Chapter 3386: 1686: The Exiled Daughter also Shares the Ambition to Soar Above the Clouds, Godhood 3 Talks about Feng’s Life (3) |
They were accustomed to feasting alongside Taotie; what they beheld was either saints or emperors, and even the Ancestral God had once been among those worshiped therein.
They knew not the lives of the insignificant; how could they understand that the higher void was not void, and that one day, even they might receive a favorable glance?
In their eyes, who am I?
Why has Lord Shou brought me here, and what does he seek?
Li Fugui was born with the guise of a commoner, and the appearance of mediocrity, yet possessed a heart as intricate as a delicate mechanism of seven apertures. Naturally, he understood that at this moment, Lord Shou had no need to summon a mere lapdog that would grovel before the Ancestral Trees.
Amid the gaze of the three Great Ancestral Trees, a meager higher void being—devoid of the power of the ancestral source—would dare to remain so composed…
He is more important than the Di Ying Holy Plant.
He takes precedence over the Divine Relics.
He emerges precisely at the moment when even the Ancestral Tree Leader, the God Worship Willow, is compelled to act.
Could I, Li Fugui, also become the singular?
Standing beneath the tree, holding back the waves surging within his heart, Li Fugui noticed the silence lingering ahead. He calmly smiled and repeated a single phrase with tranquility:
“Greetings to the three of you. I am Li Fugui!”
…
Humble yet composed, courteous yet poised, unyielding yet respectful… The God Worship Willow remained silent for a full ten auras.
It well knew that no higher void being could maintain such mental fortitude under its immense pressure; even demi-saints struggled to endure.
What’s more, standing before three Great Ancestral Trees at this very moment!
“Higher void
Indeed, he was merely a higher void being.
No ancestral source power, no Penetrating Divine Senses, no Holy Power, no anything else.
He was simplicity incarnate.
The only thing unseen was his talent.
Talent there must be; otherwise, Xu Xiaoshou would not have introduced him.
What puzzled the God Worship Willow the most, however, was why so many of those associated with Xu Xiaoshou, despite their low cultivation base, carried an extraordinary air akin to his own.
A dragon does not dwell within a pond.
Those who follow a dragon ascend to become clouds in the firmament.
When Li Fugui repeated his introduction for the second time, even though the name might sound trivial, the God Worship Willow found itself hesitant to act arrogantly.
Just as it was about to speak…
Beside him, Lord Shou scratched his ear, seemingly jesting: “Our Lord Li of the Apricot Realm greets you all. Deaf, are you? Didn’t hear him?”
The Nine Sacrifices Spiritual Body shuddered, quickly materializing its spiritual physique as the first to express goodwill:
“Greetings, young Li Fugui. Greetings, greetings
The God Worship Willow likewise materialized its spirit body, the Ghost Willow, yet simply nodded slightly without uttering a word.
Jin Ren wasted no words either. In front of the Gui Willow and the Ghost Willow, he solemnly handed over the Apricot Realm Master Seal—symbolizing the will of the Apricot Realm’s lord—to Li Fugui:
“Should I be absent henceforth, Lord Li shall fully represent me.”
“His will is my will, identical to the Hallmaster Dao, equivalent to one who stands atop the Stairway to Heaven. There’s no explanation needed.”
Wow!
Li Fugui nearly burst into tears.
The moment arrived—not before the Dragon Apricot, but before the outer trees—that he received such a vow from Lord Shou.
This signified that he, at last, had truly and unequivocally become the second-in-command of the Apricot Realm. Zhu Yike, you’re already too late!
The Nine Sacrifices Spiritual Body initially intended to exchange a few more courtesies, perhaps even ask “why,” but upon hearing this, it remained silent, simply nodding.
The God Worship Willow appeared mildly surprised.
Indeed, it had refrained from questioning “why.”
