Divine Emperor of Death

On the edge of a mountain peak, two figures stood.

They were both women wearing white robes, plain and simple.

However, one possessed noble phoenix blood, and the other imperial fox blood. The latter was a fey with pure blood, almost lacking any anthropomorphic features except a fox tail that was currently hidden in her white robe.

Although they wore peasant clothes, their beauty couldn't hidden.

The two of them stood at the edge of a mountain peak and looked at the horizon.

"That seems overly conspicuous to ignore…" Dewzai uttered with her brows raised.

It was almost dark, but they could see a tree in the distance.

It was so far away, yet they could still see it.

The scene in front of them was nothing more than plain lands with sparsely populated forests occupying the space between small mountain ranges. They could even see a crystal mountain range ahead of them infested with those crystal creatures. However, further beyond was that tree.

Even clouds gathered around its trunk.

If they could see it from this far when their senses couldn't reach far, and their sight couldn't see properly due to the foggy atmosphere in the distance, they guessed its height would be tens of kilometers and its width in hundreds of meters.

"That looks like an Ethereal Lumina Tree…"

"What's an Ethereal Lumina Tree…?"

Dewzai eyed Shirley, causing the latter to giggle before she explained.

"An Ethereal Lumina Tree is unlike any other in existence, its roots delving deep into the earth, connecting with the spiritual essence of the land, and its branches extending high into the heavens, brushing against the stars themselves. In other words, it sustains the entire realm, and if it dies, it will undoubtedly mean the destruction of the realm."

"…!?"

Dewzai couldn't tell if Shirley was kidding or not, but if what she said was true, then she felt like the tree itself was a treasure.

"Let's go there."

"I agree." Shirley nodded but shook her head, "But considering its this big, it would surely attract other inheritors in the vicinity."

"Not a problem. If we are in danger, we could simply use the Escape Talisman we have been provided with. It makes no sense to use them unless there are some rewards for them as well."

"…"

Shirley was speechless, not expecting Dewzai to be so competitive.

Nonetheless, they hit it off quite nicely, making their way towards the huge tree while chatting and giggling while throwing insults at each other.

Shirley felt a bit sad.

Perhaps if they had met under different circumstances, they could've been friends with rivalry, but now, they were enemies working together until they needed to win.

Nonetheless, Shirley was looking forward to snatching the Lustrous Celestial Fruit the moment she eyed it. She planned to fight tooth and nail for it with Dewzai, but considering her cultivation state, she knew she got cocky.

While acting like she had power, she forgot that she was weak at the moment, making her inwardly twist her tongue with an oops.

Taking a few hours to make their way with twists and turns, even ignoring the crystal mountain and a few cultivators they came across trying to invade that crystal mountain, they eventually reached a forest.

They guessed they should be no more than fifty kilometers away from the tree. But at that moment, the tree's majestic appearance was already in their eyes.

It was a colossal tree that defied their imagination, its trunk covering a massive space. It was like a mountain imposing its strength and magnificence on them. Moreover, the trunk didn't seem to be merely wood but a fusion of organic matter and translucent crystals, each one pulsating with an ethereal light.

The branches of this mammoth tree stretched out for hundreds of meters in every direction at all altitudes, casting a thick sheet of shadow that blanketed the entire forest. Light from the moon barely made it inside, but the crystals that mixed with the wood everywhere made for an undertree city on its own.

"Mhm… that doesn't appear like the Ethereal Lumina Tree…"

Shirley laughed wryly.

"What do you mean? That looks enough lumina or luminous to me…"

Dewzai scoffed, but Shirley shook her head.

"Of course, the Ethereal Lumina Tree might differ in appearance depending on the realm it inhabits, but this is something else altogether. It is entirely different from what I have heard from my husband and the others who visited the Astral Forgeheart Minor Realm."

Shirley explained, but Dewzai still looked at her with suspicion, wondering if she was planning on confusing her as she said one thing before and said another thing now.

"Look at its fruits. Those aren't fruits but crystal orbs…"

Shirley raised her hands and pointed at the branches. There were a few glowing objects nestling among its branches, appearing to be a fruit, but it was, in fact, a crystal orb. They were big, each one the size of a normal two-story house.

They were round in shape, their flesh appearing to be both soft yet hard as their surface appeared to be crystalline.

Even from this distance, they could sense the massive heaven and earth energy reverberating to the surroundings, making them gulp.

"That purity…" Dewzai's gaze shook, "Is it greater than a Peak-

Level Immortal Crystal… the same as a Vein Source or even greater…?"

"We wouldn't know until we close in." Shirley heaved a breath, "The purity is probably enough for even Empyrean Stage cultivators to have twice or even thrice the results in cultivation speed if they cultivated under the tree, but if we got any closer, I don't think we can survive…"

Dewzai came out of her reverie and explored the tree with her eyes.

She couldn't make out the difference at a glance, but the closer she looked, the deeper her heart sank as she saw some crystals affixed to the branches move.

It didn't seem like the tree was a plant lifeform capable of attacking them. Perhaps it was, but she could vaguely sense individual undulations radiating from those moving chunks of crystals.

They looked small, but considering the distance, Dewzai knew they were giants.

"Empyrean Stage Crystal Beasts…"

Dewzai removed her gaze from the strange tree and looked down, her cheeks going pale.

As far as she could see, there were at least five, and this was just from their direction alone. It was unknown how many of these Empyrean Stage Crystal Beasts took refuge in this tree, appearing to be peacefully perching on the branches yet giving off a dangerous aura as though they owned the territory.