There was no way out of the yard. Hundreds of tree roots had shot through the ground, shaking the very foundations the crew was standing on. The roots twisted and turned, creating an impenetrable wall over the main entrance.
Some cultivators tried to jump over the stone wall, but even though their cultivation foundation was strong enough to aid them in high jumps, the roots had risen so far up the walls, forming a domelike prison around them. They were trapped within a birdcage made of roots.
"Set it on fire!" Someone said.
PingZe grinned, his brows quivering humorously, "I like the idea! It has been a while since I've seen people being baked to death."
The cultivators shot him a bewildered look but said nothing. No one dared to set the tree on fire either.
Seeing that XiaoHe had now come to and could stand on his own, PingZe stood up and pushed XiaoHe towards MingYu and ZhiYi.
Dull laughter echoed throughout the yard and one by one, the spirits of the deceased children came into view, standing beneath the branches of the willow tree, all laughing and sneering at the crew. PingZe whistled a sharp command and the silver arrow flew off his sash, attacking the tree roots. Seeing this, the Gui cultivators pulled out their swords and started frantically hacking the roots, grunting and heaving as they chopped down the barrier, but to no avail.
Anywhere they broke or stabbed the root, a new one sprouted from the ground and took its place. After a moment of a pointless waste of energy, the chopping sounds halted, and the cultivators faltered back, defeat rooted in their gazes.
"What now, sect leader?" One of them wailed as they sheathed their swords with a sullen 'shing'.
"Wait for it to kill you or kill yourself while waiting." PingZe offered a tad too brightly as he called the arrows to attack the tree trunk, but they merely scraped the surface. With a whistle, PingZe commanded the arrows back to his side and tugged it in his sash.
"Or you could try using any monster-killing items you supposedly should be carrying." MingYu said while shooting PingZe a scolding look. ZhiYi chuckled on the side, and MingYu turned his unimpressed gaze to the man.
"He has a point." ZhiYi said rather innocently. MingYu huffed as they watched the cultivators rummage through their robes and throw everything they had at the tree. Nothing happened. The tree seemed to sigh at them as the lasts of the magical weapons designed and hailed to have monster defeating properties unceremoniously sunk into the dirt. The spirits of the children snickered at their defeat. Leaves and petals swayed even though no wind could be felt in the area.
MingYu frowned. None of the monster killing items worked on the tree, so the tree wasn't a monster. But then, the only thing it could be was-
"A being that cultivated into a heavenly creature." ZhiYi said.
MingYu's eye twitched as he looked at the perfectly slanted eyes and long lashes that were batting at him almost seductively. Not the time for this! But instead, MingYu snapped, "Stop reading my mind!"
"It's not part of our demonic powers."
MingYu very well knew it wasn't. But he couldn't help having that uneasy feeling of ZhiYi being able to read him like an open book. MingYu's need to argue was stifled by the ground opening beneath their feet and terrified screams erupting around them. MingYu was nearly pierced by one of the vicious tree roots if ZhiYi hadn't pulled him out of its way. The cultivators unsheathed their swords and went to battle, chopping down roots, sending them squirming on the ground like giant earthworms.
"Can't you do the same thing you did in MouChu? Control the trees or something, baldy?" FenFen screamed as she shielded FuFu, dodging the tree roots that moved like venomous snakes.
"This tree has a mind of its own! I can't control sentient beings!" MingYu said through gritted teeth as he dodged a root flying towards his face and crawled on the ground for his dear life. There was only one thing left that would work, but there were innocent spirits of children involved. Destroying the tree would mean evaporating their souls to nothingness. MingYu growled as he pulled on ZhiYi's robes to get up. He yelped as ZhiYi lifted him up in the air and swung him out of the roots way.
"You need to summon the lightning!" ZhiYi said as he put MingYu back down on his feet.
"Too many innocent spirits!" MingYu screeched as ZhiYi pushed him out of the darting roots way and straight on his ass.
"That's not a problem, ZhiYi has stolen a spirit trap from a spirit collector before!" PingZe said as he commanded his arrows to cut down the roots while keeping skittering XiaoHe firmly in his vicinity. MingYu crawled backwards as endless amounts of roots shot out of the soft soil right beneath his feet. He threw a glare at ZhiYi as he rolled out from a certain death stab aimed at his gut.
"You did what?!" MingYu croaked as one root wrapped itself around his feet and pulled him off the balance he had regained just a second before. Damn brat! MingYu cursed silently as he clawed on the dirt, trying to pull himself off the root's hold, but his fingers sunk into the soil and only pulled handfuls of it with him as the root dragged him towards the trunk.
A spirit trap was a powerful weapon used purely by the collectors working in Hell. No one dared to interfere in their work. They were used for collecting massive amounts of spirits to be brought back to Hell. Truly, these two demon brothers were shunned by Heaven and hated by Hell!
"MingYu!" ZhiYi tried to move closer but tree roots set their target on him and whenever ZhiYi took hold of a root and broke it in two with his bare hands, another sprang at him, whipping the air. He couldn't shorten the distance between himself and MingYu. This seemed to fuel his anger as ZhiYi broke through the roots set on him like they were mere chopsticks. MingYu would have been gushing in awe – if his life wasn't threatened!
