Chapter 146: Demon Cult Shadows
I had never heard of a tree’s roots creating a place like this.
However, it was clearly a reality existing before my eyes.
At that extraordinary appearance, I recalled once again where its origin lay.
“A heavenly peach tree that bears flat peaches… Indeed.”
“…!”
The eyes of Yi Hwa, who was catching her breath beside me, grew as wide as could be.
The divine peaches borne by the peach trees of the Flat Peach Garden were treasures of the Celestial Realm, and one of the reasons why the Queen Mother of the West was respected by all the immortals.
With such a treasure right before her eyes, it would be strange not to be surprised.
‘Would conversation be possible?’
Reacting to the divine power, it had pulled me in.
It was highly likely to be a spiritual creature capable of thought, or an existence close to a divine spirit, like the Gold-furred Ape I had seen on Mount Song.
As I approached while pondering what kind of conversation we should have, I was spellbound by the sight that unfolded before my eyes.
“To think it can shine without fire…”
“It’s amazing…”
The main character of this scene was the mysterious peach tree in the center of the clearing, whose leaves were emitting light.
Peach blossoms in full bloom, casting a faint light of their own in the darkness.
The peach tree, blooming with brilliant flowers in this place where not a single ray of sunlight entered, generated an unrealistic atmosphere in itself.
The peach tree, which boasted an even more dreamlike appearance as it produced a faint glow like moonlight, rustled its body.
[Kakak! It has been a long time.]
The voice of the good-for-nothing Buddha, who had been quiet for a few days, was heard again.
‘Whew! That completely ruins the mood…’
The emotion that had been overflowing in my chest just a moment ago vanished without a trace the instant this gentleman’s voice was heard.
[Go closer and put your hand on it. Kakakaka!]
A sigh escaped me naturally at the words of the good-for-nothing Buddha, who only said what he wanted to say without even knowing how I felt.
Anyway, for now, I tried approaching closely as he instructed.
Then, the branches that had been swaying loosely began to flutter.
‘Does it really have a spiritual nature?’
Thinking so, I also felt a bit sorry for it.
If what the good-for-nothing Buddha said was true, it meant it had been in this place for a long, long time—more than a thousand years.
For all those long years, it must have spent its time lonely and alone in a place where not even light entered.
With a hand full of compassion, I stroked the peach tree.
Then,
[Please take good care of my child.]
An elegant voice echoed in my head.
The peach tree, whose light had intensified in an instant, deepened its color.
The perfect shade of pink added depth, coloring the scene with a beauty that could not possibly exist on earth.
“This is…”
I had seen something similar before.
The feeling when the Gold-furred Ape ascended to heaven on Mount Song.
It was the moment of knocking on heaven’s door from the earth.
The divine power that the peach tree had been harboring was scattered in all directions.
The scent of peach blossoms filled the air to the point of breathlessness.
The scent itself seeped into my body as if it were some kind of energy.
The divine power of wood.
I felt a new power taking root inside me.
When I obtained the divine power of earth on Mount Song, I had lost consciousness because I was inexperienced, but now, I easily accepted the new energy.
‘It seems the power is somewhat weaker than back then, though…’
Rustle!
Amidst concentrating all my mind on absorbing the pouring power, a sound announcing the end of the change resounded.
“Ah…”
Yi Hwa, who was watching from behind, let out her bated breath.
The moment I felt something surging upward, the peach blossoms that had bloomed in abundance fell fluttering all at once.
Is it said that flowers are at their most beautiful when they fall?
A spectacular sight that one would find hard to see again in a lifetime brushed past me and fell.
The petals emitting their final glow faded away like that, gradually losing their light.
“It’s beautiful… but somehow sad.”
It was a sight that left a deep lingering impression.
And as that spectacle came to an end,
a single fruit fell into my hand.
A heavenly treasure, the likes of which had never existed before and would never exist again, came into my hands.
I had heard that it was incomparable to those of heaven since it grew on earth, but at a single glance, it was clearly an extraordinary fruit.
[Kakak! She was a spunky one.]
“Spunky… So she did indeed possess a spiritual nature?”
[Even the trivial things of the earth develop a spiritual nature as time passes, so how could a divine peach tree, counted among the top even in the Celestial Realm, not have one? The child you saw is one who hung out with me a lot back when this body held an administrative post in the Flat Peach Garden. Kakak! She was a child who should have just grown up delicately in the middle of heaven, but she yearned for the world she would never see in her lifetime. While I was in office in heaven… she listened to the stories of the earth I told her, and her thirst grew even deeper. Kakakaka!]
“So that is why she came to the earth.”
[It wasn’t long, but she once traveled the world with me. Kakak! It was back when I was running wild enough to smash the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier, so I showed her many rough things rather than pretty ones, though. Kakakaka!]
‘…Was that thing something that could be smashed?’
I had heard that Master Heavenly Demon also poured in karma to make a hole in the barrier between heaven and earth, called the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier, in order to deliver an oracle to Yi Hwa, but this was somewhat beyond standard dimensions.
I felt the weight(?) of the alias Great Sage Equal to Heaven once again.
[I placed her in a spot where she could gather enough power to return to heaven, but when I heard she hadn’t returned, I figured there must be a reason… Kakak! It seems she delayed her ascension even after accumulating power because she couldn’t leave her seed behind carelessly. Kakakaka!]
“You mean this.”
The voice I heard when I put my hand on the peach tree. Her request to take good care of her child must have been for that reason.
Thinking about it that way, I suddenly grew worried.
“…Then, is it okay to eat this?”
I came all the way to Suzhou and caused a huge fuss to get this, so if I wasn’t allowed to eat it, I would be very sad.
