Destiny is ashes

Chapter 196: The Immortal Tree of the Dark Sky

From the Xishan Realm to the southeast, passing through the entire Yandao Realm, you will reach the Dachen Imperial Dynasty and even the center of the Beixuan Sacrifice Continent [Beixuan Divine Capital].

The entire continent is named after a large region, this large region is named after a city, and this city is named after one person and one blood.

This city is both on earth and in the clouds, and even under the netherworld.

The first holy ancestor of Dachen, Emperor Xuanming Zhenwu [Xuantianji] spent the four periods and five disasters of creation, maintenance and destruction here①, established ethics and ruled the world, and made heavenly laws and governed the world. The imprint of his divine will made Shenjing span the three realms and created the largest and most incredible [Dongtian Blessed Land] in Beixuanjizhou.

In the underworld, on the outskirts of the city, beside the Youli Sea.

The dark hot rain slammed against the black armor cloak, and the turbid rain threads penetrated the light of the lantern, causing the faint blue light to flicker.

The eternal rain in the netherworld gathered into a sea, hence the name Youming.

Unlike the rain in the human world, this rain is a rain of tears that carries with it burning obsession, full of pain, sadness and mourning. It is the endless regret of countless living beings for billions of years.

A 'black armor secret guard' stood on an uninhabited hill in the netherworld, gazing thoughtfully at the silk scroll in his hand.

A stripe drawn by dark golden blood line left Shenjing straightly, zigzagging through Hongjiang area and came to the vast sea.

Here, it paused for a while, then went downstream all the way to the West Mountain.

This dark golden blood line finally stopped heavily at a point. The aura released by the blood made all the monsters and ghosts lurking in the underworld retreat hundreds of miles away. Under the illumination of the dark blue lantern, it looked extremely majestic and sacred.

The 'Xuanjia Secret Guard' stared at the small dot, his gaze seemed to have passed through the scroll and the endless void, and saw the northern border of Dachen, and the five sacred mountains standing in the extreme north wilderness, facing the Shenjing in the distance.

The Five Chenli Sects... Is this the place where she found a way out? As expected of them being of the same blood, whether it was through careful consideration or instinctive choice, she found the right answer.

But precisely because it is correct, it can be inferred and predicted.

The 'Black Armor Secret Guard' put down the silk in his hand and whispered to the void: "You made such a big fuss in Kanming City, but you haven't succeeded yet, and your stronghold has been breached?"

"In that case, our deal is void. Kanming City still has some value, and we can't just give it to you so easily."

[It's up to you. This is indeed our mistake, but we will not refund the money we have already received.]

The wind condensed into a living black mist, and a voice came from it: [Are there any other deals? The price here is the same as last time]

"Don't be too greedy." The 'Black Armor Secret Guard' raised his head and said coldly: "The price last time might not be available once in a thousand years. If it weren't for..."

He said no more, but snorted coldly: "Three days."

He took out a black magic tiger talisman from his bosom and ordered: "Although you have failed, you still have some strength...Mobilize your last manpower, whether it is blood sacrifice or any other method, to pollute the ground veins of Kanming City and seal all the ground vein magical powers!"

"And let the little girl who ran away know that hiding is useless. Even if we burn the entire Kanming City's leylines, we can still find her!"

The tiger talisman glowed slightly, and waves of solitude spread out, causing the sounds of wind and rain to disappear, transforming into pure silence.

【Honorable Order】

Seeing the tiger talisman, the dark mist trembled slightly, as if it was extremely respectful - but this respect was only directed at the tiger talisman, not the 'Mysterious Armor Secret Guard'.

After receiving the order, the mist swirled and turned into a whirlpool, dissipating in the rain of the netherworld. His voice gradually became distant: [This is the end of the last transaction. Next time you call me, it will still be the same. Quote your price...]

The 'Black Armor Secret Guard' silently stared at the direction where the black fog disappeared. The golden eyes hidden behind the helmet seemed to be narrowed, and he was thinking about something.

Then, he turned around and looked at Shenjing's reflection in the netherworld.

Different from the present world, the spiritual veins and earth energy like the Yangtze River, the almost endless dragon energy of humanity and the evil energy of Zhenwu, have built a magnificent, majestic and grand city in this dark and gloomy Youli Minghai where the rain is endless!
However, in the center of this big city, it is not the center of the present-day divine capital, the [Xuantian Palace] that reaches the dome, but a gigantic tree that supports the earth and the sky!
The bark of the giant tree is mottled gray and brown, and the rough bark is full of gullies, as if it was cut by a knife or an axe, while the dragon roots that spread in all directions cover the eight poles.

The endless golden-red dragon-patterned leaves and purple-blue flowers and fruits are like the flames of a furnace burning to the extreme. Its rainbow-colored flames illuminate the underworld and protect the projection of the divine capital here.

[The candle illuminates the immortal tree in the dark sky]

The sky was dark and mysterious, and the sacred tree was dimly lit, standing in the center of heaven and earth.

In the netherworld, there is the Candlelight Immortal Tree guarding the destiny. In the present world, there are the Xuantian officials and generals commanding the eight directions. In the Nine Heavens, there is the Tianhai Nine Veins Divine Array to sort out the Xuanzhen evil spirits. Dachen is at its peak, the government hall is full of people, the saints rule the country, even if there are occasional small disasters such as the vast sea demon disaster and the northern wilderness frost disaster, it does not hinder the singing and dancing in the capital.

Only in this way can it be called the [Tianzong Imperial Dynasty]!
Standing on the edge of the capital, the 'Black Armor Secret Guard' suddenly laughed: "So, no matter who it is, they all want to be the master of all this..."

"Fourth brother, you and your daughter...can you be an exception?"

On the frontier of Xishan, Kanming City.

You Ruhui had a dream.

She dreamed of a decision, an imperial decree, a conflict, a battle and a massacre.

She... fled from that battlefield.

Alone, carrying all the hope.

She wanted to escape, carrying with her a secret that she herself did not know what it was, carrying her parents' earnest, last hope, carrying...

An unknown truth.

She had to live.

Like a stamp on one's mind, the blessing left by the mother is not actually a blessing, but a mark that is almost a curse: escape and survive.

It doesn't matter if I don't take revenge, as long as you (my child) can survive.

but……

You Ruhui wanted to resist.

Survive?
So what if we survive?

No one will praise her or hug her anymore.

Success, hiding one's identity, searching alone for an unknown city or mountain village, and then living like this, leaving everything to the judgment called death to take away...

Is this really... what she wants to do?
No.

She wants... wants...

"revenge……"

Muttering to herself, You Ruhui woke up from her dream. She felt a sharp, tearing pain in her head - she could not think about revenge, she could only escape.

Just survive.

“It hurts so much, it hurts so much…” The girl moaned softly, not daring to cry out even though the pain penetrated her bones.

But soon, a flow of 'Qi' came and soothed the pain.

Feeling much better, You Ruhui realized that he was in a warm embrace.

A hazy halo appeared behind Aunt Huai's head.

A warm air transferred from the old lady's body into hers, making the girl feel warm all over. The backlash injuries caused by forcefully rebuking the earth veins had all healed, and the severe pain caused by trying to break through the soul imprint had also dissipated, as if it had never existed.

"Wait, Auntie!"

But You Ruhui was not happy at all. Instead, he stood up in panic, struggled out of Aunt Huai's arms, and stood up: "What are you doing?! Resurrecting the soul to borrow energy..."

"Why did you transfer your stored 'Qi' to me?!"

(End of this chapter)