Chapter 29 – Yinglong, God of War

“Ai, sometimes when I think about it, I don’t know if his extraordinary talent was a good thing or a bad thing…..” Administrator Zheng said with a faint sigh.

If Ling Yun’s cultivation path hadn’t been so smooth, he wouldn’t have been so arrogant that it bordered on conceit.

This talent created him, and it also destroyed him.

Administrator Zheng stowed away the jade slip in his hand after Ling Yun spoke his vow-like words, and the image ended.

“A sky above the sky…..” Hao Chen pondered this sentence. Combined with Ling Yun’s expression as he gazed up at the heavens, it wasn’t difficult to guess what he intended to do.

He was a mortal with the vain dream of reaching the heavens.

Ordinary mortals only harbored awe for the heavens, but Ling Yun wanted to build a bridge to them. No, he didn’t just want to build a bridge. He was even crazier – he wanted to be above everyone else, to become someone who truly lived up to the word ‘Lingxiao’ and climbed directly to the heavens.

Seriously….. Hao Chen’s mood was a little difficult to describe. He didn’t know whether to laugh at this person’s self-importance or sigh with feeling over his universally shocking idea.

But in short, Hao Chen had a strong interest in Ling Yun. It was a pity that he’d been sleeping for a hundred years, as he would have liked to meet this arrogant human in person if he got the chance.

Unfortunately, he probably wouldn’t have the chance. Although Administrator Zheng wasn’t done speaking, judging by his secretive attitude, Ling Yun likely hadn’t met a good fate.

“What happened next?” Fang Yang was addicted to the story, and tugged on Administrator Zheng’s sleeve as he anxiously prompted him. He had many questions in his mind, and asked: “What does that sentence mean? ‘The real Lingxiao?’”

Administrator Zheng waved a quelling hand at Fang Yang and explained: “Naturally, the real Lingxiao is…..”

He suddenly stretched out his index finger and pointed upwards.

Fang Yang looked up to see the wooden ceiling of the armory, and he couldn’t help but ask: “What are you pointing at the ceiling for?”

Administrator held his forehead, hating iron for not becoming steel.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but laugh. Feng Ye had been a little indifferent since Administrator Zheng started his story, but even he couldn’t help the way his mouth twitched slightly.

Fang Yang glanced around and realized that he had likely misunderstood. He thought hard before coming to a belated understanding: “You’re talking about the heav…..”

“Shh!” Before Fang Yang could finish speaking, Administrator Zheng forced him to shut his mouth.

Even though he didn’t know the reason, Fang Yang still shut up.

Administrator Zheng continued: “You guessed right. That was the case…..”

He took a deep breath and uttered one sentence: “A bridge to the heavens.”

Fang Yang: “……”

He’d just been shushed, but then the same words came out of this man’s mouth.

Administrator Zheng is so fickle! Fang Yang complained to himself.

Administrator Zheng didn’t have the ability to read minds, so he was naturally unaware that he was being maligned in Fang Yang’s thoughts. He went on regardless: “At first, no one paid him any mind when he suggested this idea.”

“How high is the sky? Do you know?” Administrator Zheng asked.

Fang Yang shook his head honestly. He couldn’t even fly on a sword, so how could he know how high the sky was?

“How many thousands of feet? How many tens of thousands of feet?” Administrator Zheng answered his own question: “No, neither of those are accurate. The sky and the heavens are so high that they are beyond the reach of mortals.”

“It is impossible for mortals to become gods, and the heavens have never been open to the mortal world. The words ‘bridge to the heavens’ were like a ridiculous joke. So even though he was the leader of the greatest sect in the world, nobody paid attention to his arrogant words.”

“Others didn’t care, and he didn’t explain. He just buried his head in his work. Finally, he discovered a seed in a secret realm after fighting for three days and three nights against two Nascent Soul monsters guarding the treasure.”

“It was the seed of Jianmu.” Administrator Zheng whispered the name.

Jianmu?

