Chapter 101

Chapter 101: The Peachtree Sapling, Breaking Through All Realms

Unsurpassed Divine Mountain.

Looking at the sun-like scene before him, Long Tuo felt a surge of fear. "The master of the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain was an Emperor Venerable, a powerhouse who stood at the peak!" he murmured. "Could it be that a true immortal was the one who eradicated his legacy?"

"Impossible."

Yue Ruyi refuted firmly. "Heaven and earth have their rules. Once you succeed in attaining immortality, you face a tribulation and ascend to the upper realm. How could a true immortal remain in the mortal world?"

Ao Bing murmured noncommittally.

Lin Qianmo stated, "The Unsurpassed Sacred Ground was a dominant power in the Spirit Realm. Even when they had an Emperor Venerable present, they were only considered a top-tier power. It was the Taihao Heavenly Sect that destroyed the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground."

"The Taihao Heavenly Sect is one of the three powerful figures in the Spirit Realm. They openly acknowledge five Emperor Venerables."

"Five Emperor Venerables?"

Both Ao Bing and Yue Ruyi were shocked. The vast Yuan Realm hadn’t produced a single Great Emperor in millions of years, let alone an Emperor Venerable.

A single sect possessing five Emperor Venerables? How incredibly powerful was that?

Ao Bing and the others exchanged bitter smiles. The Yuan Realm was truly too weak.

Lan Youruo smiled gently. "The Yuan Realm is unique. All of you dear friends were born there. Once the new era arrives, you are sure to attain fortunes."

Ao Bing felt a stir of interest, recalling Ye Xu’s words from before.

A new era was coming.

"We should hurry and search for treasures instead," Qi Ruyu urged.

Lin Qianmo took out a jade slip. "The place we are currently standing is one of the nine main peaks of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground, called Spirit Charm Peak. Our destination is Unsurpassed Mountain."

"Throughout these ruins," she cautioned, "traces of divine abilities linger everywhere. We absolutely must not disturb them."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Who knew if those traces were left by an Emperor Venerable?

Accidentally triggering them and suffering the backlash of the divine ability could spell disaster.

Above in the sky, meteors and fireballs continued to fall endlessly.

The earth had transformed into a sea of molten rock, a fiery inferno that had burned for untold years, its relentless heat dyeing the celestial vault crimson.

"Are those four pillars… the Unsurpassed Heavenly Pillars?"

After flying away from Spirit Charm Peak, the land broadened out further. Everyone spotted four divine pillars thrust into the heavens and the earth, standing firm at the four cardinal directions of the world, as vast as the pillars that held apart the sky and the earth.

"Everyone, look! There’s a tree!" Ao Bing called out, his gaze locking onto an incredibly ancient tree standing before the ruins of a mountain gate.

It appeared to be a tree, but really, it was just a stump.

The surface of the peachtree stump was smooth as a mirror, as though it had been severed cleanly by a single stroke of a blade. Yet, this tree possessed an astonishingly potent vitality. Even reduced to this mere stump, its life force remained incredibly potent.

At the edge of the stump, a single green sprout had already emerged, brimming with vibrant life force.

"The vitality of this tree… is even more potent than my own!" Long Tuo exclaimed, his face filled with surprise.

"This is a Peachtree," Ao Bing said, his eyes blazing.

"Father, how do you know?" Ao Lie asked, his gaze astonished.

"It was recorded in the information the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion gave us," Lan Youruo said.

"I doubt he has been to Unsurpassed Divine Mountain? Otherwise, how could he know the location of the Peachtree and the arrangements of the many killing arrays in Unsurpassed Sacred Ground?"

"The predecessor transcends creation; how could we fathom it?" Ao Bing laughed. "It’s a pity he doesn’t accept disciples; otherwise, I would want Ao Lie to become his disciple."

"Perhaps Nangong Zhandao could give it a try," Lin Qianmo said.

Nangong Zhandao maintained a detached calm and made no sound.

