Chapter 721: Allpine Treefather's Turn
There were no dragon claws, no dragon horns, and there also weren't any dragon scales. The body revealed by this divine light was an extremely huge tree root that was completely black as if it was metal. This huge tree root flying in the sky seemed to be a coiling dragon!
Many guests were surprised to see that this black dragon was not a real dragon and instead only a huge root. Some inadvertently glanced over at the treefather; their first thought was that the treefather was helping Li Qiye!
The Allpine Treefather was originally a pine tree, so now when a tree root turned into a dragon to attack the Second Ancestor, many people couldn't help but think that the treefather was protecting Li Qiye.
Of course, the treefather was being wrongfully suspected. No one knew that Li Qiye was only using the Death Chapter to summon the most powerful dead creature from underground. However, this root truly had a big relation to the treefather; it was the main root that he slashed off. He wanted to break away from the Allpine Grand Vein, so he cut off his own root.
Although the separated root had lost its life, it was already in the deepest parts of the mountain. When Li Qiye came to the mountain, he had tried to search for it.
At this time, he used the Death Chapter to summon it and turned it into a black dragon to injure the Second Ancestor.
Keep in mind that this root was the strongest root that belonged to the treefather when he was at his peak condition. Despite being dead for countless years, it was still extremely strong after being summoned by the Death Chapter. Killing a Virtuous Paragon like the Second Ancestor was absolutely no problem!
"Pop!" The ancestor was blown away by the root. One could hear the sounds of bones breaking and blood spurting. Even a paragon like the ancestor was no match for this root.
"Allpine Treefather, what are you trying to do, secretly attacking us like this?!" The wounded ancestor couldn't help but cry out. 1
These words caused the treefather to blink, then his gaze immediately turned cold. He told Li Qiye: "Young Noble, leave this to me."
Li Qiye smiled and stomped down with his foot, causing the Death Chapter to emerge once more. The huge root had lost its source of power, so it fell back into the ground like a hidden dragon diving into water, quickly disappearing altogether.
In the sky, the Second Ancestor heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the main root disappear into the ground.
However, at this very moment, the treefather's palm reached for him. Just imagine how frightening the treefather's attack was! This encroaching palm was able to seal the nine heavens above and the scorching hell below. Even a paragon wouldn't be able to escape this palm.
"Allpine Treefather, what are you trying to do?!" The ancestor was aghast at the sight of the approaching palm. He turned around to run while screaming: "You should know that if I don't return, our Huangfu Sacred Ancestor—"
However, before he could finish, a snapping sound came about as if all the bones in his body were crushed. His pitiful cry bellowed across the entire plain.
Before anyone could calm down, the blood-soaked Second Ancestor was thrown into the ground by the treefather.
He struggled to get up. At this time, his appearance changed completely; with completely white hair, he seemed to have aged several thousand years in a split second. He trembled as he climbed up and was no longer able to stand straight.
"You… You crippled my cultivation!" He let out a miserable scream!
"The Huangfu Clan actually dares to come to my Allpine Mountain and act so presumptuously!" The treefather glanced at the ancestor and slowly uttered: "You think you can come here and posture with just your Sacred Ancestor? Even if he becomes a God-Monarch, I still wouldn't look at him straight!"
All of a sudden, the whole scene went silent. Many people were quivering on the inside. Everyone knew that the treefather was an apex existence since everyone said so, but for millions of years, very few people had seen him take action.
Today, he finally attacked and destroyed a Virtuous Paragon's cultivation with one palm. How heaven-defying and powerful must that strike have been? Perhaps only Immortal Emperors could suppress an apex existence like him!
No matter which sect or lineage they came from, the big shots present all felt a cold chill running down their spines. They swore to never act arrogantly at Allpine Mountain from now on!
It was just as the treefather had said, he wouldn't care even if a God-Monarch was about to come, let alone an ordinary paragon!
