313: Chapter 311 Uprooting

Yun Xi's tears were still flowing, but she had no time to cry.

Yun Ming had already squatted down, his fingers gripping the chains on her wrists.

The silver-white chains were as thick as a thumb, their surfaces smooth with runes flowing over them. He tried them, but the chains didn't budge. He increased his strength, pouring spiritual power into his fingertips and giving a sudden yank—the chains tightened, making a dull sound, but they did not break. He tried the chains on her ankles as well, but they were equally impossible to snap.

Jiu Jiu also approached and pecked at the chains with its beak, producing a crisp metallic clinking sound, yet not even a mark was left on the chains. It scratched a few more times with its claws, sending sparks flying, but the chains remained perfectly intact. Yun Ming took out the cicada wing sword from the map of mountains and rivers. The sword's body was transparent, with formation patterns flowing across it, specialized in breaking Restrictions. He struck the chains with a single blow; the sword light collided with the runes, exploding in ripples. The chains trembled violently, their runes flickering. Once the light dissipated, only a shallow white mark remained on the chains. That white mark healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, vanishing without a trace within a few breaths.

Watching the busy figures of Yun Ming and Jiu Jiu, Yun Xi's eyes reddened again, but this time she didn't cry. She took a deep breath, suppressing the rising tears. "Master, you should go. Don't worry about me." Her voice was hoarse but calm. "I'm fine. Nine Nether Roc still needs me to refine emerald spirit liquid; he won't kill me. Leave quickly, don't get yourself caught up just to save me."

Yun Ming ignored her. He squatted beside the chains, carefully observing the patterns of the chains and the flow of the runes, his mind racing.

Jiu Jiu was also getting anxious, flapping its wings twice and stirring up a gust of wind. "Master, how about I just bite them off?" Yun Ming shook his head. "It's not a matter of hardness. These chains self-repair; brute force is useless. We have to find their source."

His gaze followed the direction the chains extended. Four chains stretched from Yun Xi's wrists and ankles, disappearing into the roots of the peach tree. The roots plunged deep into the sea of clouds, and the chains were seamlessly integrated with the roots, indistinguishable from one another. He stood up, walked over to the peach tree, and reached out to touch the trunk. The trunk was warm, with a pulse-like throbbing.

"These chains are transformed from the peach tree's roots." Yun Ming withdrew his hand. "Essentially, they are a part of this tree."

Jiu Jiu was stunned. "Then... chop down the tree?"

Yun Ming didn't answer. He stepped back a few paces and summoned the cauldron of all things mother qi from the map of mountains and rivers. The cauldron's body was ancient, with three legs and two handles, suspended in mid-air. The golden crow feather at the cauldron's mouth burned fiercely, its golden flames illuminating the entire sea of clouds. He raised a finger and pointed; the golden crow feather flew out of the cauldron, transforming into a golden fire dragon that roared as it lunged at the peach tree. The fire dragon crashed into the trunk, and the Golden Crow Flame exploded, engulfing the entire peach tree. The golden flames licked the trunk and branches; the peach tree trembled violently, its petals falling like rain. A section of the sea of clouds' surface was evaporated by the heat of the flames, filling the air with water vapor.

Then Yun Xi spat out a mouthful of blood.

It wasn't an injury from the flames; it was because the peach tree was being burned, and she was being burned along with it. That blood sprayed onto the white clouds of the sea of clouds, a shocking sight. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her body slumped; had she not been bound by the chains, she likely would have collapsed to the ground. Yun Ming's expression changed drastically. With a wave of his hand, the golden crow feather flew back into the cauldron, and the cauldron of all things mother qi was stored back into the map of mountains and rivers. The golden flames were extinguished, leaving several charred marks on the peach tree's trunk, which were still emitting wisps of blue smoke. Yun Xi coughed a few more times, the blood at the corner of her mouth exceptionally striking against her pale face.

Yun Ming rushed to her side, took out a Healing Pill from the map of mountains and rivers, and popped it into her mouth. He then transferred a stream of spiritual power to stabilize her injuries. His fingers rested on her pulse as his Divine Sense probed into her body, circulating through her Meridians before finally settling deep within her Divine Soul. His expression darkened completely. Within Yun Xi's Divine Soul, there was a mark that did not belong to her, tightly connected to this peach tree. The Nine Nether Roc had severed a portion of Yun Xi's Divine Soul and fused it into this peach tree. If the tree lived, she lived; if the tree died, she died.

"Master, what's happening?" Jiu Jiu landed beside him, its voice full of anxiety.

