Chapter 414: The Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees
Sun Lingtong kept recalling the past, trying to find a way to help Ning Zhuo.
Then he realized—
It was his countless injuries, many times even life-threatening!
It was the innumerable sleepless nights over the past decade!
It was the long years of pain and torment.
It was... Ning Zhuo!
Yes, Sun Lingtong had once been reckless in pursuit of power, trying every possible means, regardless of consequences, to raise his cultivation and strengthen his combat ability—so he could search for his master.
Sometimes, the physical pain and wounds instead brought him a faint sense of comfort.
Those countless times when his cultivation was interrupted due to injuries, leaving him bedridden and idle, had become rare opportunities for him to recuperate.
If one’s heartstring was pulled too tightly, it would eventually snap completely.
Sun Lingtong understood deeply that physical pain could sometimes serve as a vent for the pain of the heart.
“Xiao Zhuo, he’s suppressed himself far too much, for far too long.”
“If his mother had truly died, and everything ended there, it might have been better. But Meng Yaoyin survived, existing in the form of a mechanical creation.”
“Sigh... a mother, willing to transform herself into a mechanical construct for the sake of her son. And now, that son, for the sake of his mother, risks everything, even to the point of recklessly cultivating other arts—utterly losing his sense!”
“Yet, if it were me and Master... I would have done the same.”
“Ah… in truth, it was Xiao Zhuo who saved me.”
After reflecting, Sun Lingtong suddenly realized that it was the constant growth of those around him, the way they occupied his life and drew his attention toward Ning Zhuo, that had stopped him from falling into despair.
Over these ten years, Sun Lingtong had slowly adjusted himself, no longer as extreme as before. On the balance within his heart, through Ning Zhuo’s presence, he gradually balanced the weight of his master’s absence.
From Ning Zhuo’s perspective, Sun Lingtong had given him great help.
But from Sun Lingtong’s perspective, Ning Zhuo’s very existence prevented him from falling into inner demon madness!
Because of this, when the competition for the Lava Immortal Palace ended, and Meng Kui became its new master, Sun Lingtong could finally face the unanswered question of his master’s whereabouts with calm acceptance.
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s current state, Sun Lingtong empathized deeply. It was precisely because of this that he punished Ning Zhuo with seclusion, forbidding him from any cultivation.
By doing so, he mirrored his own past experiences—when he was injured and bedridden, unable to move—hoping it would compel Ning Zhuo to rest, and perhaps understand the kind intention behind his actions.
“Xiao Zhuo has suffered for too long. He is both luckier than me—and more unfortunate!”
“For in his mother, there still remains a shred of hope.”
“But in this damned thing called life, sometimes, hope itself brings the greater torment.”
“As the eldest, I cannot just stand idly by.”
Leaving a trace of his spiritual sense to monitor the state of the Wanli Dragon, Sun Lingtong then took out a jade slip and began to comprehend the “Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method” inscribed upon it.
Before long, Sun Lingtong’s brows lifted slightly. “This technique truly is remarkable!”
Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo, back inside his cabin alone, was also reflecting on the problems within himself.
When Sun Lingtong had just scolded him and declared his punishment of seclusion, it had made him feel as though he had returned to the past.
In Huoshi Immortal City, over the past decade, he had made his share of mistakes. Whenever the errors were serious, Sun Lingtong would always reprimand him the same way.
Each scolding carried Sun Lingtong’s care and concern.
This time was no exception.
“I went too far,” Ning Zhuo sighed deeply.
“The Dantian has already been established—one cannot cultivate other arts. That’s the most basic common sense! And yet I insisted on doing it.”
Recalling his state back then, Ning Zhuo realized how foolishly he had acted.
“My mindset was wrong.”
“My journey to the Myriad Medicines Valley gave me tremendous gains. My weakness in close combat was greatly improved, already reaching the standard of my peers.”
“My ability in long-range spell combat had skyrocketed beyond measure.”
“I even developed the two sets of Mechanical Fists and Kicks, as new trump cards.”
“The adventure with the Radiant Reflection Wall elevated my Five Elements comprehension to an astonishing and unimaginable level! This brought enormous benefits to my combat, refinement, and every other field.”
“I also learned that I truly possess a second innate talent—an immortal-grade one at that!”
“So I became arrogant and conceited, letting pride swell within me. Thus, when I began studying the ‘Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method,’ I immediately thought of the Lingyin Willow.”
“That very thought revealed my impatience and restlessness.”
“When I was delving into the ‘Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method,’ that impatience disrupted my composure, made me lose my rationality—and I actually began practicing it myself!”
“How utterly foolish of me!”
Ning Zhuo reflected deeply and concluded: “I let it go to my head! I forgot the care Elder Sun had always shown me.”
“What am I, really?”
“What do I have to be proud of?”
“Even if I possess immortal aptitude, don’t others as well? Meng Chong does, Yuan Dasheng does—yet look what became of them. Immortal aptitude means nothing.”
“Even if my comprehension of the Five Elements is deep—so what? It wasn’t built by my own strength alone. I was aided by ancient masters, pushed forward by the Lingyin Willow. What’s there to be proud of?”
“I must stay humble, stay cautious!”
Several days later—
The silver threads in the void gradually thinned, and ahead in the darkness, a sudden light appeared.
“We’re arriving at the destination,” Sun Lingtong said as he put away the jade slip and focused intently forward.
The light expanded rapidly, and in an instant, it engulfed the Wanli Dragon.
Sun Lingtong’s vision changed abruptly—he now hovered high above, overlooking a vast expanse of mountains and forests.
Here, towering trees stood like peaks, known as the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees. Each one rose from the earth, reaching into the clouds, their trunks built up with rocks, resembling towering mountain ranges.
Thousands of Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees formed an immense forest—ancient and vast, blocking out the sun, dark and solemn, exuding a chilling majesty that made one’s heart tremble.
“Qianfeng Forest—we’ve arrived.” Sun Lingtong murmured to himself, his expression growing cautious.
The Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees originated from the Jianmu Tree.
The latter was a renowned Wood Attribute treasure of heavenly virtue—born between Heaven and Earth, a hundred ren tall, without branches, with nine knots below, nine roots beneath, as dense as hemp, leaves like awns—by which the gods ascended to Heaven.
The Jianmu Tree stood even taller than the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees, connecting Heaven and Earth—a celestial ladder through which one could climb from the mortal realm to the divine.
Thus, the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees shared this sacred origin. They were ideal places for divine spirits to be born.
Moreover, as the Liangzhu Kingdom had been founded later, and with the Qianfeng Forest long inhabited by indigenous tribes, its union of innate nature and human worship had bred countless local deities—numerous and complex as the stars in the sky.
The tribes had split into hundreds of factions, warring among themselves. Their gods were elevated and also drawn into their wars—fighting and contending for incense and faith.
Thus, throughout history, Qianfeng Forest had always been a land of endless strife.
Today you strike me; tomorrow I strike you.
In such chaos, it naturally became the first refuge for felons evading pursuit—a haven for heretics and demon cultivators alike.
“There are people below,” Sun Lingtong noticed as he guided the Wanli Dragon, spotting a group of cultivators active upon a nearby Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree.
Each was clad in black robes, faces concealed under hoods. As they moved, a chilling Yin wind followed, ghostly and eerie, making one’s skin crawl.
“Let’s take a look,” Sun Lingtong said with curiosity.
The Wanli Dragon, in its small and inconspicuous form, descended quietly, beginning its covert pursuit.