At this moment, the Second Ancestor squatted on the ground. It wasn't easy for him to reach the paragon level, but the treefather destroyed his cultivation so easily. His life was done for and was nearing its end.
The treefather calmly declared: "Go back and tell your Sacred Ancestor. From now on, if anyone else from your Huangfu Clan dares to take another step into my Allpine Mountain, I will destroy your clan!"
Everyone held their breaths the moment this declaration came out. No one dared to make a single sound. They all knew that with his power, destroying the Huangfu Clan was not difficult at all!
Eventually, the ancestor was taken out of Allpine Mountain by its disciples. A Virtuous Paragon was ended in this fashion.
Afterward, the Maple King quickly lightened the atmosphere and said to the guests: "Come, let us continue."
"We wish for the demon forefather's life to be endless…!" The majority of the guests immediately raised their cups and gave their blessings to the treefather.
The treefather smiled and returned the gesture with his own cup…
The banquet continued with joyous laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.
After the Huangfu Clan Master met Fairy Ming, he didn't go back to the Huangfu Clan and had been waiting in the Alchemy Kingdom for any news from the imperial family.
However, days passed and the imperial family didn't give any response. Fairy Ming also didn't send him any messages, causing him to be quite annoyed. By now, he realized that the imperial family essentially didn't care for this matter. Although he didn't place high hopes in this endeavor, he was still quite displeased when the imperial family didn't even bother showing that they cared.
However, what could he do? It wasn't easy for him to meet the imperial family.
"Father-in-law, there is no reason for you to be so anxious." While the clan master was anxiously pacing back and forth in his room, the words of a handsome young man could be heard. He had an oppressive aura and was seated in the room.
This young man was the renowned World-Pillar Monarch, Xian Miao. He was especially popular among the younger generation, gifted at politics, and was a capable regional monarch in the Alchemy Kingdom. Moreover, his personal cultivation was not shabby either, so he had quite an influence on his fellow monarchs.
Most importantly, he came from the Xian Clan, a separate division from the Alchemy Kingdom's main branch. In a very distant generation, their oldest ancestor used to have a high position in the imperial family.
Later on, this ancestor separated from the imperial family to become a monarch in his own region and started his own branch.
Although the World-Pillar Monarch's position was great, it couldn't compare to the direct imperial family. However, their oldest ancestor was still left behind in the imperial family and buried underground.
The Huangfu Clan Master stopped and softly sighed before speaking: "How could I not be anxious? Hao'er died a terrible death, and a little junior is now stepping over my Huangfu Clan's head!"
"Those who dare to oppose the Alchemy Kingdom will not have a good end!" The World-Pillar Monarch's eyes became fierce with a frightening murderous intent.
The clan master deepened his voice: "We will absolutely not forgive this human junior. No matter what, I will offer his head to Hao'er!"
At this time, a disciple came in and quickly said: "My lord, the ancestor has arrived."
"Ancestor? Which ancestor?" The clan master was slightly stunned after hearing this. He didn't know which ancestor had come into being.
An aura as vast as an endless sea swept into the room. This invincible aura belonged to a God-Monarch and permeated the air. No one could oppose this monstrous force.
Both the clan master and the World-Pillar Monarch couldn't withstand this aura and immediately prostrated on the ground!
"Sacred Ancestor…" The clan master couldn't stop trembling and found it difficult to believe his own eyes. He stuttered: "Ancestor, y-you also came out?"
"Yes." The recent arrival had a cold expression and emitted an especially frightening aura. He said: "The Second Ancestor's cultivation was ruined, and he doesn't have much time left."
"What…" This news scared the soul out of the clan master. To him, this was no different from a thunderbolt sent down by the heavens.
"How could that be…?" The clan master was in dismay. Not long before this, their youngest ancestor had died in the Giant Bamboo Country. And now, the second-ranked ancestor had also lost his cultivation. This was a great blow to their clan.
