Chapter 38: Greeting, Queen

"

Chirp...

"

Having absorbed enough spirit qi, the Fire Phoenix's spiritual intelligence was beginning to awaken.

It caught sight of the towering Green Sovereign Divine Tree with its small, bright eyes through the crack linking the Twin-Fish Medallion's miniature world to the Heavenly Pool.[1]

"

Chirp chirp... chirp chirp!

"

It let out delighted cries as it soared into the air and charged straight toward the crack between the two spaces.

"No, don't!"

Lu Chen had no idea what could happen if the crack was torn open. He quickly gathered his spirit qi to stop the Fire Phoenix.

But it was too fast. Before the spirit qi could even take shape, the phoenix had already pierced through the rift.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out as the connection between the Heavenly Pool and the medallion's small world was shattered. Spirit qi began to flow from the small world to the Heavenly Pool, gradually merging with Lu Chen’s reserves.

The Fire Phoenix fluttered onto Nantian Wan'er's shoulder and let out two cheerful cries toward Lu Chen, almost as if it was trying to win favor. "

Chirp chirp!

"

Lu Chen glanced at the chirping phoenix. He observed the changes brought on by the rift's rupture and let out a breath of relief. "

Phew...

Looks like everything's fine. If anything, it might've sped up the fusion process."

"How did your Heavenly Pool end up like this? And why are there two Green Sovereign Divine Trees?" Wind Dragon asked.

He had fallen unconscious during the final wave of the tribulation. He hadn't seen what happened afterward, nor did he know that Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er were now sharing a single Heavenly Pool.

Using a technique he had learned in Wind Dragon's room, Lu Chen compressed the information and sent the full account of what had transpired directly into the dragon's mind.

Wind Dragon remarked, "So that's how it is... Looks like this thicker Green Sovereign Divine Tree has a deeper connection to you."

Now understanding the situation, Wind Dragon began contemplating its significance.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lu Chen named the two Green Sovereign Divine Trees using the Innate and Acquired Bagua Diagrams as references.[2]

Then Lu Chen wondered, "Why does it feel like its spiritual intelligence is underdeveloped?"

He reached out to hold the Fire Phoenix, accidentally squeezing it too hard. The little phoenix immediately pecked him in protest.

"Lu-gege, be gentle! It's still just a baby bird," Nantian Wan'er said, her voice tinged with both amusement and affection.

Perhaps because of their shared bloodline, she felt warmth in her heart when she looked at the tiny creature.

Wind Dragon commented, "It might have to do with it being sealed in the scroll for too long. Its spiritual intelligence probably regressed. Back then, Lord Beast King went to great lengths to help it hatch, but with the world lacking primordial spirit qi to sustain its needs, they had no choice but to seal it away in the scroll."

Lu Chen asked, "Then how is it recovering now? We don't have any primordial spirit qi either."

Wind Dragon thought for a moment. "It's likely the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. After all, that tree was the manifestation of a primordial divine ability, so the spirit qi it produces should be primordial as well. Especially your tree. It's unlike anything we've seen before. Back in the day, even those great lords could only manage a few dozen vines."

The Fire Phoenix chirped in agreement, almost as if it understood Wind Dragon's words.

Then, with a flap of its wings, it flew up and perched on the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, where it began to build a nest. Its aura resonated across both the small world and the Beast King Manor.

With the link established, control over the Beast King Manor transferred to the medallion's small world. From now on, Lu Chen could command the entire Beast King Manor from within the medallion without ever stepping inside.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Come forth, my beast army!"

Lu Chen raised his arms dramatically, striking a rather theatrical pose as he broke the seal on the manor's gate.

A tide of one hundred thousand spirit beasts surged out, kicking up clouds of dust that blanketed the skies.

Nantian Wan'er saw the surging wave of beasts and panicked, thinking chaos had erupted within the medallion world. "Lu-gege! Watch out! Behind you!"

"It's fine. I'm their king now. They won't hurt me."

Lu Chen waved his arms with exaggerated flair, summoning the beasts as if performing before an audience. "Come! Descend upon this world, my people!"

Watching this display, Wind Dragon couldn't bear the secondhand embarrassment. He used his tail to cover his eyes.

"Roar!"

Sensing their newfound freedom, the hundred thousand spirit beasts roared together, circling Lu Chen.

"Lu-gege... are these really your spirit beasts? Even the Demonic Beast Abyss of our Nantian Sect has never seen so many powerful beasts gathered at once."

"They're real. Look through my memories."

Nantian Wan'er tapped into Lu Chen's memories and instantly grasped everything that had just occurred.

Rows and rows of beasts surrounded Lu Chen. Sensing the power of the Phoenix Ancestor's bloodline, they pledged their faith to Lu Chen as well as the Fire Phoenix.

Red Fox stared at Nantian Wan'er and murmured to herself, "Is she our queen? That mark on her brow... a Phoenix Bloodline mark?"

With his hands behind his back, Bai Ze activated a technique. "I can see her past, but her future... is completely blank. For now, she certainly appears to be our queen."

"Then why is her future blank?"

"It's hard to say. For now, let's focus on what we need to do. In time, the truth will reveal itself."

With that, Bai Ze took the lead, transforming into his human form and offering Nantian Wan'er a respectful bow.

"Greetings, Queen."

The beasts behind him echoed in unison, "Greetings, Queen."

At those words, Nantian Wan'er's face turned bright red. "This... this doesn't count! It's not official! Lu-gege hasn't even said anything to me yet!"

