The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 575: Seeing the ‘Thing’

Once they entered the cave, the path ahead was completely dark, with nothing to illuminate the way. However, as high-ranking cultivators at the Grand Duke and Emperor stages, Aldrian and Dureus could see in the darkness. They continued walking deeper underground, and as time passed, Aldrian was astonished to see the passage gradually widening.

"Young master, I know you heard last night that the ’thing’ has a guardian. The guardian is actually a kind of spirit. I don’t know what kind of spirit she is, but she’s incredibly strong. From what I’ve heard, the guardian here has always been the same spirit since ancient times," Dureus sent through a voice transmission as they walked.

"You must already know, young master, that the devil energy here is being suppressed. Don’t you find it strange? The Grand Canyon holds an extremely dense concentration of devil energy, even compared to other regions in the devil territory—yet in the core area, it’s actually suppressed. We don’t know the mystery behind it, but—"

"This place is like heaven for us devil beasts. Even with all the devil energy around, we don’t completely lose our minds because of the aura present in the core. For your information, the lower a devil’s cultivation, the more corrupted their mind becomes, and they tend to act more erratically."

"As our cultivation continues to rise, we gradually regain our sanity and start to take control of our personalities again. However, due to the prolonged exposure to negative energy and a corrupted mind, many devil cultivators end up with a twisted personality in one way or another."

"But in this region, in this area, there is something that can suppress the devil energy—and not just suppress it, but also clear our minds. Even a weakling at the beginner stage can regain their sanity here, which is incredibly valuable in the long run."

"As you can see, we aren’t particularly fanatical or loyal to the Devil Lord and also to what some call the Devil God. Despite our devil origin, we still have the freedom to choose our alignment. We don’t feel bound to that so-called Devil Lord or Devil God."

"Instead, we feel bound to this place—to that thing that makes all of this possible. We don’t really care about its origin. What matters is that it has truly helped us, and it permits us to live in this region. We deeply respect it and honor any agreement it desires, regardless of its strength."

"We can become powerful quickly because of the thick negative energy, and we don’t lose our minds since we can just come to this area." Dureus paused slightly as he had to jump a little because the terrain wasn’t completely even.

"However, here’s the catch. Despite all that convenience, why is this place only filled with beasts and plant beings, and not humans? That’s because of the strange preference of the ’thing’ and its guardian." Dureus continued.

"Their preference?" Aldrian asked curiously.

Dureus nodded. "Yes. For some unknown reason, the ’thing’ and the guardian don’t seem to welcome humans into this region. They will kill anyone who still tries to force their way in."

"In the past, of course, there were several attempts by the Devil Lord’s side to take over this region. And in every attempt, it ended in failure. There was even a time when a Devil Lord personally came, only to be nearly defeated by that thing," Dureus said with a slightly mocking tone.

Aldrian slightly raised his eyebrows and couldn’t help but ask,

"Did that happen during the Great War three million years ago?"

Dureus glanced at Aldrian and nodded.

"From the stories we’ve heard, the Great War three million years ago was the time when the devils from the Devil Lord’s faction came very close to subjugating this region. The Devil Lord himself came here. From what I heard, back then, this place wasn’t a grand canyon like it is now, but a mountainous terrain."

Hearing this, Aldrian’s eyes widened.

"Then—?"

Dureus nodded.

"Yes. Because that thing retaliated with its full power, the terrain changed into what we see now. From what I’ve heard, even this path is a remnant of that battle."

Hearing the answer, Aldrian was truly amazed. If that was true, then that tree might be as big as the World Tree or even bigger.

Aldrian looked at the ground and stopped walking, which made Dureus also stop and glance at him in confusion.

"What is it, young master?" he asked.

"Wait a moment," Aldrian said as he closed his eyes and created his domain. Once it was created, he could sense the entire space within it more clearly, and what he sensed deep beneath him shocked him.

What he detected was the enormous root system of a tree. The roots were so massive that they could rival those of the World Tree in the capital city of the Ivory Empire, the largest tree he had ever seen in his life. Well, aside from the Heavenly Tree of the World, of course.

However, what stood out was the strange positioning of the roots themselves.

The roots were actually growing upward, positioned beside a massive main body. The main body was so enormous that even his domain couldn’t fully encompass it. Because of the tree’s size, his domain couldn’t reach its base.

The shape of the tree’s main body resembled that of a World Tree. He also sensed its branches spreading widely in all directions, all of them bare, without a single leaf.

Curious, he looked toward the tree and activated his Eyes of the Heaven.

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The World Tree

Age : 6,000,015 years

Cultivation : Peak Emperor

Techniques : The Blessing of the World Tree, the whip of her root already enough to destroy everything.

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Looking at the simple information, he finally knew that this was indeed a World Tree. But then a question arose in his mind, why was there a World Tree in this place, and why was it buried underground like this? Judging by the tree’s age, it was actually a little older than the World Tree in the capital city of the Ivory Empire.

One of the things that was also striking was that this World Tree was exuding a strong divine aura. He thought that this World Tree was much more special than the one in the Ivory Empire, as there was no World Tree like this that he had sensed there. This made him wonder if there was a source of divine energy somewhere near the tree.

Then, he finally sensed a presence near it. This presence was actually much closer, its figure seemingly waiting for their arrival in the large space at the end of the path. It was a woman and upon seeing her, he couldn’t help but be reminded of Olivia and Alice, the World Tree spirits in Balin and the capital city.

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The World Tree’s Spirit

Race : World Tree (Spirit)

Age : 6,000,015 years (The world tree), 6,000,015 years (Spirit)

Cultivation : Peak Emperor

Techniques : The Blessing of the World Tree, the whip of her root already enough to destroy everything.

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After he saw her information, it confirmed his guess that this figure was indeed the spirit of the World Tree.

While he was still thinking about what he had found, Dureus suddenly seemed to receive a voice transmission from someone. A few moments later, he looked at Aldrian.

"Young master, it seems you need to enter deeper alone without me. The guardian has asked me to wait outside," he said.

Aldrian nodded. "Alright, thanks for bringing me here. I’ll go alone then," he replied, which Dureus responded to with a nod.

Aldrian then walked deeper into the path, while Dureus watched him for a moment before turning back toward the way out.

Aldrian kept walking for the next thirty minutes until he saw a light in the distance. He knew that was the end of the path and the place where the spirit had been waiting for him. Without hesitation, he continued walking until he reached the end of the path and stepped into the large underground space.

He observed his surroundings. What he saw was a beautiful, spacious cave illuminated by illumination crystal. The area was also rich in energy stones as many peak-level stones were embedded in the walls of the cave.

He also noticed a large root protruding from one side of the wall which was a root of the World Tree. On the opposite side of the chamber, there was another entrance that seemed to lead even deeper into the underground.

However, to reach that entrance, he would first have to pass the figure who had been sitting in a kneeling position, facing him ever since he entered the space. A beautiful figure with reddish-green hair, wearing an elegant dress that accentuated her body. Her clear green eyes glanced in his direction for a moment before she gently lowered them.

As he approached, the spirit suddenly prostrated herself before him with reverence.

"Welcome, my lord."

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