Beastmaster of the Ages

Only a small proportion of people had moved to the continent in the recent decades.

"Let me ask Gujian Qingshuang and Yun Tianque to confirm." They were definitely natives, so Tianming needed them to send some people out to test this theory. He also had Yin Chen try verifying it as well. Either way, it was relieving to hear.

"Either way, let's make sure they order anyone who's just moved to the continent in the past hundred years to not set one foot out of the formation." It was rather intriguing for a divine tree to make it so that the denizens of the continent were like its descendants, almost like some of its essence flowed in their veins.

The arrangements were relayed back to the two sect masters and they immediately formed probing parties. Tianming also ascertained that some dozen people in the town he was in had died, all of whom were outsiders. This was a small, old town that didn't have too many interactions with the broader outside world, and none of the local folks had passed away. The townsfolk all knelt along the streets facing the tree during this apocalyptic occasion, making quite a moving sight.

Some time later, the two sect masters sent news back confirming that the blood plague didn't affect the locals of the continent at all, which meant that almost all their problems had been solved. The Northdipper Swordsage thought that billions of people would die, but that hadn't come to pass.

"Though, I don't doubt that close to a billion non-locals who just moved here have already died, given the sheer size of the population. It's fine and well for the continent's locals to be protected, but we can't let this go on for the long term. The continent will become a forbidden zone and many more people will die as a result."

Not only that, but the bloody mist would be a problem for the locals if it lasted for too long; it blocked out much of the daylight. The only good news to come from this was that the alliance's forces had been completely defeated and sent running from the continent. Tianming was still having a hard time figuring out what he could do about it.

"Must Li Wushuang be killed to quell the divine tree's rage? But she's already left the continent…."

Where would they find her? He, Long Wanying, and the rest had gone to many different places. The lush and verdant continent now looked like something out of hell with the bloody mist all around them. Many trees, plants, and divine herbs seemed to have wilted. The divine tree's rage appeared to be persisting.

"If this goes on, the divine tree might stay like this forever and never bear fruit again. The Azurecloud Continent won't have a future all the same." This was now Tianming's greatest predicament. The loss of the factions that sided with the celestial orderians and the opportunistic alliance's departure should have been something worthy of celebration, but now they had even worse things on their mind to worry about.

Tianming came to the main trunk of the divine tree. It looked like a gigantic wall that endlessly stretched beyond his field of view. Many words were engraved on the trunk, ranging from 'someone was here' messages to proclamations of eternal love. The tree was part of many people's youthful memories, but now all of them had been stained red.

Tianming reached his hand out to touch the trunk, feeling as if he was holding the hand of this gigantic lifeform and experiencing its pain and frustration. That made him understand something. "The plague doesn't just poison the people, it also poisons the tree. It's already doing its best to limit the damage by preventing the locals from dying to it."

It had only turned red because it was poisoned! That was the only sound explanation.

"So the death of Li Wushuang is the only antidote?" But where could they find her now? Tianming furrowed his brow, seeing how the tree seemed to be withering as it unleashed the toxin, its bloody leaves and vines slowly shriveling up.

Once more, Tianming heard its cry of pain. The ground began shaking as a cry reverberated throughout the entire continent just like last time. Everyone in both sects and all the settlements who were locals of the continent began tearing up, resonating with the cry. This wasn't the end of the people's world, after all. Instead, it was the end of the Azurecloud Divine Tree.

They all burst out in tears as they knelt, looking at the struggling divine tree. The frustration and hate that the tree felt was a toxin that harmed others, as well as itself. Tianming could feel all the grief passing through his arm into him and fully empathized with the tree. This tree was a special lifeform that could experience complex emotions as well. Unlike normal humans, it sometimes thought like an old sage, but also thought like a young beast operating on instinct. Though it was stubborn, its feelings and love for its saplings were real. It didn't understand why people would destroy its saplings, though it was still trying to control the rage it couldn't help but feel to the best of its ability. However, it was slowly stepping closer to the edge of the abyss. Not harming the locals of the continent that it had protected was the best it could do.