Yun Ming didn't answer. He moved his hand away from Yun Xi's wrist and remained silent for a moment. "The Nine Nether Roc took a portion of your Divine Soul and fused it into this tree. If the peach tree is destroyed, your Divine Soul will also be damaged. At best, your cultivation will regress; at worst..." He didn't continue.

Yun Xi's face grew even paler. It wasn't fear, but weakness. "Master, I'm not afraid. Even if I die, it's better than being here. Go ahead." Her voice was very soft but firm.

Yun Ming looked at her. In her eyes, there were no tears, only a resolute light, the light of someone who didn't want to be a burden to anyone anymore. He shook his head. "There's no need to die. I won't destroy the tree; I'll take the tree away with me."

Yun Ming didn't answer. He summoned the map of mountains and rivers. The scroll flew out from his Sea of Consciousness, suspended above the peach tree, and slowly unfurled. Mountains, rivers, plants, and living beings flowed within the scroll. In the center of the scroll, a massive black hole emerged, its edges swirling with spiritual light, emitting an aura that seemed to devour everything. Yun Ming's hands formed seals as spiritual power surged frantically into the scroll. The black hole expanded abruptly, swallowing the entire peach tree along with its roots, the bound Yun Xi, and the four chains. The trunk, branches, roots, sea of clouds, chains, and the young girl all disappeared into the black hole. The scroll closed and flew back into Yun Ming's hand.

Inside the map of mountains and rivers, that peach tree landed intact on a patch of open ground, with the fusang divine tree radiating golden light in the distance. Yun Xi was bound by the chains, leaning against the trunk. Although she was still under that tree, her surroundings had changed. It was no longer the Nine Nether Roc's Small World, but Yun Ming's map of mountains and rivers.

Yun Ming's Divine Sense probed into the map, his voice sounding in Yun Xi's ear. "Bear with it for now. We'll find a way to deal with the chains once we're safe." Yun Xi lowered her head, tears silently falling, but she nodded forcefully.

"Jiu Jiu." Yun Ming turned his head. "Go in and stay with her." Jiu Jiu didn't hesitate, transforming into a five-colored stream of light and entering the map of mountains and rivers. Inside the map, the Five-Light Heavenly Sparrow landed on a branch of the peach tree, folded its wings, and gently pecked the top of Yun Xi's head with its beak. Yun Xi looked up at Jiu Jiu, a trace of a smile finally appearing at the corner of her mouth.

Yun Ming withdrew his Divine Sense and bent down to pick up the small green bottle from the ground. The emerald spirit liquid in the bottle had already accumulated to more than half, a dripping emerald green. He corked the bottle and stored it in the map of mountains and rivers. Then he turned and walked toward the exit. There were no Restrictions at the cave entrance, nor any guards. The Nine Nether Roc hadn't set up any defenses here—perhaps out of arrogance, perhaps because he never thought anyone would dare to break in, or perhaps because he felt that planting this peach tree in his own Small World was safer than any Restriction.

Yun Ming rushed out of the cave entrance and landed on the ridge of the palace roof. The palace was empty, with those glittering treasures still scattered in the corners, their spiritual light flickering. The Nine Nether Roc was not there, nor were his subordinates.

Yun Ming didn't stay. He transformed into a five-colored Escape Light and rushed out of the massive bird's nest. Branches receded rapidly on both sides; nest chambers, streets, squares, and iron cages were all left behind. Those demon cultivators didn't notice him, the patrols didn't notice him, and the guards didn't notice him. The Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record concealed him completely, like an invisible and intangible wind.

He flew out of the bird's nest, out of the giant tree, and out of the basin. He glanced back—that giant tree was still there, its roots reaching down ten thousand fathoms and its canopy covering a hundred miles. That massive bird's nest was still there, spiritual light flickering and Demonic Qi soaring to the heavens.

Yun Ming's heart was heavy.

The Nine Nether Roc was going to attack the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion, with three Soul Transformation great demons striking simultaneously. The Shenduan Sect and Xuanhuang Pill Mansion wouldn't be able to hold out.

Ah Yuan was still in the Great Liang Kingdom, in Linan City. He had to find her first and bring her into the map of mountains and rivers.

Then he had to go and notify the Shenduan Sect and Xuanhuang Pill Mansion.

His friends were still there; he had to tell them that the Yao Race was coming.

They should escape if they could, and if they couldn't, they should prepare early.

As for whether it would be in time, he didn't know.

He could only seize every moment.

The five-colored Escape Light traced an arc in the night sky, flying toward the north. The giant tree and bird's nest behind him grew further and further away, gradually disappearing into the horizon. In the night ahead, the Great Liang Kingdom was still far off. Yun Ming didn't look back; he flew even faster.

In the night sky, the five-colored Escape Light traced an arc and disappeared into the horizon.