Yu Xiaogang: A Sacrificial Spirit? It's Just a Charred Willow Tree. Could It Possibly Rival a God?!
(Willow Deity · beautiful illustration 2)
Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Inside the imperial palace.
"Qian Renxue really was persuaded. She's actually planning to abolish her Soul Power and shatter the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul within her body."
"How shortsighted!"
Yu Xiaogang saw that Qian Renxue had gone to Shi Yan for help in the sky screen's images.
With his hands clasped behind his back, a trace of disdain and contempt flashed in his eyes above his rigid face.
It was as though he alone had eyes as sharp as torches.
In Spirit City.
At that moment, Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Luan Douluo, and the others had also grown tense.
They didn't know whether Qian Renxue would really abolish her Soul Power and shatter her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
Nor did they know what would happen if she really did.
Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Luan Douluo, and the others couldn't help feeling deeply worried.
The sky-screen world.
Faced with Qian Renxue's request, Shi Yan hesitated and didn't agree at once.
"I can help you abolish your Soul Power."
"But as for your Martial Soul, I'm not confident I can help you shatter it and erase it."
"Besides, your Martial Soul seems to be deeply connected to your bloodline."
"If I shattered your Martial Soul too, I'm afraid it would cause irreversible damage to your origin."
"That might harm your aptitude for cultivation."
"Ah!"
Qian Renxue's little mouth fell open, and she grew anxious.
"Then what should I do, Shi Yan?"
"My Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul produces Soul Power too."
"Twenty levels of the Soul Power in my body were produced by the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul."
"If I only abolish my Soul Power, there will definitely still be twenty levels of Soul Power that can't be abolished."
In her anxiety, Qian Renxue couldn't help wrapping her arms around Shi Yan's arm, her beautiful eyes full of pleading on her delicate little face.
Hearing this, Shi Yan fell into thought, then could only say helplessly,
"In that case, perhaps we can only ask Lord Sacrificial Spirit for help."
"Sacrificial Spirit?"
"Shi Yan, do you mean that charred willow tree at the entrance to the village?"
Qian Renxue was taken aback.
She had been living in Stone Village for over a week now.
During that time, she had grown close to the village children and learned many things about the village.
For instance, the charred willow tree at the village entrance was the village's Sacrificial Spirit.
Stone Village was able to remain safe from Ferocious Beast attacks in the Great Wilderness thanks to the protection of this willow tree Sacrificial Spirit.
"That's right!"
Shi Yan nodded and said solemnly,
"Lord Sacrificial Spirit is Stone Village's guardian deity, and the most powerful existence I've ever seen."
"Long ago, Lord Sacrificial Spirit suffered an incomparably terrifying lightning tribulation, but did not perish."
"Instead, Lord Sacrificial Spirit fell into our Stone Village and was reborn in nirvana, growing that new branch."
"Although Lord Sacrificial Spirit has yet to recover completely after all these years,"
"if anyone can perfectly resolve the problems with your Martial Soul and Soul Power and let you cultivate without trouble,"
"only Lord Sacrificial Spirit might be able to do it!"
"But before we ask Lord Sacrificial Spirit for help, we should go speak to the village chief."
Qian Renxue hadn't expected Shi Yan to hold the willow tree Sacrificial Spirit in such high regard when it looked as though it had been struck half-dead by lightning and had only one new branch.
But she chose to believe him.
"All right! Let's go find Grandpa Village Chief first!"
Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Inside the imperial palace.
"Pfft!"
At the sight of this, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help letting out a derisive snort, his zombie-like face full of disdain.
"In my opinion, the people of this sky-screen world are nothing special after all!"
"They actually worship a willow tree that was struck half-dead by lightning as a god."
"If this willow tree were really so powerful and extraordinary, how could lightning have struck it half-dead like this? And why hasn't it recovered even now?"
"I think this willow tree can protect Stone Village from Ferocious Beast attacks"
"only because it endured a powerful lightning strike, leaving a strong trace of heavenly lightning within it that can intimidate those dim-witted Ferocious Beasts. That's all."
"But to expect this willow tree to perfectly resolve Qian Renxue's Martial Soul and Soul Power problems and let her cultivate without trouble..."
"On our Douluo Continent, I'm afraid only the legendary gods could do that."
"It's just a charred willow tree that was nearly struck dead by lightning. Could it possibly rival a god?!"
At his side, Flender, Liu Erlong, Tang San, and the others all nodded.
They also felt that Yu Xiaogang's judgment and reasoning made a great deal of sense.
If this charred willow tree were really that powerful,
why hadn't it recovered even now, and why was it still half-dead?
So perhaps it really was only because the charred willow tree contained a powerful trace of heavenly lightning that it could protect Stone Village.
It wasn't impossible.
In the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, ten thousand meters underground.
"Did this honored lord also become like this because of a lightning tribulation?"
Hearing Shi Yan's words, Bi Ji couldn't help feeling astonished.
Sensing the life force within the Willow Deity, countless times stronger than her own,
Bi Ji found it hard to imagine just how powerful a lightning tribulation would have to be to strike such a powerful existence into its present state.
The sky-screen world.
Shi Yan brought Qian Renxue to the village chief, Shi Yunfeng.
At the time, Shi Yunfeng was teaching Little One Bone Text.
"Xiao Yan, what is it?"
Seeing Shi Yan approach with Qian Renxue, Shi Yunfeng stood up and asked.
Shi Yan answered directly.
"Chief, Xue'er has something she wants to ask you."
Qian Renxue then bowed slightly to Shi Yunfeng and said earnestly,
"Grandpa Village Chief, I've recently wanted to cultivate, but I've run into difficulty mobilizing my Qi and blood to refine Bone Text."
"With Shi Yan's help, I discovered that it was because the power produced by a special secret technique I cultivated in my early years was hindering me from mobilizing the essence blood in my body to refine Bone Text."
"But this secret technique is connected to my bloodline. Abolishing it might affect my bloodline."
"So Shi Yan told me I could ask Lord Sacrificial Spirit for help."
"Perhaps Lord Sacrificial Spirit can help me solve this problem."
"Grandpa Village Chief, could I go pay my respects to Lord Sacrificial Spirit and ask for help?"
After hearing her out, Shi Yunfeng was full of disbelief.
"Xue'er! Although Grandpa doesn't know exactly who you are,"
"judging by your clothes and behavior, you're definitely a noble young lady from the outside world."
Shi Yunfeng knitted his brows.
"Given your status, the secret technique you cultivated should be quite powerful."
"How could the power produced by the secret technique you cultivated hinder you from mobilizing your essence blood to refine Bone Text?"
Shi Yunfeng simply couldn't make sense of it, no matter how hard he thought.
Still, Shi Yunfeng didn't refuse Qian Renxue's request to seek help from the Willow Deity, the Sacrificial Spirit. He merely said slowly,
"Xue'er, if you want, I can take you to pay your respects to Lord Sacrificial Spirit and ask for help."
"But I don't know whether Lord Sacrificial Spirit will respond to you."
"All I can say is that it depends on fate."
"Our entire village depends on Lord Sacrificial Spirit to survive in the Great Wilderness."
"We have neither the right nor the ability to influence Lord Sacrificial Spirit's thoughts. I hope you can understand."
"Grandpa Village Chief, I understand!"
"As long as I can try, I can accept the result, whatever it may be."
Qian Renxue spoke sincerely.
"Then come with me!"