Chapter 35: That Should Be Enough

"That is the way it is. The underground palace is protected by the Great Mountain Tea Formation," the captain choked out. "Once it is sealed, unless there is a decree from the Sovereign or the Vice-Sovereign, it cannot be opened again. This is an ironclad rule."

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that!" Lin Zhao was furious. "By what right do they shut the doors? You lot can fend for yourselves! I’m leaving!"

Even if you let the children go first, you don't lock the adults out, do you?

Thinking of those lively children he had just seen, most of whom would be orphans within a day, his rage burned white-hot. Are the lives of the sorcerer-apprentices the only ones that matter? Do the lives of ordinary people mean nothing?

And they had locked his "Old Tree" outside, too. The Old Tree needed to cleanse the corruption from its bark; if it couldn't find him in time, who would compensate him for the tree?

"And I actually praised this Di State earlier!" Lin Zhao thought with bitter resentment. It was a lie; it was clearly nothing more than a fresh coat of paint over rot.

He returned faster than he had come, ten times faster. The beast he rode had its hooves almost sparking against the ground. In less than half an incense stick’s time, he had flashed like lightning back to the place called the "Nexus."

But as he approached, he abruptly hauled the beast to a halt. He expertly plucked four wooden beads, ignited them in his palm, and swept them in all directions.

With a thunderous roar, hundreds of Black Tortoise shadows reared their heads, only to be reduced to ash in the flames in the blink of an eye.

A blood-stained, sharp-fanged, and ferocious-looking Blood Rabbit totem suddenly shrank and landed on the shoulder of a youth whose chest was slashed so deeply his ribs were almost exposed. The boy looked at the ashes covering the ground with clear, startled eyes. He gasped, his heart aching with regret: "Benefactor, you actually possess the Green Emperor’s Wood Core Beads... Using them here is such a waste! Give them to me quickly; I will arrange things for you. I will ensure they are put to the best possible use—"

Lin Zhao grabbed him by the collar: "Why did you seal the underground palace? The people outside haven't entered yet."

The youth suppressed his instinct to fight back and explained immediately: "There are Black Tortoise shadows and Life-Devouring Ghost Lizards inside the palace. It would be even more disastrous for them to enter than to stay out. Besides, the elite squads in the palace cannot protect that many civilians. The Vice-Sovereign ordered me to seal all entrances outside the Academy in advance."

"Then what are you waiting for? Open it now!" Lin Zhao took a deep breath and let go.

Ji Wangzhi sighed: "When the palace was built, the formation was restricted. For the sake of safety, once sealed, it will not open again without the hand-written orders of the Vice-Sovereign or the Sovereign."

Lin Zhao’s mind was in turmoil. He quickly organized his thoughts: "So, you knew all along that a great danger was coming, and you prepared to send away the sorcerers and apprentices of the Academy in advance. You never intended to save the commoners? Or rather, they were always meant to be the sacrifices you left for the Source Ghosts?"

Ji Wangzhi’s expression was complex. He said softly: "There was no way to save them. The main force of the Di State, the Heavenly Bamboo Army composed of three thousand Human Sorcerers and sixteen Earth Sorcerers, was deployed to the Sorcerer State seven years ago. The Earth Energy that protected the palace from the encroaching disaster qi had long been drained. Of the twenty-four vassal states, the remaining Heavenly Sorcerer Sovereigns and Earth Sorcerer Commanders have lived in fear for years. Everyone knew that once a major disturbance occurred, it would mean the destruction of the state."

"Then why would the Sorcerer State do this?" Lin Zhao was stunned.

"That is the question I wanted to ask you." Ji Wangzhi stared at the wooden beads on his hand and the pocket watch on his chest, his voice turning cold. "Why has the Green Emperor not appeared for these past years? The Green Wood faction demanded the mobilization of 120,000 sorcerers to rebuild the Heavenly Universe God-Suppressing Array. The Spring God’s Grand Sacrifice hasn't been held in seven years, and the Sorcerer State has not provided the Spring God’s Breath to foster Earth Energy for the vassal states. I had thought something had gone wrong with the Green Emperor’s cultivation, but I saw him with you two days ago, and he seemed very happy!"

