Chapter 408: (Interlude) Conversing with a God Tree (Start of Book 7)

The Chairman of the Celestial Empire strode through a hallway of twisted golden wood with two attendants in tow. They had followed him for centuries but kept a cautious distance, lest they wanted to be crushed by his Monarch realm soul pressure radiating off him, causing the air around him to shimmer with rage. The trio had just left a meeting with the council, and things had gotten heated.

"Chairman, what are we going to do? At this rate, your hold on Empyrea will fall, which will cause a civil war throughout the Celestial Empire."

"Veyra," The Chairman paused and glared at the woman trailing behind him, "You really believe I can lose control over Empyrea? The capital city of the Empire that I rule?!"

"I do, Chairman," Veyra fearlessly replied and bowed. She was an ethereal beauty well known for her deep wisdom and insight. As much as he wanted to ignore her words, he wasn't such a prideful fool to believe he was above the advice of others.

"Kaelion?" He asked the bronze-skinned warrior at her side, "Do you mirror Veyra's thoughts?"

The man briefly glanced between them before reluctantly nodding, "I do, my lord."

"Why?" The Chairman inquired, earning a frown from Veyra, "Speak freely."

Kaelion awkwardly coughed into his hand, "Ahem, well, while you founded the Celestial Empire and come from a bloodline known to nurture the World Tree, your cultivation has stalled in recent centuries, allowing the leaders of the other factions to catch up." The man paused as if trying to choose his following words carefully, "Furthermore, it has to be said that your intense focus on the Crestfallen project over anything else brought your leadership into question, and even worse..."

The Chairman raised a brow, "What could be even worse?"

"Your relationship with the World Tree," Veyra chimed in, clearly frustrated at Kaelion being questioned over her. "They have begun to question your control over her."

The Chairman clicked his tongue and fell into thought. In a way, he had been asking Kaelion in hopes of getting a different answer. Perhaps an untrodden path forward. Unfortunately, it was as he feared.

Veyra nodded at his reaction, "Chairman, they know, and your reaction to the Crestfallen project falling through only highlighted it further. The winds of change are already blowing. We need to prepare, lest they turn into fierce gales and blow down your tower of sand."

"Tower of sand," The Chairman snorted, "My rule is as deeply rooted as the World Tree's roots are in the soil far beneath us."

Veyra and Kaelion exchanged a look that made the Chairman frown deeply. "Fine, what should I do, Veyra?" She always knew the answer to these types of problems.

"You know there's only one thing you can do, Chairman."

The Chairman closed his eyes with a deep feeling of resignation. He knew what Veyra spoke of, but it was always a profoundly unpleasant experience. "Very well, there's nothing else to be done," The Chairman slowly opened his eyes and looked into Veyra's. "I will convene directly with the World Tree in the presence of the council. Prepare my defensive artifacts and inform the others of this meeting. I will cultivate and mentally prepare in the meantime."

Both of his attendants bowed and left to fulfill his orders. The Chairman stared down the now empty corridor before turning and leaving himself. There was much to prepare, as one did not simply step into the Inner World of a Monarch realm being such as the world tree—especially one that was understandably antagonistic toward him—and expect to survive.

When was the last time we spoke? It must have been almost two decades ago when I told the World Tree that her daughter had been born and that the Crestfallen project had been a success. No, wait, the last time was when I told her that her daughter had been kidnapped. The Chairman frowned deeply. This is going to be unpleasant, to say the least. I doubt she will be happy to see me. ṞANőΒÈꞨ

***

Weeks passed, and the time to converse with the World Tree quickly approached. The Chairman stood alongside many council members on a floating island of Empyrea that was around halfway up the World Tree's heaven-piercing trunk. As burrowing into the World Tree's bark was almost impossible, Empyrea was initially built around the tree's roots. As Empyrea's population exploded due to the safety from the beast tides provided by the World Tree, they had to seek new land. As space on the ground was limited, they built upwards. Grand spires rose toward the heavens, but that wasn't enough. Only with the invention of spatial gates was true expansion possible, with cities sprouting up on the World Tree's vast branches and later floating islands between them.

Many centuries ago, the immense population around the World Tree became too hard for the Chairman alone to manage. He split the Celestial Empire into sections and entrusted his close aides at the time to rule over them.

The Chairman stood on the edge of the floating island and looked down at the Celestial Empire. On the surface, it seemed as vibrant and prosperous as ever. But he knew that what had once been a land ruled in harmony was now plagued with ill intentions and personal agendas. Most of those he had trusted in the past had died, many with a dagger in the back by their own family.

