Chapter 517: Lady Calico’s Dilemma

Flames engulfed the land, burning fiercely.

Amid a scene that resembled a great catastrophe of heaven and earth, a swallow flew low. It constantly changed direction, weaving through the inferno as if entirely unaffected by the scorching flames.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico had taken on her human form. It was riding atop the jujube-red horse, galloping swiftly while following the swallow’s flight path.

Yet, even as she rode, she couldn't resist glancing back.

Through the haze of fire and smoke, she could faintly make out the figure of the Daoist soaring with the wind. Compared to the towering willow tree and the ancient parasol tree, he was nothing more than a tiny speck, narrowly avoiding the willow branches that lashed down at him.

However, just as he ascended into the sky, an immense force crushed him back to the ground.

“...!”

The calico cat’s heart clenched.

But there was no time to watch any longer.

Even though Song You had cleared a path for them in advance, summoning divine flames to cover the ground, demons and ghosts still emerged from the shadows to block their way.

These creatures were frenzied and bloodthirsty—where they had been hiding before was unclear. But now, upon seeing outsiders, they charged forward without hesitation. Some even fought recklessly, showing no fear of death.

Thankfully, the swallow was quick-witted, taking advantage of the high ground to guide them away from dense clusters of monsters. When faced with overwhelming numbers, it led them straight into the flames—knowing that the divine fire would not harm them. They passed through unscathed, while the demons and ghosts were instantly reduced to ashes upon contact.

The few creatures that managed to get close were weak and lacked cultivation. The jujube-red horse didn’t even bother to acknowledge them, simply barreling forward with unstoppable momentum. With every gallop, it sent demons flying into the inferno, effortlessly trampling through their ranks.

When stronger or larger monsters blocked their way—too much for the horse to handle—Lady Calico sat upright in the saddle, gripping her small bamboo staff with a serious expression.

Imitating her Daoist priest, she pointed the staff toward the incoming monsters.

A surge of flame shot forth from the staff.

Though its power was vastly inferior to her master’s, she had at least reached a minor mastery in fire magic. The divine fire remained formidable, more than enough to burn these lesser demons to death.

And beyond mere combat, Lady Calico possessed an exceptional imagination.

She had already trained herself to disregard what her eyes saw, instead replacing it in her mind with the same awe-inspiring spellwork she had witnessed from her Daoist earlier in the temple. She imagined that her bamboo staff released flames in utter silence, that her enemies did not writhe and wail in agony, but instead disintegrated into dust in an instant.

This self-deception filled her with immense satisfaction.

Despite how lightly she thought of it, the battle was nothing short of a desperate escape.

They fought while fleeing, pursued relentlessly by a vast army of demons. More than once, they faced near-disaster before finally breaking free from the willow demon’s dominion.

At last, a ripple of water spread across their path, and the surroundings suddenly fell into silence.

The demonic roars, ghostly wails, the thunderous stampede of pursuing monsters, the earth-shaking crashes from afar, and the crackling roar of flames—all the chaotic sounds from before had vanished.

Now, before them stood only the ancient parasol tree, shrouded in thick mist and miasma. The air was still and deep, eerily tranquil.

“

Clop, clop, clop

...”

The jujube-red horse abruptly skidded to a halt. Its momentum was so great that all four hooves slid across the ground for a short distance before it steadied.

The swallow also came to a hovering stop.

The cat, the horse, and the bird each turned to look back.

But behind them, there were no picturesque mountains, no serene immortal paradise. Nor was there a hellish land of blood and slaughter, no demonic purgatory.

All that remained was a small hill, covered in scattered stones and blanketed with fallen parasol tree leaves and fruit. Beside it stood a parasol tree, its roots partly submerged in thick mist, which barely reached up to its ankles—like shallow water lapping at its feet.

“Hmm?!” Lady Calico gripped her bamboo staff, eyes widening.

“We made it out,” the swallow announced from above. “Those demon soldiers didn’t follow us.”

“Why can’t we see anything?”

“This isn’t an illusion formation, it’s a much more advanced formation. The world inside is completely sealed off from the outside. Naturally, we can’t see through it.”

“What about the Daoist priest?”

“He is still inside, battling the willow demon.”

“Can he win?”

“Lady Calico, you need not worry. Hidden Dragon Temple stands at the peak of the Human Dao. Any of its disciples skilled in magic arts is at least at the Ancient Great Realm.” The swallow spoke more than usual, showing no hesitation in front of Lady Calico.

He continued, “In today’s world, few can match such strength. Aside from a handful of deities, perhaps only that fox demon in Fengzhou—once she fully cultivates her ninth tail—could rival it.”

“The willow tree is formidable, yes, but not invincible. What it’s doing now is simply taking advantage of the chaos in this era to rapidly increase its cultivation, aiming to become the Ancient Great Being of the present age. Even after years of preparation, the best it can do is remain unbeaten, yet not surpass the Daoist.”

“Hmm...”

“Besides, Mr. Song You isn’t like Daoist Duoxing who rely solely on Five Element spells to dominate the battlefield. If he came here after understanding everything, that means he already had confidence in victory.”

“That’s true...”

Lady Calico found his reasoning convincing.

Still, sitting atop the horse, she couldn’t help but tilt her head back and gaze toward the direction they had fled from.

At that moment, a clap of thunder boomed across the sky.

“

Boom

!” A massive bolt of purple-red lightning suddenly erupted from within the sealed battlefield.

Since the inner and outer worlds were completely isolated, the lightning seemed to have appeared out of thin air, striking directly at the towering parasol tree.

“

Crack

!”

These ancient parasol trees had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, nourished by the spiritual resonance of the divine bird. They were impervious to water, fire, and even ordinary celestial lightning.

