Chapter 46: That is Simply Wonderful, Without Any Transition

Ji Yaoguang appeared silently before the young man who had purchased the Youguang Stone. Wearing a gentle smile, he softly asked, "Honored wizard, would you be so kind as to let me have that Youguang Stone?"

A trace of helplessness flickered across the youth's face beneath his mask. He raised his hand and handed the Youguang Stone over.

Ji Yaoguang accepted it with a smile and said, "My fellow wizard, I have no money on me, but take this. It will allow you to purchase any other goods you desire, up to a value of twenty thousand gold." With a generous gesture, he produced a scale and offered it to the boy.

The youth, however, waved his hand in refusal. He gently tapped the wall, stepped through it, and simply vanished.

Lin Zhao walked up to Ji Yaoguang and asked in bewilderment, "Why didn't you chase after him? He didn't even take your payment, and you just got his item for free. That's hardly like you."

Ji Yaoguang replied with a tender smile, "Because there are too many people here."

Too many people?

Did that mean it was inconvenient to start a fight here?

The ancient tree was never one fond of brawling, so...

A sudden realization dawned on Lin Zhao. "That was Bo Ren."

Ji Yaoguang smiled. "Indeed. Therefore, this debt will inevitably be repaid to him."

"Then why aren't you thinking of finding another place to kill him?" Lin Zhao was puzzled.

"It is better not to kill him just yet. Doing so would bring endless trouble," Ji Yaoguang said with a wry smile. "We might even find ourselves having to protect him to keep him from dying."

Lin Zhao found this reasoning sound, and the gruesome scene from the previous simulation flashed through his mind. Whether Bo Ren lived or died was of little consequence, but the Primordial Source within him was a massive headache. Even if the ancient tree could seal that source, leaving aside the damage such an action would inflict upon the tree itself, the pollution unleashed during a potential outburst of the source alone was enough to induce a migraine.

Lin Zhao said, "Let's head back first, then."

Other considerations aside, going back meant initiating the simulation immediately.

Although he knew how the upcoming battle should be fought, lacking a safety net still left him somewhat uneasy.

Meanwhile, Bo Rang was dragging Weisheng Wu through the bustling streets like a headless fly, searching for someone.

"Are you certain you aren't sleepwalking?" Bo Rang asked cautiously.

"Shut your mouth. This is no place for you to speak," Weisheng Wu answered coldly.

Bo Rang muttered under his breath, "If I don't speak, you'll never find him..."

"Find whom?" At that exact moment, a familiar voice rang out. Bo Rang's body stiffened as he saw a youth who looked identical to him standing not far away, gazing at them with a look of pleased amusement.

"My dear younger brother, have you found yourself a new plaything?" the youth asked.

"My esteemed older brother, he is not a plaything; he is my friend," Bo Rang replied.

Bo Ren chuckled. "Very well, then go play nicely with your friend. By the way, are you planning to have your friend join us?"

As an elder brother, he was still willing to help his younger brother fulfill certain wishes.

After all, to him, his brother was merely a projection of an alternative life.

Bo Rang shook his head. "He won't join us..."

"No, I will join," Weisheng Wu said with a righteous expression. "I renounce my humanity, take me in with you lot. I'll wipe the lot of you out."

Bo Ren could not help laughing. "No wonder my little brother fancies you. Such unblushing brazenness is truly a rare sight. If you are willing to join, then come along."

What he loved most was watching individuals filled with lofty ideals watch those ideals crumble when they ultimately failed to change a single thing.

That was endlessly amusing.

Sometimes, he even wondered if the descent of the Source Lord into the mortal realm, destroying all things in the initial and final apocalypses, was meant to purge the world of every trace of hypocrisy, greed, blindness, and hatred, returning it to the profound, eternal tranquility it was always meant to possess.

Furthermore, he was curious to witness what it would look like when this child and his father both appeared at the assembly.

Bo Rang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Brother, have you lost your mind?"

How could his older brother allow such a troublesome variable to disrupt his grand plan? Was this truly his brother?

"However," Bo Ren paused, "there is a condition. To become one of us, you must wear a token."

Weisheng Wu frowned. "Hand it over."

Bo Ren nodded and withdrew a small stone resembling a beating heart from his tunic. "Wear this, and you are one of us."

Weisheng Wu hesitated for a fraction of a second, but his gaze instantly hardened with resolve. He took the stone and tucked it against his person. "Will this suffice!"

"It will. Let us go," Bo Ren said with a smile, having achieved his goal.

They walked in silence amidst the surging crowds. Suddenly sensing something amiss, Weisheng Wu demanded, "Why are you bringing me to the Academy?"

Bo Ren replied, "Naturally because this is our stronghold. Many of our organization's affairs will be conducted here from now on. The transport is convenient, the resources are bountiful, and there are plenty of lovely, adorable students. I can snap them up one by one."

Seized with fury, Weisheng Wu roared, "You beast!"

He lashed out with a punch.

"Ah, don't act rashly!" Bo Rang hastily threw his arms around Weisheng Wu.

"My brother is merely teasing you," Bo Rang explained. "Though he intends to offer sacrifices of children, he wouldn't bother with ordinary ones—they aren't worth his notice. Anyone deemed worthy of his sacrifice must be a figure of immense value, at the very least a human wizard."

