away.
Su Yu was a little mournful as he observed his notes in detail, comparing them to the ancient Mu words. He nodded and shook his head from time to time.
After a while, Yinmu asked,
What do you think about his notes?
Yaomu Daoren’s mastery of the ancient Mu words could clearly be seen. Su Yu said,
It’s excellent, but it has its limitations.
Su Yu then commented,
As a human, being able to study up to such a level by depending on a limited amount of knowledge is considered to be a very great accomplishment. It’s just too bad that he could not take it to the next level in such an environment.
Yinmu was delighted.
Does that mean that your mastery of the ancient Mu words is greater than his?
Su Yu said,
You could say that, but give me half a day’s time to study this scroll. You mustn’t disturb me.
Alright, as long as you can salvage the Tree God, I can promise you anything!
Yinmu replied merrily, while immediately commanding two tree men to guard the yard’s entrance, prohibiting all disturbances.
Before leaving, Yinmu caught a glimpse of the golden sand on the right scroll and asked,
What is this?
Su Yu quietly seized the golden sand and replied,
Perhaps some of Yaomu Daoren’s relics. Let me study them.
Yinmu hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. He then turned to leave Su Yu alone to study in the yard.
Su Yu closed the door and sat down with crossed legs. His eyes shone as he reopened the thick scroll and flipped to where Yaomu Daoren’s final red note was recorded.
Meanwhile, he gathered the golden sand in his palm, spreading the remaining amount in the bottle out on his palm. When these grains of golden sand fell on the red handwriting, they suddenly became lively, gliding across the scroll like scurrying ants!
At last, all of them quieted down. Su Yu squinted and gazed at the sand for a moment before he finally discovered the secret. He had deciphered the meaning of every word on the golden sand, but had failed to arrange the words into a complete paragraph.
Now, these golden grains of sand were divided into groups of ten, each group circling around an ancient word. Ten grains of golden sand combined with one ancient word, which then happened to translate into a sentence. The same thing happened to the other 19 groups!
The outcome was 19 sentences altogether, making up a paragraph of hidden, very mysterious code. Yaomu Daoren was trying to deliver some kind of message to Su Yu this way!
Su Yu’s heart raced. He translated the sentences of ancient words into the human language and arranged them into a complete paragraph, thus obtaining the enigmatic message that had been passed down by Yaomu Daoren.
A moment later, Su Yu’s face changed. Yaomu Daoren told Su Yu something extremely terrifying. It was so terrifying that Yaomu Daoren had to conceal the golden sand in the handbook and have Su Yu spread it out all this time later!
While he was sitting in silence in the house, Su Yu pondered what to do next for a long time. Gradually, his face regained its former calmness. He then entered the state of time-acceleration while studying the treasury of words that Yun Yazi had left behind in his mind. Half a day later, Yinmu came forward and asked expectantly,
How’s it going?
Su Yu smiled.
I’ve finished deciphering these ancient words. They were exactly the same as those on the sacrificial altar, and I’ve been able to understand them all in half a day!
Wow! Eight-tenths of the words only took you half a day to understand? You’re even better than Yaomu Daoren! If the Tree God awakens, you’ll certainly be endowed with a great reward!
Yinmu said in surprise.
Please also translate these ancient words into modern Mu words. I’ll go inform the Tree God.
Su Yu said,
I’m afraid I can’t yet, as more than ten ancient words in it were written illegibly, greatly deviating from the ones in my memory. So, I’m not sure if my translation is precise. I’d like to see the words on the seal in person to decide.
Yinmu frowned.
The Tree God is the god of my race, and it’s weak, so I’m afraid it can’t meet with outsiders.
Su Yu said,
Fine, then I’ll translate based on this scroll. But, if there are any mistakes, don’t blame me.
Yinmu hesitated, then stared at Su Yu as he asked,
Are you sure it won’t pose a threat to the Tree God?
Su Yu pointed at himself.
I’m merely a fifth-grade fairy. I couldn’t even harm you, let alone the Tree God!
Okay. Well, I’ll break the rules for once and bring you to meet the Tree God. Remember not to touch the seal, as making contact with the seal will not only kill you, it’ll also implicate the Tree God!
Yinmu’s heart was full of concern for the Tree God.
I understand.
Su Yu nodded.
A while later, somewhere below the ground at an unknown depth, Su Yu felt as though he had almost penetrated the Jiuzhou Continent. Numerous boundless, robust wooden walls stretched out in all directions from the underground depths, forming a labyrinth-like web that was extremely intricate.
