Jiang Liu accepted the beautiful girl’s offer and finished the wine still in his glass in one go, to which she immediately topped up. The same thing happened three times in a row as the beautiful girl held on to the wine bottle with no intention of leaving.
“You’re not afraid of me?” asked Jiang Liu with a smile.
“Should I be?” answered the beautiful girl with another question and also a smile on her face.
“Well, the Palm Sword Cliff will definitely come for me for killing the Eighth Sword Intern. Don’t you see how the others here are keeping their distance from me?” replied Jiang Liu serenely.
The beautiful girl made a scoffing sound and said, “The Palm Sword Cliff is just a big bully! I should thank you for killing them.”
“It seems like you have a bone to pick with them, too.” There was understanding in Jiang Liu’s eyes.
“The Top Five Sword Interns joined forces together and took out a high-level member of the Heavenly Realm, very commendable indeed. But it just so happened that the Heavenly Realm member was my grandfather.” Tears began to trail down her face as her shoulders trembled slightly.
Jiang Liu was momentarily stunned. It was unlike him to be so easily swayed by others’ emotions for there was only one thing in his heart—his swordsmanship. Nonetheless, the fact that the beautiful girl went through the same thing as he did struck a chord with him.
He, too, had lost his grandfather, so he knew the feeling of indescribable helplessness all too well.
“The Palm Sword Cliff will bring about their own destruction with all the evil things they’ve done. I highly suggest you stay away from me. They could be on their way to me now.” With that, Jiang Lu stood up, getting ready to leave.
However, what she said next stopped him from leaving.
“Don’t worry about them. They won’t be coming for you for quite some time.”
“Huh? How can you be so sure of that?” asked Jiang Liu curiously.
“Because they’re looking for my hometown.” Her beautiful face became bitter. “The Palm Sword Cliff only arranged for the Eighth Sword Intern to be in this area. The rest of them are looking for my hometown in the Chaos.”
“Your hometown?” asked Jiang Liu with a slight frown. “Why are they looking for your hometown?”
“Have you ever heard of the Memorial Spirit?”
Jiang Liu nodded. “Of course.”
Memorial Spirit was the honorific term for the Divine Plants. In the Chaos, plants are classified as living beings as well. For example, the Spiritual Root was one of the Divine Plants. The higher the grade of the Spiritual Root, the harder it was for it to undergo spiritual transformation. Once it had been spiritually transformed, the benefits of consuming them became boundless.
The Flat Peaches, Yellow Pears, and Ginseng Fruits of the Prehistoric never went through spiritual transformation. However, that was not to say that there had never been a spiritually transformed Spiritual Root in the endless Chaos. It could be said that this kind of miracle only happened once in a blue moon.
The Spiritual Root who had been spiritually transformed bore fruits with miraculous powers. The fruits would offer themselves to the people of their choosing. No matter how strong one was, if they did not have the approval of the Spiritual Root, they would not be able to eat their fruits.
Many powerful people had been nurtured under these conditions and had come to be reliant on consuming the fruits. Thus, they termed the Spiritual Roots which bore the fruits with the honorific term of a Memorial Spirit.
“Are you saying that there’s a Memorial Spirit in your hometown?” asked Jiang Liu. There was a slight change in his expression. He was thinking about the mission given to him by the expert and became very excited.
The expert was highly interested in unique Spiritual Plants. Everyone in the Heavenly Palace was always on the lookout for plants that would interest him. It was only natural that Jiang Liu would want to do the same thing for him.
He chalked it down to his good fortune that he was able to unexpectedly come across information on the whereabouts of a Memorial Spirit. However, he needed to find out about the species of the Memorial Spirit to ascertain whether the expert would like it.
“Yes. My clan, the Rainbow Butterfly, have been living with a Memorial Spirit in a far corner of the universe. We’ve been living peacefully until we were attacked by the men of the Palm Sword Cliff not long ago.
“We had no choice but to leave the planet and go into hiding. My grandfather was killed while he was trying to buy us some time.”
The reason she had come here was to look for some intel and to take revenge by creating problems for the Palm Sword Cliff. Therefore, she was very happy to have bumped into Jiang Liu.
“Would you be willing to bring me to your hiding place?” asked Jiang Liu.
The beautiful girl’s eyes shone brightly at the question. “You’re willing to help us?”
“Uh…” Jiang Liu pressed his lips together. “I’ll protect you and your clan from the Palm Sword Cliff men.”
He intended to check out the Memorial Spirit and if possible, bring it back for the expert. However, he had the sense to not say this out loud to the beautiful girl so he told her a half-truth.
