Chapter 84: The Bronze Divine Tree
The three men's faces were all marked by astonishment and uncertainty.
Instinctively, they felt that Song Yue was deliberately sowing confusion, trying to intimidate them with elaborate tricks. Just moments before, those young grandmasters had explained that in ancient times, forbidden techniques existed—secret arts that could briefly boost one’s combat power to extraordinary heights, but afterward left one in a state of boundless weakness. They were called forbidden techniques precisely because such debilitation could not be quickly recovered from; otherwise, they would be divine arts.
They themselves had watched Song Yue leave the Sutra Pavilion plaza at a slow pace. At first, they thought he was asserting dominance, but only later did they realize—it was because he was exhausted, his entire being drained, barely managing to walk away.
How could he have recovered so quickly? Surely impossible!
Still, all three were cautious and refrained from acting immediately. One of them even began to have second thoughts—now that Song Yue’s whereabouts were known, all he needed was to alert the Ou family’s camp, and a handsome reward would be guaranteed. There was no need to take unnecessary risks. Even a cornered rabbit bites; this young martial artist, though weakened, had once slain two grandmasters in an instant. What if he retained some strength?
The other two disagreed. Reporting the discovery would earn a reward, but nothing compared to the bounty for killing Song Yue. They had lingered in this underground palace for some time, yet gained nothing. If nothing changed, they would leave empty-handed. Now, such an opportunity stood before them.
Among the foreigners, there was a common belief: on their home planet Earth, humanity’s history spanned only tens of thousands of years. Was that even worthy of being called human? Merely a slightly more advanced species of ape! Without a history stretching back hundreds of millions of years, could it be called civilization? Killing Song Yue was, in their eyes, no different from hunting a primitive, uncivilized monkey. They felt no psychological burden.
One young master in the third realm glared at Song Yue and spoke coldly, “You need not feign bravado. We see your weakness clearly. Though we bear you no personal grudge, today we must claim your head.”
As he spoke, he struck without warning!
They were less than ten meters apart. In a flash, he threw three knives, forming a triangular pattern, each aimed at Song Yue’s brow and shoulders.
Beside him, a martial artist in the second realm, who had unblocked the two main meridians and a dozen acupoints, drew his blade and slashed, sending a fierce streak toward Song Yue.
The hesitant one, his doubts unresolved, was a beat slower. But seeing his companions attack, he could not resist joining in. After all, when the credit was tallied, he needed his share! Drawing his sword, he attacked from the flank, shouting, “Go—”
He hadn’t finished saying “die,” when he saw all three knives seemingly strike Song Yue. Yet before any joy or other emotion could arise, Song Yue, unfazed by the knives, charged at the third realm master with ferocious strength and landed a punch.
Lightning danced across his fist like dragons and serpents, unleashing unparalleled power.
With a single blow, he sent the third realm grandmaster flying.
Clang!
The second realm master’s blade hacked at Song Yue’s “body,” but in the eyes of the slowest swordsman, both the knives and the blade should have hit Song Yue—yet they seemed to have no effect!
Song Yue’s protective aura was nearly tangible, forming a defensive layer akin to a cultivator’s energy shield, hugging his body. It looked as though he had been struck, but in reality, not even his skin was touched!
Seizing the chance, Song Yue delivered an elbow strike, caving in the chest of the second realm master, who had thought a single blow would kill him, his face twisted in a sneer.
Then, using the Illusory Phantom Steps—or rather, the Green Reed Step—his figure became ghostly, swiftly closing in on the sword-wielding adversary.
This young martial artist, not even in the second realm, was stunned.
Everything happened so quickly; in the blink of an eye, all was over.
He felt the air around him thicken, his heart pounding wildly, consumed by terror.
He tried to speak, but saw that handsome face offer a faint, indifferent smile.
In that moment, his scalp nearly exploded; he wanted to scream and flee.
But the next instant, he felt his strength draining away. Instinctively, he looked down—a massive, transparent hole gaped in his chest. A scent of scorched meat lingered.
How could this be?
Song Yue’s fist hadn’t even touched me… he was still far away!
Clang!
His sword dropped to the ground, his body crumpled, and he collapsed, dead.
The three martial artists, thinking they had struck fortune, ultimately fell victim to their own greed.
Song Yue searched them, finding little of value—not even a storage artifact.
Poorer than I am!
He shook his head in disappointment, dragged their corpses into the hut, and left.
The physical arts of the Flesh Dao were truly formidable. Originally, his strength could barely match two martial grandmasters. After awakening the body technique, his power soared, enabling him to kill them in quick succession. The subsequent weakness period was brief—he quickly restored his vitality.
This suggested that the body technique had almost no side effects, and could be used boldly without compromising safety.