Lin Qianmo approached the Peachtree, stared at its stump, counted the growth rings, and said, "This tree has lived one million nine hundred forty thousand years; it’s just a Peachtree sapling."

"Is there a distinction between mother and sapling for the Peachtree?"

Lin Qianmo nodded and explained, "The peach mother tree is a sacred object born at the creation of the heavens and earth. It blooms once every three million years and fruits once every three million years. After another four million years, the peaches ripen."

"Legend says eating one peach grants immortality and a lifespan as long as the heavens."

"But the peach mother tree lies in the upper celestial court; this is only a sapling grown from a seed."

"Daoist friend truly has broad knowledge; I admire you," Ao Bing said with a laugh.

Yue Ruyi’s gaze flickered. "Since it’s a Peachtree sapling, can it bear peaches?"

Lin Qianmo shook her head.

"The peaches from the sapling have some effect but only help prolong life. They don’t have the heaven-defying, life-changing power of the mother tree’s peaches."

"That is still a good thing."

Qi Ruyu laughed heartily. "Master, let’s move this tree back and plant it in the Red Dust Demon Sect."

"Stop!"

Lin Qianmo slapped Qi Ruyu away with one palm.

Qi Ruyu faced her master, deeply aggrieved. "Master, what did I do wrong?"

"There’s residual sword energy on the stump; if you touch the Peachtree sapling, the sword energy will trigger and kill you," Lan Youruo said. "You’re her disciple; sister naturally wouldn’t harm you."

Qi Ruyu breathed out a puff of Turbid Energy; master still cared about her.

"Since Daoist friend wants to take the Peachtree sapling, I won’t deprive you of it," Ao Bing said, stepping back to show good faith.

"Alright."

Lin Qianmo remained calm. "Then I will take it."

Boom!

Lin Qianmo’s sleeves slightly billowed as potent magic surged out; her sleeve enveloped the Peachtree sapling.

Clang!

The instant her magic touched it, the growth rings on the stump seemed to lift upward, and a sword cry shook the heavens.

At that moment, a scene flashed involuntarily in everyone’s Purple Palace.

A trail of sword energy slashed down from beyond the skies; it severed the four main peaks of Unsurpassed Sacred Ground with one stroke and ultimately cut the Peachtree sapling apart.

With a single swipe of the blade, countless lives perished.

CLANG!

A wisp of sword energy emerged from the Peachtree sapling. Even after nine hundred and twenty thousand years, this sword energy still unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful force.

A trace of the Path of Oblivion revived. Annihilating the void between heaven and earth, it slashed toward Lin Qianmo.

"This is the divine ability of a Great Emperor," Long Tuo shuddered with terror.

"It could be that of an Emperor Venerable," Yue Ruyi stated.

"Master, be careful!"

Qi Ruyu felt a pang of regret. Had she known this sword energy was so terrifyingly potent, she would never have suggested harvesting the Peachtree sapling, putting Lin Qianmo in danger.

Lan Youruo remained calm and unbothered. Given Lin Qianmo’s strength, this remnant divine ability couldn’t possibly harm her.

"Red Dust Pointer!"

The sword energy ripped through Lin Qianmo’s sleeve, lashing directly at her.

Lin Qianmo unleashed her divine ability, pointing one finger toward the sword energy.

In an instant, countless visions materialized. Countless versions of Lin Qianmo stepped forth from different time and space, each extending a finger.

The next moment,

innumerable fingers overlapped. A single point pierced through the very fabric of the scene, landing squarely upon the sword energy.

BANG!

The sword energy shattered instantly. Suppressed by the Red Dust Tribulation Sutra, not even a trace of the Path of Oblivion could prevail. Lin Qianmo emerged utterly unscathed.

"Incredible!"

Ao Bing clapped in applause. "Fellow Daoist, your skill truly inspires bitter envy!"

This divine ability of Lin Qianmo was exquisitely profound. Even Ao Bing had never witnessed such intricate subtlety.

Moreover, he faintly sensed that this divine ability had not yet unveiled its full might.