"It is that Junior Li again!" The arrival coldly said: "The treefather backed him up, killed the other elders, and crippled the Second Ancestor's cultivation!"
"Allpine Treefather!" The clan master couldn't help himself from falling down to the ground. He was unable to compose himself after hearing this news.
In the Stone Medicine World, who didn't know about the Allpine Treefather's might? As an apex existence, who didn't know how frightening he was? This was not just flattery, even a behemoth like the Alchemy Kingdom had to be relatively respectful towards the treefather.
721 TeaserThere were no dragon claws, no dragon horns, and there also weren't any dragon scales. The body revealed by this divine light was an extremely huge tree root that was completely black as if it was metal. This huge tree root flying in the sky seemed to be a coiling dragon!
Many guests were surprised to see that this black dragon was not a real dragon and instead only a huge root. Some inadvertently glanced over at the treefather; their first thought was that the treefather was helping Li Qiye!
The Allpine Treefather was originally a pine tree, so now when a tree root turned into a dragon to attack the Second Ancestor, many people couldn't help but think that the treefather was protecting Li Qiye.
Of course, the treefather was being wrongfully suspected. No one knew that Li Qiye was only using the Death Chapter to summon the most powerful dead creature from underground. However, this root truly had a big relation to the treefather; it was the main root that he slashed off. He wanted to break away from the Allpine Grand Vein, so he cut off his own root.
[collapse] This “you” is no longer formal/respectful. ↩Chapter 722: Xian Clan
The absent-minded clan master sat on the ground, unable to think for a moment. After a while, he calmed down and asked: "Then, then, what should we do?"
The Huangfu Clan couldn't take revenge with the treefather backing Li Qiye. Allpine Mountain had always produced many talents while the treefather had students everywhere in this world. Countless Demon Kings and Stone Saints came under his tutelage! And this was before talking about his own invincible strength.
Although their Huangfu Clan was strong, there was still a huge gap between them and Allpine Mountain that had the treefather.
The World-Pillar Monarch calmed down and said with a deep tone: "Although this Li Qiye has the treefather as his backing, the treefather cannot leave Allpine Mountain — this is common knowledge! Unless Li Qiye never leaves the mountain, we will still have a chance."
"Virtuous Son-in-law, it is true that the treefather cannot leave Allpine Mountain, but he has countless followers, and some of his disciples even became Virtuous Paragons! Maybe he will order some of his disciples to protect Li Qiye. The treefather isn't someone to mess with. If he knows that we are attacking someone under his protection, it will bring about a terrible disaster!" Although the clan master wanted nothing more than to eat Li Qiye's flesh and drink his blood, he still had some sense left in him. The treefather was not to be provoked — this was something known by many people. 1
At this time, the Sacred Ancestor added: "Which is why we need the help from the Alchemy Kingdom."
The Huangfu Clan Master was excited after hearing this. He immediately sat up and said: "Ancestor is trying to say…"
At this time, the Sacred Ancestor's eyes fell upon the monarch as he slowly uttered: "We need the help of your Xian Clan's Alchemy Ancestor!"
The World-Pillar Monarch hesitantly responded after hearing this: "This… I'm afraid it isn't possible."
The Xian Alchemy Ancestor was their oldest ancestor. He had always been buried under the ancestral ground of the Alchemy Kingdom. He had not come into being after countless long years. For many generations, their main descendants had not been able to meet this legendary ancestor.
The Sacred Ancestor looked at the monarch and raised his voice: "Can you meet your Alchemy Ancestor?"
The hesitating monarch pondered for a while before answering: "The Xian Clan is divided into several branches. Although my branch is not the main branch, the Xian Clan has a tradition. If the circumstances allow for it, then the main descendant of each branch may meet the Alchemy Ancestor. I have inherited my branch at the moment, so theoretically, I should be able to see the ancestor."
"Virtuous Son-in-law, go meet your Alchemy Ancestor once!" The clan master happily advised.
