allonlinenovel Chapter 773 Under the Roots
Chapter 773 Under the Roots
"Looks like it's going well."
After seeing An Ming successfully cross the barrier and reach the treetops, Fu Xuan felt a little relieved.
Under the World Tree, Fu Xuan's fingertips marked on the projected 3D map. Assuming that their current location, where the Starry Sky Train crashed, was called the first floor, then the area above the treetops could be considered the second floor.
By analogy, the hard-to-see root area can be considered as layer zero, and the unreachable treetop may be the final three layers.
Based on the existing intelligence, the best case scenario is that there is a solid barrier between the trunk and the crown, and there is most likely one last checkpoint before reaching the final top.
This is currently Fu Xuan's deduction based on limited information, but for some reason, ever since she set foot in this area, a spiritual warning that is difficult to ignore has always lingered in her mind.
If what Ying sensed was the warning of the laws of destiny itself after being promoted to a Star God, then what Fu Xuan felt was the subtle changes in the flow of "fate" obtained from countless divinations and deductions.
In those divinations again and again, Fu Xuan had touched upon the deepest divination threads of the operation of the universe more than once. In theory, any tiny variable in the world should be reflected between the counting chips.
But no matter how I try to divine now, I can't know the source of that uneasiness... It's a warning that seems to have been completely wrong from the very beginning.
There must be some crucial link that she overlooked, something extremely critical that was even enough to overturn all judgments.
"Xuan'er, I'll go check the situation near the tree roots. I'll leave the formation here to you," Ying came to Fu Xuan's side. During the previous process of Edo Star Guardian Huang Quan's promotion, she had complete trust in Fu Xuan's formation skills.
The ability of this Xianzhou fortune teller is indeed unrivaled in the world, and he is worthy of being Fu Li's designated successor.
"You must be careful, too."
Fu Xuan came back to her senses from her thoughts and nodded slightly. She understood Ying's considerations. The Starry Sky Train was currently stuck in the lower middle part of the tree trunk, which was actually closer to the unknown root area below.
However, it is still dark there, and exploring in advance can indeed eliminate potential hidden dangers. Sakura is also reliable enough, and even if some emergency situation really occurs, they can retreat safely.
"I will deploy the Dongxuan Purple Emblem Array here to isolate the influence of the World Tree Domain."
As Fu Xuan finished speaking, lines of the formation began to light up around him, flickering like breathing, and the formation began to unfold with the Starry Sky Train as the center.
Ying knew that time was running out and said no more.
Holding Qianying in her hand, she walked to the edge of the huge branch and looked down at the bottomless dark abyss below her feet, which seemed to swallow up all light.
This trip concerns the future of the entire universe, and any potential hidden dangers must be eliminated. Without any hesitation, she leaped into the endless darkness like a falling cherry petal.
However, the fall did not last long, and a warm and blazing firefly suddenly lit up beside him, dispelling the thick darkness.
Liuying's voice came from the iron cavalry, with a hint of unquestionable firmness.
"Ying, I'll go with you."
Even though she knew that in terms of absolute strength, she might be the one who needed to be worried about more, Liuying still couldn't let Ying go into this unknown and dangerous place alone.
Ying nodded slightly. Liuying's cavalry was indeed very reliable in this environment. Moreover, if they really encountered unpredictable abnormalities, she would be responsible for covering their retreat while Liuying, who was more maneuverable in riding the cavalry, would return quickly to deliver the information. This was also the best emergency strategy.
The two of them said no more, and one in front and one behind, like two shooting stars, they continued to rush down along the central trunk of the World Tree, which was so huge that it had no end in sight.
However, as they continued to go deeper, the surrounding scene began to become more and more strange.
Those originally bright and flowing golden threads of destiny gradually dimmed, as if suppressed by some invisible force. The surrounding light was quickly swallowed up by the thick darkness, and finally seemed to have completely fallen into an absolute abyss of silence and light, where even time was blurred.
