The Core

The core of the Ghost Tree lies just above the bottom of its root system, which touches the deep sea.

The higher they went, the more Sunken Sun seemed to radiate light. Yu Fengchen led Yu Xing through the dense branches and finally arrived at a place that was enveloped by several Sunken Sun, forming a small, bright space.

The Silent Sun's lighting ability is terrifying. Previously, the entire Underground City relied on the Sunken Sun for daytime illumination, so Yu Xing's ability to make even the impenetrable darkness underground bright is quite prescient.

But when he actually saw the core of the Ghost Tree, he fell into silence.

Honestly, it was very shocking.

The faint glow resembled both blue and green, yet most closely resembled the emptiness of white. In short, it was difficult to describe; even with the limited vocabulary and knowledge of humankind, it would be impossible to find an accurate word to describe it.

This space, called "Core," is quite large, resembling a small auditorium.

The spacious area seemed deliberately left out, with branches forming a flat floor underfoot. Above, glistening fruits were embedded in the branches, as if gazing down at them with resentment.

All of this was enveloped in swirling black mist, which was almost solidified. In the light of the fruit, the mist seemed to have made some kind of pact with the light, with one half being penetrated by the light and the other half casting its own shadow.

Such lighting effects are constantly changing and churning, filled with an indescribable eeriness, yet also carrying a touch of beautiful dreamlike quality.

It was airtight, yet a chilling wind blew in from all sides.

The place was deserted, yet filled with resentment.

"This is it." Thin branches, used to conceal their bodies, followed Yu Fengchen, leading Yu Xing to the center of this space.

Yu Xing withdrew her gaze from the surroundings and muttered, "It's just the two of us here, why are you so concerned about your image?"

He was constantly annoyed by these thin branches along the way. Although Yu Fengchen was controlling them, the branches were merciless and would always accidentally graze his clothes and skin, leaving bloodstains of varying depths.

The deepest wound was on his arm, caused by a sharp thorny branch. The wound was deep enough to see the bone, and the branch disappeared contentedly, soaked in his blood. Yu Xing stared at the white bone, lost in thought.

Could it be that Yu Fengchen is so petty that he's already starting to deliberately mess with him?

Or perhaps Yu Fengchen knew that opportunities for someone so much stronger than him were rare, and before he could even begin absorbing the nutrients, he wanted to indulge in manipulating the branches to injure him.

Although he won't die, isn't this process almost the same as being slowly sliced to death?

Yu Fengchen also noticed Yu Xing's numerous wounds and coughed lightly.

"There's nothing I can do about this. Do you think my clothes were gone when I came down? They were worn away by these branches."

Yu Xing glanced at him sideways, her face full of distrust.

"That's not the point. See this gap? There used to be a wood core here." Yu Fengchen avoided Yu Xing's gaze and pointed to the area in front of him.

He and Yu Xing were now in the very center of this space, and on the ground was a pit about two people wide. The black mist in the pit was so thick that it was almost like liquid. Without even having to consciously sense it, the fact that a terrifying and enormous amount of energy had once existed here naturally came to mind for the two of them.

"You've removed the wood core." Yu Xing used a statement of fact.

"The core of the wood is actually the core of the Ghost Tree, equivalent to the soul of such a massive tree, representing its wisdom and thinking ability," Yu Fengchen explained. "All of the Ghost Tree's subjective thoughts originate from this core. Only by removing the core can the remaining energy become ownerless and be absorbed."

"But you must have other uses for removing the wood core. I remember you said your body was made of the wood core, and with the fusion of your soul, the wood core became the human body." Yu Xing said thoughtfully, "Compared to the curse, do you need the wood core more?"

Yu Fengchen: "It's really easy to see through you when we're talking."

"That's right. I need the wood core to remove some of the seals Aunt Sharon placed on me. Because the power of the Ghost Tree is too great, my soul couldn't integrate with it properly before, so Aunt Sharon sealed away the abilities that the wood core inherently possessed. I can only unlock them little by little."

"But the journey itself remains a source of power growth. Let me make it clear beforehand that the curses you are about to absorb will take at least a month or two to digest." Yu Fengchen elegantly pointed to the dissipating energy around him, but Yu Xing could sense the hint of accusation in his words.

"And I was only down here for three days." Yu Fengchen held up three fingers. "During those three days, I was also responsible for transferring most of the curse from the wood core to the surrounding branches, which means I only absorbed the curse for a short while."

He pointed to himself, his pale skin revealing well-proportioned muscles covering his bones, while strange yet beautiful black patterns entwined his skin. "This is the result of a little bit of curse. You can imagine just how much nourishment I left you."

Yu Xing pondered, looking at Yu Fengchen's upper body, then at the pit that originally belonged to Mu Xin.

This power seems rather outrageous. Although he knew that Yu Fengchen's ability to absorb and transform curses was definitely much stronger than his own, a guy who had been modified halfway through, the total amount left for him was still too much.

Yu Fengchen's statement that it would take one or two months was probably a favor to him; otherwise, it would be impossible for these cursed powers not to overwhelm him ten or eight times over.

"One or two months." Yu Xing stroked his chin. "It's fine for me to be here, but what about the people on the ground? The event will be over in a month or two. Didn't you say you saw me when you were active on Dead Silent Island?"

How did I manage to get up there in time?

Yu Fengchen some understanding. "It's nothing, I probably misunderstood."

Yu Xing: "?"

Yu Fengchen: "I thought you looked a bit strange when I saw you. Anyway, it was just a fleeting glimpse, so I didn't get a good look at you. Now that I think about it, you seemed to be in a hurry, and the clothes you were wearing didn't look like something you'd get on Dead Silent Island. It was as if you just came here to destroy the island and then left."

"Maybe that's another version of you from another timeline who came specifically to help."

Yu Xing: "... That's possible, but..."

It seems like this is the only possibility.

But since when did they become so accepting of themselves appearing in the same place from different times?

Once the timing is wrong, everything else will become increasingly confusing the more you think about it.

"No buts, you stay here, I'm leaving now." Yu Fengchen was a little worried about Jiang Jieleng's condition.

Seeing that Yu Xing was about to say something, he cut him off. "This is a buffet. Help yourself to what you want. There are no waiters."

After saying that, the waiter was pulled by the tree branches and disappeared into the layers of branches.

Yu Xing: "... Alright then."