The monarch pondered for a moment before replying: "Hmm, meeting the Alchemy Ancestor is not easy… I…"
This matter would be a huge event for their Xian Clan, so his hesitation was understandable.
The Sacred Ancestor declared in a booming voice: "As long as you can accomplish this, the Huangfu Clan will not mistreat you. I shall accept you as a disciple."
These words shook the monarch! He had heard about the Huangfu Sacred Ancestor before. Rumor has it that he was already a God-Monarch. Worshiping a God-Monarch as a master was an opportunity that one could only come across serendipitously and not seek.
The monarch composed himself with a deep breath before responding in a serious manner: "This junior can go meet the Alchemy Ancestor, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to convince him to come into being! Maybe the Alchemy Kingdom will not allow it either."
For any lineage, an existence buried underground was a priceless treasure!
"You don't have to worry about that." The Sacred Ancestor said in a deep tone: "After meeting your ancestor, tell him that there is a human capable of refining pills like cooking. This junior's alchemy is unprecedented in this world, this I can guarantee. Also, I am willing to work together with him! If we capture this Li Qiye, the alchemy technique will go to the Alchemy Ancestor!"
The monarch thought about it then took a deep breath before making his decision and solemnly responded: "Very well, I will go meet the Alchemy Ancestor. However, I cannot guarantee whether His Venerable will come out or not."
"Go." The Sacred Ancestor gently nodded and said: "As long as you can meet the ancestor, everything will be fine!"
After the monarch left, the clan master pondered: "Ancestor, you and the Alchemy Ancestor working together… Will you be able to fight against the Allpine Treefather?"
The Sacred Ancestor sat down and calmly replied: "No, we can't."
In fact, acknowledging this was not shameful at all. How many people across the entire world could say that they could fight against the treefather?!
The clan master was startled and quickly inquired: "If that's the case, then doesn't that mean we have no chance of winning?"
The Sacred Ancestor responded without haste: "That doesn't matter. The only crucial point is if the Xian's Alchemist Ancestor will be willing to take action. After that, everything will be easy. Allpine Mountain and the treefather… If they kill the Alchemy Ancestor, then that is the same as declaring war against the Alchemy Kingdom!"
"Dragging the kingdom into these muddy waters…" The clan master quickly reacted: "Wise Ancestor, if we could do so, then everything will indeed be easy!"
The Sacred Ancestor slowly said: "If the Allpine Treefather is sensible, then he should know the result of opposing the Alchemy Kingdom. Even if he was stronger than he is now, he alone is unable to shake the entire kingdom!"
The clan master composed himself and felt that this scheme was indeed amazing. "Opposing a behemoth like the kingdom just for a human junior is probably something Allpine Mountain doesn't want to do, even if the treefather was stronger than he is now. At that point, the treefather will either hand over the brat or refuse to get involved in this matter… and then the brat will be a bird trapped in a cage!"
"That's right! Capturing this Li fella is only a matter of time. If the Alchemy Kingdom is willing to take action, then it is best if they are willing to trample over the Giant Bamboo Country as well. Nothing could be better." Having said this, the Sacred Ancestor's eyes became fierce with a terrifying murderous glint.
As a sealed undying, he was not willing to come into being. However, the Huangfu Clan had suffered greatly, so he couldn't endure it any longer. He rose to the surface and was committed to fight to the very end against his enemies!
The ancestral ground of the Alchemy Kingdom. Ming Yexue summoned an expert that was present at the treefather's birthday celebration into the palace.
The celebration was over, so the representative of the Alchemy Kingdom returned and was immediately summoned.
Ming Yexue looked at this expert and asked: "Elder Shi, how was the birthday party?"
The expert answered: "Princess, something happened at the party and I'm sure Princess has heard about it already, so I won't go into details. However, there is one thing that I must report."
"Do tell, Elder Shi." Ming Yexue said: "Your keen insight has always been welcomed by the other elders."