Weisheng Wu instantly calmed down, though he remained perplexed. "Then why hasn't he sacrificed you?"

Bo Ren smiled affably. "Naturally because he fails to meet my standards."

"Very well, enough idle chatter. I shall take the two of you to meet the newest recruits who have joined the organization today," Bo Ren said, leading them deeper into the Academy grounds.

Yet, after walking only a few paces, a wave of puzzlement stirred within his heart.

Why on earth had he handed something as precious as the Source to that boy earlier?

Was it... the will of the Primordial Source ancestor?

Setting aside the chaotic and tumultuous reunion of father and son on Weisheng Wu's end...

Lin Zhao had grown inexplicably drowsy on the return journey; holding onto the ancient tree, he had fallen fast asleep with his eyes closed. Ji Yaoguang held his hand with a trace of worry, circulating his warlock arts, yet detected no abnormalities. If there was anything out of the ordinary, it was that Lin Zhao seemed hungry.

This reminded him that although Lin Zhao had consumed a fair amount of fruit over the past while, those items offered no real sustenance. As for the dried fish and meat, while somewhat beneficial to his physical vessel, they contributed nothing to the growth of his spiritual totem; he still required proper meals.

Yet, given Ah Zhao's current tier of strength, ordinary environmental pollution and corruption could no longer satiate him...

"I actually managed to lose Ah Zhao's proper meal." Ji Yaoguang carefully carried Lin Zhao on his back all the way home.

He would have to hunt a few grand beasts. Bringing along Ah Li and Jin would likely make the endeavor more efficient. The skeletal remains of the Black Tortoise would serve admirably as a hunting ground; before long, the three of them would set out together to forage provisions for Ah Zhao.

Ah, he needed to acquire that "Source" as soon as possible.

Ji Yaoguang's gaze flickered slightly.

As for those two fellows, who knew what grand schemes they were conspiring over this time.

Simultaneously, Lin Zhao lay nestled within the eggshell, immersed in a bizarre dream.

In the dream, he had transformed into a colossal bird ablaze with brilliant golden light, conversing with a human atop a towering ancient tree.

He could not comprehend the words they exchanged, but abruptly, the human produced a sinister dagger and plunged it into the great bird's flesh.

Startled and enraged, the giant bird surged upward, its massive wings whipping up roaring gales of sacred flames.

Yet at that exact moment, the human brandished a circular ring and cast it over him. With that instant, the great bird emitted a piercing, mournful screech.

The human watched calmly as the bird charged forward in fury. At that very fraction of a second, countless green leaves sprouted across the human's figure, and the blurred facial features shifted to reveal the face of Ji Yaoguang...

"Damn it!" Lin Zhao bolted awake in a cold sweat. He looked left and right, finding Ji Yaoguang gazing at him with concern, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't speak!" Lin Zhao reached out to touch Ji Yaoguang's face, patted it, pinched it, and even sniffed it. He briefly considered licking it, but decided against it on hygienic grounds, ultimately drawing back to put some distance between them. "Ancient tree, is there anyone in this world who looks strikingly similar to you?"

Ji Yaoguang paused, then chuckled softly. "The Wizard God is my divine father; I bear a fifty-percent resemblance to him. As for others who share my appearance—well, none existed in the past, but in the future, there certainly will be."

"Oh?" Lin Zhao asked with feigned calmness. "You mean to say that in the future you'll take a wife, have children, and spawn a whole forest of little trees that look just like you?"

Ji Yaoguang felt an inexplicable chill and answered gently, "That is not quite it. I suffered a major catastrophe previously and was unable to wield the authority of the Azure Emperor. Following my exile, according to the natural order, a new Azure Emperor wood ought to be cultivated to succeed my responsibilities. Should nothing go awry, he will grow to look like me."

"What? You can propagate through cuttings?" Lin Zhao stared in utter shock. "Could it be they've already grown a whole bunch of you?"

"If that were true, it would indeed be a wondrous blessing," Ji Yaoguang said with a wry smile. "Cultivating another entity like myself requires the authority of the Spring God, vast amounts of terrestrial Qi, the prayers and spiritual nourishment of countless wizards, and the infusion of the Wizard God's primal essence. Even with all that, what is cultivated is merely a sapling; raising it to the realm of a Heavenly Wizard demands astronomical resources—enough to hollow out half the Wizard Kingdom."

Lin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought there were going to be swarms of ancient trees running around. Little trees are fine; I don't care for smaller replicas."

A faint blush touched Ji Yaoguang's cheeks. "Mm, it is not small."

Unbothered by the remark, Lin Zhao glanced down at his interface and selected the option to initiate a simulation.

Ah, although it was merely a light tap, his soul finally attained tranquility.

Frowning, he muttered, "I just had a dream that someone else in this world possessed your face. Do you suppose they've already managed to cultivate that little sapling?"

Ji Yaoguang replied with utter composure, "No matter. Now that I have returned, and without any risk of losing control, they will not discard the master for a lesser substitute. Besides, that little tree cannot grow."

"Oh?" Lin Zhao looked at him in confusion.

"To sprout and mature requires at least a decade. It is still far too early."

"That's fantastic! Come on, ancient tree, let's go out and stir up some trouble."