Lin Zhao froze, only then realizing that this Ji Wangzhi was the same boy with the rabbit who had pointed the way for them on the road.

"He... Yaoguang had an accident," Lin Zhao hurriedly explained for the Old Tree. "He was sealing some corruption—"

"Sealing?" Ji Wangzhi’s eyes gradually turned blood-red, his voice growing shrill. "He is the Green Emperor, the Source of Green Wood, wielding the authority of the Spring God. It is not his place to be the one to seal things! Do you know how we have lived these past years? You pity the mortals—how laughable! Do you know that as the Holy Wood diminished, how many mortals in the vassal states were so reluctant to light their own fires that they threw themselves into the bonfires instead?"

"Do you know that without the Green Qi to nourish the Golden Bamboo, the Sovereigns had to use their own blood to feed the Bamboo Beasts just to supply the promotion of the Human Sorcerers in the Academy?"

"Do you know how devastated we were when we saw the disturbances growing, yet the Sorcerer State refused to even let us send our apprentices to the Sorcerer State in advance?"

"Those children were sorcerers I raised with my own hands. How do you expect me to explain to them that after this, their parents and their homes will be gone? By what right do you use their bones to accuse me—"

Lin Zhao felt suffocated—partly for the person before him, partly for the people outside the palace, but mostly for the Old Tree.

If there had been a choice, he didn't believe Yaoguang would have used so many lives as the cost. To have made such a choice, the one who must have been suffering the most was surely that old tree.

Who would voluntarily go to a place like the Vast Sea?

"He spent these years evading his responsibilities, staying with you, ignoring the affairs of the world. He must have been very happy watching us fight for our lives, right?"

"He had his reasons!" Lin Zhao’s anger surged, and he let out a sudden, explosive shout: "Shut your mouth! I will not allow you to attack him!"

The sound was so piercing and harsh that it shattered the eardrums and struck straight at the soul. Ji Wangzhi coughed up a mouthful of blood and suddenly snapped back to his senses. The crimson in his eyes faded, and he wiped the corner of his mouth, lingering fear in his heart. That was close; he had almost lost his mind and been completely corrupted.

Even so, he felt no gratitude toward Lin Zhao. He waved his hand and said: "My apologies. I have been fighting fierce beasts too much lately, and a lot of corruption has accumulated in my spirit. I almost failed to suppress it. Wait here, and when the time comes, you can retreat to the Sorcerer State with us."

"No need," Lin Zhao frowned. "Point me to a way out of the underground palace. I need to find him."

"Once the palace is sealed, it..."

"There must be a way," Lin Zhao interrupted. "Don't give me those excuses you use to fool ordinary people! Since this palace is meant for your survival, it must have connections to the outside or to the Vice-Sovereign and the others. It must have precautions. Just point it out to me."

"Why should I tell you such classified information?" Ji Wangzhi was annoyed. Does he think he's special because he's the Green Emperor’s lover?

Lin Zhao stripped a large handful of wooden beads from his wrist and pushed them forward: "Is this enough?"

"Please, follow me!"

Ji Wangzhi instantly snatched the beads. He thought for a moment, then took one and fed it to the blood-soaked, muscular rabbit.

In an instant, the rabbit’s balding fur grew back like lush grass. Within moments, it was once again a soft, beautiful, long-haired white rabbit.

In silence, the youth led him to a hidden door: "When the palace was built, escape was considered. So, if you go through this tunnel, you will reach the surface. But you must understand, once you go out, no one will open the door for you again."

Lin Zhao looked at the bleeding wounds on the boy’s body, his mood complex: "I’m leaving. Take care."

