After hearing Shi Jingzhi's painful and intermittent description, Yin Ci remained silent for a long time.

The night breeze blew gently into the carriage, cool and refreshing. The night was as clear as water, with a full moon hanging in the sky. The two of them were tightly nestled together, which should have been an incredibly reassuring moment.

However, they couldn't even enjoy this last moment of tranquility.

"No need to say more. Be careful not to tear the wound on your neck." Seeing Shi Jingzhi still struggling to speak despite his unhealed injuries, Yin Ci extended two fingers and pressed them against his lips.

Shi Jingzhi had suffered a tremendous blow, both physically and mentally weak. He lay half-reclined in the cramped carriage, tightly leaning against Yin Ci, as if he didn't want to leave even half a step.

Yin Ci was all too familiar with this state. After twenty-four years, their situations seemed to have completely reversed. Now it was Shi Jingzhi on the edge of the abyss, and he had to hold on to him tightly.

"I'll repeat it again, see if there are any omissions. You just need to blink, once for yes, twice for no."

Yin Ci allowed the man to lean against him, without showing the slightest impatience or contempt.

"An 'inverted giant tree' grew underground in Dayun, absorbing the energy of all things, mainly from mortals. To ensure sufficient energy, it used 'Heaven's Wrath' to eliminate the inferior and preserve the superior, raising people like livestock... From the looks of it, Luojiu also has 'Heaven's Wrath', and they most likely also have such a 'demon tree'."

Shi Jingzhi subconsciously wanted to nod, but a sharp pain immediately shot through his throat. He was so startled that his whole body stiffened, and he could only blink.

"Sufficient energy gives birth to demons. Not to mention your situation, Yuanxian Village is also full of demonic talents. In this light, those sporadically appearing 'demons' and 'demonic talents' simply gained more energy from the demon tree due to their innate physique."

If the demonic talents and demons were all influenced by that giant tree, everything would be explained - if those returning energies were "feed", they were just "accidents" that were more adaptable and grew exceptionally well.

Shi Jingzhi obviously had also thought of this, and his gaze dimmed as he blinked weakly.

But Yin Ci laughed. At first he just smiled, then laughed more and more heartily. A beauty laughing under the moonlight should have been a sight pleasing to the eye. But thinking about what was hidden under the moonlight, Shi Jingzhi just wanted to shiver.

Could it be that this person had been overstimulated and was about to go crazy again? Sect Leader Shi almost jumped up on the spot and hugged the person tightly in anticipation.

However, Yin Ci just laughed to himself for a long time and casually patted Shi Jingzhi on the back.

"Master has always been a shrewd person, how come you can't wrap your head around this at a time like this?"

Not only was this person not in despair, he even used a teasing tone. Shi Jingzhi let go of Yin Ci in confusion, and the other party still had a steady and unshakable appearance as usual. Looking at those familiar eyes, his despair dissipated a little without knowing when.

"If that 'demon tree' is intelligent, why would it let a troublemaker like me with endless potential for disaster run around everywhere. At the very least, He Cheng'an could have said hello to it and asked it to deal with me. Yet I'm still standing here safe and sound, there's only one possibility -"

Yin Ci said lightly.

"It hasn't awakened its intelligence."

Like getting a glass of ice water during the dog days of summer, the anxiety and fever on Shi Jingzhi's body instantly dissipated.

There have been legends of demonic talents and demons since a thousand years ago. However, the immortal wine and Desire Children only appeared after the founding of Dayun. Behind the endless conspiracy, it may not necessarily be the demon tree itself.

Come to think of it, when ordinary families raise livestock, they wouldn't let the livestock do miscellaneous tasks with diminishing returns either.

If that thing was intelligent, why would it need mortals to go to great lengths to "summon the deity"? And why would it need to wait for people to carry out some "hundred-year plan"? It would only need to target people with power and influence, and dangle the reward of "immortality" in front of them, and people would naturally take care of the "livestock" for it. If people's hearts changed, it could just replace them with someone more obedient.

