Chapter 36: You Should Have Said So Earlier If you'd told me earlier, there wouldn't have been so much trouble. …

Seeing their leader treat his former superior with such reverence, the expressions of the other two aides soured instantly.

"Wu Yu," Weisheng Luo said coldly, "There is no turning back once the bow is drawn. We have already sacrificed so many citizens of the Di Kingdom; if we do not take this opportunity to root them out and seal the news, we will surely face their frantic retaliation. The Di Kingdom’s main force of sorcerers is still in the Wu Kingdom!"

"Indeed, Wu Yu, this is an opportunity we fought hard to obtain," the other cloaked figure added in a shrill voice. "The Di Kingdom has over twenty million citizens. After the sacrifice, it will be enough to elevate two Sky Shamans. You cannot possibly stop now, can you?"

Si Jin did not mock these former subordinates. He simply pulled his cloak tighter, looking at them with a faint, inscrutable smile.

Weisheng Wu’s face turned ghastly. "Disgusting! What horrific sin could I have committed in a past life to be born to such a father?"

"Vice-Lord," the handsome, middle-aged leader bowed respectfully, "You have shown me much care over the years, but this time, I cannot follow your orders."

"Why waste words with him? Just kill him," the third cloaked figure said coldly. "Si Jin has been severely wounded for over a hundred years and has lost all his shamanic power. A dying man—how could he possibly stop us?"

"We cannot kill him yet," Weisheng Luo said in a deep voice. "The Di Lord and the Azure Emperor have not yet finished their great battle; their fate remains unknown. We must keep him as a hostage. Furthermore, he has held the financial power of the Di Kingdom for years; he must possess an immense amount of resources, enough to support us in rebuilding our families."

"Right, then Wu Yu can take seventy percent, and we shall divide the remaining thirty!"

The two continued to discuss how to dispose of the Vice-Lord as if he weren't even there. Only Wu Yu, after listening, said sincerely, "Vice-Lord, the many citizens involved this time were already those you had abandoned, and you tacitly permitted much of Bo Ren’s actions. Why not consider joining us, plotting this great cause together, and healing your old wounds?"

At these words, the other two darkened, wanting to speak but refraining, intimidated by Yu Lizhi’s strength.

"You actually refuse to bear this sin," Si Jin murmured, his pitch-black eyes fixed on him as he smiled. "But if I use this method to heal my wounds, that foolish snake will kill me first the moment he returns. You know as well as I do that he is quite capable of doing it."

Yu Lizhi took a deep breath, his expression resolute. "Vice-Lord, I do not wish to argue about the sins I have committed. But since the Wu Kingdom has abandoned our vassal states, we have no choice but to save ourselves. For years, the Wu Kingdom has remained prosperous, but what of us? More hateful still, they monopolize resources and hinder the advancement of the Di Kingdom’s Sky Shamans. If we do not resist, we will forever be slaves under the rule of the Wu Kingdom!"

"What you say is laughable," Si Jin had not yet spoken, but Weisheng Wu lashed out. "I despise you losers the most—those who blame the Wu Kingdom because you cannot advance yourselves. The Di Lord, the Vice-Lord, and even the former Yu Lord, the Great Shaman Shantu, and Wu Yao—which of them didn't rise from humble beginnings? Their resources were earned through solid merit. Shaman Shantu even taught seven Sky Shamans! You lot are nothing but cowards clinging to past glories, afraid to die. If you're afraid of death, why become Sky Shamans at all?"

Weisheng Luo’s face twitched; he longed to slap the boy twice. The sorcerer beside him looked grim. "Disrespectful to your betters. You deserve to have your tongue torn out."

Almost instantly, a ghostly hand reached out from the void, passing through the boy's cheek, gripping his tongue, and preparing to rip it out—

Si Jin glanced over, and the ghostly hand dissipated instantly. The sickly boy tightened his cloak once more and said eerily, "You are all Great Shamans; why bicker with a child?"

