1206: Liberation of the Green Vein
When Angel looked towards the Sparkling Green Tree.
The wind, inexplicably, grew stronger.
The howling wind at his ears, the sparks and dust it whisked up, blurred Greerwu’s vision.
In the near-blinding gale, Greerwu squinted, peering through slit eyes at the nearby shop owner.
He started to move, heading towards the Sparkling Green Tree, with steady yet slow steps. The swaying branches and the faint green backlight outlined a tall and upright figure.
When the wind blew the shop owner’s slightly disheveled blonde hair, for some reason, Greerwu thought he glimpsed that previous towering figure.
Greerwu rubbed his eyes and looked again.
Although the shop owner also had blonde hair, it was not long like that of the other person’s and clearly different. So why had he seen it wrong before?
“Could it be that the shop owner’s soul has really been replaced by that person?”
As Greerwu murmured to himself, Angel had already come within less than ten meters of the Sparkling Green Tree.
Seeing this, Greerwu’s previous perplexity was replaced by an even greater doubt: What was the shop owner planning to do?
The Sparkling Green Tree was the culmination of a great Demon God’s entire True Spirit Force, containing power enough to overturn seas and sink continents. Even now, it might appear as an inconspicuous tree, but Greerwu believed that any being from The Profound Abyss, given the chance, would go mad for it.
What Greerwu didn’t know was that, in fact, many eyes in The Profound Abyss were already watching this place. They hadn’t made their move simply due to certain misgivings and restraints up until now.
Watching the shop owner approach the Sparkling Green Tree, Greerwu thought to himself: Perhaps, the shop owner intends to claim the power of the Sparkling Green Tree as his own… Greerwu shook his head, it wouldn’t be right to say “claim as his own,” for the Dead Lord’s True Spirit was killed by that person, and it was very possible that he now “possessed” the shop owner. So in essence, he was merely collecting his own spoils of war.
Although Greerwu also coveted the True Spirit Force, having witnessed that scene before, he dared not entertain such aspirations; even the Demon God’s True Spirit was killed in an instant. If it were him, he guessed that just a breath from the opponent would eradicate him countless times over.
Greerwu quietly awaited Angel’s next move.
But at that moment, Angel stopped.
He was not far from the tree, and he stopped because every organ in his body was protesting.
Angel knew it was the consequence of merging with the “Right Eye” and the repeated collapses and reconstructions of his physical body. To call it a “disease” was not exactly correct—it was simply because his physical condition had improved so rapidly that issues arose with his mental consciousness, habits, and balance of strength.
Looking back at the path he had taken, one could see marks on the ground that were sometimes shallow, sometimes deep, all evidence that he could not control his strength.
Right now, beneath his feet, there wasn’t just an impression but even a crack.
Angel felt that if he applied just a bit more force, he could probably create a deep hole.
He certainly didn’t want to approach the Sparkling Green Tree and risk some accident due to poor control of his strength, such as the tree toppling over… Of course, Angel thought this was unlikely as the Sparkling Green Tree wasn’t really rooted in the ground, so even if the earth cracked, it wouldn’t fall. But while the tree might not fall, it was quite possible that during the Liberation of the Green Vein, he might slip up due to poorly controlled strength at his feet.
There weren’t many people here, so embarrassing himself didn’t matter. But if he slipped even slightly during the Liberation of the Green Vein, accidents could happen—after all, the foundation of this tree was the True Spirit Force of a Demon God! If anything went awry, Angel would be unable to bear the consequences.
Angel paused, quieting his mind, making an effort to control and adapt to the force of his footsteps.
While Angel was self-adjusting, Popota in the distance raised his head.
Popota had not anticipated that his body would collapse so quickly. His plan had been to take the Primeval Flame, then to ignite the Baiyuan ancestral altar, leaving a legacy of fire for his clan, before returning to silence.
But now, after being beaten nearly to death by the Lord of the Flameless, Popota’s body had begun to rapidly deteriorate. Though previously he was as grotesque as an alien, he still retained a “human” outline. But in an instant, Popota had almost become a heap of rotting flesh.
Like the lowest level mud monster.
This simple act of looking up, with just a slight effort, caused chunks of flesh on his face to melt away like rotten green fluid.
He strained to look towards Angel, wanting to say something, but his vocals were mostly ruined, producing only hoarse, unintelligible noises.
“Angel…” Popota gave up trying to speak verbally and began to project mental waves, “Help me… the legacy, Hua Que, and the future…”
“Serves you right!” Popota’s mental waves were also captured by Greerwu, who looked at Popota with anger. But Popota at this moment no longer had the energy to pay attention to Greerwu. His soul was about to descend into The Profound Abyss, and he only hoped to do one last thing for his clan before his death.
The only one Popota could ask for help was Angel.
Popota continually sent out mental waves, and after a while, Angel finally turned his head to look at him.
When Popota’s gaze met Angel’s in that instant, he saw a cold glint in his eyes, his mind went blank, and he felt an overwhelming sense of oppression that made him instinctively bow his head. The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
Angel slightly narrowed his eyes, withdrawing his gaze.
In a place where no one could see, he let out a soft sigh. He was getting a better handle on his strength, but his eyes… Angel wasn’t quite sure what had changed, but whether it was Greerwu or Popota, it seemed they both felt discomfort after looking into his eyes.
It seemed that digesting all the changes his body underwent this time would take much longer.
However, although Popota hadn’t said anything before, Angel roughly guessed what he wanted to convey. Seeing his current state, Angel didn’t feel sympathy. Popota had to bear the consequences of his own choices.
Moreover, Popota had implicated Angel in the past, something Angel could not forgive.
But looking at Popota’s condition reminded Angel of Hua Que in the graveyard well beneath Black Castle, and he couldn’t help but sigh.
Initially, when he desperately needed the Soul Pearl to rescue Toby, Shava still offered to give the Soul Pearl to Angel despite also needing it to keep her soul from falling into decay. It’s evident that, at her core, Shava is a very kind girl.
That’s precisely why Angel had expended the effort to set up an Illusionary Realm for Shava at the bottom of the well.
Shava’s situation was already dire, having encountered misfortune in her youth, her body cold and lifeless, she waited alone in the well for the darkness to pass. Now looking at Popota’s current wretched state, although it was all his own doing, Angel was finally beginning to understand why the Baiyuan Clan was referred to in the books as “the most unfortunate blessed clan.”
After reflecting on this, Angel put aside his complex thoughts and refocused his attention on the Sparkling Green Tree.
He took a step forward.
The reddish-brown ground revealed shallow, varying footprints. Although they were still somewhat unbalanced, at least his control of force had improved.
After all, he didn’t need to apply his strength as effortlessly as usual right now. He just needed to make sure he didn’t have any accidents.