Early March — spring blooms, grasslands flourish. Oxen and horses whinny with excitement as they burst from their enclosures.
The daily lives of livestock had begun.
In the central plaza of the Qing Clan's territory, a massive crowd had gathered. A colossal statue of a woman was being slowly pushed toward the center of the plaza, stopping just north of the stone formation.
Creak, creak… The rollers groaned under the weight.
At the same time, in the plaza before the Body Sect's main hall, the same ceremony was unfolding, just as planned.
"Is that the Goddess of Life Dad mentioned?"
"Didn't Grandpa say there was also a male god? Why isn't there a statue of him?"
Whispers passed among the disciples lined up in formation on both sides.
Though many had heard stories from their elders, even now, seeing the statue firsthand, it remained just that—a statue. Having never witnessed the true forms of gods or felt their divine might, many—especially the younger generation—had no real sense of reverence.
Du Busi (Poison Undying) saw this clearly. His eyes swept across the disciples, expression calm. He didn't scold them. Just wait—your jaws will drop soon enough.
He had already discussed plans with his precious disciple in advance. This time, they were going all out.
"Half a month of secret rehearsals… finally, it's showtime?" thought Ming Hui, standing beside him. He was a little nervous, as if he were about to give a speech in front of the whole school. Across two lifetimes, this was a first.
Scanning the crowd, he saw nearly a thousand villagers from the base of the mountain—everyone who could come, did.
This was a grand occasion.
He exhaled gently and waited for his teacher to call him up.
Eventually, the Goddess of Life's statue was set firmly in place. Then, a sect elder retrieved a large disk from a soul tool and placed it beside the statue.
On either side of the plaza, elders stood by massive projection-type soul tools embedded in the ground.
"Silence!" Du Busi shouted, and the crowd immediately fell quiet.
Then he turned and said warmly, "Hui'er, go ahead. Don't be nervous. Just speak honestly."
The Body Sect never faked things among their own.
You couldn't have said a few words first to warm up the crowd? I'm still just a kid, Ming Hui sighed inwardly. But he nodded and stepped forward.
Ahem. He cleared his throat instinctively, easing his nerves under the gaze of the audience.
"Respected elders, senior brothers and sisters… actually, I don't really know what happened."
"I saw the two gods in a dream."
"???" The crowd's expressions shifted instantly—most were stunned. Is he serious?
Even Princess Vina was surprised—this was too unbelievable.
Still, none of the sect's higher-ups showed doubt. If they weren't skeptical, there had to be a reason. They waited patiently for Ming Hui to continue.
"This is what happened," Ming Hui said.
"At the start of the year, when I awakened my martial soul, I suffered backlash from its cold aura and fainted on the spot. And then… I had a dream."
He went on to describe the dream in detail.
The crowd now wore expressions of disbelief and confusion.
Du Busi stepped forward. "Before this, Hui'er had always remained within the clan to recover—he had never traveled outside or seen or heard of such a unique tree. But in reality, it does exist. First, it resembles a healing-type martial soul—Tree of Life. Second, there is the Golden Ancient Tree—transplanted by Sea God Tang San to Sea God's Island at Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago."
"Also, no one in Hui'er's clan resembles this Goddess of Life."
Too many coincidences. The crowd understood Du Busi's implication—when coincidences abound, they likely aren't coincidences.
Could Junior Brother Ming Hui be a reincarnated deity? Or perhaps a divine emissary sent to the mortal realm?
Their minds wandered with speculation.
Princess Vina's expression grew solemn.
"Simulate it for everyone to see," Du Busi said.
"Yes, Teacher." Ming Hui nodded, activated his martial soul, closed his eyes, and used his first soul skill to begin the recollection.
"Hui'er can't yet simulate the full image of the ancient tree," Du Busi explained. "So we'll amplify it using the projection soul tool to let everyone better immerse themselves."
He nodded to the elders, who promptly channeled soul power into the devices.
All eyes fixed on Ming Hui.
Then, behind him, a tree stump wide enough for one person to embrace appeared, rising gradually. The trunk, branches, and leaves followed in rapid succession—until, in mere moments, a towering tree tens of meters tall stood before the crowd.
It shimmered with a faint golden light.
A powerful vitality radiated from it. Even though it wasn't real, the sensation was vivid and soothing.
"Such rich life essence!" Princess Vina—whose martial soul, Snow Lotus, made her highly sensitive to vitality—was shocked. This was a depth of life force she had never experienced before: vast, ancient, awe-inspiring.
"So comfortable…" gasped the disciples, feeling their pores open involuntarily in pure relief.
Though it wasn't real energy, their bodies responded as if it were.
Suddenly, white light shot out from both sides of the plaza.