Yu Lizhi’s expression remained unchanged as he looked respectfully at Si Jin. "And your decision?"

Si Jin said casually, "Refused. This matter has nothing to do with me, and whoever comes, it still has nothing to do with me."

Yu Lizhi sighed deeply. "Vice-Lord, why must you be this way? The Di Lord is on the verge of alienation; without a Sky Shaman, the Di Kingdom cannot be rebuilt. If I become a Sky Shaman and you cover for me, then I shall be the Lord, and you shall remain the Vice-Lord. The Di Kingdom can still be rebuilt..."

"Who wants to rebuild the Di Kingdom?" Si Jin sighed lightly. "Tell you what, give me a Key of Spirituality so I can save that silly snake, and everything else shall be as you wish."

Yu Lizhi was momentarily stunned. He looked deeply at Si Jin and refused. "The Di Lord despises evil. If he lives, and we have done this, where would we find a path to survive?"

With that, the other two exchanged a smile and approached Si Jin with malicious intent.

Weisheng Wu, standing beside Si Jin, was sweating with anxiety. "Why are you still playing along? If you don't give me the amnesty, did you just bring me here to be slaughtered?"

"Children are always so impatient," Si Jin shook his head, calm and collected. "You’ve been watching for so long; won’t you come out and help?"

The three were startled, cautiously scanning their surroundings.

Lin Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. Is he talking about me, or someone else?

He did not move. Even if he wanted to deal with these three pieces of trash, he would have to rely on an ambush to be safe; how could he possibly reveal himself?

"Bluffing!" The unnamed sorcerer’s expression turned even colder. The sound of wind rose suddenly around them, and in the air, countless fine threads tangled and twisted like clusters of spiderwebs, shimmering with a watery luster in the sunlight, trapping everyone within. Countless small spiders crawled along the webs, rapidly closing in on Si Jin.

Countless webs also coiled around Lin Zhao, but many spiders passed him by, even crawling over his body without a second glance, as if the person beneath them were not prey, but merely a tree swaying in the breeze.

Why would spiders care about a tree?

Lin Zhao moved his body slightly, quietly placing a spark on several wooden beads, then sticking the beads to the silk on the rear ends of a few small spiders.

Is it reasonable for spider silk to be covered in tree bark? Extremely reasonable.

Finally, a spider crawled onto Si Jin and bit down, injecting venom. One more bite would be enough to sever his fine head. Meanwhile, Weisheng Wu, before he could resist, had already been bitten by a spider, instantly stiffening, unable to move.

"So there really was no backup plan..." Yu Lizhi’s expression was complex. "Vice-Lord, we will keep in our hearts the care you have shown us over the years, and we will not kill you. Let us proceed."

He let out a long breath. Honestly, in this plan, the Vice-Lord was his greatest worry; he had even wanted to wait until the Vice-Lord passed away from illness before executing the plan.

But for the past seven years, no matter how bedridden the Vice-Lord was, he always held on to a single breath, refusing to die. Yu Lizhi had no choice but to urge Bo Ren to proceed as planned.

The two others also revealed sneers of disdain, one of them summoning all the spiders back to his side.

Lin Zhao’s heart stirred. Watching the moment they relaxed, the flame seeds inside the remaining dozen wooden beads instantly expanded and ignited.

BOOM!

Golden light rose like a great sun. Following a massive shockwave, sonic booms spread, crushing everything in the vicinity, followed by terrifying clouds rising like a landmark, clearly marking their position.

The three bore the brunt of the impact, but they were battle-hardened veterans; in an instant, they brought out their life-saving trump cards.

One used a secret technique to transfer all damage to his spider totem, his body becoming soft as water to evade the force.

Another summoned an ancestral totem, channeling the final bit of power from a Sky Shaman ancestor to protect himself.

