Chapter 291 - 284: Hong Xiao, Lan Qin

Song Ciwan continued forward. After traveling some distance and collecting a great deal of Malice and Death Qi, she suddenly saw a massive, straight pillar ahead.

No, that wasn’t a pillar. It was clearly a tree trunk, so thick it defied description!

A bustling, intricate web of branches extended from all around the massive trunk. As Song Ciwan followed the branches toward it, she hadn’t even recognized it as a single trunk when she first saw it from a distance.

She’d mistaken it for a wall of trees. It was only when she got closer and tilted her head up that she saw the layered, staggered space around the trunk. The gaps between the crisscrossing branches looked random at first, but a closer look revealed what seemed to be an intricate spiral staircase.

The intertwining spiral staircase grew, winding around the colossal, heaven-piercing pillar in the center. Song Ciwan took only one look and suddenly felt dizzy.

She immediately looked away, Stabilizing the Heart and Concentrating the Spirit while she scanned her surroundings.

At that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from the upper part of the trunk.

It sounded like someone was walking over branches and leaves. Song Ciwan immediately sidestepped, her form drifting lightly as she moved further away from the trunk.

The sounds from above continued, and this time, Song Ciwan heard them clearly.

Two female voices were in conversation. One said worriedly, "This tree staircase... we’ve searched up and down ten levels in a row, but we still haven’t found the Young Master. Sister Hong Xiao, what should we do?"

’Hong Xiao, Young Master...’

These two keywords immediately put Song Ciwan on high alert.

Previously, by the water, Song Ciwan had been in the lead when she flew into the "Human" Light Sect. Because of this, she hadn’t actually seen the Second Young Master charge into the "Demon" Light Sect afterward.

But none of that was the main point. Regardless of why the Second Young Master and his people had entered the Demon Realm, all that mattered to Song Ciwan right now was knowing that he and his maids were very likely here. That was enough!

And the best part was, they were all separated.

Previously, Song Ciwan had been very wary of the Second Young Master. After all, no matter how fast her Cultivation progressed, she was still tiny and weak compared to the vast Cultivation Realm as a whole.

The Second Young Master was a man of mysterious origins and a powerful background. If she could avoid provoking him directly, it was best to do so.

But after that fleeting encounter by the water, for some unknown reason, the Second Young Master had instantly decided that Song Ciwan was the one who had killed his maid—

This was something Song Ciwan found very hard to understand.

She believed her cleanup job had been meticulous—the Heaven and Earth Scale had destroyed the body and all traces, while the Great Derivation Birth Skill had repeatedly cleansed her aura to block divination. So on what basis could the Second Young Master have identified her as the killer at a single glance?

Song Ciwan didn’t know where the flaw in her plan was. But the Second Young Master clearly didn’t need evidence to identify an enemy. He only needed to decide for himself, and he had immediately attacked, intending to kill her.

In that instant, Song Ciwan had escaped into the "Human" Light Sect, dodging the strike of a Divinity Transformation Expert.

She had, after all, never fought an expert of that level head-on. Deep down, she knew this subconscious avoidance was, in fact, a lack of confidence in herself.

Of course, arrogance, conceit, fear, and retreat—these were all emotions inherent to humans from birth. Song Ciwan didn’t feel ashamed of them.

’A tactical retreat isn’t cowardice; it’s caution.’

Afterward, upon reflection, being able to face all her emotions and rediscover her courage was enough.

And now, having suddenly encountered two of the Second Young Master’s maids in the Demon Realm, a bold idea ignited in Song Ciwan’s mind.

’The Second Young Master is manic and violent. Once you become his enemy, if an opportunity arises to get rid of him for good, who could possibly refuse?’

In an instant, Song Ciwan’s thoughts raced.

From above, another female voice—likely the maid named Hong Xiao—spoke. "Lan Qin, this tree... is very strange. After searching ten levels, I have a theory. I wonder if you feel the same?"

Lan Qin’s voice was timid and ashamed. "What? Sister Hong Xiao, I-I didn’t notice anything. What’s your theory? Does it have to do with finding the Young Master?"

Hong Xiao sighed in resignation. "Don’t you think this tree resembles the legendary Jian Wood?"

"Ah?" Lan Qin exclaimed. "Jian Wood? But the Jian Wood is described as having no branches for a hundred fathoms, while this tree has countless, complex branches and leaves. The Jian Wood is a heaven-piercing Divine Wood, its aura pure and spiritual. All the birds and beasts around it possess an immortal charm. How could it possibly be..."

Needless to say, a Demon Tree in the Demon Realm could only be terrifying and foul. How could it have a pure and spiritual aura?

Therefore, Lan Qin didn’t believe it was the Jian Wood, and her rebuttal was well-reasoned.

But Hong Xiao said, "If it’s not the Jian Wood, then look at this trunk. Why would it be carved with scenes of the ancient peoples’ legendary sacrifices?"

Lan Qin said in shock, "What? You’re saying there are carvings on the trunk? Where are they? How come I... can’t see anything?"

Hong Xiao was baffled. "You can’t see them? How is that possible? They’re right here!"

Lan Qin said, "But... there’s only tree bark here. Ah, Sister Hong Xiao, be careful! Don’t get too close, there are bugs!"

The two of them retreated together, quickly moving further away from the central trunk.

Meanwhile, Song Ciwan, standing quietly on a lower level, focused her vision and, following Hong Xiao’s words, carefully observed every detail on the trunk.

’Jian Wood, the legendary Divine Wood of the East.’

Given the many similarities between the cultivation culture of the Great Zhou and the Huaxia myths from her past life, Song Ciwan wasn’t surprised that Hong Xiao had mentioned the Jian Wood.

She was just suddenly overcome with a strange sense of sorrow. She didn’t know why, but as soon as Hong Xiao mentioned the Jian Wood, Song Ciwan’s nose began to sting.

The air in the Demon Realm had been filled with all sorts of strange whispers, coming and going, that agitated the heart and made one’s Qi Blood restless. To avoid being affected, Song Ciwan had used the Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting to stabilize her heart and concentrate her spirit, letting all the bizarre sounds pass by like smoke.

In other words, Song Ciwan had shut these sounds out of her hearing.

But now, as the term "Jian Wood" was mentioned repeatedly, those strange, chaotic voices inexplicably grew louder in Song Ciwan’s ears.

"Save me..."

"No, I don’t want to! Let go!"

"I won’t... cultivate... go away..."

"The Human Race... the Human Race does not kneel!"

...

’What?’

The last, familiar voice shook Song Ciwan to her core.

Her gaze fell forward. Her vision suddenly blurred for a moment, and then she saw it—there really were drawings on the trunk ahead!

They were simple, ancient lines. A strange cloud blotted out the sky, swooping down as if a mountain were toppling over. Fleeing below were humans, holding all kinds of tools or herding various animals.

Just as Song Ciwan tried to get a closer look, her vision blurred, and suddenly, she could no longer see anything at all.