Ji Wangzhi paused, then suddenly gave a faint smile: "Thank you. And, regarding what I said earlier—I apologize."

He suddenly understood a little why the Green Emperor had been captivated.

Just as Lin Zhao was about to say it wasn't necessary, Ji Wangzhi slammed the door shut.

...

Emerging from the underground palace, Lin Zhao saw tree crowns that obscured the entire sky, and in the distance, a giant snake. Even from half a city away, the sheer size of those two titanic beings was enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.

The skeletal remains of the Black Tortoise in the distance were entangled in a battle with the giant tree. Even from tens of miles away, the shockwaves of the fight had destroyed more than half of the city.

The violent tremors of the ground continued. The surrounding collapsed houses were crumbling repeatedly in the shaking, until they were almost unrecognizable.

Lin Zhao had originally been considering whether to save any refugees he encountered, but now, there was no need to consider it.

In a scene like this, ordinary people didn't even have the luxury of taking another breath.

"You promised half an hour," Lin Zhao said, displeased, as he pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. "It's already... wait, no, there are still three minutes left. Is time passing so slowly? Could he have tampered with the hands of this watch?"

He had enough self-awareness not to approach the battlefield. Looking around, he realized the exit of the tunnel was still within the Academy.

Not far away stood the spire-like Hall of Inheritance.

However...

He looked far toward the Hall of Inheritance. The hundred-meter-tall tower had collapsed, its broken midsection jutting into the ruins. The surrounding high-rises, pools, and trees were no longer there. Countless glowing orbs of inheritance floated up from the fractures like countless beautiful balloons; when they reached a certain height, they revealed the final blessings of the deceased before bursting like tiny fireworks.

Not far away was the long bridge at the Academy entrance. It had already collapsed. The crocodile beasts in the river had all been killed by the shockwaves, blood flowing from their seven orifices. They were piled together, and beneath their soft bellies, the tiny claws of their young lay still, no longer struggling.

Under the bridge, a couple lay locked in an embrace. They had been exposed to the purple sun until only white bones remained. Their hempen clothes were still there, but their flesh had vanished, leaving them clean without a trace of blood.

Lin Zhao’s eyes dimmed. He saw that one of the skeletons was clutching a green leaf tightly in its hand.

It was the elderly couple who ran the small inn. They must have come to bring that leaf to their grandson.

"You really didn't choose a good time to come," Lin Zhao whispered.

He sat on a piece of debris and looked up at the giant tree fighting the Black Tortoise, saying seriously: "Old Tree, give it your all. Hurry up and beat that dead turtle back."

While praying, he thought rapidly about how he could help the Old Tree.

He could absorb corruption, but perhaps because he was too young, his body couldn't absorb too much. The thing on the battlefield called the "Source" might end up eating him until he burst.

But he could share the burden of the corruption from the Old Tree, helping maintain its combat strength.

However, this would have to wait until the battle was over; otherwise, if he went up there now, he would just be adding a weakness to the Old Tree.

Just as he was racking his brain for a solution, phantom figures began to drift up from the ruins, the streets, and the river water.

They were tiny, like wisps of light smoke that would dissipate with a gentle breeze.

But their numbers—they were countless!

Lin Zhao made a rough estimation of what he could see; there were at least two hundred thousand of them.

These souls were dull and expressionless. After slowly rising into the air, they swirled and arranged themselves like flowing water, forming a strange, colored symbol, before flying from all directions toward a single point.

That direction was also the location of the Academy???

Lin Zhao stood up abruptly. He squeezed a wooden bead on his pocket watch, his figure instantly vanishing. He leapt agilely, gracefully skimming over the countless broken walls and ruins, following the flying souls as they rushed toward the center of the Academy.

It was a square, so vast and empty that not a single pile of rubble had accumulated there. The grass and trees clustered neatly around circular steps, as if they were in a different dimension from the ruins in the distance.