Lu Chen turned to her and asked, "Queen... does that mean the female master of this world? If that's the case, then yes, Wan'er is indeed the queen of this world."

Nantian Wan'er's cheeks flushed even deeper, her chest rising and falling with emotion. "Lu-gege, are you serious? Are you going to marry me and make me your wife?"

"I never said I'd marry you. I only said you could be the queen of this world. Wait... what does 'marry' even mean?"

Having spent his life focused solely on discovering how to cultivate, Lu Chen was completely ignorant of matters between men and women.

That one sentence nearly made Nantian Wan'er's old injury act up from sheer frustration. Her delicate face flushed crimson as she held it in.

Seeing her ignore him with her face puffed up red, Lu Chen walked over and asked, "Wan'er, is your cold poison flaring up again? Why's your face so red?"

"

Hmph

, I'm fine."

With a huff, Nantian Wan'er turned and walked away from him.

Lu Chen chased after her, asking repeatedly, "Wan'er? Wan'er, why won't you talk to me? I can't feel your thoughts anymore!"

The people behind Bai Ze had all returned to their human forms. Beads of cold sweat formed on their foreheads as they watched the scene unfold.

"Lord Wind Dragon, is our king always like this? His emotional intelligence seems... kind of lacking."

Hearing the question, Wind Dragon covered his eyes with his claws, too embarrassed to respond.

Red Fox grew visibly upset. "Did we choose the wrong person? He's completely clueless when it comes to girls."

She couldn't bear to see any girl mistreated.

"I'm going to teach our king what it truly means to cherish a woman."

With that, she stormed off after Lu Chen and began lecturing him nonstop.

***

During his earlier conversation with Wind Dragon, Bai Ze had already grasped most of the current situation. Still, there were things he needed to explore for himself. He waved a hand, instructing the untransformed spirit beasts to retreat to the area around the Beast King Manor and find a suitable place to continue their cultivation.

Then, Bai Ze began exploring the small world, observing the Heavenly Pool and any changes in the medallion's world. Unfortunately, since he didn't have control over the world, he hadn't gotten far before bumping into an invisible wall of air.

"Looks like I'll need a pass before I can move freely through this place."

He returned to Lu Chen's side, only to find him completely ensnared in Red Fox's illusion. Nantian Wan'er and Wind Dragon stood close by, silently watching as Red Fox's spell dragged Lu Chen further into its grip.

"Girls should be cared for, not bullied. Girls are meant to be cherished, not mistreated. Girls..."

Watching Lu Chen struggle in the illusion, Nantian Wan'er began to worry. "Big Sister Red Fox... is this really okay? Lu-gege looks like he's in pain."

Red Fox waved it off. "It's fine. This illusion won't cause any real harm."

Nantian Wan'er wrung the hem of her robe in her hands, mumbling anxiously, "But... he really looks like he's suffering. Maybe we should stop. Perhaps he simply doesn't understand these things yet. Once he's experienced them, he'll learn."

Wind Dragon asked, "Do you want him to keep bullying you forever?"

"No... I don't. But—"

"Then there's no need to hold back. That brat's just asking for it. He even had the nerve to mock me. Teach him a lesson, Red Fox. Increase the intensity."

Clearly, Wind Dragon was still upset over Lu Chen teasing him about his hoarding habit, so he urged the Red Fox to push the illusion harder. "You got it. A man who doesn't know how to treat a woman with care... is never worthy of forgiveness."

The Red Fox seemed to be triggered by an unpleasant memory. She took this chance and poured all her emotions into the illusion cast on Lu Chen. "Starlight Mirage."

Lu Chen twitched uncontrollably.

Nantian Wan'er rushed to catch him, trying desperately to wake him up. "Lu-gege! Lu-gege!"

"What's going on? Lu-gege looks like he's in so much pain. Can't we just wake him up?"

Seeing that nothing she did could bring him back, her face turned pale with panic. She felt completely helpless, and tears began streaming down her face.

Wind Dragon couldn't bear to see her like this and stopped Red Fox from continuing the illusion.

Red Fox said, "This is bad... I've lost control. The illusion's gone out of hand."

She attempted multiple dispelling methods, but none of them was successful. Lu Chen remained trapped.

Hearing that Lu Chen was trapped in the illusion, Nantian Wan'er grew even more frantic. "Then what should we do? You're all so powerful! Can't you save him?"

Red Fox looked grim. "He's already lost in the illusion. Only he can find his way out."

Bai Ze sighed. "There's nothing we can do. He is all on his own now."

Nantian Wan'er held Lu Chen tightly, her tears falling uncontrollably. What she didn't know was that the three beings, each thousands of years old, had quietly exchanged a knowing glance behind her back.

Red Fox subtly modified the illusion spell. One minute passed, then another. Gradually, Lu Chen's body began to calm in Nantian Wan'er's arms. His breathing became steady and even.

Nantian Wan'er suddenly remembered their shared mental bond. "Wait! Lu-gege and I are connected. Our thoughts are linked. Maybe I can reach him!"

Without delay, she focused her mind and dove into Lu Chen's mind.

1. Refer to C30 regarding the crack: Lu Chen sensed a crack forming at the barrier of his Heavenly Pool. It was slowly tearing open, and on the other side was the world within the medallion. ☜

2. The trees themselves are not truly innate or acquired. The naming was symbolic, drawn from their respective associations: one rooted in the external world tied to the Innate Bagua Diagram, the other residing in his Heavenly Pool alongside the Acquired Bagua Diagram. ☜