To hide its traces and avoid being hunted down by enemies, the Tree God sank itself into the depths of the continent. The wooden walls you see now are actually ends of the roots that are extended from the Tree God. They belong to the thinnest part of it,
Yinmu said.
Su Yu was shocked.
How many roots does the Tree God have?
Countless roots! They cover the entire underground of the Jiuzhou Continent! They’re everywhere,
Yinmu said.
The Tree God’s build was overwhelmingly enormous. The vast Jiuzhou Continent was merely a patch of soil in its eyes.
A while later, layers of the terrestrial heat were turbulent, and its temperature was incredibly high. Su Yu had put on the fire essence, so he had resistance against such a high temperature.
Yinmu scowled slightly, a silver halo appearing on its surface. It was a mighty force that could only be condensed by those of the All Creations level.
Irritating flames…
Yinmu muttered calmly. Since fire counteracted wood, the tree men naturally hated flames.
Another full hour passed before Su Yu and the others finally arrived at the underground depths, which was a world of flames. At first glance, it was nothing but a boundless sea of flames.
The flames contained within it were exceptionally terrifying, and their power was no weaker than the Heavenly Disaster’s! Even if the All Creation Old Monster fell into it, he would have no chance of survival at all!
This is the deepest part of the continent, the Glaze Ocean of Fire, which is also the energy source of the continent,
Yinmu said.
This land contained an enormous terrestrial fire that maintained the entire continent’s climate, enabling all kinds of living creatures to produce offspring. If the Glaze Ocean of Fire was extinguished, the entire continent would cool down rapidly, thus becoming an absolutely frozen region and sinking into a dead silence.
The Tree God is right there.
Yinmu pointed to the depths of the ocean of fire, where a 30-foot-tall golden tree with thick and thin arms was immersed in the Glaze Ocean of Fire. Amid the terrifying Glaze Ocean of Fire, the golden tree stood motionless, completely unaffected by the high temperature.
Is that really the Tree God?
It was totally different from the towering gigantic tree in Su Yu’s imagination.
Yinmu replied,
Once the Tree God attained the godly position, a godly state formed in its body. Its real body is kept within this godly state. Speaking of size, perhaps not even the Jiuzhou Continent could contain the Tree God’s original form.
Su Yu was stunned to hear this… The godly position? What kind of state is that?
Alright, stay here and don’t go near. Work on deciphering all of those uncertain ancient Mu words.
As Yinmu waved his large sleeves, a light breeze blew past and several golden chains instantly appeared on the surface of the golden tree, winding around it.
The iron chains had all been condensed from the golden Mu words, and there were about 10,000 of them in total. Each one of them was an extremely uncommon ancient Mu word, as even back then, not many Mu people could master them.
Su Yu figured that the chains must be the seals that Yinmu had mentioned.
Can I go nearer? I can’t see clearly.
Su Yu strained his eyes to see.
Yinmu stared at the Glaze Ocean of Fire below with disgust, then exhaled a mouthful of clear air that surrounded Su Yu, making his surroundings cool and refreshing. He then said,
The nearer you get to the Glaze Ocean of Fire, the higher the temperature gets. This breath of air can only last for ten breaths, so you must get back up before that.
Su Yu nodded.
Remember, don’t touch the seals. Otherwise, not even I can save you!
Yinmu warned him again.
I understand,
Su Yu said as he scurried to the side of the golden tree. The Glaze Ocean of Fire beneath his feet gave him an extreme sense of danger. If it was not for Yinmu’s mighty force protecting him, he would have been burned from the inside out!
Keeping in mind that he only had ten breaths’ time, Su Yu’s eyes turned very quickly, scanning the Mu words that were contained in the chains. After five breaths had passed, Su Yu nodded and said,
I’ve seen clearly.
Yinmu was delighted.
Come up fast and translate the last few words for me.
Sorry, I’m not planning to come up,
Su Yu said.
Yinmu’s face turned stern.
Do you want to harm the Tree God?
Su Yu looked at Yinmu, shook his head, and said,
No, the one who wants to harm the Tree God is not me, it’s you, Lord Yinmu.
While he was talking, Su Yu pressed his palm on the seal chains.
No! Stop it! You’ll be reduced to ashes by the seals!
