Geno Seed

Han Sen's heart beat faster and faster, as his kidneys kicked into overdrive to produce energy. His body was charged with the element of thunder, and the tolling of a bell chimed. The fusion of thunder and sonic forces was driven directly into her belly.

The silver fox exerted more effort than ever before, focusing all it could to defend its master. It channeled its energy into an explosive, electric charge and fired a lightning thunderbolt towards her face.

The combination of these two strikes would have been fatal for most, but to Moment Queen, they were little more than a stiff wind.

She exuded a holy presence, an aura that graced her armor and shielded her. Furthermore, her crown produced a purple mist. The Sonic-Thunder Punch with Yin Force could not penetrate the armor.

The purple mist was able to dissolve the lightning that sought to strike her, and not even her hair was ruffled.

"Better try a new trick, because that one's getting old. That's what you would say, isn't it? Now, simmer down and cease wasting my time. Pestering me further will only invite a sooner death. I have no ardent desire to kill you, not yet. Still, it would be ill advised for you to test my patience." Moment Queen grabbed Han Sen and silver fox, and with a flap of her wings, took off in flight. The speed was so dizzyingly fast, the duo felt as if their bones were going to snap.

Pang! Pang!

A moment later, Han Sen and the silver fox were thrown to the ground. Such was the force, they could do little but writhe around in agony afterwards, groaning.

Trying to subdue the savage aching of his bones, Han Sen looked around. Moment Queen had brought them back to Moment Shelter, directly beneath the boughs of the Jade-Gold Tree.

Never had Han Sen seen the silver fox, in the time since he witnessed its birth, be so angry. It wanted nothing more than to lash out and attack Moment Queen, despite the futility of such an action. Fortunately, Han Sen was able to keep it from doing so.

They knew they were unable to compete with Moment Queen, and attacking her would only incite her wrath and lead to a quicker death. If she didn't want to kill them just yet, there was a chance they could make it out of their predicament alive.

Han Sen looked at Moment Queen who was standing under the tree. She looked upon it in admiration, but she didn't speak or do anything. What thoughts graced her mind, Han Sen couldn't tell.

Han Sen fingered the gourd in his pocket, suddenly noticing its rapid vibrations. It truly did seem ready to be born.

Suddenly, Moment Queen turned around. The unpredictability gave Han Sen and the silver fox a jump scare, and they couldn't help but take a step back.

"There is no need to fear me. I do not plan on killing you yet. You had me as your puppet for a time, so your death will be slow," Moment Queen said.

"Following my commands was a decision you made. Aside from asking a favor from time to time, I didn't mistreat you. Why don't we just go our separate ways, let bygones be bygones, and never see each other again?" Han Sen looked up and into her cold eyes. Then, he continued by saying, "If you think your service to me was unfair, how about we reverse roles for a time? Give me a task or two."

"Unfair?" Moment Queen looked angry, and continued to elaborate, "Killing you is the only thing that can make us even. You deserved to die the moment you approached the gates of my shelter. You deserved to die the moment you asserted yourself as my master."

"Calm down; with the treasure you have, the contract has already been destroyed." Han Sen went on, "I have seen a lot today, and I didn't expect a tree could grow armaments such as those you obtained. How did you learn what it took to grow such sacred items?"

"Sacred items?" Moment Queen's faced looked both mocking and scornful. She looked back to the Jade-Gold Tree and continued her dialogue, "Ignorant fool. They aren't sacred items; they are Geno Seeds. I brought them here from my time in Third God's Sanctuary. Do you really think something of such power exists here, in this place?"

Han Sen was frozen. He had heard about Geno Seeds before; it was something Ji Yanran and Annie had spoken of. But there was no way for them to ever appear in Second God's Sanctuary, so this possibility never crossed Han Sen's mind. He merely believed the tree to have birthed items of some sanctity.

Now, thinking about it this way, the Jade-Gold Tree was quite similar to the description given to him by Ji Yanran. After planting the seeds, they grew amazing items: weaponry and defensive armaments, some even grew creatures.

In the Third God's Sanctuary, Geno Seeds were important. Higher tier seeds provided higher tier armor and weapons.

He was told that the items birthed by Geno Seeds were entirely randomized, but Ji Yanran and Annie didn't go into too much detail. As such, Han Sen never expected the Jade-Gold Tree had grown from a Geno Seed.

"It is no wonder that these items are so powerful, learning that these weapons are the boon of a Geno Seed from Third God's Sanctuary," Han Sen said, complimenting the geno gear she had obtained.

Moment Queen coldly laughed and said, "The reason why the Jade-Gold Tree was able to be born was all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, it would not have been able to grow."

"Why? What did I have to do with it?" Han Sen asked, with a look of shock.

Moment Queen laughed and said, "You brought that lucky beast here to live with us. The seed grows thanks to the luck it bestows. You gave me back the hope I thought you had robbed forever."

Han Sen wanted to slap himself. He shouldn't have brought Little White here. Now, she was reaping all the benefits and worse yet, his life was dangling by a thread. Moment Queen held the scissors.

Han Sen's face was full of regret, whereas Moment Queen's face was one of unbridled joy.

"If you have just told me that I helped you, why do you want to kill me?" Han Sen said, as he thought of how he might escape.

"Do not worry; I am not going to kill you. But whether or not you live is another matter, and that is something that depends entirely on you." Moment Queen wore a mystic smile.

"Please explain what you mean." Han Sen frowned.

"I want to see if you can survive in Third God's Sanctuary," Moment Queen coldly said.

Han Sen thought about asking something else, but the Jade-Gold Tree that was about one hundred meters high was still growing. There were no more chest fruits, but the tree's growth hadn't stopped. It looked as if it was prepared to sunder the skies.

"The Jade-Gold Tree does not belong in Second God's Sanctuary. Its birth was inspired by the lucky beast you tamed, but still, it has difficulty growing here. The Second God's Sanctuary cannot handle the energy force it possesses, so it will break the sky and pierce through to Third God's Sanctuary." Moment Queen spoke with excitement, looking up at the tree that continued to grow before their eyes.

Han Sen felt the entirety of Purple Mountain quake, and eventually, rise. With the mountain set to its trunk, Moment Shelter was lifted from the earth below and taken up into the skies.

Han Sen was shocked. He was not yet a surpasser, and while entering Third God's Sanctuary like this gave him a better chance at an initial survival, long-term survival did not seem likely. Any ordinary creature in Third God's Sanctuary would be stronger than Han Sen.

As the Jade-Gold Tree continued to grow, the gourd in Han Sen's hand became more and more excited. Han Sen could sense its actual feelings of happiness.

Han Sen had no idea why it felt happy.