Chapter 558 - 537: Lilacs Purple Flame Spider Warrior

Dragon Cypress pressed down on Black Peach, inspecting up close.

The infinitely advanced Wood Primordial Energy condensed into two tangible imprints, shaped like Luoli Grass leaves, sealing Black Peach’s eyes.

"Great King, am I blind?"

"...No."

"I can’t see anymore."

"What about your Heavenly Eye?"

"Heavenly Eye can only sense light."

"Your eyes have been sealed by Primordial Energy! Black Peach, did you see something on the Moon?"

"I did! Stone Slab Plaza! Royal Palace! And Spiders!"

"Spiders?"

"Spiders! Pure purple! Round Purple Flame Spiders!"

"A lot of them?"

"A lot! Over a hundred. They were lying motionless on the plaza."

"Plaza?"

"A flat ground strengthened by Earth-Stone Ability."

"Royal Palace?"

"Similar to the Termite King’s Palace of the Purple Tung Insect Nation, except dome-shaped. Maybe it’s that the palace is so large, or the spiders are too small. In front of the palace, the spiders look particularly insignificant."

"What else did you see?"

"Nothing else. There are no plants on the Moon. Beyond the palace and plaza, it’s just barren, cratered land."

"What about the spiders you mentioned?"

"The spiders are really strange, they’re all just lying there, not moving at all."

"Where did the power that sealed your eyes come from?"

"I don’t know~ I didn’t even have time to look carefully~"

...

Slow to react, Tie Bush, who hadn’t managed to run, crawled over, "Great King, is Black Peach alright?"

Dragon Cypress: "Nothing major."

Ink Orchid, the fastest to run off, rushed back first, deeply shaken, staring hard at Black Peach’s eyes.

Spiked Cypress, Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Cory arrived one after another, all equally shocked and uneasy.

Black Peach urgently said, "Great King, my eyes..."

Dragon Cypress: "Although that power is terrifying, it’s definitely not Natural God Force. I suspect it must have been the work of a spider with an evolution level far beyond King-Level, at a very high Life Level."

Ink Orchid: "A spider from the Outworld?"

Dragon Cypress: "No! The Moon is so small, it doesn’t count as the Outworld. The Moon can only be considered an attached minor planet of the Origin Force Star Realm."

Black Persimmon declared, "Then it must be a Flame Spider Warrior stationed on the Moon to guard the Origin Force Star Realm!"

Black Peach retorted, "Round Purple Flame Spider! Roving Merchant!"

Black Persimmon: "So that means... a trade?"

Who would make trades on the Moon?

Even Black Persimmon didn’t believe what he’d just said.

Black Birch, analyzing seriously, said, "Perhaps the Round Purple Flame Spiders on the Moon are replacing the Natural True God in managing the Origin Force Star Realm. For example, overseeing the reincarnation of continent Origin Force, preventing all-out war among the Insect Clans."

Black Birch: "During Origin Force Reincarnation, all other tribes rise and fall, but only the Flame Spider Tribe can travel between continents and always remain dominant."

Black Birch: "The name of the Round Purple Flame Spider Warrior who sealed Black Peach’s eyes can even be guessed—it should also be called ’Melde’."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Exactly right!

Ink Orchid added, "In the Battle of Crimson Vein Mountain, all Insect Clans of Cloud Trace Continent and Dragon Bamboo Continent, whether they participated or not, every Insect above Mountain Lord Level of that generation had their abilities sealed. And yet the Flame Spider Tribe, who masterminded the war and raked in huge profits, only had a few directly-involved spiders punished."

Ink Orchid: "It wasn’t the Natural True God favoring the Flame Spider Tribe, it’s bias—it’s that some flabbergastingly evolved Flame Spiders are running Origin Force Star Realm in place of the Natural True God."

If you think about it this way, many strange puzzles start to make sense.

Spiked Cypress: "Why are the Flame Spiders replacing the Natural True God in managing the Origin Force World? Where is the Natural True God?"

Black Persimmon: "They’re in the Outworld! That’s where the Alien Civilization is, a much vaster Great World!"

Makes sense!

Everyone turned in unison to Dragon Cypress.

