A crimson sun descended upon the night sky of the Southern Forest.
The sun was blindingly radiant, sending wave after wave of heat shimmering outwards. The night sky was tinted with shades of red and white, and the land below began to melt and crack under the immense heat.
Song Jinglun, standing within this sun and holding a long sword, seemed like a deity descending to the mortal realm.
The life fires burning within every member of the Forest Clan were extinguished under the dominating presence of the hovering sun.
"Is this... the true Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun?"
Priest Xigu looked up at the blinding sun in the sky, a creeping sense of fear she had long suppressed now threatening to overwhelm her.
It was now that she truly realized, in the face of overwhelming power, even the most unyielding will seemed insignificant.
Song Jinglun's robes fluttered in the scorching winds. With a casual flick, the blazing sword followed the light of the crimson sun, descending.
The sword moved with incredible speed, yet to the eyes of the Forest Clan, it appeared to fall excruciatingly slowly, each moment feeling like an eternity, constricting their throats and making it hard to breathe.
Boom!
The sword didn't pierce anyone, instead it embedded itself at the center of the Forest Formation.
In an instant, starting from the center of the formation, the land began to crack, resembling a shattered eggshell.
It was as if there was a dormant volcano below, which after accumulating power for thousands of years, suddenly erupted.
Fiery lines spread outwards, and with a deafening rumble, the earth split open, revealing a bottomless abyss.
The Forest Formation disintegrated instantly. Every member of the Forest Clan, along with countless chunks of the earth, were blasted into the sky.
With another gesture, Song Jinglun's other hand seemed to conjure an invisible grip that clenched the necks of all the Forest Clan members.
At that moment, from the highest-ranking priest to the ordinary tribespeople, no one had control over their own fate. Their lives were entirely in the hands of the man dressed in white standing amidst the crimson sun.
Su Wanyi, upon seeing the faintly mocking smile on Song Jinglun's face, couldn't hold back her tears of despair. Bathed in the scorching sunlight, her consciousness began to blur, and an illusion of Shu Han appeared before her.
"Save us..."
Just as her consciousness was about to fade, ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding space-time.
Countless pristine ancestral tree flowers emerged from these ripples, forming a vast sea of blossoms that filled the sky. These flowers immediately alleviated the scorching heat from Song Jinglun's Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun.
Upon witnessing the sudden sea of blossoms, Song Jinglun's brow furrowed deeply. Before long, every member of the Forest Clan was adorned with these flowers, and a potent temporal fluctuation rippled through once more.
The bodies of several hundred members of the Forest Clan began to shimmer with a blue-white luminescence.
Song Jinglun's pupils constricted sharply, "This is bad!"
He moved to act, but in the blink of an eye, every single member of the Forest Clan vanished from sight, leaving behind only the boundless bloom.
"How could this happen?"
Hovering in mid-air, Song Jinglun's gaze was drawn to the identical blue-white glow dotting the expanse of the Southern Forest. He squinted, discerning that each source of light was, in fact, a scattered divine tree.
Each divine tree scattered throughout the Southern Forest emitted that very same blue-white light, its radiance spreading dozens of miles around.
They resembled lanterns in the night, illuminating the entirety of the Southern Forest from within.
However, in the next heartbeat, the blue-white glow collectively vanished. On closer inspection, the parts of the forest that had been enveloped by the light had disappeared along with it.
In that fleeting moment, a tenth of the Southern Forest's area vanished, the Forest Clan and their divine trees evaporating as though they had never been there at all.
"This..."
Watching this unfold from the sky, Song Jinglun's usually placid face displayed an extreme, unchecked fury for the first time.
Instinctively, he tried to mask his rage from his disciples, but all that met his efforts was a continuously contorting visage.
The scattered monks of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, upon witnessing their Supreme Leader's expression, dared not breathe too loudly, gripped by a palpable fear.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From Song Jinglun's hand, his long sword released three rapid slashes, instantly scarring the beautiful face of the Southern Forest, a manifestation of his unbridled wrath. The flickering flames highlighted his distorted features. Never had the monks of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect seen such a fearsome side of their Supreme Leader.
"Return to the sect!"
...
Roused from her daze, Su Wanyi found herself lying weakly on a vast leaf. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly, and as her gaze panned around, she realized she was amidst a lush ancient forest that exuded tranquility and harmony.
The hellish scene crafted by Song Jinglun seemed like a terrifying yet very real dream. She gently ascended to the treetops, and looking out, a dazzling verdant expanse stretched as far as the horizon.
"Where am I? Am I still in the Southern Forest?"
At that moment, her attention was drawn to the fluttering ancestral tree flowers. Following their path with her eyes, she was stunned to discern a point of light on the distant horizon from which all these flowers originated.
Flying towards the light, it grew larger as she approached. Ultimately, she recognized its form: a colossal divine tree, the very ancestral tree worshipped by generations of the Forest Clan!
