Chapter 102: The World-Devouring Heavenly General

“Miss He?”

Meng Yingxing saw He Xueluo appear here, and a bad feeling surged within him.

He stepped forward, subconsciously using the hand holding the extinguished torch to shield Xiu Qingcheng behind him.

In Meng Yingxing’s impression, Xiu Qingcheng was still an existence that couldn’t be casually exposed outside, especially when facing someone who appeared so suddenly.

Xiu Qingcheng saw Meng Yingxing’s action and immediately pulled him behind her.

“What are you doing? You’re the one who needs to hide behind your Master.”

He Xueluo looked at the two, the strained smile on her face unchanging in the slightest.

“Little young hero, we meet again.”

He Xueluo spoke to Meng Yingxing in her low, gentle voice.

“To be able to deal with the Xu family, who shared in the Tree God’s power, the young hero and this young lady must not be ordinary people. Hmm… they must be what they often call… cultivators, right?”

“No need to beat around the bush.” Xiu Qingcheng frowned, directly interrupting He Xueluo. “What did you mean by what you just said?”

“What about Young Miss Xu being sacrificed to the Tree God by her?”

Xiu Qingcheng remembered seeing He Xueluo kneeling and praying before this gigantic withered tree earlier in the evening, presumably to the so-called Great Tree God.

He Xueluo looked up, gazing at the enormous withered tree.

“They heeded the Tree God’s oracle, willing to constantly offer women’s souls to obtain what they sought.”

“Old Master Xu suffered from an inherited incurable disease of the Xu lineage in his early years, making it difficult for him to live past thirty. He begged for immortality.”

“Mrs. Xu, narcissistic and beautiful, was unwilling to see herself grow old and faded. She prayed for eternal youth.”

“Even their daughter was the same. For what she sought, she found me, wanting me to sacrifice her to the Great Tree God.”

“But none of them knew that it was I who secretly introduced them to the Great Tree God.”

“The only one the Great Tree God ever wanted to make a deal with was me.”

Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng stared intently at He Xueluo, both having a rough idea in their minds.

The true person connected to the Tree God was He Xueluo, but she managed to push the three Xu family members before the Tree God, having them offer the female souls the Tree God desired.

This way, He Xueluo wouldn’t have to get tainted with any sin, and could obtain what she needed from the Tree God.

This three-party transaction had no fairness whatsoever.

He Xueluo was favored; she offered nothing yet gained what she sought.

The Xu family continually offered female souls. Although they obtained what they sought, they were destroyed by Meng Yingxing’s sword.

The unknown Tree God seemed to have gained everything.

“Miss He, what about you? What did you seek from the Tree God?” Meng Yingxing questioned with a cold face.

Hearing this, He Xueluo’s gaze retracted from the tree, softly falling upon Meng Yingxing.

“Humans, fragile as butterflies, possess so little time.”

“So little that… I cannot wait for the person I want to wait for.”

She was also just an ordinary person, and all she wanted was time.

He Xueluo suddenly smiled, her expression forlorn.

“Presumably, young hero, you must have heard that I almost died from a serious illness before. I was so ill that I was nearly delirious. I came under this tree, and it was then that I heard the voice of the great Tree God.”

“It could also remove my pain and grant me endless time, allowing me to wait for the person I want to wait for.”

“But in exchange, I must continuously offer female souls and never leave this land.”

Meng Yingxing truly did not understand He Xueluo’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but step forward.

“Is such an exchange truly worth it? Do you really believe Zhang Ning will return? What if… what if he never returns?”

Xiu Qingcheng glanced at Meng Yingxing again.

Youths of this age were always insensitive. He unconsciously tore open the beautiful dream He Xueluo had woven for herself, exposing a cruel truth before He Xueluo.

“You shut up!”

He Xueluo’s face instantly changed, becoming horrifyingly distorted, completely different from a moment ago.

“Zhang-lang will return! He will definitely return! We made a pact! He must have been delayed outside by something!”

“Spring sleep passes unnoticed, everywhere birds are singing. Sounds of wind and rain at night, who knows how many flowers have fallen.”

“No matter how the seasons change, I will be at that ferry!”

“I believe he will return! So I will wait and wait and wait!”

Xiu Qingcheng quietly watched He Xueluo, who was acting like she was deranged, her expression unchanged.

‘Humans are always greedy. They always live for desire and obsession.’

‘He Xueluo’s obsession before them was already too deep; her obsession could no longer be compared to the desires of those two Xu family members.’

‘The Tree God was clearly not a good entity. What it desired couldn’t just be the souls of women, but also human desires and human obsessions.’

He Xueluo finished speaking loudly, her entire body trembling with her heavy breaths.

“My life is linked to the Great Tree God.”

“I still have to wait for him to return.”

“I cannot let you burn the tree… Great Tree God… I have already offered the souls you desire… I beg you…”

He Xueluo whispered to herself, lowering her head.

“You say not to burn, and we won’t burn? I insist on burning it! This tree, I will definitely burn!”

Xiu Qingcheng was unruly. The moment He Xueluo finished speaking, she relit the torch from Meng Yingxing’s hand.

However, before Xiu Qingcheng could throw the torch, the ground inexplicably trembled, and the Soul-Siphoning Array around them, which had just been activated, suddenly lit up with dangerous light again.