Yet, under this single strike, a burst of fiery sparks exploded from the tree, dazzlingly bright even in broad daylight. Within moments, roaring flames ignited along the impact site.

Lady Calico craned her neck, staring upwards.

She could faintly make out the exact spot where the lightning had struck. It was now a deep crimson, as if the trunk had transformed into a half-burnt piece of charcoal, glowing like molten jade. Flames danced along its surface.

At the same time, the enormous weight of the tree’s crown became too much for the scorched trunk to bear. The upper half of the parasol tree began to tilt and fall.

Lady Calico’s eyes widened in shock.

These parasol trees were unimaginably large, beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. Even the sharpest of blades could not cut them down.

Yet now, a single lightning strike—whether an accidental misfire or merely the aftermath of battle—had toppled it.

From within the clouds, a deep, resounding

crack

echoed across the sky as the massive trunk snapped apart.

“Run, horsey! Run!” Lady Calico shouted, immediately lowering her body against the saddle.

The jujube-red horse bolted without hesitation, its legs kicking up dust as it raced away with wind-like speed, faster than a streak of lightning.

They had barely covered some distance when a deafening thud rumbled behind them.

The ground trembled three times under the sheer weight of the falling tree.

Looking back, Lady Calico saw that the upper half of the colossal parasol tree had crashed to the ground—right where they had just been standing moments ago.

For a brief moment, she stood frozen in awe.

It finally dawned on her.

Not just the direct impact of the battle, but even the residual aftershocks of those residual aftershocks were enough to bring disaster upon ordinary demons.

The swallow, still flying overhead, advised the young girl, “We should move even farther away.”

Before Lady Calico could respond, the horse had already taken off, galloping toward a safer distance.

Midway through their escape, she couldn’t resist glancing back again.

Her eyes abruptly widened. In the distant sky, ripples of light spread outward, as if a barrier had been shattered.

Slowly, cracks formed. And within them, the true scene hidden behind the illusion was beginning to emerge.

The towering willow tree stood as tall as the ancient parasol tree.

With its sprawling branches and dense foliage, it seemed even more imposing—like the true ruler of this ancient forest, standing above the clouds and mist.

Yet now, its massive body was engulfed in roaring flames.

Every single willow branch burned—some wildly flailing, shattering the clouds and dispersing the mist; others whipped the ground, splitting mountains and rivers apart as they struck.

Above, thunder raged, intertwining like hundreds upon thousands of chains, binding the giant willow in place.

Slowly, the willow tree gradually began to tilt. The sky darkened.

As dusk descended, the miasma thickened, obscuring the distant landscape in an impenetrable fog.

Even when Lady Calico reverted to her cat form, climbing up the parasol tree like a gecko, using her sharp claws to grip the bark. Yet, she still could not see past the dense mist.

All she could make out were flashes of radiant light within the fog—some like lightning, some like flames, and others carrying an unfamiliar spiritual glow.

With each resounding explosion, as if mountains were collapsing and the earth was shattering, the ground trembled violently, making even the ancient parasol tree quake.

The swallow, however, flew high above.

From time to time, it would return to land beside Lady Calico. It reported snippets of the battle from afar before hastily taking off again, eager to continue watching.

Whenever this happened, Lady Calico’s expression grew exceptionally serious. She was still not high enough.

She

could

climb higher. But if she did, she feared she wouldn’t be able to get back down.

Why didn’t cats have wings?

As the night deepened, the sounds of battle gradually faded.

All of a sudden, Lady Calico spotted panicked demons and ghosts fleeing from the battlefield.

Terrified beyond belief, they scattered into the depths of the fog, caring for nothing else but escape.

She lifted her head again.

Through the mist, she saw countless streaks of light soaring across the sky—each one brilliant, in hues of all colors. They were like a thousand blooming flowers, like stars cascading down like rain.

She had only ever seen her Daoist priest’s spiritual light shine in such a way. At that moment, she understood—the battle had ended.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Sure enough, the swallow descended again.

“Lady Calico, it’s over. The willow tree’s trunk has been reduced to ashes. Mr. Song You is now sealing the area.”

“Oh...” Lady Calico clung to the parasol tree, tilting her head to look at him.

“Let’s go down and wait for him.”

“Oh...” She turned her head downward.

Below, the fog churned like ocean waves, rolling endlessly in the darkness of night.

Due to the immense size of the Chinese parasol tree, what should have been a cylindrical tree trunk appeared as a flat surface to her—like a wall. She had to dig all four sets of claws deep into the bark just to keep herself from slipping off, but now, she had no idea how to get down.

“Lady Calico, why aren't you coming down?”

“I...”

The cat glanced downward, then at the swallow. After a brief hesitation, she finally said, “I will stay up here a little longer...”

“Alright.”

Hearing this, the swallow didn't question her. He simply assumed that Lady Calico and Mr. Song You had a deep bond, and she wouldn't feel at ease until she saw him return safely. With a few flaps of his wings, he flew off into the distance.

“...”

The cat watched him leave, then retracted her gaze and looked down again at the thick fog below and the unseen depths beneath her. She remained silent, but her expression grew more serious, full of confusion.

She was sure she had to climb a little higher before reaching the point of no return!

Why didn't cats have wings?

Time passed, bit by bit.

Clinging motionlessly to the tree, the cat seemed to have turned into a gecko. The night wind blew past, the thick mist brushed against her face, yet she remained expressionless. No one knew what she was thinking.

And to make matters worse...

Familiar footsteps echoed from below, crunching through fallen leaves and twigs, accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of a bamboo staff.

That swallow had come to call her again.