"The ancestral tree?" She estimated the distance between herself and the tree, easily spanning hundreds of miles. "Am I in the space of the ancestral tree? But its space was no more than twenty miles across. When did it become so vast?"
Suddenly, a spatial fluctuation appeared before Su Wanyi, and from it, a figure emerged.
Upon seeing him, Su Wanyi's heart raced uncontrollably, murmuring, "My Lord..."
Shu Han, seeing her tear-brimmed eyes, chuckled, "Why the tears? Are you dissatisfied with the current ancestral tree space?"
Surveying the surroundings, Shu Han remarked, "The present ancestral tree space encompasses a tenth of the Southern Forest's size. All the divine trees have been recalled to this space. Your wish has come true. The Forest Clan can dwell here for generations, free from the persecution of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect."
Murmuring, Su Wanyi asked, "Is it really true?"
"Why would I deceive you?"
Suddenly, Su Wanyi flung herself into Shu Han's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. All her past fears, anxieties, and despair now manifested as unstoppable tears.
Momentarily taken aback, Shu Han gently patted her back, soothing, "It's alright. Everything's fine now."
After a considerable time, Su Wanyi pulled away, her gaze filled with admiration and reverence for Shu Han. Choking back tears, she said, "Thank you, my Lord, for saving our Forest Clan. I pledge to serve you loyally, to be by your side always!"
Shu Han laughed heartily, "That won't be necessary."
With a plaintive tone, Su Wanyi responded, "Does the Lord disdain me?"
"It's not that. It's just that I have to leave and likely won't return."
Anxious, Su Wanyi questioned, "Where are you heading, my Lord?"
At that moment, a blue and white luminescence began to shimmer around Shu Han. He whispered with a gentle chuckle, "Miss Wanyi, let me confide a secret: I am not of your Forest Clan."
With that, his form started to fade.
Stunned, Su Wanyi whispered, "You aren't..."
Shu Han dissolved his Heaven-Earth Transformation technique, revealing his true visage. With a smile, he said, "To meet is destiny, Miss Wanyi. Live well with your kin in this realm. If fate allows, we shall meet again. Farewell!"
As he spoke, his figure grew increasingly ethereal. In desperation, Su Wanyi reached out to grasp him, but her hand met only emptiness.
With a quavering voice, she uttered, "My Lord, I still don't know your name..."
An intangible voice drifted to her ears.
"Shu Han."
Upon hearing this name, Su Wanyi wiped away her tears, revealing a blissful smile. With devout prayer, she uttered, "Lord Shu Han, may you be blessed with celestial fortune."
A crimson sun descended upon the night sky of the Southern Forest.
The sun was blindingly radiant, sending wave after wave of heat shimmering outwards. The night sky was tinted with shades of red and white, and the land below began to melt and crack under the immense heat.
Song Jinglun, standing within this sun and holding a long sword, seemed like a deity descending to the mortal realm.
The life fires burning within every member of the Forest Clan were extinguished under the dominating presence of the hovering sun.
"Is this... the true Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun?"
Priest Xigu looked up at the blinding sun in the sky, a creeping sense of fear she had long suppressed now threatening to overwhelm her.
It was now that she truly realized, in the face of overwhelming power, even the most unyielding will seemed insignificant.
Song Jinglun's robes fluttered in the scorching winds. With a casual flick, the blazing sword followed the light of the crimson sun, descending.
The sword moved with incredible speed, yet to the eyes of the Forest Clan, it appeared to fall excruciatingly slowly, each moment feeling like an eternity, constricting their throats and making it hard to breathe.
Boom!
The sword didn't pierce anyone, instead it embedded itself at the center of the Forest Formation.
In an instant, starting from the center of the formation, the land began to crack, resembling a shattered eggshell.
It was as if there was a dormant volcano below, which after accumulating power for thousands of years, suddenly erupted.
Fiery lines spread outwards, and with a deafening rumble, the earth split open, revealing a bottomless abyss.
The Forest Formation disintegrated instantly. Every member of the Forest Clan, along with countless chunks of the earth, were blasted into the sky.
With another gesture, Song Jinglun's other hand seemed to conjure an invisible grip that clenched the necks of all the Forest Clan members.
At that moment, from the highest-ranking priest to the ordinary tribespeople, no one had control over their own fate. Their lives were entirely in the hands of the man dressed in white standing amidst the crimson sun.
Su Wanyi, upon seeing the faintly mocking smile on Song Jinglun's face, couldn't hold back her tears of despair. Bathed in the scorching sunlight, her consciousness began to blur, and an illusion of Shu Han appeared before her.
"Save us..."
Just as her consciousness was about to fade, ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding space-time.
Countless pristine ancestral tree flowers emerged from these ripples, forming a vast sea of blossoms that filled the sky. These flowers immediately alleviated the scorching heat from Song Jinglun's Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun.
Upon witnessing the sudden sea of blossoms, Song Jinglun's brow furrowed deeply. Before long, every member of the Forest Clan was adorned with these flowers, and a potent temporal fluctuation rippled through once more.
