Space twisted as Qing Yun brought Yun Lintian into her domain—a vast, mist-shrouded forest where rain fell in a perpetual, gentle drizzle. The air humd with vitality, thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming flowers. Countless creatures moved through the undergrowth—spirited foxes with glowing tails, iridescent butterflies the size of palms, and towering stags whose antlers shimred with dew.
For so reason, Yun Lintian felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if he had returned ho after a long journey. Perhaps it was the Tree of Life's essence within him, resonating with this sacred place.
Qingqing fluttered around excitedly, her tiny hands brushing against leaves that pulsed with erald light. "Big Brother Yun! This place feels so nice!"
Linlin flicked her tail in agreent. "The energy here is purer than anywhere else."
Yun Lintian took a deep breath, feeling his exhaustion slowly lt away. The wounds from his battles seed to heal faster here, his ridians humming in harmony with the forest's rhythm.
Qing Yun led them along a winding path of moss-covered stones, her erald robes blending seamlessly with the surroundings. "This is the Heartwood Grove," she said softly. "The core of my domain."
Ahead stood an ancient tree, its trunk wider than a palace, its branches stretching into the misty sky like the veins of the world itself. The Tree of Life.
Yun Lintian's breath caught. The tree before him was far grander than the one he had inherited in his tiline. Its bark shimred with golden-green patterns, and its leaves glowed with an inner light, each one pulsing like a heartbeat.
Qing Yun placed a hand on the trunk, and the tree responded—roots shifting, branches lowering as if in greeting. "Sit beneath it," she instructed. "Let its energy cleanse your fatigue."
Yun Lintian did as told, settling at the base of the colossal tree. The mont his back touched the bark, warmth flooded his body. Visions flickered at the edges of his mind—mories of countless lives, of worlds born and withered, of the endless cycle of growth and decay.
This is the true essence of Life.
Qingqing and Linlin curled up beside him, basking in the soothing aura.
"Senior Qing," Yun Lintian began, his voice steady but carrying a hint of longing, "I have a question."
Qing Yun smiled faintly. "About your mother?"
Yun Lintian nodded. "Where is she?"
The God of Life exhaled softly, her gaze drifting toward the endless mist beyond the Heartwood Grove. "Yun Wushuang is fighting."
"Fighting?" Yun Lintian frowned. "Against Nian Shi?"
"Yes." Qing Yun's voice was calm, but Yun Lintian sensed the weight behind her words. "She moves across countless tilines, disrupting Nian Shi's plans wherever she can. She is… a thorn in his side, one he cannot easily remove."
A surge of pride swelled in Yun Lintian's chest. His mother—defying the God of Ti himself. But beneath that pride, there was frustration.
"Can I see her?" he asked.
Qing Yun turned back to him, her erald eyes filled with sympathy. "Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because the mont you et, Nian Shi will know." Qing Yun's tone was firm. "Right now, you are still growing. Yun Wushuang has spent centuries ensuring that Nian Shi cannot predict your movents, that he cannot lock onto your existence completely. But if you et her now, the threads of fate will converge, and Nian Shi will strike."
Yun Lintian clenched his fists. He understood the logic, but that didn't make the answer any easier to accept.
"So when?" he pressed.
Qing Yun placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "When you are strong enough to face Nian Shi directly. When your presence alone is enough to shake the foundations of ti. Then, Yun Wushuang will co to you herself."
Yun Lintian exhaled sharply, forcing down the disappointnt. He had waited this long. He could wait a little longer.
"Alright," he said, his resolve hardening. "Then I'll get stronger. Faster."
Qing Yun nodded approvingly. "Good."
Linlin, who had been listening quietly, flicked her tail. "Big Brother Yun, you're already terrifyingly strong. Even the Primordial Gods couldn't defeat you!"
"Yeah!" Qingqing chid in.
Yun Lintian chuckled, ruffling Qingqing's hair. "Strong isn't enough. I need to be unstoppable."
Qing Yun's lips curved slightly. "Then you'll need to continue absorbing divine authorities."
Yun Lintian's eyes glead. "Other tilines?"
"Yes," Qing Yun confird. "But this ti, you must be more careful. Nian Shi is watching now. He won't let you move freely."
Yun Lintian nodded slowly. "It would be difficult. He has everything prepared for my arrival."
Qing Yun studied him for a mont before nodding. "There is a way."
She raised a hand, and a single leaf detached from the Tree of Life, floating down into her palm. With a flick of her wrist, the leaf transford into a small jade pendant, its surface etched with intricate, shifting patterns.
"Wear this," she said, handing it to Yun Lintian. "It will mask your presence, making it harder for Nian Shi to track you across tilines."
Yun Lintian took the pendant, feeling its warmth seep into his skin. The mont it touched him, his aura dimd, as if he had beco part of the background of the world.
Qing Yun's erald eyes studied Yun Lintian intently. "Show your Tree of Life."
"Alright." Yun Lintian nodded gently.
Yun Lintian closed his eyes and focused inward.
Within his body, a magnificent tree stood tall—its roots embedded deep into his Divine Core, its branches spreading through his ridians like veins of liquid jade. The Tree pulsed with primordial life energy, its leaves shimring with faint golden light.
He exhaled, allowing the vision to manifest externally.
A phantom projection of the Tree of Life materialized behind him—smaller than Qing Yun's, but radiating an ancient, indescribable aura.
The mont it appeared, Qing Yun's breath hitched.
Linlin's fur stood on end. "Whoa! Big Brother Yun's tree feels... different!"
Qingqing fluttered closer, her tiny hands reaching out. "It's warm... like sunlight!"
Qing Yun's expression shifted through several emotions—shock, realization, then sothing akin to reverence.
"As expected..." She stepped forward, her fingers brushing the phantom leaves. "The original Tree of Life is entirely different."
Yun Lintian frowned. "Original?"
Qing Yun withdrew her hand, her gaze piercing. "The first Tree. The progenitor of all others across infinite tilines."
Silence.
Even the forest seed to hold its breath.
Yun Lintian's mind raced. "What does that an?"
Qing Yun exhaled slowly. "It ans your tiline—the one you ca from—is the Pri Origin. The first world the Creator ever made."
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