Hao Chen was astonished to hear this. He hadn’t lived all these years in vain, and had naturally heard the name Jianmu.

It was delusional for mortals to try to reach the heavens, but with the aid of Jianmu…..it may not be quite so delusional.

This sacred tree…..was even capable of connecting the heavens and the earth.

“What kind of wood is Jianmu?” Fang Yang asked ignorantly.

Administrator Zheng gave an explanation that mirrored Hao Chen’s understanding.

“It turns out there’s such a tree, ah,” Fang Yang exclaimed. Then he said: “So you just plant the Jianmu seed and wait for it to grow, and it’ll connect heaven and earth?”

Administrator Zheng shook his head with a smile: “It’s not that easy.”

“He planted the Jianmu seed in soil where the sect’s spiritual power was the strongest, but after a month, the seed was as still as death. Not even a bud had sprouted.”

“He refused to give up, and stayed there for another month, using thousands of spirit stones to set up a power-gathering array to provide spiritual energy for Jianmu. He watched over it day and night, but the result was the same. He dug up the soil to find that the seed was still a seed, no different from when he had buried it.”

“The first time he planted Jianmu ended in failure. But he didn’t give up. He read various books and consulted cultivators who were good at cultivating spiritual plants before finally realizing where he had gone wrong.”

“Jianmu was, after all, just a tree. And what do trees require? Sunlight, rain, and soil to provide nutrients. Setting up a spiritual power-gathering array was the wrong move.”

“But Jianmu was somewhat different from other plants. This was a tree capable of connecting heaven and earth – ordinary sunlight, rain, and soil were far from what Jianmu needed in order to grow.”

“Once he realized this, he went looking for two more things.” Administrator Zheng raised a finger: “One was water. On top of a snowy mountain in the north that never thaws all year round, he found the Xuanming water that only condenses once every hundred years.”

“Xuanming water is a kind of extremely cold water that is condensed from the cold air that has lingered for thousands of years on the snowy mountains of the northern border. If an ordinary person happens to touch this water, even just a drop, they will be chilled to the bone and frozen into an ice sculpture on the spot.”

“But Jianmu was different. Wood belongs to yin, and Xuanming water was a great tonic for Jianmu. Even though there was only one drop, it was enough. The rain and dew to nourish Jianmu had been settled, so the second thing was…..”

Administrator Zheng extended a second finger: “Soil. Jianmu needed an enormous amount of nutrients in order to grow. Ordinary soil was insufficient for it to grow, so he found Living Soil.”

“Living soil – the land itself is infinite, a stopper of floods.” Administrator Zheng suddenly spoke with a literary cadence.

Without waiting for Fang Yang to ask, he conscientiously translated: “It means that this type of soil is ever-growing. This soil expands on its own, so it is useful to protect against flooding.”

“But that isn’t its only use. The nutrients required for Jianmu’s growth are difficult to estimate, but if it was cultivated using Living Soil, there would be no need to worry about nutrients. Because Living Soil’s energy is boundless, it could provide nutrients for Jianmu endlessly.”

“It was just so. Two problems had been solved, so there was only one left – sunlight. The water and soil were not ordinary, so the sunlight naturally couldn’t be ordinary either. But sunlight wasn’t like the other things, which could be bottled and brought back home.”

“So after he found the Xuanming water and Living Soil, he took the Jianmu seed to the eastern sea.”

“This was in the direction the sun rises, and the eastern sea was the closest to the sun.”

“The rising sun is the purest and most energy-intensive sunlight of the day. He flew over the water on his sword for three days, spreading Living Soil over the water’s surface deep in the eastern sea.”

“Living Soil grows when it meets water. He only spread a handful of it, but within an hour of it falling into the water, it became an island that could accommodate dozens of standing people.”

“He stood on the island and poured the Xuanming water onto the soil, then finally dug up the soil with his own hands and buried the seed.”

“When he finished everything, it was the middle of the night. He sat cross-legged on the island, which seemed a bit isolated and lonely in the center of the sea, looking eastward to watch the sunrise.”

