In the darkness, Sakura’s memories seemed to have been interrupted.
Lily didn’t know what happened afterwards, perhaps due to that day’s heavenly lightning, Sakura’s memories had been fragmented…
Lily’s consciousness returned.
She opened her eyes, her gaze was no longer filled with confusion. No matter if the road ahead was the Izumo vine under the light, or the darkness, she would continue ahead no matter what!
Whip! A vine came speeding at Lily again.
Crack! The vine came down on her back, Lily’s slender body trembled and staggered, but she continued onward.
The pain was extreme, but she didn’t let it stop her.
Crack!
Crack!
The vines kept whipping her, her forehead was soaked in sweat, her breaths came out in puffs from the pain and darkness still covered her eyes.
“This is nothing, it’s only pain.”
Lily thoroughly understood that the road she was walking on was a thousand times, ten thousand times harder than she had imagined!
“Sakura willingly took that heavenly annihilation for me, am I afraid of a little pain that doesn’t harm my body?”
Lily burst out with the power of violet lunar energy, her skin glowed with a delicate radiance as she broke through the suppression and started running!
Crack! Crack! Crack! The vines continued to whip, but with Lily continuously changing directions, not a single whip hit. Having decided on a path, her determination had returned and her will would not be confused by some invisible suppression!
Lily quickly weaved left and right while sprinting and suddenly the darkness disappeared. She could see a forest, and the root of the large Izumo vine.
Lily’s vision shook under the fast speed she was running at, but she could tell that the Izumo vine was getting closer!
She was very close to exiting the vine corridor.
But suddenly, a vine came stretching out from the darkness, entangling Lily’s bare feet.
“Ah—!” With her feet entangled, Lily fell over, and with her sudden vulnerability, multiple vines whipped over, entangling her body, arms, legs and binding her tightly.
“Ah——!!!” Lily let out a cry as she was bound and lifted by the vines1.
A rough vine passed through her top and between her breasts, tightly restraining her chest, making it hard to breath. More vines came out and whipped her restrained body.
This severe pain made her cry out, though tears dropped like rain, there was no weakness in Lily’s gaze.
The vines continued to whip her chest, waist, thighs, back, rear2…
Lily gritted her teeth and endured, and endured…
With the pain focusing her mind, she boosted her domain and summoned Yasutsuna to her hand. Her blade was too long, and she was unable to exert much strength being bound so tightly. She grabbed onto the middle of her blade and tightly turned her wrist despite the blood flowing from her slender white hand.
Chop—!
Yasutsuna spun around, cutting through the vines entangling her arms.
With the release of her arm, she gripped the handle of Yasutsuna and weaved her blade around!
Chop! Chop! Chop!
After cutting off all the vines binding her, she landed on her feet.
Out of breath, she looked at the towering Izumo vine in front of her.
“Whether you are a bridge to the skies, or a soul destroying trial, I don’t care what kind of past or destiny you have! I want to save Sakura, I will save Sakura, so— I will take your tree core!”
Lily raised her blade and charged at the Izumo vine.
She dashed and jumped into the sky filled with flailing vines as her eyes flashed with a violet light.
Chop! Chop! Chop! She slashed out, sending violet lunar blade lights chopping through all those vines.
She bent her back, both hands raising Yasutsuna high, edge facing down.
“YAA——!!!”
One blade came crashing down and cut deeply into the Izumo vine’s wound.
“Hand over your tree core! Hand it over!”
The pain and humiliation of being whipped all over didn’t make Lily succumb, but it showed in the furious frenzy she was in. There was only one thought in her mind, she must repair the sakura parasol that had protected her.
She knelt down at the wound of the Izumo Vine and slashed down again and again. Soon, the Izumo vine that was harder than steel, had shards of wood chopped off.
The middle of the wound was getting chopped and split by Yasutsuna. Very quickly, a calm vibrant green light was revealed from a crack. The tree core was revealed.
With the series of attacks, the Izumo vine finally realised the presence of a serious threat. Its vines waved widly and beat down upon Lily’s form.
But Lily was unmoved, she continuously slashed down with Yasutsuna!
“Yah——! Yah——! Yah——!”