At my concern, Master Zhang Sanfeng chuckled.
[What harbors the essence is the seed inside the fruit, so you only need to swallow that. Then, it will be able to ascend with you when you go up to heaven. Well, if you take that seed, you will also obtain some additional benefits, so it is a win-win situation.]
“Yes!”
If that was the case, it was more than just a relief; it was the icing on the cake.
‘I can raise it gently and send it back to its mother when I ascend to heaven later.’
I was also curious about the Flat Peach Garden, where such beautiful peach trees would be scattered all over the place.
Intoxicated by the spectacular view I had just seen, I pictured the distant future.
Krak-crack!
“…Hmm?”
Until an ominous sound was suddenly heard above my head.
“Oh, wait. Come to think of it…”
As I quietly thought about it, I remembered where I was right now.
Since the peach tree that must have been maintaining this space had ascended to heaven, the power sustaining this space would have vanished as well.
Roaaaaar!
Sure enough, the roots in the ceiling collapsed, spewing out a torrent of water.
At the fiercely rushing torrent, the lingering trace of faint emotion vanished in an instant.
Furthermore, it was not just water pouring down. The piles of dirt situated above the space poured down along with it.
It was a situation where any ordinary person would be crushed to death instantly.
It was dangerous for Yi Hwa, who was proficient in spells but could hardly be said to have outstanding physical abilities.
“Hold on tight!”
I immediately pulled Yi Hwa into my arms and clenched my fist toward the pouring soil and stream of water.
At the very moment I was about to prepare a single strike of the Ultimate Extreme Strike, which had advanced a step further after clashing with the expert of the black qi!
“Huh?”
An unfamiliar power within me showed a movement responding to that flow.
It helped me, boosting my energy.
The divine power of wood was loading a new form of power into my fist.
Since it was right before the ceiling completely collapsed, there was no room to think deeply, so for now I extended that power.
Craaaash!
“…”
The result was surprising.
A hole was pierced.
It wasn’t that it was smashed; it was completely pierced through.
Though only for an instant, the dark night sky opened up.
[What are you doing not moving quickly?]
While I hesitated for a moment, the path that had been opened by the penetration surged and was about to close again.
At my master’s scolding, I reflexively threw my body toward the opened path.
Splash! Rumble!
As expected, I was a step too late. Before I could completely pull my body above the water’s surface, the waterway that rushed to fill the empty space swept Yi Hwa and me away.
Due to the tremendous torrent, quite a few things that shouldn’t have entered my nose and mouth made their way in.
“Blegh!”
There was also a significant amount of soil, making the inside of my mouth feel gritty.
“Urgh!”
Her situation must have been similar, as Yi Hwa also came up to the water’s edge and spat out water that was no different from muddy water.
I patted Yi Hwa on the back and asked toward the sky,
“What is this?”
[What else could it be? It is the power possessed by the divine power of wood. In the Five Elements, wood signifies the energy that strongly extends upward. It is the power that takes root in the ground and pierces through the solid earth to rise.]
Hearing Master Zhang Sanfeng’s words, I clearly understood the nature of the wood’s divine power.
The power that had pierced through the massive stream of water was no coincidence.
I also felt like I knew the reason why it had responded the moment I tried to extend my power.
This power is a power that extends outward.
‘If it can be added to all techniques that extend energy…’
If it were added to a martial art like the Ultimate Extreme Strike, it was to the extent that I couldn’t even estimate how much the power would increase.
It felt like I had gained a tremendous weapon.
‘…Huh? A weapon… a weapon…’
Although my heart fluttered at having obtained a great power, beyond those thoughts, the final appearance of the peach tree suddenly came to mind.
‘…Is it… just a weapon?’
The moment of falling flowers, which had looked beautiful yet sad.
Thinking of what was gained through that moment only as power made me feel as if the good memories were crumbling.
Suddenly, the teachings my masters had given me before my martial arts training came to mind, and I recited them.
““Power is merely a byproduct obtained in the process of seeking the Tao.””
It might have been an unnecessary thought, but perhaps due to my sentimental mood, it did not fade easily.
‘What if the divine power of wood could be used in another way?’
Suddenly, a certain idea came to mind.
“I don’t know if it will work or not, but…”
My footsteps arrived before the old withered tree that was extending its bare branches long over the water’s edge.
It was the old tree where Sun Wukong, that good-for-nothing Buddha, had drawn memories in the past.
An old tree that must have bloomed brilliantly at one time.
It probably tried its best to sprout leaves and petals this year as well, but only shabbiness remained.
From my hand touching the base of the tree, divine power flowed out.
Then, a change occurred in the old tree.
Rustle!
The old tree, shaking its body vigorously as if turning back time, regained a vitality it hadn’t possessed before.
It sprouted buds and flowers bloomed.
It bloomed spectacularly, as if displaying a vigorous life force.
An unrealistic sight.
A miracle that truly seemed as if it were performed by an immortal appearing in ancient stories.
‘So divine power was a strength that could be used in this way as well.’
The power I possessed was something that could be used in such a manner.
It wasn’t something to be used solely as a destructive force.
[Kakakakaka!]
In my head, the laughter of the ruffian Buddha, Sun Wukong, was heard.
[Good! I approve. Kakak! I have seen something good. Kakakaka!]
A feeling of being lost in reminiscence lingered somehow.
With a satisfied feeling, I spoke to Yi Hwa as if showing off.
“Isn’t it pretty?”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwa, who had been in a daze, approached and offered the flat peach she had been holding.
I accepted that flat peach as carefully as if holding a newborn baby and whispered softly,
“Your mother gave me a good power. So I will fulfill my duty as well.”
I didn’t know if it was an illusion, but I felt as if the flat peach flashed a faint light.