“He waited and waited. Time had never seemed to drag on so long. At last…..a streak of light appeared in the sky, breaking through the long and lonely night. The light spread across his face, from a streak, to a ray, and then to a beam…..”

“Finally, light dispersed the darkness and illuminated the world.”

“The sun rose.”

“The enormous red sun ascended slowly from the horizon of the eastern sea. How magnificent it was.”

“This time, he didn’t fail. When the sun had completely risen, the soil vibrated slightly and something broke out of the soil’s shackles.”

“Jianmu…..sprouted.”

Administrator Zheng narrated the story with great emotion. Although he had not witnessed the scene in person, relying solely on his imagination and literary skills, he managed to tell the story in a way that made people feel that he had actually been there.

Fang Yang listened in extreme fascination. When he heard that the seed had sprouted, he cheered excitedly: “It sprouted! He succeeded!”

Administrator Zheng shook his head again: “He thought so as well. The seed had sprouted, but how long does a sprout take to turn into a tree?”

“A long time. A very, very long time.” Administrator Zheng once again answered his own question: “Do you know how long it took Jianmu to grow? Plants and trees in the mortal world go through one spring and one autumn per year, but for Jianmu, it took eight thousand years to equal one spring and autumn.”

“Eight thousand years…..” Fang Yang muttered in a low voice. He then began to count out eight thousand years on his fingers.

Before he could calculate a result, Administrator Zheng stopped him and said: “No need to count, I can tell you. You would have never had a chance to see Jianmu grow up. No matter how high your cultivation, you don’t have the ability to live for eight thousand years. Unless you can become an immortal god, which is impossible, so…..mortals would never have been able to watch Jianmu grow from a seed into a tree.”

“After Jianmu sprouted, it didn’t grow even a little. During that time, he, the sect leader, never returned to the sect. He tossed all of his responsibilities and his master’s instructions to the side, leaving all matters big and small to his shidi, who is now Sect Leader Ji.”

“I don’t know what possessed him to become so obsessed with the bridge to heaven. He stood guard over Jianmu on that island, but he was destined to wait in vain. He wracked his brains to think of ways to help Jianmu grow, but the result was, of course, failure.”

“He tried over and over. Most people would have given up. But he had always been an outlier, and his pride wouldn’t allow him to fail. The solution he came up with is still unthinkable and sensational even now.”

“What was it?” Fang Yang exhorted.

“He…..dug out his own heart…..” Administrator Zheng spoke these words with some difficulty. “He gave his heart to Jianmu to help it grow.”

Dug out his heart…..

Fang Yang froze, utterly shocked by these words.

Hao Chen was also briefly astonished. Digging out his heart…..he had neither heard of nor witnessed such ruthless daring in all his years.

Only Feng Ye was unsurprised, and maintained his indifferent expression. That person who dug out his heart…..he had seen him countless times in his dreams.

“No one knew where he came up with such an insane idea. How could he think of digging out his heart and giving it to a tree to help it grow?” Administrator Zheng asked incredulously. He still couldn’t figure it out.

Fang Yang shook his head like a rattle, unable to come up with anything at all.

“But he did think of it. No matter if he came up with it himself or heard it from somewhere, he carried it out. And contrary to expectations, he succeeded.”

“The heartless plant received a human heart, and Jianmu began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, a thousand feet during the day and a hundred feet at night. It also created some kind of indescribable connection with him.”

“Even though he was at the pinnacle of cultivation and wouldn’t die for some time after losing his heart, he couldn’t last forever. A person can’t survive without a heart, and he shouldn’t have had much time left.”

“But he didn’t die. Instead, he was full of vitality, just like the growing Jianmu.”

“Jianmu gradually rose higher than the mountains, higher than the clouds, and then finally…..it connected heaven and earth.”

“Jianmu connected the heavens and the mortal world, opening a passageway between them. The rich spiritual energy of heaven began to flow back into the human world, forming a stormy vortex that spread across the sky.”

