Xingtie: Starting with an in-depth analysis of the Yellow Springs

Holding the Golden Branch Oath, Xing followed Calypso into the secret passage to test its authenticity.

Returning to the altar she had entered from, she stopped. "We've arrived. Please pluck a petal for me and place it in the pool."

Xing followed the steps to pluck the petals and placed them in the water in front of her.

"Next, little goddess, please perform that again."

"Huh?" Xia Die asked in confusion.

“That one—the oath of the priests of Meneta.”

"Okay, I understand..." Xia Die clasped her hands together in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

“Meneta! By sealing our oath with threads of silk, I beseech you—may your golden threads and love entwine me!”

The withered yellow heart radiated a halo from the inside out, its heartbeat quickened, and butterflies fluttered around it, while the blue fairy tree turned crimson.

Xing looked up. "What's the principle behind this?"

“It’s nothing more than… ha, an old pact between the Titans and the Sons of Man.” Calypso stretched out his hand. “Well? This is indeed the true Golden Bough Oath—and neither of you were betrayed by me, were you?”

Xia Die: "That's... absolutely true."

The facts are undeniable and cannot be refuted.

Calypso laughed, "Heh heh, but you look like a puppy that's been whipped. Even if this is indeed my trick of playing hard to get, you all have no choice but to submit now, don't you?"

In my opinion, it would be better to calm down, work together, overcome the difficulties first, and then discuss who is right and who is wrong.

Now that the heart has been activated and the path to the Enlightenment Throne has been opened, Butterfly is still uneasy and presses Calypso for his purpose.

Calypso looked at the stubborn little butterfly and teased, "This pitiful little face is truly unbearable to look at. I'm willing to make an exception this time and treat you with complete honesty."

"One question per person... oh, the little rabbit doesn't count. Go ahead and ask."

Mimi pouted, "Why are you treating them differently? Are you afraid they're too smart and will ask questions that will shake the entire Onphalus?"

I like it when she asks questions. Xing pondered what she had said along the way, and then she had an idea!

Why do you say that our interests are at stake?

Hmm… you hit the nail on the head right away. Calypso replied, “Because of this black tide, the Titans have laid a trap here. If you want to escape alive, you must help me reclaim my true form.”

"Little goddess of death, it's your turn."

After a moment of contemplation, Xia Die asked, "I ask you: Was your answer just now entirely true, without any concealment?"

"Hehe... Alright. My answer just now was entirely true, I did not lie, neither in the past nor in the future."

"Excuse my bluntness, but editing the facts can also be considered a lie," Xia Die said meticulously.

"Is that so? Even so, I will not change my answer."

Xia Die smiled slightly, "...Then please lead the way. Facts speak louder than words—once the throne of enlightenment is established, the truth will naturally be revealed."

“Very well,” Calypso exclaimed. “I thought you were a bud planted on earth by the dark hand… but now you seem more like a bloated poisonous mushroom.”

"Let's just take this as a compliment."

"Indeed, I was praising your adorable clumsiness. Alright, let's go ride the waterwheel? I'll be waiting for you all up there."

Using the waterwheel, the two quickly made their way to the Enlightenment Throne along the tree-lined path.

“Speaking of which, you two have a red-haired companion, don’t you?” Calypso floated beside the two.

Mimi stood beside her, "Seriously... just how much do you know about us?"

"Hehe, not much. I just seemed to hear the buzzing of bees' wings."

Soon after, Xing pushed open the door of the Hall of Friendship and finally left!

Mimi flew around happily for a few minutes, "Phew, finally I can breathe some fresh air!"

They continued walking along the tree branches. A splash of red caught their eye on a platform not far away.

Chapter 318 The Burnt Black Cloth

Tibo turned her head and exclaimed, "Wow, Little Grey, Little Butterfly, and a pink puppy!"

"I... well, never mind, a puppy is a puppy, I'll be tolerant—tolerant!" Since Tian had amnesia, Mimi didn't argue with her.

