Chapter Ten: The Forest of Weeping Trees (Part Two)

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Right, just now at the Refining Department, Yaksha had indiscriminately stuffed countless talisman papers, elixirs, and various odd-shaped items into his treasure pouch. That Huolong Envoy looked so distressed, wrinkling his brow and swallowing hard, muttering that perhaps among those items there was something that could be used for transformation.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Shi Jun suddenly realized that without noticing it, he had followed Huang Sha, flying over a swamp and through a quiet meadow, arriving above a river shimmering with silver light. Suddenly, his heart trembled, and an inexplicable emotion surged within him—he couldn’t tell if it was sorrow, joy, melancholy, or anger.

This river seemed to be formed from flowing mercury; the water roared and surged, with wisps of steam rising from the surface, sparkling under the sunlight. It flowed from south to north with majestic momentum, while the banks were adorned with birdsong and fragrant flowers, creating an indescribably beautiful scene.

Looking up, the sky was an expanse of azure, with both the sun and moon hanging simultaneously above. Shi Jun marveled, wondering what kind of strange realm this demon world truly was. He couldn’t help but ask Huang Sha through a whisper, “What river is this?”

Huang Sha’s soft, alluring voice quietly replied, “Sir, be very careful—that’s not a river, it’s a river demon! Quite formidable indeed.”

“A river demon?” Shi Jun’s interest was piqued. He lowered his gaze to observe carefully as Huang Sha began chattering on: “This river is called Silver Hook. It was formed from the tears shed by women in the human realm and continues to gather more tears, growing stronger and stronger. Its vitality is especially robust, and its temperament is as erratic and troublesome as a mad old hag. It’s best we don’t provoke her.”

Tears could become demons? Shi Jun chuckled. “Is there a river made from men’s tears then?”

“...I don’t think so? Anyway, I’ve never heard of one. Ah Jun, when we arrive at the Weeping Tree Forest, we must be cautious. That’s the stronghold of the Lionflute Tribe’s chieftain. This tribe is one of the most powerful in the demon world; we must act with prudence.”

At this, Shi Jun thought to himself, if they need to be so cautious, why did they bother transforming into those butterfly-winged water beasts in the first place? Wasn’t that just asking for trouble? He snorted dismissively.

* * * * * * * *

After flying past Silver Hook, Shi Jun’s emotions gradually settled. He mused that the strange, sudden feelings he had earlier must have been influenced by the “Silver Hook.” It seemed there were demons in this realm capable of affecting and controlling others’ minds. He wondered what other strange things might exist here.

Sunlight and moonlight shone simultaneously upon him—both scorching and yet carrying a faint chill—yet the sensation was surprisingly pleasant. The air was fragrant and fresh, the grass, trees, streams, and flowers untouched by pollution. This truly was a pristine treasure land. After flying for some time, Shi Jun grew more accustomed to maneuvering his wings and, admiring the scenery, felt a rare sense of peace.

“Uh, big brother,” Shi Jun called out as he caught up to Huang Sha, flying side by side, addressing a proud frog nearby.

The frog rolled its eyes impatiently. “What? Can’t you see I’m conserving energy?”

“I want to ask, what meeting is happening today in the Weeping Tree Forest?”

“Such an important matter? You low-level demon beasts wouldn’t know,” the frog said arrogantly and disdainfully. After a pause, it added, “Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll tell you—there’s a public trial meeting today to deal with Fu Yao!”

After speaking, it sighed somewhat listlessly, muttering either to itself or to Shi Jun, “It’s really a pity about that Fu Yao... sigh, what a shame!”

Shi Jun found this puzzling and sensed something amiss but couldn’t quite place it. Seeing the frog seemed unwilling to say more, he wisely kept silent.

Gradually, more companions appeared beside and below them—some flying on their own, others running swiftly on the ground, and some riding on various butterfly-winged water beasts. Besides butterfly-winged water beasts, Shi Jun also saw several other winged creatures acting as “drivers.” Among them was a small but fast white dove, seemingly carrying tiny creatures like ants and caterpillars; another was a bird covered in fur, with a transparent huge water sac under its beak, inside which various fish swam.

Besides these, Shi Jun noticed several human-like figures moving below. He was stunned. “There are humans in the demon world too?”

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“Those are demons with higher cultivation who can transform at will,” Huang Sha quietly explained.

“Clatter!” Looking down, Shi Jun suddenly saw a strange creature about ten meters long and flat, sliding swiftly like a snake. On its back sat two tigers, an old-fashioned television, and several milky white large stones.

“Boom! Boom!” A roughly three-story wooden building, built in an ancient style, slowly ‘walked’ out from behind a grove on the right. Countless heads poked out of its windows, chattering noisily, dazzling Shi Jun’s eyes.

A building? A television? Shi Jun’s eyes nearly popped out, his mouth wide open. “General Huang, how do demons come into being here? Can even televisions and buildings become demons?”

“Television?” Huang Sha, who had long lived in the Underworld, was clearly unfamiliar with the term. After pondering for a moment, she answered, “That building must have been constructed in a place rich with spiritual energy. Over time, it gained consciousness by absorbing the wood spirit energy of heaven and earth. After many years, it naturally became a demon. Other animals and plants are the same.”

“Really?” Shi Jun’s interest heightened. “General Huang, what kind of place exactly is this demon world?”