Tianming fully understood its internal thoughts. Why was it trying to communicate this to him at a time like this? Tianming looked at his palm and suddenly recalled that he had engaged in symbiotic cultivation with the Radix World Tree, so his body was technically part plant.

"Xian Xian, come out."

"What is it, Little Li?" Xian Xian's tree form appeared under the divine tree, looking much smaller by comparison.

"Try to see if you can communicate with it."

"Oh? I've never tried, but let's see how it goes!" Xian Xian stretched its roots and vines toward the trunk. Some roots burrowed directly into the blood-colored tree while the vines wrapped around it. It looked like a little girl hanging from the back of an old man. After that, nothing could be heard. Xian Xian's leaves kept shaking as if it was waving, and Tianming didn't dare to interrupt. Long Wanying and Yang Ce watched from nearby in anticipation.

Tianming hugged Xian Xian's spiritform as it closed its eyes to focus on communion with the divine tree. Eventually, it opened its eyes.

"How is it? Can you talk to it?"

"Of course. Why else would I be out for so long?"

"Then what's it saying?"

Xian Xian nonchalantly said, "Well, you see… too many people and beasts died in the war, causing a lot of resentment to build up. The corpses and blood were littered and spilled all around its roots, causing it to absorb them. That's its innate living response. It wouldn't be a big deal if the amount of blood was small, but the casualties numbered close to a million, and all that blood belonged to elites. After absorbing all that, something called a blood grudge formed in the divine tree and infested it, triggering an ancient, repressed resentment to surface. It's already done its best to suppress it, but to no avail. The blood grudge is still inside it and draining away its vital essence. If this keeps up, the tree will eventually die off and the blood plague will no longer be controlled. Eventually, even the locals will succumb to it."

That was horrible news. Yin Chen had noticed the roots of the divine tree absorbing blood, but little did he know that it would actually result in a catastrophe! Once the blood grudge went out of control, it would spell the end of the Azurecloud Continent.

"I suppose the divine tree is already doing a great thing by trying to stop the plague from affecting the locals…." The target of the blood grudge was people, the very same ones that caused the war and destroyed its saplings. All the tree had wanted to do was to procreate. "Xian Xian, is there a way to get rid of the blood grudge? Will killing Li Wushuang work?"

"Not really. Even if she dies, the only thing that'll quell is the divine tree's rage. However, it won't heal the sickness."

"Then is it over for us?"

"Not really." Xian Xian crossed its arms and raised its mouth proudly, gleefully flapping its lotus-petal wings.

"Don't keep me hanging! What can we do?" He gave it a knock on the head.

"Hmph!" Xian Xian glared at him and continued, "I can absorb blood and essence too. The only reason the divine tree lost control of the blood grudge is because it's too weak. It's no big deal for a Radix World Tree like me."

It was rather miraculous for the divine tree to be able to grow to this size, but it was no big deal to the Radix World Tree.

"Do you mean you can absorb the blood grudge and digest it?" Tianming gingerly asked.

"Hmph, I don't want to talk to you. It's a problem with your attitude," Xian Xian chided.

"Don't be like this, my lady…. Here, Little Li will treat you well. Do you want a back massage?" Tianming immediately switched his stern look to a bright smile.

Xian Xian couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then it forcefully stopped itself and wore a stern expression once more. "Fine, then I suppose I shall go through the trouble of trying. I haven't done something like this before, so there's no guarantee."

"Will the blood grudge affect you?"

"I don't know."

"And there you were calling the divine tree weak."

"I'm still really young, okay?"

"Fine…."

Even though its true form was a gigantic tree, Xian Xian would always be a little girl to Tianming. He wouldn't let it take any risk it didn't have to.

"My spiritform needs to enter my flower to manage things. You can't leave, either. I'm afraid my mind will go astray, so I need you to telepathically talk to me," Xian Xian said, tugging his sleeve.

"Alright."

Xian Xian's spiritform was just as much a part of it as its tree form. After that, it flew to Tianming's back and grabbed his ears, treating them like reins as it cried 'giddy up!' and rode Tianming like a mount.