Xia Die asked with concern, "Lord Tian! Are you alright? Are you injured?"

She shook her head. "No, Tian flew very high; the monster couldn't reach her at all."

"Air superiority is secured!" Xing pointed to the sky with his left hand, striking a pose.

Tian smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Air superiority is secured! ...How cool, but what does this mean?"

"But, getting back to the point! The spindle Aya gave me is amazing. It seems like Tian has found Little Naksha. He's near the canopy! Although the connection is very weak, it's different from the fairy trees we just saw."

"However, since Tian was alone, she was afraid of the danger and did not fly down to take a look."

[Xia Die: Lord Tian is amazing! She found Teacher Xia all by herself.]

[Tian: Hehe, right, Little Butterfly?]

[Ling: I have a question. Why doesn't Tian call Xia "Little Xia"? And their generational difference is surprisingly high.]

[Aglaia: Tibo and the others are the oldest Golden Blood, guiding lights for all of us, delivering and interpreting divine pronouncements.]

[Fufu: The Rational Titans seem to have a close relationship with humans. What kind of agreement do you have?]

[Xia Die: Lord Serhis holds goodwill towards the Golden Blood, therefore, before completing the rebirth, it will entrust the flame to us.]

[Cerseis: I wish to uncover the truth of Onphalus, and my cooperation with you is inevitable.]

Xia Die breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease. "It seems that Lord Tian has remembered our agreement well."

“At that moment, Teacher Xia was indeed still alive, and right on the Throne of Enlightenment… At least on this matter, Lord Calypso was not lying.”

"Huh? Kalu pfft... Who is that?" Tian asked curiously.

Xing thought for a moment, "A ghost wandering in the tree garden?"

"Wow, a ghost...Tian really wants to see a ghost that can't even be sensed by golden threads!"

Mimi looked behind her and said, "Xiao Ka, come and meet our other companion!"

"Huh? Where did she go..."

Calypso was talking to Tian just before they boarded the platform, but now he's vanished without a trace.

"Hmm, actually, Tian also found this." She took a piece of black cloth from her pocket. "Could it be related to the person you were talking about?"

Xia Die observed, "Is this... a piece of charred cloth?"

“Yes! Tian found it on a tree branch not long ago. Tian also used the golden thread to search around and found a similar scent throughout the entire tree garden.”

[Bai E: There's no mistake. I'd rather die than admit it. That was the remnant of the Fire Thief's black robe. He led the Black Tide to attack Tree Court, targeting the Spark of Reason!]

[Aglaia: Firebringer... Resident of Ohma, from now on, you are not allowed to leave the Holy City without permission. Supplies will be replenished by the Golden Blood warriors.]

[Clatrus: The Suspended Clan is willing to assist.]

[Wan Di: I must defend the front lines to the death and resist the Black Tide. The Holy City can only be protected by you.]

[Danheng: What are his abilities? Could you please tell me a little about them?]

[Tibo: As far as we know, the Fire Thief possesses... the ability to create clones, travel through time and space, and wields a jet-black greatsword with extremely high swordsmanship.]

[Wan Di: I fought him when I went to the front lines. He seems to be able to pinpoint weaknesses accurately, which is very important.]

[Feng Jin: Teacher Xia said back then that his recovery speed was also very fast, even stronger than Wan Di's immortal body.]

[Star: This is cheating, right? He's practically invincible! Silver Wolf requests backup; disable the Firewalker.]

Wendy: It's strange, the Firebringers' abilities seem more and more similar to yours. I have a bold idea, the spark...

[Bai E: That's right! As long as it's a spark we've returned, it will have a similar ability.]

[Walter: So, returning the flame will make him stronger? No, power comes at a price. What exactly is his price?]

[Little Candle: I've reviewed the Fire-Stealing Walker's statements from previous videos, and unsurprisingly, his price was... sanity. I don't believe someone with such power would be a stutterer.]

【Lord Caesar is wise and mighty!】

Mimi guessed, "Maybe... something left behind by that Nashi Xia using alchemy, to teach us how to do things?"