A solemn and strange look appeared in Ying's eyes. This was indeed very unusual. This place was clearly still within the territory of the World Tree. Why did the breath of destiny become thinner the closer to the trunk itself, until it was almost extinct?
It was like an absolute vacuum where life did not exist. Even mobilizing authority became extremely difficult here. Ying realized that this place was definitely not simple.
Ying immediately realized that the anomaly in this area was definitely not naturally formed.
The sensors in the Firefly's cockpit also sounded a silent alarm. All energy readings were abnormally decreasing. She steered the Iron Rider closer to Ying and whispered, "Ying, the laws here... seem to have been 'evacuated'."
The metaphor of taking time off is the most appropriate. Even Firefly in the Iron Cavalry can feel the gradual decline of her destiny. If controlling her destiny in the universe is like swimming in a normal ocean, then controlling her destiny in the previous World Tree area is like taking off from Wuhu in a kayak.
But now it is more like struggling to descend in a sea filled with glue. Every inch of progress is extremely difficult. The invisible pressure around is so huge that it is suffocating. Even the destiny force in the body that could be mobilized at will seems to be put on a heavy yoke at this moment, and its power is only one tenth of what it used to be.
"...That's, the ground?"
Ying's brows furrowed slightly, and there was a hint of subtle doubt in her voice. She had originally thought that a sacred object like the World Tree, which was beyond common sense, might have its roots directly in nothingness.
However, at the end of the darkness below that seemed to swallow up all light, a shadow with an extremely huge outline was gradually emerging, and that was indeed the solid ground.
However, in stark contrast to what he had seen when he looked up from outside the train, the glorious treetops shrouded in endless golden light of destiny, the land before him seemed to have been completely stripped of all vitality and color by some force, leaving only a dead and empty gray.
"It seems to have no meaning..." Liuying murmured softly. The scenery in front of her eyes brought a pure depression, the kind of atmosphere that could make one feel extremely depressed just by looking at it. It was hard not to wonder if there was something ominous lurking here.
The World Tree is the root of all destiny. Logically speaking, there should never be such a place where destiny is almost completely vacuumed. It can be said that the scene before us is not in line with common sense just by its existence.
What is even more thought-provoking is that the roots of any plant should be the most vital source that continuously absorbs and transports nutrients. Even the world tree that supports the universe should be no exception.
But the fact before our eyes is that the root land is withered and dead.
So how do we explain the golden splendor hanging high above the treetops, and the magnificent canopy with the power of destiny surging like the sea?
That energy that nourishes the laws of the entire universe...where does it come from?
This extreme splendor and extreme desolation, the pinnacle of life and the root of death, coexist in such a contradictory way, forming a huge and chilling mystery.
Ying slowly landed on the ground holding Qianying. Her movements were extremely cautious, and at the same time, she heightened her senses to the extreme and carefully explored everything around her.
The touch under her feet was no different from the real earth, solid and steady, but it gave Sakura a strange illusion... as if she was not standing on the ground, but on some huge roots.
Dead silence.
This is indeed a dead place that has been completely deprived of life. The air is filled with a sense of nothingness that all things will return to. No breath of life can be sensed, and not even the faintest trace of the flow of fate exists.
"Ying...it's very dangerous here," Liuying in Tieqi always maintained the highest level of vigilance. She was almost 100% sure that there was a secret hidden here.
The sensors installed in the Iron Cavalry showed that all environmental data were normal, but this was the most abnormal situation. This area must be hiding a truth that was enough to subvert cognition.
The roots of the World Tree, the source that maintains the flow of life in countless universes, can never be such a lifeless wasteland where even the smallest breath of life cannot survive.
How did this land of death come to be? What exactly did it witness?
Ying crouched down, and her slender fingers gently touched the gray "ground". The moment her fingertips touched the seemingly solid surface, her expression changed slightly.
"This isn't the ground..." Sakura whispered, her voice clear in the absolute silence. "It's the branches."
