Amid a mountain stream surrounded by the colors of autumn, a bewitching beauty sat sideways atop a rock by the water, dressed in a flowing black-and-red gown.
Her bare feet rested in the stream, her smooth soles submerged beneath the surface. Her rounded toes were painted a vivid crimson, bringing an oddly fitting word to mind… enticing.
All around her, fish gathered in the water, occasionally leaping into the air. Above, flocks of birds circled overhead, fluttering their wings and lingering unwilling to leave. On the nearby rocks and tree branches, deer and squirrels sat quietly and obediently.
Su Tiantian sat there at the center of it all, surrounded by the little creatures. The breathtaking sight brought to mind the fairies of legend.
She was beautiful beyond anything mortal, like a spirit of the mountains and forests. No… she was one. A true spirit, and the Empress of them all.
Even if Chu Feng were here, the animals wouldn’t scatter in fright. Instead, several of the deer affectionately rubbed against him, perhaps because he carried Sister Tiantian’s demon core within his body.
Seated on the large rock by the water, Su Tiantian looked back over her shoulder and smiled.
“Well? What do you think, you little rascal?”
A question lingered in Chu Feng’s heart.
“Sister Tiantian, how did you do this?”
He had never seen anything like this before.
Su Tiantian rose to her feet. Her bare feet stepped onto the small pebbles without picking up a trace of dirt. Walking over to Chu Feng, she explained gently,
“The demon beasts from before hadn’t developed intelligence yet. But the demon beasts here have been nourished by the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Dao Mountain Range and have already begun to awaken their intelligence. Naturally, they’re instinctively drawn to powerful members of the demon race.”
Chu Feng nodded thoughtfully. That explained why every newly born Demon King would naturally find a whole group of demons gathering around them.
He looked at the small animals surrounding them and reached out to pat the deer’s head.
“Sister Tiantian, is this what we came here for?”
Su Tiantian pursed her lips into a smile.
“Of course not, you little rascal. Come with this Empress.”
Taking the boy’s hand, she led him along the stream to the mouth of a cave. At first it was so narrow that only one person could pass through, but after walking several dozen steps, the passage suddenly opened up.
Before Chu Feng stood a gigantic ancient tree of gold.
Not only did its huge trunk emit a faint golden glow, but even its leaves were golden. The trunk was so thick that it would probably take dozens of adults linking arms to encircle it.
Chu Feng froze in astonishment.
“Sister Tiantian, what is this?”
“The Human Emperor Tree.”
Su Tiantian’s snow-white bare feet stepped onto the grass carpeted with golden leaves, the contrast between the gold and the white striking to behold.
Twirling a lock of hair around her slender jade-like finger, she gazed at the colossal tree before her and slowly explained,
“According to legend, this tree was planted by the Human Emperor himself. While he was alive, he often sat beneath it to contemplate the Dao. Over time, the tree became imbued with the Divine Emperor’s divinity and underwent a transformation. To protect it, the Hundred Races Academy forbade anyone from approaching it.”
“Ah!?”
Hearing that, Chu Feng quickly turned to look at Sister Tiantian.
“They’ve forbidden anyone from coming near it? Then doesn’t that mean we…”
“So, little rascal, you have to keep this a secret. Otherwise, if the Hundred Races Academy finds out, things will get very troublesome afterward.”
Su Tiantian smiled softly. Resting her slender fingers on Chu Feng’s shoulder, she stepped behind him.
The back of Chu Feng’s head seemed to instantly sense the overwhelming weight pressing against it, as though Mount Tai itself were bearing down on him.
Su Tiantian slowly lowered her head and whispered by his ear,
“Little rascal, want to take a closer look?”
Chu Feng felt the tips of his ears burn red. He didn’t dare turn around now. If he did, his vision would surely be swallowed by darkness…and suffocation.
“Sister Tiantian, since the Hundred Races Academy forbids anyone from approaching it, we’d better follow the rules.”
After all, this was their territory, not the demon race’s. If something went wrong, given Sister Tiantian’s status as the Demon Empress, it might even spark conflict between the Hundred Races Academy and the demon race.
“Hehe, don’t worry, little rascal. This Empress knows what she’s doing.”
Su Tiantian’s fingers slid from Chu Feng’s shoulder down to his chest, tracing slow circles over it.
The ticklish sensation made Chu Feng feel more and more like he was reaching his limit against Sister Tiantian’s irresistible charm. Such a seductive, mature beauty taking the initiative… she was simply too good at this.
“Well? Do you want to go take a look?”
Seeing how red the little rascal’s ears had become, Su Tiantian found it endlessly amusing. The innocent little rascal was just too easy to tease. He couldn’t even withstand a little flirting.
“…Mm. Then let’s go have a look.”
If he stayed here any longer, Chu Feng felt like something inside him was going to explode.
Besides, the Human Emperor Sword inside his storage pouch had started reacting again.
“Then hold on tight.”
With Su Tiantian carrying Chu Feng, they crossed the warning barrier the Hundred Races Academy had set up around the tree in the blink of an eye.
From this close, Chu Feng truly felt the tree’s immense size. Even its thinnest branch was thicker than his waist.
From afar, the trunk had seemed too large for several dozen people to encircle. Up close, it was even more staggering….even several hundred people would probably struggle to wrap their arms around it.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, seemingly transforming into golden rays.
Beneath the canopy, the ground itself had been dyed a brilliant gold.
He took the Human Emperor Sword out of his storage pouch. The sword trembled incessantly in his hand, as though it had sensed the presence of the ancient tree.
Watching this, Su Tiantian inwardly thought, Just as I expected.
After giving the Human Emperor Sword to her little rascal, she had suddenly remembered that the Hundred Races Academy possessed a tree planted by the Human Emperor himself.
Sneaking into the Heavenly Dao Monument was difficult even for her, but bringing her little rascal here was much simpler.
Unlike the Heavenly Dao Monument, this tree wasn’t nearly as mystical. It was simply a tree planted by the Human Emperor and carried more symbolic significance than anything else.
Moreover, after the passage of countless years, it still hadn’t developed intelligence, so the academy had always taken a somewhat lax approach to guarding it.
Chu Feng’s gaze remained fixed on the towering ancient tree. The air seemed to carry a unique freshness that relaxed both body and mind, washing away stress and filling him with a profound sense of peace.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze stirred.
Rustle… rustle…
The leaves swayed, producing a soft rustling sound.
Yet within that sound, Chu Feng distinctly heard a faint, broken whisper.
The tree… could actually speak!?
Chu Feng’s eyes widened in shock. Before he had time to think, the very space around them began to ripple violently.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
The formations that had been set up to keep outsiders away from the ancient tree all activated at once.
“Oh no!”
Chu Feng drew a sharp breath.
At that very moment, the enchanting beauty appeared before him in an instant.
“Little rascal, what did you do?”
Su Tiantian was puzzled. She had clearly avoided all the formations, so how had they still been triggered?
“It might be because of this sword…”
Chu Feng hurriedly put the Human Emperor Sword back into his storage pouch.
Sure enough, the faint whispering in his ears disappeared.
Su Tiantian lightly pressed her red lips together.
“Forget about it. Grab this Empress’s hand. We’re leaving.”
“Mhmm.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Feng took hold of her warm fair hand.
The next instant, the two of them vanished from where they stood.
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