The Izumo Vine’s most potent weapon, the soul attack, was completely ineffective against Lily. Against anyone else, it would be difficult to resist the terrifying soul attack.
The Izumo vine’s whip did not have enough physical power to harm Lily, and the potent pain was something she was enduring with great willpower! No one would have thought that such a delicate, beautiful girl could endure pain most male adepts could not take!
Deep within her heart, was an incomparable obsession3!
Finally, a large section of the tree core had been revealed.
“Hu—hu——” Several vines entangled her arms and legs, this time a vine passing between her thighs, hoping to weaken her fighting spirit.
Lily’s face blushed crimson, and her body trembled, “I’m already at this point, do you think I’d give up?”
Lily put down her blade, and stepped forward despite the entangling vines and tightly gripped the exposed tree core with both hands. And pulled, forcibly.
The core of the tree was not as tough as the bark, with this pull, Lily could feel the Izumo vine tremble, and sensed some sort of fluctuation with a pleading intent.
This Izumo vine, was a plant that had existed for an unknown number of years, it once reached the skies but was cut down by the gods, and yet the root system was still alive.
But if the tree core was taken away, it would really die.
It was unwilling to die and released a heart aching wave, the trees of the forest shook their branches and leaves making a miserable rustling groan.
Feeling this, Lily hesitated.
The Izumo vine wasn’t some monster that harmed innocents, Lily had come here for the tree core in order to repair her sakura parasol, but she had never thought that it would die if she took the core.
She knew she had to repair her parasol, but this vine was no ordinary creature, it was a spirit with ancient wisdom in this forest. The hidden innocence in her heart made it hard for her to commit.
Was it really necessary to kill the Izumo vine? The tree core was very long, she wouldn’t need much to repair the sakura parasol right? Perhaps she should only take half of the core?
This Izumo vine was a plant scythed down by the gods, if she only took a portion of the core, it should still be able to live.
Lily stopped pulling and spoke to the vine, “I’m sorry, no matter what, I must repair Sakura, but I don’t want to kill you either. Please let me take a portion of your tree core, and I promise, one day… if I have the capability, I will definitely return and restore you to the sky reaching vine again.”
The Izumo vine seemed to have heard Lily’s words and understood them, the vines loosened.
Lily let out a sigh of relief, this might be the best result. She would not take the tree core for nothing. Once she had enough power, she would return and repay the Izumo vine.
As Lily relaxed and began to estimate how much of the tree core she would have to take to repair her sakura parasol.
“Just looking at this exposed part, it’s very small compared to the vine itself, but if I only need to repair the umbrella frame, then I only need a third…”
But, from behind her, a malicious intent appeared.
The vines around her tightened and two sharpened vines came piercing toward her heart and lower abdomen.
Lily narrowed her eyes.
Crack—!!! Lily pulled the tree core out!
The vines all around her instantly softened, they fell all over the roots and formed a messy circle.
“What’s wrong with this world…even a vine is so sinister4.” She looked at the dead vine and shook her head helplessly.
She still couldn’t suppress the kindness deep within her heart, perhaps the kindness was a characteristic of her body.
But at least she wouldn’t lose herself within this dark world.
Detecting danger, she looked around and discovered that the vines were leaking a black liquid, she watched as the liquid hit the ground and burst into poisonous gas.
“Looks like the vine was corroded by the darkness from the depths of the earth? Or perhaps the resentment of being cut down by the gods was too strong and transformed it. It was also a sacrifice for this world…”
Lifting the crystal clear emerald tree core up and carefully probed the core. “Though the root system was corroded, thankfully the core is a heavenly treasure and is still pure.”
She placed the tree core within her ancient mirror. After all, Lily had always felt that storage jades were not as safe or secure as her mirror. She had always stored her most precious treasures within it.
Holding her breath to avoid the poisonous gas, Lily quickly ran out through the vine corridor. Now that the Izumo vine was dead, there were no obstructions to her movements.
“Sister Lily!” Rika had felt the powerful and terrifying impacts from the depths of the vine corridor. She dared not enter and could only anxiously wait outside.
“Rika.”
“Sister, you finally…safely returned!” Rika’s fur was covered in injuries, mud and leaves.
“Rika, what happened?”
“Sister…Rika has waited here for a month! sobs…5”