“After the passage was opened, he sent a letter to Sect Leader Ji and to all of the world’s cultivators, inviting them to join him in witnessing the growth of this towering tree, as well as…..his feat of climbing to the heavens.”

“Sect Leader Ji and the other cultivators were aware of what this elusive master had been doing during this period. They had no time to be shocked by his madness, because they were already shocked by the sky-high tree that could be seen from afar.”

“All of the world’s cultivators gathered in the eastern sea, on the small island formed by the Living Soil. There were so many people that there wasn’t enough room for everyone to stand on the island. Some people rode on flying magic tools, while some simply took large boats just to see this towering tree up close. It was probably the first time in history there was such a lively scene.”

“He didn’t hide anything. Although the growth of Jianmu was his own achievement, he didn’t claim a monopoly on it. Instead, he declared that anyone was able to climb Jianmu and reach the heavens.”

“As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place was in an uproar. What exactly is heaven like? No one has ever seen it. But it has been described in countless myths and legends as a land of treasure that gave birth to countless powerful gods.”

“As soon as he finished speaking, a few bold people began to climb Jianmu. Although cultivators can fly after they reach Foundation Establishment, the height at which they can fly is limited, and they had to climb the remaining distance up Jianmu.”

“Once someone took the lead, more and more people followed. They grouped up, pushing and shoving each other to be the first to reach the heavens.”

“That group of prestigious cultivators were now fighting for the top spot, and began to quarrel, completely disregarding dignity and manners. The scene became increasingly chaotic, and some people even fell while climbing when they were dragged down by those behind them.”

“He couldn’t bear it any longer, and intimidated the whole crowd with his Hedao cultivation. He created a rule that those who cut in line or pushed others were not allowed to climb the Jianmu he had personally planted, and that calmed down this group of people eager to be the first to climb to heaven.”

“The situation improved, but Jianmu was not easy to climb. Jianmu was so enormous, and its branches were so far apart that it was impossible to step from branch to branch like one would do when climbing an ordinary tree.”

“Everyone discussed it and began to work together. They built a ladder on Jianmu, which made it easier to climb.”

“Everthing was going smoothly, and humanity was getting closer and closer to heaven. However…..”

Hao Chen leaned forward slightly. What he wanted to know was finally coming. What had led to Ling Yun’s ultimate defeat?

Administrator Zheng took out a third jade slip, over which appeared the scene of those climbing the heavenly bridge.

Just as Administrator Zheng had said, the people were as small as ants, clinging densely to this towering tree. They advanced cun by cun, shortening the distance to heaven by increments.

Just when they were exhilarated by the closeness of heaven, something unexpected happened.

There was a light.

But it wasn’t sunlight.

It was…..Hao Chen couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, staring intently at the figure that had suddenly appeared in the image.

Feng Ye also raised his head, staring at the silhouette in a trance.

This figure was high up in the clouds. He stood in the center of the vortex created by the spiritual storm, gazing down at the mortals below.

When he appeared, his body was suffused with a light comparable to the scorching sun, so dazzling that people dared not look directly at him.

This also made it difficult to see his true appearance.

But as time went by, the light he exuded gradually faded, and the human eye slowly adjusted to the brightness.

The man hidden in the light finally revealed his true appearance.

Unparalleled handsomeness? A heavenly appearance?

No, these earthly words were not sufficient to describe him.

His facial features were as exquisite as if they had been measured with a ruler. His eyebrows, eyes, and nose were all at the perfect proportions. One point more and they wouldn’t be heroic enough; one point less and they wouldn’t be handsome enough.

Especially those eyes, which revealed neither sadness nor joy – they were a dazzling shade of gold, pure and bright, a radiant color…..

Such were their beauty that one could practically fall into those eyes.

Hao Chen had always been vain, with a fondness for beautiful things. But at this moment, he felt nothing toward that beautiful man but fear.

He looked at that vestige upon the clouds with fear, because that was…..

“The God of War…..Yinglong.”

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Chapter 28 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 30