With a final pulse of light, the last of Qing Yun's power entered him.
The colossal Tree of Life in the grove dissolved into erald motes, swirling around Yun Lintian before sinking into his skin. Inside his Divine Core, the original Tree stood triumphant—no longer a sapling, but a mighty pillar of creation itself.
Yun Lintian's eyes snapped open. Erald light blazed from his pupils as the full authority of Life settled into his Divine Core. His hair stread with vibrant green streaks, his entire body radiating primordial energy.
But he didn't celebrate.
Instead, his hands shot forward, grabbing at Qing Yun's fading form.
"No!"
The mont his fingers touched her translucent shoulders, the new power within him reacted. The Tree of Life in his Divine Core trembled, its branches extending through his ridians and bursting from his palms in rivers of erald energy.
The power wrapped around Qing Yun like roots embracing a dying sapling.
Qing Yun's fading form stabilized slightly, her translucent edges becoming more defined. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Yun Lintian... stop!" she gasped. "You're disrupting the transfer!"
"I don't care!" Yun Lintian gritted his teeth, pouring more energy into her. The Tree of Life within him resisted—this wasn't how inheritance was ant to work—but he forced it.
Linlin and Qingqing watched in stunned silence as erald light flooded the clearing, the very air vibrating with conflicting life energies.
Qing Yun's form flickered between solid and translucent. "Listen to !" Her voice carried both frustration and fondness. "This is necessary! Without complete inheritance, you can't—"
"I'd rather face Nian Shi with half your power than take all of it at your expense!" Yun Lintian roared.
The declaration shook the grove. Birds took flight, and even the ancient trees seed to tremble at his words.
Qing Yun stared at him, her expression softening. "Oh, child... your kindness does you credit." She reached up, her fading hand brushing his cheek. "But my departure is unavoidable. This is how Life's authority passes—through sacrifice."
"Then I reject it." Yun Lintian's voice dropped to a whisper. "I've had enough of people sacrificing for ."
The transfer hung in precarious balance.
Half of Qing Yun's power had already rged with Yun Lintian's Tree of Life. The other half remained trapped between them, neither fully transferred nor fully returned.
Qing Yun sighed. "Stubborn, just like your mother."
Yun Lintian didn't smile. "Tell another way."
"There is no other—"
"Then we make one." His grip tightened. "You said my Tree is the original, right? That it's different?"
Qing Yun paused. "Yes, but—"
"Then let's change the rules."
With that, Yun Lintian did sothing reckless.
He pulled on the Tree of Life within him—not to take more power from Qing Yun, but to give back.
Erald energy flowed in reverse, streaming from his body back into hers.
Qing Yun gasped. "You—! Stop! This could damage your Divine Core!"
"Don't worry." Yun Lintian grinned through the pain as his ridians scread in protest. The reversal felt like tearing out his own roots, but he didn't stop.
As the energy cycled between them, sothing unexpected happened.
The original Tree of Life in Yun Lintian's core adapted.
Instead of simply returning power, it began forming a connection—a living bridge between their authorities. Erald vines stretched from his Divine Core, not severing Qing Yun's link to Life, but sharing it.
Qing Yun's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "You're... creating a bond?"
"Mn." Sweat dripped down Yun Lintian's forehead. "Not taking. Sharing."
It defied all conventions of divine inheritance. Authorities weren't ant to be shared—they were absolute, singular. Yet here, with the original Tree of Life as conduit, the impossible beca possible.
With a final pulse of light, the connection solidified.
Qing Yun's form stabilized completely, no longer fading. Her erald robes regained their luster, though slightly dimr than before.
Yun Lintian collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily. His hair still bore green streaks, his eyes still swirled with erald and gold—but Qing Yun stood before him, very much alive.
Qingqing fluttered around them both, tears in her eyes. "Beautiful aunt! You're okay!"
Qing Yun looked down at her hands, then at Yun Lintian with sothing akin to awe. "This shouldn't be possible."
Yun Lintian wiped his brow, grinning weakly. "Tell that to the Tree."
Inside his Divine Core, the original Tree of Life now had a new feature—a shimring erald vine connecting it to a smaller, but still vibrant, tree that represented Qing Yun's remaining authority.
They were linked.
Qing Yun's expression turned serious. "You realize what this ans?"
"That you're not dead?" Yun Lintian quipped.
She shook her head. "You don't have the full authority. The power is split between us now."
"I know."
"You'll be weaker against Nian Shi."
Yun Lintian stood, eting her gaze squarely. "As I said, I'd rather fight him at half-strength than having soone sacrificed for ."
The words hung in the air.
Qing Yun studied him for a long mont before smiling—a real, warm smile. "Thank you."
She extended a hand, and a scroll materialized—ancient parchnt glowing with verdant light.
"Since you've comprehended the Great Law of Life," she said, placing the scroll in his hands, "you must master this next."
Yun Lintian unrolled it. The characters shimred, shifting before his eyes into concepts rather than words.
"Breath of the World Tree."
A technique to refine Life authority beyond its natural limits.
"What does it do, Beautiful Aunt?" Qingqing asked cutely.
Qing Yun smiled. "It allows Yun Lintian to draw vitality from all living things—not to steal, but to borrow. A temporary convergence of life forces."
Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed in understanding. "So if I'm injured..."
"You could heal by channeling the ambient life energy of an entire forest," Qing Yun confird. "Or a city. Or, at full mastery, a world."
The implications were staggering. With this, he could theoretically fight indefinitely, so long as life existed around him.
But Qing Yun wasn't done.
"There's more," she said, her voice lowering. "This technique is but the first step. To truly oppose Nian Shi, you must seek the vessel of the God of Death."
"The Great Law of Death." Yun Lintian spoke up.
"Yes." Qing Yun's expression turned grave. "You must have known it already that Life and Death are two sides of the sa coin. Master both, and you unlock Chaos—the primordial force that existed before even the Creator's ti."
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