Seeing Shi Jun’s curiosity, Huang Sha spoke openly, “The demon world is a gathering place for beings formed from the condensation of wood spirit energy within the five elements—those beings with physical bodies are called demons. It is one of the five parallel dimensional spaces in the multiverse. Most lifeforms originate naturally, though there are some special synthetic beings, like the building you just saw. The species attribute is the source of wood power; all rely on spiritual energy combined with wood-elemental material energy to cultivate their demon power. People here rarely use magical treasures or spirit weapons, but their bodies are extremely tough. Their intelligence is generally low, and they live in tribes or groups without formal monarchs.”

Shi Jun was surprised that this seemingly delicate Huang Sha could explain things so clearly. He nodded and glanced back at the building left far behind. “What kinds of demons live here? Tell me about them.”

Huang Sha chuckled softly, her blood-red eyes flicking toward Shi Jun. “Demons are just one type of being in the demon world. Because their power is scattered, they are relatively weak compared to immortals, demons, and underworld beings in the heavenly realms. Due to the unique resources here (mostly useful only to demons), they rarely interact with other realms. Demons are divided into four ranks based on cultivation and intelligence: demon spirits, demon fairies, demons, and demon beasts.”

“The strongest are, of course, the demon spirits. Demon spirits are the spirits of demon clans—the kings of large demon tribes. They hold absolute status and awe within their species but usually do not involve themselves in tribal or clan administration. They possess great wisdom and demon power and can freely manipulate most wood-elemental natural forces. The Silver Hook river can also be considered a demon spirit, but due to its erratic temperament and solitary nature, it has no faction.”

“Next are demon fairies. They are usually tribal chiefs or witch shamans. Demon fairies have high intelligence and demon power and can freely control most wood-elemental natural forces. The chief of the Lionflute tribe, Letu, is a great demon fairy. You might meet it soon.”

“Then come demons. Demons typically lead demon tribes and have some wisdom and demon power, able to control part of the wood-elemental natural forces. The tree you bumped into earlier was a sub-leader tree demon from the Lionflute tribe, a mid-level demon. Also, the frog on me seems to be a minor demon.”

“The lowest rank is demon beasts, which are low-level demon clan members or wandering beast-men. Demon beasts have low intelligence and demon power and can control very few wood-elemental natural forces. The butterfly-winged water beasts we transformed into, and the mounts below, probably belong to this rank.”

“I see.” Shi Jun was surprised by the complexity here. “It looks like the ranks are very clearly defined.”

“Of course. The fairies, spirits, demons, and beasts in the demon world are each divided into upper, middle, and lower classes based on their demon power and influence. Their management systems are quite scattered because the highest leader of the demon world, Ju Lan, has focused all his attention on cultivation since the Four Realms War and has since…”

At this point, Huang Sha abruptly stopped, coughing awkwardly and refusing to continue.

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When it came to the Four Realms War, those from the Underworld always became taciturn. Shi Jun’s eyes gleamed with cunning as he asked, “Then the water beast drivers we’ve turned into now should be low-level, lower-class demon beasts, right?”

“Hehe... yes, because we want to avoid drawing attention, that’s why... Ah Jun, please don’t be angry—I don’t want this either!” Huang Sha said with a forced smile.

“Forget it, it’s fine. It’ll be interesting to see the commotion; maybe we can find some clues.”

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“That’s right, that’s right!” Huang Sha quickly said, “Look, up ahead is the Weeping Tree Forest.”

Shi Jun looked ahead and indeed saw a vast, dark forest stretching before him. Each tree grew tightly close to the next, forming a high wall that made it impossible to see inside.

Each tree was a towering ancient tree, having endured countless human years to gain self-awareness and cultivate into demon trees. Faces were embedded in the bark, all with sorrowful expressions and tearful eyes, as if bearing some immense grievance, looking longingly at the throngs of visitors. The leaves above rustled softly in the breeze.

More and more creatures gathered outside the forest. Eventually, the crowd swelled to thousands, densely packed. Most had transformed into humanoid forms of varying heights and builds. Some whispered, some giggled, some glanced around nervously, and others remained silent. Their species and appearances varied widely, dazzling Shi Jun’s eyes.

“...Something’s not right!” Huang Sha’s voice was low and troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

“I suddenly realize why all the leaders of the various tribes in the demon world have gathered. Could something serious have happened?”

Chiyang! Shi Jun’s heart twitched sharply. Could this be related to Chiyang arriving in the demon world?

“Ding!” With a clear, pleasant chime, the demons fell silent.

“Creak, creak...” The ancient trees seemed to begin moving slowly, and tears of emerald green continuously flowed down their grotesque faces.

“They’re crying! They’re crying!” Upon seeing this, many demons whispered anxiously, their expressions fearful and reverent.

In a short while, a wide road paved with green leaves appeared before the demons, formed as the ancient trees moved aside. Shi Jun strained his eyes but could not see where the road ended.

Seeing such a magnificent sight, Shi Jun suddenly felt excited and asked the frog, “May I ask your name?”

The frog snorted through its nose, ignoring him for a while before replying, “My name is Jigua, but next time you call me, you must add ‘Sir’ at the end!”

Shi Jun chuckled inwardly but respectfully said, “Honorable Sir Jigua, pleased to meet you! Why are these trees crying?”

“Of course, it’s because of Nisu...” Jigua blurted out, then immediately added, “I’m not going to tell a lowly demon beast like you. You wouldn’t understand with your kind of nature, hmph!” Then, impatiently, it pinched Huang Sha’s neck hard. “Let’s go. Didn’t you see everyone’s moving?”

Sure enough, as the towering ancient trees made way for the road, the waiting demons—whether flying, running, or walking—rushed en masse onto the path.

Huang Sha groaned in pain and quickly spread her wings, with Shi Jun following closely behind.