Yinmu roared frantically, while teleporting to the other side in an instant. But, after crossing half the distance, he showed up within the space abruptly because at a close distance from the Glaze Ocean of Fire, the spaces were in a state of chaos and teleportation did not work.
As a result, Su Yu’s hand was slammed against the chain. He wasn’t killed by the seal, but instead, a gentle golden light enveloped him, pulling him to the side of the golden tree, where he was caught up amid the chains.
Yinmu stopped in midair, his eyes emitting an air of cruelty as he said,
You seem to know something…
From within the seals, Su Yu nodded slightly and said,
Yes, I know two things. First, the golden seals weren’t left behind by the enemies who plotted against the Tree God, they were released by the Tree God to protect itself. Once the protective seals are broken, its godly state will be opened, and its original form will be discovered. In its state of dormancy, its body will surely be destroyed and disappear from the world! The seals must be protecting it against you, Lord Yinmu!
Yinmu’s face was cold as he asked,
When did you start suspecting me? And… How do you know all of these things?
Su Yu said,
When I was paying my respects to Yaomu Daoren, I asked you if he had experienced any pain or misery when he died. You said that he died naturally! But, I saw his broken skeleton from his grave! He was ruthlessly murdered by someone! You were lying, and after I realized this, it raised my suspicion of you.
He then added,
As for how I know, Yaomu Daoren left a coded message before his death, revealing your conspiracy to me. When he was killed at that time, it was because he had found out about your disloyal intentions, am I right?
Yinmu said in a low voice,
It’s impossible! I’ve destroyed all of his relics! He could not have delivered any message!
You’re wrong. He had a book that he purposely left in the outside world when he left the Desolate Evil Jungle in the earlier years. The code was in the book,
Su Yu said.
Yinmu laughed. His laughter was wild and furious.
Hahaha, Yaomu, you still bring me trouble, even after death!
Right, the golden chains are not seals that harm the Tree God, but are here to defend it against me! After so many years, the Tree God’s injuries keep deteriorating, and one day, it’ll perish. We, the ancient bronze tree men will perish alongside it, too!
Yinmu shouted.
He then shook his head and yelled,
I can’t accept it! Thus, I might as well enter its godly state, obtain its godly spirit, and become the new Tree God, than let all of my people die alongside the Tree God! In that way, not only me, but everyone can be saved! It’s a win-win situation! Why shall we perish together?
The look on his face implied a balanced mixture of madness and somberness as he said,
Human, whoever becomes the Tree God does not concern you. Help me remove the Tree God’s protection, and I’ll give you endless benefits. Why go against me for a dying god?
Su Yu replied coldly,
Here’s the second thing that I know! I know that you’ll not keep your word and let me live.
Is there a need for me to kill you?
Yinmu asked with contempt.
Su Yu said,
No, you do not need to, but you need to kill all of the living creatures! The birth of the new generation’s Tree God requires endless energies, and the only ones that could supply these energies before your eyes are those in the Jiuzhou Continent! If you become a god, the first thing you’ll do is absorb all of the energies of Jiuzhou, then turn it into a dead region with eternal silence! All of the living creatures will perish.
He then asked,
Hence, if all living creatures die, how could I be exempt?
Yinmu asked coldly,
Did Yaomu tell you all of this?
Yes!
Su Yu said, while he was thinking… That was why he resisted even at the cost of his own life… And was then ruthlessly murdered by you!
Yinmu’s eyes were clouded with hatred and rage.
Death is too good for him! Back then, he found out about my intentions by accident. I wanted to give him an opportunity to get wealthy, but he couldn’t tell what was good from what was bad, so he insisted on telling the Tree God!
He then said,
Human, I’m giving you one last chance. Help me become a god or perish with the Tree God! I couldn’t survive long in the Glaze Ocean of Fire, so you surely won’t!
Su Yu replied calmly,
Just like what you said, since you can’t stay too long, why should I be scared of you?
Then, with a move of his heart, the Fire Essence Jade in Su Yu’s body radiated an enormous fire essence force, resisting the oncoming high temperature from the outside Glaze Ocean of Fire. Whoever became the Tree God really did not concern Su Yu, but if Yinmu was to become the new Tree God, he would die, which meant that all living creatures of Jiuzhou would also die!
Ignorant thing! Do you think that I can’t hurt you just because you’re hiding under the seals? Human, Yaomu surely didn’t tell you that back then, he was captured by me because he ran into the seals!
The corner of Yinmu’s mouth turned into a sarcastic curve as he spoke.
