Chapter 961: The Parasol Tree Forest

After she told her master, Yun Yuanzhen, of the Zhou Emperor Liang Pan's plans, she bade him farewell.

When she left Tianjing City, thoughts swirled through her mind, "Many things happened since I ended my closed-door training."

She did not know how long had she been walking but Yan Mingyue suddenly stopped. She looked westwards where the Kunlun Mountains were. While she knew that the owner of the Kunlun Mountains was not even in the Divine Lands, her gaze remained fixated at the mountains.

"Indeed, my feeling all the while back is right. However, I never expect this day to come so quickly," thought Yan Mingyue as she recalled the many things that had happened. She thought about the conversation she had with Lin Feng after the Battle of Xiling City.

"It is indeed a boat that can fly...," said Yan Mingyue as she stifled a laugh. However, her gaze was clear as she continued, "However, even a boat that can fly must traverse through the ocean. The endless universe is like a sea of stars."

"After all, our paths are different and cooperation is difficult. You are the biggest obstacle in my path. However, due to your very existence, the originally tiny path is now a big road. Indeed, the affairs of the mortal world are mythical beyond comprehension."

"Today, you are way above my level and I have to look up to you. However, I am a tiny droplet of water in this great ocean. Let us see if the boat can leave the ocean."

The space between heaven and earth shook slightly as red clouds slowly congregated and formed a human face. It was Yun Yuanzhen.

Yan Mingyue smiled and bowed towards Yun Yuanzhen and said, "Master."

Yun Yuanzhen smiled and said, "Mingyue, stay in Tianjing City for now."

"Yes, master," replied Yan Mingyue. "Master, how was your negotiation with Liang Pan?"

Yun Yuanzhen said, "We have agreed on some preliminary steps and we can continue to plan our next steps. That will need time. Fortunately, the Master of the Celestial Sect has obtained time for us."

Yan Mingyue asked, "Is master talking about the slaying of demons in the Barren Expanses by the Master of the Celestial Sect?"

Yun Yuanzhen said, "He captured and slayed the White Tiger, the Xiangliu, the Lu Yuan and the Zu'e. He was also able to severely injure the Golden Cicada and the Earth Dragon King, both of whom are in their Vipralopa stage, till the point whereby they need rest for recovery."

Yan Mingyue thought for a while and then asked, "However, I feel that it's not enough."

"The Master of the Celestial Sect has yet to return from the Barren Expanses. Whether or not he will come into conflict with the demons again, no one knows," said Yun Yuanzhen slowly. "However, we cannot place our hopes on the Master of the Celestial Sect. Our sect must do something too. Only then would there be enough time."

Yan Mingyue nodded her head and said, "The demons invaded Mount Taihua when the Tai Yi Holy Man and other seniors entered the Realm Beyond the Heavens. Mount Taihua is destroyed and today, our sect has acted. It's time for them to reciprocate."

She paused for a while and then asked, "Master, if there is huge progress, then the Master of the Celestial Sect may come up with his own methods too. Ultimately, it will benefit the Divine Lands. Should we temporarily ally with the Celestial Sect of Wonders and fight against the demons first?"

Yun Yuanzhen replied, "If the time is right, why not? However, the possibility of this is extremely small. However, the footsteps of the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage and the Golden Roc Grand Sage are hard to track. If we want to attack the Black Sea or the Lingyuan Mountains, then we have to wait for our Supreme Heavenly Mirror to be in prime condition. If not, the consequences will be too dire."

"For the Starry Sea, since we don't have the door to enter it, we shall place it aside for now."

"However, regardless whether it's the Celestial Sect of Wonders or the demons, we still need time to prepare."

Yan Mingyue nodded her head and said, "I understand."

Yun Yuanzhen continued, "For the demons, we need time. However, thanks to the Master of the Celestial Sect's recent voyage into the Barren Expanses and our subsequent actions, we are able to obtain more time against the demons."

Hearing that, Yan Mingyue's eyes flashed as she said seriously, "Master, are you saying that the Origins Celestial Dragon..."

Yun Yuanzhen did not reply immediately. She fell silent before saying, "I hope I am wrong."

"This time, the Earth Celestial Dragon and the dragons suffered such a huge defeat at the hands of the Master of the Celestial Sect. Hence, the subsequent actions of the dragons can be used to test our hypothesis."

Yan Mingyue digested Yun Yuanzhen's words for a while and then said with a smile, "If that's the case, the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage will be disappointed."

Hearing that, Yun Yuanzhen smiled too and replied, "Don't underestimate the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage. When she was in her Undying Demon Soul Third Stage, even Vipralopa stage demons could not see her true powers."

"With the numerous restrictions around her, she was still able to establish her dominance over parts of the Barren Expanses. That is truly extraordinary."

Yan Mingyue smiled and said, "Master, didn't you almost force her to reveal herself before?"

Yan Mingyue and Yun Yuanzhen were as close as mother and daughter. It was okay for them to occasionally poke fun at each other.

However, while Yan Mingyue appeared to be joking, her expression was extremely serious.

