Chapter 29.1 Divine Artifact: World Toppling Flower

Both of them were trapped in the peach blossom cocoon.

Su Su helplessly said, “Now, you should let go of me, right?” The hands around her waist subconsciously tightened, then slowly loosened. Su Su raised her head and looked at the huge cocoon.

She knew that Lan An had betrayed Tantai Jin. In the greatest period of difficulty, Lan An had chosen to raise him and endured many years of humiliation ¹ 忍辱负重 ( rěnrǔ-fùzhòng) – to endure humiliation as part of an important mission (idiom)/ to suffer in silence , just to support him to rise to the throne. Who would have thought that the last person in the world who cared for him would also abandon him overnight? Having been betrayed by Lan An, he would never easily trust anyone again.

Su Su didn’t need his trust either. Instead of having the heart to argue about noble character with a naturally evil being, it was better to think of how to escape.

The petals of the peach tree were corrosive. Su Su’s yellow talisman was a water element talisman. It turned into a layer of transparent water film, wrapping the two of them inside, temporarily preventing the peach blossoms from coming into contact with them.

However, the water film wouldn’t last forever, and when it broke they would both die.

Su Su asked, “You reached Landlord Wang’s residence before me so do you know what’s going on with the peach tree demon?”

Tantai Jin glanced at her reddened palm and said, “The peach tree had sucked Young Master Wang dry, leaving only his skin as a puppet at its disposal. It used his body to have intimacy with women and seize their fundamental yin .”

Su Su’s heart sank. If that was the case, it wasn’t looking too good for those women who were forcibly taken away ² 凶多吉少 (xiōngduō-jíshǎo) – everything bodes ill, no positive signs (idiom); bode ill rather than well/ be fraught with grim possibilities/ inauspicious .

At the end of the last great war between gods and devils, almost all the demonic creatures were sealed. After that, those who had cultivated enough to gain human form either had low magical power or were very careful. This peach tree was abnormally large and couldn’t have been something growing in the town. It had most probably escaped from the Abyss of Desolation.

These demonic creatures that were quietly living in the human world were secretly waiting for the next Devil God to awaken. At that time, it would be a festival for the demons and the devil realm. Fortunately, they didn’t know who their Devil God was.

Su Su calmly glanced at Tantai Jin as he coincidentally raised his head at the same time and met her gaze. He was open-minded enough to not be the slightest bit embarrassed about hugging her entering the peach blossom cocoon.

This person is really……

She silently leaned back, staying further away from him. The peach blossom cocoon wasn’t too big and both of them were squeezed together. He was taller than her and his bone structure was much larger than Su Su’s, so it was as if she was leaning into his arms. 

Tantai Jin’s body temperature was still very low like before. The rouge on his lips had been wiped off at some point, making his thin lips look pale.

Martial Uncle had said that people with such lips were the most ruthless.

Su Su saw his cloth-covered eye was incessantly bleeding, “What happened to your eye?”

Tantai Jin covered his bleeding eye and said in a grim tone, “Young Master Wang is a corpse, so his eye can’t be used.”

Su Su didn’t know whether she should be angry or amused. So he personally gouged his own eye out, so determined and decisive.

Su Su asked, “The tree demon won’t have an eye for you either. Its spirit body’s eyes are transformed to resemble a mortal’s but it doesn’t actually have eyes. What are you going to do?”

His other dark pupil silently looked at Su Su.

Su Su glared at him, “I won’t give my eye to you.”

Tantai Jin was expressionless.

Su Su actively continued, “There are some spiritual items in the world that can be transformed into a human eye, but they aren’t as good as real human eyes. For example, Soil of Breath ³ 息壤 (xī rǎng) – A Godly item in China ancient legends. It is called the Soil of Breath because it can grow automatically by itself. (Source: China Wikipedia) , Heavenly Marrow Spirit Soul……”

She paused and didn’t go on, because these valuable treasures couldn’t merge with the Devil God’s body.

Layers of ripples began to appear on the water film and Tantai Jin said, “Let’s get out of this peach blossom cocoon first.”