In fact, he could pinpoint the exact moment everything had turned sour. Turning around, he looked at a large grotesque hole in the World Tree's trunk of unknown origin or purpose that had opened one day and given direct access into the World Tree's Inner World. It had opened long ago, and he had monopolized it for a long time.

It was a day similar to this one when everything fell apart. I still remember it well. People started questioning my rule, so I showed them this and my relationship with the World Tree. The Chairman rubbed his finger on an amethyst gemstone ring. It was one of the most powerful artifacts he owned, as it let him talk with the World Tree and not have his consciousness collapse in the process. Even with my Monarch Realm cultivation and my own Inner World, I don't stand a chance against a divine being.@@@@

"Chairman, are we going to stand around all day like perched birds waiting for a change in the season?" a man with slick-back white hair and a gentle smile said calmly, drawing the attention of the other council members.

"Councilman Faelorian Lysanthos, please be patient. We will enter soon." The Chairman replied, and the leader of The Flower Accord returned a simple nod. While The Flower Accord wasn't openly antagonistic to his Empyrea faction, it was always hard to know what they were thinking.

"I know you are in pain, but you have to understand—" The Chairman choked on his words as the scream ceased and the World Tree's intense gaze landed on him. Defensive artifacts activated, stopping his body from being crushed into a pulp. His consciousness, however, quaked as the World Tree spoke, not in words but in meaning. Directly into his soul, a voice woven from the whispers of the wind, the crash of waves, and the deep groan of mountains thundered through his very being.

"I have no need to speak with dead mortals." The words appeared in his mind, built from flashes of intense emotions from the World Tree.

The Chairman smiled awkwardly. These were words he received from a being he had helped raise and had known for longer than the Celestial Empire had stood tall.

"World Tree, I am alive, am I not? Why do you condemn me as dead?"

"You misunderstand and exploit my kindness," the avatar said, standing and looming over them like a titan. "You puny mortals drink my sap to extend your pathetic lives, thinking I can't fight back. Well, that ends soon."

"She can fight back?" Mistress Veilshade said without hiding the fear and astonishment in her voice.

"Mother nature would never do such a thing," Faelorian said before pausing, "Right?"

The Chairman raised his hand, silencing the chatter between them. While the World Tree was old and timeless, it was sometimes immature and easy to read. He had a sinking feeling about the World Tree's plan, but he had to confirm it.

"World Tree, we protect you from the beast tides. If we were to die, so would you. Tell us, what do the threads of fate say about our futures?"

"Death under a thousand fangs, and your corpses will be ripped to shreds by a thousand claws."

The Chairman's eyes narrowed, "Death by so many fangs and claws? That could only be in reference to the beast tide. You're bringing it here? Are you a fool? If we die at the hands of the beasts, you will be next."

Ancient laughter boomed through the space, shattering the purple shield they were still cowering behind.

"I'm a true immortal being. Even if I were to die at the claws of the beasts I draw here, I would be reborn again. Such is the endless cycle. Meanwhile, your deaths will be gruesome and, most importantly, permanent."

"Tell her to stop this madness, Chairman." Faelorian Lysanthos demanded. "To bring the beast tide here, that's insane! The beast tides have always avoided this place. We aren't prepared for it."

"I... can't stop her." The Chairman admitted through gritted teeth. "The only hope is if we get Stella Crestfallen back—"

"Foolish mortal," the World Tree bellowed as a root of blinding power erupted from the ground before her like a pillar of light, "Stop trying to use my daughter to control me. She is destined to save me, not serve as your hostage."

The Chairman grimaced, "And how do you know that?"

"Because we share the same blood," the World Tree said as the blinding root glowing with power fell down before her, crashing into the bridge and destroying it in a wave.

"Run!" The Chairman shouted, but the seasoned cultivators around him were already on the move. Their Monarch Realm souls hummed with power as they teleported using various techniques to escape the World Tree's Inner World.

The world seemed to explode around them as they barely managed to make it through the tear, returning to the world outside the World Tree.

"What in the nine realms was that?" Faelorian Lysanthos shouted, his usual calm and peaceful demeanor gone. "The beast tide is coming here? Floridawn is on the ground and will be the first hit. I refuse this."

"Don't worry, we should have three more years," The Chairman said, trying to calm him down.

"Oh, Chairman, you don't know?" Mistress Veilshade said with some amusement.

"I don't know what?" He snapped. Now wasn't the time for her games.

"The beast tide," Mistress Veilshade tilted her head in apparent amusement, "It's already on the move. Sources say it's nearing the Blood Lotus Sect. You know... the last known location of your precious little experiment."