Yun Yuanzhen was not annoyed that her disciple was poking fun at her. Instead, she smiled and said, "While this is something rather regretful, if she had revealed her true form, I may not be able to retreat unscathed. Even with the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, it is likely that you would have another master. That was how dangerous the situation was."

While she said it casually, Yan Mingyue was unable to relax. Neither would she underestimate her master. She knew that Yun Yuanzhen was aware that the situation was extremely perilous when she challenged Fate that time.

Courage without knowledge is brashness. However, to advance forward even though one was aware of the dangers ahead, that was true courage.

Suddenly, Yan Mingyue thought of something as she asked, "Right, master, is Zhou Yuncong, who was kidnapped by the Golden Cicada, still..."

Yun Yuanzhen nodded her head and said, "More or less."

Hearing that, Yan Mingyue sighed, "That's good. It is indeed very coincidental for a Yin-Terminating Entity and a Yang-Incinerating Entity to exist at the same time. However, this means that the incident all those years ago was another seed of hatred."

Then, she smiled in self-deprecating manner and said, "Of course, there are many other seeds of hatred."

Yun Yuanzhen said, "That incident has been buried by time. There isn't much trace of it left. To know the truth, the only possible way is to scour the soul. However, that is the last resort. We shall not resort to that just for a hunch."

"Of course, we should hand this matter over to Daohan. You and I shall not ask about it too much but trust in his decisions."

Yan Mingyue nodded her head, "Yes, master."

The red clouds that formed Yun Yuanzhen's face disappeared. Yan Mingyue stood at her original spot for a while before heading back towards Tianjing City.

At this moment, in the Barren Expanses, Zhou Yuncong, who had been under the protection of Yang Qing's Grand Moon Primordial Water, finally woke up.

Zhuge Zhan, who was chatting with his daughter, saw Zhou Yuncong and was slightly shocked. "Oh, is this whom you spoke of, Wanqiu? Your fellow disciple who is a Yang-Incinerating Entity? It is rare for a Yang-Incinerating Entity to make it through infancy, rare indeed."

Zhuge Wanqiu said with a smile, "When I knew about Junior Zhou, I was shocked too."

When Zhou Yuncong woke up and saw Lin Feng and company, he was stunned. Then, he quickly recovered and looked around him, realizing that he had been rescued.

He bowed to Lin Feng and the rest as his lips fluttered, "Thank you, grandmaster. Thank you master and uncles."

Yang Qing looked at his only disciple. While his expression was calm as always, his gaze was warmer than usual. "Yuncong, you have suffered."

Shi Tianhao smiled and said, "Master has avenged your kidnapping by that old fool. That old bug is probably half-dead right now."

Lin Feng waved his hand and looked at Zhou Yuncong. "Rest well and don't mess up your internal mana."

Zhou Yuncong nodded his head non-stop as he continued to rest under Yang Qing's care.

Lin Feng looked at Zhou Yuncong and another thought rose in his mind, "This thing has far-reaching consequences."

As he thought about it, he continued to lead the group. Soon, they arrived at their destination, the ancestral home of the Phoenix Tribe and the Divine Parasol Tree Tribe.

Earlier, many of them had heard Lin Feng's explanation of the situation. The scene before them was made from both fire-red and milky-white flames. It was as if there was an independent world there. They knew that they had reached their destination.

Lin Feng stood in the void as he sent Wang Lin to represent him.

After a while, the milky-white and blood-red sea of fire split open and a path opened.

Through the sea of fire, one could see a dense forest underneath them. While the branches were green, there were the faint, red glow of fire in the barks that flashed non-stop. It was like the breathing of a human.

No matter how far they were, all of them were taken aback by how big each tree was.

The Cloud Forest Trees that Lin Feng had obtained from the Cloud Forest World were unable to form their demon souls as they could not undergo the Void Lightning Tribulations in the Middle World and ascend into the Undying Demon Soul stage. However, as they had absorbed a massive amount of spiritual energy, they were all gargantuan.

A single tree was higher than a mountain and its canopy covered the sun.

However, in the sea of trees before them, one could even see trees higher than the Cloud Forest Trees.

There were also many smaller trees and together and all the trees formed a gigantic sea of trees. The branches flashed with red light as they intersected with the red-and-white sea of fire surrounding them.

Counting carefully, one would realize that there weren't that many trees. However, because they were too huge and too concentrated, it was enough to shock anyone who saw them. Covering the skies and sun, they were a world unto themselves. It was truly a majestic scene.

Shi Tianhao looked at the Parasol Tree Forest and a look of hunger crossed his eyes. Likewise, Tun Tun had that look too.

Wang Lin, Chu Yang, Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang, Luo Qingwu and the other junior disciples too stared at the scene in admiration.

Lin Feng looked at the scene interestedly and thought, "Amongst the Four Great Strange Trees, the Ginseng Fruit Tree has never been seen by anyone thus far. It is rumored to be extinct. Today, the Saros Steel Trees and the Celestial Jade Trees are rarely found. Only the Divine Parasol Trees can appear in such quantity."

Suddenly, the bright, chirping of phoenix could be heard in the Parasol Tree Forests as a bunch of shadows flew towards Lin Feng.