Chapter 0699: Burning Tree of Resonant Power

The Tree of Resonant Power was burning.

The seemingly insignificant black flame lotus had set the entire Tree of Resonant Power ablaze, a sight that similarly incinerated the hopes of the mentors and students who were present.

Every single branch and leaf of the gigantic tree was burning, and the flames could even be seen clearly from Xia City.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

It was as though the entire sky had been set aflame.

This sight was burned into the eyes of everyone watching.

The entire college seemed to have gone silent, whether it was the Violet Vibrance mentors led by Vice Principal Su Xin or the countless retreating students. This scene had left them in an unbelievable daze.

The ancient Tree of Resonant Power had marked the history of the Astral Sage College. Generation after generation of students would cultivate atop its numerous leaves, and batch after batch of students would undergo purging missions to purify the cave.

It was the physical embodiment of the Astral Sage College’s mentors and students' memories and emotions.

Thus, the sight of it burning caused some of the younger students to cry out in sadness.

At the same time, the Tree of Resonant Power's body seemed to faintly shake as it released a gentle and calming cry, seemingly to console all the grieving students.

This unexpected action caused even some of the mentors' eyes to turn red and glisten with tears.

On the outskirts of the battlefield, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were shocked senseless. A trace of fury glinted in their eyes. The Astral Sage College was a place that held many close memories for them. When House Luolan was in a state of unrest and Jiang Qing'e had single-handedly taken the reins, she had exhibited her incomparable talent and potential to the entire world here. This fact was sufficient for House Jiyan and their enemies to pay close attention to her.

It was at that time that Jiang Qing'e borrowed the Astral Sage College's reputation to protect herself, deterring enemies like House Jiyan from silently sending someone to assassinate her whilst she was still developing.

After which, Li Luo had similarly entered the college and grown immensely in the short span of a year. Most of his progress had to do with the college's assistance.

In the end, during House Luolan's Housemeet, the college may have seemingly maintained its stance of neutrality, but they had surreptitiously provided assistance to them and even a way out if things turned out badly.

Thus, the Astral Sage College had truly taken special care of both of them.

Although it was also partly due to their strength and potential, this favor was something that both of them remembered deep in their hearts.

Thus, the sight of the Tree of Resonant Power burning caused them to feel incensed.

"Shen Jinxiao, that bastard!" Mentor Chi Chan's frigid voice could be heard at the side. Her gaze was like daggers as she glared at Shen Jinxiao, who was still hiding behind the youth. The two of them might not have been on cordial terms, but she had never expected him to go so far as to betray the college.

The youth had clearly been led in by Shen Jinxiao.

The corrupted Violet Vibrance mentors should have been Shen Jinxiao's doing. Only he had the time and opportunity throughout all these years to insidiously lay the foundation for today's attack. He must have done it during their daily interactions, gradually leaving behind the seeds of corruption.

It was a task that required immense amounts of time and planning. In other words, Shen Jinxiao had long planned to betray the college.

Mentor Chi Chan faintly touched her cheek beneath the veil, and killing intent flooded her gaze. She now suspected that the reason she had been afflicted with the Ichthyic curse might very possibly have been part of Shen Jinxiao's plot! Fortunately, she was not inside the college when the curse acted up, and Li Luo had managed to borrow the power of Principal Pang's triple resonances to suppress it. Otherwise, she might very well have become a corrupted puppet like some of the other Violet Vibrance mentors.

"He is a scourge on the earth." Li Luo sighed. It was a pity he was not strong enough; otherwise, he would have found a way to dispose of that man-shaped beast much earlier.

Jiang Qing'e fell into pensive thought for a moment. "The Astral Sage College is probably facing an unprecedented catastrophe."

"It's not only the Astral Sage College..." Li Luo shook his head, and his voice became much more somber. "With the destruction of the Tree of Resonant Power, the Umbra Cave will likely be unsealed and copious amounts of corruption will spill forth. That will result in a truly frightening Other Disaster."

"Impossible. The Principal is still guarding the depths of the cave. With him around, nothing bad can happen," Mentor Chi Chan rebuked.

Li Luo gave a bitter smile. "Mentor, the Tree of Resonant Power has been set aflame by someone, and yet Principal Pang has not appeared... It's clear that it's not because he doesn't want to, but rather he has been tied down. In the worst case scenario, the Principal might even be having trouble protecting his own life."

Jiang Qing'e's delicate but dignified expression similarly turned forlorn. "This entire conspiracy has exceeded the limits of everyone's imagination. This can only mean that the Origin Reversion Institute's black hand has already tightened around the entire Xia Kingdom."

Mentor Chi Chan was left in silence. She already knew that Principal Pang's absence indicated an issue with the situation. Still, she held on to a faint trace of hope. The Principal was the sole King Stage expert of the Xia Kingdom, and only he had the power to suppress everything and anything, resolving the situation.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's both felt quite dismal at the situation. As the saying went, if the nest is upset, no eggs within would be left intact. If the Astral Sage College fell today, the Xia Kingdom would not be left peaceful. The Holy Grail Meet had allowed them to experience firsthand the extent of the Blackwind Empire's destruction. No one would ever accept the Xia Kingdom ending up in a similar state.

Alas, with such monumental developments, their strength was insufficient to effect any change.

This battle was not one that they could participate in. In fact, not even an average Duke could change anything.

The Origin Reversion Institute was simply too terrifying.

At this point, Li Luo was reminded of the crimson knight-general whom he had met in the Blackwind Empire... There was a mysterious power backing him. Could it be that the one who had ruined the Blackwind Empire was the same one who was coveting the Xia Kingdom?

In the sky, the Dukes who were assisting were also observing the changing situation. They had already brought to bear all of their considerable strength, but the youth remained unfazed, blocking all of their attacks. His methods were truly terrifying to see.

The Origin Reversion Institute's reputation was not misplaced as a strange superpower that everyone remained cautious and afraid of.

"Vice Principal Su Xin?" Yu Hongxi glanced at Su Xin as she realized that Su Xin's body was trembling from head to toe, seemingly a little out of control.

"I'm going to MURDER YOU!" Vice Principal Su Xin's eyes were bloodshot and full of desire for revenge as she glared at the youth. Immediately after, the void shattered as her four Duke Bergfrieds descended and began to suck in gigantic amounts of worldly natural energy. They then smashed down violently towards the youth without restraint.

The four Duke Bergfrieds were inscribed with countless runes, and space collapsed wherever they passed through.

The youth merely shook his head and casually waved. A beam of mysterious light shot forth. It transformed into a gigantic, dark-yellow ruler. The ruler slapped downwards with enough force to move mountains, suppressing the descending Duke Bergfrieds. In a blink, the ruler swatted away the attacking Duke Bergfrieds with such force that cracks appeared upon them!

“Eurrgh!”

Vice Principal Su Xin spat out a mouth of fresh blood, and the resonant power within her shook violently. However, she continued to stare at the youth unblinkingly.

"Vice Principal Su Xin, you need to calm down." The youth smiled warmly. "This is just the beginning. We have not reached the point of absolute despair yet."

At the same time, he cupped one of his ears with his head stuck out, taking on an exaggerated posture that he was trying to hear something. "Can you hear it?"

All of the Dukes frowned, unsure of what he was referring to. But a split second later, their expressions warped. Everyone turned their attention towards the area beneath the burning Tree of Resonant Power, noticing the frigid and gloomy energy wafting from it.

At the same time, they heard countless inexplicable whispers coming from it!

It was the corruption that was sealed within the Umbra Cave.

With the Tree of Resonant Power burning, its suppressive might upon the Umbra Cave had lessened, eventually revealing a gap.