Embers of Sword

Chapter 582 The Iron Tree Blooms

A towering tree stands majestically between heaven and earth.

The giant tree has withered away, leaving only a thick trunk.

This is the Moon Concealment Realm.

Since the death of Emperor Chu, this grotto has been completely sealed off by the Great Chu royal family. No one is allowed to enter without the permission of the Holy Empress.

We have two distinguished guests here today.

Yan Xin and Qin Zu left the Carp Pavilion and, through the Renshou Palace teleportation array, arrived at this top-secret cave.

The giant tree is like a sword reaching to the heavens.

Reaching the zenith.

Perhaps because of the withered branches and leaves, the whole tree exudes a sharp and fierce killing intent.

The Holy Empress stood before this colossal sword that reached to the heavens, her hands behind her back, her imperial robes trailing behind her, her entire body enveloped in holy light.

She stood there casually, like the only light in the world.

It's the sun.

It is the ruler.

"...Greetings, Your Majesty."

Yan Xin spoke in a low voice, his expression somewhat complicated.

He had not seen the Empress Dowager for a long time. After Emperor Chu's death, many decisions made by Renshou Palace were actually opposed by Yan Xin. The Empress Dowager could have allowed Yan Xin to retire and return to his hometown, resigning from his position as Imperial Preceptor, just like she had done with the generals of the Northern Frontier, but she did not do so.

This de facto ruler of Da Chu gave Li Ge a great deal of respect and freedom.

Some things are one thing to complain about in private, but quite another to bring them up in public.

Yan Xin felt compelled to respond to this special respect.

He bowed and greeted them in a sincere voice.

"You are Welcome."

The Empress simply responded with a faint sound, without turning her head.

She still stood before that towering tree, as quiet as a frozen statue; no one could see her face, and no one could guess her thoughts.

"You two..."

The Empress said emotionlessly, "I am very pleased that you have graced me with your presence today."

There was no further conversation.

She looked up at the giant tree that reached straight into the sky, yet withered halfway through.

today……

That's the significance of this meeting.

"Ten years have passed, and the Immortal Tree has become like this..."

Yan Xin sighed with emotion: "I remember that back then, this immortal tree still had some branches and leaves left. Ten years have passed, and now only a withered trunk remains."

That's certainly ironic.

Who would have thought that the Immortal Tree would be the first to die in the Moon Hidden Realm, which has borne the ambitions of the Great Chu for a thousand years?
The sudden death of Emperor Chu back then was truly unexpected.

Emperor Chu died and his lineage collapsed, and the Great Chu Kingdom nearly crumbled.

Let alone collecting all four dragon veins to activate the Immortal Tree.

It's a miracle that the Moon Concealment Realm has been preserved to this day.

Yan Xin smiled and said, "Brother Qin, you told me earlier... that this immortal tree has blossomed? Where are the flowers? I haven't seen them."

This statement appears to be a conversation with Qin Zu.

Actually.

Yan Xin was speaking to the Empress.

From beginning to end, he did not believe that without the nourishment of the dragon vein's fortune, this immortal tree could revive from its dead state.

The reason for leaving Lige.

The purpose was to see what the Empress was trying to tell them.

"..."

Qin Zu frowned slightly as he stared at a side branch of the Immortal Tree.

He had previously witnessed the giant tree sprouting branches and blossoming buds.

Never thought about it.

In just a short time, the branches that had blossomed and borne fruit withered and died.

Flowers are everywhere.

The Empress Dowager stood with her hands behind her back and said this.

She asked gently, "Where would Mr. Yan like to see flowers?"

"Anywhere."

Yan Xin shook his head and said with a smile, "This immortal tree is the most difficult 'divine object' to cultivate in the world. It only absorbs the energy of a dragon vein. How can it possibly flower and bear fruit without such energy?"

next moment.

Yan Xin's smile froze. The Empress slowly raised her sleeve and gently stroked a withered branch of the Immortal Tree from a distance.

"Swish."

The sound of the wind echoed in the Moonlit Realm.

The main body of the immortal tree began to sway, and the withered branch that was being touched trembled and began to grow, eventually sprouting a bright red flower bud within a few breaths.

Then came the second one.

The third one.

Without the dragon vein's fortune, this Moon Hidden Cave is completely sealed off, locked up, and cut off from the outside world.

Back then, Yan Xin assisted Emperor Chu and spent many years researching how to make the seeds of the immortal tree grow, develop, and reach the sky.

He is very clear.

What an incredibly difficult thing it is to keep this immortal tree alive.

If successful, the fate of the Great Chu Kingdom will reach an unprecedented peak under the nourishment of the Immortal Tree.

Depleted vitality?

This kind of trouble will no longer exist!
However, the causes and effects in this world are all predetermined. To reap such abundant "effects," one must invest a massive amount of "causes."

Think before and after.

Yan Xin finally came up with a plan to use the "dragon vein's fortune" as nourishment.

As it turned out, this was indeed the only solution.

The seed that successfully sprouted in the Moon Concealment Realm back then grew to its current height precisely because it absorbed a large amount of luck.

The scene at this moment was completely beyond Yan Xin's comprehension.

The cycad is blooming.

It can be described as a miracle.

He stared blankly at the scene, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

"This……"

Yan Xin stared intently at the scene, muttering in disbelief, "How is this possible?"

"When I first saw this scene, I was also amazed."

Qin Zu crossed his arms and sighed softly, "This is truly an incredible miracle. I want to know, how exactly was it done?"

these years.

He tenaciously guarded the martial arts dragon vein in the northern suburbs of Da Chu.

Back then, Emperor Chu wanted to extract martial arts luck to revive the Immortal Tree, but Qin Zu refused.

He didn't want to stop the Immortal Tree from reviving.

only……

He could not accept the outcome of Da Chu losing his martial arts destiny.

Now he sees hope.

If the immortal tree could be revived without sacrificing the dragon vein's fortune, then... he was willing to pay any price!
"It's very simple."

The Empress retracted the sleeve she had raised.

She slowly turned around.

At this moment, the world paled in comparison, and countless rays of light converged and fell upon her alone.

"All things in heaven and earth follow the principles of the Tao."

There are gains and losses, causes and effects.

"To make the Immortal Tree bloom, we either need to use the dragon vein's fortune to nourish it, or... find a substitute."

alternatives?
Yan Xin paused for a moment.

He noticed that the sleeve of the Empress's robe, which she had raised, seemed to be stained red.

tick.

tick.

The crisp sound of raindrops hitting the ground rang out, but it wasn't rainwater; it was blood.

As the Holy Empress displayed her snow-white, jade-like hand and lifted her sleeve to stroke the Immortal Tree, she used her Yuan Power to separate her skin and, through the power of the Great Dao, sent her blood to the trunk of the Immortal Tree.

"The alternative you're talking about wouldn't be..."

Yan Xin's expression turned somewhat grim.

"Yes."

The Empress made no attempt to hide anything: "This 'immortal tree' not only devours the dragon vein's fortune, but it also devours people."

There was a slight pause.

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on Yan Xin.

She said casually, "Of course, the higher the realm, the better."

(End of this chapter)