“I knew it! From the very moment I set eyes on you, I knew you’re one of the good ones,” said the beautiful girl, grinning from ear to ear. Her innocence showed that she really had been living peacefully up until now.
“By the way, my name’s Dia. What’s yours?” asked Dia.
“Jiang Liu.”
“Okay, please, follow me, Mister Jiang.” With that, she unfolded a pair of transparent butterfly-like wings from her back and flew up to the sky with a gentle flap of her wings. Her speedy departure left a trail of smoke across the air.
Jiang Liu followed her from behind, left the Area of the Gods, and flew straight into the Chaos.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Chaos with many stars, a group of men on flying swords had come here looking for something. At the forefront of the group were three men with gaunt faces and cold eyes. They were all exuding a murderous aura.
They were none other than the three Great Sword Interns—Third, Sixth, and Seventh.
On the palm of the Third Sword Intern was a floating green ginseng. The odd thing about the ginseng was it had a pair of eyes and would sniff the air from time to time. One would even say that it had a curmudgeon look to it.
Abruptly, the three Great Sword Interns shook at the same time, their eyes were flashing and they could not control their aura from being released.
“Eighth’s dead,” said someone in a low voice.
“The killer must’ve been very powerful to be able to kill Eighth. Things just got more interesting.”
“Let’s wrap things up quickly here. He’s a dead man walking. It should be easy to find him with the sword box in his possession.”
Suddenly, the ginseng said something in an excited voice, “We’re getting closer to the Memorial Spirit. It’s located at that star over there!”
Upon hearing that, they increased their speed and headed straight to the star. On the star, there was a giant flower. The petals of this flower were yellow, with a large disk in the middle. The rhizome was slender and erect and the green leaves were in the shape of a broad ovoid with pointed tips and serrated sides. Although it was a flower, it was as tall as a tree.
It was a Divine Sunflower!
However, the Divine Sunflower had become droopy and bent. A picture of listlessness with signs of wilting. More than 30 people had gathered around the Divine Sunflower. They were all very sad and anxious.
A white-bearded old man stood up and said with red eyes, “Lord Memorial Spirit, can you tell us what we should do to help you recover your vitality?”
“Yes, Lord Memorial Spirit. I’m willing to give you everything I have.”
“Lord Memorial Spirit, all our lives belong to you. We’re willing to try anything.”
“Lord Memorial, please, don’t leave us.”
Just like Dia, the people gathered there had a pair of transparent wings growing out of their backs. Their job was to protect and care for the Divine Sunflower’s environment. They used to be common Rainbow Butterflies but had been spiritually transformed by the grace of the Memorial Spirit and thus, were able to take human forms to continue with their spiritual cultivation.
The Divine Sunflower and the Rainbow Butterfly Clan had been living carefreely together for countless years. They never expected there would be a day when they would have to be parted.
The Memorial Spirit started to sway its rhizome and a voice floated from its direction. “I was born in the Chaos and can only be nurtured by its spiritual items. Not to mention, I’ve been tainted by The Unknown during ancient times. This is the end of the road for me but don’t be sad. It was already written in the stars.”
“Chaos Spiritual Items?” Despair spread to everyone’s faces as they had no idea where to get those items.
“It’s all because we’re so useless. Lord Memorial Saint wouldn’t have ended up like this if he wasn’t trying to protect us,” said someone guiltily.
The Memorial Spirit was not in the best of condition to begin with when she had to migrate everyone to safety. The act itself had caused great damage to her life force, speeding up her death.
“Lord Memorial Spirit, is there any other way?” said someone else, not wanting to give up.
“Hahaha, there is!” said an abrupt voice coldly. “This sunflower only needs to consume another Memorial Spirit to extend its life by another ten thousand years!”
The Rainbow Butterfly Clan was shocked and all turned toward the voice. Their expressions became somber when they discovered the identity of the cold voice.
“D*mn, they’re from the Palm Sword Cliff. How did they find us here?”
“I remember them. They were the ones who took grandfather’s life! I’m going to avenge him!”
“What’s that thing in his hand? It looks like a Memorial Spirit, too.”
“It’s you, Old Ginseng!” The Divine Sunflower raised her bloom to look at the phantom ginseng. Her voice was full of anger. “Were you the one who showed them the way?”
“That’s right,” said Old Ginseng boldly.
“Why?”