Dragon Cypress gently tapped his antennae, "An analysis that connects all the questions..."

Black Peach wailed, "Great King, analyze later, what about my eyes..."

Dragon Cypress: "This... might be trouble..."

Dragon Cypress called out, "Black Peach, we’re setting out right now for the Purple Tung Insect Nation to find the Huagi Divine Tree. Black Birch, you should return to the Purple Tung Insect Nation too."

...

...

...

The Dominating Throne carried Black Peach and Black Birch, flying day and night, reaching the Purple Tung Insect Nation by midnight the next day.

They landed directly beneath the Huagi Divine Tree.

The Huagi Divine Tree sent out a wave of confused spiritual intention.

Disturbed by the Throne’s Origin Force Fluctuation, Linnan, Night Fragrance, Jinhe, and Purple Tung woke up, all projecting questioning spiritual intentions.

Linnan Divine Tree said angrily, "Ant, storming in at midnight, what’s going on?"

Dragon Cypress: "A big issue! Huagi Divine Tree, Linnan Divine Tree, please examine Black Peach’s eyes!"

All spiritual power focused on Black Peach, instantly locking onto the two lifelike, emerald-green leaf-shaped Primordial Energy imprints covering his eyes.

Linnan Divine Tree was shocked, "Wood Primordial Energy far beyond King-Level!"

Huagi Divine Tree asked, "Where did it come from?"

Dragon Cypress raised his claw, pointing at the round moon in the night sky.

Black Peach: "I looked at the moon using my newly acquired ability, and then... Huagi Divine Tree, save me! Linnan Divine Tree, help me!"

"???"

The trees were puzzled.

Linnan Divine Tree scolded, "Fool! Speak up! Looked at the moon? What new ability? What did you see?"

Linnan Divine Tree pressed further, "An ability you comprehended yourself through Age Period Evolution? Or... an ability granted by the Divine-Grade Molan Seed?"

Black Peach: "An ability granted by the Divine-Grade Molan Seed, called ’Scorching Sun’. After activating it, it creates an ability barrier over twenty meters long, collecting and reflecting light from material over a wide area..."

Black Peach described in detail the ability bestowed by the Divine-Grade Molan Seed, as well as his tragic experience of being forced by the Great King to look at the sun and the moon, and what he saw on the Moon.

The trees became serious.

Black Birch then filled in the guesses made by all the insects of Xianglan Mountain.

The story concluded.

The Huagi Divine Tree said gently, "Let me clarify one point: the Origin Force Reincarnation in the Star Realm is controlled by Outworld Laws, not... by the Spiders."

Huagi Divine Tree: "I can vaguely sense there’s a dangerously unfathomable Origin Force Life with extremely high evolution on the moon, but I didn’t expect it would actually be a spider."

Black Birch added, "Round Purple Flame Spider Warrior! Its name should be ’Melde’."

Huagi Divine Tree: "Perhaps."

Black Peach: "Huagi Divine Tree... help me..."

Huagi Divine Tree: "I can’t."

Huagi Divine Tree: "After surpassing King-Level, I evolved twice. But due to lack of Natural Primordial Force and brutal Law suppression, I can’t evolve any further. I’m countless steps behind the one on the Moon; the difference in power level is astronomical."

Black Peach: "Linnan Divine Tree, you are Wood Element..."

Linnan Divine Tree: "I am Wood Element, but after surpassing King-Level, I haven’t evolved even once. I’m even less capable."

Black Peach: "Then..."

Huagi Divine Tree: "You should be grateful it only sealed your eyes, not your ability. That Flame Spider Warrior on the moon has no malice; it’s warning you—not to peek!"

Night Fragrance gravely warned, "This kind of information is best not spread around recklessly."

Huagi Divine Tree: "That’s right! You should be thankful. The Flame Spider is greedy but relatively even-tempered. This time, it’s only warning you."

Black Peach: "But my eyes..."

Huagi Divine Tree: "Maybe during your next Molting Evolution, the Primordial Energy Imprint on your eyes will shed away. Of course, it’s also possible you’ll need to evolve to a certain height and break through the seal with your own strength. Or perhaps, you could neutralize the Primordial Energy Seal with a Divine-Grade Fruit."