That "inverted giant tree" might really be just a giant tree.

Just like all the trees on this earth, the root system absorbs nourishment and the top branches out. They live by their own principles, but have no mentality or personality to speak of. If no one interferes, it's just creating "Heaven's Wrath" in one place and plundering essence from other living beings.

No different from weeds in the fields or rats in the barn.

The moment this thought emerged, Shi Jingzhi's drifting soul landed. He rummaged through the luggage for a long time and took out Chen Qianfan's notebook. Then he took a charcoal stick and quickly started writing on the blank pages of the notebook.

Seeing Shi Jingzhi's expression calm down and even reveal a hint of ruthlessness, Yin Ci leaned out and kissed the corner of the other's lips in appreciation.

[The Immortal Gathering raises Desire Children and feeds them that special flesh from the Shi Rou, why?] Shi Jingzhi showed a faint smile.

"According to what Yan Budu said back then, eating the Shi Rou leads to immortality. If immortality has the benefit of not dying, I guess it probably ends up in a situation like mine... It's most likely inseparable from the demon tree."

Yin Ci pondered.

"The Desire Children are intelligent and shrewd, the elites among humans. However, most of them are arrogant and hard to control. I'm afraid there are means to manipulate the human heart hidden in that the Shi Rou."

In fact, these words already had some reservations. Being forcibly controlled was still better, the fear was that the human heart would be erased and turned into a loyal puppet.

As for who they were loyal to and who they were used by, that was hard to say.

After all, even after raising a perfect Desire Child for over a hundred years, the Immortal Gathering didn't seem to be cautious at all. They didn't even put on a friendly face in front of Shi Jingzhi, and didn't mind appearing hostile. If the the Shi Rou only had the effect of longevity, and Shi Jingzhi ate it and left, wouldn't the hundred-year plan become a joke?

Thinking about it this way, Yan Budu probably also saw through the little trick in it back then and was unwilling to eat the Shi Rou.

Shi Jingzhi seemed to have figured out Yin Ci's thoughts, and gave a bitter smile before writing down another sentence.

[My thoughts are similar to yours. That demon tree happens to have two Shi Rou roots, if the speculation is true, the person who ate the Shi Rou before may still be around. Time is of the essence, we must find that person as soon as possible.]

"Mm."

Shi Jingzhi's face was still pale from his serious injuries, and seeing him so exhausted, Yin Ci originally wanted to take a break for now.

Their suffering, when traced to the root, originated from the human world. Now that they knew that the strange demon tree had no intelligence, they could just focus on dealing with the Immortal Gathering. That way, Shi Jingzhi wouldn't be tied down by fear either.

He stroked Shi Jingzhi's back, indicating for him to rest. But unexpectedly, Shi Jingzhi's eyes were hidden in the darkness, vaguely revealing a hint of coldness.

He touched the wound on his throat, then stared at Yin Ci for a while, and continued to write on the notebook word by word -

[The barren mountain has no trees, cut the grass and remove the roots. Once the grass is cut and the snake is startled, it's not good to strike again.]

Yin Ci couldn't help but laugh: "What are you writing? Do you think you can eat a fat man in one bite? First destroy that hundred-year plan, and save your life, that's the proper thing to do. As for that demon tree, it's not too late to plan for the long term."

Shi Jingzhi pursed his lips and shook his head cautiously. This time the wound didn't hurt, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yin Ci's eyes were filled with life and affection, and Shi Jingzhi knew where they came from. According to Yin Ci's temperament, he probably just wanted to keep himself safe for the rest of his life and deal with the demon tree after his death.

He, Yin Zizhu, would handle it alone.

[I am greedy and insatiable, I want to grow old with you.]

After writing this, Shi Jingzhi forcefully circled the four characters "grow old together".

Seeing his innermost thoughts exposed, Yin Ci's expression was a bit stiff for a moment. He was silent for a while, then tried to put on the air of an elder: "Just now you were scared to death, but now you don't mind? I think it's not bad the way it is now, you should think less about unrealistic things..."

