Chapter 874, Tree of Glyphs’ Transformation

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

As time passed, more and more leaves were ignited. Presently, the entire Tree of Glyphs seemed to be ablaze, which was unlike the first time Lu Ye saw it happen.

 

Although many leaves didn’t carry complete Glyphs, Lu Ye had still gained a lot. He used to find it hard to set the Tree aflame, but now, it was burning brightly in such a unique environment.

 

Initially, he was worried that Nian Yuexian would give him some new tasks as he hadn’t returned to Blue Flame Mountain Pass for a long time. However, his military token had no reaction at all as of late, which showed that Nian Yuexian had never looked for him.

 

Lu Ye felt that he had been forgotten, but that happened to be what he wanted.

 

If Nian Yuexian kept giving him trivial tasks just like in the past, he wouldn’t have time to do other things.

 

While he had gained a lot, Ying Wuji and his team had also acquired hundreds of Flames of Earthen Spirits after they continuously collected the items for a long time.

 

These items wouldn’t cost a lot of Contribution points in the Vault of Providence, but the situation was awkward as there were no stocks in the Vault. As such, they could only collect the item themselves.

 

Around 20,000 battle points had been added to Lu Ye’s Battlefield Imprint. He knew it was his monthly salary as a first lieutenant.

 

In other words, it had been a month since he reported for duty at Blue Flame Mountain Pass.

 

He had yet to receive some other battle points because time wasn’t up yet. That was his reward for patrolling the area. Previously, Nian Yuexian had given him the task of patrolling Blue Flame Mountain Pass as well as a new title. This kind of task was ongoing, not one-off. As such, the reward would be given every month as well.

 

Nevertheless, Lu Ye wasn’t sure if he would get the reward because he had been staying inside the crater recently instead of fulfilling his duty.

 

The Heavens were fair. Since Lu Ye hadn’t been patrolling the area, he most likely wouldn’t get the reward.

 

Every time some leaves were fully aflame, Lu Ye would take a look at the information they carried.

 

Nevertheless, after the fifth Glyph was activated, the Tree of Glyphs seemed to be going through some transformation. The roots were deep inside the lava, so the heat energy was still being absorbed, but the leaves on the Tree that hadn’t been ignited were not reactive at all.

 

Lu Ye was terrified upon that realisation. The Tree of Glyphs was his biggest secret, and he heavily relied on it. Ever since he started cultivating his power, the Tree had been of immense assistance to him. If something went wrong with the Tree, his losses would be unimaginable.

 

After some examination, he confirmed there was nothing wrong with the Tree of Glyphs. The Glyphs could still be activated and built. Like Pixiu, the Tree would only absorb but not discharge anything.

 

Regardless of how much heat energy it absorbed, the leaves that had yet been set ablaze were not reactive at all.

 

Soon, Lu Ye realised the crux of the problem. Although the continuous absorption of heat energy didn’t cause any change to the leaves, the roots at the bottom of the Tree were going through some transformation. The roots had become thicker, stronger, and more dense.

 

Initially, these roots looked just like ordinary roots. But now, they were crimson as though they were some intertwined pieces of burning metal.

 

There was no doubt that the change was a good thing. Lu Ye had a feeling that the Tree of Glyphs was going through a transformation. Although he wasn’t sure if his speculation was right, it was likely to be the case, considering the current situation.

 

Before the transformation, the Tree of Glyphs was already of immense help to him. What could the Tree do for him after the transformation? Lu Ye was expectant.

 

Suddenly, a cultivator from Thousand Demon Ridge asked, “Sir Ying, has the temperature in this place dropped?”

 

It had been half a month since they arrived at this place, and the scorching heat seemed to have subsided. The others could feel it as well.

 

Ying Wuji nodded. “I think it’s because we’ve harvested too many Flames of Earthen Spirits.”

 

Despite what he had said, he was doubtful. Although they had indeed collected a lot of Flames of Earthen Spirits as of late, it wasn’t to the point where the environment would be altered.

 

After giving it some thought, he reckoned that before their arrival, many people must’ve come here to collect Flames of Earthen Spirits over the years. As time passed, it was only natural that the environment here was now different.

 

Unbeknownst to him, while they were harvesting the Flames of Earthen Spirits, Lu Ye had been secretly absorbing the heat energy as well, and he had gotten a much bigger share than them.

 

“Just hold on for a few days more and we’ll go back,” Ying Wuji ordered.

 

They were no longer as efficient as in the beginning, so they could stop harvesting the Flames in a few days. By then, there wouldn’t be a need for them to keep staying in this place.

 

Then, Ying Wuji turned to look at Lu Ye, who was seated on a rock. He was curious about what Secret Technique the latter was cultivating. During this period, this guy didn’t seem to have gained anything. Instead, he kept making mistakes and appeared to be in pain.