Black Peach: "..."

Black Peach: "Huagi Divine Tree, is this a kind of ability?"

Huagi Divine Tree: "No. A being of that level wouldn’t even need an ability to deal with a little ant like you. One casual trace of Primordial Energy does the job."

Linnan Divine Tree, uncharacteristically earnest, said, "If you can’t shake it off with the next Age Period Evolution and Molting Evolution, you’ll have to break the seal on your own. Little ant, you’re Wood Element too, I can give you two suggestions..."

Linnan Divine Tree paused, then said, "First, ask the Flame Spider Caravan if they have any Divine-Grade Fruit that grants Wood Element vision-related abilities. Try fusing the power of a Divine-Grade Fruit to blend with the Wood Primordial Energy sealing your eyes; second, if that doesn’t work, then after reaching Lord-Level, or possibly even King-Level, you’ll have to gradually wear it away with your own Wood Primordial Energy."

Linnan Divine Tree’s last advice: "With every Age Period Evolution, make sure to eat more Origin Force Food that strengthens your vision."

Linnan Divine Tree, once serious, is actually pretty reliable!

Black Peach mulled it over and was a little comforted, "Got it!"

The Seed of Divine-Given Jinhe, who’d been silent for a while, still struggled to believe, asking, "So the ability granted by the Divine-Grade Molan Seed lets you see the Moon?"

Black Peach: "Of course! Light travels infinite distance, so this ability lets you see infinitely far as well."

Jinhe: "So you saw a spider?"

Black Peach: "I did. But now that I think carefully, something feels wrong—they were all lined up, perfectly still, unnaturally so."

Jinhe: "I remember, the Huagi Divine Tree once said it felt a super-strong Origin Force Fluctuation on the Moon."

Huagi Divine Tree: "Among Insect Clan Warriors evolved to the most extreme, only one is on that level."

Jinhe: "A statue?"

Black Peach: "Kind of! They’re arranged neatly outside the palace, flanking both sides of the plaza."

Jinhe: "That’s probably it. But what’s the point of placing so many statues?"

Everyone fell silent, pondering.

Racking their brains without a clue.

"Great King!"

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Black Birch! Black Peach?"

Spruce, Ivy, and Giant Cypress, having noticed the commotion, hurried over.

Giant Cypress instantly noticed something wrong with Black Peach’s eyes and asked in shock, "Great King, what happened to Black Peach?"

Black Peach: "I can’t see... my eyes are blind..."

Black Peach recounted his story again.

Black Birch filled in everyone’s guesses.

After much discussion and thought, no new ideas or solutions were suggested.

"Huagi Divine Tree, Linnan Divine Tree, thank you for your trouble. I’ll take Black Peach to the palace to rest first."

Dragon Cypress bid farewell politely.

Huagi Divine Tree: "Wait a moment. Dragon Cypress Ant King, there’s something I think necessary to remind you about."

Dragon Cypress: "Please enlighten us, Huagi Divine Tree."

Huagi Divine Tree: "Well-off Insect Clan Warriors, when they meet the conditions to leave the Origin Force Star Realm, almost always grow fearful of the unknown Outworld, shrink back and, at any cost, purchase all sorts of Divine-Grade Fruit to boost their odds of survival. Scouting-type abilities are the top choice; your ’Scorching Sun’ ability is a top-level vision-based scouting power, no worse than Quandong Divine Tree’s Soul-Setting Fruit."

Huagi Divine Tree: "Don’t let the eye-sealing accident on the Moon reduce the value; on the contrary, it’s proof of the ability’s strength, and should push up the price. Those about to leave—Insect Kings—need it badly."

Huagi Divine Tree: "When selling it, make it clear: don’t look at the Moon, or your eyes will be sealed. If anyone asks what you saw, just say you didn’t have time to see clearly before being sealed."

Dragon Cypress ran the logic once in his mind and instantly understood, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Huagi Divine Tree, for your guidance! Message received!"

Huagi Divine Tree: "And remember, don’t recklessly disturb that being on the Moon, so best specify the Divine-Grade Molan Seed is only for sale to Insect Kings who are just about to set off."

Dragon Cypress: "Understood!"