Su Su said, “The five elements ⁴ 五行 (wǔxíng) – five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, believed by the ancients to make up the physical universe restrain each other. The tree demon is afraid of fire, so let me try using a Heavy Fire Spell.”

Tantai Jin coldly laughed.

Su Su looked at him in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“The peach tree grew in the innermost courtyard. Before I came out of the room, I broke the Evil Star Array and set the room on fire just to burn it. But currently, the tree demon has moved to the lakeside.” Tantai Jin continued, “It moves along with its roots. If I’ve guessed correctly, the underneath of this town is full of its roots, so it can move to wherever it wants.”

Su Su pictured that scene, the underneath of the whole town enveloped by the roots of the peach tree, and instantly felt cold shivers down her spine.

No wonder I couldn’t enter by burrowing just now. Continuing with that line of thought, perhaps Chen Yanyan’s village also had the tree demon’s roots underground, which was why it was so rampant in killing people. If it wasn’t for the peach tree demon not being keen and sensitive enough, Tantai Jin and her would have already been discovered.

Continuing to think about horrifying possibilities, perhaps all the young women in the entire town had already become the tree demon’s fertilizer.

If the tree demon wasn’t eradicated today, it would keep killing wherever its roots spread.

The water film vibrated and was about to rupture. It broke, and in an instant, peach blossom petals swirled in the air, containing endless killing intent, and attacked the two of them.

Tantai Jin raised his hand. His blood-soaked hand touched the peach blossoms and the petals turned black, layer by layer, and peeled away.

Tantai Jin shouted at Su Su, “What are you standing there for? Get out!”

Su Su spun and flew out from the hole that he split open. Her reaction was quick as she loosen the hidden soft whip around her waist, split the peach blossom cocoon open, and wrapped it around Tantai Jin’s waist, bringing him out as well.

Both of them escaped from the peach blossom cocoon. Su Su fixed her eyes on the peach tree. Sure enough, like what Tantai Jin said, the peach tree that was originally near the lake had now reached the opposite side of it. It was sticking closely to the lake in the residence, far away from the large fire. Its roots could draw water from the lake to put out the fire at any time.

The peach tree wasn’t as smart as other demons, but its towering trunk was a shocking sight to see.

Su Su felt a chill run down her spine. She turned around to find that Young Master Wang, who had previously become a sack of skin, had somehow stood up again. Behind him stood Landlord Wang and a group of people dressed like servants. Currently, all the puppets were holding cutting tools in their hands with their heads lowered, slashing towards them.

The peach tree was actually controlling people to kill them. Looking closer, each of them seemed to have peach tree roots connected to their necks.

Tantai Jin’s eye narrowed and a large number of blood crows flew in from the air, obstructing the puppets. Su Su sighed in relief.

“I have an idea,” Su Su said. “The peach tree is afraid of fire, so it went near the water. After being frightened by you, now basically all its roots are immersed in the lake. However, water conducts electricity. I’ll set up a formation to summon a thunderbolt to strike the peach tree down. But…… ”

Tantai Jin understood what she meant, “You’re worried the peach tree will leave the center of the formation and escape?”

Su Su nodded. Setting up a formation required time, and body immobilizing talismans weren’t effective against demonic creatures like these.

Tantai Jin said, “I can hold it back. You go set up the formation.”

Su Su was skeptical about this. However, she also knew that the person who offended the peach tree the most was Tantai Jin. He took a few strands of its meridians, connected them to his own, and used a large fire to burn part of its foundation. As long as Tantai Jin didn’t leave the town, it would surely kill him.

Su Su could only say, “Be careful.”

Her body was light. She agily stepped on the thrashing branches in the air with the tip of her toes and began to set up a formation with the peach tree and lake as its center.

Tantai Jin slowly walked towards the tree demon.

He looked extremely tiny in front of the tree demon. As he got closer, it madly swung out its branches. He grunted in pain when a branch lashed his body.

So this is what it feels like to get hit by it , he inwardly thought.

Edited by: Gaze