Chapter 232: Willfulness

Chapter 232: Willfulness

The fall of Yong’an City was a fatal blow to the Demon Clan, but for Lily, it was not good timing. She had only come to vent her frustration.

Her power was so immense that few in the Northlands could restrain her. More often, it was coaxing and promises born of helplessness, offered in exchange for her help. Her authority in Twinwing City grew day by day, for here she was the supreme Deity. That was, until the arrival of two Mortals shattered it all.

Her parents had come, which made Lily happy—at least at first. She joyfully welcomed her parents into the High Tower and looked down with them upon this Divine Abode City.

Their arrival brought a bit more liveliness to Twinwing City, for they were accompanied by Northlander companions—a pack of White Wolves and Snow Falcons. Upon arrival, the White Wolves wandered the city, letting out howls from time to time. The cries of the Snow Falcons also began to echo through the sky.

Two tree seeds were planted in the prepared flower bed in front of the tower, slowly taking root and sprouting. Lily felt regret that no adult Ancient Trees had relocated here. However, the Little Fairies were very interested in these two saplings. They curiously encircled the young trees, like children looking at their newborn baby brother.

There was also a rather unreliable piece of news: an Ancient Tree was on a journey, with this place as its destination. But given his tumbling, stumbling way of travel, the arrival time was hard to estimate. He said he wanted to see the scenery along the way and no longer wished to be carried around in someone’s pocket.

Hearing this, Lily could only shake her head helplessly. Some of Bran’s strange ideas were starting to influence these Ancient Trees. That was fine, in a way; it gave her something to look forward to. She, too, very much wished to have a Wood like the one at her brother’s home.

After the initial warmth, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Her parents began to criticize her and this city.

During one argument, in a fit of rage, Lily transformed into a point of light and vanished into the horizon. In her anger, her pair of wings also underwent a new change—they were no longer just for show but truly transformed into a pair of wings that carried Lily soaring into the nine heavens.

Watching their daughter soar into the sky, even though they had often heard others’ descriptions, they now understood those descriptions fell far short of the reality. They were in a world of light, with light butterflies dancing around and holy spirits chanting hymns. But as their daughter flew away, the strange phenomena born from her rage gradually faded.

A Deity! Even they began to waver, to start believing the rumors of a Deity.

Standing atop the High Tower, looking down at the statues of that brother and sister, at the Alien Races who had prostrated themselves on the ground due to the strange phenomena, their ears still echoed with their daughter’s voice: “This is a gift from my younger brother to me, not even you can lay a hand on it!”

Light and darkness, the brother and sister pair—they really were quite alike. They had been entangled since childhood, and still were now. The couple looked at each other with bitter smiles. They had given birth to and raised a pair of Deities. Now these Deities had grown up and no longer needed them. Bran had left and never returned. Lily had also run off, getting further and further away from them.

With bitter smiles, they descended the High Tower and began packing their belongings. When Night fell, they quietly left Twinwing City. At least they still had three Mortal children. But then hesitation and bitterness set in because Xirui was too much like that brother and sister pair…

…

Yes, indeed too much like them!

Xirui was leaning against the big tree in the Manor, having fallen into a dream. In the dream, snow fell, frost flowers formed around her, and wind howled through the snow.

As she dreamed, the chill within the Manor grew denser and thicker. White mist rose, with snowflakes swirling within. The people and livestock in the Manor couldn’t withstand this sudden cold and all ran out.

As the last person ran out, the cold lost its restraint. Wind began to rise and howl within the Manor, the howl loud and sharp, like a blade scraping across one’s heart.

Danny’s tall Statue gradually became covered in Frost. A snowflake gently brushed past the cheek, leaving a faint, almost imperceptible scratch. Then, the scratch slowly extended down the cheek, passed over the chin, cut into the neck, split open the chest and abdomen, and crumbled into a pile of rubble. This seemed to be some sort of signal; the entire Manor, inside and out, began to crumble piece by piece.

Adam stood in the distance, watching his beloved Manor turn to dust. Grief welled up in him, and his eyes grew red.

On the hillock, the Ancient Tree still stood tall, its leaves appearing even greener amidst the cold mist.

Wizards needed to Awaken gradually, to gradually form a Resonance with Mana. They needed time to build a deeper connection with Mana. But Xirui was different. She had long since formed a Resonance and established a connection with Mana. When this World responded to her longing, her abilities were nurtured in a short time. The practices, knowledge, and many ideas of Bran and Lily were already familiar to her.

For a Wizard, she was born powerful.

Xirui had a dream, destroyed Bran’s Manor, and ruined Adam’s beloved place. Upon waking, Xirui knew she had caused a great disaster, so without looking back, she ran towards Northland City, leaving only the cold mist swirling in the Manor.

Adam’s Manor was ruined, and his sister was gone. He stood upon the ruins, calling out a thousand times, hoping his sister would appear. His hands and feet trembling, he loudly promised he wouldn’t blame her, if only she would come out.

…

Bran was also trembling.

The Mist could indeed respond to some requests, but it couldn’t connect hearts with outsiders. At first, everyone had fun. Under commands like “a bit darker” or “a bit brighter,” they saw various changes in light and shadow.

Then, they turned their attention to the City Manor. A crowd chattered all at once, from “higher” to “more to the side.” The City Manor changed swiftly until it became crooked beyond recognition.

Mary delivered the final blow. With extreme confidence, she grabbed the Mist and issued the command—”Restore it to its original state.” Then, she began describing in detail. As she described, the Castle began to sprout menacing claws and fangs…

When she tried to return the Mist to the Ancient Tree, the Ancient Tree revealed its most primitive nature: no matter the wind or rain, it just stood there, unmoving. Everyone else left, leaving only Mary in disarray in the wind.

In the end, Mary handed the Mist to Huahua. Seeing this Black Cat cradle the Mist in her arms, Mary patted her behind contentedly and walked away.

The residents of the City Manor completed the fastest move ever, and even the Ancient Tree followed along to shelter the Statue there from wind and rain.

A menacing ancient Castle, a not-very-big Little Tree in front of it, under which sat a youth and a Black Cat. A thin, gray mist gathered and dispersed intermittently, drifting like a floating cloud. This was what Bran perceived as he withdrew from the Sea of Magic. For a moment, he thought a hundred years had passed, his friends had all left him, and he felt an inexplicable sadness.

Only as his perception slowly returned and expanded did he realize that on the High Tower, Danny was looking this way and sighing, while below the tower, Mary was laughing arrogantly…

After Bran woke, the City Manor also returned to its original state.

In the past few days, everyone found the High Tower area to be better, so no one suggested moving back.

Learning his lesson, Bran withdrew the Mist back into his body. That Water Pearl was also moved to the top floor of the High Tower, and others were strictly forbidden from entering casually. He was grateful that his clansmen were only fooling around with the Mist. If they had set their sights on that Water Pearl, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just as Bran and his clansmen were playing and joking around, Xirui appeared at the Everspring Riverbank. With her arrival, a cold wind blew into Northland City, and snow fell from the sky.

Xirui wanted her brother to know: I am here…