In the blink of an eye, the tree's projection expanded dramatically—its trunk now wide enough for a hundred people to embrace, covering the entire area behind Ming Hui.
Its dense branches and foliage blocked out the sky.
Even though the soul tools struggled to stabilize the massive illusion, leaving the image somewhat hazy, the awe it inspired was no less real.
"Could such a tree truly exist?"
"Maybe only in a realm where gods dwell."
Everyone turned to stare at the still-silent, eyes-closed Ming Hui beneath the tree with renewed wonder.
Then, two figures appeared beside him, one male, one female—she in a green dress, he in purple robes.
From the woman's side, a gentle, life-filled aura spilled forth.
"Look over there!" someone at the edge of the crowd cried.
Everyone turned to see that the Blue Silver Grass in the field was leaning toward the goddess.
Chirp chirp! Birds began to sing.
Looking up, flocks of birds were flying in—sparrows, leaf warblers, even flying insects. Even the mountain chickens raised by the sect were gliding in from nearby branches, and snakes slithered along the ground.
This divine phenomenon left everyone dumbfounded.
So the birds did come… Ming Hui thought. He knew it was coming—elders had released the birds and gathered animals in advance. The aura of the simulated Tree of Life and Goddess of Life would draw in nearby living beings. He'd seen it before.
Chirp chirp. Birds and bugs soon gathered overhead.
He kept his eyes closed, maintaining the scene with focused soul power.
Simulating two divine figures and a divine tree simultaneously was taxing—it required full concentration. And he still had more to say.
It's time, he murmured inwardly, beginning to simulate the aura of the God of Destruction.
A moment later, a terrifying yet restrained energy emanated from the illusion of the God of Destruction.
Chirp! The birds scattered in a panic.
"!!?" Sensitive disciples instinctively recoiled, necks shrinking back, faces tense.
Princess Vina—whose soul was especially perceptive—also stepped back involuntarily, mind reeling.
"Such terrifying energy!"
"No mortal could wield such power—could they truly be gods?"
At that moment, Ming Hui's voice rang out.
"I heard from my teacher… that the aura of this male deity represents destruction, while the Goddess's aura represents life. So I think they govern Destruction and Creation."
"And in my understanding… they're husband and wife."
"I've been pondering this. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning behind it."
"Until a few days ago, I recalled the village at the foot of the mountain—the one I saw when Teacher first brought me here."
His tone softened.
"From the villagers' faces, I saw contentment, and confidence in life."
"Maybe… that is the true reason we cultivate."
"To protect family. To protect home. To guard what we cherish."
"My parents always told me—there are many evildoers out there. Evil Soul Masters who endanger the lives of people across the continent. Such people are a plague upon humanity. We owe them no mercy."
"Killing them is the greatest contribution we can make—for once they're gone, they can't hurt others anymore."
As he spoke, Ming Hui felt himself calm unexpectedly.
The crowd, too, gradually quieted.
Some disciples glanced toward their attending parents, spouses, or children. Their backs straightened, eyes filled with conviction.
If I can't protect my loved ones, what's the point of cultivation?
Du Busi's eyes gleamed with surprise. I never taught him these words…
Pride welled up in him. Clearly, the boy has grown.
"So," Ming Hui raised his voice slightly, his youthful face etched with resolve.
"I believe this is what the two gods represent."
Disciples' eyes brightened.
"Whether it's Destruction or Creation, both exist to better protect."
"To protect life. To protect nature. To protect the world."
His clear, young voice echoed across the plaza:
"To kill is to protect. To slay evil is not to slay people. Only by eliminating wickedness can heaven and earth be purified, so that all living beings may thrive, generation after generation, endlessly!"
"To destroy evil… is to protect life!"
Silence.
The younger generation stared at the two divine figures before Ming Hui, their eyes glowing.
The elders were no different.
Meanwhile…
Buzz! Across the Heaven Soul Empire, far southeast in Shrek City, inside the Golden Ancient Tree at Sea God's Island, wrapped in a cocoon of golden light surrounded by many dormant souls—
A beautiful woman in a blue gown floated peacefully, eyes closed, arms wrapped in an embrace.
Suddenly, the golden light in her arms began to flash.
Her eyelashes, which had been faintly twitching, froze—as if a mysterious force had stilled them.
At the tree's roots, in a nut-shaped capsule deep underground, a tall man in a matching pose floated, likewise frozen.
The glow in his arms also began to flicker.
Back in the Body Sect plaza—
Without warning, golden light began to shimmer in the sky.
It gathered rapidly.
In the next instant, it plunged straight down.
"Well said!" Du Busi had just clapped his thigh and exclaimed when he suddenly looked up.
His pupils contracted.
He, along with everyone present, was stunned speechless.