“Tian doesn’t think so. Because when Tian found it, she didn’t see anything… and judging from the golden thread, the aura seemed to be moving around!”

Xia Die had a bad feeling. "Lord Tian, ​​where is this aura located now?"

“Hmm…” Tian felt the golden thread tremble and looked up. “It seems to be… a little higher up, not far in front of us.”

“Dedicate yourself to the cause…” Xia Die murmured, “Calypso…what are you hiding?”

Climbing branches and traversing dense paths.

The closer to the target, the more violently the gold line shakes.

Upon entering the tree hollow, the withered branches emitted an orange-yellow halo, but the divine butterfly that should have been there was nowhere to be found.

Tian: "What exactly is this Gentleman's Butterfly? Is it a powerful gatekeeper monster?"

“No.” Xia Die shook her head. “How should I put it… consider it an insurance policy for the Titan Fire. This butterfly was formed from the remnants of Meneta’s divine consciousness and is responsible for guarding the Fire.”

"It is said that only by proving to him that one has pure and selfless love in one's heart can one pass the butterfly's test, awaken the tree to clear the way, and meet Ceres."

[Xingqiu: How could the Fire-Stealing Wanderer have gotten in? Surely he couldn't also possess pure, selfless love. Wait, he can travel through time and space; I'd forgotten about that for a moment.]

[Ying: Pure and selfless love, I think Frynn can definitely do that.]

[Fou: No, not at all. I'm just an ordinary Fontainebleau resident now. I'll treat you to pasta sometime.]

Tian asked, troubled, "Then...how do we prove it?"

"Can I just say 'I love you' to Titan? Mimi is really good at that!" Mimi said with her hands on her hips, looking smug.

Xia Die was also unaware of this. "I'm sorry. After all, this is a secret known to only a very few people in the entire Tree Garden, and even in Onpharos."

"Compared to this... Lord Tian, ​​did the golden thread react to its surroundings at all?"

Tibo shook her head. "No. That thing, I don't know what it is, seems to be further ahead, higher up."

"Oh... but it's a dead end ahead?" Mimi's ears drooped, looking listless.

“Perhaps we can try again… to see if the vanished butterflies will react to the Golden Branch Oath again?” With that, Xia Die took out the golden water lily.

"If it is truly a mythical token, it should be effective."

Xing plucked a petal and presented it with both hands.

The butterfly didn't move.

No reaction? Xing Ling had a sudden inspiration, put the petal in her mouth, and chewed it with an extremely provocative expression.

Based on an understanding of the general level of human society, competitiveness is the nature of life... Butterflies must be no exception, and the plunder of common prey must awaken this primal instinct deep within their genes.

Xia Die was deeply shocked and speechless.

Chapter 319 My Beloved

[Bai E: Although I don't understand, I'm deeply shocked. My friend, I, Bai E, am convinced.]

[Star: This is nothing. I'd even eat the red soil of the Earth Beast without hesitation. A tiny flower petal is tastier than soil.]

[Feng Jin: But... the Golden Bough Oath is a creation of the Titans, practically a divine object. That would be a grave disrespect.]

[Cersei: ...What a clever little devil! Aren't you afraid the Golden Bough Oath is poisonous and will kill you? I admire few people, but you are one of them.]

[Himeko: Hoshi, promise me you'll never put anything unknown in your mouth again. Danheng and Welt, keep an eye on you!]

[Fou: Compared to Paimon, she seems to be called... God's Mouth by Luminous.]

[Paimon: Traveler! So that's what you said about me behind my back. Humph, I don't want to talk to you anymore. I'm running away from home right now to find Navia.]

[Ying: You're looking for Navia? Okay. I'm at her house now, and there are still some macarons left. They'll be gone if I wait any longer.]

Xing smiled wickedly, waiting for the path to open... Unfortunately, it declined the duel invitation.

Still no luck. Xia Die stepped forward, closed her eyes, and prayed.

The butterfly remained motionless.