During his comprehension of the Flesh Dao, Song Yue encountered revelations that thrilled, even incredulous him.
When perfected, the Flesh Dao grants immortality of the body; the Spirit Dao, immortality of the mind!
Immortal body, undying spirit.
Wasn’t that the legendary sanctification of the flesh?
He found it hard to believe—why him?
He was confident, but twice in a row—first in Kunlun, now on the distant Tianyue Star—he had obtained the most valuable treasures of the underground palace.
This seemed beyond mere luck.
It was as if he were blessed by fate.
So, why him?
Song Yue thought of the mysterious Thunderforce within him… Could it be the cause?
Moreover, why did the White-robed Celestial and the palace’s master, beings from ages past, seem able to see him?
No, not seem—they truly could see me!
Their teachings and transmissions were meant for me!
Could I be the reincarnation of some great figure?
Song Yue couldn’t help but muse inwardly.
Passing through a narrow alley, Song Yue encountered another man. This one was sharper—upon seeing Song Yue, he immediately tried to shout.
Song Yue hurled his alloy spear like a javelin, piercing the man’s chest and silencing him before any cry could escape.
The air echoed with a sharp sonic boom.
Retrieving his spear, Song Yue turned and walked away.
Yet the commotion attracted others, who quickly converged.
They saw no sign of Song Yue, only a martial artist dead with a hole in his chest.
“He’s recovered!”
“Incredible—what forbidden art did he practice to recover so fast?”
“One strike, one kill—so fierce!”
“This Earthling is ruthless!”
Crowds gathered around the corpse, discussing in hushed, pale-faced tones.
As martial artists, they were familiar with ruthlessness—even counted themselves among the ranks of the ruthless.
But to see someone as young as Song Yue wield such terrifying power—they had never seen the like.
Soon, members of the Ou family’s camp arrived, their faces twisted in anger at the sight of the corpse.
Someone said coldly, “He must have been greedy for credit, refused to call for help, and paid with his life!”
The Ou family scion, though grim-faced, quickly calmed and said, “Song Yue still has strength to kill, which means his forbidden art is of a high grade!”
Many at the scene brightened at this.
Who wouldn’t want such forbidden techniques?
“Capture him alive—force the secret from him!” a young grandmaster declared.
“Agreed. We must not split up. Gather together—if we catch him, everyone shares the forbidden art!” the Ou family leader urged.
His words stirred excitement among the crowd.
Afraid of death? Of course!
But united, they believed themselves a formidable force.
They refused to believe so many couldn’t subdue a single Earthling.
Even if he were made of iron, how many nails could he withstand?
“Find him together!”
“Capture him alive!”
“Extract the forbidden art!”
In an instant, consensus was reached.
Meanwhile, Song Yue had arrived at a place called the Treasury Pavilion.
It, too, was a grand hall, with a plaza outside crowded by people.
They waited anxiously, staring at the tightly closed doors, lost in thought.
Long ago, some had tried brute force to open them, hoping to seize the treasures within—even if it meant dismantling the place.
Yet even such attempts failed—they couldn’t even ascend the steps.
This place suppressed all arts, but the buildings themselves were guarded by formations!
It was a puzzle without a solution.
Yet, some had obtained treasures here—just as in the Sutra Pavilion—without knowing how.
Song Yue’s arrival drew little attention; most simply glanced at him, then resumed their contemplation of the Treasury doors. Some seemed to recognize him, but made no move.
Song Yue carried no hint of murderous intent, betraying nothing of his recent killings.
This was the advantage of cultivating the Celestial Spirit Dao—he could perfectly conceal his killing aura.
Combined with his handsome face, he appeared harmless.
Upon entering, the Jade Void Stele on Song Yue’s body vibrated fiercely.
Simultaneously, his spiritual domain offered guidance.
Song Yue instinctively activated the Celestial Spirit Dao, and the scene before him changed again.
As in the Sutra Pavilion, time and space around him froze in a strange stillness.
He tried approaching the others, waving a hand before their faces.
No reaction!
Can I stop time?
Song Yue slapped one man’s shoulder.
But his hand passed through the body.
Am I a ghost?
No… a spirit!
Turning, he saw his own body standing motionless.
Was this an out-of-body experience?
He ignored the crowd and walked toward the Treasury Pavilion, climbing the steps unimpeded.
He tried pushing the doors—they opened.
Inside, he glanced back—the doors remained tightly closed.
He realized he had opened the gates of the spiritual world.
This place appeared as a city, yet truly existed in another dimensional space! Its city-like form was perhaps a manifestation.
The Treasury was silent, without a sound.
Inside, artifacts were displayed.
Immediately, Song Yue saw a bronze divine tree!
It resembled the one he had seen with Lin Huan at the museum, but was not quite the same.