This time Shi Jingzhi didn't write, he cleared his throat and directly interrupted Yin Ci.

"No, I'm still afraid."

His voice was small and hoarse, but full of the madness unique to the Desire Children.

"But I desperately want to destroy it and the Immortal Gathering together with you, and live without any scruples..."

In the National Teacher's Manor, inside the Divine Shrine.

This was the first time Qu Duanyun had set foot here. Compared to the brightly lit Divine Shrine outside, it seemed much darker here. The firelight flickered, and the shadows swayed with it. The scent of incense for calming the mind and soothing the spirit was strong, having burned for who knows how long. Qu Duanyun carefully discerned and actually detected the scent of an analgesic prescription mixed in.

Thin clouds covered the moon, making the room a few shades darker.

A gauze curtain hung in front of the altar, vaguely revealing the outline of the divine statue behind it. Jiang Youyue stepped forward and forcefully pulled open the curtain. The scene behind the curtain was revealed, and Qu Duanyun immediately retreated two steps.

It was no other reason, the scene behind the curtain was simply too shocking.

As the best student of the National Teacher, Qu Duanyun naturally knew the use of flesh god statues. But he had never seen such a flesh god statue - this statue had no outer shell of gold to cover it, nor did it have the compassionate face of the Divine Emperor Wu. The lower half was still a perfectly shaped divine statue, while the upper half bore a... folded human-shaped monster.

The head of that thing was still the size of an ordinary person, but its arms and hands were more than five times longer than a normal person's. In order to curl up inside the altar, its spine was bent into an unnatural curve, looking like a dried corpse forcibly stuffed into a box.

On that withered, hairless head, the two eyes were still blinking. Suddenly seeing the light, its eyes narrowed, and a series of indistinct mumbles came from its throat.

"Disciple greets Master."

Towards that monster, Jiang Youyue's eyes held only reverence. He was usually unwilling to lower his head, but now he was extremely obedient.

"Grand Master?!" Qu Duanyun couldn't help but exclaim.

Although immortal wine could prolong life, it could not make one live a long life. If this monster was really Jiang Youyue's master, this person was already over 160 years old, a lifespan that ordinary people could not reach.

"Come here, kneel down." Jiang Youyue calmly reminded. "Before, you only knew about the hundred-year plan, knowing that all this was for a great cause, but you didn't know the reason behind it. Today, let your Grand Master teach you a lesson, listen well."

Seeing that twisted monster that no longer resembled a human form, Qu Duanyun gritted his teeth and knelt forward. The monster stretched out a huge hand and gently placed it on top of Qu Duanyun's head. The dry, slender fingers brushed past Qu Duanyun's ears, and a shudder instantly rolled down his back.

The monster paused for a moment, then once again made extremely indistinct mumbles from its throat. Unlike the previous time, this time Qu Duanyun understood its meaning.

"In ancient times, there was a Suspended Tree that grew towards the Yin. When the Suspended Tree matured, there were very few fruits, and the world called it Shi Rou."

In his mind, the mumbling turned into an old man's aged tone.

"Humans smelled a strange fragrance from it, while beasts smelled a strange stench. Shi Rou flowed into the world, and someone with fate obtained and ate it. After eating, their heart was used by the Suspended Tree, becoming immortal and undying, known as a True Immortal, also called the Divine Emperor Wu."

This was different from what Master had said before. Qu Duanyun was a bit confused. At that time, Master only said that the Desire Children needed to be carefully cultivated, and when a qualified Desire Children ate the Shi Rou, it would allow the Divine Emperor Wu to appear in the world. Now listening to this, it seemed that any Tom, Dick or Harry could eat it. Even if it was just a farmer digging in the dirt, if he picked up the Shi Rou, he could eat it.

The fruits come and go as they please, all depending on fate. How is this different from ordinary trees?