“Need you ask? It’s to extend my lifespan of course!” said the Old Ginseng matter-of-factly. “Before the Eternal Years, most of the Memorial Spirits were destroyed during the Ancient Disaster. Not only that, someone from the Eldritch had unleashed The Unknown to suppress the growth of the Chaos and to prevent the birth of more Memorial Spirits. Although we were spared at that time, we’re still tainted by The Unknown which means death is inevitable for us.
“There are only ten thousand years left in my lifespan, so I’d need to consume you to ensure I can live for another ten thousand years! Since you’re on the brink of death, why don’t you be a pal and grant me this wish?”
“I never thought I’d live to see the day when we Memorial Spirits cannibalize each other,” said the Divine Sunflower sorrowfully.
Back then, the Nine Elite Beings had the help of the Memorial Spirits for their meteoric rise which explained why the Eldritchs wanted to wipe them out. Thus, began the mass destruction of all Memorial Spirits to prevent them from cultivating more Elite Beings.
In fact, the Eldritchs were so effective that the growth of the Chaos had been severely suppressed and there had never been an Elite Being since then.
“They won’t get away with it this time!” said one of the Sword Interns coldly and without emotion. “It’s time to cut the chit-chat and kill all living beings here!” He then pointed his finger and a thousand-mile sword light cut through the sky, threatening to wipe out everything there.
“It’s a fight to the death!” shouted the Rainbow Butterfly Clan. Their faces became red with the unleashing of their force and mana.
“Oh, you weak, puny little butterflies,” said the Third Sword Intern with a cold smile while raising his longsword at the same time. The sword flashed brilliantly, like the many stars in the sky, and its Sword Qi pulse magnificently. “Splitting Sky, Crumbling Earth!”
Boom!
The Sword Qi was vicious and passed through the area like a tornado, splicing everything in its path and wiping everything out. It circled the Rainbow Butterfly Clan as it cut through their flesh and colored the sky with their blood.
Although there were a few high-level members of the Heavenly Realm in the clan, they were only able to reach the realm through the help of the Divine Sunflower. They did not have any powerful spells and only possessed average Insights. Not to mention, they never had any actual combat experience. Needless to say, they would not last long under the Palm Sword Cliff’s attacks with their meager mana.
This was also the reason why the five Great Sword Interns were able to easily take out the high-level member of the Heavenly Realm previously.
“How dare you!” Supernatural power surged up within the Divine Sunflower and a vine suddenly popped out from the ground. It transformed into a shadow whip powered by the Power of the Law. She wasted no time using the whip on the Sword Interns. The strikes were imbued with the Heavenly Power, freezing both heaven and earth.
“Shouldn’t you be conserving your energy, Divine Sunflower?” asked Old Ginseng with a cold smile. His phantom image became larger and his roots transformed into whips, too, which he used to block the Divine Sunflower’s attacks. Then, he extended his countless fine roots toward the Divine Sunflower, making it seem like a thousand hands were reaching for her.
The Divine Sunflower started to flash brilliantly and a golden beam of light aiming straight for the Old Ginseng shot out from the disk in the middle. They became locked in an impasse.
“She’s on her last dying breath. Quickly, cut off her roots!” said the Old Ginseng to the Palm Sword Cliff men.
“Don’t even think about it!”
“No harm will come to our Memorial Spirit as long as we’re still alive!”
The Rainbow Butterfly Clan gave out a loud roar and activated a protective barrier around the Divine Sunflower.
“Shut up! You can all die with her!” The three Sword Interns laughed coldly as their swords began to attack the protective dome which then collapsed like a popped balloon and sent everyone flying. They became plagued with hopelessness and their vitality started to dwindle away.
“It’s over!” The Third Sword Intern raised his sword, sending out red sword light which cut across the Divine Sunflower’s rhizome, leaving a deep scar.
The Divine Sunflower’s leaves shook violently and a transparent liquid trickled out of the wound. It was the blood of the Memorial Spirit!
“No, Memorial Spirit!”
“Protect the Memorial Spirit!”
“O Great Wisdom! I’m willing to give my life in exchange for Memorial Spirit’s life!”
The Rainbow Butterfly Clan rushed toward the Memorial Spirit with no consideration for their own lives. Their breaths became ragged and they were unable to stay in their human form. One by one, they all turned back into their butterfly forms.
The Divine Sunflower’s leaves started swaying again and a long sigh could be heard coming from her.
“Useless, each and every one of them. Their weakness makes me laugh!” said the Third Sword Intern condescendingly while shaking his head. Once again, he drew his sword to attack at the Divine Sunflower’s rhizome.