The bodies of several hundred members of the Forest Clan began to shimmer with a blue-white luminescence.
Song Jinglun's pupils constricted sharply, "This is bad!"
He moved to act, but in the blink of an eye, every single member of the Forest Clan vanished from sight, leaving behind only the boundless bloom.
"How could this happen?"
Hovering in mid-air, Song Jinglun's gaze was drawn to the identical blue-white glow dotting the expanse of the Southern Forest. He squinted, discerning that each source of light was, in fact, a scattered divine tree.
Each divine tree scattered throughout the Southern Forest emitted that very same blue-white light, its radiance spreading dozens of miles around.
They resembled lanterns in the night, illuminating the entirety of the Southern Forest from within.
However, in the next heartbeat, the blue-white glow collectively vanished. On closer inspection, the parts of the forest that had been enveloped by the light had disappeared along with it.
In that fleeting moment, a tenth of the Southern Forest's area vanished, the Forest Clan and their divine trees evaporating as though they had never been there at all.
"This..."
Watching this unfold from the sky, Song Jinglun's usually placid face displayed an extreme, unchecked fury for the first time.
Instinctively, he tried to mask his rage from his disciples, but all that met his efforts was a continuously contorting visage.
The scattered monks of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, upon witnessing their Supreme Leader's expression, dared not breathe too loudly, gripped by a palpable fear.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From Song Jinglun's hand, his long sword released three rapid slashes, instantly scarring the beautiful face of the Southern Forest, a manifestation of his unbridled wrath. The flickering flames highlighted his distorted features. Never had the monks of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect seen such a fearsome side of their Supreme Leader.
"Return to the sect!"
...
Roused from her daze, Su Wanyi found herself lying weakly on a vast leaf. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly, and as her gaze panned around, she realized she was amidst a lush ancient forest that exuded tranquility and harmony.
The hellish scene crafted by Song Jinglun seemed like a terrifying yet very real dream. She gently ascended to the treetops, and looking out, a dazzling verdant expanse stretched as far as the horizon.
"Where am I? Am I still in the Southern Forest?"
At that moment, her attention was drawn to the fluttering ancestral tree flowers. Following their path with her eyes, she was stunned to discern a point of light on the distant horizon from which all these flowers originated.
Flying towards the light, it grew larger as she approached. Ultimately, she recognized its form: a colossal divine tree, the very ancestral tree worshipped by generations of the Forest Clan!
"The ancestral tree?" She estimated the distance between herself and the tree, easily spanning hundreds of miles. "Am I in the space of the ancestral tree? But its space was no more than twenty miles across. When did it become so vast?"
Suddenly, a spatial fluctuation appeared before Su Wanyi, and from it, a figure emerged.
Upon seeing him, Su Wanyi's heart raced uncontrollably, murmuring, "My Lord..."
Shu Han, seeing her tear-brimmed eyes, chuckled, "Why the tears? Are you dissatisfied with the current ancestral tree space?"
Surveying the surroundings, Shu Han remarked, "The present ancestral tree space encompasses a tenth of the Southern Forest's size. All the divine trees have been recalled to this space. Your wish has come true. The Forest Clan can dwell here for generations, free from the persecution of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect."
Murmuring, Su Wanyi asked, "Is it really true?"
"Why would I deceive you?"
Suddenly, Su Wanyi flung herself into Shu Han's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. All her past fears, anxieties, and despair now manifested as unstoppable tears.
Momentarily taken aback, Shu Han gently patted her back, soothing, "It's alright. Everything's fine now."
After a considerable time, Su Wanyi pulled away, her gaze filled with admiration and reverence for Shu Han. Choking back tears, she said, "Thank you, my Lord, for saving our Forest Clan. I pledge to serve you loyally, to be by your side always!"
Shu Han laughed heartily, "That won't be necessary."
With a plaintive tone, Su Wanyi responded, "Does the Lord disdain me?"
"It's not that. It's just that I have to leave and likely won't return."
Anxious, Su Wanyi questioned, "Where are you heading, my Lord?"
At that moment, a blue and white luminescence began to shimmer around Shu Han. He whispered with a gentle chuckle, "Miss Wanyi, let me confide a secret: I am not of your Forest Clan."
With that, his form started to fade.
Stunned, Su Wanyi whispered, "You aren't..."
Shu Han dissolved his Heaven-Earth Transformation technique, revealing his true visage. With a smile, he said, "To meet is destiny, Miss Wanyi. Live well with your kin in this realm. If fate allows, we shall meet again. Farewell!"
As he spoke, his figure grew increasingly ethereal. In desperation, Su Wanyi reached out to grasp him, but her hand met only emptiness.
With a quavering voice, she uttered, "My Lord, I still don't know your name..."
An intangible voice drifted to her ears.
"Shu Han."
Upon hearing this name, Su Wanyi wiped away her tears, revealing a blissful smile. With devout prayer, she uttered, "Lord Shu Han, may you be blessed with celestial fortune."