"Spring the spirit trap!" MingYu screamed as the root around his ankle suddenly flicked upwards. It threw MingYu up in the air, hitting him against the sturdy branches before bringing him down with force. MingYu hit his back and head, air rushing out of his lunges as pain radiated across his lower half. He could taste the tangy blood in his throat.
A flash of metal glinted beneath the tree branches. The sword that seemed to be lit up with stars blinded MingYu, before it sunk into the root, cutting it cleanly in half like soft soil. The hold on MingYu's ankle went limp at once.
RuRong pulled MingYu out of the writhing root's reach. Just as MingYu gasped for breath, another root flogged itself around his other ankle and pulled so suddenly, his leg nearly ripped off his body as RuRong didn't relent on his hold on MingYu. It was a game of tug a war, and MingYu was the rope! Pulling on RuRong's hold of his arm, MingYu said, "Get the disciplines out of the way. I can take care of myself!"
RuRong shot him a disbelieving stare, while still clinging to MingYu's arm for his dear life.
In the meantime, ZhiYi had dug out a stash of thin silver ropes from within his clothes. He set them out, and the ropes attached themselves into the still roots, forming a gigantic spiderweb-like net. The spirits of the children hissed as they were pulled towards the net, and one by one their souls were sucked into the dull light that emitted from the trap. As the last of the spirits disappeared from under the tree branches, ZhiYi called the ropes back and they wrapped themselves neatly around his wrists. He turned to look for MingYu.
Meanwhile, MingYu pulled at RuRong's arm and the man finally relented and released his faltering hold on MingYu. Before he was dragged back beneath the tree, MingYu braised himself for the pain and lashed his palms on RuRong's extended sword. The root pulled him in like one reeled in a fish from the sea. In a blink of an eye, he was flung against the trunk of the willow tree. With numb arms, he smudged his blood all over the ragged surface of the willow trunk.
A roar crashed through the yard, and it was up to debate if the tree was the one who roared or the heavenly soul scattering lightning that struck the weeping willow. A blinding electrical charge burst through the dark sky like a punishing whip of the heavens. The tree split in half with such force, it sent out an energy blast that flung all the disciplines against the stone walls, scorching every upward root in the yard into dust.
MingYu flew across the yard, but instead of hitting the hard stone wall, he was caught by a hard wall of toned muscles. ZhiYi held him tightly in his arms, a gentle smile visible on his usually formal face. The Wang family and PingZe and XiaoHe, who was held behind PingZe, were the lone standing pillars amidst the cinder and scorched petals that floated around them like snow. Amidst the black flurry, ZhiYi looked almost celestial in his white robes.
"Your hands are bleeding again." ZhiYi said.
It wasn't a romantic remark that the hero of the story was greeted with after saving the day. MingYu wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not. Not the time for this, MingYu decided.
"You could tell?" MingYu heaved as he pushed off ZhiYi's arms and looked at the remains of the willow tree. ZhiYi was busying himself with looking over MingYu's palms and wrapping them up with bandages.
"You really need to stop doing this." ZhiYi said softly as he checked his wrapping and gave an approving nod.
MingYu wasn't listening. He was scanning the burning remains of the monster. Thin gusts of smog wafted around them. Something golden was flickering at MingYu. A long pewter staff was standing in the center of where the tree stood just a moment before. Multiple golden rings were hanging from the top of the staff.
MingYu gaped at the staff in surprise. It was the staff of the golden cicada, gifted to him by Heaven to battle against the negative energy and presence while on his mission in the earth realm. So the tree had not cultivated by itself. It had grown out, wrapping the spiritual pewter staff within its core and used the energy to elevate itself into a higher being. It must have developed consciousness after being influenced by the pewter staff's presence.
Slipping out of ZhiYi's hands, MingYu took wavering steps towards the staff and caressed the length of it with his fingertips. The pewter lit up from the touch, yellow light pulsed like a beating heart. Still, MingYu realized, it was cold to the touch. The girth of it was perfectly fitted for his hand - the rings rattled gently from his stroke. The staff stood at least 6ft high, as high as MingYu himself. MingYu lifted the staff, and it was light in his hands, but sturdy. The rings rattled more frequently now, like a wind chime.
MingYu gave it a twirl, and it moved almost on its own, graceful yet deadly if one knew how to coax it well. The light died out and the rings settled in their places. A heavenly weapon, MingYu grinned with satisfaction. And by the looks of it, it accepted MingYu as its new owner too. But how come it was here? MingYu's thoughts were disrupted by the groans and moans of the cultivators, who were struggling to stand up. They were all covered in developing bruises that would turn them stiff and wailing for the days to come. MingYu himself could feel some sorts of bruises in his body too, from the tree roots handling.
RuRong was running around, checking on his disciplines. RuRong's eyes fixated on XiaoHe and they widened into round plates. During this entire time, he had not paid attention to the skittish monk, but now that he had, blood had crashed over his head and made his mouth go numb.
"YunJie?"