"Your praise is too generous, fellow Daoist," Lin Qianmo offered a faint smile. She channeled her magical power, uprooting the Peachtree sapling completely, then turned her gaze toward Qi Ruyu.

"Master, what are you intending?" Qi Ruyu vaguely sensed something amiss.

"Did you not long for this?"

Lin Qianmo’s smile deepened. "I shall grant your wish."

With a gentle flick of her wrist, the Peachtree sapling flew straight into Qi Ruyu’s Purple Palace.

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, tremendous primordial essence erupted. Qi Ruyu’s Purple Palace nearly burst apart as the Peachtree sapling plunged into the violet primordial qi, immediately taking root.

Qi Ruyu’s magical power was continuously drained, feeding the Peachtree sapling.

Within moments, fully ninety percent of Qi Ruyu’s power had been consumed, leaving her utterly depleted and feeble.

"Master…"

Qi Ruyu’s face paled in terror. If not stopped, the Peachtree sapling would eventually devour all his magic power, leaving him a dried corpse.

"Master."

Ye Hongchen was anxious too. The Peachtree sapling was a divine object. Merely at saint level perfection, how could Qi Ruyu’s Purple Palace withstand it?

However, Qi Ruyu’s aura soon gradually stabilized.

After devouring Qi Ruyu’s magic power, the Peachtree sapling fed it back. Under its refining, his magic power grew increasingly purified.

Relieved upon seeing this, Ye Hongchen realized Lin Qianmo wasn’t harming him but aiding his cultivation.

"Daoist friend, your methods are truly ingenious," Ao Bing sighed.

"Within three days, your disciple will likely break through to Saint King realm."

Using the Peachtree sapling to purify magic power? Such a genius conception.

"Merely a small trick," Lin Qianmo said calmly. "According to the information provided by master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, five more opportunities exist within the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground."

"The Unsurpassed Heavenly Pillars count as one."

Boom!

Just then—

A divine light erupted from the southwest direction. A rainbow bridge materialized mid-air, stretching deep into the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground.

It seemed a Heaven-and-earth treasure had emerged.

"The old Poison Emperor," Ao Bing’s pupils contracted.

The only one who could move ahead and create this commotion was that old monster.

"We can’t let him seize the advantage!"

"Wait." Yue Ruyi stopped Ao Bing. "According to master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s map, that location marks Emperor Venerable Buzhou’s tomb."

"The most perilous place there, the Poison Emperor alone could never breach it."

"However, deliberately stirring such a commotion likely aims to lure us over… to clear his path."

Ao Bing snapped back to clarity.

The Emperor Venerable’s tomb was the absolute core of Unsurpassed Sacred Ground.

How could entering a true Emperor Venerable’s mausoleum ever be easy?

"Someone else has arrived," Lan Youruo’s eyes turned icy.

"Never mind," Lin Qianmo dismissed it lightly.

The Unsurpassed Divine Mountain’s emergence would inevitably shake every elite of the Yuan Realm. Like a sun in darkness—far too brilliant, impossible to hide from those old monsters.

"Ha ha ha…"

"Dear friends traveled long distances, yet won’t visit my Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom?"

Lian Jiuyou appeared behind them, flanked by the White Tiger King, Golden Crow King, and Black Tortoise King. Smiling, he added, "Allow me to fulfill my duties as host."

"Lian Jiuyou, spare us the nonsense!" Ao Bing snorted coldly. "We all came for Unsurpassed Divine Mountain—no need for pretenses."

"Still so straightforward after all these years!" Lian Jiuyou laughed.

Gliding past Qi Ruyu and the others, Lian Jiuyou’s gaze swept the five quasi-emperors. His expression tightened imperceptibly.

Five quasi-emperors… a force surpassing his own.

"Fellow Daoists, we all seek opportunities within Unsurpassed Divine Mountain. In my view, let’s mind our own business and take what we find—what say you?"

A hint of charm flickered through Lian Jiuyou’s smile.