Yet clearly it was a stubborn entity, insistent on discovering the full measure of Li Fugui’s ability to represent Xu Xiaoshou, and what his limits might be:
“This is no curse, nor is it related to anything else. Just a hypothesis—should Lord Shou perish in the outside world
Jin Ren gazed at it and, surprisingly, did not refute. Instead, he responded with indifference:
“There shall never be a second Apricot Realm Lord.”
“But Li Fugui would find a way, at any cost, to revive me.”
The Ghost Willow cast a deep glance at Lord Shou but refrained from pursuing questions about “trust” or “betrayal.” There was no explanation given.
Finally, its gaze shifted—falling onto Li Fugui.
At the same time, the God Worship Willow within the Herb Garden of Divine Farmer seemed to shed its guise, its dangling branches abruptly turning from tender green to shadowy and sinister.
It transformed, radiating an eerie, dark cyan hue, nearly transparent, emanating an aura of extreme gloom, as though its tendrils might pierce Li Fugui’s soul body at any moment, lifting him into the air to drain his strength until death.
“You stand before the God Worship Willow—how dare you not bow?”
“You stand before the God Worship Willow—how dare you remain unbowed!”
“You stand before the God Worship Willow
A thunderous explosion—just through the exchange of gazes—detonated demonic tides within Li Fugui’s mind.
The Apricot Realm vanished before his eyes, replaced by visions of myriad worlds prostrate before the Ghost Willow, offering up countless lives as sacrifices.
The God Worship Willow’s branches spanned the entire multiverse, each one more colossal, more terrifying, than the ultimate forms of any other Ancestral Tree.
This, indeed, was the Ancestral Tree Leader!
Agony racked him, driving him nearly to collapse.
As a mere higher void being, Li Fugui stood no chance against such a mental attack; he was on the verge of having his soul intent shattered, reduced to nothing more than a puppet.
Yet at that precise moment, the Great Seal tightly clutched in his arms emitted a faint golden light.
The Dragon Apricot intervened!
His spirit stirred, and Li Fugui awoke from illusion.
Expertly composed, he immediately regained control over his nearly buckling knees.
Even as his head ached unbearably, his brow did not furrow, nor did his gaze harbor a trace of murderous intent. He simply met the Ghost Willow’s gaze with an expression of calm.
Yet in his eyes, now lingered a hint of curiosity—as though questioning:
What is your intent?
“You!”
The Dragon Apricot raged and nearly struck out.
In recent days, it had grown close to Li Fugui.
Though it still looked down on this human, it could tolerate its own kin—but not others inflicting harm!
Yet before it could act, the Nine Sacrifices Spiritual Body reached out to block its path, frowning silently and merely shaking its head.
The Dragon Apricot felt baffled but restrained itself, glancing elsewhere sharply.
Xu Xiaoshou had taken no action?
Could he endure this?!
The Ghost Willow clearly perceived the question in Li Fugui’s gaze yet offered no answer. Instead, it countered—with a single inquiry:
“Lord Shou trusts you. Do you trust yourself?”
Such was not even truly a question!
Merely: “Do you trust yourself?”
How does one respond to something like that?
Ghost Willow, you are far too condescending!
The Dragon Apricot Spirit burned with fury, almost ready to unleash devastation. But when it looked to Li Fugui, it stilled.
Li Fugui was too calm.
Like an unshaken mountain even as the sacred peak crumbles before him.
Faced with a deathly confrontation with the Ghost Willow, he simply smiled faintly, meeting it in kind, responding with words:
“No arrogance, no embellishment—just two plain sentences… The Apricot Realm endures, Lord Shou shall not fall.”
Under the horrific pressure of three Great Ancestral Trees, holding the Apricot Realm Master Seal, Li Fugui slowly raised his head.
The Apricot Realm seemed to shimmer.
The God Worship Willow abandoned its Ghost Willow guise, reverting to the early spring form of tender shoots.
Its spirit body, the Ghost Willow, likewise grinned faintly, nodding slightly.
This time, it no longer remained silent but instead jested, half mocking, half earnest:
“Greetings to Lord Li.”