 

Two days later, the temperature inside the crater dropped again. Ying Wuji and his team were even less efficient at collecting Flames of Earthen Spirits now. Lu Ye could also feel that the speed of the Tree of Glyphs absorbing the heat energy had become slower.

 

[Should I snatch away their Flames of Earthen Spirits?] Lu Ye wondered.

 

After such a long time, they had probably collected over 1,000 Flames of Earthen Spirits, which would be more than enough for the Tree of Glyphs to be fully transformed. However, if Lu Ye made such a move, his identity and his trump card would be exposed. As such, he had to consider if the risk was worth taking.

 

Before he could make a decision, someone exclaimed, “Sir Ying!”

 

In an instant, all of them became flustered.

 

Lu Ye lifted his gaze and saw that the cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge had gathered together. Ying Wuji stood in front of these Cloud River Realm Masters to protect them as he looked vigilantly at the centre of the lava.

 

As the lava boiled over there, huge bubbles burst. It was as though something was ascending from the depths of the lava.

 

Lu Ye also rose to his feet with a solemn expression.

 

A special environment like this could easily breed some monsters. Ying Wuji had told these Cloud River Realm Masters there might be Fire-Attribute Spirit Beasts hiding somewhere.

 

However, since nothing had happened after such a long time, they gradually put down their guard.

 

Now, it seemed that there might indeed be a monster, and the noise suggested that it wasn’t an ordinary one.

 

“Leave this place first!” Although Ying Wuji had no idea what was going to happen, he reckoned they couldn’t stay there any longer.

 

Just as he was ready to lead these Cloud River Realm Masters to leave this place, the thing from the depths of the lava emerged.

 

It wasn’t a monster. Instead, it was a huge stone platform. The lava streamed down the stone platform as it ascended. The scorching heat made the stone platform look crimson, and a searing air blast spread in all directions.

 

All of them were shocked and doubtful. None of them could’ve imagined there was a stone platform at the bottom of the lava, and it now emerged all of a sudden.

 

Ying Wuji furrowed his brows. Just as he was ready to have a look, Lu Ye leapt into the air and landed on the stone platform.

 

The massive platform was in stark contrast to his relatively small figure.

 

Ying Wuji landed on it next and looked around before asking, “Do you recognise this thing, Brother Niu?”

 

Many cultivators had come into this crater over the years, but none of them had discovered this thing. As such, it was odd that this thing appeared at this point.

 

Lu Ye shook his head. It was apparent that the stone platform was ancient, but it had sunk into the lava in the past for some reason. Despite being old, the stone platform was still intact. Even the intricate patterns on the stone platforms were still clearly visible, which went to show it was made from incredible material.

 

Lu Ye examined the intricate patterns and recalled what he had learned about the Way of Wards in an attempt to find out what they were.

 

“Sir Ying, this thing has appeared out of nowhere. Could it be an opportunity?” Someone suddenly had a wild thought.

 

Ying Wuji shook his head. “Don’t be too excited. I think the appearance of this thing has something to do with the loss of heat energy during this period. When the heat energy was sufficient, this thing could stay at the bottom. Now that much of the heat energy has been lost, it has ascended to the surface.” Then, he turned to look at Lu Ye. “What do you think, Brother Niu?”

 

Lu Ye nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

 

He shared the same sentiment as Ying Wuji. There was no way it was a coincidence. The two parties had been collecting heat energy in this place recently, causing the environment here to improve. Although he had no idea what the stone platform was for, it must have something to do with heat energy. When there was plenty of heat energy, the stone platform could stay at the bottom.

 

“Are you well-versed in the Way of Wards, Brother Niu?” When Ying Wuji saw Lu Ye studying the patterns on the stone platform, he was suddenly anxious. That was because a certain someone was an expert in the Way of Wards.

 

Without looking at him, Lu Ye replied, “I’m not an expert. I only know a thing or two about it.” Then, he added, “It’s only normal for a Spell Cultivator to also learn the Way of Wards.”

 

“You have a point.” Ying Wuji set his mind at ease.

 

“You’re supposed to be well-versed in the Way of Wards, Brother Ying. Have you figured anything out?”

 

Ying Wuji replied, “It looks like a Circle of Boon, but it also doesn’t seem like it. As for what the Ward is for…”

 

Before he could finish his words, the stone platform suddenly trembled. Then, the patterns started glowing one by one.

 

Around the stone platform, patterns that looked like flowers lit up. Soon enough, illusions of flowers appeared around the stone platform. There were more than 40 flowers.

 

They could clearly feel that the heat energy was madly absorbed by the stone platform. Then, they shifted their attention to a particular cultivator.

 

It was this person who activated his power and caused the incident to happen.

 

Faced with their stares, the cultivator was flustered. Embarrassed, he said, “I saw that the patterns were intact, so I wanted to try if I could activate its power. I didn’t expect it to really be activated.”

 

He felt that rather than studying the patterns endlessly, they should just give it a shot to see what it was.

 

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done, Sir!” The cultivator quickly apologised to Ying Wuji.