“What’s going on?!”

Xiu Qingcheng swayed, calling out in dissatisfaction.

“Master, look quickly!”

Xiu Qingcheng followed Meng Yingxing’s voice and looked to the side. The tree roots and branches beneath He Xueluo’s feet violently wrapped around her, then forcefully pulled her into the ground!

He Xueluo’s disappearance was like a key, unlocking something strange. The ground beneath Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing’s feet began to shake more violently.

Crack!

The sound of branches breaking kept echoing.

Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing looked together towards the gigantic withered tree. They saw that the enormous withered tree, which had stood there for who knew how long, was actually beginning to break and collapse, like decaying plaster constantly peeling from a wall.

“Do you hear the wailing of the earth? Do you feel the withered tree falling apart?”

The entire tree canopy, which had grown high into the sky, plummeted. Meng Yingxing looked up, almost thinking the sky itself was falling.

The broken sword appeared in Xiu Qingcheng’s hand. She reached out, grabbed the injured Meng Yingxing, and embraced him tightly, flying towards the falling massive tree canopy.

The sword light was like lightning, and the tree canopy disintegrated in an instant, turning into a pile of wood chips that fell scattered in the snow.

“Master…”

Meng Yingxing’s head was forcefully buried in Xiu Qingcheng’s chest, allowing him to truly feel the softness and warmth against his face.

At the same time, the familiar floral scent from Xiu Qingcheng’s body continuously wafted into Meng Yingxing’s nose, making Meng Yingxing blush slightly even in such a critical moment.

Xiu Qingcheng released Meng Yingxing, her expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

Meng Yingxing controlled his emotions, his gaze returning to the suddenly collapsing withered tree.

The withered tree turned into decay, and beneath it, something actually revealed its true form.

It was a dark purple crystal, about three to four meters tall, with a shimmering, faint circle of azure blue light intermittently flashing around it.

“Master… what is that…”

Meng Yingxing stared at the crystal in astonishment. No one could have imagined that such an object was hidden beneath this withered tree, which had existed for countless years.

‘Could this be what the Xu family and He Xueluo referred to as… the Tree God?’

“I don’t know.”

Xiu Qingcheng shook her head, gripping the Ting Tian Sword tightly.

“But… it’s definitely not a good thing. It makes me feel… utterly disgusted.”

As Xiu Qingcheng’s voice fell, the cobalt-blue light on the crystal dimmed, and the crystal instantly shattered.

A strange aura swept out. Both Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing could clearly feel that after this aura spread, the spiritual energy flowing in the air suddenly became much more stagnant.

Spiritual energy was the foundation of cultivators, and within this aura, it was undoubtedly disadvantageous to cultivators.

Especially for an existence like Xiu Qingcheng, who relied on spiritual energy to form a physical body.

Although her strength did not come from spiritual energy, she was affected by its stagnation.

Xiu Qingcheng looked at her hand; it was so transparent that she could clearly see the scene on the other side.

Amidst the flying crystal shards, a pale and enchanting red-haired woman, provocatively dressed and with a fiery figure, revealed herself.

She slowly turned around, facing Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing.

Then, the woman opened her eyes.

Her four purple eyes were extremely enchanting, not of this world.

“That… could that be the true form of the Tree God?”

Just by standing there with her eyes open, Meng Yingxing already felt an immense pressure.

She was not an enemy that his small Middle Star-Grade cultivation could handle.

The woman’s gaze fell upon Xiu Qingcheng’s face, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.

“Beauty, your face… it’s truly exquisite.”

Her voice was as charming as her appearance, but her evaluation of Xiu Qingcheng’s face was like evaluating some kind of merchandise.

“How about… you give that face to me?”

“You!”

Meng Yingxing, hearing this, moved forward instinctively despite being suppressed by the aura.

Xiu Qingcheng immediately raised her hand to block Meng Yingxing behind her, her tone icy.

“Get behind me, don’t run around.”

The enemy’s strength was formidable, coupled with an aura that suppressed spiritual energy.

Xiu Qingcheng’s strength was greatly weakened, and there was no longer any hint of lightness in her eyes or heart.

Indeed, her spiritual body’s limitations were too great. This aura, which had only a slight effect on cultivators, was amplified infinitely when applied to Xiu Qingcheng.

Xiu Qingcheng returned the Ting Tian Sword to Meng Yingxing and, with thin spiritual energy, condensed a replica of the Ting Tian Sword.

“You protect yourself; this woman, I will deal with.”

This battle was clearly inevitable.

“Master!”

Meng Yingxing looked at Xiu Qingcheng with some unease.

Xiu Qingcheng waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, your Master is unreasonably strong; just set your mind at ease.”

Xiu Qingcheng stepped forward, raising her sword and pointing it at the unknown woman.

“Tree God, if you want my face, come and take it yourself.”

“Let’s see if you have the ability.”

Hearing this, the four-eyed woman laughed, her body shaking with mirth.

“I never imagined I could gain so many souls and such wonderful obsessions to break the seal, and also see such a beautiful face!”

“This mortal world is indeed so interesting, captivating to my kind!”

“Beauty, listen closely.”

“I am the World-Devouring Heavenly General, Hua Bukai.”

“Your face and your soul, I will gently, gently peel them off!”