His monstrous Grand Master ignored his thoughts and continued on his own: "Thus, the Suspended Tree borrows wisdom from the True Immortal, and the True Immortal gains power from the Suspended Tree, the two becoming one. When the next round of Shi Rou matures, the True Immortal will naturally be replaced - the elder will sever himself from the Suspended Tree and travel to foreign lands. Then he will bury himself with thick soil, giving birth to a new Suspended Tree."

It really is no different from ordinary trees, Qu Duanyun thought to himself. It's just that ordinary trees entice birds to eat their fruits, while the Suspended Tree entices mortals to eat its fruits. In the end, the seeds still need to be scattered.

If there was one unique difference... ordinary birds eating tree fruits wouldn't have their minds taken.

"With the help of the True Immortal, we can use the Deity Summoning Formation to arrange the roots and eliminate external enemies. We can also rely on the power of the Suspended Tree to seek favorable weather and freedom from disasters."

"Unfortunately, people are born different, with varying levels of intelligence and authority. The True Immortal's heart belongs to the Suspended Tree, but retains the miscellaneous desires from when he was human, making it difficult to achieve immortal undertakings. To make Dayun unite the nations and create an eternal golden age, we need a purely ambitious tyrant of the ages to become a true Divine Emperor Wu."

"Although the True Immortal's life has a time limit, he can still guard our Dayun for hundreds of years. Through this careful selection and meticulous crafting, borrowing the power of the Suspended Tree to build Dayun's might... This is the hundred-year undertaking."

As soon as the words fell, a picture instantly entered Qu Duanyun's mind. He saw the maps of various countries merging one by one, and saw the incomparably huge Suspended Tree growing. That giant tree's roots faced the sky, blocking out the sun, a sight that was difficult to describe in words.

The world was vast and boundless, and the Divine Shrine was mixed in this immense universe, like a grain of millet. However, it was this grain of millet that in turn forged this world.

Qu Duanyun's heart almost stopped beating, unable to say a single word.

For a moment, he couldn't tell if it was mortals using immortals, or immortals using mortals. If Shi Jingzhi really ate the Shi Rou and was used by the Suspended Tree, that person could probably truly trample the nations and bring the entire continent under his control. The Suspended Tree could borrow human power to expand its roots through the Deity Summoning, and also obtain the top territory.

Dayun used this to achieve hegemony, while the Suspended Tree used it to grow deep roots and lush leaves. If we really want to talk about losses, the only ones who could be considered as "losing out" are those who died early from the "Heaven's Wrath" - the poor, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. They were all either mired in poverty or unable to take care of themselves, useless people. On normal days, they couldn't work and just consumed grain and silver for nothing.

Thanks to the sages, they had long regarded Heaven's Wrath as a common occurrence.

......

Is there anything more perfect than this?

What virtues or abilities did they have to find such a powerful force between heaven and earth? The presence of the Suspended Tree was clearly a blessing for the country. He had never imagined the decisive killing and the weight of righteousness involved in this before.

Seeing Qu Duanyun's expression changing back and forth, finally settling on amazement, Jiang Youyue let out a long sigh and said with a smile, "You... are exactly the same as I was back then. Very good, very good. If you had become afraid of that Suspended Tree, you wouldn't be able to sit in this position."

"This student was arrogant and didn't know the painstaking efforts of the predecessors before."

Qu Duanyun's gaze was complex, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

"To be able to achieve such a great cause that will last a thousand autumns, this student would gladly eat his own flesh if it meant obtaining it. Unfortunately, the victor becomes king and the defeated a bandit. Shi Jingzhi is indeed much stronger than me... The hundred-year great cause will surely be accomplished in this era."

Jiang Youyue nodded approvingly.

"But this student still has one question."

"Feel free to ask."

"The Suspended Tree is very strange and difficult to control. Master, even with a True Immortal to communicate, have there been any mistakes in the past few hundred years?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Youyue's expression changed slightly. He was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's just that a 'root of calamity' was born, which we have already dealt with properly. When you understand more in the coming days, I will tell you about it."

Author's Note:

Fox: ? Guess if I'll eat it or not?

Demon Lord: ? Guess where the root of calamity is now?