Peach, Where? Pt. 2
The Heavenly Peach Tree of the Heaven's Gate Forest, is dying.
"What the hell happened here!" [Li Qiang]
Those who have entered the barrier got surprised by Li Qiang's sudden outburst and got closer to inspect. They were all greeted by the tree's pathetic appearance and got even more shocked.
『 T-The tree of immortality! 』[Amell, Headmaster of Notus Academy]
『 Is this really the heavenly peach tree? Why does it look like this?! 』[Sui Yan of Mirage Sect]
Others were also thinking the same thing and had gathered around the tree, perplexed.
Li Qiang's eyes roamed atop the branches, looking for the fruit, but found nothing.
"Who took the fruit!" [Li Qiang]
He then let out his Indigo aura. The pressure immediately settled and those who are below the blue spirit qi vomited blood. Some even fell to the ground and gasped in pain.
A young man in white scholarly robes stepped in and saluted.
"Esteemed one, we were the first to come here but had not rushed to the tree and waited instead. The esteemed people of the Lin Family will attest to it for they also had gotten here first, with us. I asked the esteemed one to stop the esteemed one's aura"
Zhang Yong's eyes narrowed and turned in the direction of the Lin elders.
"Is that true?" [Zhang Yong]
"Of course, the young man is saying the truth." [Elder Lin]
『 This arrogant man! Just because they are from the biggest empire they act like everyone is below their feet. Hmph! 』[Elder Lin]
Li Qiang then extinguished his indigo spirit qi which made the people sighed in relief.
"Hmph!" [Li Qiang]
Li Qiang stared at the tree once more before he and Zhang Yong left in anger. They have not gotten what they came to from their country. Heaven's Gate Forest is after all, just beside the small kingdom of Temari, which is weeks away from Phoenix Country. That is if they traveled nonstop with a carriage.
Amell stepped closer to the tree and inspects. His fingers traced the traumas on its body.
"This looks like a wild beast's work." [Amell]
"A wild beast? But it couldn't have gotten closer to the tree right? The concentration here is too dense for ordinary animals. Even a High-level spirit beast would have trouble." [Nala, Vice Headmaster of Notus Academy]
"Then, a guardian level?" [Amell]
The two got silent for a while and someone stepped in beside them. It was Sui Yan and a Noir Market elder.
"A Guardian Level beast would be plausible, but why?" [Sui Yan]
"The Heavenly Peach Tree is divine, why would a Guardian Level beast attacks it? They should be guarding it instead." [Yang Bogi]
"Maybe it battled with some cultivator who snatched the fruit?" [Nala]
Just then, Sui Yan's eyes caught sight of something white and transparent in between the roots.
『 What is that? 』[Sui Yan]
She then bents down and picked a piece, she glanced at the left side of the tree and saw bigger pieces similar to it.
"A chrysalis?" [Yang Bogi]
Sui Yan turned to him, and so are the others.
"Chrysalis? You mean a beast had advanced to a guardian level?" [Nala]
"Is it really?" [Amell]
Yang Bogi picks up a bigger piece and showed it to them.
"Look at it and tell me if it's not what I think it is." [Yang Bogi]
Amell examined it and his eyes widened in awe.
"It is!" [Amell]
『 There is a guardian beast in here! 』[Amell]
"Then something must have happened during the advancement or after it woke up which made it ran amok." [Sui Yan]
"Maybe, but this means that a guardian level beast had appeared here in Heaven's Gate Forest. Cultivators and beast tamers would sure flock here." [Amell]
Who would know that the small country of Temari would have both the Heavenly Peach Tree and a guardian level beast?
『 What luck… 』[Sui Yan]
Yang Bogi gazes upwards to the empty branches.
"Where might the fruit be?" [Yang Bogi]
It was, after all, the second time for the Tree of Immortality to bear fruit. The first one had been consumed by a cultivator of legends who is now nowhere to be found. It isn't clear if he is still alive up to this day, but the peach fruit adds 300 hundred more years to one's life and can help a person to breakthrough.
The others got silent and wracked their brains for answers, but they have not found anything. They don't know who had come here earlier than all of them but one thing is true. The tree of immortality won't be bearing any more fruits in the future.
"The divine atmosphere here is almost gone, I could not even feel it. If I did not know that this is the Heavenly Peach Tree, I would say otherwise." [Sui Yan]
"Right. Like the energy around here have been sucked dry." [Nala]
Amell glances at the chrysalis again.
"It's not clear if a divine beast did this or some other person, but we had rushed here for nothing." [Amell]
"We still have gotten to know something though." [Nala]
Sui Yan sighs and turns around, prepping to leave.
『 I have to let the sect leader know. 』[Sui Yan]
The Noir Market elder stood there for a while, stroking his chin before finally leaving with his companions. Even the people of Notus Academy had left. The others who had only got to the tree to inspect because the barrier was lifted, huddled together.
Hongchang gawked at it, feeling mixed emotions but mostly shock and disbelief.
『 It's indeed gone. 』[Hongchang]
"Sect leader…" [His disciple]
Hongchang nods while still not taking his eyes off the tree.
"Mm. I know." [Hongchang]
『 It truly is a pity. If I had gotten here sooner than everyone else, I might have snatched it. I could breakthrough to Golden Core or higher with the help of the fruit… 』[Hongchang]
Hongchang sighed and wistfully looks at the tree before deciding to go back.
"Let us go." [Hongchang]
They then left the place with a heavy heart. The others were still there looking rather astonished and confused. Some had even started to argue, while some had gone home in disappointment.
And from that day onwards, the rumors of the legendary tree had begun to circulate. How some unknown person snatched it away before the powerful people could, and the birth of a guardian level beast. Temari would be prowling with tamers and cultivators soon, and the chid's fate would start to write itself.