The expert pondered for a moment before speaking with a solemn expression: "In my personal opinion, the treefather has recovered. His problem has been dealt with."
"That can't be." Before Ming Yexue could respond, an old woman next to her said in shock: "From what I know about the treefather's tribulation, it is an extremely arduous one. The treefather had endured it for a long period of time and still couldn't deal with it, so why has it been dealt with so suddenly now?"
Ming Yexue added: "Elder Shi, you should know that the treefather also asked us for help regarding this matter. Our Ancestor Wushuang couldn't solve the problem. He had said that the treefather's problem was very difficult. Unless the treefather breaks through the last chain to become an existence of the Emperor Assailant level, he wouldn't be able to suppress this tribulation completely."
At this point, even she became emotional and said: "Does that mean that the treefather has broken through and became an Emperor Assailant?"
An Emperor Assailant was a terrifying existence that couldn't be stopped unless it was an Immortal Emperor. This was true invincibility below emperors!
"I'm afraid not." This expert hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Although I was unable to see through the treefather's true level, in my opinion, he still hasn't returned to his peak condition just yet. The issue lies with Li Qiye. If I am not mistaken, then he was the one who solved the treefather's problem."
"Li Qiye again!" The old woman next to Ming Yexue had to speak: "He was actually able to solve the treefather's tribulation! This is too demonic. Even our Ancestor Wushuang was unable to do so!"
"Li Qiye dealt with the treefather's tribulation…" After hearing this news, Ming Yexue's eyes also became serious.
The expert contemplated for a bit before speaking: "Princess, this is just my personal guess. Although I am not completely certain, he is indeed the person who solved the problem. However, I believe that it is far from just this. I'm afraid the treefather didn't only deal with his tribulation, he can now also leave Allpine Mountain. He is free now!"
The old woman next to Ming Yexue's expression became dim as she asked: "Can the treefather truly leave the mountain?"
An existence that had lived for so long and was capable of being bestowed the title of Godking, like the treefather, would be dreaded by just about anyone.
Many lineages felt lucky that he was not able to leave the mountain; otherwise, he could sweep through all his opponents in the Stone Medicine World!
The treefather's freedom was not something everyone wanted to hear. It was definitely not a good thing for many lineages.
Just imagine, a contemporary Godking with flourishing vitality being able to travel in this world — just how terrifying was this?
"I'm afraid that is the case. I suspect that it is virtually guaranteed." The expert solemnly responded.
With a serious gaze, Ming Yexue slowly said: "This might not necessarily be a bad thing. A few existences will be able to meet their match."
"There is another thing." The expert hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I believe the treefather is willing to be Li Qiye's dao protector. Otherwise, he wouldn't be willing to back Li Qiye to the point of destroying the Second Ancestor's cultivation."
"This Li Qiye is truly capable." The old woman said: "In the past, Ye Qingcheng personally went to Allpine Mountain and tried to persuade the treefather to point out his mistakes and to become his dao protector. However, the treefather rejected this request. Now, Li Qiye actually managed to convince the treefather — this is quite unbelievable."
"This generation will definitely be very exciting." Ming Yexue revealed a faint smile capable of charming all existences and said: "Ye Qingcheng and Mei Aonan… They will meet a very powerful opponent."
This expert held his breath and didn't dare to comment because both of the people mentioned by the princess were the most likely candidates to become the Immortal Emperor of the current generation.
"Elder Shi, keep an eye out for the World-Pillar Monarch." Eventually, Ming Yexue gave a command to this expert.
"The World-Pillar Monarch…?" The expert was slightly taken aback after hearing the command.
Ming Yexue explained: "The Huangfu Sacred Ancestor has arrived. It seems that they will not give up."
"I understand." The expert immediately said: "If there is any movement, I will report back to Princess right away."
I don't like Virtuous Son-in-law too much either, but it shows the relationship between the two characters. ↩