Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 965 – The Anointment of Sacred Light

The light was brimming with the Qi of life, but it also contained a strength that could destroy all things in this world.

This light was not white, nor was it gold. It was a mottled and impure mixture.

What was the Wildfire of the Celestial Tree? It was not the waves of heat within the stone path, not the pillars of flame. This light was the true Wildfire.

Countless years ago, the ancestors of the Demi-human race had obtained the true source of the Wildfire and hidden it underground, deep within the magma. Later on, it was only the truly talented demi-human experts, those blessed with incredible potential, who would be given the chance to travel far below the Celestial Trees and experience the Qi of the Wildfire, using it to comprehend the true essence of strength.

But why had the young man in the bamboo hat said those words?

The Wildfire of the Celestial Tree was Sacred Light?

Sacred Light from where?

The Li Palace?

Holy Maiden Peak?

Or was it from that most distant continent?

……

……

The massive projection of the demi-human ancestral spirit cast itself onto the spiritual worlds of Xiaode, Xuanyuan Po, and the other two demi-humans. The underground caverns raged with flames as they silently kowtowed to that massive figure. They did not circulate their true essence to protect their bodies or even think of resistance. They allowed the pillar of light from an unknown world to fall upon their bodies.

As long as their loyalty and courage could obtain the approval of the ancestral spirit, the Wildfire would enter their bodies, swiftly modifying and strengthening their bodies. Compared to the improvements offered by the obstructions in the stone paths, this was the true baptism of Wildfire.

The young man did not kneel, did not close his eyes, and he certainly did not pray.

He stood in front of the sea of fire, his hands held behind him as he calmly gazed at the colossal figure of the Demi-human race’s ancestral spirit. As he sensed the Wildfire’s Qi, he seemed to be thinking of something.

He had taken an enormous risk to leave Xuelao City and come here. Of course, he wanted to express his sincerity towards the alliance with the demi-humans, but that was not the important reason.

He had three things that he needed to do in White Emperor City, and the first was to investigate the secret of the Demi-human race’s ancestral spirits and the Wildfire of the Celestial Trees.

Now, the ancestral spirit had appeared and the Wildfire had descended upon him. One of the hypotheses that he and the Military Advisor had made a long time ago had finally obtained proof.

The Celestial Tree’s Wildfire really was Sacred Light.

To him, this was an extremely important matter, allowing him to fill a gap in a painting called ‘History’.

Madam Mu had probably guessed at his intentions in participating in the Heavenly Selection, that he wanted to personally witness the Wildfire and the ancestral spirit.

Perhaps the White Emperor, cultivating in the distant mountains, knew of this as well.

But these two Saints probably did not care too much.

The demi-humans themselves truthfully did not understand what the Wildfire passed down by their ancestors was.

Whenever he thought of this, the young man could not suppress his scorn and contempt.

The Divine race was the race with the longest history on the continent, and this Divine race was the Demon race, so it was the Demon race that knew the most secrets.

Moreover, when Madam Mu guessed that he wanted to see the Wildfire, she also wanted to see how he would respond to it.

When confronting the unstoppable might of the ancestral spirit and the Wildfire that could destroy all things, even if he was the Demon Lord, what could he do?

He was not a demi-human and certainly had no wish to become a demi-human, so it was naturally impossible for him to obtain the approval of the ancestral spirit of the Demi-human race.

He still needed to rely on his strength to contend against the Wildfire of the Celestial Tree. The problem was that the Wildfire was countless times stronger than the waves of heat in the stone path, and those two divine artifacts of the Demon race were already severely damaged and impossible to use again. What method would he use to endure?

The pressure exuded by the ancestral spirit grew stronger and stronger, its figure taller and taller. Through some incomprehensible method, it exceeded the several-hundred-zhang height of the cavern, extending into some black void where it looked down upon him like he was an ant.

In both the black void and the real world, the searing Wildfire raged, brimming with an energy that could destroy all things.

His face grew paler and paler as he sweat more and more, but before this sweat could soak his clothes, it was steamed dry.

His delicate features would occasionally be tinged with pain, through which one could imagine the torment he was currently enduring.

But no fear could be seen on his face or in his black eyes, not even the slightest hint of panic.

When the ancestral spirit’s body had grown so massive that it seemed about to break through the starry sky…

When the Wildfire in the cavern had grown so fierce that even the roots of the Celestial Tree began to burn…

When the curtain of light smoke dropping from the bamboo hat finally burned to nothing and its brim began to burst with sparks…

He took out two small stone statues.

It was difficult to say what sort of stone these statues were carved from, something akin to gold or jade, but they also seemed incomparably smooth and glossy.

The two statues depicted two naked people. One stood straight and apathetic while the other had its hand on its knee, like it was thinking. Although very small, they were detailed down to the smallest hair, appearing almost lifelike.

If Bie Yanghong or Madam Mu were present, they would naturally recognize the origins of these two statues.

These were the Angels from the Sacred Light Continent.

Black Robe had used some type of method to make them into statues.

Those two statues had been quietly standing in the back gate of the courtyard in the western part of White Emperor City this entire time.

Then they had been brought by the young man to this place.

He gripped the two Angel statues and thrust them towards the Wildfire.

The Wildfire that blazed to the heavens seemed to sense something. After freezing for a second, it grew even more savage and fierce, howling as it raged towards the statues.

The blazing hot Wildfire, carrying a Qi that could destroy all, touched the two statues and was instantly swallowed.

The two Angel statues appeared practically unchanged. They were just a little brighter, though still as cold as two black holes.

The young man gazed at the statues in his hand, his expression growing stern. Even his breathing seemed to have stopped.

The Wildfire continued to pour into the two Angel statues, accompanied by terrifying howls that echoed through the cavern.

As time passed, the two statues grew brighter and brighter.

At some point, the demi-human ancestral spirit had dispersed.

After some time, the Wildfire in the cavern was finally sucked clean by the two Angel statues and the temperature gradually returned to normal. The surface of the magma gradually solidified, regaining its black hue. The roots of the Celestial Tree, however, had been scorched into an unbearable state. It had probably not received such damage in all its countless years of existence.

The two statues gradually dimmed, regaining their original appearance. And yet, compared to before, they seemed to have undergone some subtle transformation.

The lines on the statues seemed clearer, the impassive faces of the Angels more vivid. One could even believe that their lashes were blinking.

Like they would come to life at any moment.

The young man gazed at the two stone statues, many emotions flashing through his black eyes.

There was wariness and fear, derision and sadness. It was an incredibly complex mixture of emotions, but they eventually transformed into a tinge of confusion.

……

……

The first to conclude his baptism of Wildfire was Xiaode, followed by Xuanyuan Po. The two other demi-human experts had still not returned to the high platform.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered over the mountains, thunder and lightning lashing out as a torrential downpour descended.

Mist suddenly drowned out the mountains, the strange sight of rain being evaporated by the Wildfire.

Xiaode abruptly turned to a mountain to the northeast.

The moment he turned, so did the Xiang clan leader and many generals and ministers.

The mists were extremely thick around this mountain, instantly engulfing an area several dozen li in radius and then slowly drifting up into the sky.

One could vaguely make out that the massive tree on this mountain was swaying and letting out thunderous cries.

Why was the Wildfire there blazing so fiercely? Why did that Celestial Tree seem afraid? What was going on there?