As for the villainous leader, after an astonished cry of "Green Wood Essence?", his body suddenly shimmered with gold. Eyes burning with battle intent, he used his physical body to block the majority of the force.

Si Jin moved without a trace, shielding Weisheng Wu.

It was unclear how much time had passed when the dust settled. The two followers lay on the ground, struggling to rise, clearly severely injured. The leader, Yu Lizhi, had all his skin burned away, leaving his body raw, scarlet, and gruesome.

Lin Zhao quietly gripped a feather, preparing to loot the bodies.

But the gruesome humanoid figure swayed, about to collapse.

A good opportunity. Lin Zhao threw a golden feather like a sharp arrow, aiming straight for his vitals.

But the humanoid creature’s near-popping eyes rolled, revealing a ferocious grin. "Caught you!"

He easily dodged the golden feather and appeared silently behind Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao was about to use his pocket watch to block, but the watch did not react. Looking down, he saw a layer of gray corrosion spreading across it. Panic surged in his heart, and he instinctively struck out with his hands.

It was a flame over six thousand degrees hot.

But the next second, his arms were violently twisted behind his back, and he was pressed to the ground, his face nearly buried in the soil.

"A Fire Shaman? How is that possible?" A voice filled with immense surprise came from behind.

As the leader of the Di Kingdom’s three commanders, although he was an Earth Shaman, Yu Lizhi’s magic, experience, and vision were infinitely close to those of a Sky Shaman. He watched the tiny flames burrowing into his body; inside them was only absolute heat, lacking the rot and filth present in corruption-based magic—it was just like, just like a true sun.

Even though it was painful, the heavy corruption within his body seemed to be used as fuel by this fire, burning and growing stronger.

A technique with the aura of a Golden Crow?? How could that be?

Only one Golden Crow bloodline sorcerer survived in the Wu Kingdom, and it was a mongrel with thin blood at that, yet even that was the most precious treasure of the Spring God’s lineage, never shown to outsiders. How could the Wu Kingdom let such a precious mongrel Golden Crow roam free?

But this was a supreme treasure! He immediately suppressed his shock, took a deep breath, and, acting as if nothing had happened, used a long whip to bind Lin Zhao tightly, tossed him aside, and walked calmly to the sacrificial altar. "Just a common human sorcerer using some forbidden fire arts. Continue the sacrifice."

Lin Zhao watched them survive and complained about the Old Tree’s equipment being unreliable. He couldn't help but look toward the horizon, where the Giant Tree, the Great Serpent, and the Tortoise were still fighting in a darkened sky. Yet, the Old Tree seemed to be losing?

Half of the tree’s body had been chewed to pieces by the tortoise, and its canopy had been shattered, looking as if it were about to topple. What worried him most was the heavy gray-black color already appearing on the Old Tree—a sign of uncontrollable corruption.

Old Tree, you must hold on, I’m still waiting for you to save me!

Lin Zhao looked left and right, then crawled toward Si Jin, who stood quietly by. Si Jin looked relaxed, as if everything in the world had nothing to do with him. "Have you really just given up?"

"Given up?" Si Jin smiled. "Hmm, that’s fitting. I’ve given up for many years now."

"Don't you want to save the Di Lord?" Lin Zhao whispered. "He is the one who raised your brother, after all."

"That’s exactly why," Si Jin sneered. "To save him, one can only do so when he has exhausted his strength and fallen. At any other time, whoever tries to save him will only get themselves killed. Look at that foolish tree; it agreed to help only for a moment, and wasn't it dragged down by him too?"

Lin Zhao was instantly displeased. "That’s a bond. Don't you understand? The Old Tree is his true brother, isn't it?"

The remark was too wounding. Si Jin, whose face had been unmoved by all things, instantly darkened, nearly dripping with bitterness. "Whether they are brothers or not is irrelevant. But you, carrying the Wood Essence Bead—that foolish tree definitely wanted you to run far away. By returning here, are you hoping to die in front of him?"