To be precise, the boundless "land" where they were standing at the moment was made up of tens of millions of completely withered huge branches tightly intertwined and piled up. It was a land of death composed of the "corpse" of the World Tree itself.
Every deep line tells of unimaginable decline.
Sakura stared at the ground beneath her feet, which was made up of countless withered branches. She couldn't imagine what kind of horrific change would be needed to cause such a large part of the World Tree to completely lose its vitality and turn into dead ashes.
This formed a contrast so contrary to common sense with the brilliant treetop scene they had seen above, making people even wonder if everything in front of them was some kind of illusion.
"How could this be the root of the World Tree..."
Liuying quickly operated the control interface and activated the high-intensity projection lights mounted on the shoulders of the cavalry. Two beams of blazing white light suddenly pierced through the thick darkness and swept towards the endless gray area ahead.
At this time, the advantages of the Iron Cavalry are reflected. They have extremely low dependence on the power of destiny in the surrounding environment, and their powerful energy core and armor are enough to cope with various extreme environments.
What's more, even if she really needs to unleash power beyond her limit, what Liuying burns is never the external destiny, but the fire of her own life.
"Do you think there's anything down there?"
After thinking for a long time, Ying turned to ask Liuying.
"You mean, this is probably not the bottom of the World Tree?" A deep meaning flashed in the depths of Liuying's beautiful eyes. If she guessed wrong, it would be fine, but if Ying's guess was correct... what would be under the roots?
Or perhaps, a more subversive idea emerged in the minds of the two women. Perhaps they were wrong from the beginning... This land of death composed of withered branches may never have been the true root of the World Tree.
The glorious canopy draws its energy perhaps not from below.
So, where is the real root cause, and what role does this withered land play?
The perception of the Sakura Star God level is difficult to play a greater role here, and the radar system carried by the Firefly Iron Cavalry has long been completely interfered with, and always shows no abnormality.
Liuying felt that her san value was decreasing. The invisible oppression brought by this space itself was a continuous spiritual erosion. However, the weirder this place was, the more crucial the secret hidden behind it might be. That was why she had to continue exploring.
An Ming was still searching for a way to reach the top of the tree canopy. All they could do was to prevent the World Tree from developing any new problems and accidents, and ensure that An Ming could reach the top smoothly.
"moment--"
Ying raised Qianying with both hands, and her cold shout sent ripples through the dead silence, "In a moment!"
Qianying responded with an unprecedented brilliant light, the light was pure and concentrated, as if compressing the ultimate meaning of "moment" into one point!
The beam of light did not spread out, but struck the ground below straight down like a spear of judgment. The incomparably powerful sword light instantly penetrated the layers of withered branches and pierced into the darker unknown with unstoppable force!
If there is still an unknown space below, then use this sword that penetrates the instant to cut through the confusion and open up a path to the truth.
Wherever the light passed, the dead branches disappeared silently like rotten cotton, revealing an extremely deep passage extending downwards.
Ying nodded slightly to Liuying. There was indeed a considerable amount of space below, and she could vaguely feel some air flowing.
This was undoubtedly very strange from any angle, and was different from any roots that Sakura knew. Could it be that beneath this ground made up of withered branches, there was only emptiness?
"If I'm not back in ten minutes, you must evacuate immediately at full speed without waiting, and inform Fu Xuan and An Ming of the complete situation here."
Ying calmly told Liuying that if the crisis was such that even she could not leave by force, then the only thing Liuying needed to do was to get away from here as soon as possible and share the situation with everyone.
"be careful."
Liuying looked at the space that was difficult for the cavalry to enter, and understood that Ying's approach was the safest and most reliable way. Now was not the time to continue to show off. Ying, who had stronger individual combat capabilities, was the most suitable candidate.
Ying nodded slightly, then jumped down with Qianying in her hand, deep into the unknown cave.
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You're right, but this is Quanquan Zhiqing, a powerful person who can automatically complete KPI assessments at the end of the month. This is just the most ordinary daily routine for Aqing and is not worth being particularly surprised about.