This bronze divine tree was over nine meters tall!
It consisted of a base and a main trunk; the top was damaged, the base like three mountains joined, the trunk three tiers, ascending toward the mountain’s summit.
Branches formed three tiers, each with three branches. Each branch bore two fruit stems, one upward, one drooping, with large fruit holders.
The tree supported nine birds, each perched on an upward fruit branch, and a dragon coiled down the trunk, poised to take flight.
“Is this divine tree a relic from an ancient Earth civilization in the Galactic era, as the Master once spoke of?”
“How could it appear here? Or do similar things emerge repeatedly in different eras of Earth’s civilization?”
Song Yue tried to sense the bronze divine tree, and in an instant, he seemed transported to a primordial world.
Before him, the bronze tree was not nine meters tall but a towering, sky-piercing giant, radiating boundless vitality!
The Lin family’s mansion was grand, but compared to this world tree, it was insignificant dust!
The nine birds and one dragon on the divine tree seemed alive!
They were colossal—the birds’ wings blotted out the sun!
Standing below, Song Yue, as a spirit, could not even make out their full forms!
The birds were ready to fly, each with a different demeanor: some gentle, others fierce, radiating a deadly aura.
When Song Yue tried to meet their gaze, his spirit burned with pain.
He quickly looked away, heart pounding.
Just like the mother blade—not to be touched, nor even looked at… so domineering!
The descending dragon was fierce as well!
Tail above, head below—not merely a bronze sculpture, but a living, breathing dragon!
Its scales were vivid, its horns majestic, its claws ferocious and sharp.
This time, Song Yue was wise enough not to meet its gaze.
If even the birds forbade his gaze, the dragon surely would as well. Better not provoke it.
In the spiritual world, the divine tree was unimaginably vast, rooted in the world’s primordial earth, evoking awe.
“Is this the legendary Jianmu?”
Song Yue tried to connect with the tree through spiritual force, but his mental waves vanished without response.
He did not give up, activating both the Celestial Spirit Dao and the Flesh Dao.
Persistently, he sought the tree’s frequency.
Time seemed to drag on forever, yet perhaps only an instant passed.
At last, the tree began to respond.
It felt as if the resonance spanned endless ages, from the farthest reaches of the cosmos.
Gradually, Song Yue’s spirit and the tree’s energy came into harmony.
Finally, he found its frequency!
Song Yue was overjoyed.
He wanted to claim the tree!
Though unsure of its purpose, its prominent display in the Treasury signaled its extraordinary nature.
The divine tree seemed to slumber through endless ages. Though it resonated with Song Yue’s spirit, it felt languid.
Song Yue was patient, communicating slowly—
Come to me!
In this world of spirit, time was meaningless.
It felt like years passed; in reality, perhaps less than a second. Song Yue finally comprehended and discerned some patterns.
He realized the divine tree once connected the mortal and immortal realms.
That immortal realm was ancient, not the current cultivation world.
But due to some mishap, the tree was sealed and ultimately placed here.
It was not merely a bridge, but also a weapon of immense destruction!
The nine birds and one dragon possessed terrifying power.
If he could refine the tree and make it his artifact, he might activate them!
Song Yue began the long process of refining.
He intertwined his spiritual force with the tree’s energy, imprinting his mark.
At last, he succeeded!
Upon his return, the bronze divine tree shrank instantly, appearing in his palm.
Song Yue instinctively took out the Jade Void Stele, then paused.
The stele had truly entered the spiritual world with him.
Only now did Song Yue realize why martial artists here carried no storage artifacts—it was not poverty, but the underground palace’s prohibition of artifacts!
So some must have left their storage items outside!
Others here could not even use spiritual force.
Even the grandmasters he slew fought with converted energy, not spiritual power.
But he could!
His spiritual force was unimpeded; the Jade Void Stele worked as usual!
Perhaps, he was the destined one.
Understanding this, Song Yue felt a sense of wonder.
He then saw five small flags with metal poles, each a different color: black, white, green, purple, and red.
Each flag bore a unique design—birds, beasts, mountains, rivers, and the black one a terrifying demon.
Upon closer inspection, the patterns were composed entirely of dense runes.
Song Yue instinctively felt these flags were extraordinary.
Following his previous method, he tried to connect with them via spiritual force, but his mental waves were instantly shredded!
The pain was more intense than when he activated the Thunderforce.
Song Yue nearly cried out.
He stared at the five colored flags, uncertain.
Just then, several figures appeared beside him. Song Yue turned, stunned.
“It’s you?”
“How did you get in here?”
------------
More updates tonight—please vote!
If you think “The Ninth Gate” is worth reading, please share the book’s link with your friends on QQ, WeChat, or Weibo. Thank you for your support!